Jackson Free Press

Jackson State University relaunched its Institute for Social Justice and Race Relations on Thursday, Feb. 24, in the College of Liberal Arts. The original institute opened in 2013, but a lack of funding halted programming four years later.

The institute will serve as a multimedia resource to engage and educate students, the academic community and the public regarding matters of social justice, activism and race relations, a release from JSU says.

From 2013 to 2017, the Institute for Social Justice and Race Relations held more than 189 public programs and community events and had more than 13,487 program participants. It provided more than 58 Heritage Tours and over 1,300 Heritage Tour participants.

For more information, visit jsums.edu.

MSU Hosting Charles H. Templeton Ragtime & Jazz Festival

Mississippi State University will host its 16th annual Charles H. Templeton Ragtime & Jazz Festival from March 24-26 in the Charles Templeton Music Museum located on the fourth floor of the university’s Mitchell Memorial Library. The festival is making its in-person comeback after being held virtually in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The festival begins with the Gatsby Gala in the lobby of Mitchell Memorial Library at 6 p.m., which will feature 1920s-inspired fashions that the MSU School of Human Sciences fashion design and merchandising students created and MSU Fashion Board members will model. Admission is free and era-appropriate outfits are encouraged.

Tours and seminars will take place throughout both days. Scheduled seminars will include “The Life and Music of Janice Cleary” on March 25 at 1:30 p.m., which is dedicated to celebrating the late Cleary, who donated one of the largest sheet music collections in the U.S. to the university shortly before her death in 2021. There will also be a presentation of her sheet music on March 26 at 11 a.m., showcasing rarities from her collection.

Concerts will take place on March 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the McComas Hall Theater. Featured musicians include The Sweet & Hot Quartet and pianists Donald Ryan and Adam Swanson.

Registration for the event is available at festival.library.msstate.edu. Admission to all festival events is free for MSU students with valid student I.D. General admission tickets good for all festival events are available for $65 each. Patrons can purchase a “Friday Only Ticket” for $35, which is good for all Friday events including the evening concert. A “Saturday Only Ticket” option also is available for Saturday’s events and concert. Tickets just for the Friday and Saturday concerts can be purchased for $15 each. Discounted fees are available for senior citizens and retired MSU faculty and staff members. Tickets are available for advance purchase online and also will be sold at the door.

Parking will be available at the Old Main Academic Center parking garage on Barr Avenue. Patrons also can use MSU’s S.M.A.R.T. shuttle system for transportation to and from the festival. For more information about parking, visit parkingservices.msstate.edu.

For more festival information, visit festival.library.msstate.edu, call 662-325-6634 or email [email protected].

MSU Hosting Fundraiser for Camp Kesem

Mississippi State University’s chapter of Camp Kesem is launching an in-person camp this year after the new chapter’s planned summer programming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Camp Kesem offers activities for children ages 6-18 who have a parent impacted by cancer at no cost to families, with individual donations and corporate support providing funding.

The group will host a fundraiser called "Make the Magic" on April 2, which will include a formal dinner and a silent auction, with all proceeds going toward this summer’s program. The event takes place at 6 p.m. at the Storehouse on 1437 Fire Station Rd. in Starkville, and attire is formal.

Ticket purchases and donations can be made at https://donate.kesem.org/MissStateMTM2022. To donate items to the silent auction, call Susan Brooks at 662-312-8588.

For more information on Camp Kesem, visit kesem.org/programs-services/camp-kesem.