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Council of Federated Organizations
Jackson State University, through funds received through a U.S. Small Business Administration grant, is moving forward with plans to renovate 1011, 1013, and 1017 John Roy Lynch Street. These addresses are referred to collectively as the COFO Complex and are significant for two reasons. First, these buildings housed Jackson, Mississippi’s first radio station to broadcast African-American programming. Secondly, 1017 John R. Lynch Street was the state headquarters of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO). COFO was an organization that combined the efforts of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in organizing voter registration efforts, freedom schools, and other activities that sought equal rights for African Americans. COFO was instrumental during 1964’s Freedom Summer campaign in which COFO recruited students from schools throughout the country to strengthen their efforts and to bolster awareness of the disenfranchisement and degradation of African Americans—specifically in Mississippi.
Plans for the COFO Complex include restoring all three facilities—each with its own purpose. 1017 John R. Lynch Street will be restored and staged to resemble the COFO office of the 1960s. This staging will include artifacts and literature from the former office and will be open for public viewing. 1013, John R. Lynch Street will be renovated and serve as the welcome center, office, and meeting area of the complex. 1011 John R. Lynch Street will be renovated and, in conjunction with Jackson State University’s College of Business, will house a student-run business. Student entrepreneurs will be responsible for developing a business plan, marketing analysis, and other tasks necessary to ensure the success of their business.
The restoration of the COFO complex is part of Jackson State University’s initiative to redevelop the eastern portion of John R. Lynch Street. The Lynch Street Initiative is led by Jackson State University’s Center for University-Based Development and seeks to preserve the historic aspects of this corridor while improving the surrounding communities.
This project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA’s funding should not be construed as an endorsement of any products, opinions, or services. All SBA-funded projects are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
Curnis Upkins III
Program Manager
Lynch Street Initiative
Jackson State University
Center for University-Based Development
Office: 601.979.5828, Fax: 601.979.5803