At its January board meeting, the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau announced plans to roll out an African American Heritage Tour brochure, and it became official on Friday.

For years, VCVB executive director Laura Beth Strickland said, a guide to bring attention to Vicksburg’s rich African American history has been in the works. Now, with help from the African American Heritage Committee formed from the VCVB Board of Directors and comprised of Johnny Reynolds, Willie Glasper and Trudy James, it has become a reality.

In a VCVB press release, Reynolds, who also serves as the VCVB board chairman, said, “We have been working on getting this for a long time.”

Glasper echoed Reynolds’s sentiments.

“This is something that has been in the making for a while; we persevered and we did it. I think this is an awesome moment that we have accomplished through this board,” Glasper said.

With the cover displaying a painting by Vicksburg artist Kennith Humphreys, the African American Heritage Tour brochure includes a map, places of interest, historical events and 20 tour sites listed. These listings are also included on VisitVicksburg.com, with descriptions of the sites’ significance.

James, now a former VCVB member, referred to the brochure as “an excellent tool to reveal the rich history of African Americans in Vicksburg.”

While Reynolds said they are excited to “launch the first part of this promotion,” plans are already in the works to expand upon the brochure.

“We plan to add to these initial sites and tell the history of the African American community in Vicksburg. We have already started receiving some feedback and look forward to incorporating those ideas in the next edition,” Reynolds said.

“The brochure is just the beginning,” Glasper added. “We have the forthcoming of accompanying pieces, a guide booklet with more details and more sites in the making.”

Reynolds, Glasper and James, along with the Visit Vicksburg staff, Strickland said, “plan to do a second printing with additional edits after the brochure has circulated in the market. Plans also include a trail system.

Guides will be available at the Vicksburg Visitor Information Center, 52 Old Highway 27. For more information, visit https://visitvicksburg.com/african-american-heritage-tour.

In other business, the VCVB board voted to reelect Johnny Reynolds as VCVB board committee chairman and Patty Cappaert as secretary.