SIXTH ANNUAL MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BLACK AND BLUE CIVIL WAR LIVING HISTORY EVENT

October 26, 2013
"The Freedom Summer of 1863"

COMMEMORATING MISSISSIPPI VALLEY’S FREEDOM SUMMER OF 1863 SESQUICENTENNIAL

Historic Jefferson College, 16 Old North Street, Washington Mississippi.
(Off U. S. Highway 61, just north of Natchez)

“The Spirit of Frederick Douglass” Starring Michael Crutcher Sr. of Nicholasville, Kentucky on Stage at the 6th Annual Black and Blue Civil War Living History Program at Historic Jefferson College - October 26, 2013

http://www.forksoftheroads.net/events/Frederick Douglass[1].pdf
 

FORKS OF THE ROADS SOCIETY, INC.

*** INVESTMENT APPEAL AND MEMBERSHIP ***
 

HOME

SER BOXLEY'S INDEX

SPECIAL REPORTS-ENSLAVEMENT DEALERS

CIVIL WAR IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY

NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI AND THE CIVIL WAR

PHOTOS

NETWORK TO FREEDOM

EXHIBITS

EVENTS

LINKS

The Conductor
THE DRINKING GOURD

WELCOME TO THE FORKS OF THE ROADS WEB SITE

SOME EDUCULTURAL FACTS ABOUT SER SESHS AB HETER-CLIFFORD M. BOXLEY

http://www.forksoftheroads.net/ser_boxley.htm

GEORGETOWN COLLEGE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD RESEARCH INSTITUTE
 

SPECIAL REPORTS-ENSLAVEMENT DEALERS

CIVIL WAR IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY

NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI AND THE CIVIL WAR

PHOTOS

NATIONAL  PARK SERVICE - NETWORK TO FREEDOM

EXHIBITS

EVENTS

LINKS

INTRODUCTION

THE STRUGGLE FOR HISTORY AND TOURISM DEMOCRACY IN THE DEEP SOUTH (NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA) 

In his recently published book on the treatment of history in Natchez, Race Against Time: Culture and Separation In Natchez Since 1930, author Jack Davis correctly concluded that "each initiative toward making public history more racially inclusive represents another victory of the African-American experience and, one might add, a victory for history itself."  He also warns that victory will not come “without a struggle”  in the racial battle for public history.

The Friends-of-the-Forks-of-the-Roads Society, Inc. is pleased to provide you with an update on our fight for equal history and tourism democracy in Southwest Mississippi-Central Louisiana. After eight years of consistent advocacy and Ancestral Kommemoration rituals, on June 26, 2003, one of the two historical enslavement markets sites at the historical Forks of the Road was finally brought under public domain. The City of Natchez after relentless agitation from the Friends of the Forks of the Road succeeded in using $92,806.71 of a $200,000 State of Mississippi Department of Archives and History grant to purchase 0.388 acres or 16,884 square feet of land at the Forks of the Road. This particular site contained the older of the two “Negro Mart” shown on an 1853 City of Natchez street engineer hand drawn map. Roughly another $22,000 of the initial $200,000 Archives and History grant is to be used for development and erection of an informational broadside display interpreting a bit of the history pertaining to the long distance enslavement trafficking that took place at the Forks of the Road. An estimated $85,000 of the original $200,000 State grant was returned to the Department of Archives and History by the City of Natchez. A City that survives on state and federal dollars returned to the sender $85,000 intended for preservation of African American history at the Forks of the Road, when there is yet another enslavement market site just across the street that must be brought into public domain, preserved and interpreted. Now you understand author Jack Davis conclusion above regarding our ongoing and intensifying fight for history and tourism democracy here.   

The Friends-of-the-"Forks-of-the-Road" Society, Inc. now better than eight-year successful struggle to bring one of the two historical enslavement market sites under public domain is a giant-step, catch-up initiative toward achieving historical-tourism democracy in the Southwest. Although most of the physical and geographic remains of the enslavement auction houses, holding pens, and human chattel market buildings in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have been lost or destroyed by time,  the site and spiritual presence of the historic Forks-of-the-Roads enslavement market has been located and designated as one of the most historic places in the lower-Mississippi River Valley.  Situated near the Mississippi River at the terminal of the Natchez Trace and the land/water routes leading to the Southwest, this site at the Forks-of-the-Roads is an essential part of the collective story of America's domestic and horrible traffic in human bondage.  Most importantly, this site resonates with the presence, spiritual life, arts, history, legacies, heritage, culture, and humanity of the hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans in America that permeates the landscape, economy, religion, culture, government, social fabric, and life-worlds of the Deep South. In the Spirits of our Enslaved and Non-Enslaved Ancestors/Foreparents whose Africanize Spirituality helped them to endure and survive the dehumanizing processes of plantation conditioning and enslavement captivity, we say Asante Sana (Thank you very much) for supporting our struggle for Equal History Kommemoration in Mississippi-Central Louisiana. Equal History and Tourism Democracy is the beyond “Civil Rights” Human Rights Fight that is now being waged by too few African Descendants and others in the Deep South. Because of the domination of resources, private and public, by European Descendants who have not or refuse to transcend their Southernism, cultural racial superiority complexes and lost cause Confederacy, and share those resources in a fair share and equal history commemoration and tourism democracy, we seek national and international assistance. We seek your help so we can preserve, present and interpret the presence, developmental contributions, spiritual life, arts, history, legacies, heritage, culture, and humanity of the hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans in America who were sold down “ther ribber” to become the shoulders Deep South African Descendants stand upon today.

Ser Seshs Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley

MILLIKEN'S BEND EXHIBIT AT VICKSBURG

A History of Watkins Street Cemetery

Worthy Women Of Watkins Street
Cemetery Association

Membership Form

*******

Speech by Ser Boxley - 12/30/2006

From Africa to the Forks of the Roads to Watkins Street Cemetery, as African descendants, why are we here in Mississippi and Louisiana

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

FORKS OF THE ROADS SOCIETY, INC.

*** INVESTMENT APPEAL AND MEMBERSHIP ***