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 […]

This talk traces the roots of the modern civil rights movement to World War II, a movement that began long before the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 and lasted long after Dr. King’s assassination in Memphis in 1968, a movement that in many ways never ended. Specifically, Dr. Luckett discusses the major […]

The PRAGDA Spanish Film Festival promotes Spanish language and culture by curating a series of films, offering a platform for educational and societal enrichment. This event comprises the presentation of five films that typically extend beyond traditional cinema or streaming platforms, delving into themes that intricately intertwine personal and political dimensions. Each session includes the […]

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, […]

The lecture, “Where Two or Three Are Gathered: Reconsidering Community and Conversation with Will D. Campbell,” presented by Brett Harris, will examine the recurring theme of community and the need for conversation through the life and writings of Will D. Campbell. Harris, a Baptist minister and the host of the podcast God Knows Where, draws parallels with […]

The PRAGDA Spanish Film Festival promotes Spanish language and culture by curating a series of films, offering a platform for educational and societal enrichment. This event comprises the presentation of five films that typically extend beyond traditional cinema or streaming platforms, delving into themes that intricately intertwine personal and political dimensions. Each session includes the […]

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 […]

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 […]

Mississippi author, preacher, and activist Will D. Campbell lived a life in service of others. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his birth, and Special Collections at the University of Southern Mississippi will honor his legacy through a series of events to promote the life and work of Will D. Campbell. and highlight his […]