The spotlight turns on. The music begins and as soon as vocals begin tiny hairs on the back of one’s neck spring to life.

Something special is happening. You can feel it as singer Derrick Young begins to belt out a stirring rendition of “Ol’ Man River.”

And that feeling that something special is happening has been repeated many times this Spring Pilgrimage season. Before this year’s Pilgrimage season draws to a close soon thousands of tourists will shuffle into the Natchez City Auditorium for the Pilgrimage rite of passage, the Historic Natchez Pageant.

Most first-time pageant goers don’t notice the biggest, most important, most-needed thing that became a reality this year.

After several years of effort, the group that organizes the pageant succeeded in finding meaningful ways for African-American members of our community to participate.

Singer Young is one of more than a dozen who have participated this year and their involvement will truly help to make the pageant a community event for all of our citizens, not just a select few.

This year’s pageant was a first step, but a step in the right direction.

For years, people have referred to Natchez as the place, “Where the old South still lives” but we hope soon they’ll say, “Where the new South prospers.”