An age old question that many patients, and others have, is what is the difference between an Optometrist and an Ophthalmologist?

The true answer is somewhat complicated. Interestingly, based on my experience as an Optometric Physician, Lawyer and Educator, most Optometrists and Ophthalmologists do not know the complete answer.

The functional and legal roles and differences between these two types of Eye Doctors as is with all licensed professions, controlled by State Law and Statutes within the United States. Also, in other countries the legal differences and nomenclature used to describe these two professions may be significantly different than the United States. For example in recent decades within the United States many Optometrists and State Laws refer to Optometrists as ‘Optometric Physicians’

As an Optometrist (Optometric Physician), former professor, lawyer, and State Legislative Lobbyist I have had an intimate look at the true answer.

Because both Professions practice under different types of Statutory Licenses outlined by State Law, the only Doctor actually practicing as an Eye Doctor under Statute or Law is The Optometrist. Optometrists are specifically licensed and controlled by Statute to practice as an Eye Doctor or Eye Physician. By Statute Ophthalmologists are Licensed only as General Medical Doctors, obtained at the time they finish their general medical training, and are not specifically licensed to practice as an Eye Doctor by the State Government. They become Eye Doctors through Specialty Training in a residency program after they receive their general medical degree which may be an M.D., D.O., or MBBS or other designation based on their country of Training.

In fact, no Specialty in Medicine is licensed by Statute and Law to actually practice their Specialty. It is expected that they should pass a Board Certification Exam after a qualified residency in order to practice the specialty. This in fact has been the age old problem with specialties in Medicine, the quality of residency training, certification and lack of State and Government licensing of Medical Specialists has over history presented problems for securing the safety of patients seeking medical care because the public generally has no idea as the actual training, qualifications and certifications of medical specialists, particularly due to the wide variance of these factors and the lack of government and State licensure. The general government license that Medical Specialists obtain before they even enter into specialty training cannot therefore adequately govern Specialty practice.

This is just the opposite with Doctors of Optometry (Optometrists) whose training and practice is specifically dictated and outlined by State Statutes and Law. For example all Optometry School in the United states follow a strict, detailed and uniform course dictated by Statutory Law in every State ensuring that patients seeking care by Optometric Physicians (Optometrists) receive a uniform and specific standard of care. For example, if a patient is treated for the disease/disorder of Glaucoma by an Optometrist, the State Law and Statute details the equipment, process and procedures that must be used. This is not so for treatment by an Ophthalmologist who is governed only by a General Medical License received even before any Ophthalmology Training.

Medical Specialists become specialist only after their specialty training and many do not even sit or pass the specific privately required Board Certification Examinations which are generally used to allow them to obtain privileges to practice in Institutions and Hospitals.

Generally in modern times Ophthalmologists within the United States are mostly Eye Surgeons who specialize in Cataract, Retina, Cornea and other surgical disciplines. Optometrists generally practice as Primary Care Eye Doctors specializing in diagnosing & Treating Vision Anomalies, Eye Disease, and other Non Surgical Eye Treatments. However, Optometrists by law in many States may also engage in various Eye Surgery Treatments.

Interestingly, the public generally may not understand that in the case of Eye Doctors, the reference to Ophthalmologists as the Eye Specialist really references the fact that they specialize in Eye Care rather and practice as a General Medical Doctor as their license allows them to. Optometrists are also Eye and Vision Specialists in Special Areas of Training and Practice which they obtain in residencies and other Post-Graduate Training after obtaining their Doctor of Optometry Degree (O.D.).

Also, due to the legislative requirements for Optometric Education most Schools and Colleges of Optometry require the same or more training in General Medicine and Pharmacology to obtain the Doctor of Optometry Degree (O.D.) as required for the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Degree, and  usually in Courses taught by the same professors.

Another interesting fact about these two professions is that despite their differences in Training and licensure, their scope of practice is essentially the same as relates to the standards of care and treatment, and represents a unique situation in Health Care delivery and practice. Optometry is essentially the only none Allopathic (M.D.), or Osteopathic (D.O.) type of proprietary Health Practitioner that practices what is essentially a Medical Specialty outside of Allopathic or Osteopathic Medicine.

The functional Difference between an Optometrist and a properly trained and certified Ophthalmologist is therefore very similar to the difference between a Cardiologist and Cardiac Surgeon, or a Neurologist and Neuro Surgeon.

Having considered the facts relating to these two professions, patients can ask the appropriate questions about their particular Eye Doctor’s training and other qualifications, and then make an informed decision as to which type of Eye Doctor they choose for their Eye and Vision Care.

There are generally 5 Paths To Generational Wealth In 'The Modern Global Economy' available to competitive entrepreneurs willing to put in the hard work necessary to build their own pathway to major financial success.

1. Get and maintain the best 'Day Job' that you can find. A good Day Job is essential to establishing the strong work ethic, responsibility, and competitiveness that will be necessary for you to eventually succeed in the highly competitive entrepreneurial and investing global marketplace. A good Day Job also provides the stability and steady income you will need until you can develop the other business and investment assets and attributes needed to become truly wealthy and create Generational Wealth. (click here to see more details). Some are fortunate enough to have a Day Job which affords them opportunities to develop their natural and extraordinary talents, resulting in significant amounts of income as professional athletes, musicians, entertainers, artists, producers, scientists, and innovators. These types of Day Jobs can provide accelerated access to Generational Wealth if managed properly. They may also provide opportunities to benefit from development and/or ownership of valuable Intellectual Capital and legally enforceable Intellectual Properties, the engines to successful Modern Global Business. (click here to see more details)
2. Learn and practice Self Directed & Controlled Investing (SDCI) in the World's best Capital Markets while maintaining liquid assets. Use your money to make money. The wealthiest people in the World have generally made their fortunes either directly or indirectly from investing in the Capital Markets. Investing in the Capital Markets allows you to legally buy as much ownership as you can afford in the World's best businesses, and no one can stop you from doing so. Investing is ultimately the most important aspect of gaining Generational Wealth. If you do not engage in SDCI or some other form of Capital Market Investing you are not playing in the right ballgame to become Wealthy and gain Generational Types of Wealth. Those who talk about, and think that they are Wealthy but do not have an organized business approach to investing in The Capital Markets are only fooling themselves and others about their prospects of becoming wealthy. (click here to see more details) and (click here for much more)
3. Some type of business operation must be developed to provide the revenue source needed to build Generational Wealth. In the modern global economy this will likely require learning and building an E-Commerce Marketing & Farming business operation. This will supplement your income from your Day Job, and provide more revenue to invest in the Capital Markets. These E-Commerce efforts will connect, utilize, and benefit from sales to the billions of online customers in the constantly growing global marketplace. (click here to see more details)
4. Learn and build a Video Marketing & Farming Business in the lucrative Media & Entertainment Space, and to assist your efforts in marketing Affiliate and Self Controlled Products & Services in your E-Commerce operations. The Video Productions can also serve as a direct source of income from YouTube and Social Media Platforms who need your content for their advertising efforts. (click here to see more details)
5. Learn and practice Government Contracting, and Grant Research & Writing to benefit from the many large Domestic and International sources of Government Contracts and Grants increasingly available in the modern global marketplace. (click here to see more details)

Conducting any successful business and sales transaction requires knowing 'What and Where is the Product or Service, and Who, Why, and Where is the Buyer'.

Many entrepreneurs believe that they will need a lot of resources and money to start and build a business operation that will bring Generational Wealth. This is not necessarily so since many of the biggest businesses have been started from 'Scratch". However if you think you need to raise significant capitalization and funding, click here and read the section on 'Private Businesses Seeking Capitalization & Funding'.

(Important Note - Some of the links in this article will require registration as our YouTube Channel Subscriber on the National Market Exchange (NMEX) platform. Click the Register Tab at the top right corner of this page or click here. Registration is free for our YouTube Subscribers.)

Also, our YouTube Subscribers can gain membership in The Hannaian Investment Research & Publishing Group (HIRPG) and full access to all of the special HIRPG SEC Protected Information, Training Guides, and Investing Strategies & Techniques at a 50% discount from the regular annual membership fee)

See our YouTube Channel Subscriber Support Information at: 
http://nationalmex.com/pages/view/59009/youtube-channel-videos-support-materials

The Music business and Industry is a large and historically important economic engine for the United States and the World. It has many factions and players involved to make it work successfully. The changing landscape of modern business practices, laws, international requirements, digital productions & deliveries, and monetization of these practices will  make it more difficult than ever for Musical Artists and others to properly manage their interests in their productions.

There are millions of participants in the Music Industry game, and anyone desiring to be successful must maneuver a myriad of actors, including record companies & manufacturers, recording labels, distributors, streamers, publishers, performing rights organizations, musicians, singers, songwriters, recording studios, engineers, promoters, performing venues, lawyers, managers, agents, and more.

In prior times Record Companies performed many of these functions and aspiring artists would attempt to get signed to a Record Company or Label in order to be successful in the Industry. Modern business and the digital revolution has significantly changed this approach. Now, Independent Artists have the Internet, YouTube, BandLab, and Social Media outlets and strategies to develop their businesses, promote, and sell their music & songs.

The advent of the Digital Revolution in the Music Industry may require another type of player to assist the aspiring Musician to maneuver the maze of factions in the Industry. The advent of Music & Song Curation and Curators is at hand.

Music & Song Curation involves taking better care of business by merging the traditional functions of the Industry with new and important elements of the digital revolution such as Blockchain entities, Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs), Music Fungible Tokens (MFTs), and even Cryptocurrencies. The new distribution, royalty management, copyright, intellectual property, investments & capital markets, and other business structural and operational impacts of this new revolution will require a different approach than the old Record Company operations. 

The vast new opportunities for Artist owned and/or endorsed products which can easily reach a worldwide audience if properly curated through online processes controlled by the Artist is becoming ever important for independently curated Artists.

The Music & Song Curator or some similar functionary will be indispensable in the new Industry, and particularly so due to the extensive and intricate changes in Intellectual Property management, new and involved domestic & internationally based Royalties, Royalty management & registrations, and monetization of the products & services of modern Music and associated performance issues and rights.

There is now more than ever, a need for Music & Song Curators who will be able to functionally operate and take care of the many factors and details involved and essential to the new Business of Music. This new breed of actors in the Music Industry will allow the necessary services to be housed mostly under one roof, thus facilitating the path for aspiring musicians to be successful in the industry.

Resources

One innovative company in the new music curation space utilizing a powerful online management portal and platform for Music & Song Curation is The Hannaian Fund. See more at http://hannaianfund.com/

One promoter of new social media technologies available for the management & promotion of owned and/or endorsed products published the following statistics as to the importance of Artists and Producers availing themselves of the new marketing and management tools available in the modern Social Media dominated digital marketplace (See more at https://www.thumzupmedia.com/current-brands).

I am proud and honored to be an American. Even more so, I am proud and honored to be a Black American.

It wasn't always this way because it is only in more recent years that I have given these concepts a lot of thought. As I have mentioned to some of my friends and other people who I trust would understand what I mean, I have asked them to take a very close look at me and tell me what they see. I joke that the "Older I become the Blacker I become". In other words the Older I become, the more I have come to appreciate what being Black and American means, and how it has allowed me and others similarly situated to positively contribute to the Country's and the World’s progress.

Black Americans hold a unique and somewhat enviable position among Blacks the World over. This is because we live, participate, influence, and contribute to the enormous impact the United States of America has upon the World and its progression.

The United States is truly a unique country considering the conglomeration of numerous ethnicities living together in what is the World's most successful multicultural community of extraordinarily talented people. Except for the Indigenous people, Americans have all moved from somewhere else at some point in time and made it our home. 'The Great American Experiment' has truly been a tremendous success. It has been so, no matter the difficulties derived from building a Country upon the combined work of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and White people. Despite widespread indoctrination, it has never been a "White" Country and certainly day by day it is becoming less "White", which of course is the reason a certain segment of the White population is somewhat concerned. They need not be in fear however, as they will still have all of the numerous benefits of the 'Great American Experiment', and in fact more so with time.

The contributions of Black Americans to the overall Economy of the United States is often overlooked, but the Spending Power of Black Americans alone has been estimated to be greater than that of the entire Economies of Countries as large as Canada, and Australia. But perhaps more remarkable, are the contributions of Black Americans to Global Democracy.

Historically, almost every major development in World Democracy and Civil & Human Rights can be related back to the battles and struggles for equal justice, and actions championed through the Black American Experience. 'The Black American Experience', is perhaps the most important element defining 'American Democracy', and what for many, has made The United States the leading model of 'Democracy' Worldwide.

The more we study the various Campaigns and Movements for Civil Rights and Democracy in America, the more we should realize, appreciate, and be grateful for the leadership, cultural power, influence, history, and uniqueness of the Black Experience in America. The founding, composition, and performance of the World’s largest and most powerful Multi Racial & Cultural society has had a profound and positive Global impact on the vicissitudes of life globally for Blacks and nonwhites, no matter in whatever Society, or Country they may be domiciled.

Yes, Black America with all its faults and historical problems has in fact been a powerful force in the development and progress of so much we all take for granted today. Those of us who are Black, and who are not afraid of being identified as Black, can indeed be proud of our accomplishments and contributions to World progress.

Can anyone imagine what life and progress would be for Blacks globally in a World dominated by European Colonialism without the influence of the Black American Experience, and the Power of Black America to equalize the equation? Yes, I am proud and honored to be an American, and even more so, I am proud and honored to be a Black American.

Update

VIP Guests Shoveling the hallowed grounds on the Banks of the Historic Coldwater River at the Groundbreaking of the NRBHOF & Entertainment Village Site

Blues legend Bobby Rush, Commissioner Willie Simmons, R&B legends Carla Thomas, and Eddie Floyd at the NRBHOF Site

Legendary STAX Recording Artist Carla Thomas and Diane Withers sit and share lunch at the NRBHOF Groundbreaking Reception.

The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (NRBHOF) has concluded the official Groundbreaking Ceremonies for its permanent home and Entertainment Village on the hallowed grounds of the Banks of the Historic Coldwater River in the Mississippi Delta. The Coldwater River in Quitman County was one of the important sites of the ‘Battle of The Yazoo Pass Expedition’ in the U.S. Civil War, the Country’s first Campaign for American Civil Rights.

The NRBHOF will begin a series of fundraising and joint ventures in partnership with Mississippi State & County Governments. The NRBHOF Foundation is also in talks with the Music, Entertainment, & Resort Industries, including Wall Street & other Industrial Partnerships to build out the Entertainment Village. These partnerships will also support its continuing Annual Induction ceremonies, and other important operations and activities.

See more at:
https://www.soultracks.com/story-rb-hall-of-fame-groundbreaking

https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/entertainment-news/rhythm-blues-hall-of-fame-11th-class-inducted-groundbreaking-new-site-marks-mississippi/522-32aa7bd2-8dd7-4b19-a1ab-d63a9b9950e7

Click to get big discounts on your Concert & Entertainment Tickets

The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in The Mississippi Delta 

VIP Guests Shoveling the hallowed grounds on the Banks of the Historic Coldwater River at the Groundbreaking of the NRBHOF & Entertainment Village Site

Blues legend Bobby Rush, Commissioner Willie Simmons, R&B legends Carla Thomas, and Eddie Floyd at the NRBHOF Site

Legendary STAX Recording Artist Carla Thomas and Diane Withers sit and share lunch at the NRBHOF Groundbreaking Reception.

The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (NRBHOF) has concluded the official Groundbreaking Ceremonies for its permanent home and Entertainment Village on the hallowed grounds of the Banks of the Historic Coldwater River in the Mississippi Delta. The Coldwater River in Quitman County was one of the important sites of the ‘Battle of The Yazoo Pass Expedition’ in the U.S. Civil War, the Country’s first Campaign for American Civil Rights.

The NRBHOF will begin a series of fundraising and joint ventures in partnership with Mississippi State & County Governments. The NRBHOF Foundation is also in talks with the Music, Entertainment, & Resort Industries, including Wall Street & other Industrial Partnerships to build out the Entertainment Village. These partnerships will also support its continuing Annual Induction ceremonies, and other important operations and activities.

See more at:
https://www.soultracks.com/story-rb-hall-of-fame-groundbreaking

https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/entertainment-news/rhythm-blues-hall-of-fame-11th-class-inducted-groundbreaking-new-site-marks-mississippi/522-32aa7bd2-8dd7-4b19-a1ab-d63a9b9950e7 

Click for big discounts on Concert & Entertainment Tickets

The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in The Mississippi Delta

The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame 
Announces the Site of its Permanent Home and Entertainment Village
By Harlington L. Hanna Jr., & DERC Editorial Staff

The establishment of a physical home for the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame is a monumental event in the history of the United States. It is more than the dream of any one person or group. It is a monument to the struggle for Civil Rights through the expressions of a particular genre of Music which has modeled the fight for Civil Rights in the United States and the World.

After several years of searching the United States for the right venue to build the official home of The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame and its associated Museum & Entertainment Village, Founder Lamont Robinson has announced the official Site. City and County officials have reached an agreement with Robinson for the Site of the permanent home for the Hall of Fame to be the Town of Marks, Mississippi. The Town of Marks is situated in Quitman County in the heart of the historic Mississippi Delta.

The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame was founded in 2010, and has inducted many of the most notable figures in Rhythm & Blues in annual Inaugural Ceremonies held in various Cities since its inception.

Robinson cited the tremendous history of the area related to Music and Civil Rights among several reasons for deciding to place the Hall of Fame in Marks.

Mississippi has established itself as the State that is the Birthplace of American Music, and has carefully researched and documented this history. The State has established official Historic Markers throughout the Region recognizing birthplaces and other connections to more than two hundred (200) notable artists in the genres of Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Gospel, Soul, and Country music. Most of these Markers are actually located in the famous Northwest Section of the State known as the Mississippi Delta. The number of famous artists that emanate from this area is especially noteworthy, considering the small population of the Region.

The Musical History of Quitman County includes being the home of Charlie Pride, Stephen Pride, Albert “Sunnyland Slim” Luandrew, John Lee Hooker, Earl Hooker, James Edward “Snooky” Pryor, Johnny Billington and other music legends.

John Lee Hooker’s song “Boogie Chillen” was in fact the first number one hit on the new Rhythm & Blues Billboard Charts in 1949, right after Billboard changed the name of its Black Music oriented “Race Records” Charts, to its new “Rhythm & Blues” Charts.

W.C. Handy “Father of the Blues” first discovered “Blues Music” just across the Quitman County Line at the Tutwiler Train Station in 1903.

Some researchers have also identified the Crossroads at Highway 6 and Highway 3 in Marks as the most likely location of a Real Blues Crossroads, representing the famed mythological “Robert Johnson Blues Crossroads”.

It was the vast Cotton Fields of Quitman County and other parts of the Mississippi Delta that first provided the environment that nurtured the Field Workers and encouraged them to sing and produce the songs and rhythms we now identify as Blues, Gospel, and Rhythm & Blues. It was this cultural and musical phenomenon that provided the basis for the prodigious economic success and profits of the U.S. Music Industry worldwide.

The City of Marks sits just east of the Blues Music Hub of Clarksdale Mississippi with its numerous Juke Joints. Other attractions include actor Morgan Freeman’s famous Ground Zero Blues Club and Restaurant, and the Delta Blues Museum, the Largest of its kind in the World. The only Grammy Museum outside of Los Angeles sits on the Campus of Delta State University in Cleveland Mississippi, just a short distance southwest of Quitman County. The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) with its significant history and archives is a short distance to the east of Marks. Both Universities are located on Highway 6 (US 278) as is Marks, and easily accessible. Amtrak’s City of New Orleans Express Train service provides daily trips between New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago, and makes daily stops conveniently in downtown Marks, providing easy access for visitors to the area.

Rhythm & Blues has also had a long history and association with the fight for Civil Rights in the United States and the World. Mississippi is noted for its significant Civil Rights History with major Battles fought in the first Civil Rights Campaign-The American Civil War.  Also, the Modern Civil Rights Movement was initiated by the Lynching of Emmett Till in the Mississippi Delta, among numerous other Historical Civil Rights Events. The Coldwater River and the Tallahatchie River, associated with these Historic Civil Rights Events, run through Marks and Quitman County.

The Coldwater River in Marks and Quitman County was a primary Site in “The Yazoo Pass Expedition Battle” near the end of The Civil War, directed by General Ulysses Grant in his attempt to end the Civil War by capturing Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Yazoo Pass Expedition is noted for it being thwarted by the Confederates sinking “The Star of The West” in the River to block the passage of the Union’s Expedition near the point where the Coldwater and Tallahatchie Rivers merge. The Star of The West was the historic ship which was fired on by Cadets of the Citadel with the first shots and battle starting the Civil War. They were trying to prevent it from delivering supplies and ammunition to Fort Sumter in the Charleston S.C. harbor. This point in the River is also near the place where famed Blues Legend Robert Johnson died and is buried at The Star of The West Plantation.

The permanent location of the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame and its Entertainment Village lies right next to the Coldwater River, site of the historic Yazoo Pass Expedition Battle in the Country's first Campaign for Civil Rights, the U.S. Civil War.

The Choctaw - Chickasaw Territorial Boundary established by Treaties between these important Native American Nations and the United States runs directly through Quitman County. The importance of the Native American presence in the Area is evidenced by several Indian Mounds, including a prominent one just south of Marks on the Coldwater River. The rhythms, innovations, and contributions of Native American Artists and Music are often overlooked by American Music Historians.

In addition to the Emmet Till Saga where he was killed and dumped into the River just South of Quitman County, the Tallahatchie River is also noted for its central theme in Bobbie Gentry’s blockbuster hit song “Ode to Billie Joe” and the related Movie. She sang about Billy Joe MacAllister jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge, throwing something off the Bridge into the River, and her spending a lot of time picking flowers and dropping them into the muddy water off the Bridge.

The nearby Bottomlands of the Tallahatchie River is also where famed American writer William Faulkner spent a lot of time hunting and socializing at his friend’s Hunting Lodge, and where he experienced much of what he wrote about in his books and mythological County of “Yoknapatawpha”.

The most recent History of Civil Rights notoriety associated with the area is the role that the City of Marks played in the origins and implementation of Martin Luther King’s “Poor People’s Campaign (PPC)”. The historic Mule Train Caravan also travelled from Marks to Resurrection City on the Washington Mall as part of the PPC in 1968.

The location of the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, Museum, and Entertainment Village in Marks and Quitman County will provide a natural, authentic, and historic platform for the Hall of Fame. The Founders intend to showcase the origins and future of Rhythm & Blues in a variety of specifically designed Educational and Interactive Experiences and Attractions, allowing visitors and tourists to partake in a truly historic Setting. 

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See the original posting of the following article at:
https://www.miamitimesonline.com/lifestyles/arts_culture/r-b-hall-of-fame-headed-to-mississippi-delta/article_59ce9164-2947-11ed-85cf-6f4fdbdbcd25.html 

R&B Hall of Fame headed to Mississippi Delta
Michael Goldberg The Associated Press
Aug 30, 2022 Updated Aug 31, 2022

A small town in the Mississippi Delta that has ties to the civil rights movement will soon be home to the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (NRBHF).

Project planners hope to finish building the facility in the town of Marks in two or three years, Velma Wilson, director of economic tourism and development for Quitman County, told The Associated Press

LaMont Robinson, CEO of the NRBHF

The project is the culmination of a 50-year effort to build a hall of fame for R&B musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin and B.B. King.

“There is no other hall of fame in the world that is primarily focused and dedicated to the history of R&B music on a national scale,” LaMont Robinson, CEO of the NRBHF, said in a news release. “My vision to build a hall of fame to honor R&B and its contributions to civil rights, America and the entire world is something that I don’t take lightly.”

Robinson founded the NRBHF in 2010. Since 2013, it has inducted more than 200 artists.

Marks appealed to Robinson due to its civil rights history. Martin Luther King Jr. chose the town in 1968 as the starting point for his Poor People’s Campaign, which demanded economic justice for poor Americans of all backgrounds. On March 31, 1968, in what would be his final Sunday sermon before his assassination, King described the poverty-stricken families he encountered in Marks.

“I was in Marks, Miss., the other day, which is in Quitman County, the poorest county in the United States. And I tell you I saw hundreds of Black boys and Black girls walking the streets with no shoes to wear,” King said at the National Cathedral in Washington. “I saw their mothers and fathers ... They raised a little money here and there; trying to get a little food to feed the children; trying to teach them a little something.”

The conditions in the cotton fields of Quitman County and other parts of the Mississippi Delta were the environment in which early civil rights activists and field workers produced music that’s now identified as blues, gospel and R&B, project planners said.

A digital rendering of the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in Marks, Miss. Organizers are aiming to complete the building in two to three years.
(A2H Engineers, Architects, Planners)

“It was this cultural and musical phenomenon that provided the basis for the prodigious economic success and profits of the U.S. music industry worldwide,” planners wrote in a document outlining the project.

“The Hall of Fame will be the catalyst to Delta tourism growth and opportunities, and a means to attract business and industry,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who represents Quitman County.

The city of Marks donated a minimum of 5 acres of land for the project.

According to an agreement reviewed by the AP, the Quitman County Economic Tourism and Development Agency secured a $500,000 appropriation from the Mississippi Legislature for infrastructure related to the project. The agency also hopes to secure an $11 million federal grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation to beef up development around the NRBHF.

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See the original posting of the following article at:
https://www.washingtoninformer.com/rb-hall-of-fame-to-be-erected-in-mississippi/

R&B Hall of Fame to be Erected in Mississippi

• City of Marks Chosen as Home for the State-of-the-Art Facility
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  by Sarafina Wright –Washington Informer Staff Writer
  August 31, 2022 

• Courtesy of the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame
• Fifty years in the making, the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (NRBHF) is coming to life.
• Founded in 2010, NRBHF will now have a permanent home in a state-of-the-art facility in Marks, Mississippi, according to its founder and CEO LaMont Robinson. 
• The body has inducted 200 artists including R&B icons like James Brown, Aretha Franklin and B.B. King.  
• The City of Marks-Quitman County has donated five acres of land known as Industrial Park and $500,000 from a state grant to jump-start what they call a one-of-a-kind international tourist attraction. 
• Robinson said NRBHF has additional partners to assist with funding and is currently conducting a Go Fund Me campaign to help complete this project. 
• The NRBHF’s groundbreaking ceremony will kick off the Annual Mules & Blues Fest on Sept. 30.  
• “I have been a long-time activist and advocate for preserving the history of rhythm and blues music and its legends. There is no other hall of fame in the world that is primarily focused and dedicated to the history of R&B music on a national scale,” Robinson said. 
• “This project won’t just be made up of showcases and photographs on the wall like you would find in a typical hall of fame or museum,” he said. “It will be highly interactive – virtual reality with holograms.”
• Robinson continued that his vision is to build an R&B Hall of Fame that acknowledges its contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.
• “R&B goes hand and hand with the Civil Rights Movement and one of the reasons for choosing Marks is the role that it played in Dr. Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign,” Robinson said. 
• Congressman Bennie Thompson, who represents Mississippi’s second district, said the Hall of Fame will be a catalyst to Delta tourism growth and opportunities and a means to attract businesses and industry. 
• “I am grateful to the founder and CEO LaMont Robinson and his board for having the vision to select Quitman County, which will be the “official home” of the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame,” he said. 
• Velma Benson-Wilson, Quitman County’s Economic and Tourism Director, echoed Thompson about the economic boost the Hall of Fame will bring for Marks-Quitman County and the state of Mississippi. 
• According to NRBHF, Benson-Wilson is working on a congressional bill to honor rhythm and blues artists from the Jim Crow era. 
• She also hopes to make Aug. 17 “Rhythm & Blues Artists’ Day.”
• NRBHF said many National R&B Hall of Fame inductees have supported the hall of fame’s erection including Marshall Thompson of The Chi-Lites, blues legend Bobby Rush and Dionne Warwick, who was inducted in 2019. 
• “First, let me say that I am honored to be included amongst the incredibly talented artists that hold the distinction of being inducted into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame,” Warwick said in a statement. 
• “It goes without saying, that the importance of this Hall of Fame being established gives recognition to the bodies of music that we as artists have been able to share with many who have and continue to support our careers,” she said.

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Congratulations
To
The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Foundation
The City of Marks
Quitman County, Mississippi
On
The Groundbreaking of the
NRBHOF Entertainment Village

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Although it is proffered by many that the Modern Civil Rights Movement began in the Mississippi Delta with the Chronicle of Emmet Till in 1955, Honest History tells us a different Story. The true, initial, and official Civil Rights Movement began many years earlier in 1860 with The War of Emancipation for Black Americans, otherwise termed, The Civil War.

Interestingly, The Mississippi Delta also played a pivotal role in this initial and official war for the Civil Rights of Black Americans.

At the Time of the War of Emancipation for Black Americans, Mississippi was one of the wealthiest States in the Country based primarily on its Cotton crop and the enslaved Blacks who toiled the Cotton Fields particularly in The Mississippi Delta. Mississippi essentially financed the operations of the Civil War for the Confederate Government. Vicksburg was essentially the Capital of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis former Mississippi Senator was the first and only President of the South and Government of the Confederate States of America. Helena Arkansas a Delta Town, was a Union stronghold, a refuge for thousands of freed slaves, and the training center and base of the first Black Regiments of the Union Military Forces.

The era of Reconstruction after the Civil War was designed to afford Black Americans the Right to Vote and a role in the governance of the reconstructed Union. The only two Black United States Senators during this period were both from the State of Mississippi.

The following excerpt from the Visit Mississippi Website is instructive. https://visitmississippi.org/things-to-do/history-culture/

'……African-American history in Mississippi is older than the state itself. The earliest African-Americans were brought here as slaves before statehood in 1817.

Less than a half-century after Mississippi was granted statehood, the nation erupted in Civil War. The war brought emancipation, and the slow road to civil rights began. In 1870, Hiram Revels of Natchez became the first African-American to serve in the United States Senate — even though African-Americans had not yet gained the right to vote and continued to live in a segregated society. Years later, Mississippians such as Ida B. Wells, Medgar Evers and James Meredith would help lead the charge to a more equal society.

Other African-Americans hailing from Mississippi would make major contributions to American culture. William Grant Still of Woodville, a prolific and respected classical composer, became the first African-American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra and the first to have a symphonic composition performed by a major orchestra. Richard Wright would become one of the leading writers of his generation, and later William Raspberry and Natasha Trethewey would win Pulitzer Prizes. The imprint that these and other African-American Mississippians have made on American history and culture continues to impact and enrich our lives today.

…….When Emmett Till was murdered in 1955, the people of Mississippi found themselves at the forefront of one of the most pivotal periods of American history. This tragic event is widely considered the igniting spark of the modern Civil Rights movement. While the death of Emmett Till made national headlines, it was not the only event to set the scene for this great struggle. Only months before Till’s death, Reverend George Lee of Belzoni was assassinated after registering to vote. Other events in Mississippi, from the murder of Medgar Evers in 1963 to the killing of the three Civil Rights workers in Neshoba County the following year, rallied those involved with the Civil Rights movement and brought more people to the cause. Half a century later, Mississippi is the embodiment of changing times. Today, Mississippi has more elected African-American officials than any other state in the country, as the civil rights movement continues as a strong element of political, social and daily life.

…….In a sense, the history of Mississippi is the history of America. It begins in prehistoric times, when vast herds of buffalo trampled and “traced” out a route known as the Natchez Trace. This same path would later be traveled by Native Americans, traders, missionaries, and early pioneers. Chickasaw and Choctaw, Scotch and Irish, slaves, and settlers have all called Mississippi home. Mississippi grew up with our nation. When the Mississippi Territory became the 20th state to join the union in 1817, it was comprised largely of the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. With statehood came an influx of Europeans – largely English, Scottish, and Irish – who sought opportunity in what was then the frontier of a rapidly growing country. The Magnolia State continued to leave its imprint on America, playing a pivotal role in the Civil War and later serving as the setting for some of the landmark events in the struggle for Civil Rights. Today, Mississippi is regarded as a unique and rich intersection of history, architecture, commerce, culture, and the arts.'

The Culture of the Mississippi Delta also played a pivotal role in the War for the Civil Rights of Black Americans. This culture as we know it today is rooted in the Area’s role as the Birthplace of American Music. The Blues, Country Music, Rock & Roll and Gospel all have their roots in Mississippi. Blues Music in particular is uniquely a Civil Rights phenomena and a critical element in the progress and impact of Black Americans on the Culture, History and Economy of the United States and The World.

The State of Mississippi has consolidated and documented the contributions and important artifacts of its music, literary, and civil rights chronicles and legends in Official Trails, Tours and Festivals throughout the State, facilitating the presentation and touring of these sites for visitors, tourists and researchers. Millions of people visit Mississippi annually for these purposes.

Civil Rights, The War & The Blues is an Honest History Tour, and an important part of telling The Honest History of The Mississippi Delta, The United States, and The World. 

Although it is proffered by many that the Modern Civil Rights Movement began in the Mississippi Delta with the Chronicle of Emmet Till in 1955, Honest History tells us a different Story. The true, initial, and official Civil Rights Movement began many years earlier in 1860 with The War of Emancipation for Black Americans, otherwise termed, The Civil War.

Interestingly, The Mississippi Delta also played a pivotal role in this initial and official war for the Civil Rights of Black Americans.

At the Time of the War of Emancipation for Black Americans, Mississippi was one of the wealthiest States in the Country based primarily on its Cotton crop and the enslaved Blacks who toiled the Cotton Fields particularly in The Mississippi Delta. Mississippi essentially financed the operations of the Civil War for the Confederate Government. Vicksburg was essentially the Capital of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis former Mississippi Senator was the first and only President of the South and Government of the Confederate States of America. Helena Arkansas a Delta Town, was a Union stronghold, a refuge for thousands of freed slaves, and the training center and base of the first Black Regiments of the Union Military Forces.

The era of Reconstruction after the Civil War was designed to afford Black Americans the Right to Vote and a role in the governance of the reconstructed Union. The only two Black United States Senators during this period were both from the State of Mississippi.

The following excerpt from the Visit Mississippi Website is instructive. https://visitmississippi.org/things-to-do/history-culture/

'……African-American history in Mississippi is older than the state itself. The earliest African-Americans were brought here as slaves before statehood in 1817.

Less than a half-century after Mississippi was granted statehood, the nation erupted in Civil War. The war brought emancipation, and the slow road to civil rights began. In 1870, Hiram Revels of Natchez became the first African-American to serve in the United States Senate — even though African-Americans had not yet gained the right to vote and continued to live in a segregated society. Years later, Mississippians such as Ida B. Wells, Medgar Evers and James Meredith would help lead the charge to a more equal society.

Other African-Americans hailing from Mississippi would make major contributions to American culture. William Grant Still of Woodville, a prolific and respected classical composer, became the first African-American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra and the first to have a symphonic composition performed by a major orchestra. Richard Wright would become one of the leading writers of his generation, and later William Raspberry and Natasha Trethewey would win Pulitzer Prizes. The imprint that these and other African-American Mississippians have made on American history and culture continues to impact and enrich our lives today.

…….When Emmett Till was murdered in 1955, the people of Mississippi found themselves at the forefront of one of the most pivotal periods of American history. This tragic event is widely considered the igniting spark of the modern Civil Rights movement. While the death of Emmett Till made national headlines, it was not the only event to set the scene for this great struggle. Only months before Till’s death, Reverend George Lee of Belzoni was assassinated after registering to vote. Other events in Mississippi, from the murder of Medgar Evers in 1963 to the killing of the three Civil Rights workers in Neshoba County the following year, rallied those involved with the Civil Rights movement and brought more people to the cause. Half a century later, Mississippi is the embodiment of changing times. Today, Mississippi has more elected African-American officials than any other state in the country, as the civil rights movement continues as a strong element of political, social and daily life.

…….In a sense, the history of Mississippi is the history of America. It begins in prehistoric times, when vast herds of buffalo trampled and “traced” out a route known as the Natchez Trace. This same path would later be traveled by Native Americans, traders, missionaries, and early pioneers. Chickasaw and Choctaw, Scotch and Irish, slaves, and settlers have all called Mississippi home. Mississippi grew up with our nation. When the Mississippi Territory became the 20th state to join the union in 1817, it was comprised largely of the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. With statehood came an influx of Europeans – largely English, Scottish, and Irish – who sought opportunity in what was then the frontier of a rapidly growing country. The Magnolia State continued to leave its imprint on America, playing a pivotal role in the Civil War and later serving as the setting for some of the landmark events in the struggle for Civil Rights. Today, Mississippi is regarded as a unique and rich intersection of history, architecture, commerce, culture, and the arts.'

The Culture of the Mississippi Delta also played a pivotal role in the War for the Civil Rights of Black Americans. This culture as we know it today is rooted in the Area’s role as the Birthplace of American Music. The Blues, Country Music, Rock & Roll and Gospel all have their roots in Mississippi. Blues Music in particular is uniquely a Civil Rights phenomena and a critical element in the progress and impact of Black Americans on the Culture, History and Economy of the United States and The World.

The State of Mississippi has consolidated and documented the contributions and important artifacts of its music, literary, and civil rights chronicles and legends in Official Trails, Tours and Festivals throughout the State, facilitating the presentation and touring of these sites for visitors, tourists and researchers. Millions of people visit Mississippi annually for these purposes.

Civil Rights, The War & The Blues is an Honest History Tour, and an important part of telling The Honest History of The Mississippi Delta, The United States, and The World. 

Helen Bartlett-Hanna
Harlington L. Hanna Jr.

Research Supported By:
Delta Ecology Research Conservancy
Hannaian Research Institute

Quitman County Mississippi situated in the heart of the famous Mississippi Yazoo Delta has a history of American Civil Rights and Music most small counties in the United States can only dream about. The Town of Marks is the County Seat and Capitol of Quitman County. Crenshaw, Sledge, Belen, Birdie, Darling, Hinchcliff, Lambert, Denton, and Vance are some of the other historic towns in the County. The county is named after John A. Quitman, Governor of Mississippi from 1835 to 1836 and from 1850 to 1851.

'The county was developed for cotton cultivation. Much of the bottomlands behind the riverfront were not developed until the late 19th century, and population continued to increase as the frontier was cleared and cultivated. The county reached its peak population in 1940. Agricultural mechanization reduced the need for farm labor, and workers were recruited to northern and midwestern industrial cities. Thousands of African Americans left in the Great Migration, many going upriver to St. Louis and Chicago.' (Wikipedia)

American Civil Rights

American Music has a long history and association with the fight for Civil Rights in the United States and the World. Mississippi is noted for its significant Civil Rights History with major Battles fought in the first Civil Rights Campaign-The American Civil War. The Coldwater River in Marks and Quitman County was a primary Site in “The Yazoo Pass Expedition Battle” near the end of The Civil War, directed by General Ulysses Grant in his attempt to end the Civil War by capturing Vicksburg, Mississippi. Mississippi and its Yazoo Delta was arguably the most important part of the Confederacy due to the importance of its lucrative Cotton Fields which provided significant Export income for the Fledgling United States, and much of the funding for the Confederate Civil War Campaign. At the time before the world became dependent on Oil, the phrase ‘Cotton is King’ was truly instructive. The Confederacy could not survive without the Delta’s contribution to the Cotton Economy of the United States, and certainly not without the massive number of enslaved Blacks working the Cotton Fields.

The Yazoo Pass Expedition is noted for it being thwarted by the Confederates sinking “The Star of The West” in the River to block the passage of the Union’s Expedition near the point where the Coldwater and Tallahatchie Rivers merge. The Star of The West was the historic ship which was fired on by Cadets of the Citadel with the first shots and battle starting the Civil War. They were trying to prevent it from delivering supplies and ammunition to Fort Sumter in the Charleston S.C. harbor. This point in the River is also near the place where famed Blues Legend Robert Johnson died and is buried at The Star of The West Plantation.

The Modern Civil Rights Movement was initiated by the Lynching of Emmett Till in the Mississippi Delta, among numerous other Historical Civil Rights Events. The Coldwater River and the Tallahatchie River, associated with these Historic Civil Rights Events, run through Marks and Quitman County.

In addition to the Emmet Till Saga where he was killed and dumped into the River just South of Quitman County, the Tallahatchie River is also noted for its central theme in Bobbie Gentry’s blockbuster hit song “Ode to Billie Joe” and the related Movie. She sang about Billy Joe McAllister jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge, throwing something off the Bridge into the River, and her spending a lot of time picking flowers and dropping them into the muddy water off the Bridge.

The Poor People's Campaign

The most recent History of Civil Rights notoriety associated with the area is the role that the City of Marks played in the origins and implementation of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Poor People’s Campaign (PPC)”. The historic Mule Train Caravan which travelled from Marks to Resurrection City on the Washington Mall as part of the PPC in 1968 was the crowning event of the Campaign which got its inspiration from Dr. King’s visits to Marks. 

'Martin Luther King Jr. originally wanted the Poor People's Campaign to start in Quitman County because of the intense and visible economic disparity there. On March 18, 1968, King visited the town of Marks, Mississippi. He watched a teacher feeding black schoolchildren their lunch, consisting only of a slice of apple and some crackers, and was moved to tears.' (Wikipedia)

American Music

Mississippi has established itself as the State that is the Birthplace of American Music, and the State has carefully researched and documented this history. The State has placed official Historic Markers throughout the Region recognizing birthplaces and other connections to more than two hundred (200) notable artists in the genres of Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Gospel, Soul, and Country music. Most of these Markers are located in the famous Northwest Section of the State known as the Mississippi Delta. The number of famous artists that emanate from this area is especially noteworthy, considering the small population of the Region.

The Musical History of Quitman County includes being the home of Charlie Pride, Stephen Pride, Albert “Sunnyland Slim” Luandrew, John Lee Hooker, Earl Hooker, James Edward “Snooky” Pryor, Johnny Billington and other music legends.

John Lee Hooker’s song “Boogie Chillen” was in fact the first number one hit on the new Rhythm & Blues Billboard Charts in 1949, just after Billboard changed the name of its Black Music oriented “Race Records” Charts, to the new “Rhythm & Blues” Charts.

W.C. Handy “Father of the Blues” first discovered “Blues Music” just across the Quitman County Line at the Tutwiler Train Station in 1903.

Some researchers have also identified the Crossroads and Park at Highway 6 and Highway 3 in Marks as the most likely location of a Real Blues Crossroads, representing the famed mythological “Robert Johnson Blues Crossroads”.

Quitman County and its Capitol City of Marks also sits in the middle of the recently established “Americana Music Triangle” where “history made music and music made history”. The Triangle is a Gold Record Music Tourism Road Trip which connects the people, places, and stories of American Music from Memphis to Nashville, through Muscle Shoals to New Orleans, and then through the Mississippi Delta back to Memphis.

It was the vast Cotton Fields of Quitman County and other parts of the Mississippi Delta that first provided the environment that nurtured early Civil Rights Activists, and Field Workers, motivating them to sing and produce the songs and rhythms we now identify as Blues, Gospel, Rhythm & Blues, and Country Music. It was this cultural and musical phenomenon that provided the basis for the prodigious economic success and profits of the U.S. Music Industry worldwide.

The connection between Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Country Music, and Religion is as strong a nexus as possible. It produced the Black and White Gospel Music and hymns that have permeated the Black church, and even the first and “Whitest Church” in America, the Episcopal Church, offspring of the Anglican Church, the Church of England.

Today the Gospel songs and hymns championed by the Mississippi Delta Enslaved and their Descendants can be heard in Churches of diverse Denominations throughout the United States and the World.

American Culture

The nearby Bottomlands of the Tallahatchie River on the Eastern Border of Quitman County is where famed American writer William Faulkner spent a lot of time hunting and socializing at his friend’s Hunting Lodge. It is where he experienced much of what he wrote about in his books and mythological County of “Yoknapatawpha”.

The Choctaw - Chickasaw Territorial Boundary established by Treaties between these important Native American Nations and the United States runs directly through Quitman County. The importance of the Native American presence in the Area is evidenced by several Indian Mounds, including a prominent one just south of Marks on the Coldwater River. The contributions of Native Americans to the establishment of American Civil Rights have often been overlooked. The rhythms, innovations, and contributions of Native American Artists and Musicians have also not been appropriately recognized by traditional American Music Historians.

The Town of Marks, the birthplace of Fred Smith founder of the FedEx company, sits just east of the Blues Music Hub of Clarksdale Mississippi with its numerous cultural attractions. These attractions include actor Morgan Freeman’s famous Ground Zero Blues Club and Restaurant, the Historic District of Playwright Tennessee Williams, and the Delta Blues Museum, largest of its kind in the World. The only Grammy Museum outside of Los Angeles sits on the Campus of Delta State University in Cleveland Mississippi, just a short distance southwest of Quitman County. The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) with its significant history and archives is a short distance to the east of Marks. Both Universities are located on Highway 6 (US 278) as is Marks, and easily accessible. Amtrak’s City of New Orleans Express Train service provides daily trips between New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago, and makes daily stops conveniently in downtown Marks, providing easy access for visitors to the area.

In recent times there have been mass movements to remove and/or replace monuments that represent elements of injustice to Black Americans and other Blacks or People of Color around the World. Considering the relative newness of the development of Countries in the Western Hemisphere compared to those in Europe, among the earliest and most prominent of such monuments are to Christopher Columbus who, according to European History, "Discovered" the New World. 

A recent attempt to remove one of the more prominent Monuments to Injustice occurred in Nassau Bahamas. The Bahamas is the Country where Columbus first landed in 1492 when he stepped ashore at San Salvador/Watlings Island in what is now the Bahamas.

On October 9, 2021 essentially the eve of what used to be Columbus Day in the Bahamas, and now National Heroes Day, an Activist calling himself Michael The Archangel attempted to demolish the 200 year old statue of Christopher Columbus which is displayed in front of Government House in Downtown Nassau. He used a sledge hammer to remove an arm and a leg and caused other damage to the monument before being apprehended.

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A photo from social media showing police at the scene at Government House 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYfX5pTMbjo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pn9dzxXgcg

For years many had advocated removing this Statue. One irony of the situation was that it had originally been protested against by many prominent White Citizens of the early Bahamas, but for reasons other than more recent Activists' complaints about Columbus having been a person of disreputable intentions and actions.

The Statue was originally placed at Government House by an Early Abolitionist, Governor Sir James Carmichael Smyth who had been aggressive in trying to stop the mistreatment of enslaved peoples, even going to the extent of punishing many White Slave owners for their actions. The Monument was originally intended to be a Statue of the Governor himself which garnered donations from many Blacks who supported it being erected in his image. He decided instead to commission and erect a monument to Christopher Columbus.

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Immediately after the event on October 9, 2021, many in the Bahamas lauded the Activist's bravery and actions and called for the Government to release him. A Folklore song commending the action was immediately published, in addition to other complements calling Michael 'a Hero', and Columbus 'a Zero'.

A major irony of this development is that unlike other Monuments of Injustice removed around the World, which were erected by White Supremacists, this monument was apparently erected by someone who opposed the injustices of Slavery.

The rising phenomenon of Honest History Tourism, where many tourists, particularly Black Americans, and those attracted to more accurate and equitable depictions of historical places and events will benefit from situations such as this new development in the Bahamas.

The authors of this article propose that the Government of The Bahamas assist in this Honest History Movement by either leaving the Statute where it is in its damaged condition, or remove it to a museum and display it with videos of the attempted demolition so that Honest History Tourists can better review and understand the circumstances surrounding its existence. Tourists can also benefit by leaving the original Pedestal in place with a Historic Plaque marking the spot and environment where the Statue was originally located.

See the following Article as originally published at:
https://www.everythingbahamian.com/blog-1/w9iuk1l86t2m29kl0jsxmgrjchw50r

Also see:
https://bahamianology.com/armed-guards-to-protect-columbus-statue-nassau-1832/

The History behind the statue of Christopher Columbus

JUNE 02, 2020 BY ALEXIS CLARKE

Many Bahamians question why the Christopher Columbus statue exists and what is the importance behind it being at Government house, and rightly so considering Columbus  didn’t discover The Bahamas  and also made no positive contribution to what this country is today.

The history of the statue is tied with Sir James Carmichael Smyth, slaves in The Bahamas and another statue the Queen Victoria in parliament square.

Sir James Carmichael Smyth was appointed Governor of The Bahamas in 1829. Smyth was a known sympathizer with the cause of slaves and a keen abolitionist, because of this he found himself to be the enemy of many influential whites. 

Smyth also worked to abolish corporal punishment for female slaves, Smyth tried without success to persuade the House of the Assembly to legislate against it.

in 1830 Smyth became aware of cruelty towards female slaves among a group of 77 runaways from the Lord Rolle estate in Exuma. The slaves, who had stolen a boat and fled to Nassau, were seized in Nassau Harbour and tried as runaways. ‬

‪The magistrates who signed the warrant for the punishment of the female slaves were suspended by Smyth. Smyth's actions caused an uproar

Smyth was described as a pre emancipation hero for attacking the atrocities of slavery and providing leniency for runaway slaves. He also dismissed the police magistrate and several municipal judges for defiance of these orders. 

Carmichael Smyth frequently worshipped with the black congregation on Sundays, the ruins of this church are located at the junction of Carmichael and Gladstone road and are incorporated into the structure of St. Ambrose Anglican Church. 

To show gratitude the black people collected a great amount of funds which they gave to Carmichael Smyth to have a monument made. It is my assumption that the black Bahamians assumed that he would have a monument sculpted of himself but instead  he had a statue of Christopher Columbus sculpted. 

The statue was originally meant to be in parliament square but the rich whites were disgusted with the thought of a statue paid for by black people would be at the House of Parliament entrance. So instead the wealthy whites erected a statue of Queen Victoria where it still remains. 

As a result Sir James Carmichael Smyth moved his gift to pecks slope near Government house

Information retrieved from “The African diaspora of The Bahamas” by Keith L. Tinker

 

The Statue of Christopher Columbus which stands on the steps leading to Government House, was modelled in London by the Aide to Washington Irving, and presented to The Bahamas in 1830 by one of its Governors, Sir James Carmichael Smythe.