Mississippi Humanities Council

Speakers Bureau: Prehistoric Native American Stone Tools
2024-11-07 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | 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.

Reading the Room
2024-12-12 18:00 | Urban Foxes, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
The Mississippi Humanities Council is pleased to partner with the Mississippi Book Festival and Urban Foxes to present our next “Reading the Room” event.
If you love reading, socializing and any excuse to talk about books, then join us!
Thursday, December 12th at 6:00 pm
Urban Foxes
826 North St, Jackson, MS 39202
bring any book you are currently reading+ enjoy some time set aside to read on your own + talk books with your neighbors over drinks and snacks + celebrate Mississippi’s vibrant literary culture with us!

REGISTER HERE

Blues on 5th Street
2024-12-14 14:00 - 17:00 | Laurel Jones County Black History Museum and Arts, 820 W 5th St, Laurel, 39440, United States
Let’s Talk About The Blues! Pine Belt Blues That Is! While honoring Mr. T-Bone Pruitt. Pinebelt Blues is shaping up to be a genre of blues coming straight from the Pinebelt. It is being spearheaded by Pinebelt Native, Ra’Shad The Blues Kid. When thinking About Pinebelt Blues it’s difficult to put into words because it’s not just something that can be described. It’s an intangible feeling that comes over you when you hear it. Its something that when you hear Pinebelt blues there’s only one direction that then mind can go to. It can hold its weight against other blues Genres like HillCountry and Delta Blues because it has FLAVOR! Pinebelt blues incorporates a blend of soulful, rhythmic guitar, with a quartet undertone. It has a base that is recognizable through the many influences that made it what it is today. Pinebelt is set to become the next genre of blues that’s coming straight out of the thick pinebelt in Mississippi!!

The event will be held December 14, 2024, starting time of 2: 00 p.m. at the Laurel Jones County Black History Museum and Arts.
-Marian Allen will open with welcome/occasion and speak regarding the historical significance of the event and introduce the speakers.
-Tito Lanier the historical of the blue and how the piano contribution to theblues.
-Jock Webb will discuss the tradition of the blues, joint jukes, harmonica appreciation and down-style of Alabama Black Belt Blue.
-Rashad Mcgill will share the traditions of the blues, (Pine Belt Blues) and the art of the guitar appreciation.
-Questions and Answer Session
– Presentation to Tommie Pruitt
-Everyone can enjoy refreshment and tour the museum.

Speakers Bureau: "Mississippi Telling"
2024-12-30 15:00 - 16:30 | Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi, 1242 S Green St, Tupelo, MS, 38804, United States

57th MLK Convocation
2025-01-17 10:00 - 13:00 | Jackson State University, 1400 J.R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS, 39217
Deciding that she would rather celebrate his birth and achievements rather than focus on his death, Margaret Walker sponsored one of the first birthday convocations for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on January 12, 1969, at Jackson State University.

As part of Dr. Alexander’s legacy, the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University continues this annual event. Their 57th convocation will take place on January 17th, 2025, in the Rose McCoy Auditorium at JSU. The keynote speaker will be civil rights activist, scholar, and author Dr. Charles Payne.

Our For My People Awards Luncheon will follow at noon in the Student Center Ballroom A. Tickets to purchase a meal will be available soon. We are proud this year to honor Dr. Charles Payne, Rev. Dr. CJ Rhodes, and Attorney Carroll Rhodes with For My People Awards.

Sunday Screening: Always a Winner: Roy Curry, A Quarterback Ahead of His Time
2025-01-26 14:00 - 16:00
Join us for a free screening of “Always a Winner: Roy Curry, A Quarterback Ahead of His Time” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, at the Two Mississippi Museums! Directed by Seth Schwartz, this film tells the story of Roy Curry who played quarterback for his high school in Clarksdale, then at Jackson State, and went on to play two seasons as a wide receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL. This program is in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Department of Archives, Mississippi Film Society, and the Mississippi Film Office

Speakers Bureau: Parallels of Southern Storytelling and Folktales from Around the World
2025-01-27 12:00 - 13:00 | Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at The University of Southern MIssissippi, 118 College Dr #5055, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, United States
Speaker Diane 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.

Speaker Series: Matthew Skic
2025-01-28 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 January 28, 2025:
Matthew Skic, Curator of Exhibitions, Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Muskets Along the Mississippi: The Revolutionary War in the West

Speakers Bureau: Mississippi Telling
2025-01-29 15:30 - 17:30 | Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi, 1242 S Green St, Tupelo, MS, 38804, United States
The presenter, 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 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.

HOMEGROWN: A WRITERS' EXCHANGE: 2025
2025-02-01 09:00 - 17:30 | University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Park Campus, 730 E Beach Blvd, Long Beacj, MS, 39560, United States
HOMEGROWN is a full-day literary arts event, — free and open to the public — that presents acclaimed southern authors in moderated panel discussions that cut across multiple current, timely, and relevant topics pertinent to writing and publishing. This annual Mississippi-centric event includes programs which appeal to a broad scope of patrons who may be aspiring writers, or simply avid readers. In addition, a series of break-out sessions provide intimate opportunities for attendees to learn from and interact with literary experts and authors.
HOMEGROWN 2025 will be presented during a two-day period on Friday, January 31, and Saturday, February 1, 2025 on the University of Southern Mississippi’s lovely Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach (MS). Sessions presented on Friday, January 31, will be specifically developed for young people (students) and will be facilitated by faculty and graduate students from the University of Southern Mississippi. Friday’s sessions will be offered during the period of 10 AM to 2 PM.
The event on Saturday, February 1st, will begin at 9 AM and continue until 5:30 PM …. a full day of programming.

African American Read-In
2025-02-03 09:00 - 10:00 | Jackson State University College of Education Room 100, 1400 John Lynch Street , Jackson , MS, 39217, United States
Please join the mothers and daughters of the Blossoms Mother-Daughter Reading Club as we celebrate the 2025 African American Read-In.

HTA Lecture: In Your Face History: How Technology and Mass Media Have Transformed the Study of History
2025-02-04 18:00 - 19:00 | Itawamba Community College, 602 W Hill Street, Fulton, MS, 38843
Megan Eidt is Itawamba Community College ‘s 2025 Humanities Teacher of the Year. Eidt’s lecture, In Your Face History: How Technology and Mass Media Have Transformed the Study of History, will be presented 2/4/25 at 6:00 pm on the college’s campus.
Eidt will be among those honored at the Mississippi Humanities Council Awards Ceremony March 28, 2025 at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. The event pays tribute to outstanding faculty in traditional humanities fields at each of the state’s institutions of higher learning.
Since 2004, she has taught history at ICC, where her activities have included former two-term president of the Tupelo Campus Faculty Association and former adviser to the ICC Political Science and Humanities Clubs. Her professional memberships include ICC Faculty Association, National Council on Public History, Atlanta History Center and American Historical Association.

HTA Lecture: The Heart of Humanities: Fostering Understanding, Culture, and Connection
2025-02-04 18:00 - 19:30
Dr. Emily Pollard is Northeast Mississippi Community College’s 2025 Humanities Teacher of the Year. Pollard’s lecture, The Heart of Humanities: Fostering Understanding, Culture, and Connection, will be presented 2/4/25 at 6:00 pm on the college’s campus. Dr. Pollard explores how the humanities cultivate empathy, celebrate diverse cultures, and build meaningful connections. From insights in social psychology to her impactful work with the student food pantry, discover the transformative power of humanities in shaping compassionate, informed individuals.
Pollard will be among those honored at the Mississippi Humanities Council Awards Ceremony March 28, 2025 at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. The event pays tribute to outstanding faculty in traditional humanities fields at each of the state’s institutions of higher learning.

Speakers Bureau: "The Marquis de Lafayette Visits Mississippi"
2025-02-04 19:00 - 20:30 | South Mississippi Genealogical & Historical Society, 307 2nd Ave, Hattiesburg, MS, 39401-3887, United States
In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Natchez on his farewell tour of America. Learn more from William “Brother” Rogers about who he was and why this historic event was significant.

HTA Lecture: Me, Myself and AI (Artificial Intelligence)
2025-02-05 12:00 - 13:30 | Copiah-Lincoln Community College, 11 Co Lin Cir, Natchez, MS, 39120-4452, United States
Priscilla Hartley will present the 2025 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Copiah-Lincoln Community College: Me, Myself and AI (Artificial Intelligence)
The lecture will take place on the Copiah-Lincoln Community College campus February 5, 2025 at 12:20pm.

HTA Lecture: "Yes, You CAN Sing Classical Music!"
2025-02-06 11:00 - 12:30
Shelly Garlotte will present the 2025 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Mississippi Valley State University: Yes, You CAN Sing Classical Music!”
Experience a voice lesson as a classical music singer! The presentation will include an introduction to basic singing anatomy, music reading, and singing in a foreign language. By the end of the ‘lesson,’ participants will be singing a well-loved piece from standard classical repertoire.”
The lecture will take place on the Mississippi Valley State University campus February 6, 2025 at 11:00 am.

Surviving Southampton: A Story in Three Grandmothers
2025-02-06 18:00 - 19:30 | Mississippi College, 200 Capitol St., Clinton, MS, 39056
Dr. Vanessa Holden from the University of Kentucky will speak at Mississippi College as part of MC’s continued effort to bring lived and scholarly expertise of the African American experience to the Mississippi College campus and the larger metro Jackson community. She is an associate professor of History, the Director of African American and Africana Studies and the Director of the Central Kentucky Slavery Initiative. Her research focuses on African American women and slavery in the antebellum South. She will share her award-winning research from her book Surviving Southampton: African American Women and Resistance in Nat Turner’s Community (University of Illinois Press, July 2021), which explores the contributions that African American women and children made to the Southampton Rebellion, often called Nat Turner’s Rebellion. Holden’s lecture will serve as the keynote for our Black History month commemorations.
The lecture will be on February 6, 2025 at 6pm at Entergy Theatre at Gore Arts Complex.
