Published on September 12th, 2022 | by University of Mississippi

Title IX Panel Kicks Off Overby Center Fall Slate at Ole Miss

Upcoming events examine Ole Miss integration, modern newsrooms and the role of religion in politics

The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics has a thought-provoking lineup of events for the University of Mississippi’s fall semester.

From critical discussions about current events and the climate inside modern newsrooms to celebrating key milestones such as the 50th anniversary of Title IX and the 60th anniversary of Ole Miss‘ integration, the slate touches collectively on some of the pressing issues facing the region and beyond.

The schedule opens Tuesday, September 13, 2022 with a celebratory discussion of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation that helped equalize the college experience for women, especially in collegiate athletics.

The panel will include Keith Carter, vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics, and Yolette “Coach Yo” McPhee-McCuin, Ole Miss women’s basketball coach. Legendary Mississippi sportswriter Rick Cleveland will moderate the session.

Later this month, as the entire UM campus celebrates the 60th anniversary of James Meredith‘s 1962 integration of the school, the Overby Center will host a panel of distinguished journalists on September 27 to discuss, “Meredith & the Media: Legacy of a Riot.”

Sidna Brower Mitchell, who served as editor of The Daily Mississippian in 1962; Kathleen Wickham, UM professor of journalism; and Curtis Wilkie, Overby fellow emeritus and former journalism professor, will discuss the media’s role both during and after the ensuing riot, and how that event has shaped the public’s view of Ole Miss in the decades since. C-SPAN’s Jesse Holland will moderate.

The fall schedule continues October 5, with a panel event titled “A Sisterhood of Editors.” Amidst today’s remarkably tense racial and political climate, three African American females are leading some of the most important newsrooms in the South.

Katrice Hardy, of the Dallas Morning News; Mary Irby-Jones, Louisville Courier-Journal; and Jewell Walston, Asheville Citizen-Times, will share stories of industry challenges, news deserts and the daily fight to preserve the nation’s democracy. Overby fellow Marquita Smith will moderate.

And finally, the center will close out the semester on November 16, when Overby fellow Terry Mattingly, in discussion with Charles Overby, the center’s founder and chairman, takes an in-depth look at the role of religion in both the 2022 midterm and 2024 general elections.

All programs are free and open to the public. Sessions begin at 5:30 pm in the Overby Center Auditorium, each followed by a reception and open bar.

By Chloe Calo

Yolette McPhee-McCuin. Photo by Joshua McCoy/Department of Intercollegiate Athletics

Keith Carter. Photo courtesy UM Department of Intercollegiate Athletics

Tags: curtis wilkie, integration, james meredith, Jesse Holland, kathleen wickham, Katrice Hardy, keith carter, Ole Miss, Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics, Rick Cleveland, Sidna Brower Mitchell, Title IX, University of Mississippi, Yolette "Coach Yo" McPhee-McCuin

About the Author

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi, affectionately known as Ole Miss, is Mississippi’s flagship university. A member of the elite group of R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification, Ole Miss has a long history of producing leaders in public service, business, academics and the professions. Its 16 academic divisions include a major medical school; nationally recognized schools of accountancy, law and pharmacy; and an Honors College acclaimed for a blend of academic rigor, experiential learning and opportunities for community action. Acclaimed as one of the nation’s most beautiful, Ole Miss's main campus is in Oxford, which is routinely recognized as one of the nation's best college towns.