Bay St. Louis Once again, the ACORN family of organizations in North
America travelled to New Orleans for the annual Year End / Year Begin Meeting. Most of the 22 folks from the various organizations stayed at the camp near Pearl River with others booming in from New Orleans, Slidell, and an Airbnb in Waveland, Mississippi nearby. At the last minute, we realized that we had grown to the point, with cold and inclement weather predicted, that we might be too many to squeeze into the living room, and it was likely too risky to believe we could meet outside. I started calling the community center in Pearlington, which turned out to have several other emergency recovery centers in the county. I also called around to the Hancock County libraries that had meeting places ins several area cities. I was way, way too late for a booking, even though they were all nice and helpful as they could be, while teaching me a lesson for next year. Mi companera remembered a place we had once been to nearby for some event or something. It was called the 100 Men Hall. She gave them a cold call, and we got lucky.
The 100 Men Hall turned out to be a great venue for what all participants rated as an outstanding meeting. Even better for all of us, the Hall had a great and historic story of its own, which added even more flavor and depth to the meeting. The owner, Rachel Dangermond, had purchased the hall in 2018 and with the prior owners had revived its more than 100-year history that originally began as a burial society organized by a dozen Black men in the late 1800s, when such policies and protections were not sold to Black families. She told us that the 100 Men build the hall 1922. The spot became a standard stop on the so-called Chitlin Circuit for Black blues and soul singers and acts during the Jim Crow era. James Booker, Etta James, James Brown, and scores of others made their way through Bay St. Louis on their way to and from New Orleans and other points in the Delta.
Our staff was enamored of the place. They walked around looking at the murals, event posters, and banners along with other music and African-American memorabilia with their eyes agog and their mouths wide open. They took selfies in front of some of the murals. They bought souvenirs like t-shirts and stickers. We went from a potential uncomfortable disaster to a huge fan favorite with a touch of history and a deep cultural dimension.
It was an ACORN meeting that fit the location like glove.
