Ronald V. Myers, Sr. (born February 29, 1956 – September 7, 2018) was an American physician, Baptist minister, musician, and civil rights activist. He was the founder and chairman of several organizations active in the modern movement to promote the holiday

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States, federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the End of slavery in the United States, ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's n ...

. He worked in the field of medicine, providing care to poor rural residents of the American South. He also performed as a jazz musician.

Personal life and education

Myers was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of two sons, to Marion Mack Myers and Neoma R. Myers. The Myers family moved to

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

when his parents became employed as teachers in the

Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of the 2015–16 school year, MPS served 75,568 students in 154 schools and had 9,636 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions. The system is one of the largest i ...

. He attended

Rufus King High School Rufus King International High School, or Rufus King, is a public Magnet school, magnet high school located on the north side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools district. The school is ranked the 1,658th best public high ...

in Milwaukee. He was a soloist in the high school jazz ensemble on trumpet and piano. Myers attended the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, where he majored in

African American Studies Black studies or Africana studies (with nationally specific terms, such as African American studies and Black Canadian studies), is an interdisciplinary academic field that primarily focuses on the study of the history, culture, and politics of ...

and was a member of the Experimental Improvisational Black Music Ensemble, under the mentorship of trombonist and professor

Jimmy Cheatham James Rudolph Cheatham (June 18, 1924 – January 12, 2007) was an American jazz trombonist and teacher, who played with Chico Hamilton, Ornette Coleman, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Lionel Hampton, Frank Foster, and Duke Ellington. In 1978, Che ...

. He graduated from the

University of Wisconsin Medical School The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH) is a professional school for the study of medicine and public health at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It is one of only two medical schools in Wisconsin, along wit ...

in 1985 and completed his residency in Family Medicine at

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

Medical Center's Washington St. Tammany Parish Charity Hospital in

Bogalusa, Louisiana Bogalusa ( ) is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. In th2020 censusthe city reported a population of 10,659. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Ar ...

in 1988. He took part-time courses at

Reformed Theological Seminary Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is a theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition with campuses in multiple locations in the United States. Founded by conservatives in the Southern Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Churc ...

Mississippi Valley State University Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississ ...

in 1989 and 1990.

Career

In 1988 he and his wife opened a family health center in

Tchula, Mississippi Tchula is a town in Holmes County, Mississippi, Holmes County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 2,332 in 2000. A 2015 article in ''The Guardian'' described it as the poo ...

, located in an area with scarce medical resources and a high infant mortality rate. In 1990 he was ordained by Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Milwaukee, and commissioned by the Wisconsin Baptist Pastors Conference as a medical missionary to the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazo ...

. Myers worked to bring attention to the working conditions of African-American catfish workers in the Mississippi Delta, and from 1996 to 2005 organized the annual Buffalo Fish Festival in

Belzoni, Mississippi Belzoni ( ) is a city in Humphreys County, Mississippi, United States, in the Mississippi Delta region, on the Yazoo River. The population was 2,235 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Humphreys County. It was named for the 19th-century ...

at the same time as the Catfish industry sponsored the World Catfish Festival. In 1994 a group of community leaders from across the country gathered at Christian Unity Baptist Church in New Orleans, to work for greater national recognition of

, a holiday celebrating the end of slavery. Myers was elected Chairman of this advocacy effort, and continues to serve as chairman of the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign, National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council, National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, and the National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters. In 2003, Myers organized a coalition of chronic pain patients, physicians, and patient-rights advocates, to encourage passage of the Arkansas Chronic Pain Treatment Act, through a series public marches and protest rallies in the state capitol of Little Rock. In 2004 and 2005, Myers organized marches demanding Congressional hearings on the subject. In 2006, Myers bought the team Mississippi Stingers of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

. Renamed the Mississippi Miracles, the team played for one season before shutting down.

Death

Myers died on September 7, 2018.

Recordings

* ''Doctor's Orders'' (1994 ) – MOJA Records) * ''Juneteenth "Free at Last"'' (2006) – MOJA Records)

References

External links

National Juneteenth Observance Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Ronald 1956 births 2018 deaths African-American activists Activists for African-American civil rights African-American Baptist ministers African-American physicians American primary care physicians Baptist ministers from the United States Baptist missionaries from the United States Baptist missionaries in the United States Christian medical missionaries Christians from Wisconsin Musicians from Chicago Religious leaders from Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Rufus King International High School alumni 21st-century African-American musicians