House Concurrent Resolution 31

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE DISTINGUISHED CAREER AND MERITORIOUS LEADERSHIP OF MS. PAMELA D.C. JUNIOR UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS.

WHEREAS, Pamela D.C. Junior retired as the director of the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson on June 30, 2023, after selflessly dedicating three years of illustrious service and competent guidance to the wonderful people of the State of Mississippi and others who visited the museum; and

WHEREAS, in 2017, Ms. Junior was named the inaugural director of the first state-sponsored civil rights museum in the nation, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, and she came to the role after serving as director of the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center for seventeen years; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Junior was promoted to director of the Two Mississippi Museums in 2019, where she continued the work of sharing the stories of Mississippi told in the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum; and

WHEREAS, before she became director, Ms. Junior graduated from Jackson State University with a bachelor of science degree in education and a minor in special education, and she joined the National Park Service in 1990 as a ranger in Washington, D.C.; and nearly a decade later, she returned to Jackson to work for the city's Parks and Recreation Department; and

WHEREAS, in 1999, Ms. Junior was hired as the manager of the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, where she became co-coordinator of the National Arts Program and acquired on permanent loan the Smithsonian traveling exhibition Field to Factory: The Afro-American Migration, 1915–1940; and

WHEREAS, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) director Katie Blount said, "Pam Junior came to MDAH with deep roots and credibility in the community, many years of experience in the museum field, and a commitment to excellence that she modeled for younger staff. She personally led many thousands of visitors through the museums, enriching their experience through her passion for history and her boundless charisma. In our first years, Pam Junior lifted-up the Two Mississippi Museums and shared them with the world. We are grateful."; and

WHEREAS, throughout her career, Ms. Junior experienced numerous career highlights, but some of her more remarkable included participating in the retirement of the 1894 Mississippi state flag at the official retirement ceremony in 2020, guiding the late Congressman John Lewis through the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, and spearheading Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming with fellow museum staff in 2018, and adding the Martin Luther King Night of Culture in 2019, just two of the highly attended annual events at the museums; and

WHEREAS, civil rights leader Myrlie Evers said Ms. Junior "is a woman who knows that she did not travel her road alone, but on the shoulders of those who came before her", and "is imbued with the fortitude, wisdom, and faith of her grandmother, mother, mentors, and civil rights veterans", and "her leadership reflects her commitment to Mississippi and the honest telling of our history"; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Junior has been honored over the years for both her professional and community work and received numerous awards, such as the Freedom Rider Award from the Mississippi Freedom 50th Foundation, the For My People Award from the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, the Hometown Hero Award from the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Museum Leadership Award by the Association of African American Museums, and she was inducted into the Mississippi Tourism Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, after her retirement, Ms. Junior continues to serve the community as a board member for Visit Jackson and an advisory board member for the Mississippi Book Festival, and she is also a member of the International Women's Forum; and

WHEREAS, during her career, Ms. Junior was an exemplary and dedicated employee to the State of Mississippi and specifically as Director of the Two Mississippi Museums, and her knowledge, skill and strenuous laboriousness will be dearly missed by all of her colleagues and others who were lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with her and experience her greatness; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize and commend the tireless devotion to the betterment of Mississippi and honor the ardent vow to impeccable service that Ms. Pamela D.C. Junior provided as the Director of the Two Mississippi Museums:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the distinguished career and meritorious leadership of Ms. Pamela D.C. Junior upon the occasion of her retirement as the Director of the Two Mississippi Museums and extend to her our most sincere wishes for continued success and joy in the lighter days ahead.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Ms. Pamela D.C. Junior and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.