By Yvonne D. Nelson The year was 1935 and the event was the Cotton Carnival, an event designed to promote the use and wearing of cotton products, that was, for all intents and purposes, for white people. Dr. R. Q. Venson, an African American dentist with an office on Beale Street at the time, took his nephew to the parade designed for whites only. After the event was over, Venson asked his nephew if he enjoyed the parade. Much to his surprise, Venson’s nephew had not enjoyed the event and demanded to understand why the only Blacks the parade displayed were serving as horses pulling carts carrying the carnivals’ white King, Queen, and Royal Court members. Venson saw the vision of his young nephew as one that openly displayed the highly segregated population of Memphis and the Mid-South. The result was the formation of the Cotton Makers’ Jubilee, a private social party for Blacks, which included a celebration featuring a King, Queen, Royal Court and a midway featuring entertainment including games and rides. The purpose of the celebration was to show appreciation of the many Blacks who had also contributed to Memphis’s cotton industry. With African American Funeral Director Eddie Hayes Jr. as King and Venson’s wife, Ethyl, as Queen the first Jubilee was held in 1936. The event was designed to allow Black people to uphold a tradition that has continued to maintain dignity for African Americans to this day. In its heyday, the event always opened during the same time as the Cotton Carnival, with a big parade that provided similar things Whites enjoyed at their parade. The event reached peak attendance during its golden years, 1948-58, and only ceased operations during World War II and in 1968 when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated here in Memphis, TN. Many developments, both good and not so good, have transpired since the 70s. Many of the Jubilee’s most treasured possessions, including pictures, costumes, and other memorabilia, were given to other organizations after Venson passed. Although a treasure trove of additional items exists, they have yet to find their own museum to call home; something the current organization has been attempting to achieve for the past 10 years. The last Cotton Makers’ Jubilee celebration was held in 2007, after another of Venson’s nephews and current Chairman Clyde R. Venson had taken over the organization. Clyde succeeded his aunt, R.Q.’s wife Ethyl in 1986. He worked diligently to make sure the name of the organization remained a household name. In 1999, he attempted to give the nonprofit a new identity, one that represented the strongest, most powerful, and richest country in the world for 2000 years – renaming it Kemet, the name of Egypt because the organization wanted to crown its royalty from a country that had Black Kings and Queens; but returned the organization to its original name in 2016 when the new name didn’t improve things after all. Michael Marsh was a Cotton Makers’ Jubilee Royal Court Jr. King in 1972, a Duke in 1983, and King in 1996. His true dedication to the organization showed as he transitioned into becoming Memphis Kemet Jubilee Royal Court King in 2005 and again in 2007. Continued on Page 23 22
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