Beautiful morning at Wilkinson County Park

My view Saturday morning (6/14/25) during my walk at Wilkinson County Park, Woodville, MS. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Mississippi Historical Society

The board of directors of the Mississippi Historical Society met Friday, June 13, 2025, at the Old Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi. We had a great meeting. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Evening view at Wilkinson County Park

My view during my Monday evening walk (6.2.2025) at Wilkinson County Park, Woodville, Mississippi. Time: 7:45 p.m. (Click on image to enlarge.)

The Reason We are Here

 A speech presented at the 2025 Miss-Lou Memorial Day ceremony at the Natchez National Cemetery in Natchez, Mississippi

By Dr. Roscoe Barnes III

Cultural Heritage Tourism Manager at Visit Natchez

Click on image to enlarge. Photo by Albert L. Jones

Good Morning!

I am happy to be here today, and I'm proud to participate in this important event, which started in the late 1800s and is now one of the longest-running Memorial Day traditions in our nation. 

I want to note that when I came to Natchez four years ago, the first person to talk to me about this Memorial Day event was Mark LaFrancis, who was president of the Home with Heroes Foundation. Unfortunately, Mark died last year, and today he is resting in this sacred space. I thank him for his service to the military and to our community. He was a good man and his legacy lives on.

Today, I want to talk about the reason we are here, and it can be summed up in two words: We Care. We are here observing this day because WE CARE.

In the movie, "A Few Good Men," when Demi Moore's character is asked why she cares so much about the Marines on trial, she responds:

"Because they stand on a wall and say, 'Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch.'"

Today, we're showing that we care. 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.

Now, to be honest, there are many other reasons we care, but I want to focus on three of them.

First, WE CARE because they have shown us a "greater love."
In John 15:13 (NKJV), Christ said:

    "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."

This verse clearly has implications related to Christ's death on the cross. But it also speaks to a general, fundamental truth about the ultimate act of love that can be seen in the sacrifices of our military service members.

Greater love is demonstrated when we unselfishly give our lives for others. This special love is shown when we give up our own privileges and lay down our lives for a cause that is much bigger than ourselves.

We observe Memorial Day because of this greater love shown by our military service members.

Second, WE CARE because they have given us hope.

Hope for a better community and hope for a better country. Hope for a bright future.
In spite of the horrors and debilitating wounds of war that we have faced as a community and as a nation, we've been able to stand up … pick up the pieces and snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat, and peace out of pain as we live out the true meaning of freedom. And that is no coincidence.

We have hope and a reason to believe because of the people we honor here today.

Third and finally, WE CARE because they have shown us that their service, and yes, their deaths, were not in vain. 

On one occasion, when Christ was speaking of his impending death, he said these words in John 12:24 (NLT):

    "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives."

My friends, the sacrifice of our service members makes it possible for us to not only go on living, but their sacrifice makes it possible for us to grow and even thrive and prosper in so many areas of our lives. Because of them, we have dreams and opportunities. We can have children who grow up to understand and appreciate this great nation, its values, and the opportunities it allows. 

Conclusion

As I close, I want to mention an important request: 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. Those who have lost family members in the military should know that their suffering is also acknowledged and it will not be forgotten.

Thank you.

Miss-Lou Memorial Day event draws hundreds in annual tradition

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
May 29, 2025 | 1:18 PM

Hundreds of people participated in the 2025 Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade. Here they are crossing the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge from Vidalia as they proceed on to the Natchez National Cemetery for a ceremony to honor the fallen U.S. military service members. Photo by Albert L. Jones (Click on image to enlarge.)

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.”

See more at this link:

https://listenupyall.com/2025/05/29/miss-lou-memorial-day-event-draws-hundreds-in-annual-tradition/

Miss-Lou Military Museum to close by end of June

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat
Published 12:38 pm Thursday, May 29, 2025

The Miss-Lou Military Museum, the brainchild of the late Mark LaFrancis, will close by the end of June. (Roscoe Barnes/The Natchez Democrat) Click on image to enlarge.

NATCHEZ—The Miss-Lou Military Museum and Veterans Welcome/Information Center will close 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 volunteers on various community committees.

“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 (c) (3) status, was the brainchild 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 museum’s aim was to educate the public about the contributions of men and women in the U.S. military by giving local residents and visitors immersive, interactive, memorable, and visually stimulating experiences.

 
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.
 
According to Smith, over the past few months, the museum staff has searched for a more cost-effective building to call home. Unfortunately, they were not successful in their search.
 
Smith said that between now and its closing, all of the museum’s collections and artifacts will be returned to their owners. 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.
 
Read more at: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2025/05/29/miss-lou-military-museum-to-close-by-end-of-june/
 
 

Speaking at the 2025 Miss-Lou Memorial Day ceremony in Natchez, Mississippi

Dr. Roscoe Barnes III

I had the honor of serving as the guest speaker at the Miss-Lou Memorial Day ceremony Monday, May 26, at the Natchez National Cemetery. I delivered a message titled, “The Reason We are Here.” Photo by Albert L. Jones.

Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade set for Monday, May 26

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
May 19, 2025 | 12:55 PM 

Anthony Cupit, cemetery caretaker at Natchez National Cemetery, places a flag on the gravesite of a U.S. military veteran in 2024. Photo courtesy of Caleb Q. Ray of the Natchez National Cemetery (Click on image to enlarge.)

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.

See more at this link:
https://listenupyall.com/2025/05/19/miss-lou-memorial-day-parade-set-for-monday-may-26/

VIDEO: Natchez College to house Anne Moody Interpretive Center

Happy to see this coverage by WJTV 12 News

See more at this link: https://listenupyall.com/2025/05/06/natchez-college-to-house-anne-moody-interpretive-center/

Natchez College to house Anne Moody Interpretive Center

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA/ListenUpYall.com
May 6, 2025/12:23 p.m. 

Anne Moody was a civil rights activist and the author of "Coming of Age in Mississippi." She attended Natchez College in the early 1960s on a basketball scholarship after graduating from high school in Woodville, Mississippi.

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.
 

See more at this link: https://listenupyall.com/2025/05/06/natchez-college-to-house-anne-moody-interpretive-center/

Karla Brown seeks volunteers for Memorial Day event to honor fallen soldiers

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat
Published Friday, May 2, 2025

Karla Brown of Downtown Karla Brown, left, is pictured here with her friend and volunteer Allene Kaiser, who helps with Brown's annual Memorial Day project. (Photo courtesy of Karla Brown) Click on image to enlarge.

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- When Karla Brown goes out this year to honor the deceased U.S. service members on Memorial Day, she will keep a promise she made years ago to G. Mark LaFrancis, who was president of the Home with Heroes Foundation Inc.

 
Brown did not have flowers to place on the graves of all of the service members, but LaFrancis asked her to remember one in particular.
 
“He donated $100, and he asked me to make sure we placed a flower on the grave of Wilson Brown, who was African American, and the only Medal of Honor recipient buried in the Natchez National Cemetery,” Brown recalled. “Each year we place two roses on his grave.”
 
LaFrancis died in June 2024 following a long battle with cancer. This year, Brown and her volunteers will honor him by placing a flower on his grave.
 
LaFrancis was a retired veteran of the military. He served a total of 23 years in the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. He was also director of the Miss-Lou Military Museum and Veterans Welcome/Information Center.
 
Memorial Day will be observed on Monday, May 26, and as the day approaches, Brown is seeking volunteer help -- and donation of flowers. Brown is known for her work through Downtown Karla Brown.
 
 “Last year we had eight buckets of flowers, which was a record,” Brown said, noting her volunteer project “gets bigger each year.” Last year, they bought out the flowers at Walmart in Natchez and Vidalia and grocery stores, she said. They want to do the same this year.
 
She also had about a dozen volunteers, she said.
 
When the Flower Station learned of Brown’s needs last year, the business quickly donated flowers for the cause, Brown said. Moreton’s Flowerland also pitched in to help. Brown said she was extremely grateful to these businesses.
 
Brown typically purchases all of the flowers that she can afford and place them in a bucket of water one day before Memorial Day. Early the next day, she visits the cemetery where she and her volunteers place one flower in front of the graves of the military service members.
 
While she would love to honor all of the service members with a flower, she usually does not have enough to go around, she said. Even so, she is mindful to cover the graves of men and women who served in all of the wars -- and all branches of the military, she said.
 
Brown said she moved to Natchez 13 years ago, and for the last 12 years, she has been placing flowers on the graves of U.S. service members. Natchez is the first place she has lived that has a national cemetery, she said.
 
“Memorial Day is about our fallen soldiers,” she said. “We honor them because of their sacrifice and because we’re living in a free country.”
 
Placing flowers on the graves is an act of reverence and something that should not be rushed, Brown said. She asks her volunteers to take a flower, stand in front of the grave, reflect and say, “Thank you.”
 
“I ask them to really think about what these people did and to give some reverence,” she said. “We take our time and think about their service to our nation. I really encourage people to do that.”
 
As in previous years, Brown is asking all volunteers to meet her at the Natchez National Cemetery at 6:30 a.m. She said they can finish in about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the amount of help she has. Afterwards, they will go to breakfast.
 
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.

See more at this link: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2025/05/02/downtown-karla-brown-seeks-volunteers-for-memorial-day-event-to-honor-fallen-soldiers/

Cypress knees exhibit highlights little-known piece of Natchez history

Clay sculptures will be donated to Monmouth and African American museum

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat
Thursday, May 1, 2025

The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture recently hosted the Cypress Knees exhibit presented by Woven Wind. Viewers of the exhibit's clay sculptures included, from left, Debbie Toles, Sue Harris, and Ruthie Smith. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Members of the Woven Wind project used clay sculptures of cypress knees Friday, April 25, to highlight the history of the Toles family and their enslaved ancestors at Monmouth.

An exhibit of the cypress knees was featured for one day at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. The knees were also placed on the grounds of Monmouth near a pond, said Nashville-based curator Courtney Adair Johnson.
 
“The clay objects, which symbolically carry the voices of the enslaved, will dissolve with the landscape over time to memorialize the site of the family's painful history,” Johnson said, adding the unfired pieces of art will simply melt into the ground.
 
Some of the sculptures will be donated to the museum and Monmouth, she said.
 
Melisande Short-Colomb, research and community engagement associate at the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University, said nobody can really explain the purpose of the cypress knees in nature.
 
“They don’t grow into trees, but they are part of the network, the eco system, and the environment of the cypress swamp,” she said. “They connect all of the trees.”
 
Short-Colomb spoke about the cypress knees at the museum. She was joined by Vesna Pavlović, the Paul E. Shwab Chair in Fine Arts Professor of Art at Vanderbilt University.
 
“Part of what scientists believe is the cypress roots are in the water,” Short-Colomb said. “The knees come up to get some air and store water in periods of draught when the water may recede or go down when it doesn’t rain. Because of the cypress knees, the cypress trees continue to have a source of water. We chose the knees as a representative of the continuity of family through time.”
 
“The connection between the cypress knees and the trees shows the connectivity of a family,” said Bobby Dennis, director of the museum. “Each knee is attached to a tree. They all have the same resource as that tree, yet they’re all different.”
 
Furthermore, Short-Colomb said, the cypress knees sculpture is an artistic representation of the region. “The trees themselves hold the memory of everything that has happened there. The soil, the water, all of that is a memory that lives in the environment all over Natchez.”
 
Short-Colomb said Natchez was the richest city in America for 90 years, and the remnants of memory remain in the environment, even though the cycles of humanity continues to change. “One day we’re born, and one day we die. The environment of the earth contains all of us. It receives all of us,” she said.

Woven Wind representatives Melisande Short-Colomb, left, and Vesna Pavlovic, discuss the clay sculptures of the Cypress Knees exhibit held April 25 in Natchez. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Short-Colomb said their work as Woven Wind “was connecting the archives of John A. Quitman, who was an enslaver, a human trafficker, to descendants of a complete and full name mentioned in the archives of the Quitman family.”
 
Their aim, she said, was to connect the living descendants to their ancestor, Frank Toles, who was mentioned in the archives. The archives are held in the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
 
According to Pavlović’s website, Woven Wind is a multi-layered research project drawing from artistic translations of the Lovell Quitman archive, which includes extensive Quitman Plantation records and photographs of the Civil War era.
 
The creation of the cypress knees involves the use of clay as a community activity, said Short-Colomb. The work is done by people who are not professional potters.
 
“Those knees are part of a multi-disciplinary art installation that includes the film of the Toles family, painted art work, a portfolio of photographs, and original music composed for the film and was performed in Nashville, she said.

 See more at this link:
 
https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2025/05/01/cypress-knees-exhibit-highlights-little-known-piece-of-natchez-history/

From Sermon to Gospel Tract

An evangelistic ministry piece from the past

(Click on image to enlarge)

Digital copies of Enrichment, a publication of the Assemblies of God, are now available online. While searching through various issues, I came upon a short piece I wrote titled, “From Sermon to Gospel Tract,” that appeared in the February 2003 issue. This brief piece of writing presents a list of practical tips for creating gospel tracts for evangelism and outreach ministry.

Zandra McDonald delivers message of hope at 85th commemoration of the Rhythm Night Club fire

Octavious Saul Jr. of Natchez High is awarded $1,000 scholarship

By Roscoe Barnes III 

Zandra McDonald, superintendent of the Natchez-Adams School District, speaks at the 85th commemoration of the 1940 Rhythm Night Club fire held Saturday, April 26, at the Rhythm Night Club (on site) Memorial Museum. Soloist Tony Fields is in the background. Photo by William Terrell and The Bluff City Post

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Zandra McDonald delivered a message of hope and inspiration at the 85th commemoration of the 1940 Rhythm Night Club fire held Saturday, April 26, at the Rhythm Night Club (on site) Memorial Museum.

“The Rhythm Night Club fire took so much from this community, but it could not take the spirit of this community,” said McDonald, who serves as the superintendent of the Natchez-Adams School District. “It could not take the hope of this community and it could not take the future of this community. Yesterday shaped us, today strengthens us, and tomorrow awaits us. Education is the way we climb.  Education is the way we honor. Education is the way we rise.” 
 
Betty Sago, who co-owns the museum with her husband, Monroe Sago, said McDonald’s message came from the heart. “It was so beautiful and inspiring,” she said. “As superintendent, she’s working with the present and future generations. Her message was dynamic.”
 
McDonald’s message underscored the program’s theme, “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: Education the Way Up.” The program included music by several soloists and remarks by Mayor Dan Gibson.
 
“Every year we come here to a site that is so important to the history of Natchez and also to the history of our country,” said Gibson. “Because of this site, countless lives have been actually saved across our country and all of the years since because valuable lessons were learned here.”
 
Gibson said those who perished in the fire did not die in vain. “They are to this day remembered and appreciated,” he said. “But that does not come without a sacrifice and that sacrifice has been made by the Sagos.”
 
Octavius Saul Jr. was this year’s recipient of a $1,000 scholarship awarded by the Sagos for writing the winning essay about the Rhythm Night Club fire. Saul, a senior at Natchez High School, plans to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge where he will major in photography, said Betty Sago.
 
Saul is the son of Octavius Sr. and Quantonya Saul, both of whom were present for the scholarship award.

Octavius Saul Jr., a senior at Natchez High School, is the 2025 recipient of the $1,000 Rhythm Night Club Memorial Museum scholarship. Monroe and Betty Sago, the museum's co-owners, presented Saul with the scholarship Saturday, April 26, during the 85th commemoration of the Rhythm Night Club fire. From left are Monroe Sago, Octavius Saul, Quantonya Saul, Octavius Saul Sr., and Betty Sago. Photo by William Terrell and The Bluff City Post (Click on image to enlarge.)

McDonald began her presentation by acknowledging the contributions of the Sagos through the museum. “Thank you for creating this sacred space — a place where memory lives, where history breathes, and where our community can come together to honor, to heal, and to dream forward,” she said. “Your vision and dedication ensure that the lives we lost are never forgotten, and that the hope they carried lives on through all of us.”

 
She said the program’s theme is one “that not only speaks to our dreams for the future but also calls us to remember the echoes of the past.”
 
In keeping with the theme, McDonald said “Yesterday” is about remembering, especially those who lost their lives. She noted the fire of April 23, 1940, changed Natchez forever. “Over 200 lives were taken in the blink of an eye — mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, musicians, and dreamers. A tragedy that left a scar on our hearts but also taught us the power of resilience. It reminds us that every breath we take today is a gift paid for by those who came before us — those who, though gone, still sing in the spirit of this city.”
 
“Today” is about reflection, McDonald said. “We recognize that education is not merely about books and tests,” she said. “It is about freedom — the kind of freedom that allows a child to dream beyond circumstances, to envision a life untouched by tragedy, limited only by the size of their imagination. Today, we gather as proof that the seeds of progress planted generations ago are still growing — that from ashes and sorrow, hope can rise.”
 
McDonald said, “Tomorrow” is about rising. “Tomorrow belongs to the students we nurture, the leaders we inspire, the dreams we dare to believe,” she said. “Education is — and has always been — the way up. It is the bridge from despair to destiny, from loss to legacy, from brokenness to brilliance. When we teach a child, we don’t just change their life — we change the very future of our communities, our cities, our world.”
 
The Rhythm Night Club commemoration is held each year to honor the 200-plus victims who died in the club’s 1940 fire. It also pays homage to the survivors.

Freedom celebration for Prince Ibrahima and Isabella set for May 10 at Jefferson College

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat 
April 27, 2025

Dr. Artemus W. Gaye

NATCHEZ, Miss. — A special event celebrating the 197th Freedom Anniversary of Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima and his wife, Isabella, will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at Historic Jefferson College at 16 Old North St. It is free to the public.

Titled, “Freedom: Retold,” the event aims to retell the story of Ibrahima using new scholarship, an exhibition, and tours that focus on the prince and Isabella and “their incredible narratives of love, liberty, and lasting legacies,” said Dr. Artemus W. Gaye, chief organizer of the event.

Ibrahima was a Muslim prince from Timbo, West Africa, who was captured in his homeland and sold to slave traders. He arrived in Natchez in 1788, where he was sold to Thomas Foster. Ibrahima spent 40 years enslaved on Foster’s plantation before he and Isabella gained their freedom in 1828. They sailed to Monrovia, Liberia in 1829, where he died of a disease. He was 67.

Gaye said the public will learn more about the prince during the celebration. He said the program will feature a panel discussion by Dr. Eric J. Hearst of the Center Church of Hartford, Connecticut, the home church of Thomas Gallaudet (1787-1851), who was a supporter of Ibrahima.

Other panelists will include Dr. Abu Bakarr Jalloh, author of “The Fulani & Liberia: An Inclusive Approach” (2025); David Dreyer, local historian and genealogist; and Judy Rose, author of “A Legacy of Heirs: The Final Truth” (Jefferson Chapel Family & Friends Foundation Inc., 2016).

The exhibition will include paintings from Africa and new portraits of the prince, Isabella, Simon, and the family migration to Liberia, Gaye said. Creative renderings of artists’ impressions of Liberia from the 1820s to the 1860s, as well as the repatriated Africans who lived there, will be part of the exhibition, he said.

The day’s events will include a tour of various sites related to Ibrahima’s history.

Gaye said the event is also an opportunity to reconnect with local Ibrahima descendants and others who interacted with the West African descendants in 2003. Gaye, who was born in Monrovia, Liberia – the place where Ibrahima died in July 1829 — is a seventh generation descendant of the prince.

Specifically, Gaye noted, he is a descendent of Simon Rahman, one of the sons of the prince and Isabella, who returned to Liberia with his children, wife, and his brother, Levi, in 1831 on the ship, The Carolinian, and settled in Monrovia and New Georgia, Liberia.

Gaye is the author of “Dr. Isabella Rahman and the African Prince of Fouta Djallon” (Forte Publishing International, 2023) and “A Tossed American Pie: The Controversial Conception and Creation of Liberia by White Americans, Black Repatriates and Liberated Africans” (Forte Publishing International, 2023).

According to Gaye, the selection of Jefferson College as the site for the celebration is significant because of its connection to Ibrahima.

First, the land occupied by Jefferson College was donated by John Foster and James Foster, according to the National Register of Historic Places. Both men were brothers of Thomas Foster.

Second, it was in the area near the college that Ibrahima recognized Dr. John Coats Cox in 1807 at the market. Cox, an Irishman, had sailed to West Africa in 1781. After going ashore to hunt, he became lost and ill, but was rescued by the Fulani people and taken to Timbo, where Ibrahima’s father cared for him.

After their chance meeting in Mississippi, the doctor tried for many years to purchase Ibrahima’s freedom, but Thomas Foster refused to release him. Even so, Ibrahima’s fame spread because of his meeting with Cox, and it eventually led to his freedom.

Ibrahima’s story is told in Dr. Terry Alford’s book, “Prince Among Slaves: The True Story of an African Prince Sold into Slavery in the American South” (Oxford University Press, 1977).

The May 10 celebration is organized by the Prince Ibrahim Isabella Freedom Foundation and co-sponsored by the Friends of the Forks of the Roads Society Inc.

For more information, send email to liberiaaldc@gmail.com
 

A Prince Enslaved in Southwest Mississippi: The Story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima (1762-1829)

 

Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima

This is my latest article published by Mississippi History Now, a publication of the Mississippi Historical Society and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. It’s titled, “A Prince Enslaved in Southwest Mississippi: The Story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima (1762-1829).”

You can read it at this link:
https://mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/prince-enslaved-southwest-mississippi-story-abdul-rahman-ibrahima-1762-1829

Zandra McDonald to speak at 85th commemoration of the Rhythm Night Club Fire

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Apr 21, 2025 | 12:28 PM

Zandra McDonald, superintendent of the Natchez-Adams School District, will be the guest speaker for the Saturday, April 26 commemoration of the Rhythm Night Club fire of April 23, 1940.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Zandra McDonald, superintendent of the Natchez-Adams School District, will be the guest speaker for the 85th commemoration of the Rhythm Night Club fire of April 23, 1940. The ceremony is set for 12 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the Rhythm Night Club (on site) Memorial Museum at 5 St. Catherine St. It is free to the public.

The theme this year is, “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: Education the Way Up,” according to Monroe and Betty Sago, the museum’s owners. Betty Sago said McDonald was the perfect choice this year given the program’s focus on education: “She is a product of Natchez public schools. She was born and raised here in Natchez.”

McDonald has worked for more than 25 years in different capacities in the school district. Her education includes a master’s degree from Louisiana State University and a Master of Education from the University of Phoenix. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Literature from Tougaloo College.

In addition to McDonald, Saturday’s program will feature Wynetta Dangerfield, teacher and co-leader of Natchez High School’s African American Culture Club. Dangerfield will give a presentation on the club.

Music will be provided by several people who will perform as soloists. They include Dangerfield, Tony Fields, Lawrence Reggie Winston, and Lakeria Kaho.

One of the highlights of the program is the presentation of a $500 to $1,000 scholarship, which is awarded each year to a student who writes a winning essay on the museum. Last year’s recipient of a $1,000 scholarship was Daisha Green, a direct descendant of the late Mary Christmas, who died in the Rhythm Night Club fire. She plans to study pre-dentistry at Mississippi State University, according to the Sagos.

The program typically begins with the siren blast of a fire engine from the Natchez Fire Department. It includes a presentation of door prizes, refreshments, and a tour of the museum.

A new feature of the museum is a theater room where visitors can watch recordings of the people who survived the 1940 fire.

The Sagos have been holding this commemoration for the past 17 years to pay homage to the 209-plus victims that died in the club fire of April 23, 1940, as well those who survived. Those who died included students, business leaders, and Woodrick McGuire, band director of Brumfield School. Musician Walter Barnes and members of his band also died in the fire.

For more information, call 601-597-0557 or send email to bettysago@rnconsitemm.org.

See more at this link: https://listenupyall.com/2025/04/21/zandra-mcdonald-to-speak-at-85th-commemoration-of-the-rhythm-night-club-fire/

Fundraiser launched for Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Apr 11, 2025 | 11:50 AM

Mayor Dan Gibson recently honored Dr. John Bowman Banks posthumously with a Key to the City, which he presented to Dora Hawkins, a staff member of the Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum. From left are Willie Woods, Kathleen Bonds, Bobby Dennis, Alderwoman Valencia Hall, Richard Burke, Mimi Miller, Sheryl Woods, Jacqulyn Williams, and Thelma Newsome. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Mayor Dan Gibson kicked off a fundraising campaign Wednesday, April 9, for the Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum, which is commonly known as the Dr. John Banks House. Gibson was joined by the museum staff and other community members. He said a total of $15,000 is being sought to repair the building’s aging roof.

The two-story wood-framed house, which is located at 9 St. Catherine Street, was built in 1892. It is named for Dr. John Bowman Banks, the city’s first Black physician. Banks was also a co-founder of the Bluff City Savings Bank, the city’s only Black-owned bank.

While discussing the building’s history, Gibson honored Banks posthumously with a Key to the City, which he presented to Dora Hawkins and other museum staff, including Thelma Newsome, Willie Woods, and Jacqulyn Williams.

“It’s so very important, and we give a big thanks for the idea that you came up with to seek funds to continue to maintain this illustrious home,” Hawkins said to the mayor. “So we continue to invite you, all who are here today, the public to come visit and to see what this home is all about. It is those finances that will keep us going along with the work that our members are giving and bringing forth to maintain this home.”

Gibson said the house is a treasure in the Natchez community, and it is important to preserve it.

“The house currently is suffering from leaks — water intrusion,” he said. “These leaks threaten this important property. We are very grateful however to have found a roofer who has provided a very reasonable estimate to cure the problem. We need to raise $15,000 to get this done.”
Gibson said the second phase of the project is to restore and seal the building’s historic metal roof. “It’s important that the metal roof not be removed,” he said. “It can be restored without replacing it.”

Banks’ house was initially built in the Queen Anne style, but around 1905, it was remodeled in the Colonial Revival style, according to the Historic Natchez Foundation.

Gibson said donations are needed immediately for the building’s roof, which has ongoing leaks and major water damage affecting ceilings, walls, and floors, among other places. A couple of people in the community are ready to anonymously match the donations, he said, adding, “We want to beat the spring rains.”

The house is an important part of Natchez’s history, Gibson said. In addition to being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the site of Natchez’s first Mississippi Freedom Trail marker, which was erected in 2023.

During the 1960s, the house became the headquarters for the Natchez NAACP and the home of NAACP President George Metcalfe, whose car was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on August 27, 1965. Metcalfe survived the bombing, but the tragedy became a pivotal point in the Civil Rights Movement.

The house is featured in the film, “Black Natchez” (1967). It also served as “Metcalfe’s Boarding House” in the 1960s for members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the Civil Rights Movement.

Today, the house is owned and managed by Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, the oldest Black Baptist church in Mississippi. The church inherited the house from Frank Robinson Jr., Bank’s grandson. The house was officially designated as a museum in 2020.

Tours of the house are available by appointment. Information on tours or donations is available by calling 601-807-2537. All donations are tax-deductible. Checks should be made out to the Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum and mailed to P.O. Box 501, Natchez, MS 39121.

Woven Wind is coming to Natchez

Program to feature clay exhibit and “Toles Family” film

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Apr 10, 2025 | 2:31 PM

Terry Minor of Detroit, Michigan, is a member of the Toles family. He is being interviewed by Marlos Evan and Vesna  Pavlović from the Woven Wind team for the "Toles Family: Coming Home" film. The interview took place in 2021 at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture will host the Woven Wind project featuring clay vessels and the showing of the film in progress, “Toles Family: Coming Home,” on Friday, April 25, at 301 Main St., Natchez.

 
The event, which will feature a talk and reception, will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
 
The film includes oral histories of the descendants of the late Tom Toles’ family who was enslaved at Monmouth plantation. Members of the family, like the late Mary Lee Davis Toles, became prominent members of the Natchez community.
 
Mary Lee Davis Toles, who was Tom Toles’ wife, served as an Adams County Justice Court Judge and president of the Natchez NAACP. She was also a founding member of NAPAC museum.
 
The exhibition and film will be preceded by Woven Wind’s community clay workshop, which is set for 12 to 2 p.m. Friday, at the Mississippi School of Folk Arts at 5 E Franklin St., Natchez. The workshop is also free to the public.
 
“‘Woven Wind’ is a living, breathing project that evolves with each exhibition, workshop, and performance,” said Vesna Pavlović, the Paul E. Shwab Chair in Fine Arts Professor of Art at Vanderbilt University.
 
According to Nashville-based curator Courtney Adair Johnson, Woven Wind is a multi-layered artistic endeavor grounded in critical research on the Lovell-Quitman archive at the University of the South, Sewanee.
 
“Extensive plantation records, photographs, and objects found in the archive, document the lives of the officer William Storrow Lovell and wife Antonia, whose father was John A. Quitman (1799-1858), a large slave owner and former governor of Mississippi,” she said.
 
Johnson noted the inventories of the enslaved people produced in 1858 after Quitman's death led their team of artists with a genealogist to locate a family of descendants.
 
“Following this lead, the team met the Toles family to record their oral histories and examine America's history of slavery and bondage using their voice,” she said. “In the film, family members talk about tracing and searching for their ancestors, the value of repair, the legacy of racism, and how it affected their family. They also share their thoughts on moving forward and what reparations could look like.”
 
As for the clay workshop, it will include a trip to Monmouth, where community members will place unfired clay objects on site, Johnson said. Monmouth was Quitman’s former family home where the Toles family ancestors were enslaved.
 
“The clay objects, which symbolically carry the voices of the enslaved, will dissolve with the landscape over time to memorialize the site of the family's painful history,” Johnson said.
 
Woven Wind is supported by many institutions, the list of which includes: the National Endowment for the Arts Grant for Arts Projects; Vanderbilt University Scaling Success Grant; Mellon Partners for Humanities Education Collaboration Grant; Vanderbilt University’s Engine for Art, Democracy, and Justice; Tennessee State University; Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy Catalyst Grant; the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation at the University of the South, Sewanee; and Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture.
 
For more information, call 601-445-0728.
 

Celebrating Lafayette: Special 200th anniversary program set for April 19

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat
Published Friday, April 4, 2025

Ben Goldman of Washington, D.C. will perform as Lafayette at the “Lafayette Returns to Natchez after 200 Years” program Saturday, April 19, at the Historic Natchez Foundation. Goldman has performed as Lafayette for almost two decades. 

NATCHEZ, Miss. – A special event celebrating the 200th anniversary of Frenchman Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Natchez will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at the Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce Street. It is free and open to the public.

 
Lafayette played an important role in the nation’s victory in the American Revolution.
 
The program celebrating his visit is titled, “Lafayette Returns to Natchez after 200 Years.” It is sponsored by the American Friends of Lafayette, the Natchez Historical Society, the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Historic Natchez Foundation.
 
The American Friends of Lafayette, which spearheaded this event, is joining other groups in following in the footsteps of Lafayette 200 years after he last visited the United States.
 
“Natchez was the only place in Mississippi that Lafayette visited in 1825,” said Brother Rogers, historian at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and secretary-treasurer for the Mississippi Historical Society. “Jackson, founded in 1821 as the state capital, was too new, too small, and too far out of the way. Natchez was the state's largest city. Lafayette planned to visit every state (all 24) and would be passing by Natchez on his river route from New Orleans to St. Louis.”
 
Rogers is one of the featured speakers at the Lafayette celebration. He gave a presentation on the Frenchman at the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration on Thursday, March 27. The NLCC’s theme this year was “Follow the Frenchman through Natchez: The Farewell Tour of Lafayette.”

Brother Rogers, historian at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and secretary-treasurer for the Mississippi Historical Society, is one of several people who will speak about Lafayette’s return to Natchez on April 19.

Rogers explained April 19 was selected for the upcoming event because the American Friends of Lafayette wanted the celebration to be as close as possible to April 18 – the date that Lafayette visited Natchez for 24 hours in 1825.

 
He said people may wonder why Lafayette felt rushed and only spent 24 hours in Natchez. The reason is that he had promised to be in Boston in June to lay the cornerstone for the marker for the Battle of Bunker Hill.
 
“He had promised them he would do everything to get there and he did get there on time,” Rogers said. “He did not want to miss Natchez but he didn’t want to break his promise.”
 
The Saturday program will open with actor Ben Goldman of Washington, D.C., who will portray Lafayette.
 
Presentations will be given by Rogers, who will discuss “Lafayette Visits Mississippi as the Guest of the Nation”;  and Tyler Diaz, an electric guitar player, music educator, and musicologist, who will perform the music of Francis Johnson, an early African American composer and bandleader who composed a march for Lafayette’s arrival in Philadelphia in 1824.
 
Other participants will include Chuck Schwam of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the executive director of the American Friends of Lafayette and the national chair of the AFL’s Farewell Tour Bicentennial Committee; and Alan Hoffman of Londonderry, New Hampshire, who is president of the AFL and Editor of the “Gazette of the American Friends of Lafayette.”
 
Schwam will discuss “Lafayette Really Delivered!” and Hofman will talk about “Lafayette and the Anti-Slavery Cause.”
 
For more information and to register, visit https://friendsoflafayette.wildapricot.org/event-6138817