The Historic Natchez Foundation and the Mississippi State Department of Health invite you to provide your input from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Zion Chapel AME at 228 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.

Please join us for this second community forum on the Adams County Civil Rights Project. Both organizations value and need input from the local community. Your voice and opinion will be heard regarding several different subjects.

Mississippi and Natchez have lengthy histories related to the Civil Rights Movement including a variety of important sites, events, experiences and even objects. Many of our citizens who experienced this historic movement firsthand are still with us today.

We need all contributions and ideas to assist in identifying Civil Rights sites for the Adams County Civil Rights Project. This project includes the development of a site survey, thematic National Register of Historic Places nomination and Civil Rights Trail.

Working in tandem with the Historic Natchez Foundation, the Mississippi State Department of Health is leading a health impact assessment on the project. The Health Impact Assessment complements the nomination process to ask: How can a Civil Rights Register and Trail become a community tool to address disparities and health inequities, including community cohesion, education, economic development and access to physical activity.

The first community forum held at Holy Family Catholic Church was a major success. HNF and the Department of Health received valuable input concerning Civil Rights history in Natchez Adams County and benefitted from the overall discussion. The second forum will feature a keypad audience response system for participants to answer prepared questions. Additionally, the group welcomes community input in the form of physical documents, photographs or other objects that will be scanned or photographed and immediately returned.

Light refreshments will be provided and door prizes will be up for grabs at this community forum. Public input will produce noticeable results and benefit the overall project and Natchez Adams County. The Historic Natchez Foundation and the Mississippi State Department of Health recognize the importance of individual involvement, and we look forward to our continued partnership with the Natchez-Adams County community.

The Health Impact Assessment is administered by the Mississippi State Department of Health with a grant from the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The Historic Natchez Foundation’s National Register project is being completed with assistance from the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.

CHASE KLUGH is director of preservations for the Historic Natchez Foundation.