Speakers Bureau: "Shalom Y'all: The History of Jews in Mississippi"
2025-09-16 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Anguilla Methodist Church, 631 Front St, Anguilla, MS, 38721, United States
Dr. Stuart Rockoff presents: “Shalom Y’all: The History of Jews in Mississippi”
In the early 19th century, Jewish immigrants from Europe began to arrive in the Magnolia State, settling initially in towns along the Mississippi River. Concentrating in retail trade, these Jews became visible symbols of economic modernity and market capitalism in Mississippi. Throughout much of their history, Mississippi Jews have worked to lessen the cultural differences between themselves and their neighbors. In recent decades, due to region-wide economic and demographic trends, the Jewish population of Mississippi has declined and become concentrated in the state’s population centers.

Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change
2025-09-25 17:30 - 20:00 | Columbus Arts Council, Columbus , MS
“Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change” is an exhibit by the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in support of the Community Read. This event is also supported by the Mississippi Humanities Council.

Water Valley Literary Festival
2025-09-27 09:00 - 17:00 | Bozarts Gallery, 403 N Main St, Water Valley, MS, 38965, United States
Save the date for our first annual Water Valley Literary festival, held at Bozarts Gallery.

Mississippi Freedom Trail Unveiling: The Howze Sisters
2025-10-06 11:00 - 14:00 | The Howze Sisters’ Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker, 182 E. Eucutta St., Shubuta, MS, 39360, United States
Mississippi Freedom Trail Unveiling: The Howze Sisters
182 E. Eucutta St.,
Shubuta, MS

11 a.m.

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America250 Mississippi Grants Workshop
2025-10-07 14:00 - 15:00 | MS
Join the MHC program staff on Tuesday, October 7, from 2-3 p.m. for a Zoom webinar exploring America250 Mississippi grant opportunities. The webinar is free and open to all. Registration required.

After the webinar, participants may request a one-on-one consultation regarding programs or events they are planning.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/america250-mississippi-grants-workshop-tickets-1677292419779

Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change
2025-10-09 11:00 - 17:00 | Woodworth Chapel @ Tougaloo College, 500 County Line Rd., Jackson, MS

Sunday Screening: The American Revolution
2025-10-12 14:00 - 17:00 | TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, 222 NORTH STREET , JACKSON, MS, United States
Are you a History Channel regular? Join us for a preview of the six-part series “The American Revolution: A Film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, at the Two Mississippi Museums. Following the screening, Chris Pigott will share his experience working alongside Ken Burns and other filmmakers during its creation. This program is presented in partnership with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Film Society, and Film Mississippi.
For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

FREE Screening of “Sinners”
2025-10-15 18:30 - 21:00 | The MAX, 2118 Front St, Meridian, MS, 39301, United States
Everyone’s talking about the hit film Sinners. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s your chance.
Set in Mississippi, sharing Mississippi stories and showcasing Mississippi talent, Sinners is the 2025 hit thriller that follows twin brothers in Clarksdale who’ve returned home to open a juke joint. The movie intertwines historical drama, social commentary, and horror with a Mississippi soundtrack that can’t be beat.
Join us at the historic Temple Theater for the Performing Arts (2320 8th St) for a free screening, then come to The MAX on Thursday, October 16, at 6:30 pm for a panel conversation.
Sinners is rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content, and language. Parental guidance is strongly suggested.
Presented in partnership with: Film Mississippi, Mississippi Film Society, Mississippi Humanities Council, and Downtown Meridian.

Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival
2025-10-16 - 2025-10-18 | Coahoma Community College, 3240 Friars Point Road, Clarksdale, MS, 38614, United States
A celebration of everything Tennessee Williams. As a child growing up in Clarksdale the seeds were planted that grew into people and places in his writing. From porch plays to scholarly discussions there is something for every Tennessee Williams fan.
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Let’s Talk About “Sinners!”
2025-10-16 18:30 - 21:00 | The MAX, 2118 Front St, Meridian, MS, 39301, United States
Everyone who has seen the 2025 hit film Sinners wants to discuss it. Here’s your chance.
Set in Mississippi, sharing Mississippi stories and showcasing Mississippi talent, Sinners follows twin brothers in Clarksdale who’ve returned home to open a juke joint. The movie intertwines historical drama, social commentary, and horror with a Mississippi soundtrack that can’t be beat.
Following a free screening at the historic Temple Theater for the Performing Arts (2320 8th St) on Wednesday, October 15, come to The MAX on Thursday for a robust panel conversation featuring a filmmaker, scholar, blues musician, and community leaders from the Delta. The discussion will open up for dialogue with the audience towards the end.
Please RSVP and let us know you are coming to help us prepare.
Sinners is rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content, and language. Parental guidance is strongly suggested.
Presented in partnership with: Film Mississippi, Mississippi Film Society, Mississippi Humanities Council, and Downtown Meridian.

Mississippi Humanities Council Board Meeting
2025-10-17 10:30 - 17:00 | Mississippi Library Commission, 3881 Eastwood Dr, Jackson, MS, 39211, United States
The Mississippi Humanities Council will hold its regular board meeting at the Mississippi Library Commission tomorrow, Friday, October 17, at 11 a.m.

Spill the Tea: LGBTQ&A History and Experiences Panel
2025-10-17 17:00 - 18:30 | The Depot – Tupelo, 208 N. Front Street, Tupelo, MS, 38804, United States
Spill the Tea: LGBTQ&A History and Experiences Panel
The Depot | 208 N. Front Street
Tupelo, MS
5-6:30 p.m.
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Speakers Bureau: "The Mississippi Melting Pot"
2025-10-21 17:00 - 20:00 | Walthall County Library, 707 Union RD, Tylertown, MS, 39667-2261
Andrew Haley presents: “The Mississippi Melting Pot”

A brief history (from tamales to red beans and rice) of the various ethnic and racial culinary traditions that have shaped Mississippians’ diets.

Speakers Bureau: "Why We Call It Soul Food"
2025-10-28 12:00 - 14:00 | Holmes Community College – Ridgeland Campus, 412 W. Ridgeland Avenue, Ridgeland, MS, 39157
Dr. Brinda Fuller Willis presents: “Why We Call It Soul Food”
“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.

Speakers Bureau: "Mississippi Telling"
2025-10-28 15:00 - 18:30 | Community Market Oxford/Lafayette, 1801 University Ave, Oxford, MS, 38655, United States
Rebecca Jernigan presents: “Mississippi Telling”

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.

Speakers Bureau: "Developing Community Spaces: Storytelling, Stewardship, and the Soul of Place"
2025-10-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, 507 Market Street , Port Gibson , MS, 39150, United States
Kevin Brown presents: “Developing Community Spaces: Storytelling, Stewardship, and the Soul of Place”
In “Developing Community Spaces,” Kevin Brown explores how physical spaces—especially neglected lots, abandoned properties, and overlooked landmarks—can be transformed into powerful sites of memory, cultural identity, and civic healing. By honoring and acknowledging a community’s past, these forgotten sites can become reflections of historical pain and new hope.
Drawing from Kevin’s work creating Gertrude’s Garden in the historic Burglund District of McComb, Mississippi, this presentation offers insight into revitalizing historical spaces, engaging the community through oral histories, art, and public programs, and connecting with state-wide resources. “Developing Community Spaces” shares a living model of how the humanities can come alive through the land itself.

Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change
2025-11-01 11:00 - 17:00 | Morning Star Baptist Church, 2050 Thornton Ave, Gulfport, MS, 39501, United States

Speakers Bureau: "Prehistoric Native American Stone Tools"
2025-11-06 13:00 - 15:00 | Hatley Elementary School, 60286 Hatley RD, Amory, MS, 38821-7215
William Arinder presents: “Prehistoric Native American Stone Tools”
Program about how prehistoric Native Americans made and used stone tools. Includes “hands on” artifact display with audience participation encouraged.
Speakers Expertise: Mr. Arinder has studied Early American and Native American cultures for nearly 50 years, assembling a sizeable collection of artifacts which he uses to leade 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.

Speakers Bureau: “Prehistoric Native American Stone Tools”
2025-11-07 13:00 - 15:00 | Hatley Elementary School, 60286 Hatley RD, Amory, MS, 38821-7215

Mississippi Freedom Trail Unveiling: Jackson Civil Rights Lawyers (Young, Hall, Brown)
2025-11-14 11:00 - 14:00 | Big Apple Inn, 509 N. Farish Street, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
Mississippi Freedom Trail Unveiling: Jackson Civil Rights Lawyers (Young, Hall, Brown)
Big Apple Inn
Jackson, MS

11 a.m.

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Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change
2025-11-15 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Mound Bayou Museum of African American Culture & History, 200 Roosevelt St, Mound Bayou, MS, 38762, United States

Speakers Bureau: “From The Fields To The Factory: The Great Migration of African Americans from the Fields of Mississippi to the Cities and Factories in the North"
2025-11-22 10:30 - 12:00 | City of Hernando, 475 W Commerce St, Hernando, MS, 38632-2102, United States
Dr. Brinda Fuller Willis presents: “From The Fields To The Factory: The Great Migration of African Americans from the Fields of Mississippi to the Cities and Factories in the North”

This presentation will explore the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North in the 20th century.

Speakers Bureau: "The Queen's Critters: Victorian Era Influence on Mississippi Animals
2025-11-22 12:00 - 15:00 | Desoto County Courthouse, 2535 US-51, Hernando, MS, 38632, United States
Andi Lehman presents: “The Queen’s Critters: Victorian Era Influence on Mississippi Animals”
Few people realize the huge influence of the Victorian Age and Queen Victoria on our view and treatment of animals in Mississippi and across the United States. The Queen’s Critters: Victorian Era Influence on Mississippi Animals explains how Victorian reformers ushered in a new way of looking at animals as companions and not just as beasts of burden or commodities (without implying there is anything wrong with either of those services to humanity.)
As Queen Victoria, Andi will explain how the Queen’s love for animals and her royal support helped shape the domestic destiny of animals on both sides of the Atlantic and present a quick overview of the Victorian laws passed in England and review the history of our current laws that govern animal rights in MS.
She will introduce several species that were popular as pets in Victorian times and some additional species that are popular today, including a rabbit, a common rat, a working therapy dog, a talking bird, and two reptiles. This presentation of the history of animal welfare and advocacy from England to Mississippi is educational and fun and engages both adults and children in a positive look at life with animals in our state.

Speakers Bureau: "A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music"
2025-12-03 09:00 - 11:00 | Casey Elementary School PTA, 2101 Lake Cir, Jackson, MS, 39211, United States
Jerry Jenkins presents: “A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music”

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.

Speakers Bureau: “A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music"
2025-12-11 17:30 - 21:00 | Mississippi Children’s Museum, 2145 Museum Blvd, , MS, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States

Speakers Bureau: "The American Revolution in the Gulf South"
2026-01-12 11:30 - 13:30 | Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St., Natchez, MS, United States
Max Grivno presents: “The American Revolution in the Gulf South”
The history of the American Revolution along the Gulf South is seldom told. Although most of the Europeans who called the region were sympathetic to the British — or at least hoped to remain neutral — the conflict soon engulfed the territory of what would, in time, become Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. This presentation examines how the American Revolution transformed the Gulf South. It tells the story of how the Americans, British and Spanish vied for control of the Mississippi River and Gulf seaports, and how the Choctaws and Chickasaws struggled to preserve their homelands by courting the rival powers. It describes James Willing’s disastrous raid on Natchez, the Choctaw occupation of Natchez and the campaign launched by Spanish Bernardo de Galvez, who conquered Natchez and Pensacola and drove the British from the region. The lecture also discusses the consequences of the Revolution for the people of the Gulf Coast In the aftermath of the war, the Spanish and the Americans vied to control Natchez and the territory around present-day Vicksburg, while native confederacies like the Choctaw and Chickasaw grappled with the rising power of the United States.

Speakers Bureau: "Ida B. Wells: The Mother of the American Human Rights Movement"
2026-01-27 12:00 - 15:00 | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
Dr. Cassie Sade Turnipseed presents “Ida B. Wells: The Mother of the American Human Rights Movement”
Ida B. Wells’s life has intriguing ties to Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, President William McKinley, Booker T. Washington, Duke of Argyll and Sir John Gorst. She was a journalist who wrote about human rights and had a clear understanding about her rights as a woman. This presentation highlights her fearless campaign to realize the most significant contribution to the investigation and avocation against human lynchings. Yet, she is unknown to most people of this generation.

Speakers Bureau: "Spanish Dons in Colonial Mississippi: The Spanish roots of Mississippi’s Cotton Kingdom"
2026-04-16 12:00 - 15:00 | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
Christian Pinnen presents: “Spanish Dons in Colonial Mississippi: The Spanish roots of Mississippi’s Cotton Kingdom”
Spain has a short, but important part in Mississippi’s history. Between 1779 and 1798, Spanish administrators sought to wrangle profits and people in small outpost, most prominently Natchez, along the Mississippi River. Enforcing Spanish laws and customs in a polyglot and largely Anglo-American population proved treacherous and created economic and social dynamics that gave rise to more than one chaotic episode as people tried to gain influence and power along the Mississippi.

Speakers Bureau: "The American Revolution in the Gulf South"
2026-04-21 12:00 - 15:00 | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
