Director's Message

A Legacy in the Humanities

When state humanities councils were established over 50 years ago, the basic goal was to connect the insights of humanities scholars with the larger public. This foundational principle has shaped the work of the Mississippi Humanities Council since we were established in 1972. That’s why I want to write this month about two towering scholars and vital partners in our work who have recently passed.

Dr. Jerry W. Ward Jr., raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, was a poet and scholar who taught at Tougaloo College for over thirty years. He became a leading national expert on Black literature. His career accomplishments were many, and I urge you to read C. Liegh McInnis’ entry for Ward in the Mississippi Encyclopedia Online. Ward was not a scholar who was content to reside in the ivory tower of academia. Throughout his time at Tougaloo, he engaged with the larger public, helping launch or support many public initiatives to celebrate and nurture Black culture in Mississippi, often in partnership with the MHC. Governor Bill Allain appointed Ward to the MHC board in 1984.



Although his board term ended in 1988, Ward’s partnership with the MHC did not. He was a passionate advocate for Tougaloo, insisting the MHC bring its programing to the historic campus whenever possible. When the MHC developed its “Four W’s” teacher training and curriculum program about four of Mississippi’s greatest writers (Tennessee Williams, Richard Wright, Eudora Welty, and Margaret Walker), Ward was a vital partner. MHC’s former executive director, Dr. Barbara Carpenter, remembered Ward as a detail-oriented perfectionist who ensured the project remained on track. He received our humanities scholar award in 1998.

Dr. Matthew Holden was a renowned political scientist born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, who went on to teach at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Virginia and served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission during President Carter’s administration. In 1998, he became just the third Black president of the American Political Science Association. After Dr. Holden retired in 2002, he moved back to Mississippi, devoting his remaining years to researching and writing about Isaiah T. Montgomery, the complicated founder of his hometown. I had several conversations with Dr. Holden in which he stressed that Montgomery had been treated unfairly by historians, that the context of his life, achievements, and compromises needed to be better understood. In the past few years, we organized programs about Mound Bayou that featured Dr. Holden speaking about the history of the Black-led town. His accounts were always based on the evidence he had uncovered during his prodigious research, not on popular legends. To the end, Dr. Holden was an exacting scholar.



Both of these men grew up in Jim Crow Mississippi, yet went on to extraordinary careers in the humanities. As we celebrate Black History Month during a fraught time in our nation, the lives and work of Dr. Ward and Dr. Holden inspire us to continue the MHC’s commitment to preserving and sharing the stories of all Mississippians and ensuring our work truly reflects the people of our state. This has always been our North Star, which will continue to guide us through any tumultuous times ahead.

Dr. Stuart Rockoff

MHC Executive Director

Celebrating Excellence at the 2025 Public Humanities Awards

Now is the time to purchase tickets for our 2025 Public Humanities Awards Ceremony! The Humanities Awards will shine a spotlight on this year’s incredible award winners and celebrate the dedication of all our Humanities Teachers of the Year.

📅 Date: March 28, 2025

📍 Location: Two Mississippi Museums | Jackson

🎟️ Tickets are now available—reserve yours today!

The first Freedom Trail markers of 2025 will be dedicated to honor Annie Devine and Charles Evers. 

The unveiling ceremony for Annie Devine is February 25th at Canton High School at 10 am, with Mrs. Devine's daughter participating in the program. This unveiling ceremony is in partnership with Visit Mississippi and Visit Canton.

The unveiling ceremony of the marker honoring Charles Evers will take place February 28th at 12pm at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Fayette. We will have Dr. Michael V. Williams, Chair of the African American Studies department at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the author of Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr, as the featured speaker.

Headlines

Second National History Day Program Kicks Off

Earlier this month, in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the second History Day program began at the Youthful Offenders Unit at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.

Dr. Christina Thomas, the Mellon visiting scholar at the Margaret Walker Center and winner of this year’s Humanities Scholar Award, will lead students in classes centered around the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement. Over the course of nine weeks, students will learn the history of the Mississippi Movement through primary sources and conducting oral history interviews. At the end of the program, students will present posters on a topic of their choice to be exhibited at Mississippi National History Day.

This History Day program will highlight several monumental milestones through special themes like the 70th commemoration of the murder of Emmett Till, the 60th anniversary of the COFO Mississippi Project, and the 100th birthday of Medgar Evers.

“This year, I look forward to seeing students conduct oral histories with civil rights veterans, including Dave Dennis, Jim Kates, and Robert Moses' son, Omo Moses,” said Dr. Thomas. “I am also excited about the two virtual trips we organized to the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum so they can view these important historical spaces.”

Last year, with support from a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities, MHC partnered with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to put on the first National History Day program at the YOU. This program was the first of its kind in the country.

New Additions to the Speakers Bureau

Last month, we expanded our Speakers Bureau roster with new presentations focused on Mississippi’s role in the “Fabric of Our Lives” ad campaign, Mississippi’s early history, and more.

The Speakers Bureau features presentations from some of Mississippi’s finest historians, writers, and storytellers speaking on topics they know best. At no cost, organizations can bring these experts to their community to engage in informative, thought-provoking discussions on topics from history and literature to food and sports.

Any non-profit organization in Mississippi is eligible to host up to three speakers a year. MHC covers the cost of a $300 honorarium for the speaker, at no additional cost to the organization.

Read below to learn about our most recent Speakers Bureau additions:

Jim Giesen has added a presentation entitled “No One Writes Songs about Polyester: Re-making Cotton’s Image in the Late Twentieth Century” which will detail how farmers from the Mississippi Delta fought against the rise of synthetic fabrics and launched the “Fabric of Our Lives” campaign.

Christian Pinnen added the lecture “Spanish Dons in Colonial Mississippi: The Spanish roots of Mississippi’s Cotton Kingdom” that tells the story of Spain's attempt, and failure, to gain control in early Mississippi.

Tracy Carr explores the life and works of Mississippi author Ellen Gilchrist in “The Dreamy Dreamer: Ellen Gilchrist’s Life in Stories.”

Explore More Topics

Finding Freedom in the Classics: How a Prison Book Club Connects Through Literature

"I know people like Fagin; I know people like Sikes; I know people like Oliver Twist."

-Book Club Participant

The members of one of Mississippi Humanities Council’s newest prison book clubs are fans of classical literature, finding it reveals how human nature remains the same throughout the centuries.

Last August, the Lit-Con Book Club at Carroll County Regional Correctional Facility (CCCF) read its first book, The Road by Cormac McCarthy. With their next selection, the Count of Monte Cristo, they discovered an appreciation for the classics.

Other clubs have struggled with the novel which runs over a thousand pages, but Lit-Con fell in love with “the quintessential story of not just revenge, but its effects on the human soul.” One member explained, “The Count of Monte Cristo shows the ability to overcome all situations and how anger can diminish your ability to forgive and move forward."



After Monte Cristo, they read Oliver Twist and Dracula. They also explored a different genre with Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. A reader commented, “Meditations shows us that even thousands of years ago, life was pretty much the same, just with different technology and customs."

Members report they like choosing classics because they are books they would not normally read. “The classics connect us to history and allow us to gain different philosophical insights from great thinkers.”

Jake Hood, a speech instructor at Holmes Community College, facilitates the club. “Their keen enthusiasm to share insight is matched by their respect for and curiosity about other opinions. Many times, our discussions…lead us to talk about life outside of the books we read. We learn a lot from each other.”

CCCF Program Director LaTasha Phillips says members fully embrace the experience. With no access to the Internet, they ask her to look up details about the books they are reading, such as the ship Dracula traveled on, the Demeter.

Not all members enjoy the classics. Some report they find the writing style difficult but welcome the book club discussions. The group did choose a contemporary novel for their next read, Barbara Kingsolver’s 2023 Pulitzer-prize winner, Demon Copperhead.

While sharing their thoughts about their book club experience, Lit-Con members stressed, “Reading and discussing books… with others can truly be therapeutic/transformative and can broaden horizons.”

Humanities Teacher Award Lectures Continue Through March

Humanities Teacher Award lectures were in full swing in February and continue into March. Every year, one outstanding humanities educator at each of the state's institutions for higher learning is selected for this award, which includes a cash award and special recognition at the Mississippi Humanities Council's annual awards ceremony in March. These lectures offer Mississippians a unique experience to hear scholarly presentations on a wide range of humanities subjects. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend any of these exceptional presentations from our state’s humanities scholars. Upcoming lectures include:

February 27: Dan Fuller, Hinds Community College-Utica Campus, "Adventures in the Archives: Recovering the Early Years of the

Utica Jubilee Singers"

February 27: Dr. Rosalynn Rutland, Blue Mountain Christian University, "Educators Perceive Biliteracy as a Resource for Students in Mississippi"

February 28: Ashley Weathers, Southwest Mississippi Community College, "From Incarceration to Education: An Analysis of Barriers to Higher Education in Mississippi Prisons"

February 28: Sonya Faulknor, Rust College, "Music Recital"

March 4: Dr. Sol Pelaez, Mississippi State University, “The Paradox of Narrating Violence”

March 4: Dr. Jill Drouillard, Mississippi University for Women, “The Ice Age of Making Babies and (Pro)creating Meaning in the 21st Century”

March 4: Dr. Janie Covarrubias, William Carey University, “Vindication of the myth of La Llorona”

March 4: William Chad Moore, Holmes Community College, “Traditional Poetry: ‘I’m Not Dead Yet’”

March 6: Dr. Valtreasa Denise Tolliver-Cook, Alcorn State University, “Service to Others: A Christian Perspective on Social Work Values”

March 6: Ashley Walker, East Mississippi Community College, “Reviving Civic Duty: The Role of Education in Democracy”

March 13: Jamie Olson, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, “Just One Interpreter's Lens: The Deaf Community”

March 18: Bradley Robbins, East Central Community College, “Modern Mythology in Professional Wrestling”

March 26: Jason Gibson, Tougaloo College, “Music and Social Movements: A Chronological Assessment of Music and Movements, 1973-2023”

For times, locations, and other information about these lectures (and others upcoming) please be sure to visit our website calendar and follow us on social media! For questions regarding the Humanities Teacher Awards program, contact MHC Office Administrator Molly McMillan.

My Mind To Me A Kingdom Is: The Legacy of Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister

Join us for a free screening of "My Mind To Me A Kingdom Is: The Legacy of Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister" at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 9th, at the Two Mississippi Museums.

This documentary film, by David Rae Morris, is on the life and career of Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister, the first black woman to receive a Ph.D from Columbia University's Teachers College in 1929. Dr. McAllister was born October 24, 1899 in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Following the film will be a Q&A and panel discussion.

Image Courtesy of David Rae Morris copyright 2023

WATCH TRAILER

This program is co-sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Film Office and the Mississippi Film Society.

New Date for Reading the Room

Due to weather, Reading the Room has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 6th, at 6:00 pm, at Urban Foxes in Jackson.

Bring any book you are currently reading, enjoy some time set aside to read on your own and talk books with your neighbors over drinks and snacks!

MHC Board Meets at Mississippi College

The Mississippi Humanities Council extends our sincere thanks to Dr. Blake Thompson and Mississippi College for hosting our recent board meeting at the Gore Arts Complex. We are grateful for the warm hospitality and the opportunity to gather in such an inspiring space and learn more about their innovative work,

Learn more about our mission and initiatives at mshumanities.org.

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