Itta Bena, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Itta Bena is a city in Leflore County, Mississippi
, United States
. The population was 2,208 at the 2000 census. The town's name is derived from the Choctaw
phrase iti bina, meaning "forest camp". Itta Bena is part of the Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area
.
, coordinated by the SNCC but led by Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael
coined the rallying phrase "Black power!" Byron de la Beckwith
, widely known at that time as the unconvicted murderer of Medgar Evers
, drove his truck by the marchers three times while the local police looked on.
, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which, 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (2.72%) is water.
of 2000, there were 4,000 people, 763 households, and 559 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,541.5 people per square mile (596.2/km²). There were 797 housing units at an average density of 556.4 per square mile (215.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.34% African American, 18.16% White, 0.23% Asian, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population.
There were 763 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% were married couples
living together, 35.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.3% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,968, and the median income for a family was $24,271. Males had a median income of $21,917 versus $16,136 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $11,132. About 29.5% of families and 34.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.1% of those under age 18 and 33.1% of those age 65 or over.
. It is also home to Mississippi Valley State University
, which was the state of Mississippi's black vocational college before educational segregation ended.
Leflore County, Mississippi
-National protected area:*Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge*Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 37,947 people, 12,956 households, and 8,887 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,208 at the 2000 census. The town's name is derived from the Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
phrase iti bina, meaning "forest camp". Itta Bena is part of the Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area
Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area
The Greenwood Micropolitan Statistical Area is a micropolitan area in the northwestern Delta region of Mississippi that covers two counties - Leflore and Carroll...
.
History
On a march between Itta Bena and nearby GreenwoodGreenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta approximately 96 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, and 130 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The population was 15,205 at the 2010 census. It is the...
, coordinated by the SNCC but led by Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture , also known as Stokely Carmichael, was a Trinidadian-American black activist active in the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. He rose to prominence first as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party...
coined the rallying phrase "Black power!" Byron de la Beckwith
Byron De La Beckwith
Byron De La Beckwith, Jr. was an American white supremacist and Klansman from Greenwood, Mississippi who was convicted in the 1994 state trial of assassinating the civil rights leader Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963....
, widely known at that time as the unconvicted murderer of Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers
Medgar Wiley Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi...
, drove his truck by the marchers three times while the local police looked on.
Geography
Itta Bena is located at 33°29′45"N 90°19′20"W (33.495968, -90.322321). According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which, 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (2.72%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,000 people, 763 households, and 559 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,541.5 people per square mile (596.2/km²). There were 797 housing units at an average density of 556.4 per square mile (215.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.34% African American, 18.16% White, 0.23% Asian, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population.
There were 763 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 35.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.3% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,968, and the median income for a family was $24,271. Males had a median income of $21,917 versus $16,136 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $11,132. About 29.5% of families and 34.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.1% of those under age 18 and 33.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The City of Itta Bena is served by the Leflore County School DistrictLeflore County School District
The Leflore County School District is a public school district based headquartered in Greenwood, Mississippi .The district serves areas in Leflore County outside of the City of Greenwood, including the city of Itta Bena, the towns of Morgan City, Schlater and Sidon, as well as the community of...
. It is also home to Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University is a historically black university located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in the United States. MVSU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund....
, which was the state of Mississippi's black vocational college before educational segregation ended.
Notable residents
- Marion BarryMarion BarryMarion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing DC's Ward 8. Barry served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995...
, civil rights activist and former mayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... - James BevelJames BevelJames L. Bevel was an American minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement who, as the Director of Direct Action and Director of Nonviolent Education of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference initiated, strategized, directed, and developed SCLC's three major successes of the era:...
, civil rights activist. - Luther "Guitar Junior" JohnsonLuther Johnson (Guitar Junior)Luther Johnson is an American Chicago blues singer and guitarist, who performs under the name Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson....
, blues musician. - B.B. King, bluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician. - Lewis NordanLewis NordanLewis Nordan grew up in Itta Bena, Mississippi. He is a graduate of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1983, at age forty-five, Nordan published his first collection of stories, Welcome to the Arrow-Catcher Fair...
, author. - Euvester Simpson, civil rights activist and member of SNCC.
- Smoky BabeSmoky BabeSmoky Babe was an American acoustic blues guitarist and singer. He is variously described as a Louisiana blues, Piedmont blues and blues revival musician, whose recording career was restricted to a couple of recording sessions in the early 1960s...
, blues musician.
In popular culture
- The town is immortalized in the song "Tall Boy" by Widespread PanicWidespread PanicWidespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
- The name of the city is used in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely...
as the place where "Baby Face" George Nelson robs a bank with the main characters Ulysses Everett McGill, Pete and Delmar O'Donnell.