This is season two of the Mississippi Freedom Trail Podcast, where the people who pushed for Civil Rights--and their family members--tell their stories of the role they played in the state's Civil Rights Movement. You’ll hear the real stories of people who drew from courage and persistence to make voting a reality for the Black residents of Mississippi. In this first of four episodes, we begin in Hattiesburg to tell the story of Vernon Dahmer.

Trip-Planning Resources:

• Visit Hattiesburg
• The Mississippi Freedom Trail
• The U.S. Civil Rights Trail

This episode features the voices and perspectives of:

• Dennis Dahmer
• Ellie Dahmer

To learn more about the life of Vernon Dahmer:

• Mississippi Encyclopedia / Vernon Dahmer

Listen to this in-depth exploration of Bloody Monday, a public library protest, and organized marches that were met with violent backlash.

Resources:

• Explore Virginia's sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
• Learn even more about Danville's history and how to visit
• Check out other states and stories along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

This episode features the voices and perspectives of:

• Dr. Robert Vinson, Director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies at the University of Virginia
• Karice Luck-Brimmer, Local Danville Historian
• Sherman Saunders, former Danville mayor, current City Council member
• Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Endowed Professor of Virginia Black History and Culture at Norfolk State University

Listen to the inspiring stories of individuals who sparked real change in Fredericksburg, Virginia, through school protests and department store sit-ins.

Resources:

• Explore Virginia's sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
• Learn even more about Fredericksburg's history and how to visit
• Check out other states and stories along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

This episode features the voices and perspectives of:

• Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater
• Lateefah Muhammad
• Mary Malone
• Clarence Todd
• Dr. Gaila Sims, Curator and Public Historian

A teenager named Barbara Johns leads a student protest at her segregated school in Farmville—an act of courage that would help change legal history in Virginia and beyond.

Resources:

• Explore Virginia's sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
• Learn even more about Farmville's Civil Rights stories at the Robert Russa Moton Museum
• Check out other states and stories along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

This episode features the voices and perspectives of:

• Cainan Townsend, Exec. Dir., Robert Russa Moton Museum
• Joan Johns Cobbs
• Claude Jones Cobbs
• Skip Griffin
• Gary Flowers, Historic Tour Guide and former attorney

The Virginia Civil Rights podcast explores significant moments and movements across the Commonwealth, sharing stories of everyday citizens whose courage and resilience drove lasting change. Through firsthand accounts, expert commentary, and historical context, the series examines key events in Farmville, Fredericksburg, Danville, and Richmond, featuring voices of those who lived the history alongside historians and scholars who continue to study its impact.

Resources:

• Explore Virginia's sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
• Check out other states and stories along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

This is the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail podcast. A series where historians and experts help us explore significant events in African American history that happened in the state. This is the third and final episode, where we take you to protests and movements across the state inspired and energized by the Greensboro Four sit-in in places such as Elizabeth City, Kinston, High Point, Salisbury, Shelby and Warren County. We also tell the story of Ella Baker and how she founded SNCC on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh. 

Learn more about the sites on the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail by visiting: 

• VisitNC.com/Civil-Rights
• North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
• CivilRightsTrail.com

The episode features the voices and perspectives of: 

• Glen Bowman, History Professor, Elizabeth City State University
• Adriane Lentz-Smith, History Professor, Duke University
• Bill Kearney, University of North Carolina Outreach Manager
• Keri Peterson, Sr. Director of History and Exhibitions, Levine Museum of the New South

This is the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail podcast. A series where historians and experts help us explore significant events in African American history that happened in the state. This is the second of three episodes. And in it, we’re going to learn about how four young men protesting at a department store lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, influenced generations.

Learn more about the sites on the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail by visiting: 

• VisitNC.com/Civil-Rights
• North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
• CivilRightsTrail.com

The episode features the voices and perspectives of: 

• Cassandra Williams, Tour Guide, International Civil Rights Center and Museum
• Torren Gatson, Asst. Professor of History, UNC-Greensboro
• Robert "Pat" Patterson, Sr., former student at NC A&T
• Charles Bess, former busboy at Woolworths in Greensboro
• Roslyn Smith, former Bennett College student
• Yvonne Johnson, former Bennett College student

This is the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail podcast. A series where historians and experts help us explore significant events in African American history that happened in the state. This is the first of three episodes. And in it, we’ll tell the story of the events leading up to the famous A&T Four sit-ins in Greensboro in 1960, including the story of Dorothy Counts and her attempt to integrate a public high school in Charlotte. 

Learn more about the sites on the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail by visiting: 

• VisitNC.com/Civil-Rights
• North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
• CivilRightsTrail.com

The episode features the voices and perspectives of: 

• Dorothy Counts-Scoggins
• Will Harris, Principal Scholar, International Civil Rights Center and Museum
• Keri Peterson, Sr. Director of History and Exhibitions, Levine Museum of the New South
• Cassandra Williams, Tour Guide, International Civil Rights Center and Museum
• Yvonne Johnson, Bennett College student from 1960-1964
• Torren Gatson, Asst. Professor of History, UNC-Greensboro