VARDAMAN DESERVES TO BE NAMED AFTER A REAL HERO

The Vardaman Namesake Project is an effort to convince residents of Vardaman, Mississippi, to change the town's namesake from the racist early-20th century governor James K. Vardaman to his grandson, a World War II hero, pioneering forester, and world-class birder, James M. Vardaman.

How You Can Help

Who better represents the aspirations and values of
Vardaman, Mississippi?

James K. Vardaman (1861–1930)

...a white supremacist

As governor of Mississippi and a United States senator, James K. Vardaman opposed public education for Blacks, called for the repeal of the 14th and 15th Amendments, and spoke favorably of lynching. “If it is necessary every Negro in the state will be lynched,” he once said, “it will be done to maintain white supremacy.”

...a proponent of hate

James K. Vardaman owned the Greenwood (Miss.) Commonwealth, a newspaper in which he made his views plain. “The Commonwealth is opposed to injecting any more niggers, chinamen and other mongrel races into the body politic of this country,” he wrote in an editorial, “with all the accompanying evils—bublonic [sic] plague, leprosy, ignorance and superstition.”

...an advocate of violence

“Mississippi's constitutional convention of 1890 was held for no other purpose than to eliminate the nigger from politics,” James K. Vardaman once bragged. “When that device fails, we will resort to something else.”

...or...

James M. Vardaman
(1921–2007)

...or a war hero

As a U.S. Army field artillery officer in World War II, James M. Vardaman served with a 92nd Armored Field Artillery "Hell On Wheels" Battalion, and received the Purple Heart and the Silver Star for Gallantry in Action..

...or a proponent of integration

James M. Vardaman "walked the walk," insisting his children attend the mostly Black public schools in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1970s and '80s, when most white families enrolled their children in so-called "academies."

...or a pioneering conservationist and birder

As a pioneering forester, James M. Vardaman promoted sustainable management practices that revived Mississippi's pine forests and generated wealth for hundreds of landowners throughout the state. He was also a world-class birder who once set the record most bird species spotted in the United States in a single calendar year.

A Bridge to Our True History

The identity of a community should reflect its highest aspirations. By honoring James M. Vardaman—a distinguished war hero whose character represents the best of Mississippi—Vardaman, Mississippi, will take a decisive step toward a future rooted in shared honor and communal pride. This initiative is more than changing a namesake; it is an act of reclaiming a legacy to build a more respectful and unified tomorrow for all residents.

We are calling on the Vardaman Board of Alderman to pass a resolution changing the town's namesake from James K. Vardaman to James M. Vardaman

Downtown Vardaman, Mississippi (Wikimedia Commons)

How you can help

We urge you to call or write Vardaman City Hall to urge city officials to change the town's namesake from James K. Vardaman to James M. Vardaman.

Vardaman City Hall

P.O. Box 194
Vardaman, MS 38878

Phone: (662) 682-7561

Fax: (662) 682-7567

Who We Are

Emily Vardaman Walters is a podcaster, music historian, and vintage guitar enthusiast who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. James K. Vardaman was her great-grandfather. James M. Vardaman was her father.

Matthew Algeo is an author and historian. He is currently the host of Morning Edition on Kansas Public Radio.

Support the community movement for historical progress.