Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Mississippi Humanities Council announces Freedom Tour

First stop of three-day event will be in Natchez


NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Mississippi Humanities Council wants to know what freedom means to you.

“After celebrating Juneteenth and our nation’s independence this year, it’s clear that freedom is unique to all of us,” said John Spann, program and outreach officer for MHC. “Is there any common ground on the meaning of the term?”

MHC is asking the question, “What does freedom mean to you?” in a three-part Ideas on Tap series, which it fondly calls the Freedom Tour.

“We are taking the program to Natchez, Columbus, and Jackson,” said Spann. “We have created a panel for each conversation to address what freedom means through various lenses, like immigration, African Americans, LGBTQ, and women.”

Guests are invited to share their perspectives of freedom and how they understand the term differently, Spann said. He noted the series is part MHC’s More Perfect Union initiative, which seeks to honor the Mississippians that challenged America and this state to provide freedom and justice for all. 

The first stop of the tour will be on Monday, July 25, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Natchez Brewing Company at 207 High St. The second stop will be in Columbus at the Columbus Arts Council, July 26 from 5:30-7 p.m., and the final stop will be in Jackson at the Cultivation Food Hall, August 1 at 5:30-7 p.m.

In Natchez, the panel will consist of Kathleen Bond of the National Park Service, Roscoe Barnes III of Visit Natchez, and John Grady Burns. Spann will moderate the conversation.
 
“The Council is excited to host our first program of the series in Natchez,” Spann said. “The rich history the city has, plus the historic sites like the Forks of the Road and the John Banks House offer a great backdrop to the topic of freedom.
 
Each program is free to the public. Hors d’oeuvres will be provided. For more details, contact John Spann, program and outreach officer at 601-432-6752 or by email at jspann@mhc.state.ms.us.


Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Bobby Dennis Published in Arkansas Review Journal

He co-wrote article about Natchez Museum of African American History & Culture



News clip is from The Bluff City Post (July 8-22, 2022), page 2.

 



To see the Arkansas Review article, visit here: 



Norman B. Rohrer: The Man Who 'Fired Writers'

#NormRohrer
#Onward



He ‘Fired Writers’

Here’s how I became a published writer. It all started with this home-study course. The ad is from 1975. I took the course in the early 1980s while serving in the Army. Norm Rohrer was a great teacher and mentor. This single course changed my life and provided me with a successful career as a writer. I will forever be grateful to Norm.


Next Phase of Mississippi Freedom Trail Launches with 12 New Markers

Announcement by the Mississippi Humanities Council

July 6, 2022

#FreedomTrail
#CivilRights



The Mississippi Freedom Trail was created to commemorate the people and places in the state that played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. With the first markers dedicated in 2011, the trail now includes over 30 sites. Under the coordination of the Mississippi Humanities Council, twelve new marker sites have been selected. Visit Mississippi, the state’s tourism office, has asked the Humanities Council to help coordinate the next phase of the trail.

With special federal funds to support tourism development, Visit Mississippi has funding in place for twenty new markers to be completed by the end of 2024. The MHC is coordinating the selection, writing, and dedication of these new markers. The council has assembled a scholars committee of historians and community leaders which has selected the next eleven civil rights sites to be commemorated.

The twelve new markers include:

Victoria Gray Adams – Hattiesburg
Berglund School protests – McComb
Dorie & Joyce Ladner – Palmers Crossing
Henry Reaves & the Benton County Movement – Benton County
Alexander vs. Holmes – Lexington
Grenada School Integration Crisis – Grenada
Lawrence Guyot – Pass Christian
Annie Devine – Canton
United League of Mississippi– Holly Springs
Meridian Movement – Meridian
Benjamin Murph and the Laurel Movement – Laurel
Natchez NAACP Headquarters – Natchez

All of these new markers will be researched and written by scholars and dedicated in 2023 and 2024.

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Visit Mississippi to preserve and promote Mississippi’s vital civil rights history,” said MHC Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff. “Our hope is these markers not only attract tourists but also strengthen our communities by helping all Mississippians appreciate our state’s vital civil rights history.” Eight additional markers will be selected by the committee from an open application process. The first deadline for these Freedom Trail applications will be September 1.

To learn more about the Mississippi Freedom Trail and to apply for a marker, visit www.mshumanities.org.

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 MHC creates opportunities for Mississippians to learn about themselves and the larger world and enriches communities through civil conversations about our history and culture.
 

Guest Speakers for Natchez Kiwanis Club

#NatchezUSCT
#VisitNatchez


On Thursday, July 7, 2022, Robert Pernell and I served as guest speakers for the Natchez Kiwanis Club. We talked about the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Project and provided an update on our progress. It was a wonderful meeting, and we were happy to share.

Top Photo: From left, Frances Cothren, Lorri Alles, & Roscoe Barnes III

Bottom Photo: From left, Robert Pernell, Kiwanis President Frances Cothren, Sarah Lindsey Laukhuff, and Roscoe Barnes III

To learn more, please visit https://natchezusctmonument.com
 



Thursday, June 30, 2022

Published in the Arkansas Review


Roscoe Barnes III, PhD
Photo courtesy of Bobby Dennis

Happy to receive my copies of the Arkansas Review (April 2022). This issue features the article that Bobby Dennis and I wrote on the Natchez Museum of African American History & Culture (pages 63-67).

You can view the article here:

 


Friday, June 10, 2022

See Parchman Ordeal in Virtual Reality




Scan the QR code in the bottom right corner and follow the steps that are listed.

#CivilRights #VisitNatchez #BlackHistory #ParchmanOrdeal




Jim Abbott, 'Paper Man,' and My Start in Journalism

A 1984 summer job at The Enterprise-Tocsin gave me my start as a news reporter and led to an unexpected mention in my former editor's me...