Newsletter: Reflections with Dr. Charles Payne, MLK Convocation Events, Workshops, Jobs, and more
Your weekly newsletter for events and other exciting news from the Margaret Walker Center!
Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration Events
Reflections on the Mississippi Movement
Join us at COFO on Thursday, January 16, for a special event. Reflections on the Mississippi Movement will examine two seminal works, I’ve Got the Light of Freedom by Charles Payne and John Dittmer’s Local People. An excellent panel of scholars will be present to talk with Dr. Payne about his work and engage in a general conversation about the civil rights movement in Mississippi.
Schedule:
3:30 p.m. Ribbon Cutting: COFO Facility Upgrades
4:00 p.m. Conversation with Dr. Charles Payne
Welcome: Dr. Christina Thomas
Opening Remarks and Reflections: Dr. Rebecca Turri
Conversation: Dr. Charles Payne, Rev. Dr. C.J. Rhodes, Attorney Carroll Rhodes, Dr. Charles Bolton, moderator
Closing Remarks and Reflections: Dr. Daphne Chamberlain/Ben Saulsberry
5:30 p.m. Reception
57th MLK Birthday Convocation
Our 57th Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Convocation will take place at 10:00 a.m. the morning of January 17 in the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Charles M. Payne. There will be a poetry reading, moving performances from the JSU Music Department, and several guest speakers.
For My People Awards Luncheon—Reserve your ticket now!
Our For My People Awards luncheon will be held at 11:30 in the JSU Student Center Ballroom A on Friday, January 17, following the convocation. Join us as we honor Dr. Charles Payne, Attorney Carroll Rhodes, and Rev. Dr. C.J. Rhodes with For My People awards and hear from important scholars and Jackson State student leaders. Tickets to purchase a meal are $25 and are available to purchase online on JSU Marketplace. JSU students may register for free. Limited seating will be available for those who do not wish to purchase lunch.
Poetry Out Loud Mississippi Recitation Contest
Join us in the Jackson State University Student Center Theater at noon on January 22 for the central regional Poetry Out Loud competition. Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide high school contest in which students compete by reciting poetry; winners are decided by judges using a variety of metrics like memorization and articulation.
Columbia Oral History Public Workshop Series
In this year’s lineup of their ongoing series of public training workshops, the Columbia Oral History MA Program features a range of online workshops via Zoom. They have interactive elements and are welcome to all experience levels. They are open to the public with pre-registration required.
You can use this survey to let them know how to make these events more accessible for you. ASL interpretation can be provided for any event, but two weeks' notice is needed. Contact Rebecca McGilveray at rlm2203@columbia.edu with specific access requests or questions.
Check out the workshops and register here. The next workshop will be held Friday, Jan. 24 with our oral historian, Alissa Rae Funderburk!
National Park Service Paid Internship: Vicksburg Park
The Vicksburg National Military Park is searching for a current college student or recent graduate to serve as a US Colored Troops Burials Researcher from May 26 - Oct. 10, 2025. This is a paid position with benefits including relocation assistance, free park housing, and paid travel.
For more information visit the NPS's HBCU Internship program website and the posting for the position. Applications close Feb. 9.
A Glance Ahead…
SNCC and Grassroots Organizing
Featuring SNCC veterans, Jennifer Lawson and Charles McLaurin, and humanities scholars, Emilye Crosby and Robert Greene (register here)
Feb. 7, 10:00 am-12:00 pm CT: Organizing Tradition Roundtable Discussion (in-person & livestreamed)
Feb. 8, 10:00 am-12:00 pm CT: Black Power Roundtable Discussion & Workshop (in-person only)
Feb. 8, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm CT: Organizing Tradition Learning Toolkit Workshop (in-person only)
Southern Studies Internship Fair
The Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi is organizing a come-and-go networking event for any students looking to participate in internships. The event will take place in the Barnard Observatory on Friday, February 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
In Case You Missed It…
Contact Us
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