Billups, 28, son of Mary and Billy Billups of Meridian, who is studying for his doctorate at Emory University, discussed the impact Meridian’s civil rights history has had on the local architectural history.

The crux of his lecture focused on the civil rights history of Meridian’s public buildings, especially houses of worship, and the role African American institutions in providing the infrastructure that made the civil rights movement viable.

Though he focused on other building types, as well, Billups explained that many African American churches in Mississippi built after the Civil War were set afire or bombed during the civil rights era of the 1950s and ‘60s. The buildings were typically constructed of wood and burned easily.

In 1964 alone, more than 50 Black churches statewide were attacked by the Ku Klux Klan. Most of these were concentrated in the Jackson area, but at least four in Lauderdale County were destroyed. In September of that year, ministers, priests, and rabbis met in Jackson and formed the Committee of Concern and launched the Church Rebuilding Campaign.

Volunteer architects and students of architecture designed A-frame mid-century churches, using brick or cinder block, which are more fire resistant; a low-peaked roof, rectangular windows, and a small steeple. They designed the churches to be simple structures, so that even the students could construct the buildings.

Meridian Architectural Trust was formed in 2021 and received non-profit status in 2022. Its mission is to educate the public through events such as the ongoing series of free Lunch & Learn discussions that MAT holds, stressing the value historic preservation holds for a community, and, using a revolving fund, to work to preserve qualified historic buildings, both commercial and residential, that are vacant, blighted, or threatened. In doing so, Meridian’s stories are preserved.

A membership-drive reception for MAT will be held at the Meridian Museum of Art, 628 25th Ave., Thursday, June 8, 5-7p.m.

To learn more, visit www.meridianarchitecturaltrust.org.