Commemorative events mark 150th anniversary of 1875 Clinton Massacre
Contact: Pattye Archer
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擳he 150th anniversary of a pivotal and tragic point in Mississippi history known as the Clinton Massacre will be remembered in early September with a series of reflection and memorial events.
Mississippi State鈥檚 Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, in partnership with Mississippi College, Mount Hood Missionary Baptist Church, and Together for Hope, will co-sponsor a series of commemorative events Sept. 4 and 6 to honor those who lost their lives and give an opportunity for remembrance, learning, and dialogue.
The Clinton Massacre started as a political rally and debate on Sept. 4, 1875, but erupted into a violent attack that left seven dead and dozens injured at the site of Moss Hill plantation in Clinton. The aftermath of racial violence continued with white militias and outlaws terrorizing area African Americans, killing as many as 50 and displacing others in search of safety. The Clinton Massacre is attributed with suppressing Republican votes in November 1875, resulting in restored power for Democrats and marking the end of Reconstruction in Mississippi while paving the way for Jim Crow.
The upcoming commemoration includes:
鈥Sept. 4 at 10 a.m., Reflection at the Historical Marker, 300 Northside Drive, Clinton. Local residents and visitors will gather to honor the memory of the victims. State Sen. Hillman Frazier of Jackson will offer special remarks.
鈥Sept. 4 at 6 p.m., 鈥淭he 1875 Clinton Massacre and the Overthrow of Multiracial Democracy in Mississippi鈥 academic panel, Entergy Theater at Mississippi College, 400 E. College Street, Clinton. Scholars on Reconstruction-era racial violence will examine the massacre鈥檚 significance and its enduring lessons about race, politics and democracy in America. Panelists include Assistant Professor of History Albert Dorsey, Texas A&M University; Historian Melissa Janczewski Jones, History Colorado鈥檚 Black Equity Study; Professor Nicholas Lemann, Columbia University, author of Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War; and Lecturer Heath Anderson, 国产麻豆AV.
鈥擲ept. 6 at 10 a.m., 150th Anniversary Memorial Service at Mt. Hood Missionary Baptist Church, 1959 Pinehaven Dr., Clinton. Descendants of massacre victims and survivors, including Rep. Bryant Clark, will tell their families鈥 stories. The service also will include music, a candle lighting, remembrance of the two murdered legislators, comments on Mississippi Senate Resolution 120 by Sen. Frazier, and keynote remarks by U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Bolton). A reception will follow.
For more information, contact event organizer DeeDee Baldwin at dbaldwin@library.msstate.edu or 662-325-2838.