Jackson Free Press

The Mississippi Business Journal will name community activist, author and motivational speaker Duvalier Malone as its top entrepreneur for 2019 in a ceremony at the Old Capitol Inn on Thursday, March 28.

Malone is a native of Fayette, Miss. He founded Duvalier Malone Enterprises, a consulting firm that works with underserved communities in Jackson, in 2012. The firm, which has offices in Jackson and Washington, D.C., writes grants for both college students and nonprofit organizations, and gathers school supplies and toys to donate to children in Mississippi and D.C. Duvalier Malone Enterprises also hosts an annual expo for minority-owned small businesses and nonprofits, where participants learn about topics such as securing grants and how to better run their business.

"When I first got into community service work, it seemed like the work I or other organizations did for Jackson and underserved communities sometimes went unnoticed," Malone told the Jackson Free Press. "Now, I'm humbled to see my work receiving this kind of recognition in Mississippi and beyond. It's always great to see community service and activism be recognized, no matter where it is."

In 2013, Malone hosted the first Mississippi Leadership & Vision Roundtable forum, which allows community and state leaders gather and discuss topics such as the state's education rates, economic development projects and youth mentorship programs. That same year, he also made a documentary on the Mississippi Delta called "Clarksdale at the Crossroad."

Malone organized the "We Demand Justice Rally for Emmett Till" rally at the state capitol in Jackson in February 2017 after Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman who accused Emmett Till of whistling at her, admitted to lying. After the rally, he began traveling the country to help raise awareness of the importance of Till's civil rights case. In 2018, he published a book about the Emmett Till case titled "Those Who Give a Damn: A Manual for Making a Difference."

The MBJ award ceremony at Old Capitol Inn will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 28. Tickets are $35 per person. After the ceremony, Malone will speak to a group of Jackson students as part of his "Those Who Give a Damn" tour and give them signed copies of his book.

2019 Mississippi Invitational and Art Party at the Mississippi Museum of Art

The Mississippi Museum of Art recently announced a group of 23 Mississippi artists whose work the museum will put on display from June 28 to Aug. 11, 2019, as part of MMA's 2019 Mississippi Invitational exhibition.

"The selected artists are G. Douglas Adams, Natchez; Kali Blakeney, Jackson; Charlie Buckley, Tupelo; Critz Campbell, West Point; Claudia Cartee, Seminary; Rory Doyle, Cleveland; Rick Fifield, Poplarville; Robin Jayne Henderson, Oxford; Ben Hillyer, Natchez; Philip Jackson, Oxford; Joseph Johnson, Natchez; Amelia Key, Jackson; Andrea Kostyal, Hattiesburg; Sodam Lee, Itta Bena; Dominic Lippillo, Starkville; Rod Moorhead, Oxford; Betty Press, Hattiesburg; Phoenix Savage, Jackson; Stephen Threlkeld, Oxford; Kristen Tordella-Williams, Jackson; Jennifer Torres, Hattiesburg; Steven Wayne, Southaven; and Brooke White, Oxford.

All 23 artists are also eligible to apply for the museum's Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship, which is a two-year scholarship program that supports study and travel for participating artists. After the program ends, each artist must donate one original work to the museum from at least five works the artist created during the grant period. MMA will announce the recipient of this year's Hiatt Artist Fellowship at a private reception for the exhibiting artists on Thursday, June 27.

The 2019 Mississippi Invitational exhibition and its related programming are free and open to the public.

The museum will also host its 2019 Art Party beginning at 6:30 a.m. on April 5. Guests will be able to dress in cocktail attire and have their photos taken in sections of the museum decorated to look like scenes from famous paintings.

The event will also feature cocktails, food and hors d'oeuvres from chef Jesse Houston of Fine & Dandy and chef Gray Townsend of La Brioche Patisserie, as well as live music from The Patrick Harkins Band. Guests will also be able to take part in live and silent auctions for pieces from the artists in the 2019 Mississippi Invitational exhibition and other artists whose work is on display in the museum.

Tickets are $100 per person. Guests can also purchase a patron sponsor ticket for two for $500. Patron sponsors will have their names printed on invitations and programs for the event. The museum also has an artist sponsor ticket for two for $1,000. Artist sponsors will have access to a VIP lounge with a private bar and food with service. Tickets and sponsorships are available at bidpal.net/artparty.

For more information on the 2019 Mississippi Invitational or the 2019 Art Party, call 601-960-1515 or visit msmuseumart.org.