Since last spring, our staff has been largely working from home. We hope as more and more people receive the COVID vaccine that we will be able to return to our offices. Since 1978, we have had offices within the Institutions of Higher Learning building in Jackson. We are extremely grateful to IHL for allowing us space since, unlike some state humanities councils, we don’t have our own building.

Don’t worry—my message this month is not going to ask you to donate money for a building. Instead, I’m going to explain how not having a building shapes how we see ourselves and how we serve the people of Mississippi.

Because we don’t have our own program venue or exhibit space, we focus primarily on collaboration. Partnerships are central to our work. The last time we counted, we worked with 396 different organizations in Mississippi over a two-year period. Our primary focus is to support other nonprofit organizations, encouraging and empowering them to explore our state’s rich history and culture and tell vital but often unheralded Mississippi stories. Even when we develop programs of our own, we almost always work with other organizations. This instinct to collaborate is in the Council’s DNA. I would argue that a big part of this is because we don’t have a building.

In addition to supporting cultural organizations, we also work as a connector, bringing together different partners to create new programs that serve the state. Last week, I traveled to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman for a signing ceremony between Mississippi Delta Community College and the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The MHC approached the college several months ago to encourage them, with MHC financial support, to provide for-credit courses at the prison. With our recent grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, we are able to fund for-credit humanities courses at three different prisons. We are not employing the instructors, we aren’t providing the classroom space, and we aren’t offering the credits. And yet, the MHC is central to the creation and expansion of these educational opportunities for Mississippi’s incarcerated students. This is how we work.

We are somewhat unusual in that regard. Because we don’t have a physical space to maintain and pay for, we can focus our resources on serving Mississippians. We are compelled to seek out partnerships to help us explore our state’s many stories.  We have learned that collaboration is critical for cultural organizations, especially in a state like Mississippi where there are often not enough resources to go around. It’s understandable that most organizations prioritize their own fundraising and programs; MHC is fortunate to have federal support from the National Endowment for the Humanities to fund our operations. But we can achieve so much more if we work together.

Next year will mark the 50^th anniversary of the creation of the MHC, or as it was originally called, the Mississippi Committee for the Humanities. We were created to serve the state and that remains central to our mission. As we begin to make plans for how we will celebrate the year with a series of events, we will be working directly with partners across the state. After all, we can’t hold these events in our building because we don’t have one. Thus, we will always be oriented outward, looking to expand our partnerships, reaching new communities and audiences, and bringing the benefits of the humanities to people across Mississippi.

MS+MA Dives Into Conversation about Coastal Communities 

In December 2020, the MHC launched a new, six-month partnership with Massachusetts Humanities to connect Mississippians and Massachusettsans through shared stories and histories. On February 18, the third program in the six-part series will address our two states’ coastal connections. Space is limited, but there are still spots available for registration here.

More information on “MS+MA: Coast to Coast” and the rest of the MS+MA series, including the next program on March 18, can be found on the MHC website.  

Tougaloo Assistant Professor of Art Phoenix Savage created the awards that will be presented to the winners. The program will premiere on March 26, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. via the MHC YouTube and Facebook pages. The event is free, but donations to support the MHC can be made on our website. For more information regarding the 2021 Public Humanities Awards, including ticket refunds and donations, please contact Molly McMillan.

MDOC Director of Education Shaniece Mabry commended Mississippi Delta for the school’s willingness to adapt both its admissions process and teaching methods to meet the needs of these learners who cannot access the Internet. Due to COVID restrictions, the MDCC classes will feature remote, but synchronous learning which will allow students to interact with instructors in real-time.  

Crossroads Debuts in Scooba, Continues Through March 2021

On February 8, the Smithsonian’s Crossroads traveling exhibition opened on the Scooba campus of East Mississippi Community College. The February 8 opening reception featured remarks by Senator Roger Wicker, whose office played an important role in helping EMCC during the Crossroads host application process. The exhibition will remain on display at the Tubb-May Library on EMCC’s campus until March 12 and is free and open to the public to visit.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the library has organized a series of public programs that focus on rural life and identity. These programs include a presentation by Crossroads state scholar Dr. John Green on rural population studies on February 15, a presentation by MSU Extension Services specialist Dr. Rachael Carter on February 22, and a presentation by MHC Speakers Bureau member Dr. Brinda Willis on African American outmigration on March 15. More information on Crossroads’ run in Scooba 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. After the exhibition departs Scooba in March, it will travel to Columbia, where it will be on display at the Marion County Museum and Historical Society. Crossroads will also travel to Greenwood and 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. 

The 32^nd Natchez Literary & Cinema Celebration 2021: Southern Environments

Copiah-Lincoln Community College will host its 32^nd annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration February 22-27, despite COVID19 restrictions still in place in much of the state. The 2021 NLCC will be presented virtually via Facebook Live where audiences may participate in Q&A sessions with presenters after each event. The theme “Southern Environments” will explore environmental justice, southern social environments, nature writing, ecocriticism in southern studies, and more. Speakers include such acclaimed writers as Natasha Trethewey, W. Ralph Eubanks, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Richard Grant. After the Facebook Live events have ended, video recordings may be viewed on NLCC’s YouTube Channel.

Questions for the Facebook Live Q&A sessions may be submitted early by emailing nlcc@colin.edu. To view the full schedule and more information, visit the NLCC website, call 601.446.1104. Updates will also be posted to NLCC social media accounts, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

These lectures offer Mississippians a unique experience to hear scholarly presentations on a wide range of humanities subjects. To comply with COVID-19 restrictions and precautions, many of these lectures will be available for viewing via livestream, so be sure to check the MHC web calendar and Facebook page for links to individual programs. Upcoming lectures include:

February 19: Joshua Maeda, Meridian Community College, "Why Live?--Isn't There an App For That?"

February 22: Byron Chatman, Rust College, "Natalie Doxey: Ambassador of Goodwill"

February 22: Jennifer Moffett, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, "Novel Communities: Constructing Community through Narrative in the Creative Writing Classroom"

February 23: Jerome Petty, Coahoma Community College, "The Communication Process"

February 23: Cynthia J. Buob, East Mississippi Community College, "Drawn to Life: A Discussion of Artistic Development and Studio Practice"

March 1: Bryan Mitchell, Northeast Mississippi Community College, "Percussion: Something for Everyone"

March 2: Toby Bates, Mississippi State University, "We Are All Historians: Historical Thinking in Understanding Contemporary Affairs"

March 5: James Andrew Whitaker, Hinds Community College, "Alterity Among the Makushi in Guyana"

March 8: Brian Foster, University of Mississippi, "I Don't Like the Blues: A Lesson on Listening"

A full list of 2021 Humanities Teacher Award winners are available on the MHC website.