Coahoma Community College News June 2015 CCC instructor selected to complete Marks, MS Mule Train artwork In 1968, just weeks before his assassination, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. chose Marks, MS to serve as a symbol of the importance of addressing poverty in America. Following King's untimely death, men like Ralph Abernathy and Andrew Young continued what had been coined as the "Poor People's Campaign", traveling with a train of mules from Marks to Washington, D.C. to bring light on the economic conditions. A Coahoma Community College faculty member is now ensuring that the story of the Marks, MS Mule Train will never be forgotten. CCC Art Chair/Instructor Rosalind Wilcox has been commissioned to complete a mural that will be displayed in the new Marks Mule Train Market, expected to open this fall. Twelve 4x8 panels depicting the story of the Mule Train will be featured in the market, designed to promote local entrepreneurship. Just two weeks in, details of the artwork already illustrate the changes not only in the terrain and climate but attitudes as the journey from Mississippi to Georgia and finally Washington, D.C. was made. Wilcox said it's a great feeling to share such an important part of history through her craft. "For the opportunity to take this story and put in my own words through brush strokes, it's a big story to tell-I feel really honored," she said. "It's really important historically because we haven't told our own stories enough, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do so in a way that will last for generations to come." Assisting with the project is the CCC Art major Aramis Robinson of Clarksdale, MS. "It feels good to know that years from now, when I have a family of my own, I can show them this project and say I was able to contribute to it," he said. "It's a really big deal for me. ...50 years from now this piece of art will still be here telling this story." Wilcox said the project is expected to completed by August 1. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.