Dr. Cassie Sade Turnipseed, assistant professor of history at Mississippi Valley State University, is a busy professor. In the month of June, she will be engaged in, yet, another project giving her the opportunity to share her research at the College of Charleston.
The conference, ‘Transforming Public History from Charleston to the Atlantic World’ will be held June 14-17.
It is hosted by the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, Carolina Low Country and the Atlantic World Program (CLAW), Addlestone Library and the Race and Social Justice Initiative at the College of Charleston.
Dr. Turnipseed, along with Ed Dwight, both of Khafre, Inc. will present on Wednesday, June 14 during a session on Black Monuments, Culture and Historical Narratives.
She will present research on ‘The Building of a National Park: The Cotton Pickers’ Monument Project.’
“This is a great opportunity that I plan to take full advantage of,” said Dr. Turnipseed. “What we are talking about carries huge historical significance. It is so relevant and timely to where Mississippi Valley State sits, that it’s important to give that story a voice.”
“This monument project presents an opportunity to not only give dignity to those who made cotton ‘king,’ but also to say thank you to those who with their sweat equity investments made cotton production the number one industry in America for over two-hundred years.”
As the founding member and executive director of Khafre, Inc., a 501 c3 not-for-profit Mississippi based organization, she works on a volunteer basis to lead the community driven movement to erect a monument and establish a national park in tribute to enslaved workers, sharecroppers, tenant farmers and day laborers of the cotton fields of the American South.
The keynote speaker for the conference is Lonnie G. Bunch, Ph.D., director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum for African American History and Culture. In this position, he works to set the museum’s mission, coordinate its fundraising and membership campaigns, develop its collections, establish cultural partnerships and provided oversight for the design and construction of the museum.