Vicksburg Bicentennial: Celebrating the city’s 200 years 

The second of a series of symposiums commemorating the Bicentennial of Vicksburg is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, February 18, at Vicksburg City Auditorium.

Titled “Vicksburg’s Legacy of Educational Excellence & Lifelong Learning” the program will feature four scholar-panelists along with Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs. This Bicentennial event is free and open to the public. 

Symposium organizer Toni Williams, a member of the Vicksburg Bicentennial Planning Committee, says a broad range of outstanding events will be presented during the Bicentennial commemoration at select dates during the 2025 calendar year. 

Vicksburg was founded in 1811 by Newet Vick, a Methodist minister and land speculator who died in 1814. The city was incorporated in 1825 and named for its founder.

The month of April will feature music and cultural events, including theatrical presentations and a variety of local music. The 42nd Alcorn State University Jazz Festival is also scheduled April 18 and 20 at the Vicksburg Convention Center, and is free and open to the public.

On July 4-6, 2025, Vicksburg will hold its annual Independence Day fireworks and music display, with a spectacular fireworks display. 

“Teamwork makes the dream work,” said Williams. “Please help me spread the word within your networks and reach more people in our beloved community to join us for the next symposium as we celebrate.” 

The first Symposium, held January 29, was titled “Vicksburg’s Past, Present and Future.”

During the second Symposium, “We will celebrate Vicksburg’s present and future commitments to educational access, equity and excellence, and acknowledge and honor past and present trailblazers, the Dr. Jane McAllister Foundation, Vicksburg Civil War Museum, and Dilla Irwin’s civil-rights newspaper Citizen Appeal,” Williams said. 

Confirmed panelists for the second Symposium are: 

• Dr. Susie Calbert –Executive Director, Vicksburg-Warren Youth Development Center. She currently serves as the Interim Vice-Chairperson for Haven House Family Shelter and Chairperson of the Warren County Children’s Shelter-Canopy’s Children Solutions Advisory Board. 

• Dr. Albert Dorsey, Jr. – Assistant Professor Department of History, Jackson State University. He is the author of a forthcoming book on the Vicksburg massacre. His teaching and research interests include African American history, the American Civil War and Reconstruction, Black land ownership in Mississippi, the civil rights movement with a particular focus on Black intellectual protest rhetoric, and the history of jazz music.

• Donald Kizza-Brown – Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of English, and Brown University Scholar-in-residence at Harvard University. He graduated from Mississippi State (B.A., 2014) with degrees in English and Philosophy, traveled abroad for his master’s degree from the University of Oxford (2016) as a Rhodes Scholar, and Vicksburg High School (2010).

• William Harrison – CEO (B)STEM Academy; CEO Omni Sourcing IT; Sylvan Learning Jackson. A native of Mississippi, he comes from an entrepreneurial, political, and educational background. He has experiences in consulting and business and information technology (IT) services.

Plans for a possible virtual workshop in conjunction with the Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce are also being considered. It would be hosted by Dr. JeFreda Brown, CEO of Goshen Business Group. The topic will relate to one or more of the Chamber’s affinity groups in entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, financial literacy, investing in education, generational wealth, or Vicksburg Public Schools.