This summer, the Foundation for the Mid South is making a bold investment in the stories that define who we are. Through the Delta Story Project — a Cultural Ambassador initiative created in partnership with Mississippi Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) and supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation — seven Mississippi artists, storytellers, and cultural practitioners are being called to do what they do best: tell the truth about where they come from.
The Foundation is awarding $49,200 to this inaugural cohort of Cultural Ambassadors, selected from a competitive applicant pool for the artistic and narrative quality of their proposals, their connection to community, and their potential for lasting public impact.
Over the next six months, each ambassador will create a public-facing project that advances truth-telling, racial healing, and narrative change across the region.
MEET THE AMBASSADORS
Together, they represent a range of artistic disciplines—visual art, documentary film, oral history, audio storytelling, journalism, and multimedia—and a depth of perspective that reflects the richness and complexity of the Mississippi Delta and Jackson.
Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity (IAJE)
Location: Jackson, MS
Category: Oral History & Storytelling
Oral histories and cultural storytelling that document and amplify the experiences of immigrant communities across Mississippi.
“In a political climate where immigrants are increasingly targeted and misrepresented, this project offers a powerful counter-narrative rooted in dignity, humanity, and shared experience. It fosters empathy, strengthens community connections, and supports long-term efforts toward racial equity and healing.” — Lorena Quiroz, Executive Director
As Told By SIR
(Steven Randle)
Location: Jackson, MS
Category: Audio Storytelling
A poetic short film blending original spoken word, community voices, and the Delta’s blues tradition to tell a layered story of the Mississippi Delta and Jackson — past, present, and future.
“At its core, this film is not just about telling a story—it is about shifting ownership of the story back to the people who live it.” — Steven Randle
Brejenn Allen
Location: Jackson, MS
Category: Visual Art
“Bought and Paid For,” a series of mixed-media paintings documenting the payday lenders, pawn shops, and rent-to-own stores that shape Jackson’s everyday landscape, paired with community storytelling that examines economic inequity and elevates the residents who navigate these systems.
“I want a Jackson resident to walk into the exhibition and see their neighborhood treated like it deserves to be seen.” — Brejenn Allen
Scott Barretta
Location: Greenwood, MS
Category: Journalism & Cultural Documentation
A written, photographic, and audio chronicle of the recently revived Parchman Band and the role of music in the lives of incarcerated musicians at the Mississippi State Penitentiary.
The members of the band live with the stigma of being prisoners at a notorious facility, and suspicions that they are dangerous. Presenting their voices will, like their community performances, hopefully serve to counter negative stereotypes, and showcase their humanity. — Scott Barretta
LaTonya Lark/In Her Shoes, Inc.
Location: Mound Bayou, MS
Category: Visual Art
A public storytelling mural and digital history experience honoring the legacy of Taborian Hospital and Mound Bayou’s history of Black self-determination, healthcare access, and community resilience.
“Art is how I offer love, and this mural is my way of giving it back to Mississippi, for the people.” — LaTonya Lark
We2gether Creating Change
Location: Drew, MS
Category: Documentary Film
A 2026 Film Academy that engages youth and community members in documenting local stories through film and digital media, equipping emerging Delta storytellers to share their own narratives.
“It is particularly important that our young people have the knowledge and skills they need to tell the true histories of their communities, to explore current realities through a historical lens, and to form creative outlets for using their voices to reshape the narrative.” — Gloria Dickerson, Founder & CEO
SpiritHouseGlass/
Elizabeth Robinson
Location: Jackson, MS
Category: Visual Art
“The Delta Vessel Initiative,” a narrative-based glass installation built from recycled materials gathered across Mississippi, turning everyday objects into symbols of shared history, resilience, and renewal.
“I hope this work serves as a lasting symbol of communal resilience. By elevating discarded relics into a permanent public-facing installation, the project aims to prove that transformation — whether of a glass bottle or a community narrative — is always possible.” — Elizabeth Robinson
WHAT COMES NEXT
The cohort runs from July through December, with shared learning opportunities designed to connect the ambassadors to one another and strengthen their work. Their completed projects will be shared with the community at the National Day of Racial Healing event on January 19, 2027, in Jackson, MS.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow along as these stories take shape. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow the Foundation for the Mid South on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X to stay connected with the cohort’s progress throughout the fall.