History Is Lunch is a weekly lecture series that explores different aspects of the state's past. The hour-long programs are held in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum building in Jackson.
MDAH livestreams the program at noon on Wednesdays on MDAH's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MDAHOfficial/. The videos are posted on the department’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/MDAHVideo. The series is sponsored by the John and Lucy Shackelford Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation for Mississippi.
Sponsored by:
History Is Lunch: Carolyn Brown and Carla Wall, "To Dance, To Live: The Life of Thalia Mara"
On May 31, 2023, Carolyn J. Brown and Carla Wall presented “To Dance, To Live: The Life of Thalia Mara” as part of the History Is Lunch series.
History Is Lunch: “The 60th Anniversary of the Jackson Woolworth’s Sit-in"
Michael J. O’Brien presented “The 60th Anniversary of the Jackson Woolworth’s Sit-in.”
History Is Lunch: Mike Bunn and Clay Williams, "Old Southwest to Old South: Mississippi, 1798-1840"
On May 17, 2023, authors Mike Bunn and Clay Williams discussed their new book Old Southwest to Old South: Mississippi, 1798-1840 as part of the History Is Lunch series.
History Is Lunch: The Defenders: How Lawyers Protected the Movement
On Wednesday, May 10, MDAH hosted a screening of The Defenders: How Lawyers Protected the Movement. Produced by Red Squared and MDAH, this award–winning documentary focuses on Mississippi lawyers who represented African Americans in the years leading up to and during the Civil Rights Movement.
History Is Lunch: Davis W. Houck, "Emmett Till and the Mississippi Press in 1955"
On May 3, 2023, Davis Houck presented “’A Lynching Post-facto’: Emmett Till and the Mississippi Press in 1955” as part of the History Is Lunch program.
History Is Lunch: Devery S. Anderson, "A Slow, Calculated Lynching: The Story of Clyde Kennard"
On April 26, 2023, Devery S. Anderson discussed his new book A Slow, Calculated Lynching: The Story of Clyde Kennard as part of the History Is Lunch series.
History Is Lunch: Daphne Chamberlain, "The Jackson Children's Crusade"
On April 19, 2023, Daphne Chamberlain presented “The 60th Anniversary of the Jackson Children’s Crusade” as part of the History Is Lunch series.
History Is Lunch: Maryemma Graham, "The Life of Margaret Walker"
On Wednesday, April 12, for History Is Lunch Maryemma Graham discussed The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker. Twenty years in the making, the book is the first complete biography of the award-winning poet, writer, and founder of what is today the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University.
History Is Lunch: Annette Trefzer, “Eudora Welty’s Photographic Reflections”
On April 5, 2023, Annette Trefzer discussed her book Exposing Mississippi: Eudora Welty’s Photographic Reflections as part of the History Is Lunch series.