Mississippi Humanities Council

2 Mississippi Museums Grand Opening Celebration
2017-12-09 11:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, 222 NORTH STREET , JACKSON, MS, United States
Join us as Mississippi makes history! The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the adjacent Museum of Mississippi History will open on Saturday, December 9, 2017, at 11 a.m. This free celebration is open to all and will include music, speakers, and food trucks.

Museum of Mississippi History & Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
The 2 Mississippi Museums will be a place where Mississippians tell their own stories of the state’s rich and complex history. These stories will be told through the many resources from the collection of the Department of Archives and History. We will present the history of our state as never before with eye-popping artifacts, photographs, videos, and interactive exhibits.
The state has committed $90 million to date for this state-of-the art 200,000 square-foot center. It will serve as a portal to other cultural attractions across the state, preserve and store over 22,000 artifacts, and benefit hundreds of thousands of people a year through museum visits, public programs, and educational outreach.

The Last Modern Shipyard: Ingalls West Bank
2017-12-09 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
With a rich history as the economic engine for the State of MS, the City of Pascagoula has long been known for its industries including the State’s largest employer, Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding, North America’s largest oil refinery, Chevron Refinery, and numerous other employers.
In honor of the 50 year anniversary, the City hopes to conduct an oral history project to capture the narrative of building of the Ingalls West Bank Facility. In 1967, local, state, and national public and private stakeholders came together to preserve Pascagoula’s shipyard industry and set a monumental precedent for the future developments across the country.

Mississippi Bicentennial Concert Celebration–Central
2017-12-09 | Jackson Convention Complex, 105 E Pascagoula St, Jackson, Mississippi, 39201, United States
This is a concert to celebrate 200 years of Mississippi statehood is taking place this weekend.
It is one of several bicentennial events that are part of a regional celebration for central Mississippi and will coincide with and complement the opening of 2 Mississippi Museums, side-by-side museums near the Capitol. One will examine the broad picture of Mississippi history and one will focus on civil rights..

How Mississippi Changed America: Conversations About the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi and the Nation
2017-12-07 16:00 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | Old Capitol Museum, 100 South State Street, Jackson , MS, 39201
Panel discussion ahead of the opening of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, exploring the impact of civil rights activities in Mississippi on the movement nationally.

"Tupelo Spirit" Preview
2017-12-05 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago)
Preview of the “Tupelo Spirit” video at the Tupelo City Council Meeting. The video will be featured in the Tupelo Visitors Center opening in February 2018 and will be shown to visitors from all over the world. It will be previewed as part of the Mississippi Bicentennial celebration as it tells a unique Mississippi story.

The Kneel-Ins: The Voices, the Vision Forward-- "Community Commemoration Service"
2017-12-04 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago)
From Saturday, December 2, through Monday, December 4, the Jackson Interfaith Civil Rights Committee is hosting a series of free events entitled The Kneel-Ins: The Voices and the Vision Forward to commemorate the church visit campaign of 1963 and 1964. These programs are supported by the Mississippi Humanities Council.
The Jackson Kneel-In movement was an attempt by an interracial group of students, parishioners, and civil rights activists to integrate Protestant and Catholic churches in downtown Jackson. Organizers used direct-action protest to urge the church-goers and ministers at segregated churches to open their sanctuaries to African-American worshipers.
At noon Monday, December 4, Charlene Thompson will give an introduction to the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center followed by a free, self-guided tour of the museum, which chronicles the history of African-Americans in Mississippi and features exhibitions on Medgar Evers and on the Woolworth’s Sit-in. Afterward, at 6:00 p.m. Monday, an ecumenical service will be held at Galloway United Methodist Church featuring the Piney Woods School Choir, poets, and other speakers. All Galloway parking lots will be available and nursery will be provided for children ages 5 and under. For nursery contact Rev. Elizabeth Henry ehenry@gallowayumc.org or 601-353-9691.

The Kneel-Ins: The Voices, the Vision Forward-- "Tour of Smith Robertson Museum"
2017-12-04 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Center, 528 Bloom St., Jackson, MS, 39202

The Kneel-Ins: The Voices, the Vision Forward: "How Do We 'Kneel-In' and Witness in Jackson Today?"
2017-12-03 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Old Capitol Museum, 100 South State Street, Jackson , MS, 39201
From Saturday, December 2, through Monday, December 4, the Jackson Interfaith Civil Rights Committee is hosting a series of free events entitled The Kneel-Ins: The Voices and the Vision Forward to commemorate the church visit campaign of 1963 and 1964. These programs are supported by the Mississippi Humanities Council.
The Jackson Kneel-In movement was an attempt by an interracial group of students, parishioners, and civil rights activists to integrate Protestant and Catholic churches in downtown Jackson. Organizers used direct-action protest to urge the church-goers and ministers at segregated churches to open their sanctuaries to African-American worshipers.
At 2 p.m. Sunday, December 3, at the Old Capitol Museum House Chamber, Augustus Argrett will lead a discussion themed “How Do We Kneel-In and Witness in Jackson Today?” Von Gordon of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation; author Ralph Eubanks; Central United Methodist Church pastor Rev. David McCoy; civil rights veteran and minister John Perkins; and Perry Perkins of Working Together Jackson all will serve as panel participants. Parking is available behind the museum.

The Kneel-Ins: The Voices, the Vision Forward-- "Church Kneel-Ins: What Happened and What It Meant"
2017-12-02 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
From Saturday, December 2, through Monday, December 4, the Jackson Interfaith Civil Rights Committee is hosting a series of free events entitled The Kneel-Ins: The Voices and the Vision Forward to commemorate the church visit campaign of 1963 and 1964. These programs are supported by the Mississippi Humanities Council.
The Jackson Kneel-In movement was an attempt by an interracial group of students, parishioners, and civil rights activists to integrate Protestant and Catholic churches in downtown Jackson. Organizers used direct-action protest to urge the church-goers and ministers at segregated churches to open their sanctuaries to African-American worshipers.
Events begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, December 2 at Woodworth Chapel on the campus of
Tougaloo College, with a panel discussion about the Kneel-In movement moderated by Carter
Dalton Lyon, author of Sanctuaries of Segregation: The Story of the Jackson Church Visit
Campaign. Panelists include civil rights veteran Rims Barber; Kneel-In movement participants
Camille McKey and Ida Hannah Sanders; Joe Reiff, author of Born of Conviction: White
Methodists and Mississippi’s Closed Society; and Kneel-In movement leader and former
Tougaloo chaplain Rev. Ed King. Parking is available on campus.

Christmas Open House Parade Viewing @ the Old Tishomingo County Courthouse!
2017-12-02 | Old Tishomingo County Courthouse Museum, 203 E Quitman St, LUKA, MS, 38852, United States
Watch the Christmas parade from inside the historic courtroom at the Old Tishomingo County Courthouse!
Date: Friday, December 2, 2017.
Cost: free; however donations to the museum are always encouraged.

A Legacy Retrospective of Jay D. Johnson: Rays of Hope in Mississippi Exhibit
2017-11-16 17:30 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Center, 528 Bloom St., Jackson, MS, 39202
Opening of a photo exhibit showcasing the state’s history and diversity, culled from the collection of local photographers Jay D. Johnson and his father, James R. Johnson.
Images will include local and national African American political leaders and civil rights icons, churches, entertainers and sports personalities.
Exhibit will be displayed at Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center in Jackson.

Lower Delta Talk Series
2017-11-14 18:30 - 19:30, 2017-10-17 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Sharkey Issaquena County Library, 116 Robert Morganfield Way, Rolling Fork, MS, 39159
The Lower Delta Speakers Series includes a variety of folks who will speak on a topic of interest each month, topics that tell great Mississippi stories focused on our region of the Mississippi Delta and that help explain the important role the Delta plays in regards to the entire state of Mississippi. Some of the topics included in the 2017 will include People and their Stories, History, and Culture, Food and the Outdoors.
August 15th- James Matthews
September 19th- Richard Grant
October 17th- Cathy Shropshire
November 14th- Willy Bearden

Bicentennial and Veterans Celebration Dinner
2017-11-11 | Washington County Convention Center, 1040 S. Raceway Road , Greenville , MS , 38703
Bicentennial Celebration Dinner to reach out to the community in support of our veterans and celebrate our states 200th birthday. In effort to bring out community together, have a catfish dinner (which supports one of the delta’s main industries) and invite the community to honor the veterans and come “break bread with a Veteran”.

Mississippi Masterpieces Art & Songwriting Contest
2017-11-10 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Gautier Convention Center, 2012 Library Lane, Gautier, MS, 39553, United States
Mississippi Masterpieces Art and Songwriting Contest is hosted by the City of Gautier in celebration of the state’s bicentennial. The contest and its final event are meant to explore and celebrate the history and culture of Mississippi.
The final Mississippi Masterpieces bicentennial event is Nov. 10, 2017, at the Gautier Convention Center from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This event is a celebration of the arts in Mississippi. There will be a juried art show, performances by the winning songwriters, and readings of famous Mississippi authors’ works. There will also be a special appearance and reading by former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Randy Pierce, a Greene County native and novelist.

Mt. Olive Cemetery Project: Celebrating the Legacy of West Jackson's Pioneers
2017-11-09 11:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)

MISSISSIPPI ENCYCLOPEDIA EVENT: Margaret Walker Center
2017-11-08 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Chicago) | Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, 1400 John R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS, 39217, United States
A panel discussion of The Mississippi Encyclopedia. Scholars speaking will include Jackson State University scholars Preselfannie Whitfield-McDaniel, C. Liegh McInnis, and Robby Luckett, along with Senior Editors Ted Ownby and Charles Reagan Wilson.

Speakers Bureau:Mississippi in the Great War
2017-11-07 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | South Mississippi Genealogy & Historical Society, 307 2nd Ave , Hattiesburg , MS
School textbooks rarely mention much about the Great War — World War I. Although the United States only participated in the final two yeas of the conflict, it changed the world. Drawing on letters published in Mississippi newspapers from across the state, this presentation tells the story of Mississippians who participated in the Great War. The letters were written by soldiers, aviators, sailors and YMCA and Red Cross workers. They reflect the experiences of young men as they endured training camp, voyaged across the Atlantic to France and participated in horrific battles. The letters also reveal the experiences of nurses and humanitarian workers, describing drills, uniforms, parades and parties–a”lighter” view of the war.
Anne Webster is a retired archivist at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

HealthWorks! Family Fun Bicentennial Festival
2017-11-04 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | HealthWorks!, 219 S. Industrial Road, Tupelo, MS, 38801, United States

200 Years of Family Fun
2017-11-04 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | HealthWorks!, 219 S. Industrial Road, Tupelo, MS, 38801, United States
A celebration of the history of play in Mississippi. Children and their families will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities that they can enjoy at the center and beyond.

IN THE WRITER’S WORDS w/ DEBORAH JOHNSON
2017-11-02 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main Street , Columbus , MS, United States
Join the awarding-winning author in a discussion of her works, Q & A, and readings from her highly popular novels. Lisa Howorth, co-owner of Oxford’s Square Books, will be presenting alongside Johnson.

MISSISSIPPI ENCYCLOPEDIA EVENT: Copiah-Lincoln Community College
2017-11-02 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Carolyn Vance Smith Natchez Literary Research Center at Copiah-Lincoln Community College
A discussion and reading of The Mississippi Encyclopedia, followed by a signing and reception.

This is how you are a citizen: Claudia Rankine Public Reading
2017-10-27 13:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
As a part of their Friday Forum Series, Millsaps College invites you to an event located on campus, featuring poet Claudia Rankine. The public reading will take place in The Gertrude C. Ford Academic Complex Recital Hall.

Grocery Stor(i)es: Life in Chinese Grocery Stores in the MS Delta
2017-10-27 08:00 - 2017-10-28 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Delta Chinese Heritage Museum
Grocery Stores have played an integral role in the establishment and development of the Chinese presence in the Mississippi Delta. While issues of segregation and equality swirled in the communities right outside grocery store doors, the Chinese families were blending their heritage with their new environment. Building from the photographs and oral histories collected within the Delta State University Archives’ Chinese holdings, this project proposes to develop a traveling exhibit focusing on the lives lived within grocery stores, primarily focusing on the subjects of food ways and education. While the majority of our areas grocery stores no longer stand, this resource will demonstrate how the Delta’s Chinese influenced political and social change all from behind the doors and counters of their grocery stores.

A Bicentennial Celebration Recounting Unheard Voices
2017-10-26 | Meridian High School, 2320 32nd St, Meridian, MS, 39305, United States
Come see a theatrical performance that highlights Meridian’s 157 years. The performance will feature student actors and dancers, and incorporate music and enlarged vintage photos.
There will be a community celebration of the State’s Bicentennial year as well as a living gallery walk after the performance.
Enjoy live music provided by the Meridian High School Jazz Band.
(This performance and celebration are the culmination of the humanities project, A Bicentennial Celebration Recounting Unheard Voices: Students Breathe Life into Meridian’s Rare Historical Photos.)

Native American Days 2017
2017-10-25 09:00 - 2017-10-27 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Winterville Mounds Park and Museum, 2415 Highway 1 North, Greenville, MS, 38703, United States
Three-day celebration of Southeastern Native American and colonial-era Euro American cultures in Mississippi, including traditional dance, song and storytelling presentations by Native Americans, colonial-era food, arts and crafts, Native American games and ancient weapons demonstrations. October 25-27.

The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library workshop: “Preserving Family Photographs”
2017-10-19 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library is hosting a workshop titled “Preserving Family Photographs” on Thursday, October 19th from 9am-12pm.
The workshop will teach participants how to identify various historic photographic formats and processes. It will also instruct on how to properly handle, store, and preserve one’s family photographic treasures.
Participants are encouraged to bring up to three family photographs, negatives, or films that they would like to have evaluated by a conservator.
Kim R. Du Boise, the Senior Conservator and President of PhotoArts Imaging Professionals, will be conducting the workshop. She is a peer-reviewed Professional Associate in the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Du Boise has worked in art and photography for over forty years while developing coursework and workshops for teaching photography and photographic processes. For more information about PhotoArts Imaging Labs visit www.photoartsimaging.com.
The workshop has been made possible through a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council and support from the Friends of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library.
Seating is limited. Register for free at 662-329-5304 or by email at mvance@lowndes.lib.ms.us by October 17th.

Through the Lens of Carl Brown
2017-10-19 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
More than 15,000 photographic negatives and prints taken by Columbus photographer Carl Brown were recently donated to the Local History Department at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library. The images, dating roughly from the 1950s to the 1980s, cover a wide variety of subjects including weddings, family portraits, events, businesses and people. The processing of the photographs will be a lengthy undertaking due to the abundant size of the collection.
The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library will hold a public preserving workshop on October 19th,2017 from 9am-12pm. The exhibit will be open to the public starting April 2-14, 2018.
Columbus-Lowndes Public Library
No Cost
Sponsored by Columbus-Lowndes Public Library & MS Humanities Council
For more information:
Mona Vance-Ali 662-329-5304

Fulton Cemetery Historical Stroll
2017-10-15 | Fulton Cemetery, Fulton, MS, United States
Come find out more about Fulton’s past through experiencing one of its historic treasures: the Fulton Cemetery.
Local historians will give an introduction to the history of the cemetery. Guests can then take a “historical stroll” through the cemetery and visit with those buried there! (Volunteer reenactors will be dressed in period costumes, detailing interesting facts and stories at their respective tombstones.)

Mississippi's Craft Heritage Event
2017-10-14 10:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Mississippi Craft Center, 950 Rice Road , Ridgeland , MS , 39157
