Senate Concurrent Resolution 506

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE MISSISSIPPI HUMANITIES COUNCIL ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY AND EXTENDING THE THANKS OF THE LEGISLATURE FOR ITS SUPPORT OF HUMANITIES EDUCATION IN MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITIES AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES.

WHEREAS, the Mississippi Humanities Council was established in 1972, and is celebrating 50 years of serving the people of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, under the leadership of its founding Executive Director Dr. Cora Norman, her successor, Dr. Barbara Carpenter, and its current Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff, the Mississippi Humanities Council has promoted and supported the public humanities in all 82 counties of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mississippi Humanities Council has used its federal funding to give grants to nonprofit organizations in Mississippi to support public programs that explore the history and culture of our state and our country; and

WHEREAS, the Mississippi Humanities Council has developed a range of programs, including its family reading program, which uses storytellers and discussion to make books come alive for children and their parents; its speakers bureau, which connects humanities scholars with communities around the state; Ideas on Tap, which fosters civil discussion about important contemporary issues; and Museum on Main Street, which has brought ten Smithsonian traveling exhibits to 56 different sites in Mississippi, mostly in small communities; and

WHEREAS, with support from the Mississippi Legislature, the Mississippi Humanities Council has administered the Mississippi Oral History Project, supporting community oral history projects statewide and funding the daily "Mississippi Moments" radio broadcast on Mississippi Public Broadcasting; and

WHEREAS, in 2018, working with the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, the Mississippi Humanities Council launched the Mississippi Encyclopedia Online with over 1400 entries about our state's history and culture that have reached over 700,000 users, including people in all 82 Mississippi counties, all 50 states, and over 220 countries; and

WHEREAS, the Mississippi Humanities Council believes "the humanities are for everyone," and has worked with Hinds Community College, Mississippi Delta Community College, Northeast Mississippi Community College, Mississippi College, and the University of Mississippi to provide for-credit courses for incarcerated students at three Mississippi prisons, earning major financial support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; and

WHEREAS, the Mississippi Humanities Council has been a vital partner to all of our state's institutions of higher learning and community colleges, recognizing and supporting outstanding humanities teaching and programs on their campuses; and

WHEREAS, during Mississippi's bicentennial year, the Mississippi Humanities Council worked diligently with Visit Mississippi to distribute special bicentennial grants for 88 different projects across the state, helping unleash the creativity of Mississippi's communities to understand and celebrate our state's unique history; and

WHEREAS, during the recent pandemic, the Mississippi Humanities Council has efficiently and effectively given out over $1 Million in federal CARES and ARP relief funds to museums, historical societies and other cultural organizations in Mississippi, helping them survive the crisis and thrive in the future; and

WHEREAS, the Mississippi Humanities Council is celebrating the 50th Anniversary with a year's worth of public programs on the theme "Reflecting Mississippi," exploring the richness and diversity of our state's stories; and

WHEREAS, on the celebration of its 50th Anniversary, the Mississippi Humanities Council looks forward to continuing its service to the State of Mississippi for the next 50 years:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the Mississippi Humanities Council on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary and extend the thanks of the Legislature for its support of humanities education in Mississippi universities and community colleges.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT this resolution be presented to Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff, forwarded to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the State Board for Community Colleges, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.