Hattiesburg civil rights icon at Freedom Trail marker unveiling: 'Act in spite of your fear'

Hattiesburg sisters Dorie Ladner and Joyce Ladner were key figures in the 1960s civil rights movement in Mississippi. Although the movement is over, the sisters continued to work toward better civil liberties for Black Americans and other marginalized communities.

On Friday, the sisters were honored by the city of Hattiesburg and the state of Mississippi with a Freedom Trail marker as a tribute to their dedication to equal rights for all.

"Thank you for being here," Mayor Toby Barker told Joyce Ladner during the marker's unveiling. "Thank you for allowing us, as your community, to honor you and your sister. And more importantly, thank you for the work you did, the courage you showed and the vision to see what could be."

Joyce Ladner, 80, was able to attend the event on what would have been her sister's 82nd birthday. Dorie Ladner died in March.

Dorie Ladner's daughter Yodit Churnet came to represent her mother, and thanked the Hattiesburg community for honoring her mother.

"She always remembered where she came from," Churnet said of her mother, who brought her daughter to Hattiesburg throughout her childhood to "educate" her. "The fight is not over. Continue and stay strong."

Joyce Ladner shared some of her experiences during the civil rights era and said she was grateful for the marker that honored her and her sister, whom she praised for being a "warrior woman."

"Courage does not mean you are unafraid," she said. "Courage means that you act in spite of your fear. I want to thank you for honoring us. It is most important when you are honored by your own kind."

The marker is at 507 Mobile St., which was known as the Woods Guest House during Freedom Summer. It is a stop on the Hattiesburg 1964 Freedom Summer Trail and the location of a bench donated by author Toni Morrison as part of her Bench by the Road Project.

"This bench was placed 15 years ago to do just what we're doing here today — to honor those who contributed to the struggle for civil rights, to the acquisition for civil rights for Black people in this country," Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado said.

Delgado said she is proud to call the Ladner sisters "home girls" and appreciates the work they have done throughout their lifetime. She encouraged residents to continue helping the Mobile Street area and Ward 2 residents rebuild the once-thriving area.

As teens, the Ladner sisters formed the youth chapter of the Forrest County NAACP, where Clyde Kennard, who attempted to integrate the University of Southern Mississippi, was their supervisor.

Rebecca Tuuri, associate professor of history at USM and associate dean of the USM Honors College, also serves on the Freedom Trail Scholarly Review Committee. She said the decision to honor the Ladners with a marker was unanimous.

"The Ladner sisters were remarkable for their work before, during and after the civil rights movement," Tuuri said.

One of the events they organized was a quiet prayer meeting in support of the Tougaloo 9, who went to integrate the Jackson Library. More than 700 Jackson State University students attended the meeting. The sisters were kicked out of JSU and enrolled in Tougaloo College.

Joyce Ladner later became the provost and interim president of Howard University. Dorie Ladner became a social worker in Washington, D.C., but also continued to advocate for civil rights.

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This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Hattiesburg's Ladner sisters honored with Freedom Trail marker