Mississippi Trailblazers announced for 2019

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Mississippians who have helped make strides in diversity, cultural engagement and racial reconciliation will be honored at an awards ceremony this month.

The 17th annual “Mississippi Trailblazers” will honor six residents of the state during its banquet.

Those honorees include Chief of the Mississippi Highway Patrol Colonel Chris Gillard, Elois Mayfield with the Mayfield LawFirm, and assistant provost at the University of Mississippi. Doctor Donald Cole.

Organizers said it’s important to honor those who help bring people together, despite political, cultural and other differences.

“This is our way of bringing various segments of the community together, black, white, Republican, Democrat, just all different segments of the community so we can celebrate our differences and celebrate our diversity. We probably have some differences and disagree on a lot of issues, but this is our way of coming together and saying, that a lot of those things don’t matter if we can just agree to disagree,” said an organizer of the event Rev. James Hull.

The Mississippi Trailblazers awards banquet is set for April 27 at the Bancorpsouth Conference Center in Tupelo.