Assistant Director's Message | |
How the humanities help us reflect on where we have been and where we aspire to go | |
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There is a description of “the humanities” I keep on a Post-it note near my office computer. It comes from a collaborative report commissioned by the Mellon Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation entitled The Heart of the Matter: The Humanities and Social Sciences for a vibrant, competitive and secure nation. The description goes like this, “The humanities—including the study of languages, literature, history, jurisprudence, philosophy, comparative religion, ethics, and the arts—are disciplines of memory and imagination, telling us where we have been and helping us envision where we are going.”
That Post-it note was on my mind as I attended a final dialogue recently with about 30 men at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman who were winding down a four-week reading-and-discussion series of Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing, sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council. Ward’s award-winning novel is portrait of a Mississippi Delta family with deep connections to Parchman Prison—several characters in the novel have spent time (and died) at the penitentiary, and Parchman itself is portrayed almost as an additional character in Ward’s tale, representing an amalgamation of the ghosts of men who have passed through its gates. The reading group at Parchman chose Ward’s book for their first MHC-sponsored discussion series perhaps because of the deep resonance it has with their own life experiences. The weekly discussions were led, via Zoom, by MHC board member Dr. Ebony Lumumba, chair of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communication at Jackson State University, and featured a visit and conversation, again via Zoom, with the author, Jesmyn Ward, herself.
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“From the beginning, this brilliant work of literary art was a vacuum that pulled me into another time and space as it carried me on a memorial journey of an emotional roller-coaster ride that filled me with laughter, drenched me in tearful melancholy, and burned me with the flames of forgiving anger,” | |
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At the final dialogue, held in person in a gymnasium at the prison facility in Parchman, one reading-and-discussion group member offered opening remarks that illuminated, better than any description I could write, how this facilitated series encouraged participants to reflect on their personal life experiences and to imagine a path forward, whether they have one year or 20 years left at Parchman. “From the beginning, this brilliant work of literary art was a vacuum that pulled me into another time and space as it carried me on a memorial journey of an emotional roller-coaster ride that filled me with laughter, drenched me in tearful melancholy, and burned me with the flames of forgiving anger,” said the student. “Thank you for allowing me to share my personal life with you…I didn't care about education, spirituality, and some of my family until this point in my life. I look forward to Men We Reaped.”
This Mississippi Humanities Council-sponsored reading-and-discussion series will continue in the coming weeks with another Jesmyn Ward work, Men We Reaped, also facilitated by Dr. Lumumba. This student’s observations on the impact of this series—a guided reflection on his own experiences and how they inform his understanding of the present and his future goals—encapsulates what “the humanities” are to me and our work at the Mississippi Humanities Council. It illustrates the power of the humanities to have a meaningful and lasting effect on lives.
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Carol Andersen
MHC Assistant Director
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Acclaimed Writer Jesmyn Ward to Deliver Keynote Address in Honor of Mississippi Humanities Council’s 50th Anniversary | |
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On May 5, acclaimed writer Jesmyn Ward will deliver a special keynote address in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Mississippi Humanities Council at Galloway Methodist Church in Jackson. The free event will start at 7 p.m.
To mark this anniversary, the Council has launched a series of programs on the theme “Reflecting Mississippi” that focuses on the diverse stories of our state and how our state’s narratives have, or have not, reflected who we are and where we’ve been.
“As we were considering whom to invite to deliver a keynote lecture on this theme, Jesmyn Ward was the obvious choice,” said Stuart Rockoff, MHC executive director. “There is no contemporary writer or scholar who has thought more deeply and expressed in a more beautiful and profound way the contradictions of Mississippi. Through her novels, nonfiction, and essays, she has given voice to characters and communities that have been excluded or overlooked in our state. She has helped reflect a more accurate and complicated picture of our state.”
Ward is a MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient and a two-time winner of the National Book Award for her novels Salvage the Bones and Sing, Unburied, Sing. She is also the author of the novel Where the Line Bleeds and the award-winning memoir Men We Reaped and editor of The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race. A professor of creative writing at Tulane University, Ward lives in her hometown on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the setting of many of her works.
After her presentation, Ward will join in conversation with MHC board member Ebony Lumumba, chair of the English Department at Jackson State University. This event is free and open to the public.
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Mississippi Foundations Help MHC Launch New Endowment Fund
The Mississippi Humanities Council is marking its 50th anniversary with the establishment of the Humanities Innovation Fund, the organization’s first-ever endowment. This Humanities Innovation Fund will support new public humanities initiatives each year. In honor of the council’s 50th anniversary, the Community Foundation for Mississippi has given the council a $50,000 challenge grant to help supplement the fund. If the council is able to raise $50,000 for this innovation fund, the Community Foundation for Mississippi will match it one-to-one. The Phil Hardin Foundation has already awarded the council a $15,000 grant to help us meet this campaign goal.
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“We are so pleased the Community Foundation for Mississippi and the Phil Hardin Foundation have chosen to invest in the MHC’s future,” said MHC executive director Stuart Rockoff. “Our vision for the Humanities Innovation Fund is to ensure the Council has the resources to be responsive to new opportunities and the changing needs of our state throughout the next 50 years.”
If you would like to support the Humanities Innovation Fund, you can donate here. All donations will be matched by the Community Foundation for Mississippi.
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Proposals Invited for May 1 Grant Deadline
Awards Up to $10,000 Available for ‘Reflecting Mississippi’ Projects
The Mississippi Humanities Council continues to invite grant proposals addressing our 50th anniversary theme, “Reflecting Mississippi.” Through its grants and other public programs, the MHC hopes to inspire Mississippians to think about how our state’s narratives have, or have not, reflected who we are and where we’ve been. For projects related to the “Reflecting Mississippi” theme, applicants may request up to $10,000 in our May 1 regular grant round.
These projects may include but aren’t limited to local history; Mississippi literature; stories of underrepresented communities; parts of our history and culture that have often not been reflected in mainstream narratives; and how major national and global events have shaped Mississippi. Projects may explore where we have been and who we are today.
The Mississippi Humanities Council grants program supports projects that stimulate meaningful community dialogue, attract diverse audiences, are participatory and engaging, and apply the humanities to our everyday lives. Grants may be used to support public humanities programs, exhibits, the planning of larger projects, and the development of original productions in film, television, radio or online resources. The Council also offers special grants to support oral history projects around the state.
Deadlines for larger grants (greater than $2,000) are May 1 and September 15. Funded events may not occur fewer than eight weeks from the deadline date, and pre-consultation with MHC staff is strongly encouraged before submitting an application. Grant application forms and other related documents may be found on the Grants page of the MHC website. Proposals for small grants (up to $2,000) are accepted on a rolling basis, with applications due at least four weeks from the start of the proposed project or event.
Applicants are encouraged to contact Carol Andersen before submitting project drafts.
Organizations seeking MHC funds will be REQUIRED to provide the Unique Entity ID (UEI) for future grant applications starting on April 4, 2022. Due to federal regulations, MHC will be unable to award any funding to organizations that fail to submit this information. Organizations can receive their free UEI on the SAM.gov website. View this guide for assistance in obtaining your UEI.
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Voices and Votes Now Touring Mississippi
The Smithsonian Institution's Voices and Votes traveling exhibit is touring Mississippi, currently on display at the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County through May 14. If you can't make it to Hattiesburg, you still have five other Mississippi sites and eight months to go visit the free Smithsonian exhibit!
During the exhibit's stop in Hattiesburg, the library has developed a local exhibit focused on the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and the Civil Rights movement in Forrest county, and has scheduled various public programs in conjunction with Voices and Votes, such as a visit from Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson and a talk from Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker. Dr. Rebecca Tuuri, historian at the University of Southern Mississippi and state scholar for Voices and Votes, will be presenting a public lecture May 2, discussing the various themes of the exhibit and how they tie into our state's history.
Once Voices and Votes leaves Hattiesburg, it will head to five other sites around the state through early 2023. Next up is Hinds Community College in Utica, which will host the exhibit from May 23-June 28.
For more information on Voices and Votes, visit our website or contact Molly McMillan.
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Ideas on Tap to Discuss Women's Healthcare
Join us for another Ideas On Tap, May 17 at Rickhouse by the Manship in Jackson. This program, created in partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi, will discuss women’s access to equitable healthcare in Mississippi and will feature an illustrious panel of healthcare professionals to guide the conversation. A cash bar and free hors d'oeuvres catered by The Manship will be available. The program starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. To learn more about this program, contact MHC Program and Outreach Officer John Spann.
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More Perfect Union: Mississippi Founders
There is great news from our More Perfect Union initiative. Our interstitial series that we made to honor our twelve “Mississippi Founders” is complete. The series was created in partnership with Mississippi Public Broadcasting and their television team. In each interstitial, Mississippi leaders like Senator Roger Wicker, Congressman Bennie Thompson, and news anchor Maggie Wade describe the path these Mississippi Founders forged, challenging America to be a more perfect union. The interstitials are showing on all MPB platforms and the MHC YouTube channel. Each interstitial is less than a minute long, which gives the viewer just enough information to encourage more research. The videos incorporate various photos from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and other archives across the nation. These interstitials could be used in “bell ringer” activities for classrooms and are a great way for anyone to learn more about these Mississippi figures. The interstitials were directed by Ed Foose of MPB, and co-produced by MHC program and outreach officer John Spann and MPB’s John Gibson.
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Legacies of the Great Migration
The Mississippi Museum of Art’s newest exhibit, A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration, opened earlier this month, exploring the impact of the Great Migration on the social and cultural life of the United States from historical and personal perspectives. The exhibit is accompanied by ongoing multi-disciplinary programming examining the mass exodus of 6 million African Americans from the American South between 1915 and 1970.
Supported in part with a Mississippi Humanities Council grant and co-organized with the Baltimore Museum of Art, the exhibition features newly commissioned works by 12 acclaimed Black artists across a variety of media. Informed by research, explorations and conversations, the artists’ works explore themes of perseverance, self-determination and self-reliance, along with the impact this historical phenomenon continues to have today.
The MHC awarded a planning grant to the Mississippi Museum of Art to bring together a team of advisors to contribute to the development and interpretation plan for programming related to the exhibit, including surveys of the academic literature on the subject and oversight in shaping the many interpretive components and curricula that will help engage audiences more deeply in the subject.
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According to coordinators of the Museum’s extensive public programs schedule, the Great Migration project touches on the history of racial violence, the ethics of injustice, the feverish art of generations removed and the literature born from stories passed down. By commissioning 12 African Americans who are today among the nation's most exciting, compelling, and accomplished working artists, the project seeks to ask one question: what would happen if today's leading artists ruminate on the Great Migration's legacy by exploring their own familial ties to the South? How will their knowledge enrich us? How will their humanity change us?
The Great Migration project is on view at the MMA from April to July of 2022 and at the Baltimore Museum of Art from September to January of 2023. A full schedule of public programs and events in Mississippi is available here, and a podcast featuring Mississippi writers W. Ralph Eubanks and Kiese Laymon in conversation on the writers of the Great Migration era is available here.
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Upcoming MHC-Sponsored Events | |
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Central Mississippi:
A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration
April 9 – September 11
Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson
A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration explores the profound impact of the Great Migration on the social and cultural life of the United States from historical and personal perspectives. Co-organized with the Baltimore Museum of Art, the exhibition features newly commissioned works by 12 acclaimed Black artists across a variety of media.
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Speakers Bureau: Wanted—1,000,000 Frogs: Weird and Wonderful Things Found in Mississippi Newspapers
April 28, 8:00 a.m
Nelson Student Union, UMMC, Jackson
Tracy Carr uses newspapers ranging from the late 1800s to explore what old news can tell us about Mississippians of the past. This presentation discusses what was important and interesting to them, through both the “news” articles and the advertisements; what trends came and went and how attitudes changed; how easy it was to shape the public’s perception of events, and what power someone writing and article for a newspaper had in the days before fact-checking and accountability.
Voices and Votes Exhibit in Utica
May 23 – June 28
Hinds Community College, Utica
The Hinds Community College campus in Utica will host Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, a Smithsonian traveling exhibition, from May 23 until June 28. A full list of programs will be available soon.
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Reflecting Mississippi with Jesmyn Ward
May 5, 7:00 p.m.
Galloway United Methodist Church, Jackson
In honor of the MHC’s 50th anniversary, acclaimed writer Jesmyn Ward will deliver a keynote address on the theme of “Reflecting Mississippi.” After her presentation, MHC board member Dr. Ebony Lumumba, chair of the English Department at Jackson State University will engage Ward in a conversation about how she represents Mississippi in her work.
Learn More
Speakers Bureau: Shalom Y’all: The History of Jews in Mississippi
May 12, 12:00 p.m.
Galloway United Methodist Church, Jackson
In this presentation, Dr. Stuart Rockoff explores how throughout much of their history, Mississippi Jews have worked to lessen the cultural differences between themselves and their neighbors.
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The Delta:
Visioning Session: Paramount Building
April 29, 3:00 p.m.
Griot Arts Building, Clarksdale
This community discussion and visioning session will center around the revitalization of the Paramount Theater and the adjoining (original) JC Penny building in downtown Clarksdale. Food and drinks will be available throughout the afternoon. This hybrid event will be held in person and virtually. Visit the link below to RSVP.
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Speakers Bureau: Personal Experience Writing
April 30, 2:00 p.m.
Lorelai Books, Vicksburg
Author Richelle Putnam shares the power and therapeutic value of words and how to explore the future by visiting the past. She shares her personal experience stories from different anthologies, provides writing prompts to spur attendee recollections and teaches how to slip past the protector to reach emotional honesty.
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South Mississippi:
Voices and Votes Exhibit in Hattiesburg
March 28 – May 14
The Library of Hattiesburg, Petal, and Forrest County
The library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County is hosting Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, a Smithsonian traveling exhibition, from March 28 through May 14. The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Friday-Saturday 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Voices and Votes events in Hattiesburg:
April 22, 6:00 p.m.: Presentation from Hattiesburg attorney Michael Adelman, “An Equal Opportunity to Participate: The Change in Hattiesburg Municipal Government, 1984”
April 28, 2:00 p.m.: Thursday Theater, All the King’s Men
May 2, 6:00 p.m.: Presentation from Voices and Votes state scholar Dr. Rebecca Tuuri, “Democracy in Mississippi: Race, Violence and Power in the Struggle for the Vote”
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Speakers Bureau: From the Delta to the Coast: The Poets, Poetry, and Poetics of Mississippi
April 25, 12:00 p.m.
Pass Christian Historical Society, Pass Christian
Dr. Benjamin Morris explores how Mississippi poets’ experiences informed their work. He brings contemporary (including living) poets into the discussion, such as Beth Ann Fennelly and Natasha Tretheway. The presentation concludes with a brief discussion of where the art may yet go, and points to universities and writing programs that today nurture the majority of the state’s poets.
Learn More
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