Segregation Signs Still Stand Outside the Jackson, Mississippi Bus Terminal – Danny Lyon 1942

In the image we see a number of signs. Foreground has three marine/army recruitment signs and almost hiding is a sign that says “WHITE WAITING ROOM”. The placement of the “Woman Marine” sign in front of the segregation sign I think shows the irony of the times where women are being included into the army but they are still putting non-white Americans in a separate category as white Americans. I think having a number of signs makes the viewer want to read them and see what’s going on. Without the other signs I don’t think the segregation sign is as noticeable because the others signs make the viewer curious into reading more into what is being advertised. The significance of this photo now is its display of the times. We see the army recruitment posters and the segregation posters and the old cars. I think this photo is important for understanding how far we’ve come and how things used to be.

Citation:

Danny Lyon, American, b. 1942. (1962 (Printed later)). Segregation Signs Still Stand Outside the Jackson, Mississippi Bus Terminal. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://library.artstor.org/asset/28280539