C.C. & Emogene Bryant

The civil rights movement in Mississippi didn’t begin in conference rooms or capitol buildings; it began in living rooms like that of Curtis Conway “C.C.” Bryant and his wife, Emogene. Their home in McComb served as a haven, headquarters, and launching pad for voter registration work that would ripple across the state and beyond.

In 1961, C.C. Bryant, president of the Pike County NAACP, welcomed SNCC organizer Bob Moses into his home. What followed was the start of Mississippi’s historic grassroots voter registration campaign. Their yard became a center for exchange, with Bryant cutting hair beneath the trees while freedom fighters discussed strategy, politics, and civil rights beneath the branches. The small barbershop on the property also functioned as an informal library and meeting space, stocked with Black newspapers, books, and magazines that offered both education and empowerment.

But activism came at a cost. The Bryants’ home and barbershop were both targeted and bombed, and nearby Society Hill Missionary Baptist Church—where they worshipped and organized—was destroyed. Despite the violence, the Bryants never wavered. Their home remained open to civil rights workers, journalists, scholars, and neighbors who sought guidance or refuge.

To the movement, the Bryant home was a hub of resistance. To their seven grandchildren, it was a place of warmth, love, and the best home-cooked meals you could imagine. Emogene’s grace and hospitality provided physical and emotional nourishment to all who passed through.

Now in restoration, the C.C. & Emogene Bryant Freedom House is being reimagined by their granddaughter, Judith Roberts, as a place that honors its dual legacy, as both a beacon of civil rights activism and a deeply personal family home. Plans include recreating the home’s original 1960s interior and developing interpretive spaces for storytelling, education, and retreat.