NAPAC Museum to host free showing of ‘Six Triple Eight’

 

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- NAPAC Museum will host a free showing of the documentary, “Six Triple Eight” (2019), and a meeting with its director, James William Theres, at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, at 301 Main St., Natchez. The documentary is about the only all-black female battalion to serve in Europe during World War II. It tells the story of the 855 Black women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion who cleared a three-year backlog of undelivered mail. They helped to deliver more than 17 million pieces of mail near the end of the war. For more information, call 601-445-0728.

Natchez's Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker

I was delighted to see the Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker in Natchez listed on the Historical Marker Database website. The HMDB site gives you an up-close view of both sides of the marker, which is located at the Dr. John Banks House – the 1960s NAACP Headquarters – at 9 St. Catherine St. The marker was unveiled during a special ceremony in April 2023. It is the first Freedom Trail marker to be posted in Natchez.

See web page here: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=226608
 
 

Edmond’s Bob Willis creates bust of historic trailblazer Hiram Rhodes Revels

Published by The Edmond Way
Monday, October 16, 2023

Hiram Rhodes Revels bust by Edmond's Bob Willis

EDMOND, Okla. – Bob Willis, longtime resident of Edmond, sculpted a bust of Hiram Rhodes Revels that was recognized in an unveiling ceremony on Sept. 30 at Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church in Natchez, Miss.

Revels was an early pastor of Zion Chapel. In 1870, he became the first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress. Following his time in office, Revels became the first president of Alcorn A&M College, which is now Alcorn State University, in Lorman, Miss.

Zion Chapel, with assistance from Visit Natchez, hired Willis to create the bust in Revel’s honor. The church presented Willis’ work to the public during the afternoon ceremony that drew more than 70 people, including several descendants of Revels, as well as Mississippi State Senators Robert Johnson and Albert Butler.

“It was my honor to sculpt a bust of Hiram Revels, recognizing his faithful service to his community, to our Country, and to our God,” said Willis, a retired pastor with a passion for telling stories through his art.

Over the years, Willis has sculpted several busts related to Natchez, including one of John Roy Lynch, which he donated to the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. His work shows a special interest in Natchez’s history.

Harold Woodson Jr., great-great-grandson of Hiram Revels, left, shakes hands with Bob Willis who sculpted the bust of Revels.

In addition to Willis, speakers for the unveiling ceremony included Norma West, director of ceremony; the Rev. Birdon Mitchell, pastor of Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church; Rev. Dr. C. Edward “CJ” Rhodes II, director of Hiram Rhodes Revels Institute for Ethical Leadership at Alcorn State University; Harold Woodson Jr., great-great-grandson of Hiram Revels; Madge Thompson, great-granddaughter of Revels; and the honorable Dan Gibson, mayor of Natchez. Tony Fields, Zion Chapel’s minister of music, provided the music for the ceremony.

Willis said he appreciated the opportunity to recognize Revels through his work.

Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez, said that he and Visit Natchez were happy to assist with the Zion Chapel program. He said that Willis’ work was phenomenal and that it captured an exact likeness of Revels.

“The resemblance is simply stunning,” Barnes said. “Not only does it look exactly like the photos we have of Revels, but it also resembles his descendants. We are all grateful to Willis for his talent and his amazing creation.”

Barnes said that he and Visit Natchez are also proud of Mitchell and Zion Chapel for honoring Revels “with this important work of art by Bob Willis.” Barnes said the bust is not only an exceptional piece of art, but it is a tool through which the story of Hiram Revels will be told for generations to come.

Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church of Natchez, Miss., celebrated the legacy of Hiram Rhodes Revels with a bust in his honor during a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 30. From left are Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson; Harold Woodson Jr., great-great-grandson of Hiram Revels; Rev. Birdon Mitchell, pastor of Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church; and Bob Willis, sculptor of Edmond, Okla. Revels was the first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress. He also was an early pastor of Zion Chapel and the first president of Alcorn State University.

Denise Jackson Ford attends Emmy Awards ceremony following nomination of ‘American Reckoning' -- the film about her father’s unsolved murder

 By ROSCOE BARNES III

Denise Jackson Ford, daughter of slain civil rights leader, Wharlest Jackson Sr., attended the 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony for documentaries that included PBS Frontline’s “American Reckoning.” From left are Raney Aronson, Frontline’s executive producer and editor-in-chief; Yoruba Richen and Brad Lichtenstein, directors; and Ford.

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Denise Jackson Ford, daughter of slain civil rights leader, Wharlest Jackson Sr., recently travelled to New York to participate in the 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony for documentaries that included PBS Frontline’s “American Reckoning.”

The PBS program, which featured the story of Wharlest Jackson’s murder, aired on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. It did not win an Emmy, but Ford said she was happy that it was nominated, and her participation was a good experience.

“Back in July of 2023, notifications were received from Brad Lichtenstein, president and producer of 371 Productions that our documentary film, ‘American Reckoning’ had been nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy in the category of ‘Outstanding Historical Documentary,’ Ford said.

“I had the privilege to accompany the team in New York on September 28 to be amongst the crowd of highly performed documentarians, finalists, and writers as well as producers.”

The awards ceremony was held at the Palladium Times Square in New York City. HBO Max’s “Hostages” won the Emmy in the “Outstanding Historical Documentary” category. Others in the running were CNN’s “Watergate: Blueprint for a Scandal,” Netflix’s “Meltdown: Three Mile Island,” and PBS’ “Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha.”

Ford said it was an honor to know that they made it to the nomination list for “such a great, prestigious award.” “I commend Brad Lichtenstein and Yoruba Richen, Stanley Nelson, along with the PBS Production team for the work, time and efforts put into this documentary to make history for our family,” Ford said.

“American Reckoning” was directed by Lichtenstein and Richen. The film is a feature-length documentary that tells the story of Wharlest Jackson Sr. and his murder in the Feb. 27, 1967, bombing of his truck by the Ku Klux Klan on Minor Street in Natchez. Jackson was the treasurer for the Natchez Branch of the NAACP. The Klan killed him, reportedly, because of his promotion to a job at Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company that had traditionally gone to white employees.

After multiple investigations, no one was ever held accountable for Jackson’s murder. The film presents new research as it chronicles the lives of Jackson’s family in their search for justice and for answers.

As noted by Frontline, “American Reckoning” presents “an extraordinary look at the civil rights era – the violence and resistance – through rare footage filmed more than 50-years ago in Natchez, Mississippi, and the still-unresolved killing of local NAACP leader Wharlest Jackson.”

The film, Frontline notes, “examines Black opposition to racist violence in Mississippi, spotlighting a little-known armed resistance group called the Deacons for Defense and Justice, woven alongside the Jackson family’s decades-long search for justice amid the ongoing federal effort to investigate civil rights era cold cases.”

In addition to Ford and her brother, Wharlest Jackson Jr., the film features Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley, and Stanley Nelson, author of two books on the Klan. “American Reckoning” can be viewed for free online.

The Emmy awards program honors programming content from over 2,300 submissions that originally premiered in calendar-year 2022, according to the program’s website. It noted the submissions are “judged by a pool of over 1,000 peer professionals from across the television and streaming/digital media news and documentary industry.”

Mimi Miller to discuss the mysteries of famous Audubon painting of Natchez

View of Natchez, Mississippi, 1823 by John James Audubon (1785-1851)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Mimi Miller, executive director emerita of the Historic Natchez Foundation, will discuss the mysteries of naturalist John James Audubon’s landscape painting of Natchez at the Oct. 24 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society at the Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St., Natchez.

The program will begin with a social at 5:30, with the presentation at 6:00. All are invited, members and non-members alike. There is no charge for attendance.

The title of Miller’s presentation is “John James Audubon’s Sojourn in Natchez and the Landscape Painting, ‘View of Natchez.’” Carter Burns, the foundation’s executive director, will share in the presentation.

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

For more information on this NHS event, call 601-492-3004 or send email to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org

A Hero of the Civil Rights Movement

He served as spokesman for Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice
 
By Roscoe Barnes III
Special to The Natchez Democrat

(Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, pages 1A, 6A)

James Lee Stokes (1928 to 2023) was an Army veteran, a businessman, deacon, minister, and spokesman for the Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Photos courtesy of Courtny Smith, Stokes’ granddaughter

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- The Rev. James Lee Stokes will be remembered for his  leadership and the sacrifices he made in the struggle for freedom and justice during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, according to the people who knew him.
 
He will also be remembered as an armed protector of the Black community and the much-quoted spokesman for the Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice. The Deacons were a paramilitary organization that provided armed protection for civil rights workers and the Black community.
 
"James Stokes done gone, but his human rights work lives on," said his longtime friend, Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley. He described Stokes as a "Natchez Mississippi modern civil rights movement hero." 
 
Stokes died on Thursday, Sept. 21, at the age of 95. His funeral was held Tuesday, Oct. 2, at Zion Hill Baptist Church #1.
 
Stokes was born in 1928 to parents who were share-croppers on a plantation near Natchez. He served in the U.S. Army and later graduated from Natchez College, according to his obituary. In addition to working for many years as a car salesman, he served as an active member of the NAACP. During the civil rights movement, he reportedly ran a gas station. He also became a deacon and associate minister at Zion Hill.
 
Courtny Smith, granddaughter of Stokes, said he was "a very loving and caring person that loved all of his family dearly." As he grew older, he became more of a comedian, she said, noting he always had a good story to tell. 
 
"He was a man of God," Smith said. "He wanted everyone to know the word of God and to hear about how good God has been to him and how much of a blessing it is to be here at 95."
 
Smith said her grandfather will be remembered by all the things he has done in this community as a minister, NAACP activist, and as a veteran. "He will forever be remembered and missed daily," she said.
 
Pillar in the community
 
William Terrell,  publisher of The Bluff City Post, said Stokes was a great friend, a family man, and a fearless leader in the civil rights movement.
 
"I have known Mr. James Stokes for most of my life," Terrell said. "He was a friend of my late sisters and brothers-in-law. They traveled in the same circles during those early days, and I had a chance to also develop a relationship with him. 
 
"Mr. Stokes was a bold advocate for civil rights, and he was not afraid to speak out about the injustices that were so prevalent during those times. His journey led him to become a member of the Deacons for Defense. In addition, he was also a minister who voiced his concerns for justice."
 
Terrell said Stokes would often come by the Bluff City Post just to talk and make his views known. "We have lost a trailblazer, one who taught us that determination is better than fear," Terrell said.
 
According to Bobby Dennis, director of the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture, Stokes was a man with a good reputation and a strong community leader. "He was one of our community's less talked-about leaders during the civil  Rights Era as well as a pillar of the Woodlawn District," Dennis said.

James Lee Stokes

Denise Jackson Ford, daughter of slain Natchez civil rights leader, Wharlest Jackson Sr., described Stokes as a "gentle giant" who was involved in the safety of many Blacks who fought for the rights to vote. 

 
"He didn’t mind speaking his voice or standing up for others," Ford said. "Reverend Stokes will be truly missed. There was already a void due to his absence from his church and community."
 
Recognized by scholars
 
As the official spokesperson for the Natchez Deacons, Stokes was often quoted and featured in articles and books about Mississippi history.
 
Dr. Lance Hill featured him in his book, "The Deacons for Defense: Armed Resistance and the Civil Rights Movement" (UNC Press, 2004).
 
"Stokes was a natural choice as a spokesperson for the Deacons," Hill wrote. "A well-spoken, articulate man with a flair for the dramatic, he had honed his leadership abilities as a church deacon and choir director and union steward, and he had traveled extensively around the world in the army's entertainment unit from 1953 to 1955."
 
Hill noted that in 1965, the same year the Natchez Deacons officially organized, Stokes established a chapter of the Deacons in Woodville. This chapter, Hill wrote, went on to recruit about 40 members from Woodville, Centreville, and rural areas in Wilkinson County.
 
Stokes also appears in Richard Grant's book, "The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi" (Simon & Schuster, 2020).
 
When Natchez teetered on the brink of a race war following the bombing of George Metcalfe's car by the Ku Klux Klan in August 1965, Stokes found himself in "the thick of things," wrote Grant. He said that Stokes was "trying to stop white motorists from getting hurt and trying to keep the white police from attacking the rioters."
 
The civil rights movement in Natchez became the most successful movement in Mississippi, and the Deacons played a significant role in that success, according to historians.
 
Years after the movement, people in the black community held "vivid and powerful" memories of the civil rights era, including the contributions of the Deacons, noted Grant. "James Stokes, and the other surviving Deacons, were often approached in public and thanked for their courage and achievements," he wrote.
 
When Grant learned of Stokes' passing, he shared these words: "It was my honor to meet him. May he now rest in peace."
 
Stanley Nelson, author of "Devils Walking: Klan Murders Along the Mississippi River in the 1960s" (LSU Press, 2016), commented on Stokes' work as a Natchez Deacon. He explained that Stokes and the other Deacons were committed and ready to do what was necessary for their cause.
 
"Men like James Stokes through their work with the Deacons provided protection and support to many communities by making sure marchers, activists and ordinary citizens were protected from harm in the quest for equal rights," Nelson said. "The Deacons’ mission was to protect and not to attack, but if the Klan wanted a fight, Deacons like Mr. Stokes were always ready to battle."
 

Nelson's talk on Ben Chester White draws record crowd

 By ROSCOE BARNES III
The Natchez Democrat

Stanley Nelson is speaking at the Sept. 26 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society at Historic Natchez Foundation. His topic is the 1966 execution of Ben Chester White by three members of the Ku Klux Klan. Photo courtesy of Jessica Ingram

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Stanley Nelson's talk on the 1966 murder of Ben Chester White drew 120 people to the Sept. 26 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society at the Historic Natchez Foundation, according to people who attended the event.

The attendance set a record for the society, which averages 50 people at the monthly meetings, according to Alan Wolf, a director of the society and its program chair.
 
However, the recent meeting with Nelson rivals the society's annual dinner in January that set a record with more than 100 attendees, Wolf said.
 
 "It was electric," Wolf said. "There were so many new faces, and we were on the edges of our seats."
 
Jeff Mansell, lead historian of the Natchez National Historical Park, agreed. "This is as good as it gets," he said. "We had a great attendance, and people were deeply moved by the presentation."
 
"The NHS meeting Tuesday night was a huge success," said Linda Ogden, society board member. "The audience was indeed large and diverse."
 
Society board member Adam Gwin said the gathering says a lot about the community: "I think it says a great deal for a community that wants to look at its past and face it honestly."
 
The presentation
 
Nelson’s presentation was titled, "Murder on Pretty Creek: New Revelations on an Old Case." It focused on White, the 67-year-old Black man who was executed in 1966 by members of the Klan. White lived in a small community known as Sandy Creek, where his house still stands to this day.
 
Nelson talked about White's alleged killers, two of whom, Ernest Avants and James Lloyd Jones, were charged but not convicted in 1967; and a third one, Claude Fuller, who was never brought to trial. Avants was convicted decades later in federal court and died in prison a short time after his conviction.

Ben Chester White

During his talk, Nelson focused on the Klan activities in the Kingston community. He also discussed the personal life history of White and his friends. Nelson said White was only five feet tall and weighed 155 pounds. He was known as a "soft spoken gentleman" who was not involved with political or civil rights activism.
 
Nelson spoke about Jimmy Carter and Boyd Sojourner, both of whom became Adams County Supervisors. Both had also worked cattle together with White, and they knew each other all their lives, Nelson said. Carter owned the farm where White had lived and worked.
 
Nelson zeroed in on the planning of the murder and how it went down. He showed, among other things, that the Klan made two attempts on White's life.
 
One of White's murderers said they killed him in order to lure Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Natchez to be assassinated. Nelson believes the killing was a "local action" and said he found no evidence connecting the murder to higher ranks of the White Knights of the Klan.
 
Nelson said a longer version of his presentation will be posted on Louisiana State University's website (lsucoldcaseproject.com).
 
Nelson is the former editor of the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, La. He is also the author of “Devils Walking: Klan Murders Along the Mississippi River in the 1960s (LSU Press, 2016) and “Klan of Devils: The Murder of a black Louisiana Deputy Sheriff” (LSU, 2021).
 
The audience

Nelson said he was happy to share his research on the White's murder and quite pleased to have a large and diverse audience.
 
"It was really good to see people so interested in our history and want to know about that terrible thing that happened to Ben Chester White," Nelson said. He noted the audience was "very attentive" and asked "great questions."
 
Nelson said relatives of White also attended the meeting, as did Denise Jackson Ford, daughter of slain Natchez civil rights leader Wharlest Jackson Sr.
 
"It was just a really great mixture of age groups and great turnout," Nelson said. "I was glad to see good African American representation there Tuesday night. Hopefully they will become part of the work being done by the Natchez Historical Society."
 
The audience included a white couple of some years who were farming near the area where the murder took place, according to Wolf. He added, "They knew Chester White. To him, he was Mr. Ches. They came and were very touched. They were shocked at the time of the murder."
 
Wolf said the meeting amounted to a memorial service to Chester White. The room was packed, he said, noting the meeting was a big deal in exposing the horror of the Ben Chester White case.
 
"There was some belated justice done for Mr. White simply by the telling of his story," Wolf said.
 
"Our audience doesn’t shy away from the difficult topic of race," he continued. "To the contrary, there may be a deep-seated desire to talk about it, and as long we have people like Stanley Nelson, who is profound and sympathetic, without being shrill and demagogic, we can have a good discussion."
 
Wolf and others said the Sept. 26 meeting will be hard to top. "We can equal this in future programs, but in terms of gravitas, we will never exceed it," Wolf said.