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Joining festivities for the 128th Anniversary of FOUNDERS’ DAY in Mound Bayou, MS
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(662) 741 8600 (662) 741 8626 (fax) [email protected]
PROGRAMWelcome and InvocationReverend Andrew L. Hawkins, PastorMount Olive Baptist Church Recognizing All Church Mothers PresentReverend Hawkins Musical SelectionMount Olive Baptist Church Choir RemarksTh e Honorable Darryl JohnsonMayor, Mound Bayou Dr. Eulah PetersonPresident, Historic Mound Bayou Foundation President William “Bill” LaforgeDelta State University Dr. Stuart Rockoff Executive Director, Mississippi Humanities CouncilBoard Member, Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area Keith BeauchampEmmy-nominated fi lmmaker Acknowledgement of Fred Zollo, Producer, “Mississippi Burning” and “Ghosts of Mississippi” Dr. Rolando Herts, DirectorTh e Delta Center for Culture and Learning, Delta State UniversityMississippi Delta National Heritage Area PresentationAlysia Burton Steele, AuthorDelta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother’s Wisdom Recognizing the Delta JewelsAlysia Burton Steele Discussion ModeratorPamela JuniorDirector, Smith Robertson Museum Musical SelectionMount Olive Baptist Church Choir Reception/Book Signing
Mound Bayou, Mississippi, the oldest all Black municipality in the United States, was founded on July 12, 1887 by two ex-slaves: Isaiah T. Montgomery and his cousin, Benjamin T. Green. Mound Bayou, called the “Jewel of the Delta” by President
Th eodore Roosevelt, is located approximately one-hundred miles south of Memphis, Tennessee, along Old U.S. Highway 61, in the county of Bolivar. Both of the founders were former slaves of Joseph Davis, brother to Confederate President, Jeff erson Davis. Th e impetus for the name: Mound Bayou came from a large Indian mound located near the place where two drainage bayous converged. Th e mound was located just southeast of the City.
Mound Bayou was founded to serve as a sanctuary for Black families and culture. Th e Village of Mound Bayou was incorporated on February 16, 1898, by Governor A. J. McLaurin. Isaiah T. Montgomery was the fi rst mayor and served until 1902. He served as a delegate from Bolivar County to the 1890 Mississippi Constitutional Convention. During this convening, the State Constitution of 1890 was written. Mound Bayou was given the status of a town, upon petition to Governor Earl Brewer, in 1912. In 1972, the Town of Mound Bayou was given city status.
Th e founders helped to make the dream of creating a successful, self-suffi cient, cooperative community of freedmen a reality. Th e City of Mound Bayou has experienced growth over the years. It, like many Delta towns, has seen better days, but the root of what makes the city special still remains. Th e City of Mound Bayou is 99.99% Black, and the citizens maintain a proud countenance. We are grateful to the founders and early settlers for their dreams and successes. We aspire to keep the vision alive, as we celebrate 128 years of existence.
HISTORY
CITY OF MOUND BAYOU
Office of the Mayor Darryl R Johnson Sr.
Darryl Johnson Mayor
GREETINGS
As Mayor and on behalf of the City of Mound Bayou, it is my pleasure to welcome all those assembled for “A Gathering of the Delta Jewels” event at Mt. Olive M.B. Church today.
The City of Mound Bayou was once called The Jewel of the Delta by President Roosevelt. What a fitting site for the gathering of some of our most prized citizens and matriarchs from Mississippi who have been profiled in Alysia Burton Steele’s book aptly titled Delta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother’s Wisdom.
I’d like to extend special thanks and congratulations to Alysia Burton Steele for her book Delta Jewels which was released in April of this year. The stories and photos of the 54 Mississippi mothers highlighted in her book are receiving national recognition thanks to her efforts. At trying times such as these, our nation is reminded that there has always been strength, courage and love that bind communities together through our precious matriarchs in the South. Your beautiful photographs of the women and the landscapes of Mississippi educate the world on treasures of the South.
Mound Bayou is a treasure spot of American history. This 128th Founders Day Celebration weekend is filled with much to celebrate – most especially the completion of 13 markers placed at historic sites throughout the city.
Today is a historic day and a day filled with celebration. It is made all the richer for the event titled “A Gathering of the Delta Jewels”.
Best wishes for an enjoyable and successful event.
Sincerely,
Darryl Johnson Sr., Mayor City of Mound Bayou, Mississippi
“Jewel of the Delta” Phone (662) 741-3073 * Fax (877) 772-4118
ALYSIA BURTON STEELEAlysia Burton Steele has been a photographer for more than 25 years. Her book, “Delta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother’s Wisdom” highlights the lives of over 50 Mississippi Delta church mothers.
She worked as a picture editor for the Dallas Morning News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She was a team member of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News at the Dallas Morning News for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She was one of the picture editors working on the team; she noted that the photographers captured the reality of the horror and the humanity.
Aft er working for newspapers and magazines for more than 15 years, she returned to school and earned a master’s degree in multimedia management from the Visual Communication program at Ohio University in 2010. She is now an assistant professor of journalism at Th e University of Mississippi’s Meek School of Journalism and New Media. She teaches several courses, including: journalism basic reporting, innovated journalism, multimedia production, layout and design and photojournalism. alysiaburton.com
KEITH BEAUCHAMP Keith Beauchamp, is a fi lmmaker/producer and director best known for his documentary fi lm, Th e Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till (2005). Beauchamp’s unrelentless research and investigation into the murder of Emmett Till fi ft y years aft er Till’s death in 1955 eventually led him to create the documentary and the reopening of the case by the United States Department of Justice in May 2004.
Beauchamp fi rst encountered the Emmett Till story at age ten while looking through an issue of Jet Magazine. In 1996, he started his own research and found microfi lm of articles which listed witnesses who had not been questioned by police and references to uncharged participants in the murder, besides J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant, who were found not guilty of of Till’s murder, but later publicly confessed.
Th e Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area is a partnership between the people of the Mississippi Delta and the National
Park Service. Th e MDNHA was designated by U.S. Congress in 2009 and is governed by a board of directors representing agencies and organizations defi ned in the Congressional legislation. More
information about the MDNHA, including the complete approved management plan, is available at www.msdeltaheritage.com.
The mission of The Delta Center for Culture and Learning is to promote greater understanding of Mississippi Delta culture and history and its significance to the world through education, partnerships and community engagement. The Delta Center serves as the management entity of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area and is the home of the International Delta Blues Project and the National Endowment for the Humanities "Most Southern Place on Earth" workshops. For more information, visit http://www.deltastate.edu/academics/delta-center-for-culture-and-learning/.
(Pictured Left to Right) Heather Kovarcik Miller, Program Associate for Projects; Dr. Rolando Herts, Director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning; and Lee Aylward, Program Associate for Education and Community Outreach. Our office is in Ewing Building 130 on the campus of Delta State University, and our phone number is 662-846-4311.
Dear Delta Jewels,
Thank you for sharing your incredible stories.The world would be a better place if everyone had
a Delta Jewel for their grandmother.
Best regards,
VICKI MCCARGARowner of https://www.etsy.com/shop/StellaJaneCards
Happy 128th Founders Day Mound Bayou
Dr. Isiac Jackson, President Philippians 4:13
Congratulations to
The Delta Jewels
General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi, Inc. 3160 J. R. Lynch Street -- Jackson, Mississippi 39209
www.gmbsc.org 769-233-8089
New Living Word Ministries Congratulates The City of Mound Bayou on its 128th Anniversary!
Special kudos to Alysia Burton Steele for her outstanding
efforts in honoring the church mothers profiled in her book and for capturing their stories that will be passed down
through generations. You make us all so proud!
Our Vision “To win the lost
To teach the believer how to live by faith To teach the believer how to experience the
overcoming victorious life”
Service Hours: Sunday, 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Address:
1900 W. Barnett Springs Road - Ruston, LA Phone: 318-255-0270
Visit our website: nlwm.org
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It takes a team to make an event come together. We never work alone. Th ank you to the Delta Jewels and their families for sharing history with me and the world. You did an incredible thing by sharing so others
could learn. To the warm people of the Mississippi Delta region for being so gracious and welcoming. A warm thank you to Mound Bayou for allowing us to join in Founders’ Day festivities and to Rev. Andrew Hawkins and the Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church congregation and choir for making this celebration of the Delta Jewels special. Th anks to Taborian Hospital for opening its doors for the social hour. Festivities were made possible, in part, by partnership from Rose Flenorl of FedEx, the Delta Center for Culture and Learning and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area. Th anks to Stan Alost, Lee Aylward, Dr. Elaine Baker, Craig Barnes, Keith Beauchamp, Imani Flowers, Tina Gladden of Delta State University Barnes & Noble bookstore, Dr. Rolando Herts, Mayor Darryl Johnson, Pamela Junior, Melissa Kimble, Delta State University President William “Bill” Laforge, Heather Miller, Pamela Nelson, Dr. Eulah Peterson, Wynona Redmond, Dr. Stuart Rockoff , Sha’ Simpson and Fred Zollo. To all the offi cials, presenters and organizations that placed ads and to the patrons who joined in making the program a success, thank you!! Last, but not least, to my husband Bobby Steele, Jr., for always being there for me.
Best regards,Alysia Burton Steele
DELTA JEWELS GATHERING
Available where retail books are sold including:
GET THE BOOK
LOOK FOR THE DELTA JEWELS COOKBOOK IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
To contact The MIND Center, call 601.496.MIND.
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