The Mississippi Humanities Council is launching a statewide call for applications to create new sites of memory that preserve and share the local history of the Civil Rights Movement and the broader struggle for freedom in Mississippi. Between 2026 and 2028, MHC will partner with four communities per year to design and establish commemorative sites, both physical and virtual, that reflect the stories of local people and places too often left out of the national narrative. Selected communities will host public engagement meetings in partnership with a skilled facilitator to elicit and develop local ideas and community support. Each selected community will receive direct project support to carry out their vision. Communities will also be encouraged to apply to the MHC for grant support for public programs related to the site of memory project.
About the Project
Witness: The Freedom Memory Project builds on the Council’s longstanding work to preserve the history of the state’s freedom struggle. Working closely with community partners, artists, and historians, MHC will collaborate with communities to design and implement projects that could include:
- Public art installations or monuments
- Mississippi Freedom Trail markers
- Exhibits or local archives
- Digital storytelling and oral history projects
Who Can Apply
Eligible applicants include community-based organizations, cultural institutions, schools, churches, grassroots groups, local governments, and other not-for-profit organizations. We especially encourage collaboration between organizations. Strong applications will demonstrate community support, local partnerships, and a clear vision for how their site will educate and inspire.
How to Apply
First, contact MHC Director of Strategic Initiatives John Spann (jspann@mhc.state.ms.us) to discuss your community’s idea. Then, fill out the Witness: The Mississippi Freedom Project application by March 1, 2026. All applications will be reviewed by the project’s advisory board. The 2026 cohort of communities will be announced by April 1, 2026. Full details and 2026 applicant materials are available at https://shorturl.at/1GTd3.
The 2027 and 2028 applications will be announced at a later date.
Members of the Advisory Committee Include:
Rev. Reginald Buckley
Executive Pastor of Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
Dr. Daphne Chamberlain
Chief Program Officer at the Emmet Till Interpretive Center
Dr. Roy DeBerry
Civil Rights Activist and Founder / CEO of the Mississippi Hill Country Project
W. Ralph Eubanks
Author, Essayist, Faculty Fellow and Writer in Residence at the University of Mississippi
Dr. Robert Luckett Jr.
Professor of History and Director of the Margaret Walker Center and COFO Civil Rights Education Center at Jackson State University
Dr. Ebony Lumumba
Chair, Associate Professor of English Department of English and Modern Languages at Jackson State University
Dr. Leslie B. McLemore
Civil Rights Activist, Chair of the Mississippi Freedom Trail Taskforce
Michael Morris
Director of the Two Mississippi Museums
Dr. Castel Sweet
Director of Community Engagement & Assistant Professor of Practice in Community Engagement at the University of Mississippi
Carlton Turner
Co-Director / Lead Artist at Mississippi Center for Cultural Production
Dr. Rebecca Tuuri
Associate professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi