Honoring Aaron E. Henry

Wednesday.
"Clarksdale High School is all about what Aaron Henry stood for," said CHS Principal Olenza McBride, as she capped off a 90-minute program in the gymnasium.Wanda Lee, who McBride commended for her dynamic nature packed in a petite frame, coordinated the program that went off without a hitch."You have to be the principal of a high school to understand how much works goes into putting together a program like this," McBride said.As the CHS Concert Band performed "We Shall Overcome," James Figgs stood at attention with his hands clasped signaling to the group's well-rehearsed performance."Mr. Figgs, I know wby you stood," McBride said. Figgs was one of several speakers early on in the program, relating his own personal relationship with the late Clarksdale pharmacist/civil rights worker who accomplished so much for racial equality.Figgs called Henry a "trail blazer for justice" who stood up for he what believed.Clarksdale High School is all about"He (Henry) got little kids to say, "I am somebody,'" Figgs said.Shirley Saddler, president of the Clarksdale chapter of the NAACP, called Henry "a strong man of strength" who became a "long distance runner" for the NAACP.Saddler said it was Henry who had the fortitude and perseverance to call for the re-opening of the 1955 murder case of Emmitt Till who was killed in Tallahatchie County not far from Greenwood by whites.Henry became a pharmacist at a time when blacks were not entering that profession. He operated a drug store on 4th Street that has since been re-named Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.Henry attended the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J., when the Mississippi delegation was close to where the Michigan delegates were standing.There were blacks among the Michigan ranks but Mississippi resisted having blacks among its numbers at that time.Henry Dorsey, an Omega Psi Phi fraternity brother of Henry, spoke of the courage Henry displayed in his unwavering push for racial equality.Vickie Hearn Espy noted that Henry was active in Haven United Methodist Church which at the time was a structure that was targeted by white supremacists for possible bombings.Mayor Henry Espy presented a proclamation in Henry's memory for the occasion.CHS students provided the heart of the entertainment for the program which lasted past the noon hour.