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Who We Are
In the spirit of our namesake, Governor William Winter, the William Winter Institute offers programming designed to foster community communications, engage youth leaders and promote civic dialogue on the key issues facing Mississippi and the nation.
Community Building
The Welcome TableTM process helps communities build the relationships necessary to heal systemic challenges, solve civic problems and to bridge long-standing divides.
Youth Engagement
The Summer Youth Institute is a nine-day experiential program for youth to discover the value of diversity and build both leadership and advocacy skills; Summer Youth Institute 2.0 is a reconvening of SYI alumni to maintain their network and strengthen the SYI curriculum.
Policy and Civic Engagement
Rethink MississippiTM is a policy and civic engagement platform for focusing leaders and their constituents on the need for a future based on equity.
“Wherever I’ve gone, irrespective of racial or cultural differences, I’ve found that people agree on several basic propositions: everybody wants a decent education for their children; everybody wants a fair chance to secure a job that will sustain them and their family; everybody wants to be able to live in a decent house on a safe street; everybody wants access to adequate health care; and everybody wants to be treated with dignity and respect.”
- Governor William Winter
The Winter Institute in Photos
Take a look at some images of past Welcome TableTM, Summer Youth Institutes and civil engagement events.
An ongoing project to chronicle the extraordinary efforts of local people who organized to combat Mississippi’s Jim Crow segregation, as well as the complex network of white resistance trying to maintain it.
The Winter Institute Blog
News and reports from the William Winter Institute and our program participants.
Marian Wright Edelman Remembers Gov. Winter for Impact on Civil Rights
Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund, wrote this piece remembering Gov. Winter for helping transform Mississippi’s rigidly segregated public education system and tirelessly working for civil rights. Mississippi’s former Gov. William Winter, who died on Dec. 18, 2020, helped transform Mississippi’s rigidly segregated public
From The Smithsonian: The Continuing Importance of Black History Month
“Knowing the Past Opens the Door to the Future: The Continuing Importance of Black History Month” by Lonnie Bunch, Founding Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, beautifully explains the origin and ongoing relevance of Black History Month. Here is an excerpt: The question that
Winter Director Offers Guidance as Conservatives Look to Racial Reconciliation Efforts
Winter Executive Director Portia Espy was quoted in a Kansas City Star article about former Gov. Sam Brownback encouraging a racial reconciliation agenda among conservatives. Racial reconciliation means a lot of different things to different people, said Portia Ballard Espy, executive director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation in Jackson,
Bill Bynum Featured in OZY’s “They Walk in MLK’s Footsteps” Leader Profiles
Bill Bynum, Winter Institute board chair, is one of the leaders featured in “They Walk in MLK’s Footsteps,” by OZY, a diverse global media company. “In honor of MLK Day, this Sunday Magazine introduces you to today’s leaders across issues to which King devoted his life’s work: poverty, labor, religion
MLK Day Free Screening Event: A Revelatory Portrait of Dr. King
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the most well known and revered figures in American history, but the difficulties he faced in last years of his life are rarely depicted in history books and the media. In honor of Dr. King, join Storyspaces on his day, January 18,
Join Us Virtually on January 19th for the National Day of Racial Healing
The William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation will host a virtual day of discussions and artistic performances for the fifth annual National Day of Racial Healing on January 19. Participants are invited to register for a Zoom link to join for any or all of the events. Register Here >>
Connect with Us
Address
P.O. Box 99
Jackson, MS 39205
Phone
601-557-0056
Email Address
info@winterinstitute.org