By Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., Visit Natchez
Prince Ibrahima
Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima (1762-1829), who was enslaved for 40 years on Thomas Foster’s plantation near Natchez, will be honored with a historical marker on Friday, October 24, near Historic Jefferson College.
A dedication ceremony hosted by the Natchez Historical Society, the sponsor of the marker, will be held at 11 a.m. on the corner of Highway 61 North and Jefferson College Street. The event is free to the public.
The marker will be the first in the Natchez-Adams County area that pays tribute to Ibrahima. It was acquired through the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
“Prince Ibrahima’s incredible life story and his quest for freedom reached the highest levels of the American government and deserves to be remembered in our history,” said Brother Rogers, MDAH historian and secretary-treasurer for the Mississippi Historical Society.
Karen Hill, past president of the society, said she is grateful to the Natchez Historical Society for agreeing to fund the marker and host the dedication ceremony. She said, “The story of Prince Ibrahima is an important part of Natchez-Adams County history that should not only be commemorated, but also preserved for our community, visitors, and future generations. His story has been told in books, films, and articles. Now a part of his story will be told through this historical marker.”
Michael Morris
Michael Morris, director of The Two Museums — Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Jackson, will be the guest speaker at the ceremony.
Morris is a graduate of Jackson State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history and master’s degree in political science. While attending university, he worked at the Margaret Walker Center and Fannie Lou Hamer Institute on Citizenship and Democracy.
A recognized historian, Morris served on the commission tasked with commemorating the City of Jackson’s bicentennial in 2022. He has also written markers for the Mississippi Freedom Trail.
Morris was the Mississippi archivist for the “Our Story, Our Terms” civil rights project at Duke University. He now serves on the advisory board of the Mississippi Book Festival.
The dedication ceremony will feature remarks by Warren Gaines, District 5 Supervisor of Adams County; Dr. Artemus Gaye, seventh generation descendant of Prince Ibrahima; David Dreyer, local historian and genealogist; and Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez and president of the Mississippi Historical Society.
Hill will serve as the master of ceremonies. Rev. Clifton Marvel, pastor of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, will give the invocation, and Rev. LeRoy White, pastor of Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, will give the benediction.
For more information, call 601-492-3004 or send email to Roscoe@visitnatchez.org.