February 2025 was a busy and fruitful month.

This clipping is from The Natchez Democrat. 

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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
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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)

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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.

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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.