The Jack Hadley Black History Museum’s 26th annual meeting will be held Sunday, August 29, at 4 p.m. via ZOOM. 

The guest speaker will be Rev. Dr. Daniel Simmons, senior pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Albany. Rev. Simmons will be speaking on the ASALH’s 2021 Black History Month theme of “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.”

Pastor Simmons began preaching in June 1984. He pastored the Mountain Grove Baptist Church in Dawson and Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Shingler prior to accepting the call of service at Mount Zion in 1991.

Under his leadership, the Mount Zion congregation has made a tremendous impact on local, regional and national communities.

Pastor Simmons received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Albany State College (now Albany State University) in 1977, his Master of Arts degree in Counseling from the University of Georgia in 1985, and his Doctorate of Ministry from Bethany Theological Seminary in Dothan, Alabama in 1991.

Pastor Simmons’ work experience included 17 years as a rehabilitation counselor with the Georgia Department of Rehabilitation Services, and as a community development specialist.

Pastor Simmons is involved with numerous ministerial organizations on local, state, and national levels. 

A native of Cairo, he is the son of Mrs. Pinkie Norwood Simmons and the late Reverend Perry Simmons Sr. He hails as a third-generation minister. Pastor Simmons is married to Diane Davis Simmons. He is the father of two children, and he has five grandchildren.

After introductions, the annual report will start with a report of the museum’s operations and financial status of 2020 and other major accomplishments. Melanie Martin, the museum’s consultant/grant writer for the museum, will provide brief remarks of the museum grants award updates from the Institute of Museums and Libraries Services, Washington D.C., and Daniel Pittman, museum educator, will brief how the museum shifted towards virtual educational offerings due to the COVID-19 shut down, as well as some of the projects the museum has worked on since its temporary closure on March 12, 2020. 

Despite the closure, museum staff has been busy at work crafting new ways of educating, working toward the digitalization of the museum’s collection, creating and updating several of the museum’s exhibits, and working towards our reopening date. On August 3, 2021, the museums’s doors opened to the general public, with COVID safety measures in place to ensure the safety of our staff and guests. 

Jeannie Vicks will discuss the progress and plans for the Perra S. Bell Community Resource Library. Vicks and the library committee have been hard at working creating and brainstorming on ways to open the library to the public. Following her report, Walter Leslie, will be speak on the “Ensuring a Legacy” barbecue dinner event, and Eugene Wilson will be introducing the Museum’s new consultant, Rob Bull. 

Bull will briefly be discussing the collaboration of the Compass Group and the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, and his role in the year to come with board development and the Imperial Hotel Project. To finish off the event, Rev. Dr. Emory C. Virgil, pastor of Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Thomasville, will be introduce the guest speaker, Rev. Simmons.

To join in the annual meeting via ZOOM:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9338491871

Meeting ID: 933 849 1871