Events

At noon Wednesday, July 23, Thomas Helling, author and professor of surgery at University of Mississippi Medical Center, will present “Sickly Vapors: Disease and Doctoring in the Old South” as part of the History Is Lunch series. Helling’s presentation explores southern doctors’ attitudes toward health and healthcare as African slaves were introduced and The Civil War came to a close. This program will take place in the Craig H.

At noon Wednesday, June 18, Linda Barnickel, archivist and freelance writer, will examine the immense complexity of events that transpired in northeastern Louisiana during the Vicksburg Campaign, and how those events underscored the implications of Milliken’s Bend as part of the History Is Lunch series. Barnickel is the author of Milliken's Bend: Fighting for Black Freedom in the Civil War. This program will take place in the Craig H.

At noon Wednesday, June 4, Carolyn Dupont, author, editor, and history professor at Eastern Kentucky University, will examine the faith communities at ground zero during the Civil Rights Movement as part of the History Is Lunch series. Dupont is the author of Mississippi Praying: Southern White Evangelicals and the Civil Rights Movement,1945–1975. This program will take place in the Craig H.

At noon Wednesday, April 23, Marrion Garrard Barnwell, professor emerita of English at Delta State University, editor, and reporter, will explore her life growing up in the Mississippi Delta as part of the History Is Lunch series. Barnwell’s book All the Things We Didn’t Say: Two Memoirs explores Mississippi Delta life, addressing themes of alcoholism, racism, and shared family history. This program will take place in the Craig H.

Interested in furthering your genealogical research? Join us Saturday, April 19, at 10 a.m. for the Tracing Your African American Ancestors Genealogy Workshop in the orientation room of the William F. Winter Archives and History Building. Joyce Dixon-Lawson will explain how to conduct genealogical research by using the resources provided in the William Winter Archives and History Building with a focus on federal, state, county, and personal records (e.g., family letters and financial records).

Acclaimed novelist Kiese Laymon will read and sign copies of his new book, City Summer, Country Summer, on the lawn of the Eudora Welty House & Garden at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3. Lemuria Books will sell copies of Laymon's book onsite. This event is co-sponsored by the Eudora Welty Foundation and Lemuria Books. For more information, call 601-353-7762 or email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com.

Join us for the annual Bettye Jolly Lecture series featuring Jesmyn Ward at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10, on the lawn of the Eudora Welty House & Garden. Acclaimed memoirist and novelist Jesmyn Ward will deliver the eighth annual Bettye Jolly Lecture and discuss her experiences growing up in DeLisle, the Gulf Coast Mississippi town that continues to influence her writing as shown in her latest novel, Let Us Descend. A book signing and reception will follow the lecture.

Enjoy our History Happy Hour at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at the Two Mississippi Museums! The event will feature free admission, live music from Twurt Chamberlain, local food trucks, and a cash bar. Guests can also join interactive flash tours through the museums to learn about the role the blues played during the Civil Rights Movement as well as how this beloved genre still shapes modern music today. Two Mississippi Museum and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi members receive a complimentary drink. For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

At noon Wednesday, April 30, Jeffrey Boutwell, writer, historian, and public policy specialist, will examine George Sewall Boutwell’s political career that included the establishment of the Republican Party, his abolitionist initiatives, and his impact on the modern economy. This program will take place in the Craig H.