Voices and Votes Examines Democracy at Co-Lin Natchez with Special Events
Co-Lin Natchez campus is proud to be chosen as one of six sites in Mississippi to host “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” as part of the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program in cooperation with the Mississippi Humanities Council. The interactive exhibit will be on display in the Co-Lin library October 3 through November 11, 2022. Everyone is invited to visit “Voices and Votes” which is based on an exhibit currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History called American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.
Since the Co-Lin Natchez campus library was selected to host this interactive traveling exhibit, we have been planning and developing programs to make the topic of democracy local. Citizenship exists on many levels including federal, state, county/parish, city, and even neighborhood. Each level of citizenship has its own unique history and impact on our lives. We hope the diverse programming we have planned educates, provides thought, and stimulates conversation.
Our first event is “Democracy on Tap: Your Voice, Your Vote, and Why It Matters.” The City of Natchez, Listen Up Ya’ll Media, Alcorn’s Southwest Mississippi Center for Culture and Learning, along with Co-Lin is bringing state level voices to Natchez. Former U.S. Representative Gregg Harper, MS Representative Robert Johnson, and Jere Nash, author of several books on Mississippi politics, along with moderator, Richard Burke, are meeting at the Natchez Brewing Company Monday, September 26 at 5:30 p.m. to get local with us. Refreshments will be served and if there is a topic or question you would like to hear them address, please send it beth.richard@colin.edu.
On Monday, October 3 at 6:00 p.m. in the Nelson Multipurpose Room at Co-Lin, we will really go local along with our special co-sponsors, when we host “Meet the Mayors: Democracy Natchez Style.” If you ever wondered what life as mayor of Natchez is like, this is your chance to hear it from the insiders. Sarah Carter Smith, long time member of the Natchez Board of Alderman, will chat with Mayor Dan Gibson and former mayors Tony Byrne, Philip West, and Jake Middleton who have graciously agreed to talk about their time as mayor.
USM professor of history, Dr. Rebecca Tuuri, was chosen by the Smithsonian as the Mississippi state historian for “Voices and Votes” and we are excited to hear her presentation “Democracy in Mississippi: Race, Violence, and Power in the Struggle for the Vote.” Dr. Tuuri covers state history but will also include local aspects in the presentation. She has generously offered to present twice on Thursday, October 20, first at 12:00 p.m. and again at 6:00 p.m. in the library.
Local filmmakers Mark LaFrancis, Robert Morgan, and Darrell White will premier their latest documentary “Women of the Struggle: Facing Fear in the Civil Rights Struggle.” The film is the culmination of interviews gathered locally telling the story of the Civil Rights Movement from a different perspective. The documentary will be screened twice in the Co-Lin library at 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 27.
On November 3 at 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. we are proud to bring the featured documentary Fannie Lou Hamer’s America to Natchez. The documentary “explores and celebrates the lesser-known life of a Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist and one of the Civil Rights Movement’s greatest leaders.”
Please email or call the library at Co-Lin if you have any questions about the special events or the exhibit beth.richard@colin.edu or 601.446.1101.
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