Rededication Ceremony held for Proud to Take a Stand Monument

Event held Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in recognition of Black History Month

Wharlest Jackson Jr. and his sister, Denise Jackson Ford
Photo courtesy of William Terrell of The Bluff City Post

NATCHEZ, Miss. – About 100 people turned out for the rededication of the Proud to Take a Stand Monument on Monday, Feb. 28 on the corner of Main and Jefferson streets. The event, which occurred on the last day of Black History Month, included presentations by former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, former Mayor Darryl Grennell, Committee Chairman Robert Pernell, Mayor Dan Gibson, as well as music by Montreal Green.

“It is important that we tell this history, because history has a tendency to want to repeat itself,” said Grennell. “And if we know our history, we can do things to prevent those tumultuous facets in history from taking place again.”

The Proud to Take a Stand monument is a 6-feet tall granite structure that honors the Natchez-Adams County citizens who were wrongfully incarcerated in October 1965 for standing up for basic civil rights and voting rights. It was completed in October 2019.

The monument is engraved with over 500 names, according to Pernell. Many of those listed are names of the young men and women who were forcefully shipped to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman in October 1965, where they were humiliated, punished, and abused for several days. They became known as survivors of what is called “The Parchman Ordeal.”

The recent ceremony included reflections by Denise Jackson Ford and her brother, Wharlest Jackson Jr. Their father, Wharlest Jackson Sr., was a civil rights activist who died when his truck was bombed by the KKK in Natchez, Miss., on Feb. 27, 1967.  Rev. Clifton Marvel provided the Welcome and Prayer.

“I stand today to honor my mother, Exerlena Jackson, which was one of the ones that went to Parchman and experienced that and suffered that night of October 1965,” said Ford. “We stand here today to not just honor her but all the ones that sacrificed, marched throughout town to make a change here to give us our civil and voting rights.”

Ford’s brother, Jackson, suggested the civil rights movement was due in part to divine protection.

“I want you to know the hand of God is working in this world at this time to bring about justice and because he’s a great God,” he said. “He’s also a God of love. My father, along with many other civil rights workers, could not have done what they did without God having their backs.”

Grennell, who led the efforts to create the monument, praised the monument committee for its work on the project and for selecting a name for the project. He also paid tribute to the people who fought and made sacrifices in the struggle.

“The name they came up with was ‘Proud to Take a Stand,’ which was so appropriate for this particular monument, because those 480-plus individuals that were arrested in 1965, that were taken up a cold 61 highway to Parchman Penitentiary… they were proud to take a stand for what they believed in this city,” he said. “Those individuals were proud to take a stand for the future of Natchez.”

Grennell said it is important to keep telling the story of the “rich black American history” in Natchez.

Bryant, the 64th governor of Mississippi, said that when Grennell first told him about the monument project and the events of October 1965, he was shaken to hear of the horrific treatment of those who took a stand. People sometimes do not want to talk about the horrible things that occurred in the 1960s, he said, “But we must. We can never forget.”

“I stand here as a grateful recipient,” said Gibson. “My job tonight is to say thanks, because so many have gone forth to do the work.”
After quoting an excerpt from the “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Gibson said “change is going to come, and change has come.”

Near the end of the ceremony, Gibson recognized a number of people and elected officials for their work on the monument project. He presented Pernell, who chaired the monument committee, with a key to the city; he also honored members of the Natchez Board of Aldermen

Gibson also presented posthumously a key to the city to Wharlest Jackson Sr., which was received by Ford and Wharlest Jr.

The ceremony ended with everyone singing “We Shall Overcome” as they held hands.
 
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