New book release from Mississippi author explores how communities reclaim history beyond museum walls

JANS – Mississippi-based author, educator, and community advocate Kevin Enos Brown has released his newest book, Outside the Walls: Reclaiming History with Community Spaces, a powerful exploration of how history lives and thrives in the places where people gather, grow, and remember.

In Outside the Walls, Brown draws from his years of community work – including his leadership at the Black History Gallery in McComb and the creation of Gertrude’s Garden, a community green space in the historic Burglund District – to spotlight how everyday people are curating history at the grassroots level. Through compelling storytelling and practical examples, the book emphasizes that history doesn’t just belong in institutions – it belongs in neighborhoods, homes, and public spaces where the legacies of resilience, struggle, and triumph were born.

“As a community advocate and artist, I’ve seen how reclaiming space and telling our own stories can transform lives,” said Brown. “Outside the Walls is about honoring that power and showing how anyone – regardless of title or training – can be a steward of our collective memory.”

Outside the Walls continues the legacy of Brown’s creative and educational work, which includes children’s books like I Live On A Street Named St. Augustine, Burglundtown Activity Book, Art & Advocacy, and community-based projects in McComb.

The book is now available for purchase through Amazon or in store at Organic Culture, 114 Main Street, McComb, MS.

For more information, contact Kevin Brown at 701-500-4813.