Leading into Juneteenth, the mayor and board of aldermen in Pass Christian voted in favor of placing a historical marker in honor of civil rights leader Lawrence Guyot in the downtown area.
Guyot, who was born in Pass Christian, was an instrumental figure in the civil rights movement, serving as chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, project director for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and organizer for the 1964 Freedom Summer Project.
The marker, which will be one of 12 new additions to the Mississippi Freedom Trail, will be unveiled on July 7 at 1 p.m. outside the Coastal Family Health Center between Davis and Handy Avenues.
The mayor and board of aldermen also voted unanimously to fund a rock garden that will be built around the marker. A bench, donated by the JWRECHC, will be placed in the garden with upkeep provided by the city’s beautification and public works departments.
With the first Mississippi Freedom Trail markers dedicated in 2011, the trail now includes nearly 30 sites.
