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David Schmidt, left, Sarah Botstein, and Ken Burns are the directors of "The American Revolution" documentary series. Credit: Stephanie Berger. (Click on image to enlarge.) |
Roscoe Reporting
Sharing news, research, stories, and other material by Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D. Research topics include F.F. Bosworth, Ernest Hemingway, Anne Moody, and Natchez, MS. Email: roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Natchez Screening of Ken Burns’ ‘American Revolution’ set for September 25
Monday, August 25, 2025
Unveiling of Anne Moody’s Freedom Trail marker set for September 15
Anne Moody
(Click on image to enlarge.)
The late Anne Moody, author of “Coming of Age in Mississippi,” will soon be honored with a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker in her hometown of Centreville.
The marker will be unveiled in a ceremony at 10 a.m.
Monday, September 15 at Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church, 8755 Highway
24 East. The event is free to the public.
Frances Jefferson, Moody’s sister, said she and her
family are elated about the marker.
“I’m very excited for the unveiling of the Freedom Trail
marker on September 15, Anne’s 85th birthday,” she said. “I’m grateful to
everyone involved in securing this honor for my sister.”
The Freedom Trail markers are administered by the
Mississippi Humanities Council, in partnership with Visit Mississippi. The
markers honor the courage and dedication of local leaders and activists whose
actions helped shape the fight for freedom and justice. They commemorate the
people and places in the state that played important roles in the American
Civil Rights Movement.
Moody made sacrifices and risked her life in her fight
for civil rights for African Americans. She suffered mob violence and endured
multiple incarcerations in her efforts to bring about change. Known as a
fearless activist, Moody participated in sit-ins, non-violent protests, voter
registration drives, and bold efforts to dismantle segregation across the
state.
Moody died at her home in Gloster on February 5, 2015.
She was 74.
“Coming of Age in Mississippi,” her memoir, remains a
seminal work, illuminating the harsh realities of growing up as a poor Black
girl in the Jim Crow South. Her book was first published in December 1968 and
remains in print to this day.
As for the location of the Freedom Trail marker,
Jefferson said the Mount Pleasant church is the perfect place. She said Moody
attended the church along with her family. Moody was also baptized in a pond
near the church, and her gravesite, along with those of her mother, father, and
other family members, are located in the cemetery in front of the church.
Moody also wrote about Mount Pleasant in her book, where
she mentioned active members of the church. In addition to her pastor, the Rev.
Robert J. Tyson Sr., whose portrait is currently displayed in the church, Moody
wrote about Sister Jones, whose full name is Edna Lee Bland Jones. Sister Jones
was the great-grandmother of the Rev. LeReginald Jones, the current pastor of
the church.
LeReginald Jones is proud of the church’s history and the
connection it has to Anne Moody. When asked about the Freedom Trail marker, he
quoted President Barack Obama, who said, “Change will not come if we wait for
some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve
been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
“I think this quote epitomizes the life and legacy of
Anne Moody,” said LeReginald Jones. “She didn’t wait for someone else. She
stepped up and made a difference, and now some 50-plus years later, we remember
her legacy.
“We celebrate her legacy, and we as a community are proud
to be a part of our native daughter’s story. We’re also proud to have this
marker placed permanently at the place that helped Anne to become the freedom
fighter that we now admire. We perpetually thank her for her service, boldness,
and determination to see a more just and humane society.”
In addition to LeReginald Jones, the unveiling ceremony
will feature a number of prominent speakers, including the Rev. Fred Moody Jr.,
Anne Moody’s brother; Rep. Angela Cockerham; and Senator Gary Brumfield.
Other participants on the program include John Spann,
program and outreach officer at Mississippi Humanities Council; the Rev. Larry
Lee pastor of Winans Chapel C.M.E. Church; and Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural
heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, who will serve as master of
ceremonies.
The program will also feature music by the Mount Pleasant
choir.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Bluff City Savings Bank (1906-1913), Natchez's first and only Black-owned bank
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Eric Berry, left, and Roscoe Barnes III (Click on image to enlarge.) |
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From left, Dora Hawkins, Jacqulyn Williams, Eric Berry, and Thelma Newsome (Click on image to enlarge.) |
Monday, August 11, 2025
Natchez celebrates history of Bluff City Savings Bank
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Aug 8, 2025 | 3:02 PM
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Marker approved for Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade
Aug 5, 2025 | 12:15 PM
See more at this link:
https://listenupyall.com/2025/08/05/marker-approved-for-miss-lou-memorial-day-parade/
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Medgar Evers’ 100th Birthday Celebration in Natchez, Mississippi
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Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, Moderator of Panel Discussion (Click on image to enlarge.) |
Group photo: Panelists included, from left, Dr. Marcus Ward, Dr. Shirley Evers-Manly, Dr. Tracy M. Cook, and Olivia Spann.
Photos by KD-Public Relations
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(Click on image to enlarge.) |
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Markeith Thompson awarded $1,000 scholarship by Hugh Green Scholarship Foundation
The Natchez Democrat
Published 2:18 pm Thursday, July 10, 2025
NATCHEZ, Miss. – Markeith Thompson, 2025 graduate of Natchez High School, is the 2025 recipient of a $1,000 scholarship awarded by the Hugh Green Scholarship Foundation.
Hugh Green, a retired College Football Hall of Famer and
NFL football standout and the namesake of the award, recently met with Thompson
on the Bluff and presented him with the scholarship.
Green is a native of Natchez and graduate of North
Natchez High School. He and Thompson were joined by Thompson’s family and
friends, and members of the Hugh Green Scholarship Foundation.
The foundation committee members included Eva Dunkley, president; Wilbur Johnson, secretary; and Laura Jackson, treasurer.
Jackson said the award is an athletic scholarship
presented each year to deserving students from all local high schools who plan
to attend college or university.
“Thompson was a track star who has been running track
since middle school,” Jackson said. He plans to attend the University of
Southern Mississippi. “This award is a stipend to help him with his finances,”
she said.
In June, The Natchez Democrat reported Thompson was named the 2024-25 Gatorade State Player of the Year, which capped “off a record-breaking season and securing his place as one of the top athletes in the state of Mississippi.”
Thompson said he was happy to receive the Hugh Green
scholarship. “I’m very thankful,” he said. “This will help me a lot in getting
the essential needs for college.”
Thompson said he will major in business marketing. The
17-year-old is the son of Alexis Davis and the grandson of Marva Gaylor. He
said he is grateful to them for their support over the years, as well as the
support of his aunts, Amber Davis and Victoria Gaylor.
Thompson also offered special thanks to his Amateur Athletic Union coach, Eddie Ray Jackson, and his high school coaches, Kelly Thomas and Veronica Green.
The Hugh Green Scholarship Foundation was created over 30
years ago by a group of local men who wanted to help students with their
education, according to Jackson. She said it was organized by the late George
A. Dunkley.
Last year’s recipient of the award was Ceairra Franklin,
who also attends the University of Southern Mississippi, where she is studying
to become a licensed laboratory technician.
Green was a 1976 graduate of North Natchez High School.
He was a linebacker for the University of Pittsburg Panthers from 1977 through
1980. He finished second in the 1980 Heisman Trophy voting to winner George
Rogers of the University of South Carolina.
Green was the seventh pick in the NFL draft in 1981,
taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 1985, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins
for their first- and second-round draft picks in the 1986 draft. He played 11
seasons in the NFL.
Green was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in South Bend, Indiana, in 1996.
Read more at: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2025/07/10/markeith-thompson-awarded-1000-scholarship-by-hugh-green-scholarship-foundation/
Natchez Screening of Ken Burns’ ‘American Revolution’ set for September 25
David Schmidt, left, Sarah Botstein, and Ken Burns are the directors of "The American Revolution" documentary series. Credit: Step...
