Welcome Home, Classmates.
Two Schools. One Historic Journey. One Lasting Legacy.
Still Gathering, Still Growing
From a banquet in 1981 to a cruise ship deck today.
What started as an evening among classmates has become a full travel experience. Along the way, the way we gather, why we gather, and how we preserve our history have all grown together.
The tenth reunion in 1981 was themed “Reunited.” From there, the reunions settled into a familiar rhythm: meet-and-greets, banquets, Sunday worship, picnics, class meetings, and visits to African American museums. Beginning with the 42nd, our gatherings took on a deeper purpose — scholarships, memorials, and community investment. The 47th brought our first cruise. The 55th brought the Gulf Coast.
Our Six Promises
Where we’ve been, who we are, and the legacy we leave.
Together, these promises preserve not only where we’ve been, but who we are — and the legacy we leave for those who follow.
01
Preserve Our History
The two schools, the neighborhoods, Sadie V. Thompson, integration, and every classroom that made us — held in one permanent place.
02
Honor Our Reunions
Every gathering from the 1981 tenth reunion through the Gulf Coast — programs, photos, and the stories behind them.
03
Celebrate Our Service
71 scholarships, the Natchez Stewpot, Youth Leadership, and the Veterans Day service the legacy this class has built by giving back.
04
Remember Our Own
133 classmates named on the memorial roll, plus full tributes for the classmates whose stories the class has carried in words.
05
Keep Us Connected
Monthly Natchez meetups, Chicago crews, birthdays, weddings, book signings, and every small get-together between reunions.
06
Belong To All Of Us
This is a living archive. Every classmate can add a photograph, a memory, or a name we're still missing.
Our story, before a single paragraph explains it
Three galleries. One story, in sequence.
Every member of the Class of 1971 began this journey in classrooms filled with hope. Though we came from different neighborhoods and different schools, we became one remarkable class.
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Gallery One
Where Our Journey Began
Every member of the Class of 1971 began this journey in classrooms filled with hope. Different neighborhoods, different schools one remarkable class.
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Gallery Two
Natchez: The Place That Shaped Us
From the Mississippi River and the Natchez Bluff to churches, hangouts, museums, and reunion venues the city that shaped our lifelong bond.
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Gallery Three
Celebrating Our Journey Together
From reunions back home in Natchez to cruises near and far, our class has kept finding reasons to gather still together, still friends, still connected.
01
History
Two schools, one class, and a shared journey through integration preserved in full for the classmates who lived it and the generations who come after.
Why this site matters
History. Legacy. Connection.
02
Legacy
71 scholarships, $35,100 given. The Stewpot. Youth Leadership. Veterans Day. Everything this class has chosen to give back over more than five decades.
03
Connection
Every reunion, every meetup, every photo in one place, kept current by the classmates who show up for each other year after year.
Our Reunion Committee
"Two schools carried our names for one year. Fifty-five years later, we’re still one class."
The Class of 1971
Featured Chapters
A few doorways in.
Latest Reunion
The 55th Gulf Coast Gathering
Biloxi, April 2026 — the most recent chapter in a tradition that started in 1981 and hasn't stopped since.
Legacy of Service
71 Scholarships, $35,100 Given
What began as five $500 scholarships grew into Youth Leadership, veterans support, and the Natchez Stewpot.
Memorial Tribute
133 Names We Remember
A quiet place for the classmates who are no longer with us — remembered at every reunion, and here, always.
This becomes living history ,with you.
History displayed is a museum. History you can add to is a family.
A few small ways to step in.
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Find Yourself
Tag classmates in the elementary and yearbook class photos as we identify them help us put names to faces before those names are lost.
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Share a Memory
Your favorite teacher. The football game everyone still talks about. What your street looked like in 1965. Tell us it becomes part of the record.
Thank You For Visiting
"The separation was temporary, and it was never ours to choose. Everything since has been ours to decide unity, connection, and a legacy of service are the ones we keep choosing."