It only took a few minutes for Portia Barton to read the names of the individuals selected for the Seven Pillars African American Memorial Monument, but it took decades before their accomplishments came to fruition during a ceremony and ribbon cutting, Friday.
The Pillars – or boulders – sit on top of a mound constructed at Shirlene Mercer Walking Trail Park, 800 East Chester Street, by Lee Benson, Art Department Chair at Union University, who came up with the idea of the memorial and was the Creative Sculpturer of the project.
The Seven Pillars
Bishop Isaac Lane – In 1882, he founded a CME school in Jackson to provide education for the freedmen.
Austin Raymond Merry – He established the South Jackson School for the Colored, which was the forerunner of what would become Merry High School.
Samuel McElwee – An attorney, he was the first African American to serve three terms in the legislature and the first one to be nominated for Speaker of the House.
Miles Vandahurst Lynk – The first African American to establish a medical practice in Jackson.
Beebe Steven Lynk – She was one of the first African American women in the nation to teach chemistry at the university level.
Milmon Mitchell – Assisted then-Special Council Thurgood Marshall with the Department of Justice to expose the discriminating practices in Brownsville.
The Seventh Pillar consists of 15 individuals –
J. Emmitt Ballard, Isaiah Savage, Myrtle Monroe, James Buchanan, W.K. Seals, Genevieve Brooks, Dr. John C. Frierson, Dr. Wesley C. McClure, Rev. Chester A. Kirkendoll, Rev. Udelle D. Lewis, A.J. Payne, Frank Walker, Dr. Isaiah L. Hildreth, Dr. Ernest Brooks Sr., and T.C. Ozier.
“We had so many (names) submitted, notable people we wanted to honor, so we decided to make one of the Pillars with multiple names on it,” Barton said, “I would like to thank Professor (Lee) Benson … he presented the idea to us.
“We were unable to have plaques for all those names we came up with, but it’s something we want to continue to work on.”
Benson said the theme of the project came from Chapter 9:1 of The Book of Proverbs.
He also thanked a number of individuals who helped make the memorial become a reality.
“This sculpture was dreamed of, designed and created to celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the success of Jackson-Madison County,” Benson said, “Those individuals that these massive marble boulders on the hill above us represent, are the first who we recognize as worthty representatives.”
(PHOTO: Ribbon cutting at The Seven Pillars, Friday)
