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Mississippi Humanities Council Newsletter - May 2018
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The MHC awarded a grant to USM to develop and screen a documentary film examining Clyde Kennard's efforts to enroll at the University in the 1950s. |
Director's Message
Honoring Clyde Kennard
Last week, the University of Southern Mississippi conferred a posthumous honorary doctorate to Clyde Kennard. This recognition had been a major focus of Dr. Leslie McLemore, a past MHC board chair and the recipient of our 2018 Cora Norman Award for his lifetime of contributions to the state of Mississippi. In his remarks during our awards gala, Dr. McLemore shared the tragic story of Kennard, who was framed and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit after he tried to integrate USM in the late 1950s. Dr. McLemore implored the audience to contact the university and urge them to recognize Kennard with an honorary degree. USM's decision to recognize Kennard in this way is a significant milestone for the university and our state.
For over fifty years, the mistreatment of Clyde Kennard has engendered hard feelings between segments of the Hattiesburg African American community and the university. But important actions over the past year, including some funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council, have helped bridge the divide as the university works to come to terms with this dark chapter in its history. Last year, we funded a Clyde Kennard lecture series, organized by the school's Freedom 50th Faculty Research Group. The series was held off campus, at the historic Eureka School, and drew crowds from both the campus and larger community. When I attended one program featuring historian Dr. Curtis Austin, a USM student stood up at the end and commented that she had never heard of Clyde Kennard and now was committed to sharing his story with her fellow students. The buzz I felt after hearing this comment kept me energized as I made the 90-minute late night drive back to Jackson. Later, we funded a short documentary about Kennard that will hopefully be shown to incoming USM students during orientation.
Rather than hiding or ignoring an uncomfortable truth, racial healing requires facing and coming to terms with it.
Earlier this year, a freedom trail marker was dedicated on the USM campus that tells the story of Clyde Kennard. As a member of the Freedom Trail advisory committee, I helped draft the marker text and ensured it reflects an honest account of the events. While I was unable to attend the dedication, by all accounts it was a moving ceremony that marked another significant milestone for racial reconciliation and healing in Hattiesburg. Rather than hiding or ignoring an uncomfortable truth, racial healing requires facing and coming to terms with it. With the help of Dr. McLemore, the Freedom 50th Research Group, the Mississippi Humanities Council, and so many others at USM and in the larger community, they are doing just that in Hattiesburg.
I realize many of my newsletter columns are about race. Frankly, I worry a bit about that. But as the great Mississippi artist William Dunlap once remarked, "There is so much more to Mississippi history than race; give me an hour and I'll think of some examples." There is no avoiding the fact that Mississippi's history and culture have been profoundly shaped by racism. Ignoring this unpleasant fact prevents our building a better, more unified community. Our work supporting the lifting up and highlighting of Clyde Kennard and his tragic story shows the humanities have a central role to play in this process. We congratulate President Dr. Rodney Bennett and the leadership of USM for making this important gesture, and Dr. McLemore and all the people working to help us come to terms with our state's legacy of racism.
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Water/Ways Opens
in Mississippi
On June 2, the Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibit Water/Ways will open in Moss Point at the Pascagoula River Audubon Center and will then spend nine months traveling around the state. The June 2 grand opening, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be the first time the exhibit is unveiled in the state, so we invite you to come join us for the grand opening, or to visit the free exhibit while it's in a community near you.
The exhibit examines the role of water in all aspects of our society. From Pickwick Lake to the Mississippi Delta to the Ross Barnett Reservoir to the Gulf Coast and every local swimming hole, baptism, glass of drinking water, canoe trip, and duck hunt in between, water shapes us. Water/Ways examines these connections through the use of text, photographs, and interactive components like flip charts and audio/visual devices.
Water/Ways is part of the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street division of traveling exhibits, which designs exhibitions specifically for smaller venues so that small or rural communities around the U.S. can host Smithsonian-quality exhibits.
While in Mississippi, Water/Ways will travel to Moss Point, Meridian, Clarksdale, Ocean Springs, Jackson, and Columbus. For a full list of sites, tour dates, and programs, visit our website.
Learn More
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The podcast from April's Ideas on Tap, "Emerging Mississippi in Media," is now available! Our April 24 discussion centered on media and news coverage in Mississippi in the 21st century, including how news is disseminated, how people choose to receive their news, the approach that young reporters take in order to cover or report on issues, and their connection to the issues on which they're reporting. Panelists included Larrison Campbell from Mississippi Today, Arielle Dreher from the Jackson Free Press, Beau York from Podastery, and Bracey Harris from the Clarion Ledger. Chellese Hall, communications manager for the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, moderated.
Click
here to access the podcast.
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MHC Partners with Media Organizations on Daylong Journalism Summit
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On July 14, the Mississippi Humanities Council will present a daylong series of panels and speakers about the importance and challenges of media and journalism in the 21st
century. "People, Politics and the Press" is an unprecedented collaboration between the
Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the Mississippi Press
Assoc
iation Foundation, the Clarion-Ledger, and Mississippi Today. This one-day journalism summit at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson will feature nationally recognized names
in media, as well as the region's best reporters for panel discussions, lectures and conversations expl
oring the crucial role
journalism plays in creating informed citizens and a healthy democracy.
We are very excited to have Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, Evan Smith, CEO of the
Texas Tribune, and Jonathan Martin, national political reporter for the
New York Times as featured speakers. Panels will address such themes as the importance of small-town newspapers, covering state government and politics, the charge of "fake news" and public trust in the media, millennials and journalism, contemporary southern politics, and the future of the media. The summit is free and open to the public. Stay tuned for details about how to register in advance for the event.
The summit is part of the "Democracy and the Informed Citizen" initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils. We are grateful to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their generous support of this initiative.
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Mississippian Confirmed Chairman of National Endowment for the Humanities
Jon Parrish Peede has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate by unanimous vote as the 11th chairman of
the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Founded in 1965, NEH is an independent grant-making institution of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the
humanities.
"It is a distinct honor to be nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities," said Peede. "I particularly value this vote of bipartisan support and will work with my NEH colleagues to ensure that all Americans have access to our country's cultural resources."
Peede's previous positions include publisher of the
Virginia Quarterly Review at the University of Virginia, literature grants director at the National Endowment for the Arts, counselor to NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, director of the NEA Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience program, director of the NEA Big Read program, director of communications at Millsaps College, and editor at Mercer University Press.
Peede holds a bachelor's degree in English from Vanderbilt University, and a master's in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi.
Peede has lectured at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, the University of Virginia, and other institutions, and taught community college courses in literature and history.
He has served on the national council of the Margaret Walker Center for the Study of the African-American Experience at Jackson State University; the advisory committee of the Virginia Festival of the book, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities; and the poet laureate selection committee, state of Mississippi, office of the governor.
He is the coeditor of
Inside the Church of Flannery O'Connor: Sacrament, Sacramental, and the Sacred in Her Fiction (Mercer, 2007) and editor of a bilingual anthology of contemporary American fiction (
Lo que cuenta el vecino: cuentos contemporáneos de los Estados Unidos [UNUM: Mexico City, 2008].) He has published widely in newspapers, magazines, academic journals, books, and encyclopedias. As a speechwriter, he has written for a U.S. President, First Lady, Librarian of Congress, and military and corporate leaders.
Jon Parrish Peede was born and raised in Mississippi and lives in Virginia with his family.
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Stage Play Examines Life Mississippi Delta Civil Rights Activist
The Mississippi Humanities Council awarded a grant to
Mississippi Today to host a free public reading of the "Beautiful Agitators" This play focuses on the life and legacy of Mrs. Vera Mae Pigee of Clarksdale. She was a very instrumental civil right activist who stood up against inequality. The public reading was held on the campus of Delta State University in Jobe Hall Auditorium April 28 for community members, faculty, staff, and students to learn more about Mrs. Pigee. Some of the attendees had already seen the live play twice, but came to support this significant event. Several cast members talked about how they knew of Mrs. Pigee and the Rev. Rayford who helped her through the civil rights movement. Cast members read sections of the play to help attendees visualize what Mrs. Pigee had to deal with in Coahoma County. Mrs. Pigee was targeted by the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission because of her involvement with the civil rights movement. She talked about her experience in her book
The Struggle of Struggles, Part 1 & 2, which is now difficult to find, but project partners are trying to secure funds to republish the book. Learn more about the play
here. This project was supported the Mississippi Humanities Council Racial Equity Fund.
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MHC's Family Reading Project Offers
Valuable Programming
As one of the MHC's longest-running programs, the Family Reading Project continues to provide families with quality reading- and discussion-based programming. For over 15 years, the MHC has used its Family Reading Project to connect families around the state with engaging storytellers and discussion leaders to foster a greater love for reading, meaningful conversations, and higher-level thinking skills, thus assisting families in moving from basic, functional reading to thoughtful literacy.
The MHC's Family Reading Project consists of six- and seven-week programs for lower-elementary aged children and their parents or guardians. Each week, families are confronted with different themes, such as caring, cleverness, and bravery, as a lens through which to discuss classic children's books. With the help of an experienced storyteller and discussion leader, families are encouraged to engage in the stories and the underlying themes presented in each book.
The Family Reading Project offers English- and Spanish-based programs that are free for sites to host. Each program includes access to copies of every book included in the curriculum for families to take home each week and return the following week.
For more information on the Family Reading Project, visit our website:
Learn More
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Mississippi Moments Podcast Available Online
Have you missed weekday airings of Mississippi Moments on MPB? Want to hear a favorite again? If so, you're in luck! Make sure to visit the Mississippi Moments podcast site, presented by the University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage, where you can download aired interviews and learn more about the topics discussed. Happy listening!
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Speakers Bureau presenter David Morgan illuminates the relationship between Mississippi's "Father of Country Music" and Oklahoma's "Favorite Son," Jimmie Rodgers and Will Rogers. |
MHC Speakers Bureau Offers 100 Different Topics in Mississippi History, Ethnic Heritage and More
The Speaker's Bureau features our state's finest historians, writers and storytellers talking about a wide variety of subjects related to Mississippi and beyond. Any nonprofit organization within the state of Mississippi may apply to host a Speaker's Bureau member at no cost!
Here's the steps to follow to plan your event:
1. Visit
the Speakers Bureau page on our website
and decide on a presentation. You can browse by topic, presentation title, or speaker.
2. Contact the speaker to make sure he/she is available on your selected date. (E-mail and phone numbers are provided on speaker's page)
3. Fill out this application (be careful to
read the requirements on the application.
4. Turn in your application. The best ways are to either mail it to our office, or scan and e-mail it to mconway@mhc.state.ms.us
5. If you have any questions about our Speaker's Bureau, the application process, or general inquires, feel free to call the office at 601-432-6752 or e-mail mconway@mhc.state.ms.us and we'll be happy to guide you through it.
Whether you want to learn about contemporary blues music, the history of Mississippi's prisoner of war camps, or how the Civil Rights Movement has transformed our state, the MHC Speaker's Bureau brings informative and thought-provoking programs to your community.
Learn More
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Coming Up: Humanities Programs Sponsored by MHC
Speakers Bureau: The Battle of Brice's Crossroads and General Nathan Bedford Forrest
May 24, 2018
Longhorn Steakhouse, Amory
This presentation by Edwina Carpenter will explore the crucial Battle of Brice's Crossroads during the Civil War and the role of the controversial Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Speakers Bureau: They Gave Their Lives: Experiences of 53 WWII Veterans 60 Years After the War
May 25, 2018
St. Dominic Health Services Toulouse Building, Jackson
Duane Bullard shares the experiences told to him by 53 living veterans of WWII and recorded on 27 DVD tapes covering 34 hours of interviews. The veterans' experiences provide a detailed look into how young men and women and families gave their lives to their country so that we might have the freedoms we sometimes take for granted.
Water/Ways in Moss Point
May 31-July 7 2018
Pascagoula River Audubon Center, Moss Point
Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit 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. Human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and
renewing respect for the natural environment.
Speakers Bureau: The Battle of Shiloh
June 2, 2018
Bass Pro Shop, Pearl
Grady Howell describes the Battle of Shiloh and the events that led to the creation of this site as a historic spot of land. He also addresses the question of what it means to be "Southern", the importance of tradition, the closeness to the soil of our ancestors that other sections of the country don't necessarily have and the formation of the unique Southern culture.
Speakers Bureau: Forbidden, Hidden and Forgotten: Women Soldiers of the Civil War
June 5, 2018
Municipal Art Gallery, Jackson
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of women boldly defied Victorian society norms when they disguised themselves as men, shouldered muskets and joined the firing line in the American Civil War. As soldiers, they participated in every major engagement from the beginning to the end of the war. Their wartime experiences and sacrifices mirrored those of their male counterparts. They served picket duty along the snowy banks of the Rappahannock, languished in Andersonville, suffered debilitating wounds during the Wilderness, succumbed to disease in New Orleans and lost their lives in Pickett's Charge. Why did these women risk the shame that discovery would bring them and their families? Why did they risk their lives fighting a man's war? Ms. Harriel's presentation offers answers. In addition, she presents the interactions of generals, common soldiers and ordinary citizens with these women warriors.
Speakers Bureau: A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music
June 7, 2018
South Mississippi Regional Library, Columbia
Jerry Jenkins will give the listener a glimpse of the Mande Culture of West Africa. In the tradition of the Mande, the history and culture is orally preserved in the minds and through the music of the Djeli (oral librarian/mandenka hereditary professional musicians). The establishment of the Mali Empire can be recalled and retold in the musical piece of the legendary Densoba (great warrior) Sunjata. This discussion explores the function of the Mande music and musical instruments, Mande class system, songs, ceremonies and stories. The discussion also examines the influence of West Africa on American culture and why the djembe was outlawed during slavery. Participants will learn about the djembe, its introduction by drummers like Babatunde Olatunji in 1950 and Ladji Camara from Guinea, and how it spread throughout America.
Speakers Bureau: Mississippi Telling
June 9, 2018
Poplarville Methodist Youth Building, Poplarville
Dr. Rebecca Moore Jernigan provides an overview of the storytelling Renaissance in America with emphasis upon the oral tradition in Mississippi. The literary tradition of Mississippi owes much to the rich storytelling legacy that riddles the tales of our families and our communities as reflected in the works of many of our best authors: Welty, Wright, Faulkner, Henley, Williams. As part of the presentation, Dr. Jernigan 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: Rodgers and Rodgers: Distant Father, Native Son
June 18, 2018
Two Mississippi Museums, Jackson
Rogers and Rodgers: Distant Father, Native Son, or The Short Saga of "The World's Only Yodeling Rope-Throwers" illuminates the relationship between Mississippi's "Father of Country Music" and Oklahoma's "Favorite Son," Jimmie Rodgers and Will Rogers. This presentation employs primary and secondary documents, along with music and visual images, to elucidate the nature of this relationship between these two hugely popular icons of the first half of the 20th century and their impact on American society of this period and beyond.
Speakers Bureau: How to Teach the Blues in Mississippi
June 18, 2018
Two Mississippi Museums, Jackson
Dr. Brinda Willis teaches educators how to integrate blues education into their lesson plans for social studies, geography and history. She gives them background information, current events, historical landmarks that are significant to blues music and blues artists. She shows photos, posters and records from her private collection and also gives first-hand information from her personal experiences of having been married to an internationally known blues artist.
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