Memorialization Gathering Brings Communities Together in Oxford
Oxford, Mississippi, is ready to host the Memorialization Gathering slated for June 7-9, 2024, designed to unite communities in the state through commemorative initiatives and shared experiences.
Memorial of Racial Terror
The significance of this event lies in the commitment to acknowledge and honor those who lost their lives due to racial terror. The free conference aims to inspire community groups and individuals to actively participate in creating a more understanding, empathetic society through memorialization and remembrance efforts. These efforts include erecting historical markers detailing racial terror lynchings, holding soil collection ceremonies at lynching sites, and facilitating educational opportunities within the community.
Remembrance for Healing
Memorialization initiatives have the potential to foster learning, empathy, and prospective reconciliation within communities. The advocates coming together at Oxford from across the state will collaborate for shared learning, skill-building, and creating meaningful connections. The main hub of this gathering will be the Jackson Avenue Center.
Local advocates will provide insight into remembrance and memorialization work. Participants will be given the opportunity to engage with ongoing projects and receive practical advice regarding the growth and sustainability of historical memory work in their own communities.
Highlighting the Event
The Memorialization Gathering conference kicks off with a film screening of a documentary directed by filmmaker Antonio Tarrell. The film uniquely narrates the experience of a community group visiting sites of memory in the southern United States. This screening will be immediately followed by a free dinner and a keynote address by Dr. B. Brian Foster, an ethnographer and storyteller working to document and interpret Black communities in the rural South.
Addressing the Ghosts of Segregation
In his keynote address, Dr. Foster will critically examine his recently published “Ghosts of Segregation,” a significant analysis of America’s history of segregation, oppression, and institutional racism, artistically captured through photographs taken by Pulitzer Prize-nominated photojournalist Richard Frishman.
Telling a Mother’s Journey
Talamieka Brice, the artist, photographer, filmmaker, and visual storyteller will introduce her film “Five: A Mother’s Journey”. This powerful documentary details Brice’s journey of motherhood, navigating being Black in America while raising her son who turned five amidst the racially charged year of 2020.
Engaging in Discussions and Celebrations
On June 8, the conference will engage attendees in workshops, panel discussions, and networking events at the Jackson Avenue Center. The discussions will revolve around building relationships with elected officials, overcoming audience apathy, developing meaningful collaborations with community members and descendants, oral history’s significance, and new case studies analysis from communities.
The evening will end with “Linen on the Lawn,” a popular event hosted by Oxford Juneteenth and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council featuring a free concert and food.
Conclusion of the Gathering
The conference concludes on June 9 with a community breakfast that involves music, memorialization, and reflections. A 90-minute tour of Lafayette County Sites of Memory, including markers and remembrance sites, also awaits the attendees.
Registration for the conference remains open until May 31. To register, visit bit.ly/LCRPoxford or contact April Grayson at 662.832.0596 for more information.
