About
In partnership with Jackson State University, the Mississippi Arts Commission, and the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Margaret Walker Center is proud to host the 19th Annual Creative Arts & Scholarly Engagement (CASE) Festival, scheduled for this Friday and Saturday, April 4 & 5, 2025. The CASE Festival will feature a keynote address by Natasha Trethewey, a Mississippian, former U.S. Poet Laureate, and Pulitzer Prize-winner.
Each year, the festival invites high school, undergraduate, and graduate students to submit their essays, spoken word pieces, performing arts presentations, visual art, poems, fiction, and more to present in front of an audience of peers and professors. Seeing the tremendous scholarship and artistry these students produce is a highlight for the Margaret Walker Center each year.
The festival will also highlight the life and legacy of Emmett Till and will open with a plenary conversation featuring the staff of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center.
All events are free and open to the public.
Schedule
View the Schedule of Events and Concurrent Sessions for a more detailed breakdown of individual panels and locations.
Friday, April 4 – COFO Civil Rights Education Center
3:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. Remembering Emmet Till 70 Years Later: Rev. Wheeler Parker and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center Staff, Benjamin Saulsberry and Jay Rushing
4:30 p.m. Sunset with Students: Music, Food, and Spoken Word — Reception and Open Mic
Saturday, April 5 – Jackson State University
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Registration, Q&A, and Continental Breakfast
JSU Student Center 1st Floor Front Desk
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Concurrent Session I
JSU Student Center rooms 3210, 3241, Johnson Hall Art Gallery
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Concurrent Session II
JSU Student Center rooms 3210, 3241, Johnson Hall Art Gallery
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Luncheon and Thee Black Panther: JStyleU Modeling and Fashion Collective
JSU Student Center Ballroom
1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Concurrent Session III
JSU Student Center rooms 3210, 3241, 3250, Johnson Hall Art Gallery
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Natasha Trethewey and Shanna Smith: Closing Conversation and Awards Ceremony
JSU Student Center Theater