The Dream Intensifies: Guest Post by Velma Benson-Wilson
This picture is in Roland L. Freeman’s book, The Mule Train: A Journey of Hope Remembered. The caption reads “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visiting a church during the planning of the Poor People's Campaign...Marks, Mississippi, March 19, 1968.”
Guest post by Mrs. Velma Benson-Wilson of Jackson, Tennessee and Marks, Mississippi. Mrs. Benson-Wilson wrote this autobiographical essay in response to a 2013 visit back to her hometown of Marks, Mississippi. Author of What’s in the Water: Fannie, a Legacy of Love, Mrs. Benson-Wilson is currently the Director of Quitman County Tourism and Economic Development and was instrumental in the 50th Anniversary of Marks’ Mule Train and Poor People’s Campaign in 2018.
The year was 1968, 45 years ago. A naïve, bright-eyed girl of 16, a high-school junior, weighing less than 100 pounds and barely reaching 5’2”, never imagined she was witnessing history unfold as she stood outside on the Eudora AME Church doorsteps. The church was located behind her house, separated by a dirt alley.
On that day, March 18, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Marks, Mississippi, prior to his untimely death on April 4, 1968. His visit was a rallying cry in support of the “Poor People’s Campaign” to Washington, D.C. Eudora AME Church, built on this rural town’s main street, was packed to capacity and overflowed into the church’s lawn with men and women eager to hear Dr. King call for support to help eliminate poverty and injustice in the Deep South.
In order to get a good look at Dr. King, she wiggled her way through the crowd and when she got close enough, she jumped up and down several times to get a good glance at his face as he spoke. For fear of being noticed, she stayed only minutes to hear Dr. King deliver his message. Her mother had issued a stern warning to her and her siblings not to go near the church that day. Fate would have her conveniently walk to the local corner grocery to buy a candy bar. On her way back, she opted to take an alternate route, which just so happened, passed in front of Eudora AME Church.
Jennifer Drinkwater. Eudora, acrylic on wood panel, 12” x 12”, 2019.
Months prior to Dr. King’s visit, this young girl saw busloads of white “Freedom Riders” mostly from the northern states. They temporarily integrated the black neighborhood, going door to door encouraging eligible black citizens of Marks to register to vote and to become actively involved in the movement. For the first time, this naïve teenager saw whites up close, waved and greeted them as they strolled the streets. During the evening hours, at home on Third Street, she sat with family members on the covered porch and watched with fear and excitement. Dr. King’s visit came at a turbulent time. It was at the peak of the Civil Rights movement bringing unrest leading to violent acts in our nation.
As a young girl, she had no way of knowing the magnitude of Dr. King’s visit on that day. This visit led to the formation of the historical “Mule Train Ride” from Marks, Mississippi to Washington, D.C. launching the “Poor People’s Campaign.”
Now 45 years later, I returned to Marks to participate in a celebration honoring Dr. King’s legacy.
This celebration was spearheaded by the Youth Opportunities Unlimited Division, Inc. under the leadership of Dr. Mary Frances Dear-Moton, involving the cities of Marks, Lambert and Clarksdale, Mississippi. The theme that resonated with this celebration was “Keeping the Dream Alive.”
I toured the historical sites of the Tent Camp, the home that housed the SCLC headquarters, the churches that Dr. King visited, Silent Grove M.B. Church and Eudora AME Church, the courthouse grounds and the jail. I gained new insights of the historical significance that day in 1968 meant to Dr. King’s movement. I sensed an awesome awareness of purpose and focus toward the opportunities that await me to help fulfill Dr. King’s dream. I realized with a stronger conviction that my God-given purpose on this earth is to help others, a mission which Dr. King so elegantly spoke to and demonstrated.
What I witnessed on this visit is that after 45 years, the dream is still alive, but in early days, it was sheathed in layers of intolerance, trepidation and ignorance. Over the last four and a half decades, these layers have been slowly unraveling, allowing a stronger foundation to be built and fueling intensity to Dr. King’s dream.
As I made the pilgrimage through Marks, I was honored to be in the company of Dr. Charles Steele, National President of SCLC from Atlanta, Ga., and his assistant Rev. Albert Love; James Figgs, local Civil Rights activist; Dr. Hilliard Lackey, author and educator; and Samuel McCray, retired staff representative for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District. During this entire journey, I pondered in my heart that so much more has to be done. Poverty in the South hasn’t taken a back seat; the growth in Marks, as in many rural communities, remains stagnant. However, I sense the indelible spirit of Dr. King’s presence prevailing. His works and deeds and those of the Freedom Riders have produced results. Today, Marks, Lambert and Clarksdale have African-American elected officials as mayors, sheriffs, members of the board of supervisors and state senators.
You see, Dr. King, your visit to Marks, Miss. was not in vain.
The seeds planted 45 years ago in this poverty- stricken area germinated and are now producing useful fruits. That 16-year-old naïve girl, who once stood on the church steps to hear your voice and see history as it happened, can only put it this way:
“Dr. King, your dream was composed of constructive teachable layers of tribulation. These layers are unfolding, not only unfolding but intensifying the vision of your dream, making us all aware that by using our God-given gifts, the impossible becomes possible.”
Happy Birthday, Dr. King, and thank you for stopping by my hometown of Marks, Miss.
Learn more about the role that the citizens of Marks played in the Poor People’s Campaign and the Civil Rights Movement.
In 2015, Mrs. Benson-Wilson partnered with the Fred Carl, Jr. Small Town Center at Mississippi State University to develop the award-winning “Marking the Mule Train” Interpretative Trail for Quitman County. Several historic sites currently have plaques to honor the contribution that the men and women of Quitman County played in the Marks’ Mule Train and the Poor People’s Campaign. Read about the project here.
Watch highlights from the 50th Anniversary celebration in 2018.
Learn more about Marks and Quitman County, and the Mississippi Delta here. Want to visit Marks, Mississippi? Find a weekend itinerary here.