Fundraiser launched for Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Apr 11, 2025 | 11:50 AM

Mayor Dan Gibson recently honored Dr. John Bowman Banks posthumously with a Key to the City, which he presented to Dora Hawkins, a staff member of the Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum. From left are Willie Woods, Kathleen Bonds, Bobby Dennis, Alderwoman Valencia Hall, Richard Burke, Mimi Miller, Sheryl Woods, Jacqulyn Williams, and Thelma Newsome. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Mayor Dan Gibson kicked off a fundraising campaign Wednesday, April 9, for the Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum, which is commonly known as the Dr. John Banks House. Gibson was joined by the museum staff and other community members. He said a total of $15,000 is being sought to repair the building’s aging roof.

The two-story wood-framed house, which is located at 9 St. Catherine Street, was built in 1892. It is named for Dr. John Bowman Banks, the city’s first Black physician. Banks was also a co-founder of the Bluff City Savings Bank, the city’s only Black-owned bank.

While discussing the building’s history, Gibson honored Banks posthumously with a Key to the City, which he presented to Dora Hawkins and other museum staff, including Thelma Newsome, Willie Woods, and Jacqulyn Williams.

“It’s so very important, and we give a big thanks for the idea that you came up with to seek funds to continue to maintain this illustrious home,” Hawkins said to the mayor. “So we continue to invite you, all who are here today, the public to come visit and to see what this home is all about. It is those finances that will keep us going along with the work that our members are giving and bringing forth to maintain this home.”

Gibson said the house is a treasure in the Natchez community, and it is important to preserve it.

“The house currently is suffering from leaks — water intrusion,” he said. “These leaks threaten this important property. We are very grateful however to have found a roofer who has provided a very reasonable estimate to cure the problem. We need to raise $15,000 to get this done.”
Gibson said the second phase of the project is to restore and seal the building’s historic metal roof. “It’s important that the metal roof not be removed,” he said. “It can be restored without replacing it.”

Banks’ house was initially built in the Queen Anne style, but around 1905, it was remodeled in the Colonial Revival style, according to the Historic Natchez Foundation.

Gibson said donations are needed immediately for the building’s roof, which has ongoing leaks and major water damage affecting ceilings, walls, and floors, among other places. A couple of people in the community are ready to anonymously match the donations, he said, adding, “We want to beat the spring rains.”

The house is an important part of Natchez’s history, Gibson said. In addition to being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the site of Natchez’s first Mississippi Freedom Trail marker, which was erected in 2023.

During the 1960s, the house became the headquarters for the Natchez NAACP and the home of NAACP President George Metcalfe, whose car was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on August 27, 1965. Metcalfe survived the bombing, but the tragedy became a pivotal point in the Civil Rights Movement.

The house is featured in the film, “Black Natchez” (1967). It also served as “Metcalfe’s Boarding House” in the 1960s for members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the Civil Rights Movement.

Today, the house is owned and managed by Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, the oldest Black Baptist church in Mississippi. The church inherited the house from Frank Robinson Jr., Bank’s grandson. The house was officially designated as a museum in 2020.

Tours of the house are available by appointment. Information on tours or donations is available by calling 601-807-2537. All donations are tax-deductible. Checks should be made out to the Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum and mailed to P.O. Box 501, Natchez, MS 39121.

Woven Wind is coming to Natchez

Program to feature clay exhibit and “Toles Family” film

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Apr 10, 2025 | 2:31 PM

Terry Minor of Detroit, Michigan, is a member of the Toles family. He is being interviewed by Marlos Evan and Vesna  Pavlović from the Woven Wind team for the "Toles Family: Coming Home" film. The interview took place in 2021 at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture will host the Woven Wind project featuring clay vessels and the showing of the film in progress, “Toles Family: Coming Home,” on Friday, April 25, at 301 Main St., Natchez.

 
The event, which will feature a talk and reception, will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
 
The film includes oral histories of the descendants of the late Tom Toles’ family who was enslaved at Monmouth plantation. Members of the family, like the late Mary Lee Davis Toles, became prominent members of the Natchez community.
 
Mary Lee Davis Toles, who was Tom Toles’ wife, served as an Adams County Justice Court Judge and president of the Natchez NAACP. She was also a founding member of NAPAC museum.
 
The exhibition and film will be preceded by Woven Wind’s community clay workshop, which is set for 12 to 2 p.m. Friday, at the Mississippi School of Folk Arts at 5 E Franklin St., Natchez. The workshop is also free to the public.
 
“‘Woven Wind’ is a living, breathing project that evolves with each exhibition, workshop, and performance,” said Vesna Pavlović, the Paul E. Shwab Chair in Fine Arts Professor of Art at Vanderbilt University.
 
According to Nashville-based curator Courtney Adair Johnson, Woven Wind is a multi-layered artistic endeavor grounded in critical research on the Lovell-Quitman archive at the University of the South, Sewanee.
 
“Extensive plantation records, photographs, and objects found in the archive, document the lives of the officer William Storrow Lovell and wife Antonia, whose father was John A. Quitman (1799-1858), a large slave owner and former governor of Mississippi,” she said.
 
Johnson noted the inventories of the enslaved people produced in 1858 after Quitman's death led their team of artists with a genealogist to locate a family of descendants.
 
“Following this lead, the team met the Toles family to record their oral histories and examine America's history of slavery and bondage using their voice,” she said. “In the film, family members talk about tracing and searching for their ancestors, the value of repair, the legacy of racism, and how it affected their family. They also share their thoughts on moving forward and what reparations could look like.”
 
As for the clay workshop, it will include a trip to Monmouth, where community members will place unfired clay objects on site, Johnson said. Monmouth was Quitman’s former family home where the Toles family ancestors were enslaved.
 
“The clay objects, which symbolically carry the voices of the enslaved, will dissolve with the landscape over time to memorialize the site of the family's painful history,” Johnson said.
 
Woven Wind is supported by many institutions, the list of which includes: the National Endowment for the Arts Grant for Arts Projects; Vanderbilt University Scaling Success Grant; Mellon Partners for Humanities Education Collaboration Grant; Vanderbilt University’s Engine for Art, Democracy, and Justice; Tennessee State University; Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy Catalyst Grant; the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation at the University of the South, Sewanee; and Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture.
 
For more information, call 601-445-0728.
 

Celebrating Lafayette: Special 200th anniversary program set for April 19

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat
Published Friday, April 4, 2025

Ben Goldman of Washington, D.C. will perform as Lafayette at the “Lafayette Returns to Natchez after 200 Years” program Saturday, April 19, at the Historic Natchez Foundation. Goldman has performed as Lafayette for almost two decades. 

NATCHEZ, Miss. – A special event celebrating the 200th anniversary of Frenchman Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Natchez will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at the Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce Street. It is free and open to the public.

 
Lafayette played an important role in the nation’s victory in the American Revolution.
 
The program celebrating his visit is titled, “Lafayette Returns to Natchez after 200 Years.” It is sponsored by the American Friends of Lafayette, the Natchez Historical Society, the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Historic Natchez Foundation.
 
The American Friends of Lafayette, which spearheaded this event, is joining other groups in following in the footsteps of Lafayette 200 years after he last visited the United States.
 
“Natchez was the only place in Mississippi that Lafayette visited in 1825,” said Brother Rogers, historian at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and secretary-treasurer for the Mississippi Historical Society. “Jackson, founded in 1821 as the state capital, was too new, too small, and too far out of the way. Natchez was the state's largest city. Lafayette planned to visit every state (all 24) and would be passing by Natchez on his river route from New Orleans to St. Louis.”
 
Rogers is one of the featured speakers at the Lafayette celebration. He gave a presentation on the Frenchman at the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration on Thursday, March 27. The NLCC’s theme this year was “Follow the Frenchman through Natchez: The Farewell Tour of Lafayette.”

Brother Rogers, historian at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and secretary-treasurer for the Mississippi Historical Society, is one of several people who will speak about Lafayette’s return to Natchez on April 19.

Rogers explained April 19 was selected for the upcoming event because the American Friends of Lafayette wanted the celebration to be as close as possible to April 18 – the date that Lafayette visited Natchez for 24 hours in 1825.

 
He said people may wonder why Lafayette felt rushed and only spent 24 hours in Natchez. The reason is that he had promised to be in Boston in June to lay the cornerstone for the marker for the Battle of Bunker Hill.
 
“He had promised them he would do everything to get there and he did get there on time,” Rogers said. “He did not want to miss Natchez but he didn’t want to break his promise.”
 
The Saturday program will open with actor Ben Goldman of Washington, D.C., who will portray Lafayette.
 
Presentations will be given by Rogers, who will discuss “Lafayette Visits Mississippi as the Guest of the Nation”;  and Tyler Diaz, an electric guitar player, music educator, and musicologist, who will perform the music of Francis Johnson, an early African American composer and bandleader who composed a march for Lafayette’s arrival in Philadelphia in 1824.
 
Other participants will include Chuck Schwam of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the executive director of the American Friends of Lafayette and the national chair of the AFL’s Farewell Tour Bicentennial Committee; and Alan Hoffman of Londonderry, New Hampshire, who is president of the AFL and Editor of the “Gazette of the American Friends of Lafayette.”
 
Schwam will discuss “Lafayette Really Delivered!” and Hofman will talk about “Lafayette and the Anti-Slavery Cause.”
 
For more information and to register, visit https://friendsoflafayette.wildapricot.org/event-6138817
 

'Lafayette Returns to Natchez after 200 Years'

Celebration set for Saturday, April 19 at Historic Natchez Foundation

Brother Rogers, historian at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and secretary-treasurer for the Mississippi Historical Society, is one of several people who will speak about Lafayette's return to Natchez on April 19.

200th anniversary of Lafayette’s return to Natchez

 A special program celebrating the 200th anniversary of Frenchman Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Natchez will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at the Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce Street. It is free and open to the public.
 
The program is titled, “Lafayette Returns to Natchez after 200 Years.” It is sponsored by the American Friends of Lafayette, the Natchez Historical Society, the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Historic Natchez Foundation.
Lafayette played a crucial role in the nation’s victory in the American Revolution.
 
The program will feature presentations by actor Ben Goldman, historian Brother Rogers, and electric guitarist Tyler Diaz. Other participants include Chuck Schwam, executive director of the American Friends of Lafayette and Alan Hoffman, president of the AFL.
 
For more information and to register, visit https://friendsoflafayette.wildapricot.org/event-6138817

Marquis de Lafayette played a crucial role in our victory in the American Revolution.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

(Click on image to enlarge.)

We're pleased to be cited by Snopes.com

My friend and colleague Mallory Lancaster Meng and I are cited in this article by Snopes. We are grateful to Mimi Miller and the Historic Natchez Foundation for their important contributions to this research.

View the article at this link:
https://www.snopes.com/articles/469550/civil-war-slaves-concentration-refugee-camp/
 

Natchez Powwow slated for weekend of March 29 and 30

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Mar 13, 2025 | 12:23 PM

Natchez's David Kelley, and his wife, Dr. Kelsey Kelley, prepare for the Natchez Powwow held in March 2024. The Kelleys are members of the Osage Nation. They said they look forward to the powwow set for March 29 and 30 on the Bluff. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. --- The 2025 Natchez Powwow will be a weekend of Native American culture brimming with great music, food, and exciting entertainment on the Natchez Bluff, said Natchez Powwow Chairman Dr. Chuck Borum.
 
The event is set for Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30, at 319 N. Broadway Street.
 
“We will have people coming in from all across Mississippi, Oklahoma, and many other states,” Borum said. “Everybody, including local residents and visitors, look forward to this annual tradition where they can have great family entertainment while learning and participating in Native American culture.”
 
The Natchez Powwow is a celebration of Native American culture. It was started by Borum in 1988. The event is free and open to the public. Food, including Native American arts and crafts, t-shirts, and other items, will be available for purchase throughout the weekend.
 
The powwow typically includes Native American dance, traditional songs that are hundreds of years old, and the thunderous sound of drums being played by 20 men, said Borum.
 
The tribal regalia is colorful and eye-catching, and the dancing holds the audience’s attention, Borum said. Even more, he added, the participants often engage the audience by inviting them to join them in some of the dances.
 
During the 2024 Natchez Powwow, Mayor Dan Gibson presented Borum with a Certificate of Appreciation. Gibson, on behalf of the City of Natchez, said Borum was being honored for his “many years of passionate and unwavering leadership and support for this great event which means so much to our city.”
 
“We’re so grateful to Dr. Chuck Borum for bringing this event to life now 36 years ago,” Gibson said. “It is such a great event for Natchez, but it’s such a great event for Mississippi and for the whole region and for our whole country.”
 
Gibson said it is important that the history of the Native Americans – and how they were treated -- not be forgotten. “And we must today forever be grateful that we now can come together as one … to celebrate the Natchez Powwow,” he said.
 
Natchez’s David Kelley and his family are members of the Osage Nation. Kelley said he and his family are looking forward to this year’s powwow. “It seems that everyone is starting to acclimate to the new location on the bluff,” he said. “We have experienced a growing attendance over the last couple years. So, we look to have an awesome powwow weekend full of great singing and dancing.”
 
Powwow event schedule
 
This year’s program will feature Frank Carson, Otoe-Pawnee of Stillwater, Oklahoma, as the Master of Ceremonies.
 
Other participants will include Darsh DeSilva of Round Rock, Texas, as the Arena Director; George Valliere, Shawnee-Quapaw-Cherokee of Claremore, Oklahoma, as Head Singer Southern Drum; Andrew Idalski, Otoe Missouria of Lucas, Texas, as Head Man Dancer; Emily Smith, Ponca, of Ponca City, Oklahoma, as Head Lady Dancer; and Ronald Scheuermann, Gulf Coast Tia Piah of Marrero, Louisiana, as Head Gourd Dancer.
 
Saturday March 29, 2025
 
9 a.m. -- Food and Craft and Farmer Market Vendors open
1 p.m. -- Gourd Dance
2:30 p.m. -- Grand Entry and Intertribal Dancing
4 p.m. -- Camp Feed for Singers and Dancers and family/friends
6 p.m. -- Gourd Dance
7 p.m. -- Grand Entry and Intertribal Dancing
9 p.m. – Closing
 
Sunday March 30, 2025
 
9 a.m. -- Food and Craft  Vendors open
1 p.m. -- Gourd Dance
2:30 p.m. -- Grand Entry and Intertribal Dancing

Spectators bring your lawn chairs

Borum said alcoholic beverages will not be allowed in the powwow area or in the areas used by the traders and food vendors. Although some people may choose to stand for certain parts of the day’s event, those attending are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, he said. The dancers may use the benches that surround the powwow area.
 
According to the Natchez Powwow website, a traditional camp feed will be provided at 5 p.m. Saturday for the participants in the powwow, which include all of the singers, head staff, dancers, friends and family. This meal will be prepared by the Atkins and Tsosie family in memory of Vernon Atkins and other friends and family who have died.
 
As in previous years, outdoor camping will not be available at the powwow site on the Bluff. However, camping in tents, campers, and RVs will be available at the River View RV Park at 100 River View Parkway, Vidalia.
 
For more information, visit https://www.natchezpowwow.com, or send email to Powwow Chairman Dr. Chuck Borum at cborum@hotmail.com.
 
See more at this link: https://listenupyall.com/2025/03/13/natchez-powwow-slated-for-weekend-of-march-29-and-30/
 
 

Dr. Michael V. Williams speaks at Mississippi event honoring late civil rights leader Charles Evers

The Chronicle News Chronicle
March 6, 2025

Dr. Michael V. Williams, above, spoke at the Fayette, Mississippi, ceremony in which the late civil rights leader Charles Evers was honored with a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker. (Click on image to enlarge.)

FAYETTE, Miss. – Dr. Michael V. Williams, professor of History and director of Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, participated in a ceremony Friday, February 28, 2025 in Fayette, Mississippi, that honored the legacy of James Charles Evers, who served for 16 years as the town’s mayor. Charles Evers was the brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

Williams served as a guest speaker for the event that included the unveiling of a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker erected in Charles Evers’ honor. About 200 people turned out for the event which was held at the Jefferson County Courthouse at 1484 Main Street in Fayette.

 Williams shared the platform with another guest speaker: Democratic Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, who represents Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district.

Dr. Michael V. Williams, second from right, poses with the family of Charles Evers in front of the Mississippi Freedom Trail marker erected in Evers' honor. The marker was unveiled Friday, February 28, 2025 in Fayette, Mississippi. (Click on image to enlarge.)

The Mississippi Freedom Trail was created to honor the people and places in the state that played an important role in the American Civil Rights Movement. The markers are administered by the Mississippi Humanities Council and Visit Mississippi.

During William’s presentation, he said Charles Evers’ life came “to epitomize what it meant to fight for and demand freedom, to fight for and demand equality, to fight for and demand justice, and to dedicate his life to the defense of humanity .…”

Williams said Charles Evers was unwavering in his belief that Mississippi could be better, but that it was up to the people to make it so. “He told us that we have a responsibility to challenge wrong, wherever we found it,” Williams said.

Charles Evers was also down-to-earth in his communication with the public, according to Williams. He said Charles Evers’ talks also revealed his fearlessness, as in his statement, “I would rather be dead and in heaven than be afraid to do what I think is right.”

First elected in 1969, Charles Evers was the first Black mayor of a biracial town in Mississippi since Reconstruction, following passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which enforced constitutional rights for citizens. He was remembered at the ceremony as a fearless leader and man of principle who stayed the course in the fight for justice, freedom, and equality.

Charles Evers was born in 1922 in Decatur. He spent many years of service as a businessman, civil rights activist, and politician. He also worked as station manager for WMPR, where he hosted a weekly political talk show.

Charles Evers served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a 1950 graduate of Alcorn A&M College in Lorman, which is today’s Alcorn State University.

In addition to his time as mayor of Fayette, Charles Evers served as Mississippi field secretary for the NAACP following the assassination of his younger brother, Medgar Evers, on June 12, 1963. During the mid-1960s, Charles Evers became a leader of the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez after the attempted assassination of NAACP President George Metcalfe, whose car was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on August 27,1965.

Charles Evers played a significant role in the success of the Natchez movement, according to historians.  When he departed Natchez, he left “with his own position strengthened statewide,” wrote John Dittmer in “Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi” (University of Illinois Press, 1995). “Nationally, the charismatic brother of Medgar Evers had come to symbolize the civil rights movement in Mississippi.”

 In 1969, the NAACP named him the “Man of the Year” because of his accomplishments.  Charles Evers died in July 2020 in Brandon, Mississippi. He was 97.

See more at this link: https://www.chattnewschronicle.com/top-stories/dr-michael-v-williams-speaks-at-mississippi-event-honoring-late-civil-rights-leader-charles-evers/

Visit Natchez’s Roscoe Barnes III elected president of Mississippi Historical Society

This story was published online by The Natchez Democrat (Monday, March 10, 2025)

From left, Dr. Rebecca Tuuri, the outgoing president of the Mississippi Historical Society, passes the gavel to  Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, who will lead the organization for the next year through March 5, 2026. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ,  Miss. -- Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, is the new president of the Mississippi Historical Society. He was elected Thursday, March 6, during the society’s annual meeting in Jackson. He will lead the organization for the next year through March 5, 2026, when the meeting is held in Meridian.

"I am grateful to the Mississippi Historical Society for having faith in me and for giving me the opportunity to serve in this capacity," said Barnes. "I am excited about my new role, and I look forward to working with our members and partners to create exciting programs and other endeavors over the  next year."

 As the new president, Barnes fills the position previously held by Dr. Rebecca Tuuri, associate professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi. He will serve alongside Keena Graham, the society’s new vice president. Graham is the superintendent of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Jackson.

"The Mississippi Historical Society has benefited from the leadership of Roscoe Barnes in recent years and is proud that he will be the organization's president for 2025-26," said secretary-treasurer Brother Rogers.

The Mississippi Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that works with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to promote understanding of the state's history. Barnes joined the society’s board of directors in 2022. In 2023, he was named chairman of the Awards Committee. He became vice president in 2024.

In January, Barnes completed his term as a trustee of the Natchez Historical Society. In 2023, the Mississippi Humanities Council selected him for its 2023 Humanities Partner Award.

In addition to his work at Visit Natchez, Barnes is an award-winning newspaper journalist and independent scholar whose research focuses on Anne Moody, the Civil Rights Movement, F.F. Bosworth, Ernest Hemingway, and the history of Natchez. He is founding chairman of the Anne Moody History Project, a public history endeavor created to promote the legacy of Anne Moody and her book, "Coming of Age in Mississippi."

Barnes holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Church History and Church Polity from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and a Master of Arts in Religion from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg.

A prolific writer, Barnes is the author of multiple books, including “F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind ‘Christ the Healer’” (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009); and “Off to War: Franklin Countians in World War II” (White Mane Publishing, 1996). His work is widely published in newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, and academic journals.
 

Inspiring message by V. Charlene Evers-Kreel

(Click on image to enlarge.)

This story appears in the Thursday, March 6, 2025, issue of The Mississippi Link.

February 2025 was a busy and fruitful month.

This clipping is from The Natchez Democrat. 

(Click on image to enlarge.)

A MAN OF FREEDOM: Charles Evers honored with Freedom Trail marker

By Roscoe Barnes III

The Natchez Democrat
Published Sunday, March 2, 2025

The family of Charles Evers celebrates the memory of the civil rights leader who was honored with a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker Friday, February 28, 2025, in Fayette, Mississippi. (Click on image to enlarge.)

FAYETTE, Miss. -- The town of Fayette hosted a ceremony Friday for the unveiling of a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker honoring James Charles Evers, who served for 16 years as the town’s mayor.

About 200 people turned out for the event which was held at the Jefferson County Courthouse at 1484 Main Street in Fayette.  

Dr. Tracy M. Cook, president of Alcorn State University, said it was an honor to recognize Evers, whose courageous actions during the Civil Rights Movement left a lifetime mark on the nation’s history. “After the assassination of his brother, Medgar Evers, he continued the calling his brother started: the fight for an equal opportunity,” Cook said in his opening remarks.

First elected in 1969, Charles Evers was the first Black mayor of a biracial town in Mississippi since Reconstruction, following passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which enforced constitutional rights for citizens.

He was remembered Friday as a fearless leader and man of principle who stayed the course in the fight for justice, freedom, and equality.

Charles Evers’ son, Carlos Evers, said he was pleased with the recognition given to his father.

“Today’s program was awesome,” he said after the ceremony. “It’s an acknowledgement of my father and some of the things he achieved in the state of Mississippi. It was great to finally see that marker, which will be there for generations to come. This means his name will not be forgotten in Mississippi history. This marker highlights the areas of the struggle in the Civil Rights Movement.”

Guest speakers

The guest speakers for the ceremony included Dr. Michael V. Williams, professor of History and director of Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Democratic Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, who represents Mississippi's 2nd congressional district.

Williams said Charles Evers’ life came “to epitomize what it meant to fight for and demand freedom, to fight for and demand equality, to fight for and demand justice, and to dedicate his life to the defense of humanity .…”

Williams said Charles Evers was unwavering in his belief that Mississippi could be better, but that it was up to the people to make it so. “He told us that we have a responsibility to challenge wrong, wherever we found it,” Williams said.

Charles Evers was down-to-earth in his talks with the public, Williams said, adding his talks also revealed his fearlessness, as in his statement, “I would rather be dead and in heaven than be afraid to do what I think is right.”

Thompson said Charles Evers made an impact on Mississippi that is still being felt today.

“It’s important for us to acknowledge people for the work that they have done,” he said. “What we have done here today with this [marker] … is to make sure that that legacy is not forgotten.”

Ceremony participants

Participants in the ceremony included Kelvin T. King, president of the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors, who gave the Welcome. Fayette Mayor Londell Eanochs and Judge Latrice A. Westbrooks, Mississippi Court of Appeals (District 2, Post 2), each shared remarks about Evers, as did V. Charlene Evers-Kreel, Charles Evers’ daughter.

Tributes were presented by Johnny L. Ford, first African American mayor of Tuskegee, Alabama; Jefferson County High School Scholar; and the Step by Step Kinder-Kids Academy.

John Spann, program and outreach officer at Mississippi Humanities Council, thanked Fayette officials, volunteers, and the public for supporting the day’s program.

The Mississippi Freedom Trail was created to honor the people and places in the state that played an important role in the American Civil Rights Movement. The markers are administered by the Mississippi Humanities Council and Visit Mississippi.

‘Man of the Year’

Charles Evers was born in 1922 in Decatur. He spent many years of service as a businessman, civil rights activist, and politician. He also worked as station manager for WMPR, where he hosted a weekly political talk show.

Charles Evers served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a 1950 graduate of Alcorn A&M College in Lorman, which is today’s Alcorn State University.

In addition to his time as mayor of Fayette, Charles Evers served as Mississippi field secretary for the NAACP following the assassination of his younger brother, Medgar Evers, on June 12, 1963. During the mid-1960s, Charles Evers became a leader of the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez after the attempted assassination of NAACP President George Metcalfe, whose car was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on August 27,1965.

Charles Evers played a significant role in the success of the Natchez movement, according to historians.  When he departed Natchez, he left “with his own position strengthened statewide,” wrote John Dittmer in “Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi” (University of Illinois Press, 1995). “Nationally, the charismatic brother of Medgar Evers had come to symbolize the civil rights movement in Mississippi.”

In 1969, the NAACP named him the “Man of the Year” because of his accomplishments.

Charles Evers died in July 2020 in Brandon. He was 97.

 

Black History talk at the Rotary Club of Natchez, Mississippi

Dr. Roscoe Barnes III and Deanna Kimbro
(Click on image to enlarge.)

I spoke at the Rotary Club of Natchez on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. My topic was, “Black History Initiatives and Updates in Natchez and Adams County.” I was a guest of Deanna Kimbro. Photo by Allen Richard. 

Looking back at the origins of Black History Month

Top of the Morning column published in The Natchez Democrat (Wednesday, February 26, 2025, page 4A)

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Top of the Morning

Looking back at the origins of Black History Month

 By Roscoe Barnes III

When I was a kid growing up in the Mississippi Delta, I was a big fan of TV westerns. I watched many shows about cowboys and Indians, and for the longest time, I believed the Indians were the villains in our history. But as I grew up, I learned the Indians were not the villains.

The media and historians in the late 19th and 20th century led us to believe that Native Americans were the bad guys. However, that is not the story they told themselves. They believed they were the good guys defending their homeland from interlopers. But the historians did not tell those stories until the 1960s and 1970s, much like the stories of African Americans being told in modern times.

Today we see attacks on Black History Month. Its relevance is questioned by politicians and celebrities. Sadly, some people are simply misinformed. With these concerns in mind, I will discuss for a moment the origin of Black History Month, something we cannot do without mentioning Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950).

Woodson is known as the “Father of Black History Month.” He was a distinguished historian, writer, editor, and publisher. Before he came along, historians showed little interest in the history of African Americans. The former slaves and people of color had a history, but it was often overlooked or omitted from the history books.

Woodson biographer Burnis R. Morris correctly noted, “Many of the historians of the 19th century and early 20th century left African Americans out, and those who included them in their history books distorted facts and included many untruths.”

Speaking of historian John Hope Franklin, Professor Leon Litwack astutely observed that Franklin’s book, “From Slavery to Freedom,” holds that “African Americans had a history—a past based not only on what white men did to black Americans but on what black Americans did for themselves.”

Woodson believed that African Americans made significant contributions to the history of the United States and other nations. He also believed this history should be recorded and celebrated. In addition to giving African Americans a sense of pride and inspiration, this history should help to address the issues of racism, he thought, showing that all people are created equal.

On February 7, 1926, Woodson announced the first celebration of Negro History Week. Woodson chose this time period to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass (February 1818) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809), two men who played important roles in the freedom of African Americans. This period of celebration would later expand to the full month and become known as Black History Month.

Contrary to what some have claimed, Black History Month was not given to African Americans by whites, and it was not relegated to the shortest and coldest month of the year. While it is true that Black History Month received official recognition in 1976 by President Gerald Ford, February was intentionally chosen decades earlier because of Lincoln and Douglass.

Woodson said, “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” This quote is true and deadly accurate without debate.

Today, we have Black history that we can look to for lessons, insight, and inspiration. For it reveals what we all have contributed to the success of our great nation. It recognizes from all periods of history the intelligence, resilience, and contributions of African Americans in all fields. At the same time, it promotes acceptance and inclusivity.

So instead of criticizing this history and pushing it aside, we should all come together and learn from this history as we work to find common ground and build a healthy society.

 ---------------

ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is the cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez.

Black History program at Adams County Correctional Center, Natchez, Mississippi

 

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I was honored to serve as guest speaker for the Black History program held Friday, February 21, 2025, at the Adams County Correctional Center. My topic was "Black History in Natchez, Mississippi." The staff did an amazing job. I’m pictured here with Warden Jason Streeval and the facility staff.

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Johnson to talk about racial justice at Natchez Historical Society meeting

By Roscoe Barnes III  
ListenUpYall.com
Feb 20, 2025 | 9:02 AM

Professor Paula C. Johnson 

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Paula C. Johnson, professor at Syracuse University College of Law and director of the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI), will talk about racial justice at the Tuesday, February 25 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. The program will be held at the Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce St. It will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m., followed by Johnson’s presentation at 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

Johnson’s topic is, “Memory Lessons: Meeting the Imperative for Racial Justice through Memory, Memorials, Knowledge, and Empowerment.” She will discuss her organization’s efforts to seek justice for unsolved civil rights-era crimes while preserving the victims’ legacy.

The program is funded in part by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council through funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Johnson said her presentation will emphasize the importance of working for justice in all the forms it may take.

“In this regard, the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI) works on behalf of families of victims of racial violence — homicides and disappearances — whose perpetrators have not been held accountable for their crimes,” she said. “The imperative for justice includes remembering the victims of such horrendous crimes and their families, and their sacrifices and contributions to American society for the ideals we profess to espouse.

“For example, collaborating with the family of Wharlest Jackson, Sr., of Natchez, MS, who was murdered by truck bomb in February 1967, is a key example of this meeting this imperative.”

Johnson said these memory lessons must be in the national consciousness, the classroom, and in the physical form of historical landmarks. “We must be dedicated to telling the complete story of American history and the continuing struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy,” she said.

Johnson is a co-founder of the Cold Case Justice Initiative which investigates racially-motivated murders that occurred during the civil rights era and in contemporary times.

She is also a widely respected teacher, author, and scholar in her fields of study. Her distinguished teaching posts include the Haywood Burns Chair in Civil Rights at CUNY Law School and the Sparks Chair at the University of Alabama School of Law, among other universities.

In addition to criminal law and criminal procedure, Johnson teaches courses on race and law, multicultural lawyering, and voting rights. She has also led seminars on women in the criminal justice system.

Johnson holds a Master of Laws degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a  Doctor of Jurisprudence from Temple University School of Law. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland.

Her books include “Interrupted Life: Experiences of Incarcerated Women in the United States” (University of California Press, 2010) and “Inner Lives: Voices of African American Women in Prison” (NYU Press, 2003).

Johnson has received many honors and awards for her work. In 2025, she was recognized as one of the 57 Most Influential Black Attorneys by the Northeast Black Law Students Association. Her honors include the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation Woman of Courage Award in Honor of Mamie Till Mobley (2015);  the National Civil Rights Social Justice Award (Philadelphia, MS 2014); and the Unsung Heroine Award from the Syracuse University Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Committee.

For more information on Johnson’s lecture, send email to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org.

Tribute to Norman B. Rohrer, founder and director of the Christian Writers Guild

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Note: This article is published by the Evangelical Press Association. You can view it here or by following this link: https://www.evangelicalpress.com/norman-b-rohrer-former-epa-executive-secretary-has-passed/

This is one of the most meaningful articles that I have written. Why? It’s an article about Norman B. Rohrer, the man who taught me how to write and publish. He died in December 2024 at the age 95. His family authorized me to write this tribute, and I was fortunate to have it published by the Evangelical Press Association, the organization that meant so much to Norm.
 
Norm was known as the man who “fired” writers. I will forever be grateful to him for “firing” me with enthusiasm for developing my God-given writing talent and extending my work and ministry.
 
I took Norm’s writing course in the early 1980s while serving in the Army. It was a 3-year correspondence course offered through Norm’s Christian Writers Guild. This single course changed my life and provided me with a successful career as a writer.
 
Norm was a great teacher and mentor. We stayed in touch long after I completed his course in 1984. May he rest in peace.

Honored to speak at Greater St. James' Annual Black History Program

 

I had the pleasure of speaking Sunday (2/16/2025) at the Annual Black History Program at Greater St. James Baptist Church in Natchez. My topic was "Black History: Why It Matters." We had a great time. In the photo, Pastor Johnson is on my right, and Deacon Lyles is on my left. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Marker for Prince Ibrahima gets green light for Silver Street

By Roscoe Barnes III

Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Feb 14, 2025 | 2:00 PM

A marker commemorating Prince Ibrahima has been approved for Silver Street by the Natchez Preservation Commission. The marker will be located near a lamp post on the west side of the street. Its precise location is indicated by the red circle on the left side of the post. Source: Image capture August 2024 (c)2025 Google (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — The Natchez Preservation Commission recently approved a site for a marker on Silver Street that will honor Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori. That approval came Wednesday, February 12 during a regular meeting of the commission.

Visit Natchez and the City of Natchez sought approval for the location, which is near the landing dock on the west side of Silver Street in the grassy area near the sidewalk overlooking the river. The property is owned by Silverland Inc., which has given its support for the project.

In his report on the requested location, Interim City Planner Riccardo Giani shared his assessment, stating, “Prince Ibrahima is one such figure in Natchez’s history whose captivating and important story offers a valuable opportunity to educate future generations about his time. The applicant has provided supporting documentation for this marker, including its proposed location.”

Carter Burns, executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation, welcomed the news. “I am glad to see Prince Ibrahima recognized with an official state historic marker in Natchez,” he said. “He was an extraordinary man with an extraordinary life.  The landing is an appropriate location for it since he arrived and departed from Natchez at that site.”

Ibrahima (1762-1829) was an African prince who spent 40 years enslaved on Thomas Foster’s plantation near Natchez. When he came to Natchez in 1788, he arrived at the landing dock, which is also the place where he and his wife, Isabella, departed Natchez with their freedom in 1828.

Ibrahima’s marker will be acquired through the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. In keeping with the Preservation Commission’s guidelines, the marker will be parallel with the street and located close to the lamp post that has an existing marker nearby. Ibrahima’s marker will be the same distance from the lamp post as the existing marker on the opposite side.

Lynsey Gilbert, interim director at Visit Natchez, said the location is ideal for the marker. “It will be seen by thousands of visitors, especially those traveling on the Mississippi River cruise ships,” she said. “Silver Street is frequented by many tourists and local residents throughout the year.”

Mayor Dan Gibson said he was excited about the project and the recognition it will give to Ibrahima’s legacy.

“On behalf of the City of Natchez, I want to express our gratitude to Dr. Roscoe Barnes and all who have worked to make this happen,” Gibson said. “Prince Ibrahima’s story has long been a source of inspiration to so many, not only here in Natchez but all across the world.

“His is a story of both triumph in the midst of adversity and of love overcoming hate. We have a number of the Prince’s descendants in Natchez, and I share their excitement to see this part of our amazing Natchez story being told. We consider him to be ‘Our Prince’.”

Once the application for the MDAH marker is submitted and approved, it will take at least six months for the marker to be manufactured and delivered to Natchez for installation.

The Silver Street marker will be the second one commemorating the prince in the Natchez-Adams County area. In October 2024, the Natchez Historical Society approved a donation for a marker off of Highway 61 North near the Historic Jefferson College.

See more at this link: https://listenupyall.com/2025/02/14/marker-for-prince-ibrahima-gets-green-light-for-silver-street/

Rhythm Night Club Museum opens ‘theater room’ to share stories of survivors

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Feb 7, 2025 | 12:09 PM

Monroe Sago, co-owner of the Rhythm Night Club Memorial Museum, views a video recording of Sidney Fowler, a survival of the night club fire that occurred April 23, 1940. Visitors can now view recordings of Fowler and other survivors in the museum’s theater room. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — The Rhythm Night Club (On Site) Memorial Museum has opened a theater room where visitors can watch recordings of the people who survived the fatal fire of April 23, 1940 – the deadliest club fire in the nation’s history.

Monroe Sago, co-owner of the museum with his wife, Betty, recently cleared out his office in the back of the building and turned it into a 20×12 theater that can seat 15 people.

“We’ve been open since 2010, and we felt it was time to create space where our visitors can come and hear these stories,” Monroe said. “We have video recordings of some of the survivors. These people need to be seen and heard.”

The Rhythm Night Club Museum is located at 5 St. Catherine St. on the exact site of the original building. The survivors are the people who visited the club on the night of the fire where more than 200 people died, including Walter Barnes and members of his band, a jazz orchestra, known as the Royal Creolians.

Monroe said one of the survivors was Frank R. Robinson III, the grandson of Dr. John Bowman Banks, who built a home at 9 St. Catherine. Robinson died in 2003 at the age 83, according to his obituary.

“This is the only place where people can come and see these survivors, all of whom are now deceased,” said Monroe.

Photos and profiles of the survivors are displayed in a history panel on the wall of the museum. Visitors can select the survivors they want to see and enter the theater room to watch the selected recordings.

One visitor selected Sidney Fowler, who was 22 the night of the fire. He was 93 when he was interviewed by Monroe. Fowler appears on the screen with his wife, Mary, and their daughter, Audrey Martin. He talks about the piles of bodies he saw after the fire. He also speaks of how he rescued his sister.

“I couldn’t sleep at all that night,” he says. The fire was so tragic, people talked about it for many weeks, he says.

In addition to announcing plans for the theater room, Monroe said the museum is seeking community support for its annual scholarship fundraiser. Each year local high school seniors are invited to visit the museum and write an essay about their experience for a chance to win a scholarship of $500 to $1,000.

The scholarship is presented during the museum’s annual commemoration ceremony.
Monroe said the scholarship will help to defray the student’s cost to a college of his or her choice for the fall of 2025. This year, it will be presented on Saturday, April 26.

The museum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It is open on Sunday by appointment.

For more information on the museum’s theater room and scholarship fundraiser, call 601-597-0557.
 

Mississippi State University Libraries

Dr. Roscoe Barnes III
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 Mississippi State University Libraries 

DeeDee Baldwin (Date: 2.6.2025):

“Yesterday, Dr. Roscoe Barnes, Cultural Heritage and Tourism Manager for the city of Natchez, shared the incredible true story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima—an African prince who was enslaved in Natchez and later secured his freedom. Want to learn more? Check out Prince Among Slaves by Terry Alford!”

Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori (1762–1829): A Story of Unexpected Patience, Courage, and Freedom

 My talk on the Muslim prince who spent 40 years enslaved in Southwest Mississippi

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I gave this lecture Wednesday, February 5, 2025, in the John Grisham Room at Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi. It focuses on the life history of Prince Ibrahima, who spent 40 years enslaved on Thomas Foster’s plantation in Washington, Mississippi, just outside of Natchez, before he gained his freedom in 1828. The story of Prince Ibrahima is one of the most remarkable and well-known stories to come out of the Natchez-Adams County area.

Read or download the paper at this link: 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388758776_Prince_Abdul_Rahman_Ibrahima_Sori_1762-1829_A_Story_of_Unexpected_Patience_Courage_and_Freedom

Norman B. Rohrer, founder and director of the Christian Writers Guild, has passed

 His family shared his final, heartwarming message on YouTube

I was saddened to learn that Norman B. Rohrer, founder of the Christian Writers Guild, has passed. He was 95. His family shared this video of him on YouTube. I'm proud to say I was one of Rohrer’s many students in the early 1980s. He was a great teacher and mentor.

Natchez Historical Society honors Lance S. Harris at 2025 Dinner Meeting

By Roscoe Barnes III 
ListenUpYall.com
Jan 31, 2025 | 3:17 PM

Karen Hill, president of the Natchez Historical Society, presented Lance S. Harris with the 2025 Historic Preservation Award at the society’s annual dinner on Tuesday, January 28, at the Natchez Grand Hotel. Harris is sites operation administrator for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Trustees of the Natchez Historical Society are ecstatic about their annual dinner held Tuesday, January 28, at the Natchez Grand Hotel.

Over 130 people turned out for the event that featured a presentation of the 2025 Historic Preservation Award to Lance S. Harris and an engaging talk by Matthew Skic on “Muskets Along the Mississippi: The Revolutionary War in the West.”

The program was funded in part by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council through funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Karen Hill, the outgoing president of the society, said she was more than happy about the program. “We had a record attendance of 137 people,” she said. “I am so proud of the people of Natchez in their support of the Natchez Historical Society and Natchez’s rich history.”

Hill said she was especially thrilled about the recognition given to Harris, “as he has contributed so much in various projects of historical significance.” Harris is the sites operation administrator for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Hill said the audience “thoroughly enjoyed” Skic’s presentation on the American Revolution. Skic, the featured speaker, is curator of exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

His talk focused on the significance of Natchez and New Orleans in the war, topics that are relevant as the nation reflects upon the upcoming 250th anniversary of America’s independence. Skic talked about the “crucial military campaigns” along the Mississippi River. He used PowerPoint images to show how the region was deeply involved in the war.

Recognition of board members

During the business portion of the meeting, Hill thanked the society’s board members for their work. She acknowledged the board members who were leaving after completing their term. In addition to herself and Roscoe Barnes III, publicity chair, the departing board members included Norma Bearden, membership chair, and Adam Gwin, vice president.

Hill also thanked former board members Mary Eidt, Mike Gemmell, Page Ogden, Maria Bowser, and her husband, Charlie Hill, for their service, and all the other members who helped her along the way.

Hill introduced the new board members, who include Ginny Benoist, president; Nicole Harris, vice president; Fran Trappey, secretary; Al King, treasurer; Daye Dearing, program chair; Bobby Denis, communications and public relations chair; Elodie Pritchartt, publicity chair; Julianna Rabb, membership chair; and Laura Tate, hospitality chair.

Award presentation

Each year, the society presents a preservation award that honors individuals or organizations who have made a significant contribution to historic preservation or the study of history within the Natchez area.

This year, the award went to Harris, who was presented a plaque with the inscription: “Natchez Historical Society Proudly Presents THE PRESERVATION AWARD to Lance S. Harris For Significant Contributions to Historic Preservation, January 2025.”

Harris offered his appreciation for the award: “Natchez has held a special place in my heart for a long time. Many of you know that I had been an annual visitor to the city since my teenage years. Those trips fueled my love of history leading to my collegiate and professional career in the public history and museum sectors.

“I met my beautiful wife Nicole in graduate school and after spending a dozen years in Louisiana, we recrossed the river to Natchez right at 10 years ago. I am thankful that the community embraced us with open arms and has been such a special place to raise our children, Amelie and Roan.”

Finance report

Al King, the society’s treasurer, presented the annual financial report for the society. He said 2024 was a good year and the society looks forward to the new year with more exciting programs and new projects.

In 2024, the society made a donation to support a historical marker for Prince Ibrahima near Historic Jefferson College. King said the organization wants to support other projects in 2025.

In addition to providing support for the marker, King said the society upgraded its website and sound system.

King presented a financial report that shows a total of $7,491 in income receipts and a total of $10,982 in expenses. The society’s total ending net assets for 2024 were $318,129. The amount is up from $276,429 in 2023.

“We’re in good shape,” King said, noting the total for the net assets was due to “the good stock market.”

King acknowledged the $2,400 grant awarded to the society by the Mississippi Humanities Council. The grant helps cover its monthly lecture series from September through May.

King also acknowledged the contribution of Geoff Butcher and Jim Johnson, who own The Carriage House at Myrtle Terrace. They provide housing at their guest house for out-of-town speakers at the society’s monthly meetings.

2025 Goals

The mission of the Natchez Historical Society is to serve as a resource for the research, development, presentation, remembrance, and understanding of the formative history of the Natchez area. With that in mind, its goals for 2025 and beyond include:

* Collecting historical material about Natchez and Adams County

* Cooperating with officials in ensuring the preservation and accessibility of local records

* Disseminating historical information through publications and other means

*Preserving historic buildings, monuments, and markers

* Conducting meetings with lectures, papers, and discussions

* Participating in relevant field trips and tours

After serving for many years on the society’s board, Hill said she is grateful for all the things she has learned about Natchez.

“When i first accepted the Program Chair in 2017, I knew little about Natchez and Mississippi history,” she said. “Once I started studying and researching, I realized the national and global people and events in this area. I couldn’t get enough!”

With its new president and other board members, the society is in good hands, Hill said, and she looks forward to seeing the exciting things ahead.