The Humanities & Our Culture Wars | |
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We are living through an especially divisive time. Recent surveys have found that Americans are more polarized today than we’ve been since the Civil War. During the 2020 presidential election, the Pew Research Center found that 90% of both Democrats and Republicans believed the country would experience “lasting harm” if the other party won control of the White House. A recent report from the Carnegie Endowment found that the United States is the most polarized established democracy in the world. The Supreme Court majority’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade has exacerbated these divides even further.
My fellow humanities council executive directors talk frequently about how our councils can respond to these growing divisions within our states. In theory, we try to be bridge builders, but this can be challenging when culture wars dominate our politics and civil liberties are under attack. We have seen growing efforts to ban books and laws restricting what can be taught about our history. And while state humanities councils generally try to avoid politics – our mission is to serve the people of our various states regardless of their politics – I think the humanities community needs to take a stand around some core principles.
The first is the search for truth. At a time when social media and the internet make it easier than ever to spread pernicious lies, we must use our critical thinking to search for and understand the truth, whether it’s about our country’s history or the question of who won the last presidential election. Evidence and truth matter.
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Such understanding is especially crucial in a diverse democracy where we live and work beside people with different backgrounds and perspectives. | |
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Second, we believe in the value of understanding different people’s perspectives, even if we don’t agree with them. The humanities can help us see the world through other people’s eyes, fostering a sense of empathy. When the Mississippi Humanities Council held public forums about the old state flag, our goal was to help Mississippians understand what the symbol meant to both sides. Such understanding is especially crucial in a diverse democracy where we live and work beside people with different backgrounds and perspectives. Within the ideological siloes of our social media, it is too easy to demonize the other side. We should all make a conscious effort to read and listen to thoughtful points of view that are different from our own.
But understanding different perspectives must occur within the confines of recognizing the humanity of all people. The founding ideal of our nation, that all people are created equal and possess basic inalienable rights, must frame our political debates.
Finally, we believe in the importance of free speech and fostering civil discussions across our differences. Rather than banning books for espousing ideas we don’t agree with, we should learn how to articulate the case against them. Of course, in order to do that, one must first understand those ideas. Instead of identifying certain concepts as critical race theory and seeking to ban them, let’s foster a robust conversation about our country’s history of racism and its lingering impact today. We may not be able to come to a consensus, but our communities will be stronger from the effort.
While our country is embroiled in political and cultural divisions, the humanities offer a potential way forward. The only way to reduce the polarization afflicting our country is to engage with one another and see the humanity on the other side of the divide. While the Mississippi Humanities Council is not a political organization, we will take our stand on this core principle.
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Ideas on Tap Begins 'Freedom Tour'
After celebrating Juneteenth and Independence Day, there is no doubt the idea of freedom is important to all of us. Is there any common ground on the meaning of the term? In a three-part Ideas on Tap series, we are asking the question, “What does freedom mean to you?” We are taking the “Freedom Tour” to Natchez, Columbus, and Jackson. The panel discussions will address what freedom means from a variety of perspectives. We encourage participants to share their own ideas about what freedom means.
The first stop of the tour will be July 25 in Natchez at the Natchez Brewing Company, with panelists Kathleen Bond (National Parks Service), Roscoe Barnes (Visit Natchez), and John Grady Burns (artist).
Columbus will host the second conversation at the Columbus Arts Council on July 26, featuring Kabir Karriem (state representative, district 41), Dana McLean (state representative, district 39), Trina Davidson-Brooks (assistant district attorney to the 16th circuit court), and Dr. Chanley Rainey (assistant professor, Mississippi University for Women). Chuck Yarborough (Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science) will moderate.
The final event will take place at Cultivation Food Hall in Jackson. The panel will feature Sampada Kapoor (associate attorney, Forman Watkins & Krutz), Rob Hill (Mississippi director, Human Rights Campaign), Charles V. Taylor (Political strategist, Peyton Strategies), and Russell Latino (President, Empower Mississippi).
Each program begins at 5:30 p.m. and is free to attend. This series of conversations is a part of the National Endowment for the Humanities More Perfect Union initiative.
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MHC Sponsors Parchman Book Club
On June 28, sixteen men gathered in the central area of Mississippi State Penitentiary’s Death Row to share their reflections on maintaining their humanity and the meaning of hope.
The discussion was part of the concluding session of a book club dedicated to A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom by Brittany K. Barnett. Organized by Mississippi Department of Corrections Chaplain Maurice Clifton and prison educator Diana Jackson-Washington, the programming was sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Buried Alive Project. A nonprofit founded by Barnett, Buried Alive works to dismantle life without parole sentences handed down under federal drug laws.
Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears, associate professor of English at Jackson State University, led the discussions with contributions from the author. The first two sessions met by livestreaming. Smith-Spears and Barnett surprised the book club by arriving in person for the concluding session. Joining the group was one of Barnett’s clients featured in A Knock at Midnight, Chris Young, who received clemency as President Donald Trump left office on January 20, 2021.
The participants eagerly expressed how much the experience meant to them. Several used the opportunity to share essays on a writing prompt provided by Dr. Smith-Spears. While many voiced the importance of religion in helping them maintain their sense of humanity and hope, they also talked about the importance of service. One participant quoted Martin Luther King, Jr., “We are inevitably our brother's keeper because we are our brother's brother. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” Another member hoped, “That I will be better for tomorrow than I am today through reading, writing and meditating.”
The reading group on Death Row is one of a series of book clubs being sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council in the state’s prisons. For more information contact Project Coordinator Carla Falkner.
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MHC To Support In-Person Mississippi Book Festival
For one day a year, a bright light shines on Mississippi as young and old alike gather to celebrate a “literary lawn party.” The Mississippi Book Festival returns August 20 in grand fashion with its first in-person event in two years. Over 170 authors will converge on the Capitol Grounds in Jackson to participate in this fun-filled book event.
Such authors include Pulitzer Prize winners Jennifer Egan and Alice Walker. Egan, in association with The Eudora Welty Foundation, will discuss her newest book The Candy House and her writing process. The legendary Walker comes to commemorate the 40th anniversary of The Color Purple and the release of Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker. She will be in conversation with Jackson’s own Carnegie Medalist author Kiese Laymon.
Laymon will also join other writers for the Mississippi Humanities Council’s special 50th anniversary “Reflecting Mississippi” panel. The panel will explore the myths surrounding Mississippi and how writers can craft a more accurate depiction of the state. The MHC will also be supporting a range of other humanities-based panels, including sessions on literary fiction and photography. The MHC will also sponsor a panel on civil rights history featuring past MHC-chair and movement veteran Dr. Leslie-Burl McLemore, writer Dave Dennis, Jr., and his father Dave Dennis, Sr. This panel is part of the MHC’s “A More Perfect Union” initiative, funded by a special grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
There will be plenty of activities for younger readers too. See Newbery Medalist Matt de la Peña at the KidNote event with his newest picture book, Milo Imagines the World. A second KidNote event has Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, authors of the graphic memoir, RUN, which is the sequel to their award-winning series, MARCH.
Readers of all ages are invited to join the community in this celebration. For more information on this year’s festival, visit msbookfestival.com.
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Voices and Votes Explores Democracy in North Mississippi
For the last several weeks, the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Voices and Votes: Democracy in America has been on display at Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville. The opening event on July 6 titled "All Politics is Local: A Conversation about Municipal and Resident Responsibilities" featured Booneville Aldermen Jimmy Hicks and LaVaile Shields in discussion with local community members about how small government affects day-to-day life in rural areas. NEMCC also hosted an MHC Speakers Bureau talk by Dr. Ted Ammon titled "Should I Really Ask 'What Can I Do For My Country?'" on July 14, in which Ammon explored John F. Kennedy's famous inaugural speech from philosophical and humanities perspectives.
On July 26 at 6:00 p.m., Voices and Votes state scholar Dr. Rebecca Tuuri will give a talk titled "Democracy in Mississippi: Race, Violence, and Power in the Struggle for the Vote," which will examine North Mississippi's history through the lens of the exhibit's themes.
After departing Booneville in mid-August, Voices and Votes will travel to the Pascagoula High School Performing Arts Center, where it will be on display until the end of September. The grand opening will take place August 23, featuring State Representative Jeramey Anderson.
Voices and Votes is a project of Museum on Main Street, a division of the Smithsonian's traveling exhibition service. Through artifacts, images, text, and interactive elements, the 650-square-foot exhibit takes a broad look at American democracy—from the American Revolution and suffrage, to civil rights and casting ballots. It explores who can vote, whose voices are heard, the responsibilities of American citizens, how we can encourage more people to participate in our democracy, and more.
After departing Pascagoula, the exhibit will travel to Natchez and Vicksburg. Voices and Votes is a free exhibit and open to the public at all locations, and will be on display in Mississippi until January 2023. More information about the exhibit and its Mississippi tour can be found on the MHC website.
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'Reflecting Mississippi' Project Exploring Rock Station Requests Your Participation
The Magnolia Independent Film Festival received a "Reflecting Mississippi" grant from the MHC to create a documentary film to the history and impact of pioneering Mississippi radio station WZZQ.
In 1967, WJDX-FM played easy listening and classical music. One night in 1968, it instead began playing freeform progressive rock, a change happening in only a handful of cities around the country like Boston and San Francisco. In 1973 it officially rebranded and changed its call letters to WZZQ. For the next seven years it was a musical north star and creative crucible. It has since been replaced by the country station WMSI, better known as MISS-103.
The documentary will share the history of WZZQ through the voices of those who were part of it. Interviews with WZZQ on-air staff members will accompany on-air recordings from the station. "But that is only part of the story," said project director Ann Ford. "WZZQ built a community of listeners, the project would be incomplete without their voices."
As part of the documentary currently in production, Cue Burn Films, has scheduled a free event where listeners and fans of the station can add their voices to the project. The WZZQ listener event is asking people to bring their WJDX-FM and WZZQ stories, photos, and memorabilia to be recorded. The event will feature a panel discussion with WZZQ on-air personality, Perez; WZZQ/WJDX newsman Bill Ellison; and Sam Adcock, son of WZZQ music director David Adcock and current host of Tunes Til Two on Radio Free Jackson. The event will also include a screening of clips from the work-in-progress documentary. The event will take place Saturday, August 13, 2022, from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. at Duling Hall in Jackson. The event is free and open to the public. Because seating is limited, participants are encouraged to reserve spots early through the Eventbrite page.
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MHC Receives Mississippi Arts Commission Grant to Support Family Reading Programs
The Mississippi Humanities Council has been awarded $3,300 from the Mississippi Arts Commission to support the MHC’s Family Reading Project in the coming year.
The grant funds will support two Prime Time Family Reading Programs (an initiative of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities) at the Hernando Public Library in Hernando and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Library in Perkinston, as well as one Luciérnagas program, MHC's bilingual family reading program at the M.R. Dye Public Library in Horn Lake. MAC grant funds will be used to support storytellers for each of the three programs.
The MHC’s Family Reading Project is comprised of English and English-Spanish family-based reading programs for adults and their lower-elementary-aged children. The programs model reading skills and discussion techniques that stimulate interest in the books’ content—helping foster a lifelong love of learning through reading. Each program meets once a week for six weeks and features well-known children’s books. A storyteller helps bring the books to life while a discussion leader engages the families in humanities-based discussion on the themes of the books. The programs are free for sites to host, and each program can accommodate up to 25 families.
The Mississippi Arts Commission is a state agency that serves the residents of Mississippi by providing grants that support arts-based programs to enhance communities. Visit MAC’s website for more information.
For more information on the MHC’s Family Reading Project, contact Molly McMillan.
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Upcoming MHC-Sponsored Events | |
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North Mississippi:
Voices and Votes Exhibit in Booneville
July 1 – August 16
Northeast Mississippi Community College
NEMCC is hosting Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, a Smithsonian traveling exhibition, in Anderson Hall from July 1 through August 16. The exhibit is open to the public.
Voices and Votes events in Booneville:
July 26, 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"
Learn More
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Ideas on Tap: What Does Freedom Mean to You?
July 26, 5:30 p.m.
Columbus Arts Council, Columbus
In a three-part Ideas on Tap series, we are asking the question, “What does freedom mean to you?” We are taking the “Freedom Tour” to Natchez, Columbus, and Jackson. The panel discussions will address what freedom means from a variety of perspectives. We encourage participants to share their own ideas about what freedom means. The Columbus panel will feature Kabir Karriem (state representative, district 41), Dana McLean (state representative, district 39), Trina Davidson-Brooks (assistant district attorney to the 16th circuit court), and Dr. Chanley Rainey (assistant professor, Mississippi University for Women). Chuck Yarborough (Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science) will moderate.
Learn More
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Central Mississippi:
Ideas on Tap: What Does Freedom Mean to You?
August 1, 5:30 p.m.
Cultivation Food Hall, Jackson
In a three-part Ideas on Tap series, we are asking the question, “What does freedom mean to you?” We are taking the “Freedom Tour” to Natchez, Columbus, and Jackson. The panel discussions will address what freedom means from a variety of perspectives. We encourage participants to share their own ideas about what freedom means. The Jackson panel will feature Sampada Kapoor (associate attorney, Forman Watkins & Krutz), Rob Hill (Mississippi director, Human Rights Campaign), Charles V. Taylor (Political strategist, Peyton Strategies), and Russell Latino (President, Empower Mississippi).
Learn More
WZZQ Listener Event
August 13, 10:00am
Duling Hall, Jackson
As part of a WZZQ documentary currently in production, Cue Burn Films, LLC has scheduled a free event where listeners and fans of the station can add their voices to the project. The WZZQ listener event is asking people to bring their WJDX-FM and WZZQ stories, photos, and memorabilia to be recorded. The event will feature a panel discussion with WZZQ on-air personality, Perez; WZZQ/WJDX newsman Bill Ellison; and Sam Adcock, son of WZZQ music director David Adcock and current host of Tunes Til Two on Radio Free Jackson. The event will also include a screening of clips from the work-in-progress documentary. Please register for this free event using the link below.
Register Here
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Southwest Mississippi:
Speakers Bureau: In Our Boots: Poems Inspired by Soldiers and Their Loved Ones
July 24, 2:00pm
Family Life Center, Natchez
“In Our Boots: Poems Inspired by Soldiers and Their Loved Ones,” is a multi-media poetry performance inspired by Mark LaFrancis’s seven years of interviews with soldiers who served in Iraq and their loved ones. The presentation includes readings from the collection, music and a PowerPoint presentation.
Learn More
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Ideas on Tap: What Does Freedom Mean to You?
July 25, 5:30 p.m.
Natchez Brewing Company, Natchez
In a three-part Ideas on Tap series, we are asking the question, “What does freedom mean to you?” We are taking the “Freedom Tour” to Natchez, Columbus, and Jackson. The panel discussions will address what freedom means from a variety of perspectives. We encourage participants to share their own ideas about what freedom means. The Natchez panel will feature Roscoe Barnes (Visit Natchez), Kathleen Bond (National Parks Service), and John Grady Burns (artist).
Learn More
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