The Ross Barnett Reservoir is a body of water in Mississippi associated with the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. It was named for Ross Barnett, one of Mississippi's former governors. Ross Barnett notoriously supported racial segregation and held a white supremacist stance. His discriminatory deeds include the following:

1.  In 1961, Ross Barnett took a public stance against the Freedom Riders, a group of civil rights activists fighting segregation on buses. He arranged the arrest of the Freedom Riders who stopped in Jackson, MS that year. The case was tried by a racist judge who refused to even look at the Freedom Riders. The Freedom Riders were ultimately sentenced to spend time in prison, where they endured humiliation, until the NAACP overturned the convictions.
2. In 1962, African American James H. Meredith, an Air Force veteran, attempted to enroll at The University of Mississippi. Ross Barnett blocked Mr. Meredith's attempts and incited a riot which killed two and injured hundreds. President Kennedy had to personally intervene.
3. During his time as governor, Ross Barnett spent $300,000 of the people's dollars refurbishing the Governor's Mansion. His renovations included adding gold-plated faucet handles to the bathtubs. All the while, the schools of young African American students were falling apart.
4. Under the guise of the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission, Ross Barnett funded the White Citizen's Council with state money. The Council's goals included maintaining segregated schools, blocking African Americans from voting, and fighting the Civil Rights Movement. The Council also helped pay for the legal fees of a man who murdered an NAACP official.  
5. In 1963, Mississippi NAACP secretary Medgar Evers was murdered by Byron de la Beckwith. In court the following year, while Evers' widow was testifying, Ross Barnett shook hands with Byron de la Beckwith in a show of solidarity.  The White Citizen's Council, of which Ross Barnett was a member, helped pay for the legal fees of Byron de la Beckwith.  

As a government official, Ross Barnett's job was to protect Mississippians.  Instead, he used the state's money for his own desires and his power to oppose the Civil Rights Movement.

     I grew up in Mississippi and appreciate many aspects of the state. However, I still remember the day I learned about the Reservoir. In the midst of a discussion, my father mentioned the Ross Barnett Reservoir. He detailed Ross Barnett’s history with a sad look in his eyes. I asked him why no one had renamed it and he said, "Somebody should--maybe you can." I resolved that I would as soon as I learned how. In 2013, I thought the renaming of the Reservoir would be accomplished through a grass-roots petition started by a woman in Jackson, MS. However, when I recently passed by a sign for the Ross Barnett Reservoir, I realized that was not the case. I still have hope that with a more organized effort and your assistance, we can be successful. In the pursuit of social justice, the Ross Barnett Reservoir should be renamed to honor James Meredith. To change the name of the Reservoir is to challenge the South's racist traditions and help its victims move forward in healing. Please join me in asking the Board of Directors to rename the Reservoir.