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Participants in the panel discussion on Medgar Evers included, from left, Dr. Marcus Ward, Dr. Shirley Evers-Manly, Dr. Tracy M. Cook, and Olivia Spann. Dr. Roscoe Barnes III served as moderator. |
Roscoe Reporting
Sharing news, research, stories, and other material by Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D. Research topics include F.F. Bosworth, Ernest Hemingway, Anne Moody, and Natchez, MS. Email: roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Natchez community celebrates Medgar Evers' 100th birthday
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Historic Beulah Baptist gets a new look thanks to national grant
Published 10:39 am Tuesday, July 1, 2025
NATCHEZ – A $150,000 grant awarded in 2024 by the
National Trust for Historic Preservation has made a difference in the
appearance, stability, and preservation of Beulah Missionary Baptist
Church.
The funding, which came through the Preserving Black
Churches program of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, was
used for the restoration of the steeple and exterior windows of the
112-year-old structure.
“When the time is right, the Lord will make it happen, and it has happened at Beulah Baptist Church,” said Pastor Johnathan T. Hargrave. “We’re so thankful for the blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Other restoration work included the walls and ceiling in the church foyer, said Deacon Robert Morgan. He and other church officials are excited about the project being completed, and they are pleased with the results, Morgan said.
He noted the construction began in November 2024 and was
completed in May 2025. Johnny Waycaster of Waycaster Dungan Architecture and
Engineering was the architect on the project, and Smith Painting and
Contracting completed the work.
“Everybody was overjoyed,” Morgan said of the
congregation. “They were so pleased that they actually made more trips to the
church. Some people who don’t even attend the church said they made it a habit
to drive by to see how it looks.
For Morgan, the project is about the legacy of the
church. “It means that the legacy continues,” he said. “Each generation does
its best to take what the previous generation gave and makes it better. In this
case, the legacy continues for the next generation, which won’t have that
problem (of the steeple) to deal with.”
Carter Burns, executive director of Historic Natchez
Foundation, assisted the church with its grant application.
“We’re thankful that the Historic Natchez Foundation was able to assist Beulah in receiving this grant from the Preserving Black Churches program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to restore the steeple on this important historic church building here in Natchez,” Burns said.
The church before the restoration. (Click on image to enlarge.) |
Beulah is located at 710 Beulah St. or B Street. It played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez. According to historians, it was regularly used as a meeting place by the Natchez NAACP. In early October 1965, NAACP meetings at the church launched protests that resulted in the arrest of several hundred protesters who defied a court ban against marching.
When the local jails became full, the authorities bused
150 of them to Parchman Penitentiary where they endured harsh treatment. It is
said that they were “Proud to Take a Stand.” Their experience became known as
“The Parchman Ordeal.”
Beulah was founded
in 1896 by William Rochester, a U.S. Colored Troops veteran and
commander-in-chief of the Mississippi and Louisiana Department of the Grand
Army of the Republic.
The church officially organized on December 30, 1896, but
its original wooden building was constructed in 1901, according to Hargrave.
Unfortunately, he said, it was destroyed by fire on March 4, 1911, and rebuilt
in 1912.
Beulah was one of 31 churches out of more than 550
applicants across the United States approved for funding by the National Trust
for Historic Preservation, which awarded a total of $4 million for the
institutions. A dedication ceremony for
the steeple will be held at 4 p.m. , Sunday, July 20, during the church
homecoming service. It is open to the public.
Read more at: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2025/07/01/historic-beulah-baptist-gets-a-new-look-thanks-to-grant/
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Natchez NAACP announces plans for Medgar Evers’ 100th birthday celebration
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Jun 18, 2025 | 4:15 PM
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Medgar Evers (July 2, 1925 - June 12, 1963) Photo courtesy of the National Park Service (Click on image to enlarge.) |
NATCHEZ, Miss. — A special two-day event celebrating the life and legacy of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers will be held in early July in recognition of his 100th birthday, according to Natchez NAACP President Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis.
“A Centennial Celebration of the Life and Work of Medgar Wiley Evers (July 2, 1925 – June 12, 1963)” will be presented by the Natchez Branch of the NAACP in collaboration with the Natchez Business and Civic League, the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture, and Visit Natchez. It is free and open to the public.
“Medgar Wiley Evers worked tirelessly in Mississippi to overturn racial segregation in schools and public facilities, and to expand opportunities for African American citizens both economically and politically,” said Arcenaux-Mathis. “He gave his life to make Mississippi and America a better place for all Americans to live in. His work transcended Mississippi and impacted the entire United States of America.”
Arcenaux-Mathis said honoring “this heroic American helps to keep his history and contributions alive and relevant in world today.”
The celebration will begin with a panel discussion at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture at 301 Main St. The discussion will be preceded by a social at 5:30 p.m.
Panelists will include Olivia Spann, supervisory park ranger at the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument; Dr. Shirley Evers-Manly, interim dean of the Alcorn State University School of Nursing; and Dr. Marcus Ward, senior vice-president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the ASU Foundation at Alcorn State University.
Spann will discuss Evers’ work on important cases in Mississippi, including his work on the 1955 murder of Emmitt Till. Ward will discuss Evers’ time with Alcorn A&M and his contributions between 1948 and 1952. Additionally, he will talk about the ways in which Alcorn may have influenced his commitment to human and civil rights. Ward will also discuss Medgar and Myrlie Evers’ impact on Alcorn since 1963.
Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, will serve as moderator. Loki Mulholland, Emmy-winning filmmaker, author, speaker, and director of the film, “The Evers,” will share remarks via Zoom.
Arceneaux-Mathis will introduce the panelists and moderator.
The evening will include a showing of the praise dance video, “I’ve Been Buked and I’ve Been Scorned,” and introductory film, “Medgar & Myrlie Evers: A Legacy of Courage and Activism.”
On Wednesday, July 2, “The Evers” will be shown at 6 p.m. at Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church at 117 Pilgrim Blvd. The program will open with a devotion by the Rev. Melvin White, the church’s pastor, and an introduction by Arceneaux-Mathis.
A reception will be held in the church’s fellowship hall.
Evers was the first NAACP field secretary in Mississippi. A prominent civil rights activist and organizer, he worked for voting rights and to improve the lives of Blacks in Mississippi. He also worked to end racial violence. Evers was assassinated on June 12, 1963, in the carport of his home, which he shared with his wife, Myrlie, and their children, in Jackson.
His death was considered “the first murder of a nationally significant leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, and it became a catalyst for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” according to the National Park Service.
For more information, call Joyce Mathis at 601-807-4319 or Roscoe Barnes III at 601-492-3004.
Royal Hill Jr. to present Juneteenth program at Co-Lin Natchez Campus
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Royal Hill Jr. |
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Beautiful morning at Wilkinson County Park
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.)
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Evening view at Wilkinson County Park
Natchez community celebrates Medgar Evers' 100th birthday
The slain civil rights leader was honored by panel discussion and film By Roscoe Barnes III Participants in the panel discussion on Medgar E...
