Letter of Thanks to Our Local Community

By Robert Pernell 
Chairman, Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee

Chairman Robert Pernell
Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee

On behalf of the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee, I want to thank the community for its participation in our public meeting that was held Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, at the Natchez Convention Center.

We are especially grateful to Mayor Dan Gibson, a committee member, and Kathleen Bond, superintendent of Natchez National Historical Park, who gave generous donations at the meeting. We offer thanks to the members of the Natchez Board of Aldermen and the Adams County Board of Supervisors who attended the meeting, and to the management team of the Natchez Convention Center.

A special debt of gratitude is owed to our local and regional news media for their coverage of the meeting. Additionally, I should note that I am deeply proud of the contributions of our committee and the staff of the city of Natchez who worked diligently to make this meeting a success.

As noted in press reports, the committee is working to create a monument that will honor and bear the names of more than 3,000 African American men who served with the U.S. Colored Troops at Fort McPherson in Natchez. The names will include the Navy servicemen who were born in Natchez.

The meeting, which was held to gather public input on the monument project, drew 80 people in attendance. This number includes 60 people who came in person and 20 who attended virtually. The attendees provided suggestions and ideas that are invaluable to our cause, and for that we are grateful.

This monument, we believe, will be a place of reverence, pride, and honor that will help to tell many untold stories about Natchez's past.

As we move forward with this historic project, we aim to be transparent and informative as we share updates about our efforts. 

Even though the meeting is now past, we are still collecting feedback via email and on Facebook. To this end, we have created a Facebook page that we encourage you to follow. It is "Natchez U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) Monument Committee -- Natchez, MS." You may visit the page at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/natchezusctmonumentcommittee

In the coming days, we will announce the next phase of our work, which includes an official website and fundraising campaign. I invite you to stay tuned for more exciting news about this endeavor.
 

Sincerely,

Robert Pernell, Chairman
The Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee

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