Fall SouthTalks Series Showcases Campus and Community Partnerships

SouthTalks is a series of events, including lectures, performances, film screenings and panel discussions, that explore the interdisciplinary nature of Southern studies and delve into the region's culture and life. All events are at Barnard Observatory, unless otherwise noted, and are free and open to the public.

"As a warm-up to next year's alumni-focused SouthTalks, we have two Southern studies alumni on the schedule for this fall," said Katie McKee, director of the university's Center for the Study of Southern Culture. "The events planned also show our deep commitment to collaborating with entities across campus and with the community."

The series kicks off at noon Sept. 9 with Southern studies alumna Teresa Parker discussing her first book manuscript, "Chasing Shadows: Slavery and Silhouettes in the Nineteenth-Century South."

Of the millions of enslaved people whose labor underwrote the immense wealth of the antebellum South, few were ever memorialized in works of art. In her talk, Parker highlights the power of material culture by examining a rare group of previously unknown silhouettes, cut in the 1840s by French-born artist Auguste Edouart, and the archival work that reconstructs the lives of the enslaved individuals they represent.

Parker is a cultural historian and public folklorist who earned her doctorate in history from Tulane University. She serves as chair of the Louisiana Folklife Commission and as a longtime cultural consultant for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Ashanté Reese will discuss her latest book, "Gather: Black Food Nourishment and the Art of Togetherness," with Jodi Skipper, UM professor of anthropology and Southern studies, at noon Sept. 14.

Reese is an anthropologist and associate professor of African and African diaspora studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her book shows rich, on-the-ground stories of gathering around food in four spaces: gardens, family reunions, repasts and protests.

This SouthTalk is a partnership among the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, African American Studies Program and the Department of Anthropology and Sociology.

Skipper returns to the SouthTalks spotlight at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22 to facilitate a discussion on the potential for racial reconciliation in the U.S. "Reclaiming the Legacy: How the Crowders Turned a Dark Past into Faith and Family" also features Stephanie Thayer, a descendant of one of the largest landowners and slaveowners in Grenada County, and Hollis Crowder, a descendant of people enslaved on the property.

Several years ago, Crowder reached out to Thayer’s family to better understand his family genealogy, and the two began to form a bond. They will discuss what they hope their relationship as descendants of landowners and slaveowners can symbolize for future generations. 

Chris Danielson lectures about "Lawrence Guyot Jr., the Atypical Activist" at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 24. Danielson will explore the life of Guyot, a Pass Christian native who rose to become the head of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and who challenged the all-white segregationist Democratic Party in 1960s Mississippi.

Danielson, a historian who received his doctorate in American history from UM, specializes in the Civil Rights Movement and resides in Butte, Montana.

At noon Sept. 30, Sophia Rodriguez discusses her book "Undocumented in the U.S. South: How Youth Navigate Racialization in Policy and School Contexts." The author will examine the lived realities of undocumented youth — navigating a landscape of restrictive policies and historical segregation — who transform school hallways and community spaces into sites of resilience and belonging.

KeShaun Pearson presents "Unwavering Resistance: Community Robustness in the AI Era of Exploitation" at noon Oct. 7. Pearson is a Memphis-based leader at the forefront of the fight for environmental justice, known for making complex issues accessible to the communities most affected by them.

As executive director of Memphis Community Against Pollution, he leads campaigns to protect South Memphis residents from toxic air pollution and to safeguard community health from corporate overreach.

This event is cosponsored by the Gulf Scholars Program, co-directed by McKee and Ole Miss biology professor Rich Buchholz, along with program manager Sophie Peranich.

At 5:30 p.m. Oct. 8, a panel discussion will explore a photo exhibit honoring farmers and advocates whose resilience and creativity shape both the Mississippi Delta and the nation. "SOIL: Exhibition and Women in Agriculture" is on display Sept. 16-Oct. 8 in Barnard Observatory's Gammill Gallery.

The striking prints are made by photographer Justin Hardiman, curated by Adrienne Domnick and presented by Partnership for a Healthier America and Rootswell. This event is a partnership with the university's Center for Community Engagement. 

An "Alumni Spotlight" featuring Southern studies alumnus David Bittler is set for 5 p.m. Oct. 15 in the Overby Center Auditorium. Bittler will discuss with McKee how his Southern studies degree has advanced his career.

Bittler is Paramount Picture's former executive vice president of communications, a post he held for 25 years, during which he led multiplatform campaigns across streaming, linear television, consumer products and live experiences.

Tera W. Hunter presents this fall's Gilder-Jordan Lecture in Southern Cultural History at 6 p.m. Oct. 20 in Nutt Auditorium. Hunter will discuss how the Black family is significant to understanding legacies of race and power in American history, dating back to the colonial era.

She is the Edwards Professor of American History and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. Hunter also is the author of "Bound in Wedlock: Slave and Free Black Marriage in the Nineteenth Century" (Belknap Press, 2017) and "To 'Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War" (Harvard University Press, 1997).

Organized through the Southern studies center, the African American Studies Program, Center for Civil War Research and the Department of History, the Gilder-Jordan Lecture Series is made possible through the generosity of the Gilder Foundation Inc. The series honors the late Richard Gilder, of New York, and his family, as well as Ole Miss alumni Dan and Lou Jordan, of Virginia.

At noon Oct. 21, Zachary Clary presents "Walking Alone: James Meredith's March Against Fear and the Politicization of Violence in the Black Freedom Struggle." Clary, a doctoral candidate in history at Vanderbilt University who was the 2025 Study the South research fellow, will explore what the March Against Fear meant, as well as its symbolic significance.

Alabama poet and musician Lee Bains presents "The Laborer Is Worthy of Their Hire: Stories and Sounds of Southern Solidarity" at noon Oct. 28. In his debut poetry collection, "Work Lunch," set for publication in October by the Hub City Writers Project, Bains draws on his own experience at the intersection of work and food, specifically the daily ritual of a workday lunch.

In this SouthTalk, Bains will explore the multifaceted and often contradictory nature of Southern culture and values through the lens of labor and food.

At 4:30 p.m., Bains joins author and UM creative writing instructor Max Hipp for a craft talk at Exploradora Coffee, 463 Ryland Way in Oxford. Both the SouthTalk and craft talk are organized through a partnership with the Department of English and the Southern Foodways Alliance.

At 5:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in Overby Center Auditorium, visiting documentarian Suzannah Herbert will screen her feature film "Natchez." The film captures an unsettling clash between history and memory in a small Mississippi town.

"Natchez" won Best Documentary at the 2025 Tribeca Festival and has been honored with 19 awards on the festival circuit and broadcast on PBS's "Independent Lens" in 2026.

The Visiting Documentarian Series is made possible in part by the Berkley Hudson Visiting Documentarian Fund.

At noon Nov. 4, Kevin T. Harrell presents "They Won't Die Alone: Incarcerated Caregivers and the Documentation of the Angola Prison Volunteer Hospice Program." Harrell, who earned a doctorate in American history from UM, will discuss his work documenting the program.

The project's curator conducted oral history interviews with recently released men who participated in the hospice program and continue to shape the legacy of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

At 5:30 p.m. Nov. 12, public historian Rhondalyn Peairs presents "Sparking Epiphanies: Giving Voice to Hidden History in Plain Sight." Peairs, founder of Historich, an educational services and tourism company headquartered in Oxford, shows how storytelling provides an entry point for residents and visitors alike to connect with the past.

This SouthTalk is hosted in conjunction with the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library's community collaborations for programming that align with the Smithsonian Institution's "Spark! Places of Innovation" exhibit. The exhibit will be on display at the library from Oct. 10 to Nov. 21.

Peairs also joins fellow documentary producers Jennifer Mizenko and Antonio Tarrell for a film screening and Q&A for "Moving Spirits: Encountering the Ancestors" at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17.

Through dance, song and the search for ancestry, "Moving Spirits" illuminates the hidden histories of those enslaved on the property now known as Rowan Oak. It also reveals the enduring desire of Black Mississippians to uncover their family legacies.

SouthTalks concludes its fall slate at 6 p.m. Dec. 4 with the Fall Documentary Showcase, which highlights the work of students enrolled in Southern studies documentary classes. Each artist will present their work, and attendees can interact with the artists during a reception.

The photo exhibition will be on display in Barnard Observatory's Gammill Gallery from Dec. 4 to Jan. 15, 2027.

The Hardin Foundation provides financial support for SouthTalks.

For assistance related to a disability, contact Afton Thomas at amthoma4@olemiss.edu or call 662-915-5993. Get information about all the center's events here.

Top: Christi Bland-Miller, a fourth-generation farmer in Tunica County, is among the subjects featured in 'SOIL: Exhibition and Women in Agriculture,' a photo exhibit on display in the Barnard Observatory's Gammill Gallery. She also will participate in a panel discussion honoring farmers and advocates on Oct. 8 as part of this fall's SouthTalks series. Photo by Justin Hardiman