Mississippi Historical Society Awards The W

February 29, 2016

MorrisAdmin,

COLUMBUS, Miss. – The Mississippi Historical Society Awards Committee has voted to award Mississippi University for Women’s Department of History, Political Science and Geography the society’s Award of Merit.

The W’s Department of History, Political Science and Geography was selected due to its “exemplary work in documentation and commemoration” of the racial integration of then- Mississippi State College for Women that occurred in 1966.

“It is good for the university to receive this recognition and it will provide momentum to continue with the project,” said Derek Webb, university archivist.

Alongside Dr. Erin Kempker, associate professor of History, Webb has worked with numerous students over the past couple of years to research, discover and present findings that bring to light the events that took place during the desegregation and integration of the university. The integration project has been student-directed from the start.

As part of the research, students have explored the university’s archives to find historical documents that could be used to draw conclusions to be presented to the public. Many of the sources found had never been published or presented.

“The students are producing real work that really matters,” Webb added.

The society’s awards will be announced at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Historical Society in Jackson March 3-5. Both Kempker and Webb will accept the award at the Awards Luncheon Saturday, March 5 at noon at the historic King Edward Hotel.

The Award of Merit was established by the Mississippi Historical Society to honor individuals or organizations for their outstanding archival, museum, records management or media interpretation work.