Historical Marker Honoring Fort Pillow Massacre Vandalized

 

Vandals toppled this historical marker at Memphis
National Cemetery, which honors the U.S. Colored
Troops massacred at the Battle of Fort Pillow on
April 12, 1864. (Courtesy photo)

MEMPHIS, TN – A historical marker commemorating the “massacre” of hundreds of U.S. Colored Troops who fought in the American Civil War at the Battle of Fort Pillow in Henning, Tenn., was vandalized on Aug. 7, 2024, at Memphis National Cemetery, 3568 Townes Ave.

Dr. Callie Herd was livid when she was notified by the director of the cemetery that vandals had decapitated the marker. But then she couldn’t believe that someone would be so brazen that they would seek to destroy history.

The historical marker was erected to call attention to the colored troops who were “killed or mortally wounded” on April 12, 1864. Many of them, Herd said, were buried in more than 100 unnamed graves at the cemetery.

“I don’t know if it was unintentional or if somebody was actually trying to break it,” said Herd, an educator, senior programmer for FedEx, and vice-president of the W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.

The historical marker was first unveiled in 2018 during a ceremony sponsored by the W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc., an umbrella organization advocating for responsible social entrepreneurism and activism via the arts, media, and education.

With support from the Memphis chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), Joe Williams, whose great-great grandfather, Peter Williams, survived the massacre, the unveiling was one of the signature events for Juneteenth that year.

Herd and her son, Ronald C. Herd II, first began honoring the victims of the Fort Pillow massacre in 2016. He is the president of the W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc. The colored troops were lost to history until the Herds decided to tell their story.

But all is not lost. Herd solicited help to pay for a replacement marker. Shelby County Commissioner Henri E. Brooks, who represents District 7, and Commissioner Mickell M. Lowery, representing District 8, answered her call. 

“So those two raised the funds for us to redo the marker,” Herd said. “She (Brooks) didn’t think that it should be repaired, but redone.”

Herd said the people whom she had contacted were devastated at the thought of the marker getting destroyed. It was Brooks, she noted, who encouraged her to file a police report with the Memphis Police Department.

Since the damaged marker bears the seal of the Bureau of Colored Troops (1863-1867), U.S. Army Artillery, Herd filed another application, this time with the Shelby County Historical Commission at Brooks’ behest.

“By it being destroyed, it helped us to get the seal that we wanted from the start,” Herd said. “That way it’s validated as a historical landmark rather than just us doing it by ourselves.”

The language on the marker reads in part: “Eyewitnesses reported that black soldiers were killed despite putting down their weapons and surrendering in what the North deemed a massacre.”

The word “massacre” elicited a debate in some circles. Should it be used to describe many of the “179,000 African-American soldiers who fought to free the country from the scourge of slavery?” 

“It was a massacre,” Brooks contends. “If it (language) is not accurate, it’s not history.”

Herd said the replacement marker has been approved and the paperwork has been started. Someone told her, she said, that the marker will take about six or seven months to complete.

“We want to reinstall the marker on Juneteenth of 2025,” she said. 

Brooks said without reservation that if the replacement marker is damaged again or destroyed, she’d replace it again and again.

“Remember Fort Pillow” is inscribed on the historical marker in a bold font. Herd hopes the cemetery will continue to honor the U.S. Color Troops long after she’s gone.

Copyright 2024 TNTRIBUNE. All rights reserved.

Honoring Black Union Soldiers Massacred at Fort Pillow

 

Ronald C. Herd II observes a painting of his at an art 
exhibit in 2017 that represents the carnage at Fort 
Pillow in Henning, Tenn., during the Civil War. 
Photo by Wiley Henry

MEMPHIS, TN – When Dr. Callie Herd learned that a “massacre” had taken place on April 12, 1864, at Fort Pillow, a Union garrison in Henning, Tenn., she and her son, Ronald C. Herd II, sprang into action.

They have honored the Union’s Black soldiers since 2016 – those who fought and died at Fort Pillow, whom they discovered buried in 109 unnamed graves in Section B at the Memphis National Cemetery, 3568 Townes Ave.

This year marks the 160^th anniversary of what is known as the “Fort Pillow Massacre.” It begins with a commemorative art exhibit on April 6 at Withers Collection Museum & Gallery, 333 Beale St. 

Presented by The WEALLBE Group, Inc. – an umbrella organization advocating for responsible social entrepreneurism and activism via the arts, media, and education – the art exhibit is titled “We Remember Fort Pillow.” 

The opening reception is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with entertainment provided by DJ Kai’yrs Slayer, Jackie Murray, Bro. Bridge Muhammad, John Smith, and Herd, who plays a trumpet.

Herd also heads a list of featured artists, including Frank D. Robinson Jr., Mycal Smith, Darlene Newman, Myke Newman, Carl E. Moore, Phillip Dotson, Sir Walter Andrade, Madam Z (Zelitra Traylor), Marz Rockswell, Roy Hawkins Jr. and Fatia Webb.

“I believe that we as artists…we’re not only here to express, but also to capture the mood of the times and to preserve history,” said Herd, also an historian known as R2C2H2 Tha Artivist.

This is the third installment of the commemorative art exhibit in recent years, which ends April 20. “We’re using art to tell our story,” added Dr. Herd, an activist and author of a college preparation blog. 

On April 10, the commemoration continues at Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church, 3890 Millbranch Rd., with a 6:30 p.m. service. The Reverend Dr. Earle J. Fisher is the host pastor.

During the service, The WEALLBE Group will present legacy awards to state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, James “Deke” Pope, Cedric Moore, Akbar Khalifahm, Dr. Louvisia Conley, Anthony Elmore, Mary Mitchell, and Fisher.

“A great deal of them [Black Union soldiers] were buried in mass graves and they never really had a church ceremony,” said Dr. Herd, calling attention to the massacre and added: “We’re going to tell the people all about Fort Pillow.”

“Every war that we participated in, we’ve shown our patriotism,” her son said. “If it wasn’t for Black men, there wouldn’t be a United States of America. I hope people recognize the importance of Black men sacrificing for the good of the country.”

On April 12 at 10 a.m., a national wreath laying ceremony will take place at the Memphis National Cemetery, where nearly 300 Union prisoners – most of them Black – were shot to death after Fort Pillow fell to Confederate troops.

During the ceremony, The WEALLBE Group will present more legacy awards to the late state Sen. Reginald Tate, state Rep. GA Hardaway, and Dr. Karanja A. Ajanaku, the former executive editor/associate publisher of The New Tri-Tate Defender.

Also, another wreath laying ceremony, a presentation, and other activities will take place on April 13 at Fort Pillow State Historic Park in Henning, Tenn., from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. 

The Black Union soldiers, or the “U.S. Colored Troops,” as they were called, were killed at the behest of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general, slave trader and Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

On that fateful day of April 12, 1864, blood flowed like the Mississippi River. Many of them who perished on the battlefield remain “unknown.” That’s why the Herds are paying homage to them. 

Fort Pillow is approximately 40 miles north of Memphis.

Copyright 2024 TNTRIBUNE. All rights reserved.

Jamboree Festival and Legacy Awards Help to Keep Jimmie Lunceford Alive

If you’re a jazz aficionado, you’d know something about the late, great Jimmie Lunceford and his legacy. If you’re not familiar with the jazz master, you could learn a lot during the weeklong Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival, Oct. 24-31.

For example, Jimmie Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947) was a jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader who was considered the equal of Duke Ellington, Earl Hines and Count Basie during the 1930s swing era.

Here’s another tidbit: Lunceford was an athletic instructor at Manassas High School and organized a student band called the Chickasaw Syncopators before changing the name to the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra.

The jamboree festival honors Lunceford and his contributions to jazz. The festival’s signature event – “The Jimmie Lunceford Legacy Awards: A Celebration of Memphis Music Heritage” – kicks off Sunday, Oct. 31 at the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education, 225 South Main St., in downtown Memphis.

Presented and produced by W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group, Inc., and sponsored by the Tennessee Arts Commission, the event is open to the public from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. A slate of honorees comprising the “homecoming court” will be honored for their work in the music industry.

The homecoming court includes (King) Dr. Bobby Rush, blues singer; (Queen) Bev Johnson, WDIA 1070 radio personality; (Princess) Dr. Valetta Brinson, classical, jazz, spiritual and R& B soloist; and The Temprees – (Prince) Harold “Scotty” Scott, (Prince) Walter “Bo” Washington and (Prince) Deljuan “Del” Calvin – R & B legends.

Onzie Horne Sr., noted band leader and arranger, and Florence Cole Talbert-McCleave, operatic singer, composer and music educator, will be honored posthumously as king and queen. Jasper “Jabbo” Phillips, former lead singer of The Temprees, will be honored posthumously with the group and share the title of prince.

Carla Thomas, who rose to fame in the 1960s as a breakout songstress on the Stax Records label and referred to as the “Queen of Memphis Soul,” will perform a special tribute to Horne.

In addition, percussionist Ekpe Abioto, jazz songstress Earlice Taylor, jazz artist Cequita McKennley and others will pay tribute to Lunceford in their own unique way. The legacy awards will be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/weallbetv.

Face masks are required for in-person attendance.

“It's all about bringing out African-American history and culture and our role in music, and also uplifting those elders,” said Callie Herd, vice-president of the W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit alternative news and education organization.

But more importantly, the jamboree festival and the legacy awards are all about Lunceford and keeping his legacy alive, said Ronald C. Herd II, artist, musician and historian. 

Herd, who calls himself “Tha Artivist,” is the founder and president of the W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group, Inc. He has given much consideration to Lunceford and his legacy since 2007. 

The enthusiasm has never waned over the years, but instead caught fire in 2017 when Herd and his mother, Callie Herd, worked feverishly to elevate the jazz master’s status among today’s musicologists and jazz enthusiasts.

“When I first discovered him, I mean, it was amazing, though, that a person like this, let alone a Black man, exists with this type of mindset and abilities,” said Ronald Herd, paying homage to the jazz master.

Herd said Lunceford lived his life in service to his people and for his people – “and to be forgotten by his people was a disgrace.” The goal of the weeklong jamboree festival, he said, “is to bring him back to life.” 

Manassas High School was Lunceford’s launch pad into the world of big band orchestras. While rivaling other jazz greats at the height of his fame, Herd said, “He would always come back to Manassas to do free concerts and musician clinics.”

The Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival and Legacy Awards present opportunities for Memphians of all stripes to get to know the extraordinary jazz musician whose contributions are no longer relegated to the annals of history.

The Herds have found a way to keep Jimmie Lunceford alive. 

Interpreting the Fort Pillow Massacre with art

Aisha Raison marvels over a Confederate battle scene created by artist Ronald C.
Herd II in mixed media. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

“If you don’t tell their story, the ancestors get no glory,” said Ronald C. Herd II, expounding on the Fort Pillow massacre of 1864, the year Fort Pillow, a Union garrison in Henning, Tennessee, fell to Confederate troops.

Fort Pillow wasn’t the only casualty during the Civil War. That year on April 12, nearly 300 Union prisoners were shot to death. Most of them were black soldiers, said Herd, an artist, musician and activist speaking to a small group at Art Village Gallery in Downtown Memphis. 

“Nathan (Bedford Forrest) gave the order even though he wasn’t there,” said Herd, holding the Confederate general, slave trader and reportedly the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan culpable.

The art gallery was the destination for some observers and a pit stop for others who sauntered in on March 31 to view a collection of paintings, drawings and other media based on the artists’ interpretation of the massacre.

The exhibit will run until April 14. The contributing artists are Darlene Newman, Frank D. Robinson, Carl E. Moore, Roy Hawkins Jr., Marion Joyner-Wilson, Iris Love Scott, Sr. Walt, and Ronald Herd, the exhibit organizer.

 “Using Our Art to Tell Our Stories: Remembering Fort Pillow” is the title of the art exhibit, which kicked off the Fort Pillow Massacre Commemorative Project honoring the black soldiers and civilians who died on that fateful day. 

The project commenced last year on April 12 when the Memphis Area Branch of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH) held a wreath laying ceremony to honor the fallen soldiers.

A memorial service will be held on April 11 this year at Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, the church that the late Dr. W. Herbert Brewster, a composer, poet, lyrist and dramatist, pastored when it was named East Trigg Baptist Church.

On April 12, at 10 a.m., a national wreath laying ceremony will be held at the Memphis National Cemetery at 3568 Townes Ave., where the soldiers were buried in 1867. ASALH again is organizing this ceremony along with W.E. A.l.l. B.E. Group, Inc.

The acronym stands for World, Enriching, Activating, Liberating, Love, Beautification, and Experience.

Ronald Herd is the founder of W.E. A.l.l. B.E. Group, Inc., an umbrella organization advocating responsible social entrepreneurism and activism via the arts, media and education.   

He and his mother, Callie Herd, who spawn the idea to educate people about the massacre through the arts, thought it would be a fitting tribute to the soldiers. The historic significance of the project is “God-ordained,” she said.

“We wanted to create a story through the eyes of the artists to allow the audience to see the importance of knowing one’s history so that we will learn from the negatives,” said Callie Herd, an activist and author of a college preparation blog.

 “These are black artists paying homage to their ancestors,” said Ronald Herd, a social justice artist, blogger, and jazz aficionado known by the moniker “R2C2H2 Tha Artivist.”

Aisha Raison was smitten by the artwork and the controversial imagery emanating from the surface of the paintings and drawings.

“There is so much history behind this exhibit,” said Raison, including the sordid history surrounding the Fort Pillow massacre.

Her grandmother, she said, lived in Fulton, Tenn., one of the oldest settlements in Lauderdale County, and talked about finding skulls along the banks of the Mississippi River.

Fort Pillow, also in Lauderdale County, is nearby.

“They were kids playing by the riverbanks,” said Raison, an author, poet and essayist who works at WABN Radio, a gospel station in Southaven, Miss.

Stanley Campbell noted the importance of the exhibit and its attraction. “I feel the energy from up high,” said Campbell, the proprietor of the House of Mtenzi (Swahili for artist), a museum and venue for the performing arts.

“I’m delighted to be a part of the past history, the presence, and what’s to come,” he said.