Our 56th Annual Gibbs-Green Commemoration is a poignant reflection on the 1970 police shooting at Jackson State University. The event honors the lives of Phillip Gibbs and James Green while also celebrating the Class of 1970 and their enduring inspiration. This year, the event will take place on May 14th, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. on...Read More

About In partnership with Jackson State University and the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Margaret Walker Center is proud to host the 20th Annual Creative Arts & Scholarly Engagement (CASE) Festival, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 10 & 11, 2026. The CASE Festival will feature a keynote address by Dr. Evie Shockley, an award-winning poet...Read More

Head to the H.T. Sampson Library Instructional Room at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, for History in Conversation: Dr. Lelia Gaston Rhodes and The First Hundred Years—An Ode to Women’s History Month and the Trailblazer Who Documented the Institution’s First Century. The event will feature a moderated panel and book discussion with Angela Stewart, Dr. Robert Luckett, Gailya Porter, and...Read More

Deciding that she would rather celebrate his birth and achievements rather than focus on his death, our founder, Margaret Walker, sponsored one of the first birthday convocations for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on January 12, 1969, at Jackson State University. As part of Dr. Alexander’s legacy, the Margaret Walker Center continues this annual event....Read More

Call for Proposals The Margaret Walker Center invites proposals for papers, presentations, and panels for the 20th Annual Creative Arts & Scholarly Engagement (CASE) Festival, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 10 & 11, 2026. The CASE Festival will feature a keynote address by Dr. Evie Shockley, Director of Creative Writing and Writers and the...Read More

Head to COFO on Tuesday, December 9, at 5:00 p.m. for a book panel and signing with civil rights and history scholars Jere Nash, D’Andra Orey, and Justin Randolph as they discuss their new works! Their books will be available for purchase through Lemuria on-site, along with light refreshments. Jere Nash: Reconstruction in Mississippi, 1862-1877 D’Andra...Read More

Join us in honoring the profound legacy of the U.S. Colored Troops who served during the Civil War! Part of a nationwide program created by the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, the event will include the history of the troops and our sponsored regiment as well as musical performances and the reading of the...Read More

Join us from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on October 2, 2025, for the grand opening of our new Margaret Walker exhibit at Jackson State University! Over 10 years in the making, the exhibit explores Walker’s early life, her literary achievements, her work as a professor at Jackson State University, and her enduring legacy. The grand opening will...Read More

Help us celebrate the birthday of our founder, Margaret Walker Alexander! Born on July 7, 1915, Dr. Alexander founded the Institute for the Study of the Life, History, and Culture of Black People (later the Margaret Walker Center) in 1968 at Jackson State University. This year, on July 3 at noon, join us at the...Read More

Please join us for the 55th annual commemoration of the 1970 Gibbs-Green tragedy at Jackson State University at 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. The program will take place in front of Alexander Hall on the Gibbs-Green Memorial Plaza. It is free and open to the public, and a reception will take place immediately following...Read More