Here are some of the projects we have hosted or collaborated on in our community.
Soil collection in memory of Elwood Higginbottom
March 24, 2018
We held a community soil collection near the “Three-Way” in Oxford, Mississippi, with a memorial for Elwood Higginbottom. Several of his descendant family members attended, and we dug soil near the site where he was lynched in 1935. One jar of the soil is in the collection at the Equal Justice Initiative’s museum in Montgomery, AL, and the other is in the local community in Oxford.
Peace & Justice Summit
April 26-27, 2018
We traveled with several members of the Higginbottom family to the Peace & Justice Summit and memorial and museum openings in Montgomery, Alabama, where they were able to see the jar of soil on display and the memorial with Elwood Higginbottom’s name.
Memorial and marker unveiling for Elwood Higginbottom
October 27, 2018
Elwood Higginbottom marker unveiling and dedication ceremony, attended by a multiracial group of 500 people, including about 45 Higginbottom family members.
Art & Photography workshops
In 2019 a grant was awarded to a committee of arts faculty from across the University of Mississippi to develop arts-based projects that explore how the creative process can encourage opportunities for reflection and dialog around issues of race-based conflict.
Juneteenth
June 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
Each year we have a booth at Oxford’s Juneteenth celebration. The first year we partnered with University of Mississippi faculty in arts-related disciplines to develop creative responses to local history and contemporary race relations through reflection and community visioning. In subsequent years, we have led dialogue, oral history interview recordings, provided refreshments, and given away children’s books.
Soil collection ceremony in memory of William McGregory
November 13, 2020
On the 130th anniversary of the lynching of William McGregory, we gathered at Orwood MS, for a soil collection and memorial service.
soil collection ceremony in memory of William Steen
May 8, 2021
Soil collection ceremony in memory of lynching victim William Steen, lynched in 1893, near Paris MS.
Courthouse marker unveiling
September 17, 2021
A small group of our steering committee gathered to formally dedicate the new marker on the Lafayette County courthouse lawn. Video here: https://fb.watch/85WVrEOnQu/ We had originally planned a large, public, outdoor unveiling event for the marker on the courthouse lawn, using safe Covid public health protocols, featuring speakers, music, and descendants of lynching victims. However, with the rise of the Delta variant in our state and the stress on our local healthcare systems, we decided to postpone that from September 25 to early 2022.
soil collection ceremony in memory of William Chandler
February 12, 2022
Soil collection ceremony in memory of lynching victim William Chandler, lynched in 1895, at Abbeville MS.
courthouse marker dedication on the oxford square
April 2, 2022
LCRP hosted a large, public, outdoor unveiling event on the Oxford Square for the new marker on the courthouse lawn, featuring speakers, music, and descendants of lynching victims. Later that day, we dedicated a city park bench in memory of Rev. E.W. Higginbottom, son of Elwood Higginbottom.
documentary and discussion
January 17, 2023
In partnership with the Arc Benders community group, LCRP led a dialogue event featuring clips from the local documentary, "Sites of Resistance and Sites of Healing" (produced by LCRP co-convener Castel Sweet and member Antonio Tarrell, with supporter Mike Fagans) at the First Regional Library in Oxford. The evening explored what memorialization means to individuals and communities and how it can be an important tool for healing and community building.
Antiracism and Community-Based Memory Conference
March 4, 2023
Antiracism and Community-Based Memory Conference, Martin University, Indianapolis IN.
community-university EJI trip
March 25, 2023
LCRP co-convener Castel Sweet led a university-community trip to the EJI museum and memorial in Montgomery AL, with several LCRP steering committee members. There, LCRP representatives were able to see the duplicate Lafayette County markers at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.