This was several days after their white boss turned up dead. Vernon Dahmer would have been a little bit older, but they were both NAACP and the movement was not a monolithic, you know, there were rival organizations, just like there were rival klan groups. First female lieutenant governor in Mississippi. You know, particularly people from SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and both Vernon Dahmer and Aaron Henry welcomed these young people to help them. Curtis Wilkie, a native of Pike County, Mississippi, covered many civil rights happenings in Mississippi during the 1960s. And so the FBI quickly came in and arrested three people from Greenwood and brought them to Clarksdale, which was the federal jail for that part of the Delta. If you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newslettercalled "If You Only Read 6 Things This Week". Join more than three million BBC Travel fans by liking us onFacebook, or follow us onTwitterandInstagram. She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of the Arts and a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. But more importantly for my own personal background was, you know, the fact that I covered the final trial of Sam Bowers and had met with the Dahmer family and, you know, I spent been a lot of time on that story. In 1926, William Mason discovered a process to make durable, inexpensive hardboard from the massive amounts of wood paste produced by the mills. McCartys generosity earned her an honorary degree from Harvard University and the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Bill Clinton. And today, of course, were here to talk about Curtiss newest book, When Evil Lived in Laurel: The White Knights and the Murder of Vernon Dahmer. Curtis, its an honor for me to be talking with you about your latest book, about your latest work. Located in the southeast region of Mississippi known as the Pine Belt, the city of Laurel was originally established in 1882. But until now Mississippi, a key battleground in the fight against segregation, had largely ignored its troubled past. At the law office of Johnson, Ratliff & Waide, PLLC, our civil rights practice encompasses cases in which government officials have violated the constitutional rights of citizens. Ganucheau: Another thing that Im kind of curious about that came to me as I was reading this, is you just talked a lot about sort of your personal experience as a journalist at the time of the Dahmer murder. And suddenly once again, were seeing efforts being made by elected public officials to suppress the vote, especially of Black people, people they anticipate, are going to vote a particular way. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. Wilkie: Thank you, Adam Vernon Dahmer was probably better known in south Mississippi at the time that he was active. He loaded up John Cumbler, a white college student from Wisconsin, and took him for a ride. Still, the reddish-brown truss beams on either side stood stiff and straight, and overhead braces cast shadows on the deck below. I seem to recall FBI files, you had to pore over many interviews. It was there she would spend nearly 70 years washing and ironing clothes to earn a living. More died in the following decades of protest. Among its leaders were Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, the . At the heart of the museum, a towering 40ft sculpture called This Little Light of Mine pulsates every 30 minutes with the soaring melodies of gospel songs that inspired protesters and became a soundtrack to the era. Accused of flirting with a white grocery store clerk, the clerks husband and his half-brother dragged the teenager from bed a few nights later, shot him in the head, tied his body with barbed wire to a 75lb cotton gin fan and threw him in the Tallahatchie River. . Leontyne Price broke color barriers as the first Black to achieve global acclaim as an opera singer. Welty studied for her bachelors degree at Mississippi State College for Women and the University of Wisconsin. Experience a true Mississippi treasure From its oak-lined streets to its lovely, turn-of-the-century homes, Laurel is a charming and gracious southern town. Another section addresses the 1961 Freedom Rides, the bloody crusade to protest segregated transportation facilities in the southern US states. Other exhibits chart the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and their terrorizing night rides through black communities. And once I took a look at it, I said to myself, oh my God, you know, youve got another book on your hands. And he was approached by a friend of his who was a local FBI agent who asked him if hed be willing to join the White Knights in order to report on their activities. Unfortunately I didnt, but you know, Vernon Dahmer and Aaron Henry struck me as being very, very similar. History Detectives:Voting Rights in Mississippi, 1964. These fundamental and constitutional rights are outlined in the Bill of Rights and are guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Sitemap | As a journalist thats the stuff you dream about. Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, Legend of Journalism Speaks in Jackson, Still Sounds Like Hes From the Delta. Please reload the page and try again. De La Beckwith was convicted in 1994 and sentenced to life in prison. They were kind of vetting me and I was, you know, receptive to whatever they might have to offer. 4 stars and up . Laurel, Maryland had at least two Civil War hospitals. More than 600 individuals and businesses contributed after learning of her monumental deed. Eudora Welty contributed much to Mississippis literary prowess, as an author, journalist and photographer. He was a voracious reader with a gift for words, though he only completed the ninth grade - from which he graduated as valedictorian. And I said, Well, from the Press Register and I was wondering if Mr. Bell might want his picture taken. That was the name of one of the guys who had been arrested. Meetings, Agendas and Minutes. It was first established in the United States in 1866 just after the Civil War ended. In 1899, John Lindsey invented the eight-wheeled wagon Lindsey wagon, revolutionizing the timber industry. They were in two cars, four people in each car, one car burned a grocery down. "Nobody forgets that," organizer Kim Pittman says. And we all sat around this big long table. Their mugshots now line museum walls, and an interactive gallery reveals the stories of many, including Georgia congressman John Lewis, then a 21-year-old college student. The term civil rights originated from the Latin words jus civis, which mean rights of citizens.. Action Center | In this role, she labored effectively for improvements to education, economic development and health care, issues she fought for throughout her career. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is a fraternal organization that promotes white supremacy. In 1942, a new industry began with the discovery of oil in Laurel and today there are more than 150 companies providing regional service for oil and gas drillers. If youre not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and include our website, You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor. She went to law school at the University of Mississippi where she was the only woman in her class. She quit school when she was 12 but continued learning to read through Bible studies. We have over 60 years of combined experience, delivering an unparalleled standard of high-quality legal services to our clients. The work force in the mill was primarily black. You know, the one person whos pretty well-known in Mississippi, who is still living, is Judge Charles Pickering, who was a county prosecuting attorney in Jones County at the time. Its a quote attributed to Edmund Burke: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.. She later established the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute in Jackson. She was the first Black judge in the state. One display outlines the wade-ins in 1959, 1960 and 1963 to desegregate the Gulf Coast beaches of Biloxi. Ahead of his visit to Jackson, Wilkie spoke with Mississippi Todays Adam Ganucheau about the book in a virtual conversation hosted by Friendly City Books, the states newest bookstore located in downtown Columbus. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. Code Ann., 23-15-857 (1972) (as amended). Cassandra Hawkins, a Jackson resident who volunteered during the museums busy opening weekend, said many people told her they appreciated the candour. The councilmen must be a resident of the ward he represents. According to the complaint, Dotson was allegedly assaulted by the sheriff in the parking Lot of Lowes in Laurel, MS on New Year's Eve Day. So, his wife who had typed up all of his notes and journals that were sent to the FBI, she had very wisely saved carbon copies of them. The first arrests made under the Civil Rights Act were made in Greenwood. Action Center | Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. Her philanthropic effortsgained national attention and inspired others to donate to the school. Start planning your historical tour of Laurel and Jones County, Mississippi! The new Mississippi Civil Rights Museum is an important stop for anyone interested in the US struggle for racial equality. Accepts credit cards . He had deep roots in the southern MississippiNew Orleans area on both sides of his family. I was approached in 2018, kind of secretively through a couple of middlemen, if you will, between the Landrum family and me. The lynching spirit means more than mob law, he warned. Medgar Evers work made him the target of violence and death threats. In 2018, she was honored with the inaugural marker on the Mississippi Writers Trail. Laurel was also home to James Street, author of Tap Roots and Goodbye My Lady; Tom Lester who played Eb on the popular sitcom Green Acres; actor Ray Walston of My Favorite Martian; screen actress Parker Posey;and Olympic Gold Medalist Ralph Boston. I covered the final trial of Sam Bowers when he was convicted in 1998, and during that, I spent some time with the Dahmer family, particularly with his wife Ella Dahmer and Vernon Dahmer Jr. And they just had such grace through all of this. The violence and ugliness of the civil rights struggle in the 1960s affected Laurel as it did most small towns during that era. Researchers still consult her scientific collections and writings on snakes, salamanders and fur. Adam earned his bachelors in journalism from the University of Mississippi. You have to credit Mississippi Today. Prices career as a soloist began when she performed in the Broadway show, Four Saints in Three Acts.. And, at first I said, Excuse me, Mr. Bowers. It seemed a road to nowhere, or at least nowhere one might want to go. A native of Hazlehurst, Adam has worked as a staff reporter for AL.com, The Birmingham News and The Clarion-Ledger and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Myrlie Evers continued to work for the NAACP after her husbands death. #1 Civil Cover Sheet, #2 Exhibit A-Entire State Court File) (CS) Her first foray into politics was in 1947, when she ran for and was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. Hamer helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and later the National Womens Political Caucus. In 1944, she spent the summer writing book reviews for The New York Times. It was the childhood home of world-renowned opera legend, Leontyne Price. Curtis, as I was reading the book, I was thinking a lot about this moment that we find ourselves in America I thought a lot about last summer, the murder of George Floyd and how that inspired sort of this national reckoning on racism that many people have suggested has not been matched since the 1960s when, of course, this story is set. She taught history and English literature and worked at the Smithsonian Institute before returning to Mississippi to establish wildlife education and conservation in Mississippi. In 1882, the town of Laurel, Mississippi, was founded when John Kamper built a mill in order to provide timber for the completion of the Northeastern and New Orleans Railroad. Clear all. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Government | Its not part of the narrative of the story. As your civil rights lawyer, we will aggressively defend your civil rights and help you to get the best outcome in your civil rights case. In August, the United States will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, when women gained the legalright to vote. She co-authored legislation that helped create the University of Mississippi Medical Center Mississippi's firstteaching hospital. Ganucheau: You know, the book is compelling. They dont sugar-coat it., The museum directly addresses the violence associated with the civil rights movement (Credit: Mississippi Civil Rights Museum). Office of the Mayor. People says they went down there to look at the bodies, a local woman recalled fifty years later, and they still see those babies wiggling around in the bellies after those mothers was dead. When the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)an organization less than ten years old at the time demanded an investigation, Mississippi governor Theodore Bilbo told them to go to hell. So all of that, that helped immensely. The parsonage was connected to St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Laurel, Mississippi. Civil Rights: Other case filed on June 24, 2020 in the Mississippi Southern District Court. I was immediately asked in brusque tones, What do you want, boy?. Several prominent members of the KKK attended his father's church in the 1960's. The family moved to Atlanta in 1978. We didn't come up with the list on our own. Ganucheau: As a journalist, you know, the Landrum papers I know were sort of, the key part of your storytelling and your reporting and writing process, but besides just the Landrum papers, what else went into this? The institution opened just a few months before the 50th anniversary of Kings death, and also coincides with the news that more than a dozen states are banding together to promote a civil rights trail linking scores of sites across the country. The museum displays the original magazine as well as the doors of the Bryant Grocery store. Wilkie: No, I never did. Allen Johnson and his family were targeted because he was an activist in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the larger civil rights movement. His father was a minister at First Baptist. Ganucheau: Did you have a chance to meet Vernon Dahmer? She was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and later moved with her family to New Orleans. Curtis Wilkie, the 81-year-old Mississippi native and veteran journalist who recently released his new book When Evil Lived in Laurel: The White Knights and the Murder of Vernon Dahmer, will be a featured guest at the Mississippi Book Festival on Aug. 21. Ganucheau: Thats an incredible story. So I picked up the newspaper camera and went to the jail where ordinarily, I would have known everybody there from the sheriff to the jailer and the deputies and whatever. If you have been in a car accident, slip and fall, or any other accident, you can turn to our knowledgeable legal team to help you. And so they tried to tamp down any kind of violence. Weather Underground provides local & long-range weather forecasts, weatherreports, maps & tropical weather conditions for the Laurel area. During the Civil Rights Movement era, the KKK operated as a secret society that terrorized African Americans and other minority groups in an attempt to prevent desegregation. The council may establish a department of administration and any other departments, and allocate and assign all administrative powers, functions and duties, The mayor appoints all department heads and directors, but they are confirmed by the council, The council is authorized to adopt an ordinance creating and setting the qualifications of chief administrative officer to be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, The council is required to hold meetings on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in July following the election of council members and at least monthly thereafter, Special meetings can be called at any time by the mayor a majority of the members of the council, Special meetings may be called upon written consent of the mayor and all councilmen, A quorum of the council is a majority of members elected, Where a quorum exists, a majority of members may adopt any motion, resolution, or ordinance unless a greater number of votes is specifically required, All meetings are subject to the Open Meetings Act. Price won13 Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award during her decades-long career. Metal rails sagged in spots. Box 647, Laurel, MS 39441 | 601.428.6404, Pine Belt Regional Solid Waste Management Authority. Job Openings | So he was one particularly bad, bad guy. , 78. Wilkie: I guess thats a good thing. (Robinson, Brett) . Later as a correspondent for the Boston Globe, he continued to cover the later days of the movement, and many of the continued civil rights stories in Mississippi and across the South over the next few decades. In the process, they fixed outside attention on problems that persisted in the wake of the soaring speeches and legislative victories of the civil rights era. 2023 Best Lawyers All Rights . Although, you know, we certainly had plenty of trouble into Delta, but in and around Clarksdale there were no murders, so far as I know, no bombings or burnings. 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