For a sixth year, the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area (MDNHA) has awarded nearly $200,000 in grants for 10 projects focused on cultural heritage development in communities across the Mississippi Delta.
Coahoma Collective of Clarksdale will get one of those grants for $20,000 to lead a story-telling campaign to explain the role of black businesses, specifically barber and hair salons, in the Civil Rights Movement.
The funded work focuses on MDNHA’s themes, including music, folk art, the built environment, and the Civil Rights Movement. The grants support learning opportunities for students, museums, documentary films, and the historic preservation of Delta landmarks.
Coahoma Collective, Clarksdale – $20,000 to address the dearth of locally-led storytelling about the role of black owned businesses – specifically barber and beauty shops – in the Civil Rights Movement, and the lack of accessible archival materials and curricula that support this history. The Hair-Itage Project will address this through research, rigorous interviews, community engagement, and the production of a documentary play.
Quitman County Government, Marks – $23,000 to convert an existing public space in a 100-year-old historical building into a Visitors Welcome Center. The space will interpret the history of Quitman County, highlighting the struggles and successes of its people.
Tutwiler Community Education Center, Tutwiler – $24,500 to document and preserve the history of the historic, traditional African American style of quilt making by producing a documentary about the Tutwiler Quilters.
