Malachi Lee was one of the first African-American police officers sworn into the Gulfport Police Department in 1949.
Although Nellie Henry, Malachi Lee’s great-niece, was not born until four years after he died, she says her family continues to keep his legacy alive. “He had his own business in the City of Gulfport. He was a barber and then he went into law enforcement.”
In March 1949, Mayor Mitt Evans hired Lee and…