

Literacy Shapers
A Voice for Professionals in Mississippi
Mississippi is perhaps the most complex state in the country. Nobel Prize winning author and native Mississippian, William Faulkner, is often credited for saying, “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.” Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Gwendolyn Brooks, wrote, “Nothing and nothing could stop Mississippi” in her ballad about the murder of Emmett Till. In the iconic song, “Mississippi Goddamn”, Nina Simone protested the murder of Medgar Evers and other injustices, chanting, “Everybody knows about Mississippi”. The Magnolia State is rising from an undeniable, documented history of brutality and bigotry. Her landscape is being redesigned by a more inclusive community. A rotten, malodorous symbol of hate has been ripped from the vision and replaced with our beloved magnolia, a symbol of nobility and perseverance. The Literacy Shapers blog is for and about Mississippi professionals who use their platforms to share meaningful messages while making a difference in the Magnolia State.


Lana Brown "The Circle Dance"



Lana Brown "I Can Move Mountains"



Lana Brown "Shaded Destiny"



Lana Brown "Somebody Get Me a Piece of Paper"



LaWanda Dickens "A Stroll down My Ancestors' Lane"



"Communing with My Ancestors: Eli Hilson Sr.’s Legacy"



Lana Brown "Thank You Ever So Much"



LaWanda Dickens "Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival: It's Personal for Me"



“Black History Month: True Freedom to Embrace What Is Naturally Ours”



Poetry, Storytelling, and Meaningful Messages



Lana Brown "...Back in the Daze"



Pam Johnson "Juneteenth: We Are Commanded to Love One Another"



Lana Brown "Home Coming"



Lana Brown "A Tribute to Momma's Legacy"



Hannah Marie "Your Narrative Against Mine"



Hannah Marie "My Honest Poem"



LaWanda Dickens “A Flower in Her Hair”



Lana Brown “A Rare Jewel”



LaWanda Dickens "Stone Mountain: Hiking for My Ancestors"



Hillman Frazier "God's Plan for My Life"



LaWanda Dickens “What My Daughter and Alice Walker Taught Me”



LaWanda Dickens “Country”



Lana Brown "Paying Homage to the Single Mother"



Lana Brown "The World Is So Far Gone"



Lana Brown "Digging into My Roots"



LaWanda Dickens "A Morning with Mom"



Lana Brown "The Jig Is Up"



Lana Brown "Happy Feelings"



For the Love of Farish Street & Family: 82 Years of Black Entrepreneurship & Activism in Mississippi



Lana Brown "PanDEMONia 2020 Style"



Randrika Henderson "Media Representation: From A Different World to The Quad"



The Beloved Quilt: Remembering Toni Morrison



A Vibrant View: Mississippi on a Native Daughter’s Canvas
