Mississippi has a complex and significant history in Black history. The state played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement and was a battleground for racial equality. Mississippi had a long history of segregation and racial violence, with African Americans facing discrimination, oppression, and systemic racism.

One of the most notable events in Mississippi's Black history is the murder of Emmett Till in 1955. Till, a 14-year-old Black boy from Chicago, was brutally lynched in Money, Mississippi, after being accused of whistling at a White woman. His death sparked national outrage and is considered a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.

Mississippi was also the site of the Freedom Summer of 1964, a campaign to register African American voters in the state. Civil rights activists, including many college students, came to Mississippi to help with voter registration efforts and to challenge segregation laws. This movement faced significant resistance, with activists facing violence and intimidation from White supremacist groups and local authorities.

Notable Civil Rights leaders such as Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Vernon Dahmer were from Mississippi and played key roles in the fight for racial equality. Evers, a field secretary for the NAACP, was assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1963. Hamer, a sharecropper and civil rights activist, was a leading voice in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and fought for Black representation in politics. Dahmer, a businessman and activist, was killed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1966 for his voter registration efforts.

Despite facing immense challenges, African Americans in Mississippi have made significant strides in the fight for civil rights and equality. The state continues to grapple with its history of racism and discrimination, but there have been important advancements in areas such as education, voting rights, and economic opportunity for Black residents.