MHC to Celebrate Fifty Years of Serving Mississippi

In 2022, the Mississippi Humanities Council will celebrate 50 years of serving the people of the magnolia state through the humanities. To mark this anniversary, the Council is launching a series of programs on the theme “Reflecting Mississippi” highlighting the diverse stories of our state. The MHC hopes to inspire Mississippians to think about how our state’s narratives have, or have not, reflected who we are and where we’ve been.

As part of “Reflecting Mississippi,” the Council is launching a new grant initiative to work with its many partners and developing its own signature 50th anniversary events. Through grants and direct support, the Council will lift up stories of underrepresented communities and examine the parts of our history and culture that have often not been reflected in mainstream narratives. “Reflecting Mississippi” will continue the Council’s 50-year tradition of working toward a more honest, accurate, and inclusive narrative.

“Ever since our founding in 1972, the Mississippi Humanities Council has empowered Mississippians to share and interpret their unique stories. For almost 50 years, we have been in the forefront of uncovering and highlighting the rich complexity of our state’s history and culture,” said Sharman Bridges Smith, chair of the Council.

The Council will host four signature events highlighting the “Reflecting Mississippi” theme:

• The 2022 Public Humanities Awards, March 25, at the Old Capitol Museum will not only celebrate outstanding work by Mississippians to bring the insights of the humanities to public audiences but will also pay tribute to the work of the Council and its partners in telling Mississippi’s stories over the last 50 years.
• On May 5, two-time National Book Award recipient and Mississippi native Jesmyn Ward will deliver a keynote lecture at Galloway Methodist Church in Jackson in honor of the Council’s golden anniversary.
• On August 20, the Council will present a special program at the Mississippi Book Festival featuring our state’s most acclaimed writers.
• In September, the Council will hold a culminating celebration as part of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ special initiative, A More Perfect Union, which will recognize the men and women who fought for voting and civil rights in Mississippi, pushing the state to live up to the ideals of the Constitution.

Throughout the year, the Council will also support initiatives and programs of its many partner organizations across the state that address the “Reflecting Mississippi” theme. It will offer special mini-grants for up to $2,000 to support public programs and a new “Reflecting Mississippi” Speakers Bureau, which will provide experienced humanities scholars speaking on a range of reflective topics to host organizations at no charge.

“We plan to use the occasion of our 50th anniversary to focus attention on Mississippians,” said Stuart Rockoff, Executive Director of the MHC.  “While we will certainly tell the story of the Mississippi Humanities Council, we want to use this opportunity to highlight stories like William Holtzclaw and the Utica Institute, the Chinese community of the Delta, the incredible social and economic impact of Ingalls Shipyard on the coast, and so many more. We’ve helped preserve these particular stories in recent years and look forward to exploring and sharing even more during our 50th anniversary year in 2022.”

The Mississippi Humanities Council is funded by Congress through the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide public programs in traditional liberal arts disciplines to serve nonprofit groups in Mississippi. The Council creates opportunities for Mississippians to learn about themselves and the larger world and enriches communities through civil conversations about our history and culture.