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oxfordcitizen.com
Volume 2 | Issue 87
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Community first
Inside 4 News
Parham's love for Oxford evident in leadership BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN
To say that Cynthia Parham cared about her community would be an understatement. A big one. Parham has lived in Oxford and Lafayette County her whole life. She grew up in Abbeville, graduated from Lafayette High School and then helped raise sons who graduated from OHS in the 1990s. Parham is very involved with her church, East St. Peter Missionary Baptist, located off Highway 30, where she serves as clerk and is a member of the choir. “I was the choir president, but I don’t have that job anymore,” said Parham, who serves the community as an Allstate Executive Agent during the day. Parham is also the president of the Oxford Development Association, which is the one of the oldest African-American organizations that has been established. She is also a member of the Oxford Heritage Foundation, which has been the driving force behind the renovation of the Burns-Belfry Museum & Multicultural Center. For those that may not be familiar with Burns-Belfry, it is dedicated to African-American History and there is still more to do complete the efforts. “That building is an ever evolving door to a century that our kids know nothing about. And it’s our job to make them
The first of a two-part series on Mississippi artist Chris Haywood and his connection with Oxford and Ole Miss.
6 Business
Holli’s nine-year legacy as the sweets capital of the Square will officially come to a close following this year’s annual Double Decker Festival. JOHN DAVIS
Cynthia Parham is all about the Oxford community and promoting all the benefits that are here. interested in knowing about it,” she said. “Growing up here, with all the things that came through with segregation and (James) Meredith and all of that, seeing Oxford come together, which we did, to make something out of nothing is just really a proud thing for me.” Oxford, to Parham, doesn’t change, the people that live in the town, and make up the community, drive the change. “When you come to Oxford,
you come to visit but you end up staying. That’s the ambiance that our town throws off,” she said. “That is why I’m proud of our town. Everyone that comes in to me tells me that Oxford is growing but I see Oxford as coming into it’s own. When I was young, the people that molded me came from the old school. From growing up from there and seeing them walk and talk the right way and do things that were right, it only made me
want to do the right things.” One of the things that Parham is so proud of is that the people that helped shape her way of thinking weren’t just African-Americans, they were people from all walks of life and all races. “From my principal who was John Smith in Abbeville to Leonard Thompson who was one of our leaders to Samantha TURN TO COMMUNITY PAGE 10
15 Sports
Both the Chargers and Commodores made it to the MHSAA playoffs. The athletes that played the biggest role in the wins all made the 2016 All-Citizen team.