Aaron Henry (1922-97), a champion of civil rights, leader the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP and a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, was one of the most revered civil rights leaders in Mississippi.

Described by one biographer as "the oldest, best known, and most respected civil rights activist in Mississippi," Aaron Henry served as president of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP starting in 1960. Henry grew up near Clarksdale, Mississippi, and later earned a degree in political science at Xavier University in New Orleans. During World War II, he served as a staff sergeant with the U.S. Army in the Pacific. After the war, the African American veteran attended pharmacy school, and eventually returned to Clarksdale to open a drug store.

As a leader of the NAACP, Henry participated in virtually every aspect of the struggle for equality in Mississippi, while serving as a voice...