Unity Park

The stories of the Civil Rights Movement in Starkville, Mississippi, and The South have been chronicled through video interviews in a digital oral and public history project at Mississippi State University. Unity Park in Downtown Starkville honors the contributions of local, Mississippi, and national Civil Rights leaders.

It provides a positive place of civic pride where all people, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, can come together to celebrate peace, harmony and unity in our community. The park features exhibits dedicated to Civil Rights heroes Dr. Douglas L. Conner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Governor William Winter, Medgar Evers, and Fannie Lou Hamer. Each honoree is memorialized with a photo, quote, and description of their contributions to the movement. In addition, the park features a plaque commemorating the Game of Change on March 15, 1963, which marked the first basketball tournament game played by a Mississippi State University team against a team with black players. The park serves as a public gathering space and an important landmark today.