About Us
In 1997, then-President Bill Clinton inaugurated an unprecedented national conversation on race. "One America: The President's Initiative on Race" marked the first time a sitting president had called for such a dialogue without the catalyst of a major crisis. It suggested, on a federal level, the importance of dealing positively with race relations on a daily basis.
Accepting the challenge to prod grassroots efforts, the University of Mississippi hosted the only deep-South public forum for One America. Preceded by dialogue groups representing ten constituency topics ranging from the arts to education to religion, the event highlighted elected delegates from each group. Sharing the insight and hopes of the more than 160 participants, the representatives crafted a frank yet civil discussion on one of our nation's most difficult subjects.
The President's staff hailed the UM experience as the single most successful of the entire Initiative year. That recognition encouraged the University to formalize its dialogue process with the creation of an institute to promote racial reconciliation and civic renewal.
Founded in 1999, the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation builds more inclusive communities by promoting diversity and citizenship, and by supporting projects that help communities solve local challenges.
Click here for the Winter Institute Advisory Board
The Honorable William F. Winter
Born in 1923 in Grenada, Mississippi, William F. Winter served in the armed forces in World War II and the Korean War. He was awarded a BA from the University of Mississippi in 1943 and an LL.B. in 1949. He has since been awarded over five honorary degrees. His credentials within the academic community are long standing: Jamie Whitten Professor of Law and Government at the University of Mississippi School of Law (Fall 1989); Eudora Welty Professor of Southern Studies at Millsaps College (Spring 1989); Fellow, Institute of Politics, Harvard University (1985) and President, Ole Miss Alumni Association (1978). He continues to practice law with the Jackson, MS, firm of Watkins Ludlum Winter & Stennis, P.A. which celebrated its one hundredth anniversary in 2005.
William Winter is most well known, however, for his role in leading the charge for publicly-funded primary education while he was the fifty-eighth governor of Mississippi from 1980-1984. His governance echoed his belief that all people, regardless of race or class, should be entitled to the same rights and privileges as the most privileged enjoys. In a substantial way, Governor Winter's accomplishments were honored in 1997 when President Bill Clinton initiated "One America," an unprecedented national conversation on race. Winter served on the board of One America, helping to bring the only deep-South public forum to the University of Mississippi. President Bill Clinton has called Winter a "great champion of civil rights." Positive changes stem from great leadership, and William Winter is one of many guiding lights for Mississippi and America.
On May 12, 2008, Governor Winter was honored at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. Click here to read his acceptance speech
Dr. Susan M. Glisson
Executive Director
In 1998, Susan Glisson coordinated the only deep-South public forum for President Clinton's One America: an Initiative on Race, which led to the creation of the Institute for Racial Reconciliation. Glisson was appointed director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation in November 2002. She has supported community projects throughout the state for the Institute since its inception.
Glisson is a native of Evans, Georgia. She earned bachelor’s degrees in religion and in history from Mercer University, a master’s degree in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the College of William and Mary. Glisson specializes in the history of race and religion in the United States, especially in the black struggle for freedom.
Glisson is the co-author (with Sam Chaltain and Charles Haynes) of First Freedoms: A Documentary History of First Amendment Rights in America (2006), and she edited The Human Tradition in the Civil Rights Movement (2006). She is a contributor to Telling Stories That Change the World (2008) and to the Encyclopedia of U.S. Labor and Working Class History (2006). Glisson is a Salzburg Fellow and has been quoted widely in the media, including in the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, USA Today, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Miami Herald, The Economist, Le Monde, and on CNN, NBC, and CourtTV. Click here to email Dr. Susan M. Glisson
Institute Staff
April Grayson is from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. She is Documentary Educator for the Winter Institute, where she works on oral history projects, documentary films, web development, and community-based projects. She has a B.A. in English from Millsaps College and has studied Documentary Video Production at the University of Washington. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Film from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her films have shown in festivals throughout North America, as well as in Europe and Africa. Click here to email April Grayson
David Molina, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, completed a BA in English at Amherst College and then came to Mississippi as a participant in the Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC). Through MTC, he taught mathematics at Jim Hill High School in Jackson, where he and a colleague started the Jim Hill Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Club (CRCL) in an effort to maintain a space dedicated to the cultivation of critical inquiry in students. David’s work as Project Coordinator at the Winter Institute is an expansion of the CRCL process, with a focus on developing and maintaining spaces for student criticism and inquiry throughout the state. Click here to email David Molina
Sonia Weinberg Thompson, a native of Columbia, Missouri, is the Winter Institute’s Office Manager/Chief of Staff. She helps with communications efforts and fundraising for the WWIRR, and also manages the student interns. Before joining the WWIRR staff, she was a communications specialist in UM’s Office of Development. She has also worked as an editor at Lucky and Woman’s Day magazines in New York City. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. Click here to email Sonia Thompson.
Charles H. Tucker, a Cary, Mississippi, native, has joined the WWIRR staff as Director of Communications for the Mississippi Truth Project. He has worked in fundraising and public relations and as a newspaper reporter and photographer. Most recently Tucker served as public information officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on its mid-South Delta Initiative. He holds a degree in mass communication and journalism from Jackson State University. Click here to email Charles Tucker.
Institute Interns
Melissa Cole is a student intern for the Winter Institute. A senior Biology/Pre-Med major from Jackson, she is a part of One Mississippi, Ole Miss Ambassadors, Columns Society, and several other organizations on campus. She enjoys reading, watching sports, and making a difference in the world. Click here to email Melissa Cole
I’Nasah Crockett is a second-year graduate student in the Southern Studies Program. Originally from Atlanta, she received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College, concentrating in social sciences and the performing arts. She enjoys deconstructionist theory, grassroots organization(s), and grits (with lots of catfish). Click here to email I’Nasah Crockett
Melody Frierson, a student intern, is a junior Psychology/Spanish double major and Gender Studies minor from Memphis, Tennessee. She became involved with the Winter Institute through the OMazing Race and Respect MS. Melody is a member of the Honors College and is involved with the Feminist Majority, One Mississippi, College Democrats, and several other organizations. Click here to email Melody Frierson
Nickolaus Luckett, from Drew, Mississippi, is a student intern at the Winter Institute. He is a junior Public Policy and Latin major in the Honors College at the University. Nick works with the Associated Student Body Cabinet, is involved in One Mississippi, and is a member of the
Ole Miss Columns Society. Click here to email Nickolaus Luckett
Jake McGraw is a senior Public Policy Leadership/Economics major and a native of Oxford. He became involved with the Institute through Respect Mississippi, and he continues to promote social integration in the student body as Chief Coordinator of One Mississippi. Jake was involved in the planning around the 2008 Presidential Debate and currently serves as a member of the Associated Student Body Cabinet. Click here to email Jake McGraw
Artair Rogers is a student intern for the William Winter Institute from Guntown, MS. He is a senior Public Policy Leadership major in the Trent Lott Leadership Institute and the Honors College. On campus, Artair is president of the Associated Student Body, and is involved with Ole Miss Ambassadors and the Columns Society. Click here to email Artair Rogers
Latoya Thompson is a senior Banking and Finance major from Ashland, Mississippi. She is active in many campus organizations, including NAACP, University of MS Gospel Choir, Omega Phi Alpha, and Big Brother Big Sister of America. She is a student intern at the Winter Institute. Click here to email Latoya Thompson
Patrick Weems is a senior from Madison, Mississippi. He is a Philosophy and Religion major, with Political Science and Spanish minors, and he is co-founder and leader of Respect Mississippi, a student organization sponsored by the Winter Institute. Click here to email Patrick Weems