From football to history: Former NFL cornerback Garry Lewis leads cultural efforts in southwest Mississippi

Former NFL cornerback Garry Lewis now leads Alcorn State’s Southwest Mississippi Center for Culture & Learning, helping communities preserve and share African American history.
 
By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat (7/1/2026)

Dr. Garry Lewis, former NFL cornerback and Alcorn State University alumnus, serves as executive director of the Southwest Mississippi Center for Culture & Learning at Alcorn State University. Photo courtesy of Garry Lewis. (Click on image to enlarge.)

LORMAN, Miss. – As a young man, Dr. Garry Lewis spent four seasons as an NFL cornerback, defending against some of football's toughest receivers. Today, the seasoned educator faces a different challenge: helping Mississippi communities navigate complex conversations about race and culture while preserving and sharing African American history.
 
As executive director of the Southwest Mississippi Center for Culture & Learning at Alcorn State University, Lewis works with community leaders, educators, historians, and cultural organizations to identify regional needs and support projects that preserve and share the area's rich history.
 
“I lead the institution’s efforts to preserve, interpret, and elevate the unique culture, history, and heritage of southwest Mississippi,” Lewis says. “My role blends strategic leadership, community partnership development, academic engagement, and cultural stewardship.”
Lewis began the position in May 2025. He says one of the most rewarding aspects of the role is meeting new people and sharing ideas to promote the region’s culture and community.
 
Education
 
Born and raised in New Orleans, Lewis graduated from Walter L. Cohen High School before attending Alcorn State University, where he lettered for the Braves. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in secondary education from Alcorn and a doctorate in organizational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He and his wife, Cassandra, live in Vicksburg.
 
Over the past year, he has expanded educational programming by facilitating the showing of the documentary “Natchez” on Alcorn’s campus. “That was one of the biggest events that I enjoyed,” he says, adding he also valued taking students to The Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.
 
In March 2026, Lewis facilitated the donation of Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-C. M. Boxley's “Forks of the Road” exhibit and research materials to the Center. Lewis displayed the exhibit at the Claiborne County Welcome & Heritage Center in Port Gibson and, on Friday, March 27, he hosted a symposium honoring Boxley alongside educators and community leaders.
 
Future projects

Lewis plans to host heritage events across multiple counties and develop the Welcome Center in Port Gibson into a tour-ready museum. He also hopes to organize student visits to the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument and partner with Rev’s Country Tours in Natchez.
 
As Lewis advances these initiatives, he draws on lessons from his professional football career. “It’s important to stay focused, calm, and organized in every situation,” he says. “I also pay close attention to detail in order to succeed in everything I do.”
 

NFL Career

Lewis was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft as a cornerback.

Garry Lewis (#21), cornerback for the Los Angeles Raiders, points to an offensive player while signaling to his teammates that he'll take him. Photo courtesy of Garry Lewis. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Over four seasons (1990-1993), he played for the Los Angeles Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Kansas City Chiefs. He later continued his career in Canada, playing for the Ottawa Rough Riders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1994 to 1996.

Lewis says being drafted was a great accomplishment and a big relief because his hard work and sacrifice had finally paid off. “I knew the NFL would give me a head start in life,” he says.
 
Interestingly, Lewis did not celebrate the accomplishment in the way that some might expect. “I didn’t celebrate after making it in the NFL because I was still hungry and had a lot more to prove -- to myself and to those who doubted me making it in the NFL. I bought the cheapest car, a Nissan Maxima. I loved that car because it represented everything about me -- a humble guy from uptown New Orleans who doesn’t take anything for granted.”
 
As Lewis reflects on his football career, he says there is one game that stands out in his memory: “The second pre-season game my rookie year stands out because the Raiders had no clue I was going to ball out like I did. Both the starting cornerback and backup got hurt in that game, and I had to play earlier than expected because I was the next man up. Everything the quarterback threw my way, I knocked down.”
 
After football
 
After football, Lewis transitioned into education. He spent a year teaching and coaching at Vicksburg High School before serving as an assistant professor at Alcorn State University and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He was later promoted to associate professor. In 2023, Lewis was inducted into Alcorn State University's Sports Hall of Fame as part of the A-Club Hall of Fame Class.
 
In April 2026, Lewis’ cousin, former Pittsburgh Steelers player Ryan Clark, shared a viral Instagram post praising Lewis. Clark said he admired his cousin and wanted to be just like him growing up. He recalled that Lewis spent quality time with him and encouraged him.
 
Clark attended Louisiana State University and went on to a successful NFL career, including a Super Bowl XLIII victory.
 
Those who know Lewis say success never changed him. He remains the same person many knew long before his NFL career.
 
Today, Lewis says the same discipline that fueled his NFL career continues to guide his efforts to preserve and elevate the history and culture of southwest Mississippi.

Longwood's historic quarters to tell story of enslaved families

New interpretive room to feature period furnishings and artifacts

by Mississippi Monitor | Jun 26, 2026 | Capital/River
By Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., Visit Natchez

Douglas Lanfear, a docent at Longwood, stands in front of the historic quarters where enslaved families once lived. A first-floor room in the building will be used to interpret and present the history of those families.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Pilgrimage Garden Club is transforming a first-floor room in the historic quarters at Longwood, where enslaved people once lived, into an interpretive space exploring the lives of enslaved families. The room is being refurbished with period furniture and artifacts to reflect its 19th-century setting.
 
“We are presenting a room that we think would have been appropriate at that time,” said Dr. Terrel Williams, president of the Pilgrimage Garden Club. He said the ultimate goal is to recognize the enslaved families who lived and worked on the Longwood property by bringing their history to life in this space.
 
“We’re presenting this exhibit so we can have a better discussion and understand the fact that there were enslaved people living at Longwood who helped build this great monument and played an important role in the lives of the Nutt family,” Williams said.
 
The exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, September 26, when the Pilgrimage Garden Club holds its symposium on cotton and the dependency (historic quarters) at Longwood. The symposium will be held at the Carriage House.
 
Little is known about the enslaved families who lived on the property. Club members hope the new interpretive space will help broaden public understanding of the lives of the enslaved people whose labor was central to the Longwood estate.
 
Mimi Miller, executive director emerita of Historic Natchez Foundation, described the quarters as a two-story brick building with gable roof and full-width, double-tiered gallery. She said it is one of the largest known structures in the Natchez District used to house enslaved people.
 
The brick structure, which dates to about 1830 or earlier, is located about 100 feet northwest of the Longwood mansion. It was likely enhanced or expanded between 1860 and 1861, according to the National Park Service.
 
The quarters are one of several historic outbuildings on the property. The others include a frame carriage house, a dilapidated one-story frame building north of the quarters and a deteriorated frame kitchen building.
 
Longwood is located at 140 Lower Woodville Road. It is a well-known historic site in Natchez that is recognized as the largest octagonal home in the United States. It was owned by Haller Nutt, a Unionist, and his wife, Julia. Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan designed the building to have 32 rooms.
 
Longwood sits on 86 acres of property purchased by Haller Nutt in 1850.
 
Haller Nutt was one of the wealthiest cotton planters in the Antebellum South. Over his lifetime, according to Williams and historian D. Clayton James, he owned 800 enslaved people and 42,947 acres on 21 plantations stretching from Adams County, Mississippi, to Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.
 

Longwood’s construction began in 1860. During this time, Haller Nutt and his family lived in the quarters temporarily while Longwood was under construction, sharing the building with enslaved families until the basement level of the mansion was completed, according to Williams.
 
When the Civil War broke out in April 1861, it halted construction. The northern artisans and craftsmen dropped their tools and returned to the North. They left the upper floors of the house an empty shell, according to some reports. Many enslaved people remained on the property and continued labor on the construction, according to the National Park Service.
 
Only the outside of the building and nine rooms in the basement area were completed. The Nutt family moved into the completed area on the basement level of the mansion in 1862.
 
On June 15, 1864, Haller Nutt died of pneumonia at the age of 48. His family continued living in the house even though its construction was never finished.
 
“It never became what it was supposed to become,” said Miller.
 
In 1866, thousands of newly freed African Americans visited Longwood for a Fourth of July celebration and picnic.
 

Five Natchez leaders honored with Keys to the City

Mayor Dan Gibson presents awards during ‘Kickback at NAPAC’ program

by Mississippi Monitor | Jun 25, 2026 | Capital/River

By Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., Visit Natchez

Recipients of the Keys to the City stand with Mayor Dan Gibson during the “Kickback at NAPAC” program at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture on June 16. From left are the Rev. Melvin White, Laura Ann Jackson, Angela Reynolds, Kristina Carter, Norma West, and Mayor Dan Gibson. 

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Mayor Dan Gibson recently honored five community leaders on behalf of the City of Natchez in recognition of their exceptional leadership and service to the Natchez community. He presented Keys to the City to the Rev. Melvin White, Norma West, Laura Ann Jackson, Kristina Carter, and Angela Reynolds.
 
Gibson made the presentations on Tuesday, June 16, at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. It was part of the “Kickback at NAPAC” program, an event the city has held for the past five years as part of the annual Juneteenth celebrations.
 
“When I look around in our community and I see those bright stars that are planted right here in our midst, I never cease to be amazed,” said Gibson. He noted the program celebrates individuals who have earned special recognition for their contributions.
 
“Positivity is what we’re celebrating tonight, because it’s the positivity that actually makes the difference,” Gibson said. “If it weren’t for the heroes in our midst who made things happen, where would we be?”
 
The honorees were recognized for wide-ranging contributions to the Natchez community.
 
Gibson said White, pastor of Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, has touched countless lives. “His influence extends beyond the church through his service as first vice president of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention and moderator of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Association, where he has provided guidance and encouragement to churches and ministers throughout the region, raising thousands of dollars for important needs and truly serving God’s people,” he said.
 
“His life stands as a testament to faith, perseverance, and selfless service,” Gibson added. “Through his preaching and teaching, generations have been inspired to walk in faith and serve their communities.”
 
West, a retired nurse, has extended her service well beyond the walls of the healthcare field, Gibson said.
 
In addition to being a devoted member of Zion Chapel AME Church, she is a lifetime member of the Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses of Mississippi and has provided leadership within the Downtown Natchez Alliance. Gibson said her life and work stand as a shining example of what it means to invest in one's community and leave a lasting legacy of compassion and service.
 
Jackson, said Gibson, “has exemplified service, dedication, and community pride throughout her life. Her commitment to public service and civic leadership has left a lasting mark on the Miss-Lou region and brought honor to the City of Natchez.”
 
For many years, Jackson has served as chair of the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade. “Beyond her professional achievements, Jackson has devoted countless hours to preserving the culture and traditions of our region,” Gibson said. “As chairperson of the Miss-Lou 30th of May Memorial Day Parade Committee, she has played a vital role in honoring our shared history and strengthening community pride for future generations.”
 
Carter was recognized for her hard work and educational excellence in the Natchez-Adams School District.
 
“Through her volunteerism, leadership, and unwavering support of students and educators, she has become a trusted voice for families and a powerful force for positive change throughout our community,” Gibson said.
 
Gibson said Reynolds’ commitment to education, leadership, and community service has made a profound impact on generations of young people.
 
“Reynolds’ life's work stands as a testament to the values of service, integrity, perseverance, and commitment that define our city,” he said. “Through her vision and unwavering dedication, she has strengthened our schools, empowered countless students, and helped shape a brighter future for generations to come.”
 
The annual “Kickback at NAPAC” program recognizes individuals whose leadership and service have helped strengthen the Natchez community.

Alcorn Alum Dr. John Plump Sings ‘Ol’ Man River’ at 16th Street Baptist Church

While attending the African American Travel Conference in April in Birmingham, Alabama, I had the opportunity to visit the 16th Street Baptist Church on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The church was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1963, killing four young girls and becoming one of the defining tragedies of the Civil Rights Movement.

During my visit, historian Barry McNealy gave a powerful presentation on the history of the church. His friend and colleague, Dr. John A.E. Plump, sang several songs with deep meaning in the Black community. He also performed “Ol’ Man River,” noting that the great Paul Robeson had sung the song in the church many decades earlier.

Plump is a graduate of Alcorn State University, where he studied voice with a concentration in classical music and contemporary opera.

Take a moment to listen to this powerful performance.

Old pink house in Natchez, Mississippi, is now home to The Legacy of Madison interpretive center

 The Legacy of Madison offers immersive look at under-told history of Natchez

Brittany Bell and her mother, Bettye Bell, are the co-owners of The Legacy of Madison, a historic home transformed into an interpretive center dedicated to sharing Natchez’s under-told history. 

Through immersive storytelling, music, cultural experiences, and traditional soul food, The Legacy of Madison is helping broaden how residents and visitors experience and understand the city’s rich heritage.

 For more information, call 601-334-4104.

Legacy of Madison offers immersive look at Natchez's under-told history

New interpretive center highlights African American history, music legacy, and youth development

By Roscoe Barnes III

The Natchez Democrat

June 16, 2026

Bettye Bell, center, and her daughter, Brittany Bell Surratt, recently opened The Legacy of Madison to share Natchez’s history. They are pictured with Brittany’s daughter, Chozyn Channell Bell. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- A long-vacant pink house on the corner of Madison and N. Dr. M.L. King streets has been reborn as The Legacy of Madison, a new tourism attraction and interpretive center dedicated to sharing the untold and under-told history of Natchez.

 

The site, located at 516 N. Dr. M.L. King St., is co-owned and managed by retired educator Bettye Bell and her daughter, Brittany Bell Surratt. The two said the new venture will provide a cultural and educational experience for residents and visitors.
 
It provides a quiet, welcoming environment where visitors can discuss Natchez history over coffee, tea, and traditional tea cakes, said Bettye. The experience also includes a full three-course meal.
 
“Natchez has a lot of untold and under-told history,” said Brittany. “While Mississippi is often associated with the blues, Natchez has made significant contributions to jazz and hip-hop as well.”
 
She said much attention has focused on antebellum homes and the Civil War, while African American history remains underrepresented.
 
“We want to tell those stories,” Brittany said.
 
Bettye agreed. "We look forward to sharing how African Americans helped build Natchez and went on to make nationally and internationally recognized contributions," she said.
 
Brittany’s vision for the house stems from her love of history, literature, and travel. “I meet people from all around the world. When they visit Natchez, they’ve only learned one side of Natchez’s history.”
 
The mother-daughter team hopes to inspire local youth. “The historic property serves as both a tourism destination and a training center designed to prepare local youth for careers in hospitality and tourism,” Bettye said. “Young people can develop customer service, public speaking, cultural awareness, and leadership skills while gaining firsthand experience.”
 
The team believes Natchez has important stories that deserve greater attention. Among those stories is the connection between rapper Nas and Natchez through his father, world-renowned jazz musician Olu Dara Jones, who was born and raised in the city.
 
“That is an under-told story and key contribution to music history,” Brittany said. She noted Natchez has deep-rooted music contributions to national music history that goes beyond the blues.
 
Another celebrity with Natchez ties is actress Yara Sayeh Shahidi, best known for her role on the ABC sitcom, “Black-ish,” Brittany said.

The pink house at the corner of N. Dr. M.L. King and Madison streets is now home to The Legacy of Madison, an interpretive center dedicated to sharing Natchez's untold and under-told history. (Click on image to enlarge.)

This site features four rooms that provide visitors with an immersive experience through story-telling, music, historical artifacts, and cultural displays.

 

The interpretive center highlights a range of notable figures, including Greg Iles, Hiram Rhodes Revels, John R. Lynch, Robert H. Wood, Richard Wright, Ellen Douglas, Alexander O’Neal, Geeshie Wiley, Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders, Judge Mary Lee Davis Toles, Dr. Albert Woods Dumas Sr., and others.
 
Themes include such topics as Reconstruction era leadership, African American political history, Natchez writers and authors, music legends, cultural contributors, educational trailblazers, and local “firsts” in leadership.
 
Each tour concludes with a Southern soul food experience inspired by traditions of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
 
The house was built in the late Queen Anne style between 1901 and 1904, according to Mimi Miller, executive director emerita of the Historic Natchez Foundation.
 
Brittany purchased the house from Alvin Garrison, mayor of Ferriday.  It was previously owned by Frederick David Todd, whose father, Dr. J.R. Todd Jr., was a respected community leader and historian known for his contributions to healthcare and civil rights.
 
Tours are available Friday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $55 for adults and $25 for children ages six and older.
 
Group tours are available by reservation with a minimum of 12 people.
 
For more information, call 601-334-4104.
 

VIDEO: Armand Saiia is ArtsNatchez’s Artist of the Month for June!

Come meet Armand in person and view his stunning sculptures and paintings this Saturday, June 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the ArtsNatchez Gallery, 425 Main St.

In this video, Armand shares insights into his sculptures and paintings.