Overview:

The Two Mississippi Museums hosted MLK Night of Culture in Jackson, where student theater, spoken word, and music honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and brought Mississippi’s civil rights history to life through youth-led performance and community engagement.

A Night of Reflection and Community Gathering

The Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson celebrated the MLK Night of Culture. This served to bring the community together in celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event combined theater performances, spoken word poetry, and music. This is aimed at celebrating the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement.

Cultural institutions in Mississippi have also played a central role in commemorating civil rights history. Last year, there were events organized by the museums in Mississippi to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the death of Emmett Till. Readers can explore that coverage through the Mississippi Free Press’s reporting on statewide commemorations of Till’s legacy.

This year’s MLK Night of Culture, as part of Martin Luther King Jr.Day celebrations, highlighted a student production play prepared by Meridian High School students and addressed the 1964 Freedom Summer deaths of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney as part of Mississippi’s history and the larger Civil Rights Movement.

Student Theater Brings Civil Rights History to Life

Michael Morris, director of the Two Mississippi Museums, said the programming shift reflected the story’s importance and the museum’s commitment to young voices.

Morris spoke with Presence News before the event.

“This particular celebration was like nothing we’ve ever had before,” Morris said. “This year, we focused on a performance by the Meridian High School Theater. Just last year, these students created a story about the three civil rights workers who were murdered in Neshoba County. Because Philadelphia is in that county, this story was especially meaningful for them. We were excited that the production debuted here in Jackson at the Two Mississippi Museums.”

Students portrayed the 1964 murders that shocked the nation and changed the Civil Rights Movement. The production sparked reflection on the risks young activists took to challenge segregation during Freedom Summer.

“The story of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney — murdered in 1964 during Freedom Summer — was one of the culminating moments of the Civil Rights Movement nationally,” Morris said. “It’s an important story that we have to tell here at these museums, and I’m proud that young people are stepping up to do it.”

Centering Youth Voices in Cultural Programming

This focus on youth leadership was clearly at the heart of it all last night. Founded in 2019, the MLK Night of Culture at the Two Mississippi Museums gives young artists a platform to perform and interpret history. This is exactly what transpired last night.

“Since 2019, the program has focused on giving young people a platform to perform and grow,” Morris said. “At the core of MLK Night of Culture, the focus is always on our young people. This is a time for us older folks to step aside and let them lead the way.”

For many in the audience, it was confirmation that younger generations remain civically engaged in Mississippi’s very own civil rights history.

Spoken Word and Music Add Contemporary Expression

It included a performance by Meridian High School, along with spoken word and music performances to merge contemporary culture with history. Amanda Faye, poet and MC, hosted the event, performing between each segment. Music performances by vocalist Carmen Washington gave emotional depth to the proceedings, which were already soaked in resilience, remembrance, and hope.

“Amanda Faye, local MC artist and poet, was the host for the event and performed some of her work between acts,” Morris confirmed. “We also had musical performances, including vocalist Carmen Washington, an incredibly talented young artist.”

The combination of theater, poetry, and music reflected Dr. King’s belief in art’s power to move hearts and inspire action. The discussion did not take the form of confining oneself to giving lectures during this commemoration of civil rights history.

Museums as Guardians of Civil Rights Memory

The museums said the event highlighted artistic talent while reinforcing their mission to preserve civil rights history. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Mississippi History Museum preserve histories that have shaped Mississippi and this country into what we are today.

The incorporation of the MLK Night of Culture in these museums was quite effective because it combined performance and remembrance in the museums, making the spaces live platforms of engagement. With the inclusion of students, artists, and the community in the events of MLK, the museums not only empower the community but also the students.

This combination of the conservation of history and the articulation of the present seems to signal a growing awareness of the importance of museums in the present social context, one that goes beyond their role as a learning center to one that serves as a forum in which the articulation of history takes on a performed function.

Connecting Freedom Summer to the Present

In a summer tour, headlining Freedom Summer was proof that Mississippi lay at the very center of the Civil Rights Movement-a fact easily lost on younger generations unless one can make it personal and immediate. Through student voices and creative performance, 1964 ceased to be a simple fact from textbooks. They became lived narratives being retold by the ones who shall inherit their legacy.

Morris also recognized the role of educators in making that connection possible.

“We’re especially grateful to the director of the Meridian High School Theater, Randy Farino. His work with these students has been instrumental in bringing this production to life,” he said.

Honoring Dr. King Through Culture and Continuity

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was also known for talking about “beloved community,” which is a community formed as a result of justice, mutual respect, and shared responsibility. The MLK Night of Culture saw this come together in one place as it brought educators, students, artists, historians, and families together in remembrance and celebration.

The event remembered Dr. King and his accomplishments not just through words but also through recognizing where such struggles for justice play out in terms of youth leadership and innovation, such as through education.

Applause echoed in the atrium towards the end of the night, not only for the performers but also for the reminder that the past is always present when a community decides to bring it back to life. In giving the youth a voice in relaying the history of courage and sacrifice, the Two Mississippi Museums showed that there was a commitment to the past but a focus on the future.

As Morris reflected, the purpose of MLK Night of Culture has always extended beyond commemoration. It is about continuity — passing history from one generation to the next, and trusting young voices to lead the telling.

In doing that, the event was able to honor Dr. King’s legacy in a way that he could have appreciated most: through education, art, and a community that came together in remembrance of why the struggle for justice continues.