{"id":39434,"date":"2014-09-16T16:00:10","date_gmt":"2014-09-16T21:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=39434"},"modified":"2014-09-23T08:25:15","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T13:25:15","slug":"ole-miss-announces-2014-racial-reconciliation-week-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/ole-miss-announces-2014-racial-reconciliation-week-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Ole Miss Announces 2014 Racial Reconciliation Week Activities"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

The Chucky Mullins statue stands in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 The University of Mississippi Department of Athletics<\/a> and the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation<\/a> have announced a slate of activities for the 2014 Racial Reconciliation Week, which runs Monday through Saturday (Sept. 22-27).<\/p>\n

Racial Reconciliation Week began in 2013 with a week of events dedicated to promoting racial equity and encouraging dialogue on the topic.<\/p>\n

Highlights from the week include the first on-campus screening of the \u201cSEC Storied: It\u2019s Time \u2013 Chucky Mullins, \u201d which details the story of former Ole Miss football player Chucky Mullins, and a campus panel discussion of race and pop culture. Additionally, the Winter Institute will celebrate its 15th anniversary.<\/p>\n

The week kicks off Monday with a showing of the movie \u201cCome Hell or High Water: The Battle of Turkey Creek\u201d at 6 p.m. at Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics<\/a> auditorium. The movie documents the painful but inspiring journey of Derrick Evans, a Boston teacher who moves home to coastal Mississippi when the graves of his ancestors are bulldozed to make way for the sprawling city of Gulfport. Over the course of a decade, Evans and his neighbors stand up to powerful corporate interests and politicians, and face Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill in their struggle for self-determination and environmental justice.<\/p>\n

Several dedications are planned throughout the week, including the Chucky Mullins Drive dedication on Friday. The university is renaming Coliseum Drive as Chucky Mullins Drive in memory of the late Ole Miss football player. The dedication will take place on the School of Law courtyard at 2:30 p.m. All 25 winners of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award have been invited to attend.<\/p>\n

\u201cPartnering with the Winter Institute for a week of reconciliation is an honor and privilege for Ole Miss athletics,\u201d Athletics Director Ross Bjork said. \u201cOur commitment to giving back to the community through our core values stands strong each day, and events like this further strengthen our purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year has special meaning as we honor the legacy and spirit of Roy Lee ‘Chucky\u2019 Mullins and all that he has contributed to the university and athletics. We are humbled to be a small part of the never-ending crusade of respect and dignity for all humankind.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement also will have a dedication on Wednesday, and the M-Club Hall of Fame will induct six new members on Friday.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Saxon, assistant athletics director for student-athlete development who has played a huge role in helping spearhead the second annual slate of Racial Reconciliation Week events, said she is pleased with the ability to engage in positive conversation regarding the issue of race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thrilled that for a second year we can continue this week of impactful activities that showcases our relationship with the William Winter Institute,\u201d Saxon said.\u00a0\u201cThe institute\u2019s work, not only locally, but nationally, speaks volumes about the progress we have made as we continue to educate in an effort to heal. We were able to create programming opportunities for the campus and Oxford community that highlight campus resources while engaging positive conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The observance culminates with the Ole Miss vs. Memphis football game on Saturday. During the game, both Racial Reconciliation Week and the Winter Institute will be recognized on the field, and the Nathaniel Northington Groundbreaker in Athletics Award will be presented to former Ole Miss head football coach Billy Brewer and former Vanderbilt football player Brad Gaines.<\/p>\n

Northington, who participated in the inaugural Racial Reconciliation Week in 2013, was the first African-American football player in the SEC. Northington broke the \u201ccolor barrier\u201d by becoming the first African-American to play any sport in the SEC when Kentucky played Ole Miss in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1967.The author of “Still Running,” Northington received the inaugural Groundbreaker in Athletics award.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot express what a great symbiosis is being created between athletics and the Winter Institute,\u201d said Susan Glisson, executive director of the institute. \u201cWe’re already doing so much good work together, both on campus and off, and we’ve only just begun.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoss Bjork had a great idea to launch Racial Reconciliation Week last year and it lifts up our partnership to a level that folks can see. I’m thankful that we’re having a second Racial Reconciliation Week this year and I look forward to many more, symbolizing a long and fruitful partnership. \u201d<\/p>\n

The university’s Winter Institute works in communities and classrooms, in Mississippi and beyond, to support a movement of racial equity and wholeness as a pathway to ending and transcending all discrimination based on difference.<\/p>\n

The week’s full schedule includes:<\/p>\n

Monday, Sept. 22 <\/strong><\/p>\n