The Mississippi Public Humanities Awards recognize outstanding contributions by Mississippians to the study and understanding of the humanities. This year’s award recipients are:
Humanities Scholar Award Dr. Elizabeth Anne Payne, Oxford, MS
Humanities Educator Award Rachel Jarman, Jackson, MS
Humanities Partner Award Beverly Norris and the Columbus Arts Council, Columbus, MS
Preserver of Mississippi Culture (2) Edie Greene and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Jackson, MS Shugana Williams and the Katrina Research Center, Gulfport, MS
Special Recognition Award Forrest W. Galey, Jackson, MS
Thirty recipients of the 2011 Humanities Teacher Awards, which pay tribute to outstanding faculty in traditional humanities fields, will also be honored at the banquet.
“We are pleased to pay tribute to the outstanding work of these award recipients,” said Pamela Pridgen, chair of the Mississippi Humanities Council. “Their achievements are examples of the importance of the work of the Council as we advance appreciation for the humanities statewide and in widely diverse areas of human interest.”
This year marks the Council’s 40th year supporting programs and scholarship that enrich the lives of Mississippians. To kick off its anniversary year, the Council invites all Mississippians to join them at their 2012 Public Humanities Awards Dinner February 24 at the Hilton Jackson Hotel. There will be music and cake and plenty of merriment. The dinner will be the first of several celebrations the Council will host throughout the state to reflect on the impact our programs have had on Mississippians and also to pay tribute to the scholars and institutions that have partnered with us through the years.
A highlight of our anniversary year will be programs celebrating the release of our second Ethnic Heritage in Mississippi book. The first edition, published in 1992, Ethnic Heritage offered “a penetrating survey of the diverse ethnic heritage in the Magnolia State.” Ethnic Heritage in Mississippi: The Twentieth Century, whose release will coincide with the awards dinner, is examines twentieth-century immigration trends, explores the reemergence of ethnic identity, and undertakes case studies of current ethnic groups. Copies of the book will be available at the dinner, and a few – signed – will be given as door prizes. Dr. Barbara Carpenter, executive director of the Council, added, “The Humanities Council has always depended on our partners to suggest, support and to participate fully in our programs. As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, we want to recognize those numerous and invaluable alliances with individuals and groups over four decades at the same time we honor our current and ongoing relationships — one more way to live up to our motto, that the humanities are for everyone.”
The Mississippi Humanities Council is funded by Congress through the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide public programs in traditional liberal arts disciplines to serve nonprofit groups in Mississippi.
Tickets for the Mississippi Humanities Council Public Humanities Awards ceremony and banquet are $45 each or $340 for a table of eight and may be purchased by sending a check to the Mississippi Humanities Council, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Room 317, Jackson, MS 39211. Information about the awards and the banquet is available at www.mshumanities.org or 601-432-6752.