Magnolia Memories exhibit highlights Mississippi’s LGBTQ history. Details here

The Invisible Histories Project “Magnolia Memories” exhibit on Mississippi’s LGBTQ history will kick off Sept. 30 in Jackson before traveling to The Spectrum Center in Hattiesburg.

The exhibit will highlight the people, organizations and events related to the LGBTQ history from the early 1800s to 1999 throughout the state of Mississippi and more.

“The exhibit was curated based off of six Mississippi queer newspapers and also talking to community members getting stories about queer Mississippians,” said Margaret Lawson, assistant director. “Magnolia Memories will be highlighting lots of different folks across the state of Mississippi and some of the organizations that people will see at the exhibit are the Mississippi Gay and Lesbian alliance which was founded in 1973 in Starkville and Jackson by Anne Debary and Eddie Standifer.”

Features in the exhibit:

• Jim McHarris who was a Black transgender man born in Meridian in 1924. Frank Dowsing died of AIDS complications in 1994 and who was one of the first two Black football players to integrate the team at Mississippi State University.
• Southern Wild Sisters Unlimited bookstore and Camp Sister Spirit which were both founded by Wanda and Brenda Henson in South Mississippi and acted as resources and respite for lesbians across the South.
• A timeline of significant historical events will be featured made by local designers, pieces from local LGBTQ artist and more.
• The event will encourage participants to add their own knowledge and experiences while in attendance.

IHP received the majority of funding for the event through the Mellon Foundation and the exhibit is sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Capitol City Pride, LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi and the ACLU of Mississippi.

“I would really like to thank Mississippi Capitol City Pride, Mississippi Humanities Fund and the Mississippi LGBTQ Fund as well as the ACLU of Mississippi John Howard and Robert Morgan for contributing to making this exhibit possible,” Lawson said. “Without the generous sponsors and all the folks who have talked to us throughout curating this exhibit, it really wouldn’t be possible, and it was a community effort to making this exhibit happen. We are just so proud of it.”

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If you go:

• When: Sept. 30 through Oct. 21
• Where: Municipal Art Gallery, 839 N. State St., Jackson
• Admission: Free
• Time: Tuesday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

— Know an event coming up? Reporter Kiara Fleming can be reached via email KDFleming@jackson.gannett.com