Mississippi Humanities Council

Speakers Bureau: A Look at Mande through Traditional Music
2017-05-08 13:30 - 14:30 (America/Chicago) | Delta Blues Museum, 1 Blues Alley , Clarksdale , MS , 38614
This presentation will give the listener a glimpse of the Mande Culture of West Africa. In the tradition of the Mande, the history and culture is orally preserved in the minds and through the music of the Djeli (oral librarian/mandenka hereditary professional musicians). The establishment of the Mali Empire can be recalled and retold in the musical piece of the legendary Densoba (great warrior) Sunjata. This discussion explores the function of the Mande music and musical instruments, Mande class system, songs, ceremonies and stories. The discussion also examines the influence of West Africa on American culture and why the djembe was outlawed during slavery. Participants will learn about the djembe, its introduction by drummers like Babatunde Olatunji in 1950 and Ladji Camara from Guinea, and how it spread throughout America.
Jerry Jenkins is a musician and educator trained in the music of West Africa.

Mississippi River Basin Model Presentation
2017-05-13 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Buddy Butts Park, 6180 McRaven Road , Jackson , MS, 39209
The Mississippi River Basin model is located in Jackson, MS is a scale replica of the Mississippi River Basin. The Site, which sprawls over 200 acres, was built by local Mississippians and World War II German prisoners-of-war who were housed in Camp Clinton nearby. The model was an imperative scientific experiment that , in the time before computers could efficiently perform complicated numerical analysis, would determine how the mighty Mississippi River could be contained.
This event is to educated Mississippians on the history of the MRBM and Camp Clinton by providing a presentation on both topics and a guided tour of the MRBM.

Speakers Bureau: Comeback Dressing
2017-05-18 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Mississippi Craft Center, 950 Rice Road , Ridgeland , MS , 39157
The speaker will discuss how the famous Mississippi salad dressing evolved out of the Greek restaurant community in Jackson and flourished throughout the state.
Malcolm White is a restaurateur, promoter, food enthusiast, author of numerous articles about food in Mississippi and creator of award-winning recipes in the Southern genre. He is the director of the Mississippi Arts Commission.

Mississippi Native Daughters Speak
2017-05-20 | Oakland Presbyterian Church, MS
GRACE Mississippi is hosting an open forum, free to the public, where three Mississippi authors/writes will read from their current literary work. Each author will speak for 30-45 minutes to the audience. Following, the projector direct will facilitate an open discussion whereby the audience is free to ask questions to authors about the subject matters of their published work. Dr. Alysia Burton Steele and Cora Givhan will speak on topics of racial segregation. Patrica Neely-Dorsey will read from her latest books of poems-Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia and Mississippi In Me. This event will take place on May 20th at Oakland Presbyterian Church.

Speakers Bureau: How We Got the Blues in Mississippi
2017-05-24 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Old Capitol Museum, 100 South State Street, Jackson , MS, 39201
Dr. Willis teaches educators how to integrate blues education into their lesson plans for social studies, geography and history. She gives them background information, current events, historical landmarks that are significant to blues music and blues artists. She shows photos, posters and records from her private collection and also gives first-hand information from her personal experiences of having been married to an internationally known blues artist.
Brinda Willis is a writer for the Jackson Advocate newspaper and an expert on blues and African American foodways.

Fleeting, Fickly Sports
2017-05-24 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | William Winter Building, 200 North St , Jackson , MS, 39201, United States
The black freedom struggle of the post-World War II era unleashed many challenges and changes on Mississippi. No area of the state’s society, politics, and culture went untouched by this great social movement. That included the world of sports at Mississippi’s all-white universities. During the 1950s and early 1960s, institutions of higher education, state political leaders, and the general public debated whether or not Mississippi schools should even play non-southern universities with integrated teams. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the challenge of race pivoted to the prospect of recruiting black athletes at institutions such as the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. By the late 1970s, as seen in the championship women’s basketball teams at Delta State, intercollegiate athletics reflected many of the changes taking place in the state and around the country. This talk explores the relationship between sports and social changes at such a pivotal time in Mississippi’s modern history.
Dr. Charles Westmoreland Jr. teaches history at Delta State University. His expertise is in modern Southern history with an emphasis on the role of religion in public life and politics.

Speakers Bureau: Mississippi Telling
2017-06-10 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Chicago) | The Blueberry Storytelling Festival, 155 Spring Hill Road , Poplarville , MS, 39470
The presenter provides an overview of the storytelling Renaissance in America with emphasis upon the oral tradition in Mississippi. The literary tradition of Mississippi owes much to the rich storytelling legacy that riddles the tales of our families and our communities as reflected in the works of many of our best authors: Welty, Wright, Faulkner, Henley, Williams. As part of the presentation, Dr. Jernigan performs as a story teller calling upon on her rich repertoire of original tales and literary masterpieces gearing her choices of tales according to her audience and offers material for children and adults.
Rebecca Moore Jernigan is an internationally recognized scholar and professional storyteller who resides in Oxford.

The 2017 Whole Schools Initiative
2017-06-12 - 2017-06-15 | MS Gulf Coast Community College, 51 Main St, Perkinston, MS, 39573, United States
Whole School Initiative presents:”The Magic to Magic: A Tool for Arts and Humanities Integration,” on June 13-16,2017 at MS Gulf Coast Community College Hospitality and Resort Center, Gulfport. This annual event provides the opportunity for teachers, artists, and administrators to learn and share techniques and practices for incorporating the arts across the curriculum. The Institute features artists and educators demonstrating and discussing how to use the arts as strategies for presenting academic content in an accessible and motivating format.
MS Gulf Coast Community College
No Cost
Sponsored by Whole Schools Initiative & MS Humanities Council
For more information:
Magician Flyer 1 Andrea Coleman- 601-359-6039

Speakers Bureau: The Battle of Brice's Crossroads
2017-06-17 09:00 - 2017-06-18 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Brandon City Hall, 1000 Municipal Drive , Brandon , MS , 39042
This presentation will explore the crucial Battle of Brice’s Crossroads during the Civil War and the role of the controversial Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Edwina H. Carpenter serves as director of the Brice’s Crossroads National Battlefield and Interpretive Center in Baldwyn, MS. Through research and artifact conservation, exhibit design, tours and events, she has gathered valuable knowledge about the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads. She worked previously as a public relations director, news editor and managing editor at a local newspaper.

Speakers Bureau: Chimneyville, The Destruction of Jackson, MS during the Civil War, Fact or Myth!
2017-06-17 09:00 - 2017-06-18 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Brandon City Hall, 1000 Municipal Drive , Brandon , MS , 39042
This presentation lays out the facts pertinent to what happened during the four occupations of the city by Federal forces during the Civil War.
Grady Howell has worked for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and has written extensively about Mississippi’s Civil War history.

Speakers Bureau: People, Not Property: Tracking Your African American Roots
2017-06-17 09:00 - 2017-06-18 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Brandon City Hall, 1000 Municipal Drive , Brandon , MS , 39042
Family history research begins before a researcher arrives at the State Archives, courthouse or other records repository. A researcher should know the name of the relative, where they may have lived and when they lived. Frequently, this information can be obtained from older relatives or family papers. Approximately 70 percent of the researchers using the Mississippi Department of Archives and History are searching for their family history. A growing number of these researchers are African-American. Searching for African-American families involves two distinct research approaches. These approaches correspond to the change in legal status of many African-Americans before and after the Civil War. This presentation is geared to the resources available at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Anne Webster is a retired archivist at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Speakers Bureau: Southern Wisdom From Delta Church Mothers
2017-06-20 12:30 - 13:30 (America/Chicago) | Anjou Restaurant, 361 Township Ave , Ridgeland, MS, 39157
Award-winning journalist Alysia Burton Steele’s Delta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother’s Wisdom is a visual and lyrical tribute to African American church mothers from the Mississippi Delta. This groundbreaking collection of oral histories and photographs tells nationally and internationally significant stories rooted in the Mississippi Delta, a distinctive region called “The Cradle of American Culture” by the National Park Service and “The Most Southern Place on Earth” by historian James Cobb.The Mississippi Delta produced cotton, Blues music and the Civil Rights Movement. It shaped the lives and contributions of numerous cultural and social justice icons—black and white, women and men—including Fannie Lou Hamer, Eudora Welty, Emmett Till, William Faulkner, Medgar Evers, Richard Wright, Tennessee Williams…and the celebrated Delta Jewels church mothers. Come sit a spell and hear the revered voices of these living figures of history captured by Alysia Burton Steele.
Alysia Burton Steele is a visual educator at the University of Mississippi, with a focus on oral history and visuals. For this presentation, Steele shares her experiences finding and nurturing relationships to earn trust to collect stories and share them with audiences. She shares audio and video stores as part of her presentation.

Claiborne County United States Colored Troops of the Vicksburg Campaign
2017-06-23 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | MS
Bicentennial Grant Program Flyer 6-23-17 (2)

Columbus Arts Council Dinner & A Movie-My Dog Skip
2017-06-23 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main Street , Columbus , MS, United States
Join the Columbus Arts Council for Dinner & A Movie Friday, June 23rd, 2017. Dinner reservations with payment must be made by noon, June 22nd, by calling or visiting www.columbus-arts.org. Dinner starts at 6pm. Cost is 15.00. Movie will start at 7pm-free & open to the public.

Ideas on Tap
2017-06-27 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Hal & Mal’s, 200 Commerce Street, Jackson, MS, 39201, United States
TBA

Speakers Bureau: Why We Call it Soul Food
2017-06-30 12:00 UTC | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
“Why We Call It Soul Food” tells the story of why southerners, especially African American southerners, call the foods we eat “soul food.” Dr. Willis discusses the emotional and physical aspects of soul food as it relates to our culture and history. She also discusses the bonds attached to the growing, nurturing and preparation of these foods as it relates to our culture and way of life in the South.
Dr. Willis is a native Mississippian. She grew up on a 200-acre working farm. As a child she had to learn how to cook for 15 brothers and sisters. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in social work with a medical emphasis and a master of education in vocational rehabilitation counseling and psychiatric and orthopedic concentration from Mississippi State University. In 2007 she earned a Ph.D. in theology from the New Foundation Seminary in Terry, MS. While married to an internationally recognized bluesman she traveled the world exploring and experiencing the culture and foods of numerous other countries, thereby learning to appreciate her own culture and history as an African American southerner. She discovered she had a great and unique heritage people wanted to know more about, especially as it relates to soul food in the South from an African American perspective.
Dr. Willis’ expertise on soul food comes from growing up on a working Mississippi farm where she learned to cook for a family of 15 brothers and sisters as a teenager. Her experiences traveling the world with her bluesman husband have given her a unique perspective and knowledge of other cultures, but more importantly, a better understanding of her own southern history and culture as it relates to soul food, which is valued and appreciated by people throughout the world.
Columbus-Lowndes Public Library- 12:00p.m.
No Cost
Sponsored by Columbus-Lowndes Public Library & MS Humanities Council
For more information:
Mona Vance-Ali 662-329-5304

Lunch & Talk with Author Rheta Grimsley Johnson
2017-07-06 11:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Columbus Arts Council, Columbus , MS
LUNCH & TALK with RHETA GRIMSLEY JOHNSON
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Lunch @ 11:30 am–$12 (Paid reservation by July 5)
Writer’s Talk @ Noon–Free & Open to the public

Speakers Bureau: In Their Boots: Poems Inspired by Soldiers and Their Loved Ones
2017-07-06 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | JA Canteen, Duncan Park, Natchez, MS
Program organizers have a choice between two related, but different, programs. Both are inspirational, patriotic, and riveting.
Program 1: “In Our Boots: Poems Inspired by Soldiers and Their Loved Ones,” is a multi-media poetry performance inspired by LaFrancis’s seven years of interviews with soldiers who served in Iraq and their loved ones. The presentation includes readings from the collection, music and a PowerPoint presentation.
Program 2: “In Their Boots: Voices of Our Soldiers” has been presented to churches, libraries, schools, military organizations, private groups, non-profit organizations, and other groups. This is a stirring, unique, inspiring look into the heart and soul of soldiers from all wars, but especially World War II. This program includes video excerpts from LaFrancis’s interviews with World War II veterans.
As a veteran of 23 years (active duty during the Vietnam War era and Air National Guard) and as a writer for more than 30 years, LaFrancis is professionally and personally qualified to offer what is a moving and unique presentation. LaFrancis has more than 25 years experience as a professional speaker and presenter, particularly on the topics of creative writing and journalism. With the war ever-present in our lives, his presentation of the experiences of the soldiers and their loved ones will enlighten and engage a wide range of audiences.

Celebrating Mississippi's Culture Through Music- A Bicentennial Celebration
2017-07-07 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS
Celebrate Mississippi’s Bicentennial through a series of ten live outdoor summer concerts that represent Mississippi culture, history and heritage through musical genres that have directly and indirectly come from Mississippi’s rich music and cultural heritage.

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents LOS POBOYCITOS
2017-07-13 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | MS
Join in the Fun
Bring your lawn chair and enjoy Mississippi’s musical culture on Friday evenings this summer with the Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series! This is apart of a 10-week music series taking place at 7pm at Chain Park during July, August and part of September (final dates and performers TBA).
Chain Park will open at 5:00 pm on the day-of-show so you can get the best seat possible!
Selected to be one of 15 Levitt AMP Music sites across the nation, Levitt AMP Hattiesburg will bring the community together through high-quality, family-friendly music, representative of Mississippi’s unique culture.
Oh, and did we mention that Levitt AMP Hattiesburg has been designated as an official Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration?

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents VASTI JACKSON
2017-07-14 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents ROADKILL GHOST CHOIR
2017-07-21 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS
Join in the Fun
Bring your lawn chair and enjoy Mississippi’s musical culture on Friday evenings this summer with the Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series! The 10-week music series will take place at 7pm at Chain Park during July, August and part of September (final dates and performers TBA). Chain Park will open at 5:00 pm on the day-of-show so you can get the best seat possible!
Selected to be one of 15 Levitt AMP Music sites across the nation, Levitt AMP Hattiesburg will bring the community together through high-quality, family-friendly music, representative of Mississippi’s unique culture. Oh, and did we mention that Levitt AMP Hattiesburg has been designated as an official Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration?

L.I.F.E. (Love Is For Everybody) Summit 2017
2017-07-22 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | United Family Life Center, 1101 Dr. MLK Drive , Cleveland , MS, 38732
L.I.F.E. (Love Is For Everybody) Summit is a one day summit for youth and young adults ages 13-19 in the Cleveland/Bolivar County area. It’s purpose is to provide workshops and activities that seek to encourage them to embrace their heritage, to expound on the positive aspects of their culture, to raise awareness of the vast inequities in their community, and to promote community building through racial healing. The youth will be challenged to think broadly and to observe assess issues pertaining to race, culture, and equality.

Women of Mississippi on Film
2017-07-22 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Shelter on Van Buren, 1221 Van Buren Ave , Oxford , MS , 38655
The Oxford Film Festival and Sarah Isom Center are teaming up to celebrate the image of the Mississippi women in the Centennial celebration. With 6 films as part of the monthly series, the two will screen a film and then lead a panel discussion about the main female protagonist in each film and the interpretation of the female in Mississippi through the context of the film. Panelist are Jamie Jarker, Melanie Addington and Theresa Starkey.

July 22nd
August 19th
September 23rd

Monday Movie Nights at the Delta Blues Museum presents Ode to Billy Joe (1976)
2017-07-24 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Outdoor Stage @ the Delta Blues Museum, 1 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, MS, 38614, United States
Based on the song written by Mississippian Bobbie Gentry, the film tells the fictional story of “the day that Billy Joe McCallister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge,” which is located within an hour of Clarksdale. Museum highlights will feature an Artist Spotlight on Tallahatchie County‘s own Sonny Boy Williamson as well as an exhibit on Sonny Boy in the gallery along with a “King Biscuit Time.”
Guests are encouraged to bring their own seating – each screening will start at approximately 8:00pm.
This is apart of the monthly outdoor film series, “Monday Movie Nights: Celebrating Mississippi’s Music History and Heritage,” that reflects the state’s rich musical heritage in light of the Bicentennial. A brief discussion and/or “Question and Answer” session will be held prior to each screening, providing the audience context as to the movie’s connection to Delta Blues music as well as background on the importance of the film and its time and place in cinematic history.

Columbus Community Theatre Youth present "Mississippi Characters"
2017-07-28 | Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main Street , Columbus , MS, United States
Take a walk through Mississippi history with Columbus Community Theatre Youth and meet some of our state’s historical and colorful characters.
Tours will be at: 6:30, 7, 7:30, & 8pm

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents BLUE MOTHER TUPELO
2017-07-28 07:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS

200 Years of Shared History: Mississippi & the Blues
2017-07-29 13:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Alamo Theater, 333 N. Farish St, Jackson, MS, United States
Day-long event examining the parallel between the history of blues music and state history, including documentary film showings, musical demonstrations and narrative presentations by historians and musicians.

Speakers Bureau: Why the British Left Mississippi
2017-08-01 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | South Mississippi Genealogy & Historical Society, 307 2nd Ave , Hattiesburg , MS
The presentation will consider Mississippi not as a “closed society” or provincial backwater but as a “middle ground” for interaction among empires, cultures, and forces of global change. Audiences are invited to imagine pig-crazy conquistadors and Native Americans as well as the lone pilot in the Civil War air force.
Myron C. Noonkester teaches history at William Carey College

The Sunflower River Blues Association's 30th Anniversary
2017-08-11 - 2017-08-13 | MS
