Honoring Mississippi’s First Black Legislators on the Landscape and in Public Memory
The “Making Their Mark” project, funded by a grant from Monument Lab’s Re:Generation initiative in 2026, will facilitate the installation of historical markers in counties across Mississippi to recognize the 162 Black men who served in the state or national legislature between 1870-1894. There will be 22 markers in total, with some adjacent counties being combined. Each marker’s unveiling will be accompanied by community programming featuring creative performances by local students.
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First Set – sent to manufacturer for delivery in summer 2026; installations and community programming will begin in the fall
Adams – Natchez
Claiborne/Jefferson – Port Gibson
Holmes – Lexington
Lauderdale/Clarke – Meridian
Lowndes – Columbus
Marshall/DeSoto – Holly Springs
Noxubee – Macon
Oktibbeha/Clay – Starkville
Warren – Vicksburg
Washington – Greenville
Wilkinson/Amite – Woodville
Second Set – applications sent for approval by Dept. of Archives & History’s directors at their summer meeting
National Figures – Jackson State University
Bolivar/Sunflower – Cleveland
Coahoma/Tunica – Clarksdale
Copiah/Lawrence/Marion – Hazlehurst
Hinds/Rankin – Jackson
Leflore/Carroll/Grenada – Greenwood
Madison – Canton
Monroe/Chickasaw – Aberdeen
Panola – Batesville
Sharkey/Issaquena – Rolling Fork
Yazoo – Yazoo City
PRESS
Natchez Democrat, December 18, 2025
Macon Beacon, December 11, 2025
The Southern Reveille, December 5, 2025
Columbus Commercial Dispatch, December 5, 2025
THE TEAM
DeeDee Baldwin (Mississippi State University)
Chuck Yarborough (Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science)
Brother Rogers (ret., Mississippi Department of Archives and History)
Roscoe Barnes (Visit Natchez)
Vickie Roberts Ratliff (Land, Literacy, Legacy LLC)
Robby Luckett (Jackson State University)
Heather Denne (Jackson State University)
Please contact DeeDee Baldwin (dbaldwin@library.msstate.edu) for more information about the project.
Teachers who are interested in working with us on the program for your community in late 2026-early 2027, please contact Chuck Yarborough (cyarborough@themsms.org).
This page was last updated on March 31, 2026.