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“He Not Busy Being Born is Busy Dying” – Bob Dylan
As our 50th anniversary year comes to a close, I’ve begun to look back on what we’ve accomplished this year. As befitting our style, our anniversary theme was outwardly focused, examining how Mississippi has been reflected in our narratives. Since I am about to celebrate nine years as executive director of the MHC (still only the third executive director in our history), I have been thinking about the Council’s work in 2022 and beyond.
I am very proud that we’ve been able to launch our first-ever endowment, the Humanities Innovation Fund. I am grateful to all our supporters whose donations enabled us to meet the $50,000 challenge grant provided by the Community Foundation for Mississippi. The Phil Hardin Foundation gave us a grant to help us get this effort started; a generous donation from the James & Madeleine McMullan Family Foundation helped us finish it off. Thanks to all of our donors this year, we have launched a $300,000 endowed fund that will enable the MHC to develop and support innovative humanities programs throughout our next 50 years.
Although we’ve been around for a half-century, the MHC isn’t stagnant. We are constantly looking for new opportunities to support the humanities and cultural organizations in our state. So far this year, we have: launched our Prison Book Clubs at three different correctional facilities; taken on responsibility for the next phase of the Mississippi Freedom Trail, engaging scholars and communities to tell our state’s vital civil rights stories; created a traveling exhibit highlighting twelve Mississippians who fought to build a more perfect union; and co-organized a capacity-building conference for Mississippi museums that drew representatives from 80 different cultural organizations.
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These projects... show how the MHC is constantly working to establish new partnerships, connect people, and develop new programs to serve our state.
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And we are already working on some new ideas for 2023. We are part of two different projects vying for grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, one with a national cultural organization and the other an exciting partnership with humanities scholars from every Mississippi public university. In fact, the MHC has played a key role in bringing these Mississippi scholars together and ensuring the project reaches beyond the campus community. These projects may not pan out – NEH grants are notoriously hard to get – but they show how the MHC is constantly working to establish new partnerships, connect people, and develop new programs to serve our state.
Even as we take on these new ventures, our core programs remain. We will always be a grantmaker, using our federal resources to encourage and support public humanities projects around the state. We will say goodbye to one Smithsonian Museum on Main Street traveling exhibit in 2022, “Voices & Votes: Democracy in America,” and will bring another, “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” back to Mississippi in 2023. Demand for our speakers bureau is growing every year. We hope to announce exciting news about the next phase of our prison education program very soon. And we are always thinking about important topics we can explore in our “Ideas on Tap” program.
Even though the Mississippi Humanities Council is 50 years old, we are still vital, nimble, and responsive to the needs of our state.
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MHC to Bring Acclaimed Journalist and Media Critic to Jackson
On November 17th at 6:00 p.m., Margaret Sullivan, the recently retired media columnist from the Washington Post, will speak at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson about the vital importance of journalism to our democracy. With funding from the Democracy and the Informed Citizen Initiative provided by the Federation of State Humanities Councils through the Mellon Foundation, the Mississippi Humanities Council is working with Mississippi Today to bring Sullivan to Jackson. She will be in conversation with Mississippi Today’s editor-in-chief Adam Ganucheau.
Prior to joining the Washington Post as a columnist covering media issues, Sullivan served as the New York Times public editor, and as chief editor of the Buffalo News. Her new memoir, Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) From an Ink-stained Life looks back on her career and offers experienced insight on the challenges facing journalism today.
Jackson’s premier independent bookstore, Lemuria Books, will be on site selling copies of Newsroom Confidential which Sullivan will sign. While the program is free, we encourage people to guarantee their seat by registering through Eventbrite.
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MCHEP Creates Alliance for Prison Education
With the support of the Mississippi Humanities Council, the first in-person convening of the Mississippi Consortium of Higher Education in Prison (MCHEP) met in Jackson September 22-23.
Approximately 80 people interested in prison education explored the theme “Changing Lives: Supporting Incarcerated Students in the Prison Classroom and Beyond.” Participants included representatives from community colleges, universities, corrections, reentry organizations and nonprofits.
Patrick Rodriguez energized the audience with his opening plenary. Previously incarcerated, Rodriguez shared how his experiences inform his leadership of the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison and Georgia State University's Prison Education Project. He encouraged all constituencies - students, instructors, administrators, corrections officials, legislators - to recognize one another's humanity as the basis for common action.
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Over the two-day session, participants heard from graduates of the Cal State LA Prison Graduation Initiative who earned bachelor’s degrees in Communications while incarcerated. Various panel discussions focused on implementing quality higher education in prison programs. Dr. Patrick Alexander, co-founder and director of the University of Mississippi Prison-to-College Pipeline Program concluded the conference with his plenary address, “Radical Togetherness: Rethinking Higher Education in Prison Through Student-Centered and Student-Led Learning.”
“The convening struck a fine balance between exploring philosophical underpinnings of higher education in prison work and offering pragmatic solutions to common challenges,” said MCHEP Consultant Dr. Stephanie Gaskill. “Participants learned how to administer Pell Grants and offer student services but also engaged in discussions about the purpose of higher education in prison and the importance of student-centered and student-centered learning.”
MCHEP is an alliance of Mississippi organizations dedicated to expanding and promoting quality postsecondary education opportunities for students in prison. The organization was founded in 2022 by MHC, Mississippi Community College Board, Mississippi Public Universities-Institutions of Higher Learning, and the Woodward Hines Education Foundation. The convening was supported by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Woodward Hines Education Foundation and the Laughing Gull Foundation.
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MHC and Bean Path Continue Series on Technology in Mississippi
On September 29, the MHC partnered with the Bean Path Makerspace in Jackson on the first conversation in an Ideas on Tap series on the digital divide in Mississippi. Panelists Sally Doty (Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi), Creston Burse (Mississippi Economic Council) and Tracy Carr (Mississippi Library Commission) discussed issues and solutions that the state is implementing to bridge the digital divide.
The second conversation in the series will take place on November 3 and will focus on the future of tech in our state. Dr. Nashlie Sephus, Founder of The Bean Path, will discuss plans to create a tech district in the heart of Jackson and how she aims to provide STEM education to underserved communities in Jackson. Representatives from Microsoft TEALS (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools) will also provide insight on STEM education in Mississippi Schools.
The program will take place at the Bean Path Makerspace on November 3 at 5:30 p.m. For more information about this program and future Ideas on Tap events, contact MHC Program & Outreach Officer John Spann.
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Mississippi Museums Conference Fosters Culture of Community
On September 19 and 20, over 100 staff and volunteers from more than 80 small museums institutions around the state gathered at the Two Mississippi Museums for the Mississippi Museums Conference, a free two-day symposium created by the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History designed for professionals in the museum field to engage in participatory sessions and connect with one another via networking social time. The event was supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the "More Perfect Union" initiative.
Sessions included topics such as marketing and social media, collection care and management, community programming, strategic planning, grant writing, and more. The keynote panel on September 20 titled "Reflecting Mississippi in Our Museums," included panelists Pamela Junior (Two Mississippi Museums), Jeff Mansell (Natchez National Historical Park), Robert Parker (Chickasaw Heritage Center), and Julian Rankin (Walter Anderson Museum). The panel, moderated by MHC Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff, explored the importance and challenges of telling honest, inclusive stories in our museums.
"We learned possible ways to reach out to the people to join us, support us in financial ways and in volunteer work, and tell the true stories of our people," said one participant. "I appreciated the keynote panel discussion. The speakers each had a unique situation or museum that had been or is being integrated into the community with a meaningful purpose for all," said another.
Many thanks to Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Community Foundation for Mississippi, the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area, the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, The Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, and the Mississippi Museums Association for their support of this conference.
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Voices and Votes Exhibit Explores Democracy in Natchez
Voices and Votes: Democracy in America is on display now at the Willie Mae Dunn Library at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Natchez until November 11. So far, Co-Lin has hosted two programs focused on the democratic process. On September 26, former U.S. Representative Gregg Harper, Mississippi Representative Robert Johnson, and author Jere Nash were panelists for "Democracy on Tap: Your Voice, Your Vote and Why it Matters" at the Natchez Brewing Company. On October 3, current and former mayors of Natchez gathered for a panel discussion about Natchez politics and governance.
While in Natchez, the exhibit has attracted dozens of students from various school groups and featured multiple civic-focused public programs. "The visits by student groups have been very rewarding," said Project Director and Co-Lin Librarian Beth Richard. "At this point, students from two different high schools have visited the exhibit. Along with touring the exhibit they have enthusiastically participated in the “Save the Constitution” Escape Room, Head to Head, and Where Do You Stand interactive games. The escape room has become the campus project for our Phi Theta Kappa chapter this year."
The local exhibit features a great collection of presidential plates and other campaign memorabilia on loan from local collectors. Through the Historic Natchez Foundation collection, the exhibit has a display of photos related to the Deacons of Defense, and the murder of Wharlest Jackson along with items related to the former Mississippi governor Bill Allain. Of course, since the exhibit is in a library, books related to democracy are spread through the local exhibit.
Voices and Votes, developed by the Smithsonian Institution's Museum on Main Street division, will be in Mississippi through until January 2023. After its stay in Natchez, it will travel to the Catfish Row Museum in Vicksburg. For more information or exhibit dates, contact MHC Program Officer Molly McMillan.
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MHC Sponsors Program about the Freedom Struggle in Benton County
Every city, town, and county in Mississippi has its own civil rights story. Roy DeBerry, Aviva Futorian, Stephen Klein, and John Lyons have worked together to document the movement in Benton County. Their “Hill Country Project” used oral histories, archival research, and a website to tell the story of how local people worked with civil rights activists to bring about change in north Mississippi. In 2020, they published a book Voices From the Mississippi Hill Country: The Benton County Civil Rights Movement.
On October 29 at 5 pm, they will be hosting a public program celebrating the book and sharing the history of the Benton County Movement. The aim of the program is to gather members of the community to reflect on their struggle for equal rights in one of Mississippi’s most rural counties. Funded by a minigrant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, the program will take place at The Umbrella, located at 3080 MS-7 in Lamar, Mississippi.
MHC Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff will make brief remarks during the event about the importance of preserving and sharing these local civil rights stories. He will also share details about the upcoming Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker that will highlight Henry Reaves and the Benton County Movement.
The program is free and open to the public.
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Nominations Invited for Humanities Awards
The Mississippi Humanities Council invites nominations for its 2023 Public Humanities Achievement Awards, which honor outstanding contributions in the arena of public humanities.
Nominations will be accepted for Humanities Scholar Award, Humanities Partner Award, Educator Award, Reflecting Mississippi Award, and Cora Norman Award.
"The Public Humanities Achievement Awards bring statewide attention to individuals or institutions in Mississippi that have made significant contributions to the humanities or who have led exceptional public humanities programming in Mississippi," said Dr. Stuart Rockoff, executive director of the Mississippi Humanities Council.
All awards will be presented at the Mississippi Humanities Council's 2023 Public Humanities Awards Gala and Ceremony Friday, March 24, 2023, at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. Recipients of the Humanities Teacher Awards, which pay tribute to outstanding faculty in traditional humanities fields, will also be honored at the banquet.
Nomination forms for Public Humanities Awards may be found online at www.mshumanities.org. For information call 601-432-6752.
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Upcoming MHC-Sponsored Events | |
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Voices and Votes in Natchez
October 3 - November 11
Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Natchez
The Willie Mae Dunn Library at Co-Lin in Natchez is hosting Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, a Smithsonian traveling exhibition, from October 3 through November 11. The exhibit is open to the public.
Voices and Votes events in Natchez:
October 27, 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.: Documentary Film Screening, "Women of the Struggle: Facing Fear in the Civil Rights Era"
November 3, 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.:.: Documentary Film Screening, "Fannie Lou Hamer's America"
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Mississippi Founders Exhibit in Tupelo
October 1-November 28
Oren Dunn City Museum, Tupelo
The Mississippi Founders traveling exhibit is now on display at the Medgar Evers Library in Jackson for the next six weeks. This special exhibit is funded through the National Endowment for Humanities special "More Perfect Union" initiative.
Speakers Bureau: Parallels of Southern Storytelling
October 22, 4:00 p.m.
Violet Valley Bookstore, Water Valley
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.
Speakers Bureau: Parallels of Southern Storytelling
October 23, 2:00 p.m.
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Oxford
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.
Jim Hill Standing Tall: An Exhibition of the Life of James ‘Jim’ Hill
October 26, 10:00am
Jim Hill High School, Jackson, MS
James ‘Jim’ Hill was a stoic man that garnered support from a vast array of politicians, voters, and community residents. He was elected as Secretary of State for the state of Mississippi from 1874 to 1878. This program will feature Hill’s triumph, an Art & Poem contest, and performances from Jim Hill High School students.
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Crystal Wilkinson: Homeplace Poetry & How the Soil Looks Back and Wonders
October 27, 10:00am
Jackson State University Student Center, Jackson, MS
Crystal Wilkinson’s poetry collection Perfect Black is a reflective love letter to Black girlhood navigating rural homeplace, her developing body, sexual trauma, mental health, food culture, and literary landscapes. She will engage these themes, the poetic craft, and writing’s power to heal.
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Housing Insecurity in Mississippi Exhibition
November 10 – January 31
Jackson State University Johnson Hall Art Gallery, Jackson, MS
There will be an opening panel at the Margaret Walker Center at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, for a special exhibition. A reception and exhibit opening will immediately follow in the nearby Johnson Hall Gallery at Jackson State University.
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Speakers Bureau: The Victorian Era in Mississippi
November 12, 10:00 a.m.
Hernando Town Square, Hernando
Andi Lehman explores how the Victorian era and Queen Victoria herself influenced laws, fashion, and even how people interact with animals in Mississippi, drawing on history and current events.
Reflecting Jackson MS in The Blues
November 13-14
Various Locations
The Central Mississippi Blues Society, Inc., with support from Visit Jackson, the Mississippi Humanities Council, South Arts, Mississippi Blues Foundation and affiliates National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts and Mississippi Arts Commission, will celebrate Jackson’s bicentennial with a two-day “blues” extravaganza. The headliner for all events will be international blues star, Castro “Mr. Sipp” Coleman. All events are free and open to the public.
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