Saturday afternoon, a very important piece of Vicksburg’s history was remembered and honored.

More than 100 people sat in the sun and stood in the shade of nearby trees to honor and remember Rosa A. Temple High School, which served the city’s African American community from 1959 to 1973 and was known across the state for its academic and athletic excellence.

The marker was the work of a committee of alumni who researched and worked to prepare the application and paperwork to submit to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to get state approval. The alums received additional help from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, which approved the money for the marker.

“We mark this hallowed ground today because someone told me we couldn’t,” Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said. “And because I surrounded myself with good people who said we could — the (marker) committee — and I want to thank those people on the committee who said we could and made it happen.”

But the ceremony was more than just the celebration of unveiling another historic marker in the city.

Brother Rogers, director of programs and communication for Mississippi Department of Archives and History, said the unveiling was another step in the State of Mississippi’s delay in honoring the contributions of the state’s African American citizens.

“For far too long in Mississippi, we did not fully recognize African American history like we should. Thank you for helping the state rectify that problem by acknowledging your history today,” he said. The marker committee should be commended for putting in the research and work to meet the necessary requirements to get the marker approved by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the city is to be commended for its support of the marker and other projects to help bring out a very important and vital part of Vicksburg’s history.