With ongoing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, Reconciliation Week in Meridian will look different this year.

The celebration, which comes 17 years after a mass shooting at the Lockheed Martin plant near Meridian, offers a chance for the community to reflect on the tragedy.

In 2003, a worker at the plant fatally shot six of his coworkers – DeLois Bailey, Sam Cockrell, Micky Fitzgerald, Lynette McCall, Thomas Willis and The Rev. Charles J. Miller.

This year’s theme is “We’re In This Together,” according to a news release from the Reconciliation Committee, which organized the weeklong remembrance. Some of the events will be held virtually, said Stacey Miller, the daughter of Rev. Miller and chair of the committee. 

Miller said the theme is fitting given current events. 

“In relation to the virus and social unrest in our country, we thought it was fitting for us to look at coming together, solving problems together as a community and as one people,” Miller said.

In addition to events throughout the week, the committee will donate to a local charity and provide $300 scholarships to two high school students in Lauderdale County. The scholarships will come from the Rev. Charlie J. Miller Memorial Scholarship program.

The week starts on Sunday, July 5, as local pastors will be encouraged to lead congregations in prayer for reconciliation. At 11 a.m. on Monday, there will be a Lemonade Day Kick-off press conference at Dumont Plaza, with lunches delivered to first responders.

The Rev. Charlie Miller Memorial Service will be livestreamed on Facebook at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday from North Park Church, with guest speaker The Rev. Fred Luter of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church New Orleans. Rev. Charlie Miller Scholarships and two “Reconciler Awards” will be presented along with a donation to The Meridian Freedom Project.

The Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast will start at 6:45 a..m. on Friday on the lawn at city hall. The event will feature a panel discussion on racial reconciliation. Panelists include Neddie Winters, president of Mission Mississippi, Wade Phillips with Mission Mississippi — Meridian; Stacy Miller, Reconciliation Committee, Pastor Jack Giles with Love United and Pastor Mark Benson with Let’s Talk.

On Saturday, the Queen City Cruisers will lead a Reconciliation Parade from downtown Meridian to Forest Lawn Cemetery. The parade starts at 11:30 a.m.

The Rev. Charlie J. Miller Foundation, the committee’s parent organization, is accepting donations. For more information, call Stacey Miller at 601-482-2489.