30 Years of Resilience: Recovering Thee History of the School of Social
2024-10-10 14:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Mississippi Public Broadcasting, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS, 39211
’30 Years of Resilience: Recovering Thee History of the School of Social ‘ aims to preserve and document the milestones, achievements, and challenges of the School of Social Work at Jackson State University (JSU). Through the collection of oral histories, archived documents, and art, this project seeks to highlight the resilience and history of individuals who have shaped communities and inspired positive change. This documents the School of Social Work’s role in fostering accessibility and equity in higher education through social work across the State of Mississippi to ensure its history is accessible for future research and reflection. Through this event, audiences will have the opportunity to explore the historical significance and economic impact of HBCUs on various communities in Mississippi. Audiences will also be able to understand the successes and challenges experienced by HBCUs and bridge Mississippi HBCUs’ involvement in the 1975 Ayers v. Fordice class-action lawsuit.
This event includes a short program, oral history, a panel discussion with a moderator, and a Q&A session. The panel consist of three panelists exploring the evolution, impact, and challenges faced by The School of Social Work over the past three decades, highlighting its contributions to social justice, community welfare, and education. There will also be an unveiling of a mural in the School of Social Work-Master of Social Work Program that will honor the school’s legacy and achievements. A small reception with light refreshments will be held to provide an opportunity for networking, socializing, and further discussion.
This event will be held on Thursday, October 10, 2024, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. The program will be held in the auditorium of Mississippi Public Broadcasting located at 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS, 39211. The outline of the program is as follows:
2:00-2:15-Opening Remarks/Welcome/Introduction to the Theme
2:15-2:30-Historical Reflection
2:15-2:45-Panel Discussion
2:45-3:15-Documenting the Journey/Oral History
3:15-3:45-Community Engagement/Q&A w/Moderator
3:45-4:00-Closing Remarks
4:00-5:00-Mural Unveiling and Networking Reception

Mississippi Archaeology Expo
2024-10-12 10:00 - 15:00 | Museum of Natural Science, 2148 Riverside Dr., Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
Celebrate MS Archaeology Month!
Join the MS Archaeology Association for this hands-on event at MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson designed for school-aged children and adults.
Enjoy:
• Artifact Identification and Displays
• Atlatl Demonstrations (Spear throwing)
• Prehistoric Technology Stations
• Crafts
• Food Trucks
• Museum exhibits & “Dinosaurs Around the World” Exhibit, and more!

The Expo is the Mississippi Archaeological Association’s annual free, family-friendly event that celebrates Mississippi Archaeology Month and helps to educate the public on archaeology and American Indian cultural heritage in Mississippi. In addition to meeting Choctaw representatives and seeing lifeway displays, visitors will enjoy artifact identification and displays, atlatl demonstrations (spear throwing), prehistoric technology stations, crafts, and expert lectures at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. featuring Mississippi’s Ice Age megafauna and the American southeast at the end of the Ice Age. Visitors will meet representatives from the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Archaeological Conservancy, and the National Park Service. Food trucks will also be on-site, not included with Expo admission.
This program is financially assisted by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the Mississippi Humanities Council. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Mississippi Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Sunday Screening: Little Brother of War
2024-10-13 14:00 - 16:00 | TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, 222 NORTH STREET , JACKSON, MS, United States
Join us for a screening of Little Brother of War at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 13, in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums.
Directed by Bryan W. Carpenter, the 89-minute film focuses on the Native American game stickball and the struggle by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to keep traditions alive in the modern day.
This screening is part of the ongoing Sunday Screenings at the Two Mississippi Museums and is followed by a Q&A session.

Mississippi Humanities Council Board Meeting
2024-10-15 11:00 - 14:00 | Mississippi Museum of Art, 380 South Lamar Street, Jackson, MS, 39201
MHC bi annual board meeting will be held at the Mississippi Museum of Art and will feature a tour of Nuestro Mississippi headed IAJE’s Lorena Quiroz.

MS Delta Tennessee Williams Festival
2024-10-17 08:00 - 2024-10-19 22:00 | Coahoma Community College, 3240 Friars Point Road, Clarksdale, MS, 38614, United States
Established in 1993 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MS Delta Tennessee Williams Festival will celebrate its 32nd year highlighting the life and works of the great American playwright, Tennessee Williams, while focusing on his roots in the Mississippi Delta and how Clarksdale and Coahoma County influenced him and his work over the years.

This 3-day literary festival has become a jewel in our Delta community. For the 2024 festival, we plan to focus on the “apprentice” play Spring Storm. Williams wrote this play, set in the fictional town of Port Tyler, Mississippi, in 1937-1938 while finishing his undergraduate degree in the theater department at the University of Iowa. The play is about the unrequited love of four young people in a small Delta town near the Mississippi River which closely resembles Clarksdale—the play features local landmarks in Coahoma County such as Moon Lake, Friar’s Point, the Carnegie Public Library and St. George’s Episcopal Church. It is filled with character types and story elements that Williams would develop in several of his later plays.
We have invited seven scholars to offer presentations and participate throughout the festival.

The festival will also feature a performance of Spring Storm by the Tennessee Williams Theater Company of New Orleans, directed by Salvatore Mannino. You can see the schedule below that shows all of the public programming that we are planning thus far. It’s going to be another great festival!

Thursday, October 17, 2024
Overview: Art Exhibit & Opening Lunch at the Cutrer Mansion — Tour of Clarksdale highlighting Tennessee Williams sites — Delta Dinner Party at the Moon Lake Casino

11:00 AM Opening Lunch at the Cutrer Mansion | Well, We All Have to Paint Our Nudes!
Unveiling of original artwork by celebrated New Orleans artist, George Dureau (1930 – 2014) to be donated to the Cutrer Mansion by Erma Duricko in honor of Dr. Kenneth Holditch (1933 – 2022); View Tennessee Williams Artwork Exhibited at the Cutrer Mansion in partnership with Rhodes College and hear art presentations by students from Rhodes College

1:00 PM Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum and St. George’s Episcopal Church open for tours

2:30 PM Tennessee Williams in Clarksdale Tour | Developed by Karen Kohlhaas of the Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum
This unique and exciting tour (on bus and by personal car) lasts approximately two hours and includes locations in Clarksdale and Coahoma County that are featured in the plays of Tennessee Williams. Along the way, actors and other participants will read and perform monologues and scenes set in some of the locations. Several locations are settings in our featured play, Spring Storm.

We will begin at the Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum, in the former rectory of St. George’s Episcopal church, where Williams lived with his grandparents.
The rectory itself is a setting in Williams’ plays, SUMMER AND SMOKE, and THE ECCENTRICITIES OF A NIGHTINGALE.
Additional tour locations include:
• The Cutrer Mansion a.k.a. Belvoir (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE)
• Mercantile Store (Collective Seed and Supply) (ORPHEUS DESCENDING)
• Carnegie Public Library (SPRING STORM)
• Grange Cemetery: Cutrer graves (STREETCAR, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, ORPHEUS DESCENDING); Angel Statue (SUMMER AND SMOKE); Mrs. Wingfield’s grave (THE GLASS MENAGERIE); as well as character names from other Clarksdale residents such as Gilliam, Baugh, Anderson
• The former Wingfield home (THE GLASS MENAGERIE)
• Clarksdale’s Historic District including houses Williams played in as a child (Phil Clark’s house, Gilliam’s house, Baby Doll and Eddie Peacock’s House)
• The Paramount Theater (formerly the New Marion) where Williams first went to the movies with his grandfather—in his plays and stories he calls it the Delta Brilliant (ORPHEUS DESCENDING)
• The Riverside Hotel, site of the death of Blues legend Bessie Smith (ORPHEUS DESCENDING)
• Along the way, pointing out local Blues and other history: locations such as the New World where ‘The Father of the Blues’, W.C. Handy, lived and played (Williams mentions him in short stories) Also, the depot where Charlie Chaplin spoke during WWI, and where Williams left for St. Louis and Muddy Waters left for Chicago. And, the site of the former theater where Sarah Bernhardt performed twice in Clarksdale, including the same month that Williams’ grandfather first began services at St. George’s.
• The former freight yards in front of what is now the Delta Blues Museum, where the character Hertha commits suicide (SPRING STORM)
• Friar’s Point by the Mississippi River (THE LAST OF MY SOLID GOLD WATCHES, SPRING STORM)
• Moon Lake (All of the Delta Plays)

5:00 PM Dinner & Dancing at the Moon Lake Casino | Uncle Henry’s Place, 5860 Moon Lake Road, Dundee, MS 38626

Friday, October 18, 2024
Overview: Scholar Talks all day — At Coahoma Community College (9 am to 12 noon) Then at Carnegie Public Library in downtown Clarksdale (1:30 PM to 5:30 PM)

9:15 AM Presentation I Tennessee Williams 101 By Augustin Correro (confirmed)

10:15 AM Presentation I History and Analysis of the play, Spring Storm By Thomas Keith (invited, depends on his schedule in the fall)

11:15 AM In Conversation with actors, Terrance Howard and Debbie Allen (Connecting) — Interviewed by Ralph Eubanks (confirmed)

2:00 PM Presentation I The Writing of Spring Storm By Karen Kohlhaas (confirmed)

3:00 PM Performance I Site Specific Scene from Spring Storm
The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans

4:00 PM Book Talk I Searching for My Father, His First Wife, and Tennessee Williams Presented by author Melanie McCabe (confirmed)

6:00 PM In Conversation with actor, Austin Pendleton (confirmed)
Interviewed by Karen KohlhaasHome of Eva Connell, Ridge Road, Clarksdale

Saturday, October 19, 2024
Overview: Student Drama Competition and Porch Plays

9:00 AM Student Drama Competition | Produced by StoryWorks — Sponsored by Coahoma Community College
• A festival favorite, the Student Drama Competition highlights students from around the region who will perform monologues, scenes and Stella calls competing for the opportunity to win trophies and $2,500 in award money for their school programs.

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Woman’s Club & Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum Open to Visitors

2:30 pm Organ Concert at St. George’s Church with the Rev. Charlie Deaton

3:00 PM – 6:00 PM Porch Plays in the Historic District

• 415 Court Street | 3:00 pm

• 203 Court Street | 3:30 pm

• 235 Clark Street | 4:00 pm

• 41 John Street | 4:00 pm Spring Storm Presented by The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans

6:00 PM After-Party – Possibly the Porch of the Clark House or the front lawn of the Cutrer Mansion

The Harvest Screening
2024-10-17 19:00 - 21:30 | University of Mississippi
The Harvest Film Screening
Join us for a screening of The Harvest, a captivating film that tells the story of how school integration transformed the town of Leland, Mississippi.
Date: October 17, 2024
Time: 7:00pm Film Screening Begins
Panel Discussion following the film

In The Harvest, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Douglas A. Blackmon looks back at how school integration transformed his hometown of Leland, Mississippi. After the 1954 Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, little more than token efforts were made to desegregate Southern schools. That changed dramatically on October 29, 1969, when the high court ordered that Mississippi schools to fully — and immediately — desegregate. As a result, a group of children, including six-year-old Blackmon, became part of the first class of Black and white children who would attend all 12 grades together in Leland.
Set against vast historic and demographic changes unfolding across America, The Harvest follows a coalition of Black and white citizens working to create racially integrated public schools in a cotton town in the middle of the Mississippi Delta, the most rigidly segregated area in America. It tells the extraordinary story of how that first class became possible, then traces the lives of Blackmon and his classmates, teachers and parents from the first day through high school graduation in 1982. It is a riveting portrait of how those children’s lives were transformed and how the town — and America — were changed. But as the film follows the lives of those children into the present, it is also a portrait of what our society has lost in its failure to finish the work begun a generation ago.

Speaker Bureau: Robert Johnson at the Crossroads
2024-10-19 16:00 - 17:00 | The Magnolia Coffee Company, 428 N Main St, Water Valley, MS, 38965
In colorful costume, storytellers Rebecca Jernigan and Wendy Garrison retell the tale of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson. With music, drama and sign language, they recount his fateful encounter with the Prince of Darkness at the crossroads in the Delta. In educational venues they stress that the audience is integral to any live performance. They discuss the historical person Robert Johnson, and they share the role of the blues as an indigenous musical genre that grew out of the challenges of life in the Mississippi delta.

The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi
2024-10-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Hinds Community College – Raymond Campus, 501 East Main Street, Raymond, 39154, United States
This talk traces the roots of the modern civil rights movement to World War II, a movement that began long before the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 and lasted long after Dr. King’s assassination in Memphis in 1968, a movement that in many ways never ended. Specifically, Dr. Luckett discusses the major people and events of the modern civil rights movement in Mississippi like Emmett Till; Medgar and Myrlie Evers; Ross Barnett; the Citizens’ Council and the Sovereignty Commission; the Freedom Rides; James Meredith and the 1962 integration of Ole Miss; the 1963 Woolworth’s sit-in; leading civil rights organizations like the Council of Federal Organizations, the Congress of Racial Equality, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the NAACP; 1964 Freedom Summer; Fannie Lou Hamer; the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party; Anne Moody and Coming of Age in Mississippi; the Meredith March against Fear; and many other topics in the field.

Panelist: Dr. Robert Luckett, Associate Professor, Department of History and
Director, Margaret Walker Center, Jackson State University.

"Brother to a Dragonfly" book discussion
2024-10-22 18:00 - 19:00 | University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg , MS - Mississippi, 39406
This project celebrates the life and work of Mississippi author and preacher Will D. Campbell in a celebration of his 100th birthday.
In Brother to a Dragonfly, Campbell writes about his life growing up poor in Amite County, Mississippi, during the 1930s alongside his older brother. The book serves as a historical account of Campbell’s life with his brother, his tenure as a Baptist preacher, and his involvement in the later stages of the Civil Rights movement.
The book discussion is scheduled for Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. in Cook Library, room 209A.

PRAGDA Spanish Film Festival
2024-10-23 17:30 - 20:00, 2024-11-06 17:30 - 20:00 | Jackson State University, 1400 J.R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS, 39217
The PRAGDA Spanish Film Festival promotes Spanish language and culture by curating a series of films, offering a platform for educational and societal enrichment.
This event comprises the presentation of five films that typically extend beyond traditional cinema or streaming platforms, delving into themes that intricately intertwine personal and political dimensions. Each session includes the screening of curated cinematic pieces followed by a subsequent Q&A segment to foster engaging discussions exploring language variations, socio-cultural and political nuances.
The film series will consist of five screenings, each accompanied by discussions led by humanities experts. The events will take place at JSC Theater 2200 (Meeting Room), at Jackson State University, on the following dates:
Everybody Leaves (Todos se van)
Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
The Awakening of the Ants (El despertar de las hormigas)
Date: Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
100 Ways to Cross the Border (Note: This date may be changed)
Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Drowning Letters (Cartas mojadas)
Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Nudo Mixteco
Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

The Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister Symposium
2024-10-24 - 2024-10-25 | Hinds Community College-Vicksburg, 755 MS-27, Vicksburg, MS, 39180, United States
“Shaping the Cultural Environment…a Window on the World”: The Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister Symposium
The Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister House Foundation Board is hosting a public symposium on October 24–25, 2024, honoring the life and legacy of educator Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister (1899-1996). Hosted at Hinds Community College in Vicksburg, this symposium celebrates her commitment to “the life of the mind” and excellence within and beyond the college classroom. It displays the brilliance of Dr. McAllister’s pedagogical approaches in cultivating critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and academic excellence among her students. The two-day event also provides an informative and insightful overview of her life and work in higher education through keynote addresses and panels featuring scholars of education, schoolteachers, and her former students. Overall, the symposium captures the essence of Dr. McAllister as displayed in the documentary’s title, which honors her legacy—My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is (2023).
The symposium, “Shaping the Cultural Environment: A Window on the World,” begins on October 24, 2024, on what would have been her 125th birthday. It will examine the cultural impact of Dr. McAllister’s scholarly contributions, emphasizing her role in advancing the intellectual discourse on Black education and the broader implications of her work within academic and cultural spheres. The scholarly participants for the symposium will include scholars of Black education, teachers, and her former students, who will deliver keynote addresses and participate in panel sessions about her ideas and perspectives on Black education. They will explore how Dr. McAllister’s intellectual legacy continues to shape contemporary educational practices and philosophies, highlighting strategies for preserving and advancing her vision of academic excellence and social justice. The impact of her pioneering work continues today in “challenging minds and changing lives.”

Speakers Bureau: “Mississippi Telling”
2024-10-26 10:00 - 11:30 | O.B. McClinton Foundation grounds, 2106 Gravel Springs Rd., Senatobia, MS, 38668
Rebecca Jernigan 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 storyteller 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.
“Mississippi Telling” will be presented Oct 26, 2024 at the O.B. McClinton Foundation in Senatobia, MS

Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker Unveiling
2024-11-02 10:00 - 12:00 | Palace Theatre, 111 Main St, McComb, MS, 39648, United States
The Mississippi Humanities Council, in partnership with the Visit Mississippi, is proud to announce a series of Freedom Trail marker unveilings commemorating pivotal figures and moments in the Civil Rights Movement. These unveilings will honor the courage and dedication of local leaders and activists whose actions helped shape the fight for freedom and justice.
Four Mississippi Freedom Trail markers will be unveiled in McComb, 10 am November 2nd, at Palace Theatre 111 Main St, McComb, MS 39648.
The markers will recognize:
Aylene Quin – Civil rights activist and advocate for education and voter rights.
The Infamous McComb Bombings – A series of violent bombings targeting civil rights workers and supporters.
Burgland Grocery Store & Masonic Temple – Key locations for community organizing and civil rights meetings.
The Burgland School Protest – A student-led protest against segregation and inequality in education.
Following the unveilings, a reception will be held at the Palace Theatre in McComb. Community members and attendees are invited.

Where Two or Three Are Gathered: Reconsidering Community & Conversation with Will D. Campbell
2024-11-04 18:00 - 20:00 | USM Liberal Arts Building, 114 N. 31st Ave., Hattiesburg, MS, 39401
The lecture, “Where Two or Three Are Gathered: Reconsidering Community and Conversation with Will D. Campbell,” presented by Brett Harris, will examine the recurring theme of community and the need for conversation through the life and writings of Will D. Campbell.
Harris, a Baptist minister and the host of the podcast God Knows Where, draws parallels with Campbell’s work. Having taught classes focusing on Campbell, he introduced students to Campbell’s legacy through the collection of his papers housed in Special Collections.
The lecture will take place Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Gonzales Auditorium at the USM Liberal Arts Building, followed by an exhibit opening and reception at McCain Library and Archives.
The exhibit “A Celebration of Will D. Campbell: Preacher, Activist, and Writer” features the materials held in the Will D. Campbell papers. The exhibit highlights his efforts during the Civil Rights movement including his work with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, manuscripts of his writings, and the many stories told through his papers.

Great Stories Club
2024-11-05 17:30 - 19:30 | Briarwood Arts Center, 614 Briarwood Dr,, Jackson, MS, 39211, United States
In November, Briarwood Arts Center will host a Great Stories Club, a literary-outreach program created by the American Library Association that provides youth with the opportunity to read, reflect, and share ideas on themes that resonate with them.
Briarwood Arts Center will begin their Great Stories Club, led by Tonja Murphy of the Mississippi Book Festival, Tuesday, November 5th at 5:30 at BAC.
If you are interested in hosting a Great Stories Club, please contact program officer Katie Molpus at kmolpus@mhc.state.ms.us

Speakers Bureau: Prehistoric Native American Stone Tools
2024-11-07 10:00 - 11:00 | Hatley Elementary School, 60286 Hatley RD, Amory, MS, 38821-7215
Program about how prehistoric Native Americans made and used stone tools. Includes “hands on” artifact display with audience participation encouraged.
Mr. William Arinder has studied Early American and Native American cultures for nearly 50 years, assembling a sizeable collection of artifacts which he uses to lead living history programs for local schools, civic clubs and museums. He volunteers as an interpretive historian with the Natchez Trace Parkway, leading monthly history and pioneer craft demonstrations at the Visitor Center in Tupelo.

Lexington Historic Churches Tour
2024-11-07 10:00 - 13:00 | St. Paul’s Church of God in Christ, 17214 Highway 17, Lexington, MS, United States
Join us on Thursday, Nov 7, for an engaging tour of Lexington’s historic churches, featuring St. Paul’s Church of God in Christ, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church. Enjoy fascinating architectural and historical insights and special music.FREE admission, thanks to the generous support of the MS Humanities Council, MS Dept Archives & History, BankPlus and Friends of Lexington Preservation.

Speakers Bureau: “Parallels of Southern Storytelling and Folktales from Around the World”
2024-11-07 12:30 - 14:00 | Alcorn State University, 1000 ASU Drive, Lorman, MS, 39096
Diane Williams uses the art of storytelling to uncover folktales from the south, oral history from Mississippi, often paralleling these story motifs with folktales from around the world.
Williams is a neo-griot, along the lines of the storytellers from times gone by when oral historians were crucial to maintaining black folks’ history because book publishers didn’t believe the history worth chronicling. Williams is also a quilter, an artistry befitting for a woman known for paying homage to the past. Williams uses silk yarns, beads, stones and vibrant colors to make traditional quilts with Motherland inspiration to tell stories of strength, resilience and hope.

Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker Unveiling
2024-11-08 12:00 - 13:00
The Mississippi Humanities Council, in partnership with the Visit Mississippi, will unveil a Freedom Trail marker November 8th at the old courthouse at 12pm in Canton to honor the extraordinary work of Flonzie Brown Wright, the first African American female elected to public office in Mississippi during the 20th century.

Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker Unveiling
2024-11-09 10:00 - 10:30 | Palmer’s Crossing, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
On the morning of November 9, a Mississippi Freedom Trail markers will be unveiled honoring Victoria Gray Adams – Honoring her legacy as a Civil Rights leader and one of the founding members of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, at Palmer’s Crossing outside of Hattiesburg.

Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker Unveiling
2024-11-09 14:30 - 17:00 | Zion Chapel A.M.E Church, 319 North Dr. M.L. King Jr. St., Natchez, MS, United States
The city of Natchez, MS, has announced its second marker on the Mississippi Freedom Trail, located at Donnan’s Barbershop, the birthplace of the Deacons for Defense and Justice in Natchez in the 1960s.
The Deacons for Defense and Justice was first organized in 1964 in Jonesboro, LA, in response to increasing violence against civil rights activists and the lack of protection for Black communities. The Deacons aimed to provide armed protection for civil rights workers and the Black community against the Ku Klux Klan and other White supremacy groups. The Natchez Deacons organized in September 1965.

A ceremony will be held during the NAACP Mississippi State Convention on November 9, 2024, at the Zion Chapel A.M.E Church, located at 228 North Dr. M.L. King Jr. St., followed by the marker unveiling at 319 North Dr. M.L. King Jr. St.

History is Lunch "Black Quilters in the American South"
2024-11-13 12:00 - 13:00 | TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, 222 NORTH STREET , JACKSON, MS, United States
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s (MDAH) History Is Lunch (HIL) lecture series has delved into Mississippi’s history, providing a platform for dynamic presentations by esteemed scholars, experts, authors, and thought leaders from both local and national spheres.
In the upcoming fall programming, HIL will prioritize lecture series that reflect the cultural heritage of Black communities. To kick off this series on November 13, 2024, MDAH welcomes Dr. Sharbreon Plummer, who will be in Jackson presenting an exhibition, “Of Salt and Spirit,” at the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) in the fall. The exhibit is based on MMA’s recently expanded Southern quilt holdings. Dr. Plummer, a textile scholar, artist, and creative strategist, is the co-director of programs at Threewalls, a Black-led nonprofit organization in Chicago. Her lecture will spotlight the remarkable work and story of Hystercine Rankin, a native of Jefferson County, MS, who created forty-six quilts throughout her lifetime.
Rankin’s father, a sharecropper, lost his life during the Jim Crow era when he was fatally shot by a white man on the highway, with the perpetrator never held accountable. Notable among her creations are memory quilts depicting her father’s murder and his funeral, serving as poignant reminders of the injustice African Americans encountered in Mississippi. Dr. Plummer will examine how Rankin’s quilts reflect the physical aspects of enslavement and the enduring cultural heritage and resilience of Black communities in the face of adversity.

Wednesday, November 13, 2024
History is Lunch lecture series
Featuring: Dr. Sharbreon Plummer
Two Mississippi Museums
Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium
12-1pm

The Jazzman: Preservation Hall Portraits in Black and White Exhibit Opening
2024-11-14 17:30 - 20:00 | Lincoln County Public Library, 100 S Jackson St, Brookhaven, MS, 39601, United States
The Lincoln County Public Library is hosting a exhibition, The Jazzman: Preservation Hall Portraits in Black and White, featuring the photography of Mississippian Bob Coke. Known for capturing the essence of New Orleans jazz culture, Coke’s images offer an intimate glimpse into the lives of legendary jazz musicians at Preservation Hall.
Exhibition opening and reception is November 14, 2024, at 5:30 p.m., where curator David Kunian from the New Orleans Jazz Museum will give historical context to these captivating works. Enjoy a special musical performance by saxophonist Dr. Jessie Primer, chair of Humanities and Performing Arts at Tougaloo College.
This event is made possible by generous support in part through grant funding from the Mississippi Humanities Council with funding from the NEH.
Where: Lincoln County Public Library
When: November 14, 2024, at 5:30 p.m.

gOD-Talk Sunday Screening
2024-11-17 14:00 - 16:30 | TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, 222 NORTH STREET , JACKSON, MS, United States
Join us for a screening of gOD-Talk Sunday, November 17, at 2 p.m. in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums.
Directed by Kim Moir, the one hour and forty-eight minute film explores the lives of seven Black Millennials and explores how intersectionality of faith, race, and environment play a role in spirituality in the modern day. Following the film will be a Q&A with producer Teddy Reeves, Kim Moir, and Okolo Rasheed, co-founder and president emerita of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures.
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. Watch Trailer

Speaker Series: Yvonne Lewis Day
2024-11-26 17:30 - 19:00 | Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St., Natchez, MS, United States
The 2024-2025 season is an annual program of the Natchez Historical Society, consisting of 8 regular monthly presentations by expert speakers on humanities topics pertinent to the history of the Natchez area. Scheduled for November 26, 2024 is:
Yvonne Lewis Day, Editor, Columnist, Researcher, and Author: Who Will Sing My Name? The Loss of the Steamboat Monmouth

Windsor Ruins presented by Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries
2024-12-03 16:00 - 18:00 | Mississippi Cultural Crossroads building, 507 Market St, Port Gibson, MS, 39150, United States
Please join us for our upcoming educational programs on Windsor Ruins presented by Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, a historian at Ohio State University. The first, “The Untold Stories of Enslavement at Windsor,” will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3, at Mississippi Cultural Crossroads in Port Gibson. Dr. Jeffries will provide historical context for new interpretation at Windsor Ruins by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). The program will include stories about people who were enslaved at Windsor before the Civil War and what they did during and after it ended.
The second lecture, “(Mis)Remembering the Past: From Slavery to Civil Rights,” will take place at noon on Wednesday, December 4, at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. Part of the History Is Lunch series, the second lecture will also be available via livestream on the MDAH Facebook page and YouTube channel.
We hope to see you at one or both events. Please find more details here: Lecture 1 Event Details and Lecture 2 Event Details.

History Is Lunch: "(Mis)Remembering the Past: From Slavery to Civil Rights"
2024-12-04 12:00 - 13:00 | TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, 222 NORTH STREET , JACKSON, MS, United States
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s (MDAH) History Is Lunch (HIL) lecture series has delved into Mississippi’s history, providing a platform for dynamic presentations by esteemed scholars, experts, authors, and thought leaders from both local and national spheres.
On Wednesday, December 4, MDAH welcomes Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, a distinguished lecturer from Ohio State University, for the second part of our lecture series on elevating sites and objects of Black communities. Dr. Jeffries will lead a special lecture on the crucial theme of ‘hard history,’ focusing specifically on sites associated with formerly enslaved peoples in Mississippi. This discussion aims to illuminate often-overlooked aspects of Mississippi’s past, highlighting the locations tied to the lives and experiences of enslaved individuals. As a respected authority on African American history, Dr. Jeffries will provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the significance of these sites and their lasting impact on Mississippi’s cultural landscape. He argues that American public schools are failing students by not teaching ‘hard history.’ According to research by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2017, high school seniors struggle with even the most basic questions about American enslavement of Africans. Dr. Jeffries will emphasize the importance of preserving sites associated with the lives and legacies of formerly enslaved individuals, focusing on where they were held, worked, and sought freedom.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
History is Lunch lecture series
Featuring: Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries
Two Mississippi Museums
Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium
12-1pm

Speakers Bureau: "Mississippi Telling"
2024-12-06 18:00 - 19:00 | Cambridge Methodist Church, 212 Ross Ave, Oxford, MS, 38655-4822, United States
The presenter, Dr. Rebecca Jernigan, 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 storyteller 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.

I Believe I'll Go Back Home: Robert Johnson's Copiah Country Roots and Living Legacy
2024-12-08 14:00 - 16:00 | TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, 222 NORTH STREET , JACKSON, MS, United States
Sunday Screening: “I Believe I’ll Go Back Home: Robert Johnson’s Copiah Country Roots and Living Legacy is at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums. Directed and produced by Samantha Davidson Green, this 28-minute film documents the roots and legacy of blues artist Robert Johnson through stories from his family.
This program is in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Mississippi Film Office, and the Mississippi Film Society.
