Jackson State University (Margaret Walker Center)

Founded by the author Margaret Walker in 1968, the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University is an archive and museum that continues to uphold her artistic and academic legacy through its manuscript holdings, oral history collections, exhibits, and public programs. The Walker Center is currently housed in Ayer Hall, the oldest building on the Jackson State campus. Staff and students will study and compare the best practices of successful museums and archives located around the country, particularly sites with recent construction or expansion projects. The results of this research will support the planning and feasibility analysis for potential new locations in the Jackson community for a publicly accessible, state-of-the-art museum and research complex dedicated to the African American experience, the first of its kind in Mississippi.