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Etta Marie Simpson

Released
Gender:Female
Race:Black
Era:1960s
State:Mississippi
Support
Civil Rights
Etta Marie Simpson

Biography

Etta Marie Simpson was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, on May 28, 1961, for participating in the Freedom Rides and challenging segregation in interstate transportation — one of the arrests recorded by the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission and preserved in the Civil Rights Digital Library. The catalog establishes the arrest, the participation, and the individually identified police photograph, but not the court disposition, any transfer to Parchman, or the physical release date; those fields are unresolved pending county-jail, court, or penitentiary records.

Case

Arrested: May 28, 1961
Incarcerated: May 28, 1961
Sentence: Jailed following the May 28, 1961 Jackson Freedom Ride arrest. Mary Jean Smith identifies Etta Simpson as a fellow prisoner in her jail diary. Later interview reporting confirms transfer to Parchman and release on bond; the exact release date and individual sentence remain unverified.