Mississippi Humanities Council Newsletter - April 2021 |
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Executive Director's Message
The Humanities & Our Democracy
Last year, when we selected our next traveling Smithsonian exhibit, Voices & Votes: Democracy in America, we assumed the topic wouldn’t be controversial. After all, the story of America’s expansion of the franchise is a heroic narrative, as groups of activists fought over for almost two centuries to secure the right to vote for America’s citizens. Starting with the lifting of property requirements in the first half of the 19th century, to the expansion of the vote to women (or in most of the South, white women), to the Civil Rights Movement that inspired the Voting Rights Act, the story of voting in America has been of one of slow but persistent progress to secure the democratic foundation of our republic.
But in the context of the “big lie” about supposed voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election, voting rights have again become a major source of political conflict around the country. We now anticipate programming in conjunction with Voices and Votes may be more contentious than we had originally planned. While I have my own strong opinions about the issue, the Mississippi Humanities Council is a nonpartisan organization. But just because we are nonpartisan does not mean we shy away from addressing such a vital public issue.
"...a civil exchange of ideas, based on evidence and truth, is crucial to a successful public humanities program as well as a healthy democracy."
With such politically charged topics, we always ask ourselves “what can the humanities add to this debate?” Often, exploring the history of a particular subject can help us better understand the contemporary issue. We also believe a civil exchange of ideas, based on evidence and truth, is crucial to a successful public humanities program as well as a healthy democracy. The Mississippi Humanities Council has always seen itself as a convener for difficult, even controversial, conversations.
For the past few months, we have been working with Mississippi Public Broadcasting on the special initiative “Your Voice, Your Vote,” underwriting various MPB radio and television programs that explore issues related to the right to vote. This is part of the national initiative “Why It Matters,” being led by the Federation of State Humanities Councils with funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Our involvement has helped provide these MPB programs with a historical context on the subject. We believe it is crucial to understand our state’s history of limiting voting rights through supposedly race-neutral laws and constitutional provisions when debating access to voting today.
The humanities thus play a crucial role in our democracy. When the National Endowment for the Humanities was established in 1965, its founding legislation declared, “Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens.” This is what the humanities can provide.
Our hope is that the six sites selected to host Voices & Votes understand this as well. Honest, accessible, and fair elections are the bedrock of our democracy. Understanding our past, how we have often not fulfilled the ideas enshrined in our founding documents, should give us a greater reverence for this precious right and inspire us to protect it.
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Applications to Host Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition 'Voices and Votes' Due Today!
Today is the last day to submit applications to bring the Smithsonian’s newest traveling exhibition Voices and Votes: Democracy in America to your community!
The Mississippi Humanities Council will select six communities around the state to host Voices and Votes during a statewide tour March 2022 through January 2023. Each of the six selected communities will host the Smithsonian exhibition for six weeks. Eligible sites include small museums, libraries, historical societies, cultural centers, and other community venues. Sites will be selected based on strength of proposal, geographic location, ideas for public programs, and meaningful community partnerships. Smaller communities are especially encouraged to apply.
Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, an exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program, takes a broad look at American democracy—from the American Revolution and expanding 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. With the support and guidance of the Mississippi Humanities Council, the six selected sites will develop complementary exhibits and host public programs that explore local history and examine how their community is part of the story of democracy in America.
Applications to host Voices and Votes are due today (April 23) by 5:30 pm. Applications to host can be found here or by visiting the MHC website.
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MS+MA Returns with 'Stories of School Integration'
The Mississippi Humanities Council’s joint program series with Massachusetts Humanities continues April 29th at 6:00 p.m. CST with an exploration of public education and racial equity. “MS+MA: Stories of School Integration” will examine how public school systems in both states faced court-ordered integration plans in the 1970s. How did government-led efforts to racially integrate public schools face resistance in Boston and the Mississippi Delta in the 1970s? What was the impact on the diverse communities of both places? And what is the legacy of these struggles for education and racial equity today?
The distinguished panel will include:
· Dr. Jeanne Middleton Hairston, who was a professor of education at Millsaps College, her alma mater, for many years and later served as the national director of the Freedom Schools Program for the Children’s Defense Fund. She currently serves as a member of the Jackson Public School Board.
· Douglas Blackmon, a journalist, writer, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Slavery by Another Name: Blackmon is the director of the upcoming documentary film “The Harvest,” about school integration in his hometown of Leland, Mississippi.
· Byron Rushing, a civil rights activist who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1983 to 2018. From 1972 to 1985, he led the Museum of Afro-American History in Boston.
· Donna Bivens, a Boston-based community organizer. From 2010-2014 she worked for the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, leading the Boston Busing/Desegregation Project to increase awareness of Boston's busing and desegregation crisis and tell a more inclusive history of the city.
As with all MS+MA programs, audience members will have the opportunity to break up into small groups via Zoom rooms to have their own conversations about the panel topic with people from a different state.
To join in the conversation, click here to register for this free virtual program. |
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MHC Partners with MPB on ‘Your Vote, Your Voice’ Programming
The Mississippi Humanities Council is partnering with Mississippi Public Broadcasting to examine Mississippi’s voting laws, barriers and voting history, with a series of radio, television and social media projects entitled “Tune in to Your Vote, Your Voice.”
With a grant from the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Council worked with MPB to create an eight-part video series titled “The Voter’s Handbook,” airing statewide on MPB Television throughout April and also available on MPB’s YouTube page. Topics include voter registration, voter turnout, losing voting rights, Mississippi’s annual elections, absentee voting, barriers to voting, redistricting and broader issues related to voting and democracy in Mississippi.
Additionally, MPB Think Radio will broadcast a six-part Mississippi Edition series on the subject of voting and elections April 19-21. The segments will be available on demand anytime via the Mississippi Edition podcast.
Finally, MPB News will produce a special “Your Voice, Your Vote” @ISSUE program which will air tonight (April 23) at 7:30 p.m. on MPB Television.
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Next Major MHC Grant Deadline May 1
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.
Larger grants ($2,001-$7,500) deadlines are May 1 and September 15. Funded events may not occur fewer than ten weeks from the deadline date, and pre-consultation with MHC staff is required before submitting an application. Grant application forms and other related documents may be found on the Grants page of the MHC website.
Applicants are encouraged to contact Carol Andersen before submitting project drafts.
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Ideas on Tap Returns for Virtual Spring Series
On April 27, the MHC will host the first in a two-part Ideas on Tap series on the changing role of government in American society. The program will be streamed live to the MHC’s Facebook page at 6:00 p.m.
Each of the programs in the series will explore different aspects of society as ways to understand the changing role of government and how our perceptions of government involvement change over time. The April 27 program will use healthcare as a lens to explore the history of government involvement in healthcare issues, how its role has changed over time, and what people want or expect from the government. The panel will feature Dr. Charlene Collier, women’s health provider at UMMC and director of the Mississippi Perinatal Quality Collaborative at the Mississippi Department of Health; Richard Robertson, vice president of policy and state advocacy for the Mississippi Hospital Association; and Dr. Amy Forbes, professor of history at Millsaps College.
A follow up program will take place on May 18 at 6:00 p.m. More details about the programs can be found here.
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Class in Session: MHC Prison Education
Approximately sixty incarcerated students are earning college credit this semester through the Mississippi Humanities Council Prison Education Program. Mississippi Delta Community College, Northeast Mississippi Community College, and Hinds Community College are offering six humanities courses at Mississippi State Penitentiary, Alcorn County Regional Correctional Facility, and Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, respectively.
“Starting this program during a pandemic proved challenging,” said Project Coordinator Carla Falkner. “The Mississippi Humanities Council commends both college and correction facility administrators for their determination to teach these students despite COVID19 and prison restrictions.”
Since students do not have personal Internet access, the colleges adapted admissions processes, relying on paper applications and placement tests. Classes could not begin in January due to the pandemic, so schools adjusted teaching schedules to provide adequate instruction time.
Incarcerated students meet the same criteria as anyone receiving college credit. Instructors, however, must adapt delivery methods and assignments to accommodate prison rules. Offering three levels of English, MDCC is streaming classes in a format where students can interact with teachers in real-time. Correction officials scan student essays, so the instructor can grade them. Papers are returned electronically and printed so students can review the comments.
NEMCC and HCC offer socially distanced, in-person classes, modifying assignments for students without Internet access. NEMCC is offering two courses, Public Speaking and U.S. History II, that require student research. The instructors coordinated assignments so students taking both classes can use the same materials to prepare speeches and write history papers. A retired college librarian volunteers time to provide students with printed copies of sources.
Instructors report their new students are engaged and eager to learn. These programs are funded by a two-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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Smithsonian Exhibit Crossroads Travels the State!
The Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibition Crossroads: Change in Rural America is on its fourth Mississippi stop, currently on display at the Marion County Museum in Columbia, before it packs up to head to the Delta, where it will be on display at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta in Greenwood this summer.
Since March 27, the Marion County Museum has hosted Crossroads in downtown Columbia for community members to visit. In conjunction with Crossroads, the museum has hosted a series of public programs, including walking tours and lectures, that have been free and open to the public to attend. Crossroads will be on display in Columbia through May 8 before it travels to Greenwood.
On May 14, Crossroads will open to the public at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta in Greenwood, where it will remain on display through late June. In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum has organized a series of public programs that are free and open to the public to attend. These programs include a panel discussion about the importance of sports in rural communities; a Viking Cooking School demonstration and lecture on soul food; a reading and discussion of Mississippi author Ralph Eubanks’ new book A Place Like Mississippi; community book discussions; children’s programs; and much more. More information on Crossroads in Greenwood can be found on the MHC calendar.
Through artifacts, images, text, and interactive elements, Crossroads explores rural identity, the importance of land, how rural communities manage change, and much more. Since it arrived in Mississippi in September 2020, Crossroads has visited Senatobia, Mount Olive, Scooba, and Columbia. After its stay in Greenwood, Crossroads will travel to Waveland before leaving Mississippi in August 2021. Crossroads’ Mississippi tour is supported by a generous grant from Entergy Mississippi. More information about the exhibition and its Mississippi tour can be found on the MHC website.
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MTV Turns Forty at Grammy Museum Mississippi
August 1, 1981, was the day that forever changed music and television. It was the day that, just shortly after midnight, MTV debuted with these words spoken by co-creator John Lack, “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll,” followed by the broadcast of the very first music video to air on TV, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. Now, nearly 40 years later, GRAMMY Museum Mississippi in Cleveland, Mississippi, is marking this pivotal moment in music history with its forthcoming special exhibit, MTV Turns Forty: I Still Want My MTV.
The first major exhibition to be curated by the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, MTV Turns Forty will explore the history of the iconic music brand, including the role of native Mississippian, Bob Pittman, in the concept and execution of an idea that revolutionized the music industry. “We are so thrilled to be marking this special moment in music history with an exhibit at our Museum,” said Emily Havens, executive director for GRAMMY Museum Mississippi.
“I’m pleased and proud that my home state of Mississippi is hosting an exhibition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of MTV,” said Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc., who led the team that created and launched MTV in 1981. “Mississippi and MTV are two of the great formative influences in my life, and I’m delighted that they’re coming together for this anniversary celebration.”
Artifacts provided on loan from Hard Rock International include:
- The silky dress briefly worn by Madonna in her music video for “Vogue”
- The leather suit worn by Michael Jackson in the music video for “Dirty Diana,” plus contracts from other shoots, including the making of the “Thriller” music video
- The Ibanez acoustic guitar played by Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon in the music video for “Save a Prayer”
- Dire Straits’ 1986 MTV VMA Award for Video of the Year for “Money for Nothing”
Additionally, MTV Turns Forty will feature artifacts such as:
- Memorabilia from Aerosmith and Run-DMC
- Interview footage, notes, sketches and more about the idea for MTV from Bob Pittman and John Sykes
- Artifacts from the MTV Video Music Awards
- Spotlights on the many pivotal moments in MTV’s history, from Nirvana and “MTV Unplugged” to “Beavis and Butt-Head” and “The Real World”
MTV Turns Forty: I Still Want My MTV, opens on Friday, May 14, 2021. A grant from the MHC allows visitors to attend the opening of the exhibition for free, which will run through Summer 2022.
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