Who Gets to Be a Philanthropist? How Giving Circles Are Helping Communities Recognize the Power They Already Have
Rethinking Philanthropy When most people hear the word philanthropy, they think of major donors, large foundations, and million-dollar gifts. Cassio Batteast sees something different. “I think a lot of times people look at philanthropy and think you have to have millions of dollars or hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Batteast, Vice President of Programs […]
Beyond Delivery: The Long Road Home for Mississippi Mothers
By the time many Mississippi mothers make it home from the hospital, the casseroles have cooled, the balloons have sagged, and the calls and text messages have slowed to a trickle. Then comes the hard part. The sleepless nights. The anxiety. The swelling that will not go down. The headaches that linger a little too […]
The Teachers Are Already Here. Now We Build the Pathways.
Across the Mid South, something important is taking shape. It is not driven by a single program or a single initiative. It is a shift in how communities are thinking about teachers, where they come from, and how they are supported. For years, the conversation has centered on shortages. Vacancies. Gaps that feel difficult to […]
Gun Violence Is More Than a Crime Issue. It Is a Public Health Crisis.
When people talk about gun violence, the conversation often starts in the same place: crime, courts, arrests, policing. But that framing only tells part of the story. It leaves out the anxiety a student carries into the classroom after another lockdown drill. It leaves out the mother who sits through years of court proceedings and […]
Foundation for the Mid South Launches Delta Story Project to Support Mississippi Storytellers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ebonee Johnikin Foundation for the Mid South (601) 319-3888 [email protected] Jackson, Miss. – The Foundation for the Mid South (FMS), in partnership with Mississippi Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) and with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, has announced the launch of The Delta Story Project, a new cultural ambassador […]
The Ground Was Never Empty: How Black leadership shaped the Mid South and why the work continues.
Before there were strategic plans and grant cycles, there were people who simply refused to accept the way things were. In the Mississippi Delta, a woman built a school when access to education was rationed. In Jackson, a doctor turned an abandoned mall into a center for community health. Across the region, leaders quietly, and […]
What Does Progress Look Like? Leaders Define the Long Road to Racial Healing
In Mississippi, conversations about racial healing often begin with urgency. But sustainable change begins with a harder question. What does progress actually look like? Not in theory. Not in headlines. Not in momentary momentum. For leaders engaged in Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation work across the state, progress is neither abstract nor sentimental. It is […]
From Reflection to Responsibility: Inside Mississippi’s National Day of Racial Healing
By midmorning, round tables filled the auditorium inside the Two Mississippi Museums. Conversations moved easily at first, then gradually quieted as attention settled toward the front of the room, where a small stage had been arranged for panelists and facilitators. The setting encouraged proximity. People sat facing one another, close enough to talk, close enough to listen. Mississippi’s National […]
On MLK Day, Mississippi’s Young People Served Their Communities and Faced History Together
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as many Mississippians enjoyed a long weekend, young people across the state chose a different rhythm for the day. They spent the morning cleaning public spaces and working together across Jackson, then gathered inside the Two Mississippi Museums to listen to someone who lived the civil rights struggle most of them had […]
Foundation for the Mid South Leads MLK Day of Service and Launches New TRHT Cohort During National Day of Racial Healing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 21, 2026 Contact: Ebonee Johnikin Foundation for the Mid South (601) 319-3888 [email protected] Foundation for the Mid South Leads MLK Day of Service and Launches New TRHT Cohort During National Day of Racial Healing JACKSON, Miss. – Youth leaders and community members across Mississippi gathered for two days of service, dialogue, […]