By Gail H.M. Brown, Ph.D.,
Contributing Writer,
Community members, historians, elected officials, and descendants of victims gathered at Mt. Hood Missionary Baptist Church Sept. 6 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Clinton Massacre, a violent turning point in Mississippi’s Reconstruction history.
The violence ignited Sept. 4, 1875, when approximately 1,500 Black Republicans and their families and about 75 White Democrats gathered for a peaceful political rally. Violence erupted when armed white Democrats opened fire, resulting in at least five Black individuals and three white men killed that day, including two white children.
In the days following, white vigilantes killed an estimated 30 to 50 African Americans, marking a turning point in Reconstruction by weakening Black political power through fear. Many Hinds County citizens admitted they had not heard of the Clinton Massacre until later in life or not at all. “I’m from Bolton, and I was out of college and had become Mayor of Bolton before I heard about it,” said U.S. Representative Bennie G. Thompson, who participated in the memorial service. Thompson noted, “It is fitting and proper that 150 years later, we not only correct the record but resurrect it.”
Audience member Yvonne Huddleston said, “In this day when our history is being erased or is being misrepresented, our younger people need to know that history repeats itself. If we are not aware of the importance of our ancestors and the sacrifices they made, on our behalf, we have failed.”
DeeDee Baldwin, one of the key organizers, emphasized the importance of public memory and truth-telling for healing from historical racial violence. Baldwin is an associate professor from Mississippi State University
At the memorial, Thompson remarked, “This massacre was meant to silence our people. But gatherings like this ensure that the silence ends with us. If we fail to remember, we risk repeating the same injustice.” Thompson praised the community for reclaiming a narrative long suppressed in history books.
Mississippi State Senator Hillman Frazier attended and presented Mt. Hood with Senate Resolution 120, recognizing the massacre’s 150th anniversary. “Too often, this part of our history is overlooked or whitewashed,” Frazier said. “But today, we affirm that these lives mattered.”
James Robinson, a descendant of a victim, shared a photo of his great-great-great-grandmother Sally Lee, an ex-slave who witnessed the violence. “She saw it with her own eyes — the bloodshed, the chaos, the pain,” he said. “And she made sure our family never forgot. ”He said he had been seeing the photo hanging on the wall of his aunt’s house during his childhood. Later in 1961, it appeared in The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in an article about Lee’s account of the massacre and other incidents, as she was a cook for General Sherman when he stopped in Clinton. Seeing that article is what sparked Robinson to further ‘research’ his family’s connection to the victims.
Also recognized and invited to come to the podium to say a few words was NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. He indicated that the Clinton Massacre has been a key study of the NAACP’s Leadership Program.
Church members Sandra Robinson, Lisa Johnson, Kristiana Johnson, and Barbara Patton were the committee delegated by their pastor to assist Baldwin with the program when she reached out to him concerning it.
“I really appreciate her passion and dedication in wanting to get this recognized and commemorated this year,” Robinson said about Baldwin. “We met via Teams, Zoom, and Webex meetings as well as e-mail and texts to get things organized.”
The theme of the service, titled “Remember It When I Am Gone,” was dedicated to honoring the lives lost during the Massacre. These were the dying words of Charles Caldwell, a Black state senator from Clinton and a Republican organizer of the rally held September 4, 1875. Caldwell, who tragically lost his life in December of the same year, had called for peace during his final moments. (Melissa Janczewski Jones / September 2015)
The service also included music and a candle lighting in memory of the known and unknown victims.
The organizers express gratitude to Mississippi College, Together for Hope, the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, and the Mt. Hood Missionary Baptist Church for making this week’s Clinton Massacre Memorial events possible. Mt. Hood is pastored by Rev. Frederick Williams.
Reference:
https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/the-clinton-riot-of-1875-from-riot-to-massacre
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