William A Goolsby

Louise Strickland

Kiziah Newton

Professor "Fess" Strickland

She wasn’t just Professor in name. She was a teacher, a guide, a leader, and a protector… the Mayor of Birch Street.

Amanda Goolsby

Born enslaved and buried free, Amanda Wilkerson Davenport outlived slavery, Reconstruction, and the loss of ten children to become the matriarch of a liberated lineage

Jacob (Jack) Davenport

Born enslaved, Jack Davenport endured the horrors of bondage and emerged from emancipation to build a legacy rooted in resilience. From sharecropping fields to quiet gardening in his later years, he carried his family through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and loss—leaving behind a lineage of strength, survival, and silent resistance.

Tye Goolsby

Essex Suggs

Born into the shadows of slavery, Essex Suggs spent his life working Mississippi’s cotton fields, raising nine children through the trials of Jim Crow and sharecropping. He lived long enough to witness the dawn of civil rights, leaving behind a legacy rooted in endurance and quiet strength.