Film Screening of "Dirt & Deeds in Mississippi"

News item published on: 2025-02-19 13:13:00

David Shulman, director of the Television Academy Award-winning film Dirt & Deeds in Mississippi, will join University Libraries Special Collections for a special screening and discussion of the film with Rebecca Tuuri, associate professor of history at Southern Miss. Also joining the discussion will be Jim Lewis, Civil Rights attorney, who was featured in the documentary. The event will take place on March 13 at 5:30 p.m. in Gonzales Auditorium in the Liberal Arts Building.

Narrated by Danny Glover, Dirt & Deeds in Mississippi—a Television Academy Award-winning film—uncovers the untold story of Black landowners and independent farmers in 1960s Mississippi, and their vital financial support of the civil rights movement. The film, mostly shot in the Mississippi Delta and Holmes County, highlights the Mileston community of independent farmers. The film features in-depth interviews with independent Black farmers, lead organizers of Freedom Summer, local landowners, and former segregationists.

The screening will be followed by a special viewing of the exhibition Impressions of the Struggle. Featuring firsthand accounts from Southern Miss’s archival collections, the exhibition captures the heightened tensions, dangers, and deadly risks undertaken in the fight for freedom. Impressions of the Struggle draws from the Henry and Sue Sojourner Collection, highlighting the activism of the Sojourners in Holmes County during the movement. The exhibition includes firsthand accounts from Freedom Summer volunteers and local activists, offering a powerful glimpse into their experiences. Also featured are Ben Shahn’s Social Realist lithographs, Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, which have not been exhibited at the University in over a decade. A series of photographs by Herbert Randall, Earlie Hudnall, and Kathleen Dahl further enriches the visual narrative.

“The story of the Mileston community, located outside of Belzoni, is relatively unknown. When David first contacted me, I realized that the role of independent black farmers in Mileston and elsewhere in the state is a part of the Mississippi civil rights movement that should not be lost to history. It is a compelling account of the sacrifices made in the quest for racial equality. It is a beautiful film – both its content and cinematography,” said Lorraine Stuart, head of Special Collections.

The civil rights materials housed in University Libraries Special Collections document a local history with national significance. Researchers can explore collections from the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, Freedom Summer, and oral history transcripts from notable civil rights leaders, along with a rich archive of photographs, letters, and diaries.

For more information about the film screening, the exhibition, or the civil rights materials in Special Collections, contact Lorraine Stuart at 601.266.4117 or Lorraine.Stuart@usm.edu.

This program is financially assisted by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the Mississippi Humanities Council.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Human Rights and Civil Liberties, The University of Southern Mississippi.