Black Magnolias with Voices
This program aligns with scholarship on Black girls’ multiple identities and literacies in a culture that has historically and systemically excluded them from spaces of empowerment. The MLP established Black Magnolias with Voices to give Black girls and women in Mississippi an outlet to build creative texts, address issues important to them, and use their work to capture life as they experience it.
Our daughters have something to say! Read about it!
Click on the link to their blog below.
Blossoms Mother-Daughter Reading Club
“Blossoms” are the daughters of “Magnolias”, women who lead the village.
Sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Magnolia Literacy Project’s Blossoms Mother-Daughter Reading Club brings Black female Gen-Z students together with their mothers for dialogue that fosters voice, agency, self-confidence, & leadership. Reading texts centered on girlhood and womanhood, as experienced in Black culture, the group engages in bi-weekly workshops that enhance students' vocabulary, comprehension, and verbal communication skills. Photos are courtesy of photographer Charles Travis, a junior at Callaway High School.
December 16, 2023: The Magnolia Literacy Project launched the Blossoms Mother-Daughter Reading Club in Jackson, MS, with a virtual orientation. One week later, the group met at Lemuria Bookstore for a book distribution social. Each Blossom and her Magnolia received a copy of Crystal Wilkinson’s book, Perfect Black. Wilkinson was Kentucky’s Poet Laureate from 2021-2023. Starting in January and continuing through May, the reading club met biweekly to discuss themes in Wilkinson’s book, including but not limited to: rurality, Black girlhood, spirituality, injustice, ancestry, and the impact of Black grandmothers and church ladies.
April 13, 2024: In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Blossoms Mother-Daughter Reading Club gathered at Soule Coffee + Bubbletea to continue their conversations of Wilkinson's Perfect Black.
May 8, 2024: The Blossoms Mother-Daughter Reading Club concluded its inaugural season with an awards reception at Murrah High School (MHS), honoring a village of fabulous ladies. Each mother-daughter team received the Intergenerational Literary Excellence Award. Dr. Shevonne L. McDuffy-Oatis, Program Implementation Manager with the Jackson Public School District, served as keynote speaker. Special guest, Dr. Doris O. Ginn, who recently retired from her position as Professor of Linguistics in the Jackson State University Department of English and Modern Languages, was presented with the Excellence in Education Award for her 55 years of service. Alexia Anthony and Tracey Robinson, MHS students, received Outstanding Youth Leadership Awards for being instrumental in steering workshop discussions and making exceptional contributions to the overall success of the reading club. Erica Barnes (Monticello High School) and Jalia Holmes (Hinds Community College) were recognized as recent graduates. Ms. Courtney Holmes, one of the participating mothers and MHS Librarian, coordinated the event while including the young ladies in planning and executing.
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2022 Women's History Month Reading Spotlight
Theme: “Women Who Shaped Life, History, and Culture in Mississippi”
On Saturday, March 19, The Magnolia Literacy Project hosted a Youth Reading Spotlight/Videography Series in Brookhaven, MS. The purpose of this event was to honor the achievements of Eudora Welty, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Margaret Walker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Evelyn Gandy, Fannye Cook, Unita Blackwell, and Constance Slaughter Harvey.
Students from West Lincoln Attendance Center, Loyd Star Attendance Center, Enterprise Attendance Center, Lipsey Middle School, and Pearl Junior High School participated. A proud group of supportive mothers and grandmothers attended.
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Melanie Lewis, Director of the Brookhaven/Lincoln County Boys and Girls Club, was instrumental in supporting the students.
Videographer: Natalie Dickens, Junior at Jackson State University (Mass Communications Major)
CELEBRATE MISSISSIPPI'S GIRLS AND WOMEN,
NOT JUST DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH, BUT ALL YEAR!
2020-2021 Writing & Visual Arts Awards: Empowering Writers and Artists
Congratulations ... Celebrating Success!!!
In 2020-2021, several remarkable young writers and artists demonstrated creativity and substance in poetry, prose, and/or visual art. Using writing as advocacy, they utilized their pens and paints to show leadership, provide inspiration, build identity, and represent community. It brings us great joy to recognize them!
Women's Advocacy Award (Honoree - Di'Ovion Smith): Recipients of this honor promote empowerment, self-confidence, and self-love while challenging cultural practices, discriminatory attitudes, and superficial values that marginalize girls and women.
Social Justice Award (Honorees - Erica Barnes and Jamee McAdoo): Honorees of this award examine topics that are often avoided but lead to increased conflict if left unaddressed. Recipients challenge norms, promote change, and demonstrate rhetorical activism.
Bloom Award (Honoree - Hannah Jackson): This award is rooted in the idea of growth despite challenging circumstances. Recipients appeal to audiences through messages of hope, faith, and perseverance.
Writing Excellence and Graphic Design Award (Honoree: Natalie Dickens): Recipients of this award demonstrate a range of literary talents, conveying meaning through written and visual forms of expression.
We need ...
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To study other cultures and see the beauty in all parts of the Venn diagram.
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To be mindful of past events and trust history ... but not history books.
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To challenge norms.
Jamee "JEM" McAdoo
Junior, Jackson State University
Mass Communications/Media Studies Major
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Congratulations to poet, Erica Barnes, an eleventh grader at Monticello High School! She recently earned fifth place in the Educators Rising impromptu speaking competition, sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Education. She is among a select group of students recognized with this honor.
Erica became a published poet as a ninth grader in 2020, when The Magnolia Literacy Project published her poems, "Help Me Understand" and "Maybe", on the blog Black Magnolias with Voices. Both poems address racial injustice. After they were published, she was invited to speak at Delta State University’s “Winning the Race” virtual conference. Winning the Race aims to engage not only Delta State’s campus in promoting racial healing but the community at large, including Mississippi's high school students.
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Great job, Erica! Keep leading through writing and public speaking!
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"Writing is how I show the world my point of view. For the longest, I was too shy to speak up for myself, so I let my writings do it for me. It was a way to give the world a glimpse inside of my soul.
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It was very rewarding to know that my thoughts were important enough to be published by The Magnolia Literacy Project. I felt vulnerable, but it was an exciting experience. I’m extremely grateful to The Magnolia Literacy Project for giving me a confidence in my writing like never before."
--Hannah Jackson
Natchez, MS Poet