Technology allows for virtual reality experience at Proud to Take a Stand monument

QR code now allows visitors to experience story virtually

Published by The Natchez Democrat at 11:21 am Wednesday, June 8, 2022

By Staff Reports

Robert Pernell, chairman of the Proud to Take a Stand monument committee, displays the plaque with the QR code at the monument site. (Click on image to enlarge.)

By ROSCOE BARNES
Special to The Natchez Democrat

Note: The online version of this story can be viewed here.

NATCHEZ — Robert Pernell wants visitors to get more out of their visit to the Proud to Take a Stand monument on the corner of Jefferson and North Canal streets.

As the chairman of the Proud to Take a Stand Monument Committee, he wants them to have an experience that is not only informative, but moving, immersive and interactive.

Thanks to a new QR code, his wishes are possible as visitors can now have a virtual reality experience of the civil rights history featured at the site. The experience is made possible using the TimeLooper mobile application, Xplore-AR.

“In virtual terms, the technology transports the viewer to 1965 where they can witness the history for themselves,” said Pernell. “This is storytelling on a new level. Now people can experience the story on site, or they can view it using this virtual reality technology.”
By simply scanning the QR code shown on a small sign posted at the site in February, the visitor is given access to the Xplore-AR app.

Lance Harris, a commissioner and past president of Visit Natchez, who helped bring the experience to life, explained the virtual reality experience is best viewed and optimized with a set of Google Glasses or other viewing devices, such as Oculus.

“Visit Natchez is proud to have engaged with the Proud to Take a Stand Committee to create a compelling and unique experience that provides insight to an important chapter in our community’s history,” Harris said. “This project would not have been possible without the Mississippi Tourism Recovery Fund, enacted as part of the CARES Act. From what I have gathered, everyone is very pleased and excited about this.”

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 “The Parchman Ordeal.”
Mayor Dan Gibson expressed appreciation for the monument and the new virtual reality feature. “We are so grateful to have this important monument in our city, making sure that such a significant event in our history is properly honored,” he said. “The new TimeLooper feature will now take a visit to this monument to the next level.”

How to see the experience

TimeLooper’s app allows visitors to see the full story of this historic event using a mobile device. Access is gained by scanning the QR code in the bottom right corner of the sign. The scan takes users to Timelooper.com to download the Xplore app. Users may follow the steps below.

1. After the download, select the title “Parchman Ordeal.” A screen will appear with the option to “View it in AR.” Click on this option.

2. Follow the instructions to “Scan your table, floor or backyard.” While scanning and moving your mobile device around, a geographical image (a map) will appear on your screen. At the bottom of the screen, you will see directions to “Tap on the highlighted area to place AR platform.”

3. Next, you will be asked to “Start Xploring” and to “pinch the image to zoom”.

4. You will see a prompt to “Activate content by bumping your device on a pin.” The “pin” will appear as a thin, vertical white line with a circle on top and extending up from the geographical image.

5. Using your finger, simply tap on the pin, and images of the Parchman Ordeal will appear, along with the voice of the narrator telling the story of this critical moment in the civil rights movement.

Roscoe Barnes III is the Cultural Heritage Tourism Manager at Visit Natchez. 
 

 #CivilRights #FreedomTrail #BlackHistory #VisitNatchez

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Natchez homesite added to Mississippi Freedom Trail

Published by The Natchez Democrat at 2:00 pm Sunday, June 5, 2022

By Staff Reports

The Dr. John Banks House, located at 9 St. Catherine St., will be the site of a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker. The house once served as the NAACP Headquarters during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. (Submitted photo)

By Roscoe Barnes III

NATCHEZ —The Dr. John Banks House, which once served as the headquarters for the Natchez NAACP, will be the first site of a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker in Natchez. Approval of the designation by the Mississippi Humanities Council and Visit Mississippi, means the city will now be listed on the state’s Freedom Trail and the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

News of the historic landmark recognition was announced recently by Dr. Stuart Rockoff, executive director of MHC. In an email dated May 23, he wrote: “I’m pleased to share the news that the Freedom Trail Scholars Committee has approved your application to place a marker at the Banks House in Natchez.”

Plans are underway for a dedication and unveiling ceremony later this year.

Devin Heath, executive director of Visit Natchez, said Natchez’s listing on the Freedom Trail highlights the important role the city played in the civil rights movement. “It is also an opportunity to honor and recognize those who paved the way for us,” he said.
“Seeing Natchez approved for inclusion on the Mississippi Freedom Trail and the U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a dream come true,” said Mayor Dan Gibson. “From day one of our administration, we have longed for this to happen. I am so grateful to Devin Heath and Dr. Roscoe Barnes III at Visit Natchez, and Mr. Robert Pernell, who first dropped this idea on my desk, and our amazing committee for making our dream a reality.”

The Mississippi Freedom Trail is part of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. It was created in 2011 to honor the people and places that played a major role in the civil rights movement. A total of 25 markers are now posted on the trail, which includes Cleveland, Ruleville, Greenwood, Holly Springs, Clarksdale, and Jackson.

Efforts to have Natchez listed on the Freedom Trail were led by the Natchez Civil Rights Trail Committee. In addition to Heath and Gibson, the volunteer committee members include Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez; Robert Pernell, chairman of the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee; Rev. Clifton Marvel Sr., pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church; Carter Burns, executive director of Historic Natchez Foundation; Kathleen McClain Bond, superintendent of Natchez National Historical Park; Lance S. Harris, director of Grand Village of the Natchez Indians; Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, president of the Natchez Adams County NAACP Branch; William Terrell, editor and publisher of The Bluff City Post; and James Ware, president of the Natchez Business and Civic League.

Support for the project, which is in Ward 4, also came from Alderwoman Felicia Bridgewater-Irving, and members of Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, which owns the property.

In addition to serving as the NAACP Headquarters, the Banks House was the home of NAACP President George Metcalfe. In 1964, during Freedom Summer when a thousand volunteers converged on the state to work with Black Mississippians to register voters and operate Freedom schools, members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) resided at the house.

In January 1965, “night riders” who committed acts of violence at night intent on inspiring terror fired shots through a window of the house. On Aug. 27, 1965, Metcalfe suffered serious injuries when his car was bombed at the Armstrong Tire & Rubber plant by the Ku Klux Klan.

The posting of the Freedom Trail marker in Natchez has a price tag of $9,000. However, it is made possible through a partnership between Visit Mississippi and MHC. The two agencies are using federal funds through the U.S. Economic Development Administration to cover the cost of 20 Freedom Trail markers throughout the state.

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Visit Mississippi to preserve and promote Mississippi’s vital civil rights history,” said Rockoff in the May 2022 issue of the MHC newsletter. “Our hope is these markers not only attract tourists but also strengthen our communities by helping all Mississippians appreciate our state’s vital civil rights history.”

Roscoe Barnes III is the Cultural Heritage Tourism Manager at Visit Natchez. 

#VisitNatchez #FreedomTrail #BlackHistory #CivilRights

The Natchez Democrat: On the Site

Natchez homesite added to Mississippi Freedom Trail

#FreedomTrail
#VisitNatchez

These images are taken from the print edition of The Natchez Democrat (Sunday, June 5, 2022). Story appears on pages 1A and 6A. The online version of this story can be viewed here.

Greg Iles Book Party -- August 5 - 7, 2022

#GregIles
#VisitNatchez

I’m excited about this event, and I’m happy to serve as guest speaker. Thanks to Downtown Karla Brown for making it all possible. I'm schedule to speak on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.

Natchez USCT Monument Committee Issues Official ‘Request for Qualifications and Proposal’

Professional assistance is being sought for the design phase of the project

#NatchezUSCT

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee is ready to connect with qualified individuals and firms to help with the design of its monument to honor the U.S. Colored Troops of Natchez.

The committee recently announced the release of a Request for Qualifications and Proposal (RFQP) targeting qualified firms and individuals to work with the committee and local community for conceptual and schematic designs for the Natchez project. Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m., Friday, June 24, 2022.

Download RFQP here.

The proposed monument will honor the more than 3,000 African American men who served with six regiments at Fort McPherson in Natchez, Miss., as well those who served in the Navy who were born in Natchez. The six regiments in which the men served include: 6th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, 58th U.S. Colored Infantry, 70th U.S. Colored Infantry, 71st U.S. Colored Infantry, 63rd U.S. Colored Infantry, and the 64th U.S. Colored Infantry.

"This monument will be a place of reverence, pride, and honor that will help to tell many untold stories about Natchez's past," said Committee Chairman Robert Pernell. “At the same, the monument will allow us to give these brave men the honor they deserve for their sacrifice.”

The Natchez USCT Monument Committee was established in 2021 by Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson as an independent organization. It envisions the monument as a tribute to the individual African American Army and Navy enlistees, according to Lance Harris, who chairs the Monument Design Subcommittee.

“The Natchez USCT soldiers and Navy servicemen deserve their history to be known, respected and honored,” he said in the RFQP document. “Up to this time, little if any of their history has been widely known or discussed.”

Harris noted the monument could also serve as a place of inspiration, learning, and connection to other USCT places of meaning in Natchez.

Since its formation, the committee has made notable progress, according to Pernell. In January, the committee launched its official Fundraising Kickoff for the Natchez USCT Monument Project. The fundraising campaign is led by Mayor Dan Gibson, who chairs the Finance and Fundraising Subcommittee.

After months of research, meetings, and input from the community, the committee selected The Natchez Bluff, at the corner of Madison and Broadway streets, as the official site for the monument. The location received unanimous support in March from the Natchez Board of Aldermen contingent upon approval of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Natchez Preservation Commission.

“We are now ready to release the RFQP seeking discovery, conceptual design and schematic design that will guide future phases of the project,” said Pernell. “We want to share this document with as many qualified prospects as possible. We’re asking the community to help us by sharing this document with any qualified individual or firm that might have an interest in this project.”

For more information

Proposals should be mailed to: 

Natchez USCT Monument Committee
Attn: Lance Harris
Grand Village of the Natchez Indians
400 Jeff Davis Blvd.
Natchez, MS  39120.

Additional information is available by contacting Lance Harris, chairman of the Monument Design Subcommittee at lharris@mdah.ms.gov or by visiting NatchezUSCTMonument.com. Learn more at: https://natchezusctmonument.com/rfqp.html

#VisitNatchez #NatchezUSCT #NatchezColoredTroops

Arkansas Review: The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture

By Bobby Dennis and Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.
 
#VisitNatchez

I am excited about this article that Bobby Dennis and I wrote about the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. It is published in the current issue of the Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies (53.1 (April 2022).

This is the first museum to tell the full story of African Americans in Natchez, Miss., a city on the Mississippi River that is located in the southwest part of the state. Since its founding in 1990 by the Natchez Association for the Preservation of African American Culture, the Museum has become an essential resource for the study of local history. This article gives an overview of the Museum's history. Additionally, it provides a description of its exhibits, tours, programs, and community support. To see the full article, please follow this link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360477079_The_Natchez_Museum_of_African_American_History_and_Culture

 #NAPAC #BlackHistory 

Historian Jeff Mansell to Speak about Role of U.S. Colored Troops in Building Fort McPherson

Event hosted by Natchez Historical Society

#NatchezUSCT

Jeff Mansell, Lead Historian
Natchez National Historical Park

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Jeff Mansell, lead historian for the Natchez National Historical Park, will speak about the Natchez U.S Colored Troops at the May 24 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society, announced NHS President Maria Bowser in a recent press release.

Mansell will present the findings of his latest research into the 58th U.S. Colored Troops and the building of Fort McPherson, the Union fortification erected by federal troops after their arrival in Natchez in July 1863.

The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 6 p.m. in the hall of Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce St. Handicapped accessibility is on the side of the building.

After the park closed its various sites due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Mansell turned his attention to examining and recording information found in more than 1,500 enlistment papers for the men of the 58th. These records provide a vast amount of information about the members of the regiment, including name, age, length of services, and profession.

Remarkably, these enlistment papers also list the name of the formerly enslaved’s owner, something typically not found in similar records. The birthplace of the new recruits was also recorded, providing researchers with the probable identity of the men who were sold at the Forks of the Road slave market, Mansell said.

The men of this regiment were the ones who participated in the destruction of the slave pens at the Forks of the Road in the fall of 1863. Tragically the enlistment papers also reveal that almost one-third of the regiment perished from various diseases in the first two months of their service.

All are invited to attend the meeting as Mansell explains more about the patriotic story of these formerly enslaved men who threw off the shackles of slavery to put on the blue uniform of the Union Army, and what that meant to them.

For more information on the Natchez Historical Society, visit: Natchezhistoricalsociety.org or join the NHS on Facebook: Search for “Natchez Historical Society” or follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/188228461785070