In 1961, young Hezekiah Watkins was arrested at the Greyhound Bus Station in Jackson, Mississippi at the age of 13 where he was sent in a paddy wagon to Mississippi’s State Penitentiary, known as Parchman Penitentiary, and placed on Death Row. His crime? Allegedly participating with a group known as the Freedom Riders who had […]

The Mississippi Humanities Council, in partnership with the Visit Mississippi, will unveil a Freedom Trail marker February 25th at Canton High School 10 am in Canton to honor the extraordinary work of Annie Devine, one of the first three Black women to stand on the floor of the House of Representative in Washington, she demanded that […]

Dr. Robbie Luckett presents: "The Mississippi Plan and the Rise of Jim Crow" 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 […]

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 February 25, 2025: Paula C. Johnson, Professor, Syracuse University College of Law; Co-Founder and Director of the Syracuse University College of […]

Rosalynn Rutland is Blue Mountain Christian University’s 2025 Humanities Teacher of the Year. Rutland’s lecture, Educators Perceive Biliteracy as a Resource for Students in Mississippi, will be presented 2/27/25 at 4:00 pm on the college’s campus in the Paschal Student Union Building. This is a presentation of portions of a qualitative study, “Listening to the Voices of […]

This presentation, by Jerry Jenkins, 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 […]

In honor of the centennial birthday of Medgar W. Evers, the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument will co-host a program titled A Centennial Conversation: The Legacy of Medgar Evers, 100 years Later. The program will consist of a conversation between Dr. Miranda Freeman, Dean of Humanities at Tougaloo College […]

The Mississippi Humanities Council, in partnership with the Visit Mississippi, will unveil a Freedom Trail marker February 28th in Fayette  at the Jefferson County Courthouse at 12 pm to honor the extraordinary work of Charles Evers. Evers was elected in Fayette, Mississippi, as the first African-American mayor of a biracial town in Mississippi since the […]

What a fun and enlightening way to round out the 2025 Black History Month Celebration! Attendees are encouraged to wear your Greek and/or HBCU attire and share this fabulous evening among friends and family! We are excited to welcome speaker Jean Greene, co-director of the Utica Institute Museum who will speak about The Legacy of […]

Diane Williams presents: "Parallels of Southern Storytelling and Folktales from Around the World." Diane 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.

William Moorer is Holmes Community College's 2025 Humanities Teacher of the Year. Moorer's lecture, Traditional Poetry: I'm Not Dead Yet, will be presented 3/4/25 at 2:00 pm on the college’s campus in McMurrough Library (Goodman Campus). Moorer will be among those honored at the Mississippi Humanities Council Awards Ceremony March 28, 2025 at the Two […]

Jill Drouillard is Mississippi University for Women’s 2025 Humanities Teacher of the Year. Drouillard’s lecture, The Ice Age of Making Babies and (Pro)creating Meaning in the 21st Century, will be presented 3/4/25 at 4:00 pm on the college’s campus in the Fant Library. Drouillard will be among those honored at the Mississippi Humanities Council Awards Ceremony […]

Hey book community! It’s that time again! Join us for our next Reading the Room event on Wednesday, February 12th at 6:00 pm, at Urban Foxes! Bring any book and enjoy time to read, talk books with your community, and celebrate Mississippi’s vibrant literary culture with us! Reading the Room is presented in partnership with Mississippi […]

When it was first published in hardback in 1994 (with paperback published in 1995), John Dittmer's _Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi_ made a tremendous impact in the scholarship of the Mississippi civil rights movement. While working at Tougaloo and later at Brown and DePauw, Dittmer collected oral histories and consulted countless […]

Join us for a free screening of "My Mind To Me A Kingdom Is" on Sunday, March 9, at 2 p.m. in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums. Directed by David Rae Morris, this thirty-minute documentary focuses on the life and career of Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister, the first African American […]

About Community Read Community Read, sponsored by Mississippi University for Women, is a community-wide shared reading experience that: draws on the university and community’s rich literary heritage and The W's commitment to liberal arts education develops connections between students, faculty, staff, and community members fosters intellectual curiosity and broadens our understanding of our world, our […]

Free screening alert! Join the Mississippi Film Society on Thursday night, March 20, at 7 pm at the @capritheatre (where the new garage is now open for convenient parking) for a free screening of LIFT and an in-person conversation with director/producer David Peterson. Filmed over ten years, LIFT shines a spotlight on the invisible story […]

Come to Foxfire Ranch for two ultra-special community days honoring the legacies of the Mississippi Hill Country! March 23rd: To kick it off, we invite you to breathe with us and celebrate regional Black Folk Life with our Hill Country Heirs Day! We're starting the party with a beautiful libation ceremony by Rkhty Amen. From […]

Hear Judy  Wiggins’s give a presentation titled, “A Will of Her Own, Judith Sargent Murray, 1751-1820,” Judy Wiggins, retired humanities coordinator and English instructor at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, will give a presentation titled, “A Will of Her Own, Judith Sargent Murray, 1751-1820,” at the Tuesday, March 25 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. Judith Sargent […]

The Mississippi Humanities Council recognizes this year’s incredible honorees who have made outstanding contributions to promoting and preserving the humanities in our state. Join us to celebrate these achievements at the 2025 Public Humanities Awards Ceremony. Each year, the Mississippi Humanities Council honor scholars, educators, and organizations who have made significant contributions to the public […]

We extend a heartfelt invitation to join us at Foxfire Ranch on March 30, 2025, to honor our Hill Country Ancestors. We invite you to share in stories, song, activations, offerings. We will share an excerpt from our upcoming podcast and feature a panel of Hill Country heirs. We'll end the day with a special performance by Memphissippi Sounds.  […]

The Southern Literary Festival is an event held yearly to encourage undergraduate writing and is open to the community. Featuring renowned author W. Ralph Eubanks and established screenwriter Chris Dowling, these speakers would appear on April 4 and April 5, respectively. The writers will speak about their experiences and their work, enriching the community not […]

The Southern Literary Festival is an event held yearly to encourage undergraduate writing and is open to the community, featuring established screenwriter Chris Dowling April 5. The writer will speak about his experiences and work, enriching the community not only by sharing the creative journeys but also through sharing the stories of their lives. Chris […]

Announcing the premiere of "We Make," a film (with Ethan Payne) about Siggers High School, an all-Black school that served communities in Shannon, MS from roughly 1940-1970. It was originally known as Shannon Colored School. What: "We Make" Film Premiere & Community Presentation When: Sunday, April 6, 2025 - 3:00 P.M. Where: Shannon Elementary School […]