Mississippi Humanities Council

HTA – Little Boxes
2022-03-28 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Itawamba Community College, 602 W Hill Street, Fulton, MS, 38843
Itawamba Community College – Fine Arts Center, Fulton, MS
Mr. Morris will focus on the importance of finding purpose in creating.

The Twenty-Eighth Oxford Conference for the Book
2022-03-30 17:00 - 2022-04-01 17:30 | Various Locations in Oxford; Visit Website for More Information, 38655
The Oxford Conference for the Book is returning to Oxford and the University of Mississippi campus on March 30, 31, and April 1, 2022, as an in-person event, with special partnerships with the Willie Morris Awards in Southern Writing and the National Book Foundation, the administrators of the National Book Awards.

The Twenty-Eighth Oxford Conference for the Book
2022-03-30 17:00 - 2022-04-01 17:30 | Various Locations in Oxford; Visit Website for More Information, 38655

HTA – From Handprints on Cave Walls to Posting on Social Media; Seeking Validation Through our Personal Narratives
2022-04-01 10:00 - 11:30 | Meridian Community College, 910 Hwy 19 N, Meridian, MS, 39307
Meridian Community College – McCain Theater, Hattiesburg, MS
Our personal narratives inspire art, music, and prose. The theme of my presentation is; “From Handprints on cave walls, to posting on Social Media; seeking validation through our personal narrative.” I’ll take you on a journey through life, how our personal stores inspire, distract, influence, lead and guide our life. Come see what your handprint tells others about you!

Marker Unveiling for Local Lynching Victims
2022-04-02 14:00 - 15:00 | Lafayette County Courthouse, 142 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS, 38655, United States
The marker names the seven men known to have been lynched in our county between 1877 and 1950, along with information about that era of racial terror. The memorial will remember the victims, create greater awareness and understanding of the history of racial terror lynching and its impacts, and promote racial reconciliation in our community. The service will include a keynote address, live performances, and healing prayers. Local leaders and descendants of lynching victims will be invited to speak, and a free community meal will be served.

A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration
2022-04-09 10:00 - 2022-09-11 18:00
A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration explores the profound impact of the Great Migration on the social and cultural life of the United States from historical and personal perspectives. Co-organized with the Baltimore Museum of Art, the exhibition features newly commissioned works by 12 acclaimed Black artists across a variety of media. The Great Migration (1915-1970) saw more than six million Black Americans leave the South for cities across the United States. Informed by research, explorations, and conversations, the artists’ works explore themes of perseverance, self-determination, and self-reliance, along with the impacts this historical phenomenon continues to have today.

The Blues of Achilles
2022-04-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Millsaps College, 1701 N. State Street, Jackson, Mississippi, 39202
Joe Goodkin is a Chicago-based singer/songwriter. He tours the country performing his one-man folk-opera interpretation of Homer’s Odyssey (over 300 performances in 43 US states, Canada, Greece, Italy, and The Netherlands) and for years released music under the name Paper Arrows (five records total). In 2020, he premiered a new classically-inspired work, The Blues of Achilles, a 17-song reimagining of Homer’s Iliad, and performed both classically-inspired works extensively during the pandemic in the Zoom environment. From 2015 through 2017 he released a trio of EPs entitled Record of Life/Loss/Love and in 2019 a collection of live recordings entitled Paper Arrows. Throughout 2020 (yes, even during the pandemic) he released a new song a month. In 2022 he released a recording of The Blues of Achilles tracked by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios.

Ralph Bean Architectural Collection Exhibit
2022-04-14 17:00 - 19:00 | Historic Train Depot, 1419 27th Avenue, Gulfport, MS, 39501, United States

SB - Morris - From the Delta to the Coast: The Poets, Poetry, and Poetics of Mississippi
2022-04-25 12:00 - 13:00 | Pass Christian Historical Society, 201 E. Scenic Drive, Pass Christian, MS, 39571, United States
With household names like Faulkner, Welty and Wright, Mississippi literature is not just nationally but internationally known and respected. Combined with a rich musical heritage, the state’s literature is one of the many facets that afford it a high cultural rating. A survey of genres, however, reveals that many of the writers for whom the state is recognized have tended to work in the more immediately visible genres of fiction (both novels and short stories) and nonfiction, often leaving their sister (and some would say first) art form — poetry — less acknowledged. This presentation aims to right the imbalance, introducing audiences to a solid representative sampling of the state’s better and lesser-known poets. Covering primarily the 20th and 21st centuries, the audience is led on a geographic tour of the state. Featuring poets such as Etheridge Knight, who wrote powerful poems while incarcerated, or adoptee/transplant poets such as Frank Stanford, author of one of the greatest Southern long poems in history, Dr. Morris explores how their Mississippi roots and experiences informed their work. He brings contemporary (including living) poets into the discussion, such as Beth Henley, Beth Ann Fennelly and Natasha Tretheway. The presentation concludes with a brief discussion of where the art may yet go, and points to universities and writing programs that today nurture the majority of the state’s poets.P

Visioning Session: Paramount Building
2022-04-29 15:00 - 19:00 | Griot Arts, 278 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, MS, 38614
This community discussion and visioning session will center around the revitalization of the Paramount Theater and the adjoining (original) JC Penny building in downtown Clarksdale. Last October, Griot Arts received a grant to engage an architectural and design team and begin the planning process. After being gifted this property, Griot Arts began to see a vision for a space that could truly be a gathering space for the whole community to display and celebrate the cultural richness of the Mississippi Delta.
The session on April 29th will include a visit to the building site, large group and small group conversations, a survey for each person to express opinions, and more interactive ways to voice your thoughts and ideas. Food and drinks will be available throughout the afternoon. We will follow up with a second visioning session in May.
This hybrid event will be held in person and virtually. Visit the link below to RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1R14gCWBTu4-VCjdFd8H7XdLAYFF_c7g_vLBrTayIUmI/viewform?ts=624f16b1&edit_requested=true

Oral History of Union County Training School/B.F. Ford School
2022-05-01 | Union County Heritage Museum, 114 Cleveland St, New Albany, MS, 38652, United States
County Training School and later B.F. Ford School was the only school in New Albany/Union County that African Americans could get a high school diploma. The school, which is located in New Albany, transitioned to an elementary school after desegregation. The oral history project is to interview older attendees and graduates of the school and preserve their memories using formulated questions to be used in cultural historical research and race relations.

Reflecting Mississippi with Jesmyn Ward
2022-05-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Galloway United Methodist Church, 305 North Congress Street, Jackson, MS
In honor of the MHC’s 50th anniversary, acclaimed writer Jesmyn Ward will deliver a keynote address on the theme of “Reflecting Mississippi.” After her presentation, MHC board member Dr. Ebony Lumumba, chair of the English Department at Jackson State University will engage Ward in a conversation about how she represents Mississippi in her work.

Topophilia Book Club - Queen of the Turtle Derby
2022-05-10 11:30 - 19:00 | Museum of the Mississippi Delta, 1608 Hwy 82 West, Greenwood, MS, 38930
June’s Topophilia Book Club selection is Queen of the Turtle Derby by Julia Reed.
Dr. Mary Carol Miller lead discussions on June 14 at 11:45-1:00 and again at 5:30-7:00.

Ideas on Tap: Women's Equitable Access to Healthcare in Mississippi
2022-05-17 17:30 - 19:00 | Rickhouse by Manship, 717 Poplar Blvd, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
Mississippi ranks last in almost every leading health category in the US. Hospitals across rural parts of the state are in jeopardy of being shut down. This is especially challenging in a state with the highest infant mortality rate in the US, where the leading cause of infant mortality is preterm birth (delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy). Also, heart disease plagues this state and women of color are disproportionately affected. Heart disease is more prevalent among African American women than white women and is the leading cause of death among Latinas. So how do women gain equitable access to health care in a state that suffers these disparities? These issues and many more will be discussed by our illustrious panel of medical professionals which include Dr. Sandra Melvin (CEO of Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health), Dr. Nekitra Burse (CEO of Six Dimensions, LLC), and Wengora Thompson (CVS Health, Health Equity Lead). The panel will be moderated by Latisha Latiker, director of grant programming for the Mississippi Women’s Foundation. Join us May 17th at the Rick House by Manship located at 717 Poplar Blvd, Jackson, MS. This Ideas On Tap program is brought to you in proud partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi. Free snacks and a Cash bar will be provided

SB - Rushing - Over and Under the Fence: Plant Swapping Helped Form Our Culture
2022-05-31 18:00 - 19:30 | Itawamba County Pratt Memorial Library, 210 W Cedar St, Fulton, MS, 38843, United States
Fences don’t deter gardeners who have for generations found ways over, around and under barriers (both real and figurative) to share plants, tips and recipes — really, bits of ourselves and our cultures, without regard to another gardener’s stripes or background. Since a gardener can’t give or get plants without touching another person, our garden legacies have proven to be real common ground. Now, how about a piece of my grandma’s old rose for your fence…

SB - Luckett - The Mississippi Plan and the Rise of Jim Crow
2022-06-08 11:30 - 13:00 | Canopy Children’s Solutions, 1465 Lakeland Dr, Jackson, 39216, United States
After the Civil War, African Americans in the South, newly freed, expressed a tangible optimism that led to the reuniting of families, the development of social institutions like the black church, the rise of cultural expressions like the Blues and jazz, the establishment of black-owned businesses and other economic endeavors, and the wielding of significant political power. On the other hand, as Dr. Luckett explains in this talk, most white southerners, especially in Mississippi, saw this rise of black social, economic and political power as a direct threat to their hegemony, which had been so well established during the era of slavery, and whites sought to “redeem” their place in the southern hierarchy through violent extra-legal measures like lynching and through the realm of law. The invention of Jim Crow and what became known as the “Mississippi Plan” became the models for the rest of the South. The Mississippi Plan and Jim Crow stood on the shoulders of black disfranchisement, segregation and sharecropping to guarantee white power as well as second-class citizenship for African Americans throughout the South, a status black southerners have fought ever since.

Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters
2022-06-17 11:00 - 12:00 | Museum of the Mississippi Delta, 1608 Hwy 82 West, Greenwood, MS, 38930
Celebrity Reader: Muddy’s grand-nephew, Keith Johnson
A picture book celebration of the indomitable Muddy Waters, a blues musician whose fierce and electric sound laid the groundwork for what would become rock and roll. Michael Mahin (Author), Evan Turk (Illustrator)

SB - Jenkins - A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music
2022-06-18 18:00 - 19:30 | A-1 Event Center, 1415 Country Club Dr, Jackson, MS, 39209, United States
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.

SB - Garrison - Robert Johnson at the Crossroads
2022-06-21 11:00 - 12:30 | Emily Jones Pointer Public Library, 104 Main Street, Como, MS, 38619
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.

Liberty House Online Photo Exhibit Launch
2022-06-23 16:00 | Online Event
In the fall of 1965, Jesse Morris, Doris Derby and other members of the Poor Peoples Campaign formed the Liberty House. Over the years, they trained hundreds of poor African Americans in different communities across Mississippi in crafts that were collected and sold to Liberty Houses across the nation. Each Liberty House was a store that sold items from Mississippi Cooperatives plus items made from each store location. The Mississippi cooperatives, were small in size and often led by women, included Aberdeen (sewing), Athens (sewing), Canton (sewing), Cleveland (leather), Macomb (leather/sewing), Mount Olive (sewing), Mount Nebo (puppets/dolls), Prairie, Shaw, Rose Hill, Shelby (sewing/belts), Tchula, West Point (woodwork), and White Station (candles). Often, the cooperative members were worked either as domestics in white homes, chopping cotton, and other low-paying, difficult jobs. At its height in 1967-1968, the co-operatives were producing thousands of products for sale in upscale markets such as Bleeker Street in New York City. The objects made were clothes, leatherworks, dolls, candles, wood crafts, and many other things.

Stitchin' and Pullin'
2022-06-29 10:00 - 11:00 | Museum of the Mississippi Delta, 1608 Hwy 82 West, Greenwood, MS, 38930
Celebrity Reader: Textile Artist Yolande van Heerden
For generations, the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama have made quilts, many of which now hang in museums as modern masterpieces. This lyrical narrative weaves together the familial, cultural, spiritual and historical strands of life in this community. Patricia McKissack (Author), Cozbi A. Cabera (Illustrator)

SB - Jenkins - A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music
2022-06-30 10:00 - 11:30 | Lee County Library, 219 N. Madison Street, Tupelo, MS, 38804

SB - Jenkins - A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music
2022-06-30 14:00 - 15:30 | Historic Fulton Grammar School, 603 S Cummings St, Fulton, MS, 38843, United States

Dr. Carl Rollyson Visit - Speech
2022-07-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Pontotoc Community House, 114 N Main St, Pontotoc, MS, 38863, United States
Dr. Carl Rollyson will speak to the Pontotoc County Historical Society on Monday, July 18, at 6:00pm at the Pontotoc Community House on North Main Street. He will discuss the life of William Faulkner and present new materials that he discovered while researching his two-volume biography of Faulkner. He will focus on events that occurred in the North Mississippi area and how they impacted his life and his work. Dr. Rollyson will sign copies of his books after his presentation.
During Dr. Rollyson’s Pontotoc visit, Jack Elliott, author of a new biography of W. C. Falkner, William’s great grandfather, will conduct a tour of William Faulkner sites in and around the City of Pontotoc. Most residents are unaware of the Faulkner events that took place in this area, but they are fascinating and significant. Before William was born, his father, Murry, was shot twice in a drugstore in Pontotoc and probably should not have survived. The story behind the shooting is amazing and involves one of the most prominent Pontotoc families of the era. The location of the drugstore is known and is on the Town Square. Also, the boarding house where Murry lived is still partially extant. At the time, Murray was serving as the conductor of the railroad founded by his grandfather, William’s literary great grandfather, W. C. Falkner. Additionally, Faulkner’s youngest brother, Dean, was killed in an airplane crash in Pontotoc County. Faulkner had given the plane to Dean and agonized over his death. Faulkner visited the crash site, identified the body, and later drove Maud, his mother, to the funeral parlor (located in the back of a furniture store) in Pontotoc where she insisted on seeing the body. The sites of the crash, the building where the body was taken, along with others will be included in the tour.
Dr. Rollyson will visit New Albany on Tuesday and plans to speak and sign books there. On Thursday he will sign books at Square Books during the closing event of the Yoknapatawpha Conference. On Friday he is planning to speak and perhaps sign books at Ripley. During the week, when he’s not at Pontotoc, New Albany, or Ripley, he will be attending the Yoknapatawpha Conference in Oxford.

Dr. Carl Rollyson Visit - New Albany Book Signing
2022-07-19
Dr. Rollyson will visit New Albany on Tuesday and plans to speak and sign books there. On Thursday he will sign books at Square Books during the closing event of the Yoknapatawpha Conference. On Friday he is planning to speak and perhaps sign books at Ripley. During the week, when he’s not at Pontotoc, New Albany, or Ripley, he will be attending the Yoknapatawpha Conference in Oxford.

Dr. Carly Rollyson Visit - Square Books Signing
2022-07-21 | Square Books, 160 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS, 38655, United States

Dr. Carl Rollyson Visit - Ripley Speech
2022-07-22

SB - LaFrancis - In Their Boots: Poetry Inspired by Soldiers and Their Loved Ones
2022-07-24 14:00 - 15:30 | Family Life Center, 619 Main St, Natchez, MS, 39120, United States
“In Our Boots: Poems Inspired by Soldiers and Their Loved Ones,” is a multi-media poetry performance inspired by Mark 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.

What Does Freedom Mean to You? - Natchez
2022-07-25 17:30 - 19:00 | Natchez Brewing Company, 207 High St, Natchez, MS, 39120, United States
After celebrating Juneteenth and our nation’s independence this year, it’s clear that freedom is unique to all of us. Is there any common ground on the meaning of the term? The MHC wants to know, so we are asking the question, “what does freedom mean to you?” in a three-part Ideas on Tap series, we fondly call the “Freedom Tour”. We are taking the program to Natchez, Columbus, and Jackson. We have created a panel for each conversation to address what freedom means through various lenses, like immigration, African Americans, LGBTQ, and women. We encourage our guests to share their perspectives of freedom and how they understand freedom differently. This series of conversations is a part of our More Perfect Union initiative, which seeks to honor the Mississippians that challenged America and this state to provide freedom and justice for all. The first stop of the tour will be in Natchez at the Natchez Brewing Company, July 25th from 5:30-7pm. The second stop will be in Columbus at the Columbus Arts Council, July 26th from 5:30-7pm. The final stop will be in Jackson at the Cultivation Food Hall, August 1st at 5:30-7pm. Each program is free to all and hors d’oeuvres will be provided. For more details contact John Spann, program and outreach officer.

What Does Freedom Mean to You? - Columbus
2022-07-26 17:30 - 19:00 | Columbus Arts Council, Columbus , MS
