Mississippi Humanities Council

HTA: Documenting Freedom in Ancient Greece, and a Bronze Inscription in Oxford, MS
2019-02-11 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | 209 Bryant Hall, University, MS, 38677
Humanities Teacher Award winner Dr. Brad L. Cook (University of Mississippi) will present his public lecture, “Documenting Freedom in Ancient Greece, and a Bronze Inscription in Oxford, MS.”

Freedom in the ancient Mediterranean could be tenuous. In some parts of the Greek world, you could find people setting up public declarations of the freeing of slaves. A small bronze inscription, now at the University Museum in Oxford, MS, documents the freeing of a woman named Philista in the early 2nd century BC. Was this her personal, portable copy, her ancient “freedom papers”? Dr. Cook’s talk will address that question as he reconstructs the life story of this palm-sized bronze plaque.

"Body and Soul" Film Screening
2019-02-10 15:00 - 17:00 | Malco Oxford Commons, 206 Commonwealth Blvd, Oxford, MS, 38655
Body and Soul: An American Bridge
Rating: All Ages
Director: Robert Philipson TRT: 58 min.
Sunday February 10 2019, 3 pm Oxford Commons Malco Screen 1
Logline: Out of all the cross-cultural encounters that have resulted in the richness of American popular music, none has been so prominent or so fraught with fraternity and conflict as the relationships between African Americans and American Jews. Body and Soul: An American Bridge aims to tease out the strands of this cultural knot by focusing on the early performance history of the jazz standard, “Body and Soul.”

Special Screening. Panel hosted by Jewish Federation of Oxford and Mississippi Humanities Council to follow. Free Screening.

Do Drink the Brown Water: Literary Series (Julian Rankin)
2019-02-07 17:30 - 19:30 | Washington County Welcome Center, 1512 US-82, Greenville, MS, 38701
Do Drink the Brown Water: Literary Series was started June 2018 as a Summer trio of events to focus on and celebrate the rich literary history of Washington County, MS and the surrounding Delta. These programs are free and open to the public. The February 7th event will feature Julian Rankin, executive director of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and author of Catfish Dream: Ed Scott’s Fight for His Family Farm and Racial Justice in the Mississippi Delta

HTA: The Dangers of Informing: The Suppression of Journalism from a Historical and Contemporary Perspective
2019-02-07 12:30 - 13:30 | Dees Hall, 51 Main Street, Perkinston, MS, 39573
Humanities Teacher Award winner Ryan Schilling (Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College) will present his public lecture “The Dangers of Informing: The Suppression of Journalism from a Historical and Contemporary Perspective.”
An independent press is essential to a free and open society. With this in mind, the presentation will explore the ways that authoritarian regimes have sought to silence journalists, both in the past and in our current times. A variety of topics will be discussed, including the methods that states often use to control information, growing authoritarianism throughout the world, and the recent assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.

HTA: Gender Stereotypes: Raising Children in the 21st Century
2019-02-07 11:00 - 12:00 | Crosby Hall, River Road, Poplarville, MS, 39470
Humanities Teacher Award winner Kira Arthurs (Pearl River Community College) will present her public lecture, “Gender Stereotypes: Raising Children in the 21st Century.” Reception to follow.

HTA: Violence, Victory, and Voice: Millennials and Social Justice in Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give
2019-02-07 10:00 - 11:00 | COFO Building, 1017 J.R. Lynch St., Jackson, MS
Humanities Teacher Award winner Dr. Shanna Louise Smith (Jackson State University) will present her public lecture titled, “Violence, Victory, and Voice: Millennials and Social Justice in Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give.” Reception to follow
Violence, Voice, & Victory: Millennials and Social Justice in Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give interrogates how millennials come to voice in ways that challenge social issues that feature, impact, and represent them specifically. When Baby Booming and Gen X figureheads fail to articulate her truth, and use thug imagery to cast a pall over the image/reputation of her murdered friend, Khalil, Starr determines to speak for him – and herself. This presentation maps contemporary expressions of orality as both social justice weaponry and an intersectional positioning that places a black teenage girl as the vocal, moral center. Starr’s action answers the call of Margaret Walker Alexander, who demands, after campus protests leave two young black men dead, “What is your role as students in this black struggle for freedom?” (“Reflections on May 1970: The Jackson State University Massacre” 181).

HTA: I'm Here to Tell You Why Those White Supremacists Matter
2019-02-06 12:00 - 13:00 | Millsaps College, 1701 N. State Street, Jackson, Mississippi, 39202
Humanities Teacher Award winner Dr. Stephanie Rolph (Millsaps College) will present her public lecture, “I’m Here to Tell You Why Those White Supremacists Matter” (Or “Things I Never Thought My Humanities Training Would Prepare Me to Say in Public”)

Stephanie Rolph, author of Resisting Equality: The Citizens’ Council, 1954-1989, will reflect on her scholarship as well as the surprising ways that humanities work has deeply impacted her work outside of the academy.

HTA: The Elephant in the Room Wants a Cup of Coffee
2019-02-04 18:00 - 19:00 | 113 Painter Hall, 1100 College Street, Columbus, MS, 39701
Humanities Teacher Award winner Thomas Kris Lee (Mississippi University for Women) will present his public lecture, “The Elephant in the Room Wants a Cup of Coffee: A Brief How-To on the Power of Visualization.” Reception to follow.

Lee’s presentation, entitled, “The Elephant in the Room Wants a Cup of Coffee,” is a good-humored, engaging talk about the impact visualization can have on problem-solving and show you how ridiculously easy it is for the problem-solver to stop saying No and start being In-The-Know.

"Baltimore" Performance & Discussion
2019-02-02 14:00 - 16:00 | COFO Building, 1017 J.R. Lynch St., Jackson, MS
The Sunflower County Freedom Project youth drama will present Baltimore, a play by Kirsten Greenridge. Baltimore focuses on a group of college students whose lvies are shaken when someone draws an offensive picture of the wall of their residence hall. The play shines light on issues of equality, racism, community, and the question of who gets to belong where. After the performance, the students and audience will participate in a facilitated conversation.

"Baltimore" Performance & Discussion
2019-02-01 18:00 - 20:00 | Ruleville Community Center, 803 Stansel Drive, Ruleville, MS, 38771

The Struggle Continues: Equity in Education
2019-01-29 18:30 - 20:00 | Hancock Performing Arts Center, 7140 Stennis Airport Rd, Kiln, MS, 39556, United States
In 2018, the Hancock Performing Arts Center received a grant for a series of lectures entitled, “The Struggle and the Music It Created.” The purpose of th eproject was to address race in Mississippi and to discuss the relevance of the music that defined the movement. The majority of the audience attending was students. After the lectures ended, Kevin Allemand, a history teacher, noticed a shift in conversations where his students were engaged in the civil rights movement and asking questions and making comments. He realized that placing the students in the historical context as they listened to the lectures was transformative. For the 2019 Spring semester, “The Struggle” conversations will continue by addressing equity in education in a series of three lectures and a poetry reading.
JANUARY 29: Robbie Luckett from Jackson State University will lecture and discuss “Equity in Education in MS.” He will address the history of education equity for the blacks, Choctaws, and Jewish, Italian immigrants who have struggled to overcome obstacles in their education. In addition, he will discuss the work of the sovereign commission.

SB: “Chimneyville,” The Destruction of Jackson, MS during the Civil War, Fact or Myth!
2019-01-29 12:00 - 13:00 | Manship House Museum, 420 E. Fortification St., Jackson, MS, 39202
This presentation lays out the facts pertinent to what happened during the four occupations of the city by Federal forces during the Civil War.
Speakers Expertise:
Grady Howell has worked for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and has written extensively about Mississippi’s Civil War history.

Exploring Hip Hop & History
2019-01-29 10:00 - 17:00 | GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, 800 West Sunflower Rd, Cleveland , MS, 38732, United States
Two workshops with Jonathan Blanchard that uses hip hop music to teach students more about history, cultural heritage, and language.

Representing the Experiences of Women from the English Renaissance to Right Now
2019-01-28 17:00 - 20:00 | Fleming Education Center, USM Gulf Coast Campus, Long Beach, MS, 39560
On January 28, USM Gulf Park will kick-off the series by hosting a pop-up art exhibition featuring two women artists from the Mississippi Gulf Coast community: Julia Reyes, a local multimedia artist and co-owner of Almost Circle gallery in Biloxi, and Paulette Dove, local artist and former art teacher at Biloxi High School. Critically, this exhibition event will open with a humanistic talk for the general public by USM Art Professor Jennifer Torres. The general scope of Torres’ talk, which may make direct reference to some of the works on display in the exhibition, will be the relationship between artistic representation and the treatment/expectations of women in society.

HTA: Changing the World Through Effective Communication & the Spirit of Excellence
2019-01-25 13:00 - 14:00 | B.F. McLaurin Vocational Building, 3240 Friars Point Road, Clarksdale, MS, 38614
Humanities Teacher Award winner Dr. Kishki Hall (Coahoma Community College) will present her public lecture, “Changing the World Through Effective Communication & the Spirit of Excellence.” Reception to follow.
The presentation will give a clear view into the inspirational and unique experience of Dr. Kishki Hall’s public speaking class at Coahoma Community College. The mission is to demonstrate how effective communication can change the world and the importance of operating in the spirit of excellence. Dr. Hall believes that students and people in general will only perform and rise to the expectations set for them. It is her endeavor to inspire students to dream dreams, see visions, and work to make those dreams and visions a reality. She also endeavors to motivate others to be the best version of yourself possible and to never settle for mediocrity.

Water/Ways in Columbus
2019-01-25 - 2019-03-08 | Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Transportation Museum, 318 7th St. N, Columbus, MS, 39703, United States
The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Transportation Museum will host Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution, from January 25 through March 8.
Water/Ways is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. It consists of five free-standing display units incorporating photographs and text as well as numerous interactives ranging from basic flip charts to state of the art audio and video devices. Requiring a display area of a minimum of 650 sq. ft., the exhibit is designed for smaller venues, thereby achieving the goal of “bringing the Smithsonian to Small Town America.”
Water/Ways explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. It looks at how political and economic planning have long been affected by access to water and control of water resources. Human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment.

Water/Ways @ Ag Museum: Enviroscape Table
2019-01-19 10:00 - 14:00 | Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum, 1150 Lakeland Drive, Jackson, MS, 39216, United States
On January 19, the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum will host a free and open to the public interactive presentation about water pollution. The program will feature Melissa Wells, Education Outreach Coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, to present MDEQ’s Enviroscape Table. The Enviroscape Table provides a hands-on, interactive demonstration of the sources and effects of water pollution and how to prevent it. Presentations of the Enviroscape Table will take place every half hour between 10am and 2pm.
This program takes place in conjunction with Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution and sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.

HTA: From Slidell to Saudi
2019-01-17 14:00 - 15:00 | Horace C. Holmes Student Union Building, 1156 College Drive, Summit, MS, 39666
Humanities Teacher Award winner Amy Gazzo (Southwest Mississippi Community College) will present her public lecture, “From Slidell to Saudi.” Reception to follow.
“From Slidell to Saudi” describes the years when the presenter, Amy Gazzo, lived in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The presentation includes an overview of the Muslim culture focusing on their faith, traditions, and food and how a then seventeen year old, Southern girl faced living by this new set of standards. It is a personal narrative of her challenges, joys, and adaptation to a new world.

HTA: Compositional Techniques in Leonard Bernstein's Anniversaries for Solo Piano
2019-01-15 18:00 - 19:00 | Hines Hall Auditorium, 101 Cunningham Blvd., Booneville, MS, 38829
Humanities Teacher Award winner Dr. Ray Harris (Northeast Mississippi Community College) will present his public lecture titled, “Compositional Techniques in Leonard Bernstein’s Anniversaries for Solo Piano.” Reception to follow.
“My presentation will be, “Compositional Techniques in Leonard Bernstein’s Anniversaries for Solo Piano.” Though the pieces range from twenty seconds to two minutes in performance time, I will illustrate that each is a unique music statement containing a high level of structure achieved by a variety of compositional techniques. The presentation will include a performance of selected works.”

Ideas on Tap: Women in Music
2019-01-15 18:00 - 19:00 | CS’s, 1359 N West St, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
On January 15, Jackson Indie Music Week and the Mississippi Humanities Council will host a free panel about women in the music industry. The Ideas on Tap program will feature some of the best and brightest women in the entertainment industry!
Moderated by Catherine Lee. Our panelists include Maranda Joiner (Brand and Life Coach at Maranda J Marketing), Kendra Wright (99 JAMS WJMI), and Charlie Buchwald (Program Director at Y101). Join us as we pick these ladies’ brains on what it means to be a woman of influence in the world of entertainment!
The Ideas on Tap program will be free and open to the public. To hear even more from female artists, join us at the Many Moons: Women’s Showcase event later that evening.

HTA: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Meringue Pie
2019-01-15 18:00 | ICC Fine Arts Auditorium, 602 W Hill Street, Fulton, MS, 38843
Humanities Teacher Award winner Anna Britt Begnaud presents her public lecture, “When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Meringue Pie: Success in Less Than Ideal Circumstances.” Reception to follow.
Students worry about grades more than content in courses. When a test, an essay, or a major assignment goes wrong, many students may torpedo themselves in a course—stop turning in work, drop the course, or simply stop attending–rather than mastering the content and learning new skills, both of which would ultimately lead to success in the course. While content and new skills are important, the struggle to master them is even more important to long term success. Learning to overcome the obstacles is a skill that translates into every future endeavor students will undertake.

Water/Ways @ Ag Museum: MS River Basin Model Presentation
2019-01-12 10:00 - 11:00 | Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum, 1150 Lakeland Drive, Jackson, MS, 39216, United States
On January 12, the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum will present a free and open to the public presentation about the Mississippi River Basin Model. The program will feature Sarah McEwen, president of the Friends of the Mississippi River Basin Model, who will discuss the history of the model, its uses, and its importance today.
This program takes place in conjunction with Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution and sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.
Future Water/Ways events in Jackson:
January 19, 10am-2pm: Enviroscape Table interactive display

SB: The Hillbilly Cat: The Local Roots and National Impact of Elvis Presley’s Music
2019-01-11 09:00 - 14:00 | Meridian Public School District, 1019 25th Avenue, Meridian, MS, 39301
Using documentary footage and recordings from the mid-1950s, Northeast Mississippi Community College history instructor Carla Falkner of Tupelo examines the role Southern culture played in the emergence of rock and roll through the music of Elvis Presley and how that music impacted popular American culture and values.
Speakers Expertise:
Carla Falkner has more than 30 years of experience as a Mississippi educator. She joined the Northeast Mississippi Community College faculty in 1989 after teaching high school social studies in Batesville and New Site. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Falkner serves as the Chair of the Division of Social, Behavioral, and Applied Sciences and is active on the NEMCC Cultural Arts Committee.

DATE/TIME School Location of presentation

Thursday, January 10
10 am
West Hills Elementary
4100 32nd St 39307
NW auditorium

Thursday, January 10
12 Noon
Crestwood
730 Crestwood Dr. 39301
Library

Thursday, January 10
1:30 pm
Parkview Elementary
1225 26th St. 39305
Library

Friday, January 11
9 am
Harris Upper Elementary
3951 12th St 39307
Mrs. A. Williams’ Class

Friday, January 11
11 am
Oakland Heights Elementary
601-59th Ave 39307
OH Auditorium

Friday, January 11
1:00 pm
Poplar Springs
4101 27th Ave. 39305
PSE Auditorium

SB: The Hillbilly Cat: The Local Roots and National Impact of Elvis Presley's Music
2019-01-10 10:00 - 13:00 | Meridian Public School District, 1019 25th Avenue, Meridian, MS, 39301

Water/Ways @ Ag Museum: Story Time With Uncle Story
2019-01-08 10:00 - 11:00 | Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum, 1150 Lakeland Drive, Jackson, MS, 39216, United States
On January 8, the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum will present a free and open to the public presentation of Story Time With Uncle Story. The program, which will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Water/Ways, will feature the children’s book Did A Dinosaur Drink This Water? by Robert E. Wells. Following storytime will be a special craft activity related to the book.
This program takes place in conjunction with Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution and sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.
Future Water/Ways events in Jackson:
January 12, 10am: Friends of the Mississippi River Basin Model presentation
January 19, 10am-2pm: Enviroscape Table interactive display

SB: All Things Mississippi: The Beautiful Landscapes and the Great Strength of the People
2019-01-05 10:30 - 12:00 | Windward Bluff Clubhouse, 11 Bay Street, Brandon, MS, 39047
Anne McKee is recognized statewide as a passionate teacher of Mississippi history. Through the art of storytelling, Anne McKee uplifts the accomplishments of famous Mississippians and shares explores the history of a land and a people like no other. Native to the state, McKee’s love and support for Mississippi began in childhood as she sat at the knees of relatives to learn the Mississippi story—a story for her that is always new and fresh. She dresses in costumes representing the time period of the stories featured on the day of her programs, and at times, if the audience is willing, involves attendees in her stories.
Speakers Expertise:
Anne McKee is a storyteller, free-lance writer and published author whose work is inspired by “her life in the south lane.” She is listed on the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Artist Roster and the MAC Teaching Artist Roster. In 2009, she published Historic Photos of Mississippi and in 2010, Remembering Mississippi, both celebrating the singular beauty and culture of Mississippi. McKee is a master storyteller who uses her craft to teach the history and heritage of the South through the art of story and drama.

SB: Mississippi Telling
2019-01-02 13:00 - 15:00 | Memory Makers, 311 Heritage Drive, Oxford, MS, 38655
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 Expertise:
Rebecca Moore Jernigan is an internationally recognized scholar and professional storyteller who resides in Oxford.

Water/Ways @ Ag Museum: Augmented Reality Sandbox
2019-01-02 09:00 - 2019-01-05 17:00, 2018-12-26 09:00 - 2018-12-29 17:00 | Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum, 1150 Lakeland Drive, Jackson, MS, 39216, United States
On December 26, the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum will host a free and open to the public program featuring the Friends of the Mississippi River Basin Model’s Augmented Reality Sandbox, which will be on display through January 5. The Augmented Reality Sandbox is a hands-on sandbox exhibit combined with 3-D visualization applications. Simply mold the sand by hand and the landscape comes to life! The sand is augmented in real-time with an elevation color map, topographic contour lines, and simulated water. While the Friends of the Mississippi River Basin Model will only present the program on December 26, it is available for visitors to interact with through January 5.
This program takes place in conjunction with Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution and sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council. The exhibit explores water’s connection to all aspects of our society, including the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.
Future Water/Ways events in Jackson:
December 26-January 5, all day: Augmented Reality Sandbox interactive display
January 8, 10am: Story Time with Uncle Story, Did A Dinosaur Drink This Water?
January 12, 10am: Friends of the Mississippi River Basin Model presentation
January 19, 10am-2pm: Enviroscape Table interactive display

SB: A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music
2018-12-28 18:00 - 19:00 | MissLou Heritage Group & Tours, 640 S. Canal Street, Natchez, MS, 39120
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 Expertise:
Jerry Jenkins is a musician and educator trained in the music of West Africa.
