Juneteenth in Mississippi

By Corey Crowder

I am writing this on June 19, which is officially Juneteenth, a celebration and commemoration of the day on which enslaved people in Texas received the official word of freedom in 1865. For generations, descendant families of enslaved people in Galveston Texas have gathered to celebrate African American heritage and culture on this date. This morning’s NPR’s Up First podcast featured the amazing story of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Opal Lee, known as the grandmother of Juneteenth, whose tireless advocacy led to establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021. In an interview with station KTVT in Fort Worth, Texas, Lee reminds us that “(Juneteenth) is not a Texas thing or a Black thing. It’s an American thing.”

Darrin “DJ” Sims, of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights [Photo © Corey Crowder 2024]

Background

The legacy of Juneteenth and the rich traditions of celebrating this heritage are foremost in my mind today as I reflect on a great event presented by the Lafayette County Remembrance Project (LCRP) on June 8. Organized in 2017 by a diverse group of Lafayette County residents, the LCRP’s mission began as an honest investigation into the history of lynching in Lafayette County and has developed into a public history project to memorialize these murdered individuals and their stories.

Juneteenth Emancipation Day, Fist raise up breaking chain.

The June 8 program included a day-long conference educating and inspiring the public about the LCRP’s ongoing work. I was blessed to attend this conference held at the University of Mississippi’s magnificent Jackson Avenue branch campus housed in the former Oxford Mall. Related events included a tour of Oxford’s Burns-Belfry African American history museum located just off the Oxford Square (where Team Mt Zion held a most inspiring and productive work session in 2022), and a totally cool evening of music by Oxford’s own Effie Burt and the Soul Tones at the Oxford Old Armory Pavilion.

Attendees of the 2024 conference [Photo © Corey Crowder 2024]

The Saturday conference drew around 100 participants from all over the nation. It included DJ Sims of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, who shared a framework for truth and transformation providing a solid foundation for us to connect and network about ongoing memorialization efforts. The lunch period featured several of Mississippi’s elected officials sharing insights on how they can support memorialization efforts, and the afternoon included several excellent breakout group sessions where participants (including representatives of the Emmett Till Interpretative Center in Sumner) exchanged lessons learned and strategies for advancing memorialization efforts.

The facilitators helped me gain perspective on the events surrounding Till’s horrific murder at the hands of white supremacists. Mississippi was a legally “dry” state at the time, and the presenters speculated that the owner of Bryant’s Grocery was purchasing liquor outside of Mississippi on the day that Till visited the store.

Benjamin Saulsberry & Patrick Weems of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, MS [Photo © Corey Crowder 2024]

Lynching in Lafayette County historical marker on the square in Oxford, MS [Photo © Corey Crowder 2024]

I strive to be a lifelong learner, and the conference was a great learning opportunity for me with its emphasis on developing partnerships and securing resources for memorialization efforts. It came at a most fortuitous time as I have been busy assisting with several grant-writing projects lately to fund a two-day celebration of the life and musical legacy of Mississippi John Hurt.

The original Hurt Museum burned to the ground in February of this year, literally hours after being designated a National Historic Landmark. St. James MB Church located about half a football field away from the museum site, was fortunately left undamaged. This church served as the spiritual, educational, and cultural center of the Avalon community where Hurt spent most of his life. Team Mt. Zion is partnering with the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation to develop the church as a cultural resource in the absence of the original museum. As my soul heals from the wounds caused by the tragic destruction of the Hurt Museum, I feel very positive about our ongoing work and future goals.

The University of Mississippi’s magnificent Jackson Avenue branch campus housed in the former Oxford Mall [Photo © Corey Crowder 2024]

Mark your calendar to attend the celebration of Mississippi John Hurt’s life and musical legacy on October 5-6 at the Mississippi John Hurt Museum site, located on County Road 109 in Carroll County. It will feature great live music, food, inspiring and informative discussions, and even a healing-through-quilting workshop! The event will be free and open to the public.