Newsletter: Gibbs-Green Commemoration, OHA Opportunities, Workshops, Internships, and more!
Your weekly roundup of events and other exciting news from the Margaret Walker Center!
55th Annual Gibbs-Green Commemoration
Please join us for the 55th annual commemoration of the 1970 Gibbs-Green tragedy at Jackson State University at 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. The program will take place in front of Alexander Hall on the Gibbs-Green Memorial Plaza. It is free and open to the public, and a reception will take place immediately following in Gallery 1 (1100 J.R. Lynch Street, Suite 4, One University Place) on campus.
The event will include music, a poetry reading, words from the Class of 1970, and a wreath-laying, as well as special exhibits on display in Gallery 1. In case of rain, the commemoration will be held in the COFO Civil Rights Education Center.
Do you know the history of the Gibbs-Green Tragedy at JSU? Check out our website to learn more.
Ward 5 City Council & Mayoral Candidate Forum
The West Central Jackson Improvement Association (WCJIA) invites you to participate in their Ward 5 City Council and Mayoral Candidate Forum on Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church on Tunica Street.
This forum will offer the public a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the two Ward 5 Council candidates and six Mayoral candidates about your priorities, proposed solutions, and vision for Jackson.
Their questions will be based on concerns facing Ward 5 and the City of Jackson as expressed on recent surveys of Ward 5 residents.
Access the livestream here.
OHA Calls for Posters and Chairs
Poster Submissions are still open for the Oral History Association 2025 Conference!
From the OHA: While the Call for Proposals is now closed, there’s still time to submit a poster for the 2025 Oral History Association Annual Meeting!
Inspired by the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this year’s conference explores the question: What is America? As we reflect on history, resilience, and the evolving practice of oral history, we invite you to share your insights and research.
The deadline is May 16, 2025. You can learn more and submit here.
In addition, the OHA also has a call out for session chairs! The Program Committee is seeking submissions from individuals who would like to serve as a chair for the Annual Meeting panels held in Atlanta during October 16-18, 2025.
The OHA Annual Meeting benefits from having volunteers serve as chairs for sessions that align with their expertise. Interested parties will have the opportunity to describe their background and oral history experience, and the committee will choose individuals from the applicant pool who fit well with the themes of the constructed panels. If chosen, chairs must aid in the general organization of their panel presentations in the months preceding the event and also be officially registered for the conference prior to arrival.
Visit their website to learn more and apply. The deadline is May 30, 2025.
The Price of Resistance Documentary
The Price of Resistance documentary, featuring interviews from our MWC Director, is now showing!
"Produced by Emmy Award-Winning Producer Annette Banks (Freedom House Ambulance) and Award-Winning Producer Ty Cooper (Amanda), The Price of Resistance traces the life of Sala Udin — a revered civil rights activist, community leader, and former Pittsburgh City Councilman. The film captures Udin’s powerful story through rare archival footage, personal reflections, and a compelling interview with a former FBI agent who was active in Mississippi during the civil rights era. While the agent did not monitor Udin directly, his account provides vital context to the government’s surveillance efforts during a volatile period in American history."
If you're in the Pittsburgh area, there will be a screening in the Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium at the Kaufmann Center at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 17th, followed by a Q&A with Sala Udin! Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
Check out the event on Eventbrite.
Watch the trailer:
Also, the filmmakers have a great opportunity for those interested in hosting a screening event in their city! The sponsorship deal includes the screening of the film, a panel discussion with the filmmakers and others based on availability, and marketing support. With this arrangement, the screening can be free to the general public provided as a buyout by the sponsoring entity.
Contact Ty Cooper at asureshot1@gmail.com for more information about screening opportunities.
Voices of Grambling Workshop Opportunity
The Voices of Grambling Initiative is seeking proposals for works-in-progress and roundtable position papers for a 2025 Fall Workshop: “Digital Technologies + Historical Storytelling.” Hosted at Grambling State University in Grambling, LA, and held on Thursday, October 16 & Friday, October 17, 2025. The workshop will feature a keynote presentation and digital demonstration by Dr. Bryan Carter (University of Arizona), three workshopped papers/digital projects, and three roundtable conversations. Workshop participants who participate for the whole event will receive modest stipend to help defray costs of attendance.
The deadline for application is 15 June 2025 via this form. Roundtable presenters will submit a 3-5 page “position paper” by 5 October 2025. See below for more information about the workshop and submission guidelines.
Paid Summer Research Opportunity
Attention students! Theron Wilkerson, doctoral student at Auburn University and 2025 Medgar and Myrlie Evers Research Fellow, is looking to recruit a Jackson State undergraduate student to serve as a Research Assistant for his dissertation project, Upon a Silver Salver: Water, Hospitality, and the Habits of Lady Justice, supported by the 2025 Medgar and Myrlie Evers Research Fellowship.
From July 7–18, he’ll be conducting archival work at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, with a focus on Black civic life, environmental memory, and infrastructural exclusion in the Pearl River District and Jackson. The assistant will receive a $750 stipend, gain hands-on archival experience, and receive mentorship in qualitative methods, historical analysis, and reflective journaling.
He's especially looking for a student from JSU who may have interest in history, Africana Studies, environmental studies, public service, or the arts. As part of the project’s long-term arc, he will encourage the student to develop and submit their work to the annual CASE Festival at Jackson State, with the possibility of pursuing the $1,000 prize for essays on the Black experience in the American South or the $500 Doris Derby Visual Arts and Social Justice Award.
Contact Theron at taw0062@auburn.edu for more information.
“Keep Us Afloat” Exhibit at the Municipal Art Gallery
Open now, Keep Us Afloat is a student-led art exhibit created by the JSU Art Department in collaboration with the Jackson Municipal Art Gallery, where it will be on view for a month.
From the website: “Keep Us Afloat is a collective reflection, inviting the community to pause, see, and celebrate the quiet anchors who keep us grounded amid the currents of daily life. Through photography, mixed media, and narrative, we illuminate their stories and their roles, sparking a deeper appreciation for the unseen figures who ensure our communities remain afloat.”
In Case You Missed It…
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