Events

The Freedom Forum's annual survey "Where America Stands,"  regarding awareness, understanding and support of the First Amendment, was the subject of a panel discussion at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics on April 29. The latest survey showed that while admiration for the First Amendment is widespread, understanding of its five freedoms is uneven. 

Richard “Dick” Scruggs said that both the news media and the Bill of Rights are under attack in various ways, including by the government. His remarks came in a luncheon on March 25 in the Great Conversations Series by the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics.

The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics hosted a screening of the documentary film "The Whiskey Speech: Soggy Sweat, Prohibition & The Power of Storytelling" on March 24 in the Overby Center auditorium. The film is directed and produced by David Crews, a member of the Overby Center Board of Trustees. Crews participated in the program along with Charles Overby, chairman of the Overby Center.

The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics hosted “Free Speech, Freedom Songs, and the Music of Liberation” on February 25 in the Overby auditorium as part of Black History Month. 

As Mississippi celebrates the 100th anniversary of Medgar Evers’ birth, his daughter Reena Evers-Everette, joined by Mississippi Today’s Jerry Mitchell and Dr. RJ Morgan, a professor at Ole Miss, talked about how she remembered her father and how Mitchell played such a big role within her family. 

The music and early civil rights work of legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will be the focus of a fall program at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics. “Songs of Freedom: Bob Dylan’s Mississippi,” will be presented Oct. 8 at 5:30 p.m. in the Overby Center Auditorium on the Ole Miss campus.

The tragic events of the murder of Emmett Till in 1955 and the farcical trial that followed were discussed in a program at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics on Oct. 9.  Author Ronald Collins discussed his new book, “Tragedy on Trial: The Story of the Infamous Emmett Till Murder Trial.”

Listen to the audio of the Great Conversations luncheon with Dean Slabach. The Overby Center hosted the Great Conversations luncheon with students, faculty, and invited guests.

In a jointly-sponsored program by the Lott Leadership Institute and the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics, General Wesley K. Clark, former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, and Overby Center chairman Charles Overby joined in a discussion on Feb. 27 in the Overby Auditorium.

Next week, the Overby Center will delve into the importance of empowering leaders for civil impact with a discussion featuring General Wesley K. Clark, former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, and Overby Center chairman Charles Overby.