Five cities. Two counties. This first week of 2026 The Pine Belt News looks back at some of the top events from 2025, including this story originally published July 24, 2025
Ellie Jewel Davis Dahmer was born in the small community of Rose Hill in Jasper County on June 27, 1925. Rose Hill lacked a school at the time, so her education began at Rose Hill Methodist Church. Dahmer’s father, who owned 340 acres of land, donated 221 of those acres to the church and for the construction of a school. Dahmer finally attended Rose Hill School beginning in ninth grade.
She would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education for home economics from Tennessee State University, become a teacher and meet her husband, Vernon Dahmer, though working with the school board of Forrest County. Vernon was a successful farmer and businessman in the Hub City who owned a grocery store, a sawmill and a planing mill. He also served several terms as president of the Forrest County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The pair married in March of 1952 and had two children, Dennis and Bettie.
When the civil rights movement took the area by storm, the Dahmers jumped to action, particularly against the discrimination the Black community faced in regard to voting. Despite the 24th Amendment being ratified in 1964, which prohibited the poll taxes for federal elections, and the Voting Rights Act passing in 1965, which outlawed discriminatory practices like literacy tests, Black voters in the state were still being subjected to the practices. Vernon led voter registration drives and placed a voter registration book in his grocery store.
Vernon’s license plate number and mailbox number were already on watch lists, so he insisted on using his own vehicle to transport members of the community to the courthouse to attempt to register to vote. Ellie recalled that he did not want anyone else’s property being targeted for wanting to vote. On Jan. 9, 1966, Vernon publicly offered to pay the poll tax for any Black people who wished to register but could not afford the poll tax.
The very next evening, the Ku Klux Klan firebombed the Dahmers’ house with the couple, their two children and Vernon’s son from a previous marriage, Harold, still inside. Vernon exchanged fire with the attackers to allow his family and himself to escape from the blaze, but he succumbed to the injuries sustained in the fire the next day at the age of 57.
“Vernon never got the chance to vote,” said Ellie. “His voter registration card came in the mail after we buried him.”
Ellie, determined to see her husband’s work come to fruition, still carried on the fight and helped to expose the injustices at the polls and courthouses to a federal court. Through her, her husband’s and countless other freedom fighters of the civil rights movement’s persistence, poll taxes and discriminatory practices were eradicated. She even went on to serve as Election Commissioner of District 2 in Forrest County for more than a decade.
What stands out to you as one of the most positive changes you’ve witnessed in your 100 years?
“Well, the first thing I can remember, our name was the ‘n’ word. That’s what they called us. Then, later on, they changed it to girl or boy. Later on, they were required to give us all titles. You couldn’t just call us girl or boy. It had to be mister, missus or miss.”
What are some of the most impactful changes in society you’ve witnessed?
“One of the main things I really want to talk about is the changes I saw, politically. We first could not go into the front of a restaurant and eat, could not use the restroom facilities in any of the stores. The next thing was if you had your products or whatever you were about to purchase up at the counter and ready to pay for it, if a white person came up, you had to move aside and let them be served first. All of that finally came to an end after my husband died.
Mr. Charles E. Smith took over the NAACP, there were 10 things they had to meet, or they’d be boycotted- and they did boycott. One of the things was that you had to be called by a title. The next thing was that whoever came first would be the first one served. The next thing was that you had to be able to go in the front of the restaurant to eat instead of making us order and get our food through the back door. The next thing he said was that you must hire people of all phases. Everywhere you hired people, you had to hire some of us, too. Of course, they didn’t do it at first. I think he gave them 10 days to make up their mind to do something or they’d put on a boycott. They would not buy anything a white person sold. We’d buy from Black only. If you owed a bill at one of the department stores and didn’t have a checking account, they told you to go down to the post office and buy a money order, keep a copy of the money order for yourself and pay your bills on time.
That went on for about two months, I believe. By then, the business owners were hurting and ready to compromise. We were told by other people that some of the whites respected the boycott, too. Not all of them, but some of them did, and that really put the hurt on them. People started going to Laurel or to Jackson or New Orleans or order from catalogs to buy their clothes. The boycott was successful, and they began to employ people just like they would anyone else. They were required to take down all the white and colored signs from around the courthouse. Even the water fountains- after all, they were right next to each other.”
What is a lesson you’ve learned in your 100 years that you think every generation should know?
“Vote. Vote in every election and take somebody else with you. I know you’ve got friends and neighbors, so carry them with you to the polls. At least then, you know you’ve got two votes.”
Do you have any words of advice for today’s civil and social rights activists?
“Be sure you know what you’re protesting for. If you know what you’re doing is right, get out there and protest. Don’t just go out there and protest because you’re mad.”
What gave you hope during your most difficult times?
“[I had hope] that we’d be treated just like everybody else- respected just like anybody else.”
What do you think makes Hattiesburg so special?
“I think Hattiesburg has two colleges, for one thing, and Camp Shelby. I think that’s made a big difference in how Hattiesburg thinks about social things.”
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“I don’t know. I don’t really take advice very well,” said Ellie with a chuckle.
