Conversations-Bishop Duncan M. Gray Jr., from The Southern Documentary Project Vimeo. The Mississippi’s greatest storytellers are those who were born here and raised there, the ones whose roots run deep into the state’s legendary soil. Becca Walton, University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture, is working to collect these stories and place them all in one location. She said that Mississippi has long been a place where people visit for a brief time and extract a story from a local community before they go. “We have many great documentarians here, and they are telling stories that have nuance that wouldn’t be possible for documentarians who, as we say, helicopter in and out.” As associate director for projects, Walton gets to serve as a cultivator of ideas, developing new programs, conferences and most recently a website called www.mississippistories.org. The center launched the website in July 2016 to tell the stories of the places and people that make Mississippi unique. It also gives voice to ordinary people through documentary media such as film and photography. Walton stated that the site’s goal is to highlight great documentary work but its more abstract goals are the core of the center’s work. She stated, “I hope we can contribute to understanding Mississippi and the South” as a complex and remarkably diverse place. In national discourse, Mississippi is often used as a shorthand for “hopeless” and “backward”. While we acknowledge the state’s history of violence and ongoing challenges, we also hope to challenge the idea that the state is closed off and stagnant. Mississippianhood can be defined as many things. It could refer to race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and ethnicity. We want to tell the complex and complete story of Mississippians and help to shape a better future for all. The University’s Office of Research funds the site. Faculty, students, staff, alumni and others contribute to the site. Ted Ownby, the director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture said that the site is organized around a collection of documentary methods rather than a particular topic. He said that the site is a great way to learn about all aspects of documentary work. We live in an age where anyone can either post poor photography or film and post it as it happens. In some ways, we are all documentarians. “This site can show examples of particularly good work and we hope it can encourage discussions about what’s good enough for the site and what can be improved.” Rex Jones, a native Mississippian, is a producer and director at the Southern Documentary Project. He has two documentaries that have been published on the website. Walking Tall in Tchula is the story of Kenneth Hampton, Chief of Police in Tchula. Hampton is well-known for his eccentric ways of maintaining order in his area. Jones’ documentary Brothers focuses on an initiative to encourage African Americans to have regular blood pressure checks. This was done by installing machines in barbershops. He said, “I’m always open to new ideas and I saw this initiative and thought it was a great idea.” “The barbershop is so important in African-American culture. It was so fascinating to explore this as someone who had never been to one. It’s a very innovative way to reach this population and very progressive for Mississippi to do so.” BROTHERS, The Southern Documentary Project on Vimeo. Jones stated that Mississippi isn’t always considered the most progressive state. He also said that Mississippi’s history and people are more complicated than commonly believed. He said, “We are telling stories about the most storied places.” It’s incumbent on everyone to get to know a place and understand its nuances. This website is a great tool for that. “It’s an intriguing little compendium with stories that I think helps to put a different view to Mississippi and its citizens.” Walton, Ownby believe this website will help bridge that gap between the stories being curated in Mississippi by documentarians and the public. Walton stated that “so much documentary work isn’t accessible.” Walton said that oral histories are kept in boxes in libraries and that no one has ever seen documentary photography except in rare museum exhibits. Walton stated that they will publish one to two documentaries per month to help people who are unfamiliar with the state. The site currently features stories from North Mississippi. But, the center plans on eventually covering other parts of the state.