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Mississippi Humanities Council Newsletter - May 2019
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Dr. Stuart Rockoff
MHC Executive Director |
Executive Director's Message
What Google Analytics Teaches Us about the Crisis in the Humanities
When I need a break at work, I will often check the Google analytics for the
Mississippi Encyclopedia Online. This week, I've been very excited about the data indicating how people are using the encyclopedia.
In the past two weeks, 254 users have accessed the article on the Port Gibson Civil Rights Movement. While the users of the online encyclopedia are from all over the country and the world, most of these people live in Port Gibson. Based on this data, it seems clear teachers and their students are using the encyclopedia as a resource. Hence the 64 people in Madison who accessed the Farmer's Alliance article one day last month or the 176 people in Petal who read the entry on Faith Hill a few weeks ago.
The Port Gibson example was especially exciting because it is a rich, detailed article written by the historian Emilye Crosby, based on her award-winning book
A Little Taste of Freedom: The Black Freedom Struggle in Claiborne County, Mississippi. The book tells the story of a local movement that had often been omitted from the larger narrative of civil rights history. Now, because of the Mississippi Encyclopedia Online, students in Port Gibson are able to learn about this local movement and understand how the struggle for racial equality shaped their hometown. This is exactly what we had in mind when we created the online encyclopedia with the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi.
The popularity of the Port Gibson article and the entire online encyclopedia came to mind as I have been reading many articles and essays about the crisis in the humanities. The number of college humanities majors has dropped significantly in recent years and several colleges are reducing or even eliminating some humanities departments. The causes for this decline are widely debated. But in a recent essay in the
Wall Street Journal, Adam Kirsch suggests looking at the crisis from a different perspective, arguing that cultural development has usually occurred outside of the academy. While this crisis may be a challenge for college humanities professors, it does not seriously threaten "the things that humanists cherish: free thought and free expression, the quest for beauty and truth."
Kirsch argues that while the number of humanities majors may be in decline, interest in history, culture, and literature remains strong among the general public. We see this in our own state with the tremendous success of the 2 Mississippi Museums and the Mississippi Book Festival. Kirsch writes, "The real action takes place outside the [college] classroom, in theaters, concert halls, art galleries and libraries, or simply in the living rooms where people read and think." I would add computers and smartphones to this list. The 12,000 people who visited the Mississippi Encyclopedia Online last month reflect this tremendous interest in the history and culture of our state.
The Mississippi Humanities Council has long served as a bridge between humanities scholars and the public. We have a strong interest in strengthening our state's humanities departments by offering them opportunities to engage with the larger community.
The Mississippi Humanities Council has long served as a bridge between humanities scholars and the public. We have a strong interest in strengthening our state's humanities departments by offering them opportunities to engage with the larger community. One of our best partners has been Dr. Ted Ownby, director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Dr. Ownby has been our crucial partner in the creation of the online encyclopedia, which is a digital version of the printed
Mississippi Encyclopedia, which the Center produced. This summer, he is stepping down as director of the Center (though not as a faculty member), and will be replaced by Dr. Kathryn McKee. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Center under Dr. McKee's leadership, including the Mississippi Encyclopedia Online.
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Mississippi Encyclopedia Online Reaches Record Number of Users in April
Since its launch last summer, the Mississippi Encyclopedia Online has reached a growing number of users each month. In April, a record 11,808 users accessed the site. Below are some other interesting statistics about the people who visited the encyclopedia in April.
- While 91% of these users live in the United States, people in 104 other countries visited the encyclopedia in April.
- 25% of all users live in Mississippi, though people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia also used it in April.
- People in 117 different Mississippi communities used the encyclopedia in April.
- 85% of users found the Mississippi Encyclopedia via a search engine
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Photo of an American Alligator, featured on the "Reptiles" page of the Mississippi Encyclopedia Online
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The top 10 most viewed entries for April were:
- Bob Zellner
- Reptiles
- Trees
- Parchman Prison
- Faith Hill
- Jackson Civil Rights Movement
- Civil Rights Boycotts
- James O. Eastland
- Segregation
- Whitfield State Hospital
Learn More
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MHC Hosts Final Ideas on Tap Program Examining Public Education in Jackson
May 16, the MHC will host the second in a two-part series on public education in Jackson. The program will take place at Hal & Mal's at 5:30 p.m. and is free to attend.
The Ideas on Tap program will address public education in Jackson by examining the work of the Better Together Commission, the administrative changes JPS is currently undertaking, and the community's relationship to JPS.
Program panelists include JPS superintendent Dr. Errick Greene, JPS parent organizer Rosaline McCoy,
W.K. Kellogg Foundation director of Mississippi and New Orleans programs Dr. Rhea Williams-Bishop, and Jackson chief administrative officer Dr. Robert Blaine. The program will be moderated by
Mississippi Today education reporter Kayleigh Skinner.
The May 16 program in Jackson is part of a larger yearlong series on public education in communities around the state. The series, funded by a $25,000 grant from the
Phil Hardin Foundation, examines Mississippi's public education system in advance of the 2019 statewide elections. In addition to Jackson, programs will take place in Hernando, Tupelo, Clarksdale, Meridian, and Biloxi.
Learn More
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MHC Partners with Community College to Offer Credit-Eligible Courses in Prison
Eight women at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility near Pearl, MS, have completed the first college-level course in a Mississippi Humanities Council pilot project to make academic credits available for incarcerated learners via the Mississippi community college system. The course, English Composition I, was administered by MHC partner, the Prison Writes Initiative, and taught by Professor Laura Hammons. Credit for the course was awarded by Hinds Community College.
"The Mississippi Humanities Council has supported numerous college-level courses at correctional facilities across the state for several years," said Assistant Director Carol Andersen. "Some have been eligible for college credit and some have not. We are anxious to create more opportunities for these students to earn credits they can use for continuing their education after release. Our community colleges offer a very accessible path toward that continued education when they finally complete their sentences and return to citizen life."
All eight students who completed the course, which required the same rigor as any course offered on a traditional college campus, earned three core curriculum credits. In the course, students wrote numerous 500-word-plus essays, including both expository and analytical writing, and delivered oral presentations based on their writing at the conclusion of the course.
"It has been a meaningful experience for the college to participate in this educational program," said Dr. Theresa Hamilton, vice president for the Hinds Community College Raymond Campus and director of College Parallel Programs for the college. "Several of our faculty and staff have become involved with the program. Many more than expected have visited the class and supported it in one way or another. It was a gift for any of us who visited there to witness the determination of these students. It has been a growth opportunity for the college to adapt our usual processes to a rather non-traditional educational environment."
In this pilot phase, the Mississippi Humanities Council is focusing particularly on supporting courses for credit in the core curriculum, especially humanities courses, which can be the basis for any degree the students may pursue after leaving prison.
Professor Hammons, who is also on the Hinds Community College faculty but taught this course as an adjunct instructor paid by the Mississippi Humanities Council, believes the impact of educational opportunities like this goes well beyond academic benefits. "People who have been intellectually starved by confinement come to life when given a chance to learn," Hammons said. "Their journey is one of discovery of who they are... and how well they can learn and understand. They give up their old ideas about being bad students... It is transformative for the students and highly gratifying for the instructor."
The Mississippi Humanities Council is working with Hinds Community College to consider additional credit-eligible courses for students at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility and perhaps other prison facilities across the state.
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Cottman is pictured here at the underwater memorial commemorating those who died aboard the Henrietta Marie and those lost during the Transatlantic Slave Trade
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Shackles From the Deep: A Lecture on the
Henrietta Marie
The MHC has partnered with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to bring Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Cottman to the 2 Mississippi Museums on May 30, where he will discuss the years he spent researching the origin of the Henrietta Marie, an English slave ship that sank off the coast of Florida in 1700.
Artifacts found in the wreckage of the ship are featured in a special exhibit at the 2 Mississippi Museums, Spirits of the Passage: the Story of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
"We are looking forward to hearing Michael Cottman describe his experience learning about the Henrietta Marie and diving to the ocean floor to see the remains of the slave ship," said MDAH public information officer Michael Morris. "The program is also an opportunity for anyone who hasn't seen the powerful Spirits of the Passage exhibit, which will be open free of charge after Cottman's presentation."
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Cottman will discuss the four years he spent researching the origin of the Henrietta Marie
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A book signing will take place at 5:30 p.m., and the program will begin at 6 p.m. There is no charge to attend. After the presentation, Spirits of the Passage will be open until 8 p.m. Admission will be free. The Slave Series: Quilts by Gwendolyn Magee, an exhibit on loan from the Mississippi Museum of Art to accompany Spirits of the Passage, will also be open.
"Spirits of the Passage is an amazing look at the many voices that were never heard during the Middle Passage," said Mississippi Civil Rights Museum director Pamela D.C. Junior.
"We hope that people will reflect on their own lives and ancestral heritage and honor the great people who, through integrity, fortitude, and strength, brought over art and culture, religion, agriculture, and a host of other phenomenal attributes that we see in our everyday lives."
Learn More
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Panelists Joe Sweeney, Adrienne White Hudson, and Cloretha Jamison (left) answer questions from moderator Aallyah Wright (right) during the May 14 "Ideas on Tap: The Future of Public Education in Clarksdale."
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Storyteller June Caldwell engages with families during a reading program session April 30.
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MHC Continues Reading Program Partnership with Columbus Air Force Base
This year, the MHC will be conducting two Prime Time reading programs with military families as part of a new partnership with the Columbus Air Force Base. The first program began in April and the second program will take place in the fall. Both programs are designed specifically for military families.
The six-week spring program, which began April 23, takes place in conjunction with "Month of the Military Child." The program is a partnership between the MHC and CAFB's School Liaison Office, which connects base families to educational opportunities and resources. Storyteller June Caldwell and discussion leader Lindsey Beck work with families each week to engage in dynamic storytelling and theme-based discussion. The spring program will end May 28.
The spring program is supported by generous grants from the ChemFirst/First Mississippi Corporation Charitable Endowment Fund and the
Mississippi Arts Commission
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The fall program will take place in October and November, in conjunction with "Month of the Military Family."
Developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Prime Time family reading programs are licensed and used by the MHC to engage Mississippi families with dynamic storytelling and discussion.
For more information on the MHC's Family Reading Project or to learn how to host a program in your community, contact
Caroline Gillespie.
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MHC Hosts First-Ever Meridian Ideas on Tap
Join the Mississippi Humanities Council and
Mississippi's Arts + Entertainment Experience (MAX) for the first ever Meridian Ideas on Tap program about art and what makes it "good" or "bad."
The May 23 program will focus on how we perceive art, the artists behind the works, how historical context affects perceptions of art, and the gatekeepers to the canon. Panelists include Mattie Codling (Walter Anderson Museum of Art), Marty Gamblin (The MAX), Lisa Howorth (author and co-founder of Square Books), and Stacey Wilson (The MAX). The panel will be moderated by The MAX historian Tony Lewis.
The program will take place on the MAX terrace from 5:30-7 p.m. For more information, visit the
online event page.
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Coming Up: Humanities Programs Sponsored by MHC
Speakers Bureau: Rabbit Foot Minstrels' Long History, Ambiguous Legacy
May 24, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, Port Gibson
The famous Rabbit Foot Minstrels traveled through Mississippi performing in a large tent. Their marching band paraded through town at noon to attract attention, and their orchestra played inside the tent at night for the variety artists. Dr. David Crosby examines how the change from a black owner to a white one affected the way the show was presented to the public, and raises questions about how that eventually affected other mass entertainment venues like radio and television.
One Forest, Many Different Trees: E.O. Templeton Jr. Genealogy Fair 2019
June 1, 2019, 8:30 a.m.
Mitchell Memorial Library, Starkville
One Forest, Many Different Trees
is the 13th annual genealogy fair sponsored by Mississippi State University Libraries. Participants will learn skills required to research their families and create family histories and family trees. A full schedule of events can be found on the event website.
Speakers Bureau: Developing an Oral History from Concept to Creation
June 6, 2019, 5 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church, Natchez
G. Mark LaFrancis, a long-time professional oral historian, demystifies the process of creating an oral history, breaking it down into manageable components, from establishing a mission statement, creating questions, selecting interviewees, achieving a quality recording, time-coding, and more. Oral history novices need not feel intimidated by a project; in fact, they can feel exhilarated as they preserve forever an important piece of history.
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Rebecca Jernigan performs at the 2018 Mississippi Blueberry Jubilee Storytelling Festival
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Speakers Bureau: Mississippi Telling
June 8, 2019, 9 a.m.
Downtown Poplarville
Dr. Rebecca Jernigan provides an overview of the storytelling renaissance in America with emphasis upon the oral tradition in Mississippi. She performs as a story-teller calling upon on her rich repertoire of original tales and literary masterpieces, gearing her choices of tales according to her audience, and offers material for children and adults.
Speakers Bureau: 'Chimneyville,' The Destruction of Jackson During the Civil War
June 8-9, 2019
Brandon City Hall, Brandon
Grady Howell explores the facts pertinent to what happened during the four occupations of the city by Federal forces during the Civil War.
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