Tourism officials in Mississippi rededicated a landmark honoring the historic Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale.

The ceremony held by Visit Mississippi took place Monday as part of the grand opening celebration for the Riverside Hotel Interpretive Center — the Living Blues and Civil Rights Museum. The center officially opened its doors as Clarksdale community leaders, local musicians, state officials, and others gathered to celebrate the hotel’s enduring legacy.

Among those in attendance were the late Frank and Joyce Ratliff’s daughter, Zelena, and grandsons Justin and Darrius. Hotel co-owner and granddaughter Sonya Ratliff Gates, currently stationed overseas, was unable to attend in person.

For at least three generations, the Ratliff family’s Riverside Hotel has been one of the only Black

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