Contact: Maridith Geuder
Out-migration, commercial center sprawl and other issues affecting unique rural communities will be highlighted Nov. 12-14 at a special workshop in Cleveland.
Sponsored by Mississippi State and Delta State universities, along with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the program of workshops, field trips and case studies will examine the culture, history and future of several African-American municipalities in the area.
Titled "Your Town, The Mississippi Delta," the DSU assembly brings together nearly 30 national, state and local specialists. Other sponsors include the National Endowment for the Arts and National Trust for Historic Preservation, along with the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and the Small Town Center at MSU, University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture, Entergy, and the Fannie Mae Partnership.
Though NTHP began the Your Town program nearly a decade ago, the Magnolia State project is the first to focus on the African-American community. Establishing a model for other areas is a major goal of this effort, said Shannon Criss, director of the Small Town Center, a research arm of the MSU School of Architecture.
"This workshop is intended for those who influence and make decisions about the way rural communities will look and work in the future," Criss added.
The Small Town Center recently has been involved in planning and designing a proposed community center for the Coahoma County community of Jonestown. A more immediate goal is to provide a framework for Jonestown and similar communities to work together to resolve community issues they identify.
"Partnerships established among educational institutions, community leaders, public agencies, and businesses can help develop innovative solutions for rural problems," said Myrtis Tabb, director of the DSU Center for Community Development. "This is especially so in the Mississippi Delta."
Workshop sessions will address such topics as African-American historic preservation, restoration efforts for black churches, housing, and tourism, among others. Speakers will include:
--Shelley S. Mastran, co-director of the NTHP Your Town Program;
--Mark Robbins, National Endowment for the Arts design director;
--Craig Barton, University of Virginia architecture professor;
--Glenn Smith, Alexandria, Va., landscape architect;
--William H. Harris, Jackson State University urban design professor;
--Toni Griffin, Washington, D.C., city planner; and
--Beverly Meng, Mississippi Main Street Association executive director.
Also on the program will be case studies from Port Gibson and field trips to Jonestown, Clarksdale and Mound Bayou. In round-table sessions, participants will be asked to develop a collective vision of their towns' futures, including strengths and weaknesses.
For more information, contact Michelle Weaver Jones of MSU at (662) 325-2202.