Itta Bena, Mississippi

Itta Bena is a city in Leflore County, Mississippi. The population was 2,208 at the 2000 census. The town's name is derived from the Choctaw phrase iti bina, meaning "forest camp". Itta Bena is part of the Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area.

History
On a march between Itta Bena and nearby Greenwood, coordinated by the SNCC but led by Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael coined the rallying phrase "Black power!" Byron de la Beckwith, widely known at that time as the unconvicted murderer of Medgar Evers, drove his truck by the marchers three times while the local police looked on.

Geography
Itta Bena is located at 33.49583°N, -90.32222°W (33.495968, -90.322321). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 sqmi, of which 1.4 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (2.72%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,000 people, 763 households, and 559 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,541.5 people per square mile (596.2/km²). There were 797 housing units at an average density of 556.4 per square mile (215.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.34% African American, 18.16% White, 0.23% Asian, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population.

There were 763 households, of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% were married couples living together, 35.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.3% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,968, and the median income for a family was $24,271. Males had a median income of $21,917 versus $16,136 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,132. About 29.5% of families and 34.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.1% of those under age 18 and 33.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The City of Itta Bena is served by the Leflore County School District. It is also home to Mississippi Valley State University, which was the state of Mississippi's black vocational college before educational segregation ended.

Notable residents

 * Marion Barry, civil rights activist and former mayor of Washington, D.C.
 * James Bevel, civil rights activist.
 * Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, blues musician.
 * B.B. King, blues musician.
 * Lewis Nordan, author.
 * Euvester Simpson, civil rights activist and member of SNCC.
 * Smoky Babe, blues musician.

In popular culture

 * The town is immortalized in the song "Tall Boy" by Widespread Panic
 * The name of the city is used in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? as the place where "Baby Face" George Nelson robs a bank with the main characters Ulysses Everett McGill, Pete and Delmar O'Donnell.