1. On August 17, 1969, Hurricane Camille made landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, causing significant damage and claiming 143 lives in the state alone. It remains one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history.

2. August 17, 1887 marked the birth of Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican-born activist and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Garvey's message of black pride and self-sufficiency resonated with many Mississippians during the early 20th century.

3. Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer was born on August 17, 1917 in Montgomery County, Mississippi. Hamer's advocacy and organizing around voting rights and political participation played a crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement.

4. The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) was founded on August 17, 1964, in response to the Democratic Party's refusal to seat the state's all-white delegation at the party's national convention. The MFDP aimed to challenge the exclusion of black voters from the political process.

5. On August 17, 1969, James Meredith began a walk from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi to protest the lack of economic opportunities for black people in the state. The 220-mile trek came to be known as the "March Against Fear" and inspired others across the country to join in the fight for civil rights.