The fall season brings with it a flurry of activity for the Deep South Humanities Initiative. This new endeavor, an attempt for the Center to gain designation as one of ten regional centers to be funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, is currently in the planning stage funded by an NEH grant.

   As part of this initial phase, the Center is staging a series of planning meetings throughout the Deep South. The first of these was a successful gathering at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas, on September 12. (See photographs by clicking here.) Representatives from educational and cultural institutions met to discuss the prospects of a regional humanities hub.   After a morning session in which the attendees introduced themselves and discussed their particular interests, they were treated to some home style Helena cooking straight from Cora Bullock’s soul food café. The afternoon session provided an opportunity for frank discussion about the region’s needs and the ways a new humanities center could serve the Deep South. Those assembled in Helena have provided the nucleus for what we hope will be an informative planning phase.

   The next planning session is scheduled for October 18 in Hattiesburg. Hosted by Charles Bolton and the History Department at the University of Southern Mississippi, this meeting will similarly seek to address the concerns from those in the Pine Hills/Gulf Coast region. The Center is grateful to Carolyn Ware for the use of the Pine Hills Culture Program’s Walthall school facilities.

   The third planning meeting is scheduled for November 16 and will convene at the Selma‑Dallas County Library in Selma, Alabama. The Selma meeting will focus on the Black Belt/Pine Belt region. Future planning sessions are scheduled for Mountain View, Arkansas, Nashville, Tennessee, and Lafayette, Louisiana. Information and on-line registration for these meetings can be accessed at the Deep South Humanities Initiative Web site (www.olemiss.edu/depts/south/rhc). All are welcome at these events, especially those from educational institutions, libraries, museums, arts and historical societies, and other cultural organizations.

   Other activities related to the planning grant include an October 2 gathering of representatives from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBUs) on the campus of the University of Mississippi. The purpose of this meeting was to introduce the idea of a sabbatical project that would enable faculty at HCBUs to develop curriculum or research projects. The sabbatical project would be one of many proposals funded by the Regional Humanities Center endowment. This initial discussion will be continued in meetings to be scheduled on HCBU campuses throughout the Deep South region.

   For more information about the planning meetings or the Deep South Humanities Initiative, contact planning grant coordinator Andy Harper by telephone (662-915-5993) or by e-mail (acharper@olemiss.edu). The mailing address is Center for the Study of Southern Culture, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848.