by Aron Smith
(JACKSON, Miss.) — Jackson State University held its 54th annual Gibbs-Green Commemoration hosted by the Margaret Walker Center on Tuesday, May 14, celebrating the memory of Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green who lost their lives on May 15, 1970.
On that tragic night, Mississippi police opened fire on unarmed students, resulting in the deaths of Gibbs, a political science major at JSU, and Green, a Jim Hill High School student, who took a shortcut through the campus that day. Twelve other students were also injured.
The commemoration drew community members, alumni, faculty, staff, and students to the Gibbs-Green Memorial Plaza, where they reflected on the event’s historical impact and ongoing relevance.
“Today, we gather to honor the memory of Philip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green, two promising young lives tragically cut short by a senseless act of violence,” emphasized JSU President Marcus Thompson, Ph.D., “We reaffirm our dedication to academic excellence, social justice, and community engagement and continue striving to create a world where tragedies like these are never repeated.”
The Gibbs-Green tragedy remains one of the most overlooked events in U.S. history, when compared to the well-publicized Kent State shootings that occurred just 11 days earlier. The reasons for police converging on the campus that night continue to be debated, with no definitive cause identified.
The commemoration included a posthumous honorary degree presented by Thompson to Dale Gibbs, the wife of Gibbs, his two sons, Phillip Gibbs, Jr and Demetrius Gibbs, and his two granddaughters, Ciera Gibbs and Ayvionna Nelson.
Dale Gibbs shared her lasting grief and the unresolved quest for justice.
“Despite the years, the pain remains fresh as if it were yesterday. No one has been held accountable for the death of my husband and the father of my children,” she said tearfully.
Robert Luckett, Ph.D., director of the Margaret Walker Center, and his staff have worked diligently to keep the slain students memories alive, even cultivating relationships with their families. He stressed the significance of the tragedy, both nationally and globally, quoting the haunting words of Margaret Walker.
“Even 54 years later, we are haunted by the trauma of those dark days. While it brings little solace to the bereaved families and their friends, it’s crucial we remember those fateful hours and deeply understand the events,” said Luckett. “We must never forget the lives lost or the significance of that turmoil. Understanding what was at stake then, and what remains at stake now, is essential.”
City of Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba also gave remarks focusing on the need for historical honesty and reconciliation.
“As James Baldwin famously said, ‘If we can’t be honest about our past, we become trapped in it.’ We stand in front of a building still riddled with bullet holes from the tragedy,” he said, highlighting the physical reminders of the past.
A wreath-laying ceremony at Alexander Residence Hall, led by JSU alumni Qulliy Turner, Lap Baker, and Gailya Porter, brought the event to a close. The trio graduated in 1970 and 1972 and bore witness to that violent night.
Also among the attendees was JSU alum and Mississippi State Senator Hillman Frazier, who was a Jackson State student at that time.
“I had left campus earlier that evening with a friend to eat. When we returned, we were initially barred entry by a police officer. After showing our student IDs and pleading, we were warned by the officer that every ambulance in town had been called to the campus, and we were entering at our own risk,” the senator explained.
Nelson reflected on her first visit to Mississippi and the personal connection she felt attending the commemoration.
“It didn’t quite hit me until I saw my father break down. That’s when it became real. Touching the building where my grandfather was shot became real for me, and it really hit home,” she shared.
Luckett highlighted the importance of the memorial service and cultivating a relationship with the Gibbs family, saying, “It is our high honor to coordinate the annual commemoration of the Gibbs-Green tragedy, and it has been our good fortune to get to know Dale Gibbs and her family,” shared Luckett. “They are remarkable, generous people, who’ve lived lives of great dignity and purpose despite tragically losing their husband and father on our campus.”
###