MHC launches new program for communities to create sites of memory
JANS – The Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC) is launching Witness: The Freedom Memory Project, a statewide initiative inviting applications to create new sites of memory that preserve and share the local history of the Civil Rights Movement and the broader struggle for freedom in Mississippi. MHC is inviting applications from communities across the state to participate in this new initiative.
About the Project
Witness: The Freedom Memory Project builds on the Council’s longstanding work to preserve the history of the state’s freedom struggle. Working closely with community partners, artists, and historians, MHC will collaborate with communities to design and implement projects that could include:
Public art installations or monuments
Mississippi Freedom Trail markers
Exhibits or local archives
Digital storytelling and oral history projects
Over the next three years, MHC will partner with four communities per year to design and establish commemorative sites, both physical and virtual, that reflect the stories of local people and places too often left out of the national narrative. Selected communities will host public engagement meetings by a skilled facilitator, to elicit and develop local ideas and community support. Each selected community will receive direct project support to carry out their vision. Communities will also be encouraged to apply to the MHC for grant support for public programs related to their project.
Who Can Apply
Eligible applicants include community-based organizations, cultural institutions, schools, churches, grassroots groups, local governments, and other not-for-profit organizations. Collaboration between organizations is especially encouraged. Strong applications will demonstrate community support, local partnerships, and a clear vision for how their site will educate and inspire.
How to Apply
First, contact MHC Director of Strategic Initiatives John Spann (jspann@mhc.state.ms.us) to discuss your community’s idea. Then, fill out the Witness: The Mississippi Freedom Project application by March 1, 2026. All applications will be reviewed by the project’s advisory board. The 2026 cohort of communities will be announced by April 1, 2026. Full details and 2026 applicant materials are available at https://shorturl.at/1GTd3.
