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Mississippi Humanities Council Newsletter - February 2019
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Stuart Rockoff
MHC Executive Director |
Executive Director's Message
Blackface & Black History Month
I set out to write my column this month about Black History Month (and I promise to get to it by the end), but I've been struck by the events that have been unfolding in Virginia surrounding old yearbook photos depicting elected officials in blackface when they were younger. People on social media here in Jackson have been going through old high school and college yearbooks and finding similar photographs. As a historian, I hope this growing controversy offers us a chance to move beyond politics and public shaming and think deeply about the racial stereotypes that have shaped much of our culture.
When I was doing my dissertation research about how American Jews in the early 20th century assimilated into this country's racial structure, I found numerous examples of Jews wearing blackface. In my dissertation, I argued that donning blackface was actually a way for Jewish immigrants, whose racial position was sometimes called into question, to assert their whiteness by participating in this longstanding white American folk tradition.
But of course, blackface is not a harmless folk tradition. Documentary filmmaker Marlon Riggs, in his seminal work "Ethnic Notions," unpacks the history and meaning of the racial stereotypes underlying the history of whites darkening their faces. In the recent documentary "I Am Not Your Negro," James Baldwin addresses this issue head-on: that the racist caricatures of blacks put forth in white culture were created to uphold white supremacy and justify the subjugation of African Americans. Baldwin explains that this white need to demean African Americans says far more about the sickness at the heart of white culture than about Black America.
It was in response to such racist stereotypes that historian Carter Woodson created the idea of black history month in 1926. To counteract these demeaning depictions of African Americans, Woodson would instead celebrate black achievement by highlighting those who had made significant contributions to American life despite facing racial discrimination. Ever since, organizations have worked to raise awareness about African American history during the month of February.
But here at the MHC, we believe African American history is a central and vital part of Mississippi history. We celebrate and honor black history every month of the year.
I will admit the Mississippi Humanities Council is not one of these organizations. Of course, we fund several black history month programs with our grants and speakers bureau, and will continue to support nonprofit organizations around the state seeking to hold such programs. But here at the MHC, we believe African American history is a central and vital part of Mississippi history. We celebrate and honor black history every month of the year. Our programs reflect that, whether it's sponsoring a Mississippi Book Festival panel on civil rights history in August, or a civil rights history and literature course at Parchman penitentiary over the summer, or our award-winning racial equity grant program that funded fifty different projects around the state that sought to change the narrative about Mississippi history to create a more inclusive and accurate account of our state's past.
If blackface and racist stereotypes go hand-in-hand with a stilted and myth-filled understanding of our past, embracing the history of African Americans in our state leads to a deeper insight: that as Mississippians we are bound together by our ugly history, but we can build a better future by creating a narrative that includes all of our stories. February is a great time to do this work, but so is every other month.
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Ideas on Tap Spring Series to Address Criminal Justice
February 19, the MHC will host the first in a two-part series about criminal justice reform in Mississippi. The program will be held at Hal & Mal's in Jackson from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The program will examine the criminal justice system in Mississippi by looking at its history, existing laws, and current reform efforts. Panelists include James Robertson of Empower Mississippi; Jennifer Riley-Collins of the ACLU of Mississippi, and Judge Johnnie McDaniels of the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center. Michelle Liu, investigative reporter for
Mississippi Today, will moderate the program.
The second part of the criminal justice series will take place on March 19. The March program will focus on inmates' re-entry into society following their release. Details for that program will be announced in the coming weeks.
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MHC Receives Grant from Phil Hardin Foundation for Special Ideas on Tap Series on Public Education
The Mississippi Humanities Council has been awarded $25,000 from the Phil Hardin Foundation to support the its Ideas on Tap program. The funds will be used to support a statewide Ideas on Tap initiative focusing on public education that will take place throughout 2019.
"We are thrilled to receive this support from the Hardin Foundation and to have them as partners on this important project,"
said MHC Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff. "The topic of education is extremely timely as we approach the 2019 statewide elections. Through this series, we will bring together diverse voices to engage Mississippians around the state in the crucial conversation of how we can improve public education in our state."
The 12-part series will take place in six communities: DeSoto County, Tupelo, Clarksdale, Jackson, Meridian, and Biloxi. Each community will host two programs, the first featuring a panel of institutional statewide partners to discuss education policy and philosophy, and the second featuring a panel of local voices to discuss the current state of education at the community level, as well as underlying social and economic factors that affect educational access and outcomes.
The MHC has secured statewide and local partnerships to help carry out the series. Statewide partners such as Empower Mississippi, The Parents' Campaign, and Mississippi First will help coordinate the first of the two programs in each community. Local partners including the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi in DeSoto County, Meraki Roasting Company and Griot Arts in Clarksdale, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community Foundation, and the CREATE Foundation in Tupelo will help tailor each conversation to the respective communities and publicize the series.
Founded in 1964 by Meridian baker and entrepreneur Phil Hardin, the Phil Hardin Foundation seeks to improve education opportunities for all Mississippians. Since its inception, the Phil Hardin Foundation has provided more than $38.8 million in grants and loans to further Mr. Hardin's charitable intent.
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Lyle Wynn
Mississippi Blacksmith |
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Mississippi Blacksmith Selected to Design Art for MHC Public Humanities Awards
Brandon blacksmith Lyle Wynn will design the art pieces presented to recipients of the Mississippi Humanities Council's 2019 Public Humanities Awards on April 5 at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson.
Each year, the Mississippi Humanities Council commissions a Mississippi-based artist to create original works of art to honor Mississippians for their outstanding contributions in bringing the insights of the humanities to public audiences. Past awards have been designed by such artists as Andrew Young (Pearl River Glass Studio), Laurin Stennis (Laurin Stennis, Ink), Harrison and June Caldwell (Caldwell Forge and Enamel) and Roy Adkins (Light + Glass Studio). The awards are presented at the Council's annual awards gala and ceremony.
This year's artist, Lyle Wynn, is a blacksmith and world-class bladesmith who was among four competitors chosen to demonstrate their skill with iron and fire on the History Channel's "Forged in Fire" reality TV series. Wynn placed second in the competition. His permanent studio/forge is located at the Mississippi Craft Center where he is a member of the Mississippi Craftsmen's Guild.
Wynn ventured into blacksmithing in 1998 when he inherited his grandfather's collection of tools. He joined the Mississippi Forge Council in 1999 and eventually perfected his craft, now traveling the country leading workshops on "Tools to Make Tools."
Each winner of a 2019 Public Humanities Award will receive an original piece of art created by Wynn at his forge. This year's recipients
are:
Cora Norman Award
Patti Carr Black
Humanities Scholar Award
Stephanie Rolph
Humanities Partner Award
Mississippi Today
Preserver of Mississippi Culture
Winterville Mounds Native American Days
Humanities Educator Award
Brinda Willis
Thirty recipients of the 2019 Humanities Teacher Awards, which pay tribute to outstanding faculty in traditional humanities fields, will also be honored.
"This year's winners reflect the breadth and importance of the humanities. They have helped us understand our state's rich and complicated history and explored the unique cultural traditions of our state," says MHC Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff. "They have also shown how the tools of the humanities, including deep, thoughtful examination and civil civic discourse, are vitally important to our democracy today. Each winner is a wonderful example of our belief that the humanities are for everyone."
The Council invites all Mississippians to join them at their 2019 Public Humanities Awards ceremony and reception April 5, at 5:30 p.m. at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson.
Tickets for the Mississippi Humanities Council Public Humanities Awards ceremony and reception are $50 each and may be purchased by sending a check to the Mississippi Humanities Council, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Room 317, Jackson, MS 39211 or online at www.mshumanities.org. Information about the awards and the reception is available at www.mshumanities.org or 601-432-6752.
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| Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's HTA winner, Ryan Schilling |
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Humanities Lectures Around the State
Humanities Teacher Award lectures continue throughout the state in February. One outstanding humanities educator at each of the state's institutions for higher learning is selected each year for this award, which includes a cash award and special recognition at the Mississippi Humanities Council's annual awards gala in April. These lectures offer Mississippians a unique experience to hear scholarly presentations on a wide range of humanities subjects.
Upcoming lectures include:
Feb. 18: Dr. Alisea McLeod, Rust College,
Sharp Bargainers: John Eaton, Jr's 63rd VSCT
Feb. 19: Dr. Andrew Sauerwein, Belhaven University,
In Pursuit of Radical Music-Making
Feb. 20: Sheila Hailey, Hinds Community College,
The Interesting Question that History Can Answer
Feb. 21: Dr. Jo Baldwin, Mississippi Valley State University,
Student Introductions and the Social Trinity
Feb. 21: Jay Wilson, Holmes Community College,
Mississippi's Monumental Men: Jefferson Davis and J.Z. George
Feb. 22: Morgan Boothe, Meridian Community College,
Coffee Spoons and Cell Phones: Isolation and Loneliness in T.S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock'
Feb. 22: Kyle Britt, Copiah-Lincoln Community College,
History of Wesson and Copiah-Lincoln Community College
Feb. 25: Phoenix Savage, Tougaloo College,
Making as a Revolutionary Act: Black Women Artists and the Forging of New Societies
For more information on these and other upcoming lectures, please visit our
website calendar.
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The Story of Us: Confronting What Divides our Communities
The Mississippi Humanities Council is part of a group of seven state councils partnering with the Kettering Foundation to examine ways the work of humanities councils can support democratic processes in our communities. In this "joint learning agreement" with Kettering, the MHC has developed a dialogue model for communities to use to address local challenges (access to health care, crime, education, etc.). The model, titled The Story of Us: Confronting What Divides our Communities, encourages participants to study their local challenge through the lens of racial history.
The first of four dialogue series began in Tupelo in January with The Link Centre and the Tupelo Public School District, to address a racial disparity in AP course enrollment. The series also aimed to understand other issues where race plays a factor in our schools, including attendance, bias in the classroom, academic offerings, and disciplinary policy. Participants include parents, school staff, and community leaders. The series will conclude with a final discussion Feb. 25.
Co-facilitators, one African American and one white, have guided participants through a series of exercises to understand why fewer minorities are participating in AP courses, using a variety of humanities tools such as personal narrative-sharing, literature-based discussion, and white privilege drills. The overarching goal of this dialogue model is not to solve a problem or reach a compromise, but to recognize values we share that are threatened by the problem and to build relationships of mutual respect and understanding so problems are addressed constructively, with civility, together.
"Our hope is that these sessions will enable the participants to acknowledge the role race plays in our differences and progress toward a more democratic experience for all Mississippians," said Carol Andersen, assistant director of the MHC, who has guided the process of developing and testing this model.
"Our first series has been a tremendous success for the Mississippi Humanities Council and our community partners in Tupelo," Andersen said. "We have often worked with schools and educational organizations on programs that explored the history of race and education in Mississippi, but this is the first effort we have supported that expressly used the humanities to conceive a plan for addressing race-related inequities in how Mississippi children access educational opportunities.
A second dialogue series will begin this month with Millsaps College's Institute for Civic and Professional Engagement, examining the role race plays in young people's decisions to leave Mississippi after high school or college. Participants will include juniors and seniors from colleges and universities in the metro Jackson area, culminating with a session with the Mayor's Office. Later in 2019, the MHC hopes to work with the Stone County Economic Development Partnership and the Delta State Center for Community and Economic Development to address race-related challenges in their communities.
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Water/Ways Readies to Set Sail From Mississippi
After nearly 10 months in the state, the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Water/Ways will leave Mississippi in March. Before it departs, it will be on display at the Tenn-Tom Waterway Transportation Museum in downtown Columbus through March 8.
The exhibit is open weekly Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment on Saturdays. The exhibit is free to visit, so be sure to check it out before it leaves Mississippi for good.
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MHC Sponsors NLCC's 'The Great River Road'
The Mississippi Humanities Council is again sponsoring Copiah-Lincoln Community College's Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration. The NLCC annually presents a theme-based lecture series enhanced by films, field trips, workshops, exhibits, book signings, concerts, and discussions. This year's events will take place February 21-23.
The theme of the 2019 Celebration, now in its 30th year, is "The Great River Road: Cultural Connections," examines the cultural and historical connections that link Mississippi and Louisiana along the Great River Road, as well as scholarly and popular literature.
Keynote speakers will include Michael Twitty, chef, culinary historian, and author of
The Cooking Gene; Beth Ann Fennelly, poet laureate of Mississippi; and novelist Tom Franklin, who will be discussing his book
Crooked Letter Crooked Letter.
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Michael Twitty
Culinary Historian
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Other panels will feature Gene Dattel, "Preparing for the World: Experiences of a Mississippi Delta Jew," and Dr. Karen Cox of University of North Carolina at Charlotte discussing national press coverage of the 1940 Rhythm Night Club fire in Natchez.
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The Struggle Continues: Equity
in Education
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| Hancock Performing Arts Center |
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Following a successful MHC-sponsored lecture series last spring, the Hancock County School District has recently launched a second series, this time probing racially-motivated educational policies that have impeded equality in our American education system. The second series is also supported with a grant from the MHC.
"After the (2018) lectures ended, Kevin Allemand, a history teacher, noticed a shift in conversations where his students were engaged in the story of the Civil Rights Movement and asking questions and making comments," said project coordinator Catherine Tibbs. "He realized placing the students in the historical context as they listened to the lectures was transformative."
Tibbs hopes for a similar experience with the current lecture series, using humanities scholars to give historical and political context to the educational policies that have shaped, for better and for worse, our current education system.
The Struggle Continues: Equity in Education lecture series began January 29 at the Hancock Performing Arts Center in Kiln, with a presentation by Dr. Robbie Luckett of Jackson State University who spoke on "Public Education as a Cause for Civil Rights in Mississippi." He addressed the history of educational inequity for African Americans, Choctaws, Jews and Italian immigrants in Mississippi and the ways in which the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission perpetuated that inequity.
February 19, Dr. Sherita L. Johnson from the University of Southern Mississippi will discuss the story of Clyde Kennard, a little-known civil rights pioneer who tried to become the first African American to attend Mississippi Southern College, now the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg.
March 19, William Coleman of the Hancock County Historical Society will discuss "The History of Education in Hancock County," with an emphasis on the experiences of African Americans, Asians and Hispanic students in Mississippi's three coastal counties. The Struggle Continues: Equity in Education lecture series concludes April 30 with a student poetry event, "The Struggle: Hearing Our Voices," where youths will share poetry that reflects their interpretations of the struggle for education equity, past and present.
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Coming Up: Humanities Programs Sponsored by MHC
Water/Ways in Columbus
January 25-March 8, 2019
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Transportation Museum
The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Transportation Museum will host Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution, through March 8. Water/Ways explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water's effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. It looks at how political and economic planning have long been affected by access to water and control of water resources.
Margret and H.A. Rey: A Partnership that Created an Icon
February 19, 2019, 10:00 a.m.
Thames Conference Center, Wesson
For 75 years, children have been captivated by "Curious George." Much is known about "George," but little is know about his creators. The lived of Margret and H.A. Rey are as interesting as the little monkey they created-if not more so. This presentation by Ellen Ruffin will examine their lives in Hamburg, Germany, as well as the journeys that brought them to the United States.
The Soul of Southern Cooking
February 19, 2019, 6:00 p.m.
Hattiesburg Cultural Center, Hattiesburg
Miz Bob (known as Bob Hunter to friends and family) learned to cook from her mother and her grandmother.
Miz Bob began teaching her daughter, Kathy Starr, the presenter, all 500 recipes at about age 5. In the process, Kathy has preserved a lost art of cooking for future generations. Her mental catalogue includes over 500 recipes and follows the art of cooking from the slave kitchen to her great-grandmother's table.
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Photo by Rory Doyle
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Delta Hill Riders
February 19, 2019, 6:30 p.m.
Delta Arts Alliance, Cleveland
In mid-February 2019, the first solo photography exhibit of Rory Doyle will open at the Delta Arts Alliance. The public exhibit will feature work from over two years of documenting the African-American cowboy and cowgirl subculture in the Mississippi Delta. On opening night, Dr. Shalando Jones of Delta State University will present a lecture on the history of black cowboys in Mississippi and across the country. The exhibit will be on display until March 15, 2019.
The Orators: Democratic Faith in Dark Times
February 20, 2019, 2:00 p.m.
Griffis Hall, Mississippi State University
Dr. Melvin Rogers (Brown University) will present "Democratic Faith in Dark Times," a meditation on piety, faith, and the transformative potential of self and society.
'A Way Pass Struggles': A Reenactment
February 21, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
Mississippi Arts Center, Jackson
Reenactment of an enslaved African named Abdul-Rahman ibn Ibrahim Sori, of his life as a free African, and as an enslaved man in Natchez, MS. Programming includes an art exhibit and discussion panel.
Parallels of Southern Storytelling & Folktales from Around the World
February 22, 2019, 9:00 a.m.
William Carey University, Hattiesburg
Diane Williams uses the art of storytelling to uncover folktales from the south, oral history from Mississippi, often paralleling these story motifs with folktales from around the world.
Presentation will take place in the Lorena Smith building.
'Baltimore' Performance & Discussion
February 22, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
708 Main Street, Greenville
The Sunflower County Freedom Project youth drama will present
Baltimore, a play by Kirsten Greenridge.
Baltimore focuses on a group of college students whose lives are shaken when someone draws an offensive picture of the wall of their residence hall. The play shines light on issues of equality, racism, community, and the question of who gets to belong where. After the performance, the students and audience will participate in a facilitated conversation.
Civil Rights and The Arts
February 23, 2019, 3:00 p.m.
Bennie G. Thompson Center, Tougaloo College
This event will feature a workshop with Clinnesha D. Sibley, panels featuring speakers such as Dr. Daphne Chamberlain and civil rights veterans, and a discussion of the civil rights movement in Rankin County. A full schedule can be found on the MHC calendar of events.
Representing the Experiences of Women: The Changeling
February 25, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
Fleming Education Center, Long Beach
The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus premieres its spring 2019 Cultural Arts Series, "Representing the Experiences of Women, From the English Renaissance to Right Now." February 25, Atlanta-based Resurgens Theatre Company returns to the Gulf Park campus to present Rowley and Middleton's
The Changeling, an English Renaissance tragedy of profound contemporary relevance.
Ulysses S. Grant, Reconstruction, and Civil Rights
February 26, 2019, 5:00 p.m.
Old Capitol Museum, Jackson
Former Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Williams will present "Ulysses S. Grant, Reconstruction, and Civil Rights" at the Old Capitol Museum.
Williams is the longtime president of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and was instrumental in the creation of the U.S. Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University. In 2017, Williams and his wife, Virginia, donated their Lincolniana Collection-documents, books, artifacts, ephemera, philately, numismatics, paintings, and statuary related to the life of Abraham Lincoln-to the library.
Nursing Care in the 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic
February 28, 2019, 8:30 a.m.
UMMC Nelson Student Union, Jackson
Dr. Deanne Stephens Nuwer explores the 1878 yellow fever epidemic in Mississippi that resulted in an expansion of nursing care and the recognition of the importance of nurses in disaster care. Because of the severity of the epidemic, race relations also underwent dramatic changes as African Americans nursed white Mississippians in a post-Reconstruction period fraught with racial tension and violence.
'Back in the Day' Black History Celebration
February 28, 2019, 6:00 p.m.
New Hope Baptist Church, Jackson
The "grand finale" of this annual black history celebration will feature Dr. Darius D. Prier of Duquesne University, presenting "Who Got Next: Holding Hostage Hope in the Imagination of Next Generation Leadership."
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