By Chloe Calo
The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics is proud to announce a fantastic lineup of events for the fall semester. From critical discussions about current events and the climate inside today’s newsrooms to celebrating key milestones like the 50th anniversary of Title IX and the 60th anniversary of Ole Miss’s integration, the fall lineup touches collectively on some of the most pressing issues impacting our region and beyond.
The schedule opens next Tuesday, Sept. 13, with a celebratory discussion of the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation that helped equalize the college experience for women, especially in collegiate athletics. The panel will include, among others, Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter and “Coach Yo” McPhee-McCuin, and legendary Mississippi sportswriter Rick Cleveland will moderate.
Later this month, as the entire University of Mississippi campus celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of James Meredith’s 1962 integration of the school, the Overby Center will host a panel of distinguished journalists on Tuesday, Sept. 27, to discuss, “Meredith & the Media: Legacy of a Riot.” Sidna Brower Mitchell, Kathleen WIckham and Curtis Wilkie will discuss the media’s role both during and after the ensuing riot, and how that event has shaped the public’s view of Ole Miss in the decades since. C-SPAN’s Jesse Holland will moderate.
The fall schedule continues on Wednesday, Oct. 5, with a panel event titled, “A Sisterhood of Editors.” Amidst today’s remarkably tense racial and political climate, three African-American females are leading some of the most important newsrooms in the South. Katrice Hardy (Dallas Morning News), Mary Irby-Jones (Louisville Courier-Journal) and Jewell Walston (Asheville Citizen-Times) will join us to share stories of industry challenges, news deserts and the daily fight to preserve our democracy. Overby fellow Marquita Smith will moderate.
And finally, the center will close out the semester on Wednesday, Nov. 16, when Overby fellow Terry Mattingly, in discussion with Charles Overby, takes an in-depth look at the role of religion in both the 2022 midterm and 2024 general elections.
All programs are open to the public and begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Overby Center Auditorium on the campus of the University of Mississippi. A generous reception and open bar will follow.