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MUSEUM GIFTS, continued from p. 1
Participating in the announcement were (front row, from left) MDAH director Katie Blount; former governor William Winter; Carol Pigott, president and CEO, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi; Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute chair Myrlie Evers; Sheila Grogan, Vice President, Community and Public Relations, BCBS of Mississippi; Jeff Leber, Chief Financial Officer, BCBS of Mississippi; Dr. Tom Fenter, Chief Medical Officer, BCBS of Mississippi; MDAH Museum Division director and 2 Mississippi Museums project director Lucy Allen; Cheri Green, Vice President, Executive Support, BCBS of Mississippi; (back row, from left) Foundation for Missisippi History board member Jerry Hafter; MDAH Board of Trustees president Kane Ditto; Jennifer Allen, Senior Vice President, Provider Partnerships and Health Management, BCBS of Mississippi; Scott Stringer, Senior Vice President, Customer and Technology Operations, BCBS of Mississippi; Bryan Lagg, Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing and Sales, BCBS of Mississippi; John Proctor, Senior Vice President, Legal and Corporate Secretary, BCBS of Mississippi; MDAH Board of Trustees member Reuben Anderson; and Chairman of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Advisory Commission Fred Banks.
most significant in my lifetime in Mississippi,” said William F. Winter, governor of Mississippi 1980-84 and member of the board of directors of the Foundation for Mississippi History. “It speaks loudly to the country and the world about the progress we have made. It also speaks to the opportunity that we have to see to it that succeeding generations of Mississippians, and especially young people, will understand and appreciate their heritage and be inspired to be the best citizens they possibly can.”
The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Orientation Theater will welcome visitors to the Museum of Mississippi History and set the stage for their journey through the eight chronological galleries. Designed as a theater in the round, it is the first of four theaters that will build on the theme of history as a shared story with many voices.
On April 27, Nissan announced a gift of $500,000 that will sponsor the “I Question America” gallery in the civil rights museum as well as the shared dining space.
“This project seeks to tell the full story of Mississippi’s past while also magnifying hopes for the future,” said Jeffrey Webster, director of Diversity and Inclusion for Nissan North America. “This contribution continues Nissan’s commitment to diversity, education, and service in our community.”
Together with its more than 6,000 employees, Nissan has provided more than $11 million in charitable donations since it began operations in Mississippi in 2003. As an economic and civic leader in Mississippi,
Nissan has supported organizations that help serve local communities, including Habitat for Humanity, Mississippi Food Network, Community Stewpot, Our Daily Bread, United Way, area school districts and colleges, Boys and Girls Clubs, 100 Black Men, Mississippi Children’s Museum, Mission Mississippi, the Natural Science Museum, and the Nature Conservancy.
“The 2 Mississippi Museums are a world-class project, and Nissan is a world-class
manufacturer,” said state senator and Foundation for Mississippi History board member John Horhn. “We welcome Nissan as our
partner in telling this important story—and telling it honestly and forthrightly.”
“We’re proud of Nissan’s commitment to our history and our culture,” said Ronnie
Musgrove, governor of Mississippi 2000-04. “Our state is a better state thanks to Nissan’s coming to Mississippi.”
The “I Question America” space will focus on the pivotal years of 1963 and 1964 when Mississippi witnessed widespread voter registration campaigns and direct actions in communities across the state. The gallery’s name is taken from Fannie Lou Hamer’s famous statement at the Democratic National Party convention in Atlantic City, “If the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now I question America. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off of the hook because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings in America?” The public dining area will be developed for use by the daily visitors to the museums and include a catering kitchen equipped for special events in the complex.
All floors of the complex are done, work on the roof is nearly finished, and installation of the stone fapade is underway. Phase one will be completed this summer. Phase two, interior construction, will last eighteen months.
From left, state senator John Horhn, William Winter, Jeffrey Weaver, and former governor Ronnie Musgrove.