MDNHA to host Winning the Race reception

Robert G. Stanton, the first African American director of the National Park Service, and former senior advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, will be the featured guest at the opening reception for the Winning the Race Conference March 30 at 5:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Bologna Performing Arts Center.

Robert G. Stanton, former director of the National Park Service, will be the featured guest at the opening reception for the Winning the Race Conference March 30 at 5:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Bologna Performing Arts Center.

The reception is sponsored by the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area (MDNHA) in partnership with the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University. All events affiliated with the Winning the Race conference are free and open to the public.

The opening event will serve as a venue for both residents and visitors to meet Stanton and hear him speak about the MDNHA and the upcoming National Park Service Centennial in 2016. 

“I was invited to the Delta when local leaders first announced interest in establishing a National Heritage Area here over a decade ago,” said Stanton, “I am honored to have been invited back to the region to participate in an event that promotes the Mississippi Delta.

“National Heritage Areas preserve and commemorate the nation’s rich and collective history and cultural heritage, and they are proven vehicles for partnerships, community engagement, diversity and inclusion. The Centennial’s primary goal is reconnecting the National Park Service with communities and people. These efforts go hand-in-hand, and I look forward to sharing this positive news in the Delta.”

Dr. John Hilpert, chairman of the MDNHA Board of Directors, and former Delta State president, is looking forward to bringing Stanton to campus.

“We are proud to provide this opportunity for Delta residents and guests to meet and interact with Robert Stanton,” said Hilpert. “As the first African American director of the National Park Service, Bob Stanton is a living historical figure. He has been a champion of diversity and inclusion throughout his career.

“He also is very committed to youth, using his deep knowledge of history and culture to educate and engage them. It is very fitting for him to participate in our reception, which is a collaboration among the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, the National Park Service, and the Winning the Race conference on race relations and diversity in the Delta and beyond.” 

In addition to being the featured guest, afterwards, Stanton will serve on a panel with acclaimed author and entrepreneur Clifton Taulbert, Rose Flenorl of FedEx, and Tricia Walker, director of the Delta Music Institute. The panel will be moderated by Governor William Winter who served as the Mississippi’s 57th governor.

In 1997, Stanton was unanimously confirmed as the 15th director of the NPS. He served in that role until the end of the Clinton administration. He was the first director to undergo confirmation hearings before the U.S. Senate and the first African American to serve in this position since the NPS was established by Congressional legislation in 1916. Over his 35-year career with the NPS, he served in a number of management positions including park superintendent, deputy regional director, regional director and associate director.

Stanton has been recognized nationally through awards and citations for outstanding public service and leadership in conservation, historic preservation, youth programs, public and government relations, and diversity in employment and public programs. He has held professorships at Howard, Texas A&M and Yale universities and has been awarded five honorary doctorate degrees. He also remains a fan of Delta Blues music.

MDNHA updates provided in Greenwood

Dr. Rolando Herts (left to right), director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, recently met with Cheryl Taylor, executive director, Museum of the Mississippi Delta; Tonja Ray Smith, executive director, Greenwood Convention & Visitors Bureau; and Luther Wade, president, Greenwood Rotary Club.

Dr. Rolando Herts, director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area (MDNHA), visited Greenwood recently to share updates on the implementation of the MDNHA Management Plan. The visit included a tour of the Museum of the Mississippi Delta to discuss their renovation plans and a presentation to the Greenwood Rotary Club.

Cheryl Taylor, executive director of the Museum of the Mississippi Delta, gave Herts a tour of the museum, which is scheduled to reopen in May. Taylor will use the MDNHA Management Plan to help guide the creation of new exhibits that will interpret the history of the Mississippi Delta. 

“We are excited to learn about the museum’s plans to incorporate our five cultural heritage themes,” said Herts. “The Management Plan was written as a resource for the people of the Mississippi Delta, particularly for cultural programming that stimulates tourism in the region and promotes local education and pride of place. By doing this, the Museum of the Mississippi Delta not only will be fulfilling its mission, but it also will be demonstrating how our institutions and citizens can actively engage with the Heritage Area.”

The MDNHA’s five cultural heritage themes are: (1) The Mississippi Delta and the Land It Embraces; (2) The Culture of the Blues and the Birth of an American Sound; (3) Moving Toward Freedom: Changing America’s Character in the Struggle for Rights; (4) Growing More than Cotton: The Delta as a Wellspring of Creativity; and (5) The Delta Divide: Creating the Delta’s Diverse Communities. 

“The Museum of the Mississippi Delta sees the importance of telling the Delta’s story comprehensively and inclusively,” said Taylor, “We can achieve this by interpreting Heritage Area themes in our new exhibits. The Museum is well known for its extensive Native American collection, as well as military and agricultural artifacts and Mississippi artwork. We look forward to using our collections to create innovative exhibits centered on the MDNHA themes.” 

After touring the museum, Herts spoke at the Greenwood Rotary Club. The presentation included an overview of the Delta Center’s role as MDNHA’s management entity, as well as the MDNHA’s goals and themes. Herts also discussed recent expansion of the MDNHA Passport Program throughout the 18-county region. The Greenwood Convention and Visitors Bureau serves as the passport stamp location for Leflore County. 

“The Greenwood CVB is pleased to collaborate with the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area Passport Program,” said Tonja Ray Smith, CVB executive director, “By hosting the passport for Leflore County, we will welcome travelers to our community, direct them to area attractions like the Museum of the Mississippi Delta, and encourage them to visit other destinations throughout the Mississippi Delta that will educate tourists about the national significance of the Delta’s culture.” 

Herts also highlighted upcoming partnership events that promote MDNHA cultural heritage themes. These events include the opening reception of the Winning the Race diversity conference at Delta State University scheduled for March 30, which will provide Delta residents and visitors an opportunity to meet Robert Stanton, the first African American director of the National Park Service. The MDNHA will also be hosting Delta Jewels Community Gatherings featuring journalism professor, Alysia Burton Steele, and her new book of photography and oral histories on African American church mothers from the Delta. The gatherings will take place in municipalities across the region, including Clarksdale, Charleston, Ruleville, Indianola and Yazoo City.

Herts promotes Delta in D.C.

Dr. Rolando Herts (left), director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning, recently met with Congressman Bennie Thompson and Senator Roger Wicker to discuss the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area.

Dr. Rolando Herts, director of The Delta Center for Culture and Learning and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area (MDNHA), recently attended the annual meeting of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas in Washington, D.C.

The purpose of the meeting was to acknowledge the ongoing support of federal Congressional representatives for the National Heritage Areas movement. The Delta Center is the management entity for the MDNHA.

“Engaging with elected officials at local, state and national levels is an important part of the work that The Delta Center does on behalf of the MDNHA,” said Herts. “Through the strong support of Senator Thad Cochran, Senator Roger Wicker and Congressman Bennie Thompson, the MDNHA Management Plan was approved in August 2014. Attending the Alliance of National Heritage Areas meeting provided an opportunity to update them on our progress so far, as well as to exchange best practices with other National Heritage Area and National Park Service colleagues.”

The Delta Center is collaborating with several partners across the region to begin implementing the MDNHA Management Plan. A major first project is the regional expansion of the MDNHA Passport Program, which is designed to stimulate tourist visits to all 18 counties in the Mississippi Delta region. Since the expansion was initiated in November of 2014, passport stations have been placed in convention and visitors bureaus, courthouses and museums in Bolivar, Carroll, Coahoma, DeSoto, Holmes, Humphreys, Leflore, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tunica, Warren and Yazoo counties.

In addition, the MDNHA is partnering with the Winning the Race Conference at Delta State University to host an evening reception on March 30. The reception will provide an opportunity for Delta residents and visitors to meet Robert Stanton, the first African American director of the National Park Service, and to learn more about the MDNHA. 

In April, the MDNHA is partnering with various civic, educational, and cultural organizations to host Delta Jewels Community Gatherings in Clarksdale, Charleston, Ruleville, Indianola and Yazoo City. These community gatherings will tell stories of Mississippi Delta church mothers whose photographs and oral histories are being published in the soon-to-be-released book, “Delta Jewels,” authored by Alicia Burton Steele, a journalism professor at the University of Mississippi.

Herts provides updates to Indianola Rotary Club

Pictured from L to R: Rod Veazey, President; Dr. Rolando Herts; Kathy Manning, 1st Vice President; Chip Moore, host (on behalf of Bill McPherson.)

Dr. Rolando Herts, director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University, recently spoke at the Indianola Rotary Club where he shared information about the goals and themes of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area.

Delta Center celebrates French connection

The Delta Center for Culture and Learning helped arrange the “French Connection" Blues Experience for a group of blues enthusiasts from France.

The Route 66 Association of France visited the Cleveland community Oct. 15 to experience authentic blues culture in the Mississippi Delta. Cleveland was one of several stops the group made as part of a three-week music heritage tour from Chicago to New Orleans.

The Delta Center for Culture and Learning coordinated the visit in partnership with Cleveland Tourism and Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art in Clarksdale, calling it the “French Connection” Blues Experience.

“We wanted to give our French visitors a multifaceted experience that reflects the rich and diverse culture that lives within our region, which is the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area,” said Dr. Rolando Herts, director of the DCCL. “They saw the inside of our region’s most famous juke joint, Po Monkey’s. They heard blues played by famous regionally-based musicians, including Kingfish from Clarksdale and Pat Thomas from Leland. They had a Delta barbecue dinner at Sweets in downtown Cleveland. Several of them embraced our team at the end of the night, saying how much they loved all of it. And it all happened through community partnerships and collaboration.”

The evening began at Sweets BBQ Kitchen, a Delta-themed establishment decorated with local artwork by Melvin Kinney that pays homage to the region’s blues culture. Kingfish, a world-renowned 15-year-old blues prodigy, played and sang while members of Route 66 dined, danced and took photographs of their vibrant surroundings.

After dinner, the group made a pilgrimage to Po Monkey’s Lounge in Merigold, considered one of the last operating rural juke joints in the South. While there, they listened to folk blues artist Pat Thomas, who is featured in Roger Stolle’s The Hidden History of Mississippi Blues. The evening ended with a high-energy performance from Anthony “Big A” Sherrod & Blues Allstars, as seen in the documentary film “We Juke It Up In Here.” Big A staged a grand finale by inviting one of the Route 66 travelers to lead a show-stopping rendition of Little Milton’s “The Blues is Alright.”

The Route 66 Association of France has a significant connection with the Mississippi Delta. Robert Mauries, the organizer of the tour group and president of the Cahors Blues Festival, worked with the Mississippi Blues Commission to install a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in Cahors, France. According to the marker, French enthusiasts spurred international interest in African American music by releasing records, arranging tours and conducting pioneering research on jazz and blues throughout the 20th Century. The Cahors Blues Festival, established in 1982, has built upon this long tradition through its presentation of hundreds of musicians, including many from the state of Mississippi.

Cahors, France has one of two Mississippi Blues Trail markers currently located outside of the U.S. The second marker is located in Notodden, Norway.

Geography teachers tour National Heritage Area

The Delta Center for Culture and Learning recently provided a tour to teachers from the National Conference of Geography Educators.

The Delta Center for Culture and Learning recently assisted the National Conference of Geography Educators by providing a heritage tour of the central Mississippi Delta.

The geography teachers were attending the annual meeting of their Memphis conference and rode to the Delta on a coach bus. Delta Center’s Lee Aylward led the tour and talked to the group about the Delta’s history and culture. The teachers visited Cleveland, Ruleville, Merigold and Mound Bayou before returning to Memphis.

Participants came from across the U.S. and Canada, where the will return to their classrooms and teach about the Delta.

First Tuesday program focuses on heritage

Delta State University’s Department of Art and The Delta Center for Culture and Learning will sponsor a First Tuesday program presented by Dr Luther Brown on Jan. 28 from 12:10-1:00 p.m. in the Wright Art Gallery. The program will focus on the Mississippi National Heritage Area.

The Mississippi National Heritage Area was created by Congress in March of 2009 to “foster partnerships and educational opportunities that enhance, preserve and promote the heritage of the Mississippi Delta.”

In 2012, the National Trust for Historic Preservation designated the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area as a National Treasure in recognition of the Delta’s impact on the nation. The Delta area is where the blues were born, where the Civil Rights movement overturned segregation, where the introduction of high tech farming sparked the Great Migration, where the siege of Vicksburg marked a turning point in the Civil War and where literary greats such as Tennessee Williams and Eudora Welty told the world about the Delta through their writing.

Dr. Brown is a well-known and engaging speaker who is the founding director of The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University. He has appeared on Good Morning America, Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Walt Grayson’s Mississippi Roads, the Golf Channel’s Golf with Style Mississippi, the History Channel’s Mississippi and two Japanese television programs. He also has presented heritage tours for the Culinary Institute of America, Living Blues Magazine, the Oxford Conference for the Book and numerous international groups.

First Tuesday is free and open to the public. Coffee will be served and brown bag lunches are welcomed.

First Tuesday is sponsored by the Art Department and the First Tuesday Committee. Scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month during fall and spring semesters from 12:10-1:00 p.m., First Tuesday features lectures, readings and presentations representing diverse perspectives in the arts and humanities. For more information, please call 662-846-4720

Californians visit the Delta National Heritage Area

The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State recently introduced 37 visitors from San Francisco to the Delta’s rich cultural heritage on a tour called Jews, Blues and Jazz.

The group flew from California to Memphis, traveled through the Delta on their way to Natchez and then New Orleans before heading home. It was led by Fred Rosenbaum, an educator and historian and founding director of Lehrhaus Judaica. He was formerly on the faculty at the University of San Francisco, San Francisco State University and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

Rosenbaum was assisted by his colleague, Peretz Wolf-Prusan, who served for 20 years at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco before assuming his current position as rabbi and senior educator for Lehrhaus Judaica in October 2010. The group learned about the Delta Center through The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson. The institute is a group that the Delta Center has worked with several times in the past.

The promotional materials for the tour described the experience as follows: “In the land of bagels and grits, we will explore Jewish Life in the Deep South: its rich history from colonial times, the war between the states, Civil Rights, and the new South. We will enjoy the music, food and hospitality that makes the Delta home sweet home to a historic Jewish community.”