An MLCS Tribute: Honoring the Legacy of Kejuane Artez Bates

The month of May brings with it National Police Week, a time set aside to honor the men and women who serve and protect our communities. It is only fitting that we use this moment to shine the spotlight on one of our own. Kejuane Artez Bates was a Vidalia police officer, a pastor, a coach, a mentor, and a community servant. He was also a husband and a father. And by every account from the people who knew him, he gave everything he had to every single one of those roles.

Kejuane was born on December 31, 1983, in Natchez, Mississippi, the son of Dorothy Bates and Ventress Poole. He grew up in Natchez and attended Natchez High School, where he also played football. After graduation, he attended Alcorn State University and went on to earn his doctorate in Bible Psychology from Hope Bible Institute. From the very beginning, his life was pointed in two directions: faith and service to others. Those who knew him called him by many names. He was Officer Bates, Pastor Bates, Coach Bates, Dr. Bates, and to many, simply Kejuane. But no matter the title, the man behind it was always the same.

In 2010, Kejuane joined the Vidalia Police Department, where he served as a School Resource Officer and a D.A.R.E. Officer. He was one of the first people on campus every morning, directing traffic, walking the halls, and staying until the last bus pulled away in the afternoon. He was not just a presence in the building. He was a protector and a mentor to the students he served every day. Vidalia High School head football coach Michael Norris described him this way: "Nobody did that better than Kejuane did. Every kid he touched or came in contact with knew that he loved them and would do anything for them." Norris added, "Serving your fellow man is what we should be doing, and he was a great example of that."

Kejuane also served as an offensive line coach for the Vidalia High School football team, staying connected to the game he loved while continuing to invest in young people. He was the Minister of Music at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church and the Executive Director of the Youth Department of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Association as well. At the heart of it all was his role as Pastor of Forest Aid Baptist Church on Lower Woodville Road in Natchez. His congregation remembered him as a wonderful orator, a beautiful psalmist, and a man who loved the Lord and trusted Him in all things. His close friend and fellow minister, Adams County Coroner James Lee, called him a gentle giant. Lee said Kejuane stood 6'2" and weighed 350 pounds, closed his eyes when he laughed, and that anyone who ever met him would never forget him. The two hosted a joint revival together every year.

Vidalia Police Chief Joey Merrill said it best in a statement following his passing: "He was a son, husband, father, police officer, pastor, D.A.R.E. officer, coach, mentor, and my friend." He was not listing titles. He was describing a man who truly lived every one of them.

On April 1, 2020, at just 36 years old, Kejuane Artez Bates passed away at Merit Health Natchez after contracting COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic, while continuing to serve his community as a Vidalia police officer. He is survived by his wife, Chelsea, and their daughter, Madison.

Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft wrote at the time of his passing, "It would be his wish that we exhibit the life he has lived, the faith we share in Jesus Christ." That charge still stands today.

Kejuane Bates was a champion in every sense of the word. He served in uniform, from the pulpit, on the sidelines, and in the hallways of his school. He loved his family, his students, his congregation, and his community with everything he had. It is with great honor and deep respect that Miss-Lou Champions Spotlight recognizes Kejuane Artez Bates as a true Champion of the Miss-Lou. His legacy continues to live in the lives of everyone he touched. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with his wife Chelsea, his daughter Madison, and the entire Bates family.

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