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NATCHEZ, Miss. — A special two-day event celebrating the life and legacy of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers will be held in early July in recognition of his 100th birthday, according to Natchez NAACP President Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis.

 

“A Centennial Celebration of the Life and Work of Medgar Wiley Evers (July 2, 1925 – June 12, 1963)” will be presented by the Natchez Branch of the NAACP in collaboration with the Natchez Business and Civic League, the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture, and Visit Natchez. It is free and open to the public.

 

“Medgar Wiley Evers worked tirelessly in Mississippi to overturn racial segregation in schools and public facilities, and to expand opportunities for African American citizens both economically and politically,” said Arcenaux-Mathis. “He gave his life to make Mississippi and America a better place for all Americans to live in. His work transcended Mississippi and impacted the entire United States of America.”

 

Arcenaux-Mathis said honoring “this heroic American helps to keep his history and contributions alive and relevant in world today.”

 

The celebration will begin with a panel discussion at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture at 301 Main St. The discussion will be preceded by a social at 5:30 p.m.

 

Panelists will include Olivia Spann, supervisory park ranger at the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument; Dr. Shirley Evers-Manly, interim dean of the Alcorn State University School of Nursing; and Dr. Marcus Ward, senior vice-president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the ASU Foundation at Alcorn State University.

 

Spann will discuss Evers’ work on important cases in Mississippi, including his work on the 1955 murder of Emmitt Till. Ward will discuss Evers’ time with Alcorn A&M and his contributions between 1948 and 1952. Additionally, he will talk about the ways in which Alcorn may have influenced his commitment to human and civil rights. Ward will also discuss Medgar and Myrlie Evers’ impact on Alcorn since 1963.

 

Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, will serve as moderator. Loki Mulholland, Emmy-winning filmmaker, author, speaker, and director of the film, “The Evers,” will share remarks via Zoom.

 

Arceneaux-Mathis will introduce the panelists and moderator.

 

The evening will include a showing of the praise dance video, “I’ve Been Buked and I’ve Been Scorned,” and introductory film, “Medgar & Myrlie Evers: A Legacy of Courage and Activism.”

 

On Wednesday, July 2, “The Evers” will be shown at 6 p.m. at Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church at 117 Pilgrim Blvd. The program will open with a devotion by the Rev. Melvin White, the church’s pastor, and an introduction by Arceneaux-Mathis.

 

A reception will be held in the church’s fellowship hall.

 

Evers was the first NAACP field secretary in Mississippi. A prominent civil rights activist and organizer, he worked for voting rights and to improve the lives of Blacks in Mississippi. He also worked to end racial violence. Evers was assassinated on June 12, 1963, in the carport of his home, which he shared with his wife, Myrlie, and their children, in Jackson.

 

His death was considered “the first murder of a nationally significant leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, and it became a catalyst for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” according to the National Park Service.

 

For more information, call Joyce Mathis at 601-807-4319 or Roscoe Barnes III at 601-492-3004.

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Copiah-Lincoln Community College is hosting a Juneteenth program at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 19, at the Willie Mae Dunn Library in the Tom Reed Academic Building at 11 Co-Lin Circle, Natchez.

Local historian Royal Hill Jr., the guest speaker, will discuss “The History of Juneteenth.” The event is free and open to the public. It is organized by Library Director Victoria Williams, who will serve as the master of ceremony.

Other participants in the program will include Robin Grenell, senior aide, who will present the invocation, and Corey Ellis Jr., who will introduce the speaker.

Hill is a graduate of Alcorn State University. In addition to being co-owner of Open Arms Tours and Receptive Services with his wife, Lavada, Royal Hill is the center manager for Mississippi Action for Progress at the Thompson Head Start Center.

“I believe that servitude and giving back to the community are essential components of being  ‘part of the problem or part of the solution,’” Royal Hill said. It was this conviction, he noted, that led him to co-chair the Natchez Juneteenth Committee of 1990.

Over the years, Royal Hill has served on multiple committees in the Miss-Lou area.

“As we honor Juneteenth, we must also honor and invest in the institutions that continue to uplift the values it represents,” said Dr. Pernell Goodwin, vice president of Co-Lin’s Natchez Campus.

Thursday’s program is expected to last for one hour. Refreshments will be served. The program is designed for the students and the general public, said Williams.

For more information, call 601-446-1107.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Hundreds of people turned out for the annual Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 26, to honor fallen U.S. military men and women. Beginning in Vidalia, they marched across the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge and stopped briefly at the Natchez Visitor Center at  640 South Canal St., before proceeding to the Natchez National Cemetery.

Ben Tucker, retired Army 1st Sgt., and Jeff McClure, retired Army Lt. Col., led the parade as co-grand marshals. The parade ended at the cemetery where a ceremony honoring the fallen was held. The day’s theme was “Symbols of American Courage.”

“We had a wonderful program,” said Laura Ann Jackson, who chairs the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade Committee. “We had a good turnout in spite of the forecast calling for rain. Fortunately, the rain held off and we went on with the parade and the ceremony.”

Jackson said she appreciates all of the participants, and she looks forward to seeing more of them in 2026.

Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, served as guest speaker. He delivered a message titled, “The Reason We are Here.” Barnes said the reason for the parade and the ceremony could be summed up in two words: “We care.”

“Today, we’re showing that we care,” he said. “We care because our service members – our veterans who are now deceased, stood on a wall, and they fought on a battlefield. We care because they left their homes and families to ensure our freedom. We care because of the commitment of these men and women who bravely and unselfishly served our country with dignity and honor.”

Barnes suggested the service members demonstrated a “greater love” by laying down their lives for others. He quoted Christ, saying, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Noting their service was not in vain, Barnes said “they give us hope for a better community and hope for a better country.”

Barnes said it was also important to remember the families of the service members.

“As we mourn those who are deceased and reflect on their duty and dedication in our military, let us also remember their loved ones, their families, as well as their friends,” he said. “Those who have lost family members in the military should know that their suffering is also acknowledged and it will not be forgotten.”

The parade and ceremony were organized by Jackson and the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade Committee.

Dr. Patricia Suduth-Scott, co-chair of the parade committee, served as master of ceremony. Vietnam veteran Doug McCallister gave the invocation, and Nolan Cubie led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

In her opening remarks at the ceremony, Charlotte Taylor, assistant director of the Mississippi National Cemetery Complex at Natchez, thanked everyone for their participation in the day’s event. She welcomed them to the cemetery “to honor our fallen veterans.”

She was followed by retired Army Lt. Col. Larry Smith, who sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” As a representative of the Elnora Riley group, Cayman Riley provided a solo trumpet performance of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Mayor Dan Gibson and his wife, Marla, also attended the ceremony.

The Natchez High School AFJROTC posted and retired the colors, and Natchez National Cemetery staff assisted with the wreath presentation and the raising of the flag. Taps was played by military veteran Wilbur Johnson.

Taylor thanked the parade committee, distinguished local and state leaders, guest speaker, veterans, and cemetery staff for their participation in the ceremony.

She thanked everyone for “their commitment to honor our veterans on this Memorial Day and I look forward to your continued participation.”

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Miss-Lou Military Museum and Veterans Welcome/Information Center will be closing its doors around the end of June, according to Larry Smith, president of the Home with Heroes Foundation Inc., the organization that operates the museum.

Smith said the decision to close the museum was prompted by funding issues. In short, he said, the museum simply does not have the funds to cover its rent.

Smith also announced that he and his wife, Jackie, will soon be moving to Arizona to be closer to their family. The couple moved to Natchez about four years ago, and since then, they have been active as volunteers on various committees in the community.

“Having served in the U.S. Army for almost three decades and lived all over the world and across the United States, Natchez will always be home in our hearts,” said Larry Smith. “Its people, its history, and its charming eccentricities are truly unmatched. God is good, and we pray that one day we might return.”

U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Robert Foley is the new president of the Home with Heroes Foundation, and Gabi Crousillac, retired Army National Guard Major, is the new vice president. On June 1, Crousillac will replace Jackie Smith as the executive director.

The museum, a nonprofit organization with 501-C3 status, was the brain child of G. Mark LaFrancis, former president of the Home with Heroes Foundation. LaFrancis passed in June 2024 following a long battle with cancer.

The museum first opened in 2018 at the VFW Post 9573 building at 318 Sgt. Prentiss Drive. The VFW provided a room for the museum on its second floor. However, on Nov. 12, 2023, the museum celebrated its grand opening at its current location at 107 Jefferson Davis Blvd.

LaFrancis said the aim of the museum was to educate the public about the contributions of men and women in the U.S. military by giving local residents and visitors immersive experiences that are interactive, memorable, and visually stimulating.

Those experiences were made possible by the use of military artifacts, GI Joe figures, well-designed ship and aircraft models, uniforms of different military branches, and photos. LaFrancis said the museum could be seen as a tangible way to recognize all branches of the U.S. military, dating back to World War I.

Over the past few months, the museum staff has searched for another building to call home that would be more cost-effective, according to Larry Smith. Unfortunately, they were not successful in their search, he said.

Between now and its closing, all of the museum’s collections and artifacts will be returned to their owners, Larry Smith said. Unclaimed items will be offered to military museums in Mississippi and Louisiana.

For information on the museum’s closing and having items returned, call 253-970-2090.

NATCHEZ, Miss. — The annual Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade, one of the longest-running Memorial Day traditions in the United States, will be held Monday, May 26, 2025, with Army veterans Ben Tucker and Jeff McClure serving as co-grand marshals, announced Laura Ann Jackson, who chairs the Committee for the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade.

Jackson said that she and others in Vidalia and Natchez are looking forward to continuing the tradition that began in the late 1800s and has continued to this day.

“As in previous years, we expect a good turnout as we honor those who are now deceased who served in our military,” Jackson said. “This is important for our community and for our nation, which is free because of the price paid by our military service members.”

The parade lineup will begin at 8 a.m. at Zion Baptist Church at 601 Magnolia Street in Vidalia. Participants will proceed to the corner of Carter and Magnolia streets

Around 9 a.m., they will begin their trek at the foot of the Louisiana side of the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge. From there, they will proceed across the bridge to the Natchez Visitor Center at 640 S. Canal St., where they will take a 30-minute break.

After their break, the participants will proceed north on Canal to Franklin Street, and from Franklin, they will move along to Pearl Street and from Pearl to Oak Street. From Oak, they will proceed to Maple Street and then travel north to the Natchez National Cemetery at 41 Cemetery Road, where a ceremony is held.

Jackson said shuttles will be available at the Visit Center and the cemetery.

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on the west side of the cemetery overlooking the river front. This year’s program will feature Dr. Patricia Sudduth as the master of ceremonies and Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, the cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, as the guest speaker.

For more information call 601-446-9052.

In addition to the Monday parade, several other events will take place over the Memorial Day weekend in the Mississippi-Louisiana area.

Posting flags

On Saturday, May 24, beginning at 9 a.m., the Natchez National Cemetery Memorial Committee will place flags on the gravesites of each veteran. The committee is asking for volunteers to assist with this project.

“Refreshments will be provided following placement of the flags in appreciation of the volunteers’ support,” said Caleb Q. Ray, cemetery technician.

Volunteer help is also needed at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, when the flags will be removed from the gravesites, Ray said.

For more information or to volunteer, call 601-445-4981.

Supporting memorial

Also on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m., the Point Man International Ministries will host a drawing for a fundraiser at the Veterans Memorial site at 270 Front St., Vidalia, at the south end of the Riverfront next to the Riverview RV Park, announced Army Vietnam veteran Douglas McCallister.

At the same location, Boy Scout Troop 158 will conduct a flag retirement ceremony, McCallister said.

The drawing is for a wooden flag made by a local scout, Peyton Covington, as part of his Eagle Scout project. The fundraiser is for the Cost of Freedom Tribute Memorial that will be built on the Vidalia riverfront, McCallister said.

Presenting flowers

Downtown Karla Brown is seeking volunteer help and donation of flowers for her annual Memorial Day tradition, where she visits the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of the deceased U.S. military service members. Although many flowers are purchased, some are donated by businesses and individuals, according to Brown.

Brown is asking volunteers to meet her at the Natchez National Cemetery at 6:30 a.m., Monday, May 26. She said they can finish in about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the amount of help she has.

“Memorial Day is about our fallen soldiers,” Brown said in an earlier interview. “We honor them because of their sacrifice and because we’re living in a free country.”

Anyone interested in assisting Brown as a volunteer or who wishes to make a donation for the purchase of flowers may contact her at 907-540-0001.

In 1962, National Police Week was established by a joint resolution of Congress. That same year, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day. In the years since, this particular week has been set aside across our country as a means of giving thanks to those who wear the blue and remembering those fallen officers who have given their lives in service to others.

On the front lawn of City Hall there is a memorial bearing in granite the words “In Memory of Law Enforcement Officers Who Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice”, and it lists two names: Danny Burks and Walter Watkins. Both gentlemen served honorably, and their loved ones and our city grieve their deaths to this day. Thankfully, by the grace of God, the list on that memorial has not grown longer with the passage of time. But the safety of those who serve should never be taken for granted.

This special week of giving thanks took on special meaning in Natchez as an incident played out in our city that could have resulted in the loss of two of our bravest and finest. On patrol during the evening hours of Sunday, May 11, these officers attempted to apprehend a suspect wanted for attempted murder. As they made their approach, the suspect immediately opened fire. Our officers acted appropriately to protect themselves and to neutralize the suspect. Thankfully, they were not injured. The suspect, critically injured, will no longer be able to inflict damage on our community, and Natchez is a safer place as a result.

In a time when those who serve have been maligned all across our country, with angry mobs clamoring to “defund the police”, I am grateful to live in a city that supports our law enforcement and shows appreciation for all who serve and protect our citizens. I don’t know what we would do without them. On May 1, at our National Day of Prayer observance, we prayed for all who serve, including our first responders. We pray for them often. And I truly believe our prayers are answered.

Incidents like the one our city just experienced serve as a grim reminder of the risks our officers take every time they wear the badge. And as much as I think we as citizens truly care, I am not sure we truly understand. Being a police officer has to be one of the toughest jobs on the planet. Imagine being the first on the scene when the worst of humanity is on full display. Imagine walking into a domestic situation where all reason is gone and tempers are explosive. Imagine walking into a mob scene where crime has just taken place, wondering who in the crowd is going to draw their weapon next. Imagine coming upon an accident where a person is fighting for their life or already expired. Imagine dealing with the emotional trauma of grieving family members on the scene of a fatality. Imagine saving someone who is attempting to commit suicide only to have them turn on you. Imagine coming upon the scene where a child has been abused. I hate to

be so graphic in these descriptions, but I worry that we as a society tend to sugarcoat the idea of what being a police officer or sheriff deputy entails – and these are real situations our officers have experienced, right here at home. Sugarcoating is a disservice to their sacrifice, for what they do is truly a matter of life and death.

Next time you see a hero in uniform, be it law enforcement or a first responder of any profession, be sure to thank them. As leaders, whether at the city, county, state or federal level, we must do all we can to support them, not just with better pay and the equipment and training they need, but with the emotional and psychological support that is critical for them to effectively deal with the traumas they encounter on a regular basis. And we should always remember their families and loved ones – they make sacrifices as well.

Thank you to our Natchez heroes in blue. We love you. And you deserve more.

NATCHEZ, Miss. — A building on the campus of Natchez College will soon house historic documents, artifacts, and memorabilia of one of its famous students and authors who played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

The Women’s Auxiliary building – the main building on campus — will be home to the Anne Moody Interpretive Center, which honors the legacy of Anne Moody, author of “Coming of Age in Mississippi.” Moody attended the school on a basketball scholarship in the early 1960s, before moving on to Tougaloo College, where she became a civil rights activist.

The name for the center was approved in November 2024 by the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi Inc., announced the Rev. Reginald M. Buckley, who is president of the convention.

When asked about the reason for the interpretive center, Buckley said, “We believe that it is extremely important to protect the voices and preserve the narratives that are often silenced. Moody’s time spent at Natchez College was formative in her development as a writer and activist as she discovered her agency to confront and speak to issues.

“Establishing the Anne Moody Interpretive Center at the Baptist Heritage and Arts Center at Natchez College will help to keep Moody’s spirit of agency and activism alive for future generations to be inspired.”

“I’m so happy Natchez College is honoring Anne,” said Frances Jefferson, Moody’s sister. “I’m looking forward to visiting the interpretive center when it’s completed.”

Moody (1940-2015) was born and raised in Centreville, Mississippi. She grew up as a poor black girl in the Jim Crow South, but despite her limitations, she  found courage in the midst of bigotry and racial violence in a segregated society. In her memoir, Moody recounted how she risked her life in her fight for civil rights for African Americans and other people of color. She suffered beatings and endured multiple incarcerations in her efforts to bring about change.

Those who knew Moody say that she exhibited courage as she fought for justice, voter registration, and equal access to public places.

Moody wrote about Natchez College in chapters 18 and 19 of her book. She discussed in detail the problems the students had with the food. Buckley noted, “It was there that she participated in her first public protest that involved the student meals.”  For that reason, Buckley envisions the cafeteria in the Women’s Auxiliary building being the space where the interpretive center is housed.

According to Buckley, the interpretive center will also allow future generations to know of Moody’s history and be inspired by her work in the Civil Rights Movement.

“An interpretive center in her name will serve as a catalyst for programs that speak directly to our youth,” he said. “This would include writing programs and expressionist projects that interpret her life history while helping the young people to discover their own voices the way that Moody discovered hers.”

In other words, Buckley said, “the interpretive center would aid in helping our youth with self-expression via writing, speech, and other forms of communication. It would present history – and ideas – that would inspire them to become change agents in their respective communities.”

The interpretive center is expected to reach diverse groups of people and speak to them on different levels. In addition to providing programs related to Moody’s legacy, the interpretive center will include compelling exhibitions and relevant displays of period photographs and art, as well as copies of Moody’s books, articles, and family artifacts, Buckley said.

Buckley hopes the Interpretive Center will open around 2027, when other restoration work is completed at the Women’s Auxiliary building. The work will cost an estimated $6.5 million and when finished will provide classroom, office spaces and historical archives where research about Baptist life in Mississippi can occur. That is far more than the $750,000 awarded in 2022 to complete the first floor restoration of the T.J. Huddleston Memorial Chapel on the Natchez College campus.

Funding for the chapel was provided as a pass-through grant by Lilly Endowment Inc., which was part of a $2.5 million grant to the Foundation for Mississippi History to support Mississippi Department of Archives and History programs that promote public understanding of the role of religion in Mississippi history and culture.

Buckley said the first floor of the chapel has been completed, and funds are being sought for the second floor.

Natchez College was established by the Baptist convention as a private, historically black institution in 1884. The school, which later became Natchez Junior College, closed in 1989. Booker T. Washington visited the school in 1908.