Mississippi Bishop Dorothy Sanders Wells will lead a workshop from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, in the Trinity parish hall entitled “The History of Us: Black, White, and Together in the U.S.”

The workshop is free, though preregistration is required. Use the form below to register. 

​The workshop will be part of a weekend of activities to celebrate what is locally called “Julyteenth” – the anniversary of July 13, 1863 when US soldiers entered Natchez to begin enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation that would bring freedom from slavery to thousands of enslaved people in the Natchez area. All events are free to the public. 

Other weekend events include: 

6 p.m., Friday, July 10, at Zion Chapel AME Church — Local educator Jamal McCullen will reenact a famous speech by Hiram R. Revels, who in 1870 ascended from that very pulpit to become the first black US senator.

10:30 a.m., Sunday, July 12, at Trinity Church — Bishop Wells will preach and celebrate the Holy Eucharist. All are welcome. 

2:30 p.m., Sunday, July 12, at Forks of the Road — Bishop Wells will lead a wreath-laying ceremony at the Forks of the Road slave market site at the intersection of St. Catherine Street and Liberty Road. 

3 p.m., Sunday, July 12, at Freedom Hall — Bishop Wells will participate in the first programming by Natchez National Historical Park inside the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Forks of the Road (newly renamed Freedom Hall). In this signature Freedom 250 event for the park, historian Jeff Mansell will present “Julyteenth: When Freedom Came to Natchez” with assistance from Jamal McCullen, whose ancestor was sold at Forks of the Road and later enlisted in the US Colored Troops at that recruitment station. A reception will follow, provided by the Natchez Historical Society.