Skip to main content

56th Annual Gibbs-Green Commemoration

JSU Websites > Margaret Walker Center | Jackson State University > News > Events > 56th Annual Gibbs-Green Commemoration
Graphic with text advertising the 56th Annual Gibbs-Green Commemoration at Jackson State University on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. on the Gibbs-Green Plaza. The event will also include the Ben Brown Freedom Trail Marker Unveiling & Tribute to Lap Baker. A reception will follow in the Johnson Hall Art Gallery. The background is a photo of the exterior wall of a tall building with shattered windows and bullet holes.

Our 56th Annual Gibbs-Green Commemoration is a poignant reflection on the 1970 police shooting at Jackson State University. The event honors the lives of Phillip Gibbs and James Green while also celebrating the Class of 1970 and their enduring inspiration.

This year’s commemoration will also feature an unveiling of the Ben Brown Freedom Trail Marker in addition to a special memorial tribute to Lap Baker, member of the Class of 1970 and dauntless advocate for the commemoration.

A reception will follow in the Johnson Hall Art Gallery on campus. The entire event is free and open to the public.