“Shaping the Cultural Environment…a Window on the World”: The Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister Symposium
The Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister House Foundation Board is hosting a public symposium on October 24–25, 2024, honoring the life and legacy of educator Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister (1899-1996). Hosted at Hinds Community College in Vicksburg, this symposium celebrates her commitment to “the life of the mind” and excellence within and beyond the college classroom. It displays the brilliance of Dr. McAllister’s pedagogical approaches in cultivating critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and academic excellence among her students. The two-day event also provides an informative and insightful overview of her life and work in higher education through keynote addresses and panels featuring scholars of education, schoolteachers, and her former students. Overall, the symposium captures the essence of Dr. McAllister as displayed in the documentary’s title, which honors her legacy—My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is (2023).
The symposium, “Shaping the Cultural Environment: A Window on the World,” begins on October 24, 2024, on what would have been her 125th birthday. It will examine the cultural impact of Dr. McAllister’s scholarly contributions, emphasizing her role in advancing the intellectual discourse on Black education and the broader implications of her work within academic and cultural spheres. The scholarly participants for the symposium will include scholars of Black education, teachers, and her former students, who will deliver keynote addresses and participate in panel sessions about her ideas and perspectives on Black education. They will explore how Dr. McAllister’s intellectual legacy continues to shape contemporary educational practices and philosophies, highlighting strategies for preserving and advancing her vision of academic excellence and social justice. The impact of her pioneering work continues today in “challenging minds and changing lives.”
