#NatchezUSCT
#Alcorn
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Alcorn State University’s Southwest Mississippi Center
for Culture and Learning observed Black History Month with members of the
Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee. Presenters included, from left,
Robert Pernell, chairman of the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee;
Teresa Busby, executive director of Southwest MS Center for Culture & Learning; Mayor Dan
Gibson; Barney Schoby, U.S. Park Ranger and graduate of
ASU; and Deborah Fountain, a genealogist and researcher who chairs the
History and Research Subcommittee for the Natchez USCT Monument Committee.
Fountain is pictured on the screen in the background. |
NATCHEZ, Miss. – Southwest Mississippi Center for Culture
and Learning at Alcorn State University celebrated Black History Month with
members of the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee.
The school presented a program titled, “From Slavery to
Freedom: The Story of the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops,” that focused on the legacy
of the U.S. Colored Troops and the efforts to honor them with a monument. The
event was held on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in the Biotechnology Auditorium on
the Lorman Campus.
“This is part of our history, an important story that
needs to be told, of great bravery, resilience, and the desire of all people to
be free,” said Teresa Busby, the Center’s executive director, who organized the
event.
Participants in the program included Robert Pernell,
chairman of the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee; Natchez Mayor
Dan Gibson; Barney Schoby, U.S. Park Ranger and graduate
of ASU; and Deborah Fountain, a genealogist and researcher who chairs
the History and Research Subcommittee for the Natchez USCT Monument Committee.
“It was an honor to host Mr. Pernell, Mrs. Fountain,
Mayor Gibson and Mr. Schoby,” Busby said.
Pernell said the program was well received by the
students, staff and faculty. “Everyone seemed to enjoy it,” he said. “We were
happy to have this opportunity to speak about an important project that will
have a lasting impact on our community and future generations. We’re grateful
to Ms. Busby for making this event possible.”
The Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee was
created to erect a monument to 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, as well as those who served in the Navy who were born in Natchez.
The monument will honor those who served with six regiments, which included:
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.
For more information on the Natchez USCT, visit
NatchezUSCTMonument.com.
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