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- Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s great-grandson Horace Cross. Photo by Timothy Ivy
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- Scholarship recipient Victoria A. Norfleet and Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s great-grandson Daniel Duster in 2015. Photo by Timothy Ivy
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- Members of Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s family and special guests at 19th Annual Ida B. Wells-Barnett Commemorative Banquet
The 19th Annual Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum Commemorative Banquet was held Saturday, July 11, 2015, in Holly Springs, Mississippi, where Wells-Barnett was born. About 250 people gathered with many of Wells-Barnett’s descendants at the Shaw Cafeteria on the campus of Rust College to celebrate the life and legacy of the historic pioneer for racial and gender equality.
Horace Cross, a great- grandson of Wells-Barnett was the speaker, and the program featured dancers from the Hamilton Chapel CME Church Praise Team. Cross delivered a moving speech about how his great grandmother influenced his life and quest to find his purpose. He challenged the members of the audience to find their own purposes and the discipline to achieve them.
The Ida B. Wells Memorial Foundation awarded scholarships to Victoria A. Norfleet, Jamarl Z. Nunley and DeVante T. Johnson. Three $1,000 scholarships are given each year to students at Rust College, were Wells-Barnett’s attended high school. In addition to the scholarships awarded during the banquet, Certificates of Recongnition were also given to Mrs. Fergenia Hood and Mr. Charles Richmond for their service to the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum.