Bed Used by Jawana Jackson, Selma, Alabama

01

Artifact Overview

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other Civil Rights leaders often stayed in the Selma, Alabama, home of Dr. Sullivan and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson during the struggle to secure voting rights in the 1960s. King and several leaders once held a meeting on this bed -- it collapsed beneath them, and the meeting devolved into laughter. Bricks were used to support the repaired bed.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Bed (Furniture)

Date Made

circa 1958

Location

at Greenfield Village in Jackson Home

Object ID

2023.50.2721

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Cherry (Wood)
Wood (Plant material)
Metal
Fruitwood

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 41.5 in (Assembled)
Width: 56.5 in (Assembled)
Length: 41.5 in (Assembled)

Inscriptions

board backside: 4770 Bed 4/6 / Cherry & Gum / Fruitwood Finish / 65 side board sides: 4770
Bed Used by Jawana Jackson, Selma, Alabama