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5. Reflecting Mississippi - From Trauma to Memory: Interpreting Places of Pain with Dignity
01:08:14||Season 2, Ep. 5How do places marked by violence, oppression, and injustice become spaces for remembrance, learning, and healing? In this episode of Reflecting Mississippi, we explore the powerful role historic sites play in shaping public memory with two National Park Service leaders on the front lines of this work: Keena Graham, Superintendent of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, and Kathleen Bond, Superintendent of Natchez National Historical Park, who is leading the interpretation of the historic Forks of the Road slave market. Together, they discuss the challenges and responsibilities of preserving difficult histories, centering the humanity of those who experienced them, and engaging communities in telling these stories with honesty and dignity. Whether you're passionate about history, museums, preservation, or the ongoing work of confronting America's past, this conversation offers thoughtful insight into why these places matter—not only for understanding where we've been, but for shaping where we're going.
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4. Reflecting Mississippi - Making History through Mississippi History Day
01:19:47||Season 2, Ep. 4In this episode, Shaniece Mabry, Dr. Christina Thomas, and Bently Cochran discuss the groundbreaking History Day program at the Youthful Offenders Unit (YOU) in Pearl, Mississippi. They’ll share about the program’s beginning, how it has evolved and expanded in the past three years, and the ways that the YOU students are studying and making history in our state.3. Reflecting Mississippi - The Whiskey Speech: Politics, Persuasion, and Public Life in Mississippi
01:09:11||Season 2, Ep. 3We speak with filmmaker David Crews and Senator Hob Bryan about The Whiskey Speech, a documentary exploring one of Mississippi’s most memorable political moments. Together, they examine the historical context of the speech, its reflection of Mississippi’s political culture, and what it reveals about public debate, persuasion, and leadership in the state. The conversation also considers how stories like this endure in public memory and what they teach us about Mississippi’s social character, contradictions, and civic life.2. Reflecting Mississippi - Building Hope: The Legacy of Utica Normal School and William Henry Holtzclaw
01:02:00||Season 2, Ep. 2What kind of vision does it take to build a school when the world is determined to see you fail? In this episode of Reflecting Mississippi, we uncover the remarkable story of William Henry Holtzclaw, an educator whose courage and determination transformed Black education in Mississippi. Joined by Dan Fuller, former Humanities Chair at the Hinds Community College Utica Campus, and Jeanne Green, curator of the Utica Institute Museum, the conversation explores how Holtzclaw's mentorship under Booker T. Washington inspired him to found Utica Normal School in the face of Jim Crow, racial violence, and relentless opposition. Discover how one man's belief in the power of education created a lasting institution that continues to serve students today, and why Holtzclaw's story remains one of Mississippi's most inspiring.1. Reflecting Mississippi - The Legacy of America250 in Mississippi
53:11||Season 2, Ep. 1Brother Rogers, Tim Kyle, and Tommeia Jackson reflect on the occasion of America250 and the impact of the state’s legacy grant program. Kyle, the mayor of Kosciusko, will discuss his town’s efforts to highlight its rich history, while Jackson will describe how the historical records of the Delta Burial Corporation offer a unique lens on the history of the region’s Black community.11. Reflecting Mississippi - The Story of Mississippi: Conflict & Change
01:09:10||Season 1, Ep. 11In this episode of Reflecting Mississippi, we explore the story behind Mississippi: Conflict & Change—a groundbreaking textbook that didn’t just teach history, it challenged how Mississippi’s history was told. First published in 1974, the book offered a fuller, more honest look at the state’s past, centering the experiences of African Americans, Native Americans, women, and working people—voices often left out of traditional narratives.The conversation examines how the book became controversial, rejected by the state, and ultimately the subject of a landmark legal battle over what students should learn. What emerged was more than a textbook debate—it was a struggle over truth, identity, and who gets to shape the story of Mississippi.10. Reflecting Mississippi - Farming Freedom: Black Land Ownership in Mississippi
53:57||Season 1, Ep. 10In this episode of Reflecting Mississippi, we explore the powerful history of Black land ownership in Mississippi through the lens of the documentary Farming Freedom. The film highlights the deep connection between farming, freedom, and identity—showing how, for generations, working the land was a source of pride, independence, and community strength.The conversation also takes an honest look at how that relationship with farming has shifted over time. Because of the painful legacy of slavery and sharecropping, agriculture has, in some spaces, lost its sense of dignity—becoming something many distance themselves from rather than embrace. This episode reflects on how land, labor, and legacy are deeply intertwined—and why reconnecting with that history remains vital to Mississippi’s future.