Native Tallahatchian John L. Barnes, Mississippi State University’s first Black graduate, was honored earlier this year by the MSU Black Alumni Association with the naming of its biannual luncheon.
The Dr. Richard Holmes-John Barnes Brunch pays tribute to Holmes, the first African American student to enroll at MSU in 1965, and Barnes, the first Black student to graduate there on June 2, 1968. Holmes graduated the following year.
Barnes, whose diploma bears the name Johnny Barnes, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the MSU College of Arts and Sciences.
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He grew up about 10 miles north of Charleston, attended Sherman Creek Elementary School and was valedictorian of his 1964 graduating class at Allen-Carver High School, which operated on the campus of the present-day Charleston Middle School.
Barnes taught briefly at Allen-Carver before launching his corporate career in the New York City area, where he resides today.
Barnes said his brother, Aaron, was the third Black student to graduate from MSU. He also was a 1964 graduate of Allen-Carver.
The Society of African American Studies celebrated Barnes, Holmes and others as part of MSU's Black Alumni Weekend 2024. The brunch was held Saturday, Feb. 17, and featured a segment introducing the "Ring Your Bell and Tell Your Tale" program, aimed at recording and sharing the history of MSU's Black pioneers from 1965-1975.
Partners in the undertaking are Mississippi State University Libraries; Archives and Special Collections; Alumni Affairs; The Society of African American Studies; Access, Opportunity, and Success; University Television Center; and Office of Public Affairs.
The Sun-Sentinel learned of Barnes' honor through a May 20 email from him.
Although he lives about 1,000 miles away, Barnes said he still considers himself "100% a local product" of Charleston and Tallahatchie County.
