Delta Center for Culture and Learning

08/13/2025

What a memorable weekend at the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival - Clarksdale’s oldest running blues festival!

The “Delta Roots, Coahoma Routes” tour, led by the Mississippi Delta Cultural Heritage Ambassadors, offered visitors and locals an immersive look into the rich history of Coahoma County, told by members of the community who carry that legacy forward.

Keith Johnson and George Mumford performed blues music for tour guests inside the historic Messenger’s Cafè & Pool Hall while touring the New World District.

Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes brought Bentonia Blues to Red’s Lounge along with some stories and lessons learned.

The Parchman Prison Band, formed within Mississippi’s notorious Parchman Farm, returned to the stage for only the second time in nearly 20 years. The band carries forward a powerful legacy, where music once gave voice, and provided a sense of community and identity to those incarcerated.

07/31/2025

The Cultural Heritage Ambassadors have been hard at work, creating a powerful experience that brings the Delta’s culture and history to life. Come be a part of something special!

If you enjoyed our FREE historic bus tour last year, you don’t want to miss what we have in store for you! 🥳

We’re back, and inviting you on our guided bus tour to discover the cultural and historical roots of Coahoma County like you’ve never experienced it before.

✨Come out and enjoy food, art, wine, beer and live performances — a one of a kind experience created for the community and by our Cultural Heritage Ambassadors, all of whom are proud natives and residents of our county.✨ Chandra Williams, Charmion Davis, Chrissy Evette, Irma Hicks, Jack Bobo, Jecorry Miller, Latanthony Strong, Tasheena Galmore, Thaxton Waters, Tyler Slack and Yasmine Malone.

🎟️ And guess what? The tour is FREE to all residents of Coahoma County but tickets must be reserved. Join us August 9th or August 10th at 10:30 am or 2:30 PM!

Location: StoryWorks Studio
#3 Third Street
Clarksdale, Mississippi
(across from Meraki Roasting Co.)

This project is in partnership with StoryWorks Theater and the Delta Center for Culture and Learning, with support from the Walton Family Foundation.

Jenna Welch, Aallyah Wright, Layla Young, Jon Bernson, Rebecca Welch Weigel Red Panther Brewing Co. Messenger Pool Hall

Help us to celebrate, honor, and preserve our history. Get your free tickets HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/delta-roots-coahoma-routes-tickets-1533388238499?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp

07/25/2025

This summer, Robertson Scholars Tanya Wan and Simon Vizithum spent weeks traveling across the Mississippi Delta, capturing powerful stories from everyday people who shape the region’s identity.

Explore their moving project, "Humans of the Delta," now live at https://deltacenterdsu.com/humans-of-the-delta.

We're proud to share the work of our Summer 2025 Robertson Scholars, who partnered with the Delta Center for Culture and Learning through the The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program to uplift community voices and preserve regional heritage.

Experience the stories that make the Delta unique.

06/20/2025

06/05/2025

Music video by Bobby Gentry performing Ode to Billie Joe (HQ/HD version)🤠 Listen to more great country classics: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbQ27Wem...

07/10/2024

Hello! My name is Jessica Johnson. I am originally from Columbia, Maryland, but I have lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, for most of my adolescent years. This summer, I have had the privilege of working with the Delta Center as part of my Community Summer through The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program.

Transformational leadership is a term that has guided my collegiate experience so far as a Robertson Scholar. The Robertson, a full-ride scholarship program whose recipients are dually enrolled at Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill, prides itself on cultivating the next generation of changemakers and disrupters of systems that refuse to benefit marginalized communities. As I have worked this summer under Dr. Rolando Herts and the team at The Delta Center for Culture and Learning, I have assigned a new perspective and definition to transformational leadership.

Please read more about my experience and the lessons I've learned at the Delta Center here!
https://www.msdeltaheritage.com/blog/2024/7/10/understanding-the-stories-of-the-delta-jessica-johnson-robertson-scholar

06/26/2024

Hello, my name is Kiestin Jackson, sophomore at the The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As part of the The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program—a full-ride merit scholarship program adjoining Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—I have had the opportunity to intern this summer at the Delta Center for Culture and Learning.

Working under Dr. Rolando Herts and the Delta Center team has been a genuine privilege. In part with his copious network of changemakers such as Dr. Alysia Burton Steele, associate professor of journalism at the The University of Mississippi, Dr. Herts’ expertise in tourism planning and community engagement has been pivotal to my development this summer. The Mississippi Delta has served as a landscape of inspiration for my ongoing work in visual media, urban planning, and economic development.

Please read more about my experience here! www.msdeltaheritage.com/blog/2024/6/25/reflections-from-our-2024-robertson-scholar-kiestin-jackson

06/21/2024

Happy Friday! We have been busy producing our inaugural MS Delta Cultural Heritage Ambassadors Program. Supporting this new project are Annelise, Jessica, and Kiestin, our 2024 Robertson Community Summer Scholars from The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. Here they are receiving a warm welcome from the Mississippi Heritage Trust at their recent Listen Up conference in Vicksburg. Welcome Robertsons!

06/19/2024

Grant awards of up to $15,000 will be available for projects that preserve, perpetuate, and celebrate the Mississippi Delta's rich and complex heritage.

06/01/2024

This afternoon at 1pm, please join us at the Jacob Conference Center in Ewing hall for a screening and discussion of the film "Voices from the Sit-in"! Special guest Dr. Timla Washington, Office of Congressman Bennie Thompson, will highlight the importance of community-based cultural heritage storytelling.

The event is free and anyone is welcome! We hope to see you there!

05/09/2024

The 2024 MS Delta NHA cultural heritage grants application cycle opens on Wednesday, May 22!

Grant awards of up to $15,000 will be available for projects that preserve, perpetuate, and celebrate the Mississippi Delta's rich and complex heritage.

Learn more and register for our May 22 workshops at msdeltaheritage.com/grants