Robert Walker, the first Black mayor of Vicksburg, died in July 2025. Six months later, those whose lives he impacted remember his passion and accomplishments as a community leader.
Aliyah Veal
Jackson, Miss., native Aliyah Veal is a proud alumna of Spelman College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English in 2017. Afterward, she attended the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in New York, gaining a master’s degree in journalism in 2018. After moving back home in 2019, she interned at the Jackson Free Press, covering city council and Jackson neighborhoods before moving up to culture writer. Her interests include tattoos, music and food, really, really good food. She now writes about culture, music and the arts for the Mississippi Free Press.
