NATCHEZ — Adams County civil rights leader Barney Schoby has died. He was 87.
Schoby was the first Black man to serve on the Adams County Board of Supervisors, a position he held from 1974 to 1980.
He went on to serve in the Mississippi House of Representatives representing District 94 from 1980 to 1997, the first African American to serve this district in the state House.
“I am saddened by his passing,” said Natchez’s Phillip West. “He was a real warrior for trying to help bring about improvements in our community during a time when it was very difficult to do so. He was at the forefront of a lot of action that was taken, especially legal action, to improve the situation in our community. I really feel like a part of me has left. Both of us were out there when it was not good to be out there.”
Schoby Credit: Special to Mississippi TodayWest said if documented properly Schoby’s legacy is playing a key role in “getting us to where we are today. A lot of young people do not know the situations that existed during that day and time. A lot of people politically, from a civil rights perspective, stood up for what was correct and eventually, things got better because of his work and actions and leadership,” West said. “I am really sad about his passing. When you have been on the battlefield for so long, you recognize those who were with you and in front of you. Those are very meaningful kinds of things.”
West succeeded Schoby as representative in the state house for the 94th District.
State Rep. Robert Johnson III followed West and serves as the district’s representative today.
“At the time that Barney Schoby emerged as a leader, it wasn’t an easy time. It took courage to stand up to the status quo. He was revered as a pioneer, a fighter, a colloquial warrior for justice,” Johnson said. “And he was staunch in how he felt about issues. He was always very clear.”
Johnson said Schoby “cut the road and opened up that path that some of us followed. He left a legacy in Natchez as a supervisor, NAACP president and he has a revered legacy in the legislature. We will miss his wisdom and tenacity, but his spirit will continue because we all embody him right now.”
Natchez NAACP President and State NAACP Vice President Joyce Arceneaux Mathis had a different introduction to Schoby.
“I was first introduced to (him) in 1965 as my U.S. Government instructor at Sadie V. Thompson High School. Mr. Schoby was a passionate, dynamic and fiery teacher who embraced life with urgency, knowledge and a need to help his people no matter of the sacrifice he or his family had to make,” Mathis said. “He taught for 32 years with that same passion.
“Throughout my political career, I’ve stood on the shoulders of many pioneers who came before me and laid out a path for me to follow. Mr. Schoby was one of those leaders. He became the first Black supervisor to be elected in Adams County from 1974-1980. That political position was followed by being the first African American member of the House of Representatives elected from Adams County since Reconstruction.”
Even though Schoby worked relentlessly to represent Natchez and Adams County in the legislature, he remained connected to Natchez and the Natchez Community, she said.
In the late 1980s, Schoby became a co-plaintiff challenging a redistricting plan he alleged discriminated against Black voters. He was also intimately involved in the 1988-89 re-integration of schools in Natchez-Adams County.
In 2021, the Natchez Branch of the NAACP presented Schoby with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for his continued work on Civil Rights.
“This award respected Rep. Schoby’s courage, sacrifice and dedication to standing firm on the civil rights awarded to all people through the Constitution of the United States of America. This fierce fighter for the rights of others will be sincerely missed by the people of Natchez and Adams County,” Mathis said.
Schoby’s widow, Joyceria Pickett Schoby said Schoby died at his home in Natchez on Tuesday.
He was born in Liberty on Jan. 14, 1939, to Robert Hughes and Mary B. Schoby. Schoby and Joyceria married on Dec. 22, 1965.
Funeral services for Schoby were being held Monday at Mount Zion Baptist Church on Old Washington Road, with burial at Natchez City Cemetery.
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