Events

At noon on Wednesday, February 25, a panel associated with the Hill Country Project—Roy DeBerry, John Lyons, Aviva Futorian, and Sharon Gates-Albert—will present the history of the Benton County Freedom Train as part of the History is Lunch series. The Benton County Freedom Train was a newspaper featuring news, stories, and poetry centered on Black empowerment

At noon on Wednesday, February 18, author Kamel King and Mississippi blues musician Dexter Allen will present the deep musical roots of Jackson, Mississippi, as part of the History Is Lunch series. Through stories of mentorship, reverence, and resilience, King and Allen will explore Jackson’s role as a vibrant hub of creativity

Celebrate Black History Month at the Two Mississippi Museums on Sunday, February 22, at 11 a.m. Families are invited to participate in guided gallery experiences and hands-on crafts that highlight community involvement in the lives of Black Mississippians. Admission to the Two Mississippi Museums is free every Sunday.

In honor of William Winter’s life and work, the Two Mississippi Museums will host a free admission day on Saturday, February 21. This event is made possible by Jones Walker LLP.

Learn how nature informed the lives, writing, and artwork of nineteenth- and twentieth-century women from co-authors Elise Smith and Judith W. Page as they launch their new book, Southern Women, Southern Landscapes: Cultural Reflections on the Garden, 1870–1970. The event will be hosted at Lemuria on Thursday, January 29, from 5 to 7 p.m.

At noon on Wednesday, February 11, civil rights historian Christina Thomas will present a biographical lecture on Winson Hudson, a lifelong civil rights leader from Harmony, an all-Black rural community in Leake County, Mississippi, as part of the History Is Lunch series. Hudson co-founded the Leake County NAACP in 1962 and served as its president for thirty-eight years.

Join us for a screening of Possum Town, a feature-length documentary that explores the legacy of O. N. Pruitt’s photographs in the lives of people from Columbus, Mississippi, at 2 p.m. Sunday, February 1, in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium.

At noon on Wednesday, February 4, civil rights veteran Jacqueline Martin and Kevin Brown, director of the Black History Gallery in McComb, will discuss the origins of the Black History Gallery and the ongoing importance of preserving local history as part of the History Is Lunch series.