A portion of Mississippi Highway 63 in Moss Point is being dedicated to former Mayor Louis Jackson.

The designation of Louis Jackson Boulevard was approved by the Legislature. The Mississippi Department of Transportation will hold the dedication ceremony Thursday at the Pelican Landing Conference Center in Moss Point.

Jackson was elected city alderman in 1977 and became the city’s first black mayor in 1985. He served two, consecutive four-year terms and won a third term in 1997. Jackson served as the Mississippi Municipal League’s first black president from 1991-1992.

Jackson was killed in 2005 in a one-car accident on Interstate 10 outside of Mobile, Ala.