A Hero of the Civil Rights Movement
He served as spokesman for Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice
By Roscoe Barnes III
Special to The Natchez Democrat
Special to The Natchez Democrat
(Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, pages 1A, 6A)
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James Lee Stokes (1928 to 2023) was an Army veteran, a
businessman, deacon, minister, and spokesman for the Natchez Deacons for
Defense and Justice during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Photos
courtesy of Courtny Smith, Stokes’ granddaughter
NATCHEZ, Miss. — The Rev. James Lee Stokes will be
remembered for his leadership and the sacrifices he made in the struggle
for freedom and justice during the civil rights movement of the 1960s,
according to the people who knew him.
He will also be remembered as an armed protector of the
Black community and the much-quoted spokesman for the Natchez Deacons for
Defense and Justice. The Deacons were a paramilitary organization that provided
armed protection for civil rights workers and the Black community.
“James Stokes done gone, but his human rights work
lives on,” said his longtime friend, Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-Clifford M.
Boxley. He described Stokes as a “Natchez Mississippi modern civil rights
movement hero.”
Stokes died on Thursday, Sept. 21, at the age of 95. His
funeral was held Tuesday, Oct. 2, at Zion Hill Baptist Church #1.
Stokes was born in 1928 to parents who were
share-croppers on a plantation near Natchez. He served in the U.S. Army and
later graduated from Natchez College, according to his obituary. In addition to
working for many years as a car salesman, he served as an active member of the
NAACP. During the civil rights movement, he reportedly ran a gas station. He
also became a deacon and associate minister at Zion Hill.
Courtny Smith, granddaughter of Stokes, said he was
“a very loving and caring person that loved all of his family
dearly.” As he grew older, he became more of a comedian, she said, noting
he always had a good story to tell.
“He was a man of God,” Smith said. “He
wanted everyone to know the word of God and to hear about how good God has been
to him and how much of a blessing it is to be here at 95.”
Smith said her grandfather will be remembered by all the
things he has done in this community as a minister, NAACP activist, and as a
veteran. “He will forever be remembered and missed daily,” she said.
Pillar in the community
William Terrell, publisher of The Bluff City Post,
said Stokes was a great friend, a family man, and a fearless leader in the
civil rights movement.
“I have known Mr. James Stokes for most of my
life,” Terrell said. “He was a friend of my late sisters and
brothers-in-law. They traveled in the same circles during those early days, and
I had a chance to also develop a relationship with him.
“Mr. Stokes was a bold advocate for civil rights,
and he was not afraid to speak out about the injustices that were so prevalent
during those times. His journey led him to become a member of the Deacons for
Defense. In addition, he was also a minister who voiced his concerns for
justice.”
Terrell said Stokes would often come by the Bluff City
Post just to talk and make his views known. “We have lost a trailblazer,
one who taught us that determination is better than fear,” Terrell said.
According to Bobby Dennis, director of the Natchez Museum
of African American History and Culture, Stokes was a man with a good
reputation and a strong community leader. “He was one of our
community’s less talked-about leaders during the civil Rights Era as well
as a pillar of the Woodlawn District,” Dennis said.
remembered for his leadership and the sacrifices he made in the struggle
for freedom and justice during the civil rights movement of the 1960s,
according to the people who knew him.
Black community and the much-quoted spokesman for the Natchez Deacons for
Defense and Justice. The Deacons were a paramilitary organization that provided
armed protection for civil rights workers and the Black community.
lives on,” said his longtime friend, Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-Clifford M.
Boxley. He described Stokes as a “Natchez Mississippi modern civil rights
movement hero.”
funeral was held Tuesday, Oct. 2, at Zion Hill Baptist Church #1.
share-croppers on a plantation near Natchez. He served in the U.S. Army and
later graduated from Natchez College, according to his obituary. In addition to
working for many years as a car salesman, he served as an active member of the
NAACP. During the civil rights movement, he reportedly ran a gas station. He
also became a deacon and associate minister at Zion Hill.
“a very loving and caring person that loved all of his family
dearly.” As he grew older, he became more of a comedian, she said, noting
he always had a good story to tell.
wanted everyone to know the word of God and to hear about how good God has been
to him and how much of a blessing it is to be here at 95.”
things he has done in this community as a minister, NAACP activist, and as a
veteran. “He will forever be remembered and missed daily,” she said.
said Stokes was a great friend, a family man, and a fearless leader in the
civil rights movement.
life,” Terrell said. “He was a friend of my late sisters and
brothers-in-law. They traveled in the same circles during those early days, and
I had a chance to also develop a relationship with him.
and he was not afraid to speak out about the injustices that were so prevalent
during those times. His journey led him to become a member of the Deacons for
Defense. In addition, he was also a minister who voiced his concerns for
justice.”
Post just to talk and make his views known. “We have lost a trailblazer,
one who taught us that determination is better than fear,” Terrell said.
of African American History and Culture, Stokes was a man with a good
reputation and a strong community leader. “He was one of our
community’s less talked-about leaders during the civil Rights Era as well
as a pillar of the Woodlawn District,” Dennis said.
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| James Lee Stokes |
Denise Jackson Ford, daughter of slain Natchez civil
rights leader, Wharlest Jackson Sr., described Stokes as a “gentle
giant” who was involved in the safety of many Blacks who fought for the
rights to vote.
rights leader, Wharlest Jackson Sr., described Stokes as a “gentle
giant” who was involved in the safety of many Blacks who fought for the
rights to vote.
for others,” Ford said. “Reverend Stokes will be truly missed. There
was already a void due to his absence from his church and community.”
Stokes was often quoted and featured in articles and books about Mississippi
history.
Deacons for Defense: Armed Resistance and the Civil Rights Movement” (UNC
Press, 2004).
the Deacons,” Hill wrote. “A well-spoken, articulate man with a flair
for the dramatic, he had honed his leadership abilities as a church deacon and
choir director and union steward, and he had traveled extensively around the
world in the army’s entertainment unit from 1953 to 1955.”
Deacons officially organized, Stokes established a chapter of the Deacons in
Woodville. This chapter, Hill wrote, went on to recruit about 40 members from
Woodville, Centreville, and rural areas in Wilkinson County.
Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi” (Simon &
Schuster, 2020).
following the bombing of George Metcalfe’s car by the Ku Klux Klan in August
1965, Stokes found himself in “the thick of things,” wrote Grant. He
said that Stokes was “trying to stop white motorists from getting hurt and
trying to keep the white police from attacking the rioters.”
successful movement in Mississippi, and the Deacons played a significant role
in that success, according to historians.
held “vivid and powerful” memories of the civil rights era, including
the contributions of the Deacons, noted Grant. “James Stokes, and the
other surviving Deacons, were often approached in public and thanked for their
courage and achievements,” he wrote.
words: “It was my honor to meet him. May he now rest in peace.”
Murders Along the Mississippi River in the 1960s” (LSU Press, 2016),
commented on Stokes’ work as a Natchez Deacon. He explained that Stokes and the
other Deacons were committed and ready to do what was necessary for their
cause.
Deacons provided protection and support to many communities by making sure
marchers, activists and ordinary citizens were protected from harm in the quest
for equal rights,” Nelson said. “The Deacons’ mission was to protect
and not to attack, but if the Klan wanted a fight, Deacons like Mr. Stokes were
always ready to battle.”
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