Impressions of the Struggle Exhibit Opening and Reception

News item published on: 2025-03-10 14:01:00

University Libraries Special Collections invites you to the exhibit opening and reception for Impressions of the Struggle on March 13, 2025, from 7 - 8 p.m. in McCain Library and Archives room 203.

Impressions of the Struggle features firsthand accounts from Southern Miss’s archival collections that capture the heightened tensions, dangers, and deadly risks undertaken in the fight for freedom and draws from the Henry and Sue Sojourner Civil Rights Movement Collection, highlighting the activism of the Sojourners in Holmes County during the movement. The exhibition includes firsthand accounts from Freedom Summer volunteers and local activists, offering a powerful glimpse into their experiences.

Also featured in the exhibit are Ben Shahn’s Social Realist lithographs, Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, which have not been exhibited at the University in over a decade. A series of photographs by Herbert Randall, Earlie Hudnall, and Kathleen Dahl further enriches the visual narrative.

Prior to the exhibit opening, David Shulman, director of the Television Academy Award-winning film Dirt & Deeds in Mississippi, will join University Libraries Special Collections for a special screening and discussion of the film with Rebecca Tuuri, associate professor of history at Southern Miss. Also joining the discussion will be Jim Lewis, civil rights attorney, who was featured in the documentary. The exhibit opening will follow the film screening and discussion.

These events are funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council. All projects are intended to serve Mississippiana and are free and open to the public.

The exhibit will be available in McCain Library room 203 until March 21, 2025. For more information about the event or exhibit, contact Lorraine Stuart at or 601.266.4117.