(JACKSON, Miss.) – Jackson State University (JSU) hosted a reenactment event on October 14 at the Mt. Olive Cemetery. The community came out to honor the rich history and cultural heritage the cemetery represents. While the performers set the stage for what was a powerful glimpse into African American life across generations.
Attendees of the event were led through the cemetery by Heather Denne’, Ph.D., director of the Office of Community Engagement at Jackson State University, who was the tour guide for the event.
“This event is an opportunity for the community to engage with our history in a profound way that fosters education, healing and unity,” said Denne’. “By honoring those interred in Mt. Olive Cemetery, we pay tribute to the legacy of those who endured so much and inspire current and future generations to overcome challenges with strength and resilience.”
The event featured guided tours, historical presentations and special re-enactments brought to life by local actors. Wilma E. Mosley Clopton, Ph.D., scripted the meaningful accounts of those recently reinterred.
“Bringing history to life through re-enactment allows us to connect deeply with the stories of those whose lives shaped our present. Mount Olive Cemetery is more than a resting place—it is a powerful narrative of struggle, survival, and triumph that deserves to be honored and remembered by all,” said Clopton, award-winning documentarian, author, and president of Negro in Mississippi Historical Society (NMHS) Unlimited Film Productions.
Re-enactors helped bring to light the enduring legacy of courage, resilience and hope embodied on sacred ground. Figures portrayed included James “Jim” Hill, Ida Revels-Redmond, Jennie O. Johnson, Jessie Chambliss and the Ford Couple, Virginia Scott Ford & John Ford.
Among the performers was JSU senior political science major Hannah Robinson, who portrayed Jennie O. Johnson, one of the founding members of the Alpha Delta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated in Jackson, Mississippi. Robinson performed in front of Johnson’s grave, surrounded in blue and white decor and memorials from the sorority.
“I wanted to portray her in the best of light, especially because she was born during a difficult time in the 1800s,” said Robinson. “The fact that she still has information around is amazing in itself, and to know that I am honored to portray someone from that era who was a grand matron and was able to make such an impact is something that I love.”
Over the past few years JSU’s Office of Community Engagement, has led efforts to research and preserve the site which includes repairing all the headstones, mouselums and landscape. Betty Cunningham was among the members of the sorority who expressed her gratitude about revitalization of the cemetery and preservation of the history of important figures.
“It’s heartwarming to know that these people will never be forgotten, because there are people who put together this opportunity to re-enact and to recharacterize their memories and their worth to this society,” said Cunningham. “They are making sure that the history of this cemetery gets out and that we know that this is not a forgotten place.”
Established in the late 1800s, Mt. Olive Cemetery is one of the oldest private cemeteries for African Americans in Mississippi. The cemetery serves as a lasting testament to four pivotal eras in American history: slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Movement. It is located at 1400 John R. Lynch Street, on the campus of Jackson State University.