Congratulations on graduating from high school!


The reason I asked how far you are from Tupelo is that in April 1936 a tornado killed at least 216 people in Tupelo, MS.

However that number, 216, is based on the names of the white victims listed in the Tupelo Daily Journal. There are probably many more African American victims.


Back in 2003 a couple of college students went to the south side of Lake Okeechobee to research the 1928 West Palm Beach / Okeechobee hurricane. The death toll had been estimated at 1,836 for that hurricane. But the students counted over 2,500 tombstones with the correct date of the hurricane where the old labor camps were.

I bet if you and a couple of friends formed a team this summer and went to Tupelo African-American churches and churchyards you could document and name a lot of the African-Americans who died in that tornado. Be a heck of an accomplishment!
Member Since: 9 août 2011 Posts: 25 Comments: 3304