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The Town of Whitehall is planning an ancestry exhibit in March, and coordinating an effort aimed at honoring the men and women who inspired generations of Lowndes County residents who would follow in their courageous footsteps.

The Gallery of Heroes Lowndes County Ancestry Exhibition is slated for March 22 at the historic Mt. Gillard Missionary Baptist Church. Coinciding with the Lowndes County segment of the Selma to Montgomery March Commemoration Event, the gallery is planned to commemorate and honor family members who shaped Lowndes County’s history.

Theresa Gresham-Nettles, one of the event’s organizers, said the gallery will feature family tree displays created by local residents. And while the focus is planned to highlight key area figures of the civil rights movement, the exhibit is open to any Lowndes County residents.

“It is part of the events taking place during the Selma to Montgomery March Era Commemoration time, and so it is [aimed at] highlighting more of the civil rights leaders and families,” Nettles said. “But even if the family member wasn’t a civil rights leader, what they call a foot solder, families that lived in Lowndes County during that era [lived through events of the movement].”

Nettles explained that rural residents often consider themselves related, even if the connection is vague or distant. Often people find that there is no actual blood connection and many, she said, are hesitant to embrace their family history.

“A lot of people are not proud of their family history,” she explained. “But for this exhibit, it doesn’t have to be that your family member is someone famous. We’re not looking for anything fancy.”

People of all races and cultures participated in the civil rights movement, Nettles noted. The emphasis for the gallery is intended to get citizens involved and to help them discover their place in the area’s rich history.

“People of all ethnic groups and from different cultures came to help in the march,” she said. “We may not know the families. They may have been in Lowndes County and could be Black or white, we can’t assume they didn’t take part in the civil rights movement.

“I just had a meeting with one of my elders. He was my grandfather’s brother, the youngest and the only one still living. I didn’t know he was one of the foot soldiers, simply because life gets so busy. People’s pain is so deep that they don’t want to talk about certain things until you ask.”

Lowndes County Public Schools will be working with students interested in creating a display. Nettles said community members seeking information on how to create a family tree may find resources at their local library.

The exhibition will be on display at Mt. Gillard Missionary Baptist Church at 8376 highway 80 West, March 22 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Other events commemorating Lowndes County’s involvement in the civil rights movement are planned in the area for March 22-23.

Award will be given for gallery entries in two categories: most creative and most detailed. Registration by March 8 is required.

For additional information call Nettles at (334) 717-1559 or visit https://form.jotform.com/243444020417143 to register.