JACKSON, Miss. -- The mayor of Mississippi’s capital city and a state senator are apologizing for shootings by city and state law enforcement officers 51 years ago at a historically Black college.
Two people were killed and 12 were wounded on May 15, 1970, at Jackson State College as students protested against racial injustice.
The school is now Jackson State University.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Sen. Hillman Frazier spoke at Saturday's graduation ceremony — held 51 years later — for the Jackson State Class of 1970.
The original commencement of more than 400 graduates was canceled because of the shootings.
Seventy-four wore caps and gowns Saturday to receive the recognition denied them a lifetime ago.
