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Mississippi Humanities Council Newsletter - September 2018
Stuart Rockoff
Executive Director
Director's Message
We are Your Humanities Council

Earlier this summer, our board met in Moss Point for our annual retreat. The Pascagoula River Audubon Center graciously hosted us not long after our traveling Smithsonian "Waterways" exhibit opened in their beautiful facility. We were setting up our meeting in their community room, which also contained a quilt exhibit. A woman came into the room to see the quilts and casually asked who we were. I always love to talk about the Council and our work, so I gave her my extended "elevator pitch." She was very interested and let us know she was a board member of the Friends of the Library organization in Picayune, Mississippi. Our staff members gave her their cards and encouraged her to be in touch to discuss ways we could help the Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library in Picayune. Soon after, we heard from her. Last weekend, they hosted an MHC speakers bureau program featuring storyteller and scholar Diane Williams. This week, they will kick off a six-week Prime Time Family Reading Program. Thanks to this chance encounter in Moss Point, the Mississippi Humanities Council is now providing enriching cultural programs to the people 
of Picayune.

While we are not a state or federal agency, but rather a private nonprofit organization, our primary goal is to serve the people of Mississippi. And while MHC-sponsored programs took place in 87 different communities last year, there are still areas of Mississippi we have not reached recently.

I love this story because it shows how the Mississippi Humanities Council is a resource to the people of our state. While we are not a state or federal agency, but rather a private nonprofit organization, our primary goal is to serve the people of Mississippi. And while MHC-sponsored programs took place in 87 different communities last year, there are still areas of Mississippi we have not reached recently. One of the goals in our recently adopted strategic plan is to make a special effort to support programs in rural counties that have not had an MHC program in several years. Reaching underserved areas is a core value for the council. We support many programs in Jackson and in the college towns of Mississippi, but to fulfill our mission we must reach all areas of the state.

We don't just define underserved geographically. In recent years, we have increased our support for programs that reach incarcerated Mississippians. This summer, we supported humanities education courses at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman,the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility and the Alcorn County Correctional Facility. A few weeks ago, we arranged to bring Piper Kerman, author of the memoir "Orange is the New Black," to speak to the female inmates at CMCF. The incredible reception the women gave Kerman and the honest, inspiring words she shared made that afternoon one of the most memorable of my five-year tenure here at the MHC. It made me proud of where I work.

Serving Mississippi is our central focus. When we consult with prospective grantees, when we add new presenters to our speakers bureau, when we bring in traveling exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution, and with every other program we offer, our purpose is to help enrich the cultural life of our state. We are your humanities council. While we can't randomly encounter all of you as we did with the person from the Picayune library, consider this message our invitation to you to use us as a resource in your community.
NEH-funded Mississippi Writers Trail Unveiled

On September 10, Chairman Jon Parrish Peede of the National Endowment for the Humanities participated in the unveiling of the first Mississippi Writers Trail marker in front of the Eudora Welty House in Jackson. Funded by a $30,000 Special Chairman's Statehood Grant from NEH to the Mississippi Humanities Council, this first phase of the Writers Trail will honor at least eight Mississippi writers who have achieved national significance. In add
Chairman Peede with Shelly Ritter of the Delta Blues Museum, which received a major NEH grant earlier this year. Bill Crump, field representative for Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, was also on hand to celebrate the grant.
ition to Chairman Peede, Governor Phil Bryant, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Welty scholars Suzanne Marrs and Ebony Lumumba, and Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, also participated in the ceremony. MHC Executive Director Stuart Rockoff emceed the event. The Mississippi Writers Trail is a partnership between the Mississippi Arts Commission, Visit Mississippi, and the MHC.

After the unveiling of the Welty marker, Chairman Peede spent a day visiting the Mississippi Delta.
Ideas on Tour Summer Series Ends, Makes Way for New Jackson, Coast Programs

On August 28, the Ideas on Tap summer series "Ideas on Tour" concluded with a program on cultural appropriation at Lucky Town Brewing Company in Midtown Jackson. The program, "Ideas on Tour: Culture and Appropriation," examined the idea of cultural appropriation through the lenses of food, music, clothing, and race. As a change from the normal panel-based Ideas on Tap format, the August 28 program consisted of small group discussions.
In September, Ideas on Tap will return to Hal & Mal's
in Jackson on the 18th with a program to discuss the politics of sports. The panel will feature JSU political science professor Dr. D'Andra Orey, sportswriter Rick Cleveland, and sportscaster Jon Wiener.

On September 27, Ideas on Tap will head to the Coast for a program on community journalism. The program, " Ideas on Tap: Fake News? Public Trust in the Media," will take place at Bacchus on the Beach in Pass Christian from 5:30 to 7. This program is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's "Democracy and the Informed Citizen" initiative, in partnership with the Federation of State Humanities Councils.

For more details on Ideas on Tap, contact Caroline Gillespie at cgillespie@mhc.state.ms.us
Two 'Mississippi Yearning' Screenings set for Mississippi Venues

With the success of a 13-minute award-winning short documentary, Finding Cleveland, filmmakers Baldwin Chiu and Larissa Lam have completed work on a longer sequel, Mississippi Yearning, that expands this emotionally powerful story of family, racial discrimination, and the important contributions of the seldom discussed Chinese immigrants in the Mississippi Delta. The film, supported with a Mississippi Humanities Council grant, not only highlights the struggles of the Chinese community during segregation and the Chinese Exclusion Act, but also explores the racial dynamics between the white, black, and Chinese communities.

Two Mississippi screenings are planned in October, one October 14 at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS (details are still being finalized), and another at the Oxford Film Festival in Oxford October 17, 6:30-8 p.m. at the Powerhouse, 413 South 14th Street.

The film is told through the eyes of a Chinese-American man from California who comes to Mississippi to find answers about his grandfather and great-grandfather, who are buried at the New Cleveland Cemetery. He learns they owned a grocery store, like many of the Chinese in the Delta, and goes on to make amazing discoveries about his family and the untold history of the Mississippi Chinese, fateful connections to the larger Mississippi community, and the impact of the discriminatory Jim Crow laws on all people of color.

This documentary film follows Baldwin Chiu over the course of three years as he digs for information on his family and discovers their significance in Mississippi history. The film contains interviews with current and former Mississippi residents who knew the Lou family and frequented their store, and details more history of the Chinese in the Deep South: how they lived and worked even as they were caught between black and white.

The film includes never-before-seen footage from newly uncovered 16mm film reels that belonged to K.C. Lou, Baldwin Chiu's grandfather, showing glimpses of daily life for the Chinese and other residents of Mississippi during the 1940s. More significantly, one of the film reels contains footage of Baldwin Chiu's father, Charles, as a baby with his father K.C. Lou in China before he returns to Mississippi. This was the last time Charles saw his father.
MHC Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff speaks during the Water/Ways grand opening block party in Clarksdale.
Water/Ways Rolls Into Clarksdale

On August 31, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation welcomed the Smithsonian Institution's Water/Ways traveling exhibit to Clarksdale with a splash! The grand opening featured a block party in front of Quapaw Canoe Company, where the exhibit will be housed during its stay in Clarksdale, which included a performance by blues star Super Chikan and food from Levon's.

The exhibit will be on display in Clarksdale through October 13 and is free and open to the public. In addition to the exhibit, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host a series of free and open to the public programs in conjunction with Water/Ways, including a celebration of Smithsonian Museum Day at the Delta Blues Museum September 22 and a program on the contested issue of swimming and pools during the Civil Rights Movement October 6.

After Water/Ways leaves Clarksdale, the exhibit will travel to the Ocean Springs Municipal Library in Ocean Springs, the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson, and the Tenn-Tom Waterway Transportation Museum in Columbus before leaving the state in Spring 2019. For more information on Water/Ways or to see its full Mississippi schedule, visit our website or contact Caroline Gillespie at cgillespie@mhc.state.ms.us.

  Learn More
MHC's Family Reading Project Gears Up With Fall Programs

This fall, communities around the state will host programs from the MHC's long-running and popular Family Reading Project. The MHC's Family Reading Project consists of the English-based Prime Time, which operates in partnership with the Louisianan Endowment for the Humanities, and the MHC's Spanish-English Luciérnagas program. Each of the programs are free for communities to host and provide children and their families with six to seven weeks of storytelling and humanities-based discussion.

On Tuesday, September 11, the Margaret Crosby Reed Memorial Library in Picyaune hosted the first session of the six-week Prime Time program. The program is geared towards English-speaking families in Picayune and the surrounding areas. This is the first time that the Reed Memorial Library has hosted an MHC reading program, and the MHC is pleased to work with such a strong partner.

On Wednesday, September 12, the Spanish-English Luciérnagas program returned to the M.R. Dye Public Library in Horn Lake for its tenth straight year. The M.R. Dye Public Library has grown the program each year, and now has such a large audience that it established a waiting list for families hoping to participate. The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi awarded a grant to the Mississippi Humanities Council to support this reading program in Horn Lake.

The MHC is proud to partner with such enthusiastic sites, and we look forward to working with new sites in the future. For more information on the MHC's Family Reading Project or to find out how to host a program, contact Caroline Gillespie at cgillespie@mhc.state.ms.us.

  Learn More
MHC Reading Program Receives Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi Funding

The Mississippi Humanities Council has received a grant from the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi to support an MHC reading program at the M.R. Public Library in Horn Lake. The grant funds will be used to purchase new books for the program and for payments to the discussion leader and childcare attendant.

"We are thrilled to receive these grant funds from CFNM. This program has become so popular in Horn Lake that the library has to turn away families, so the funds to purchase new books will ensure that we can serve more families each week," said Caroline Gillespie, MHC program officer.

For the past nine years, the MHC has partnered with the M.R. Dye Public Library to bring its bilingual Luciérnagas program to families in the Horn Lake area. It has grown to become one of the MHC's largest and most successful reading programs and routinely serves up to 35 families.

For more information on the MHC's Family Reading Program, contact Caroline Gillespie at cgillespie@mhc.state.ms.us.
Coming Up: Humanities Programs Sponsored by MHC

Water/Ways in Clarksdale

August 31-October 13, 2018
Lower Mississippi River Foundation, Clarksdale
The Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution, from August 31 through October 13.  Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. It consists of five free-standing display units incorporating photographs and text as well as numerous interactives ranging from basic flip charts to state of the art audio and video devices.

 
Water/Ways @ LMRF: Flood Control on the Big River

September 15, 2018, 12:00PM
Lower Mississippi River Foundation, Clarksdale
On Saturday, September 15, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will present a panel discussion titled "Flood Control on the Big River" at the Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale. The panel, including Paul Hartfield from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services and Hank Burdine from the Mississippi Levee Board, will discuss the history and future of flood control on the Mississippi River. The program, which is free and open to the public, will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Water/Ways, on display in Clarksdale through October 13.

 
Ideas on Tap: The Politics of Sports

September 18, 2018, 5:30PM
Hal and Mal's, Jackson
Join the Mississippi Humanities Council at Hal and Mal's in Jackson for "Ideas on Tap: The Politics of Sports." In recent months and years, the world of sports has increasingly found itself involved in as many conflicts off the field as it has on the field. We'll examine the idea of protest politics in sports and the history behind it to figure out where athletes fit into our political world. We'll also tackle current NCAA rules on paying college athletes to play, their historical precedent, and what they can teach us about our society. Panelists D'Andra Orey (professor of political science at Jackson State University) and sportswriter Rick Cleveland (Mississippi Today) will share their thoughts. Sportscaster Jon Wiener will moderate.

 
Jane Austen in the Welty Garden: A Mini Film Series

September 21, 2018, 6:30PM
Eudora Welty House & Garden, Jackson
The Eudora Welty House and Garden, the Mississippi Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), and Crossroads Film Society are partnering to present a third and final mini-film series featuring the cinematic adaptation of Jane Austen's work or screening strongly linked with Austen or her work. Welty scholars are aware Austen was one of the writer's favorite novelists; Welty wrote and commented extensively on Austen's fiction and the impact she had on Welty's own writing. The series kicks off with Persuasion, a 1995 film starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. The Welty House lawn will open at 5:30 p.m., the program will begin at 6:45 p.m., and the movie will start at 7:15 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and a snack. (If it rains,the program will be held in the Student Center Theater at Belhaven University.)

 
Water/Ways @ LMRF: Smithsonian Museum Day

September 22, 2018
Lower Mississippi River Foundation, Clarksdale
On Saturday, September 22, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will celebrate Smithsonian Museum Day at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. Free entry to the Delta Blues Museum will be available with a Museum Day ticket. Smithsonian Museum Day will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Water/Ways, on display in Clarksdale through October 13.


Water/Ways @ LMRF: Relay of Voices

September 22, 2018, 4:00PM
Lower Mississippi River Foundation, Clarksdale
On Saturday, September 22, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will present Relay of Voices at the Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale. The dance and storytelling performance, which is free and open to the public, will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Water/Ways, on display in Clarksdale through October 13.


The Orators: A Look from the Past

September 27, 2018, 2:00PM
Mississippi State University, Starkville
The Mississippi State University Honors College is launching a new program beginning the 2018-2019 school year entitled The Orators. The program's focus is to invite speakers, representing various academic disciplines, to engage and enrich the campus and local communities, faculty, staff, students, and citizens, through public forums, panel discussions, seminars, course work, research and public lectures. The theme for the first year is "Searching for Self: Who Am I Anyway?" This program will feature noted humanities scholars and activities to provide learning opportunities for area colleges, universities, and our communities.
 
Ideas on Tap: Fake News? Public Trust in the Media

September 27, 2018, 5:30PM
Bacchus on the Beach, Pass Christian
Join the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Sun Herald at Bacchus On The Beach for "Ideas on Tap: Fake News? Public Trust in the Media." This special Coast edition of Ideas on Tap will focus on the role of community journalism in our society and how things like "fake news" and economic constraints affect journalism's connection to us. Hear from panelists Stan Tiner, Evelina Shmukler Burnett, and Anita Lee as they share their thoughts on these-and many more-topics. Brad Kessie will moderate.

 
Water/Ways @ LMRF: Youth Art Exhibit & Sale

September 29, 2018, 12:00PM
Lower Mississippi River Foundation, Clarksdale
On Saturday, September 29, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host an art exhibit and sale at Meraki Roasting Company in Clarksdale. The exhibit will feature art from Clarksdale youth related to the power of water. Art from the exhibit will be on sale. The exhibit and sale will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Water/Ways, on display in Clarksdale through October 13.

 
Racial Literacy for the 21st Century:
A Special Keynote from Ruha Benjamin

October 3, 2018, 7:00PM
Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Jackson
In this signature talk, Ruha Benjamin, a Princ eton University African-American Studies professor, will put academic scholarship in co nversation with the latest headlines to explore how racism distorts our relationships, communities and institutions. She will also offer a wide-ranging tool kit for what we can do to enact real change.  This event is free but seating is limited. Visit the link to reserve your seat.

 
Jane Austen in the Welty Garden: A Mini Film Series

October 5, 2018, 6:30PM
Eudora Welty House & Garden, Jackson
The Eudora Welty House and Garden, the Mississippi Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), and Crossroads Film Society are partnering to present a third and final mini-film series featuring the cinematic adaptation of Jane Austen's work or screening strongly linked with Austen or her work. The second installment will include a screening of the movie Belle. Released in 2013, the movie stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Tom Wilkinson and involves characters from Jane Austen's third novel, Mansfield Park. The grounds will open at 5:30 p.m., the program will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the film begins at 7 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and a snack. (If it rains,the program will be held in the Student Center Theater at Belhaven University.)

 
Water/Ways @ LMRF: Swimming and Civil Rights

October 6, 2018, 12:00PM
Lower Mississippi River Foundation, Clarksdale
On Saturday, October 6, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host a panel discussion on the role of swimming and pools during the Civil Rights Movement. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the Crossroads Cultural Center in Clarksdale. The panel discussion will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Water/Ways, on display in Clarksdale through October 13.

 
2018 Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival

October 11-13, 2018
Clarksdale Historic Downtown District
The 26th Annual Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams festival's events will build on last yea
r's new and successful format: A keynote speech and choir performance followed by a tour of historic and Williams-related sites in Clarksdale; site-specific scenes from our featured play, Orpheus Descending, introduced by scholars; a slideshow and scholars panel: "Clarksdale, Cotton, and the Cutrers"; the opening of the Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum; and a picnic and movie screening of St. Louis Blues featuring Bessie Smith, and The Fugitive Kind. Also presented will be the annual Williams monologue and scene competition, and acting class for students from around the state; awards; talk at St. George's Episcopal Church and Museum visits; and porch plays (reprise of some scenes from Friday, and some new scenes.)

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