Meridian leaders unveil Mississippi Freedom Trail marker in African American Business District

Published 4:07 pm Friday, February 27, 2026

Meridian’s African American Business District was once a thriving spot for Black residents to shop, mingle and have fun. On Friday, local leaders took time to remember that history and call for its preservation as the Mississippi Freedom Trail unveiled a Meridian Movement monument in the historic neighborhood.

“The historic African American Business District is not just a location on a map. It is a foundation. It is a testimony to labor, leadership, ownership, vision and represents the men and women who built businesses when opportunities were limited but determination was not,” said Community Development Director Terrell Thompson.

Teresa Mathews, deputy director for Visit Mississippi, the state’s tourism arm, said the Mississippi Freedom Trail is more than markers scattered throughout the state. It’s a preservation of the state’s culture and a monument to the resilience and determination of Mississippi residents.

“When a community like Meridian chooses to place a marker, you are doing more than just preserving history. You are creating a space for healing, a space for reflection, a space for truth and a space where visitors, families and students can connect personally to the struggles and triumphs that have shaped Mississippi,” she said.

Dr. Otis Gowdy, who serves on Meridian’s Planning Commission and is renovating the Holbrook building in the African American Business District, said the revitalization of downtown Meridian that he and others are involved in is built on the foundation laid by the men and women who founded those Black-owned businesses years ago.

“Their sacrifices laid a foundation that we continue to build upon today. This recognition serves as a powerful reminder to our youth. It reminds them that they come from strength, they stand on solid ground. That greatness has lived and thrived right here in downtown Meridian,” he said.

Meridian is the Queen City, Gowdy said, and royalty is known by its jewels. The African American Business District is one of those jewels.

Mayor Percy Bland acknowledged the challenges Black residents and business owners faced in years past and the impact that had, and continues to have, on the community. It’s not a comfortable topic, he said, but the community must face its past to fully become the city he believes it can become.

“And it’s my job as mayor to never forget where we came from and to set the vision,” he said. “Even though the past may be painful, we are all in this chili bowl together.”

Also attending Friday’s ceremony was Lauderdale County Judge Veldore Young-Graham, granddaughter of E.F. Young Jr., a Black businessman who started a successful line of hair care products and built the historic E.F. Young Jr. Hotel in the African American Business District in 1946. At the time, the hotel was one of the only places in the region where Black travelers were welcome.

Black history is history, Graham said, and it falls on today’s leaders to ensure young people learn and carry that history on for future generations. While many buildings in the African American Business District are gone, including the E.F. Young Jr. Hotel, which was demolished in 2023, the knowledge of what once was can never be destroyed, she said.

“You can erase a lot of things. You can tear the buildings down and replace them with whatever you want to replace them with, whether that comes from condemnation or eminent domain, however you want to take it,” she said. “But I submit to you that they can’t take our history if we learn it. So when we say each one teach one, I submit all of us need to come together and learn our history.”

Graham called on the city of Meridian and Lauderdale County to preserve the area’s history by creating an African American History Museum so that future generations have access to it.

Friday’s ceremony also included the unveiling of new banners on light poles throughout the historic African American Business District. Designed by local artist Leslie Carruth, the banners pay tribute to Meridian’s Black leaders.