An important lesson in Vicksburg history takes place as black history month comes to a close.
Whether you’re a parent, teen, student or otherwise, it’s worth an add to your local to-do list if you want to learn about the city’s storied past.
Presentations on the life of William Jones, a Reconstruction-era version of what today would be called a grassroots community organizer, are set for 10 a.m. Feb. 27 at Vicksburg Junior High School and 10:30 a.m. at Hampton Inn. Jones isn’t in the pantheon of notable black leaders of the period, but that could change during Vicksburg’s black history celebration.
Jones, born a free man in Ohio in 1846, moved to Vicksburg in the late 1880s and helped establish cemeteries, African-Americans obtain insurance, and supported black business owners. Patricia Lee, whose husband is Jones’ great-great-grandfather, has authored a book. Her work began with family photos stored literally under the beds of family members. From those dusty prints sprang a book and, hopefully, inspiration for more families to trace their family’s roots. Check out the presentations for more.
Just before the second presentation, at 9 a.m., a heritage run commences at Vicksburg National Military Park and Beulah cemetery. Later, at 6:30 p.m., the first portrait of Peter Crosby, Warren County’s first black sheriff, will be unveiled at the Strand Theater on Clay Street. Crosby was sheriff during Reconstruction but was removed from office during the Vicksburg Riots of 1874, which took place three months after a similarly violent race-related insurrection in New Orleans.
Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace will place the winning portrait among those of other former sheriffs in the lobby of the sheriff’s department on Grove Street. The contest itself is worth the $10 admission price of a play “Landmarks, Legends and Lyrics” at the Strand, to begin a half-hour after the announcement. The play, presented by local stage actress and native Cathy Sanford, highlights the city’s African-American leaders.
A history course’s worth of history in just one weekend for barely a cost — priceless. It’s worth supporting your local history.