Margaret Walker Center

Margaret Walker Center The Margaret Walker Center is an archive and museum dedicated to African American history and culture.

The Center was originally founded as the Institute for the Study of the History, Life, and Culture of Black People by Margaret Walker in 1968. Founded by Margaret Walker in 1968, the Center seeks to honor her literary legacy and commitment to Black Studies by expanding and promoting its manuscript holdings and oral history collections, interpreting African-American history and culture through its

museum and exhibits, coordinating public programs on campus and throughout the community, preserving historic structures central to the African-American experience, and advocating Black Studies at Jackson State University.

22-year-old Margaret Walker takes stock of her emotions and ambitions in today's .In this 1937 journal entry, she discu...
08/31/2026

22-year-old Margaret Walker takes stock of her emotions and ambitions in today's .

In this 1937 journal entry, she discusses why she is starting another journal, and how she hopes the journal will be an outlet for the many thoughts and emotions she is dealing with. The topics she lists range from the personal to the broadly societal.

We're certainly thankful for her "unquenchable eagerness" to write, so that we can study her journals today.

Let's discuss--comment your thoughts below!
- Margaret Walker mentions a variety of journaling subjects in this excerpt. Which do you most often find yourself writing about?
- The entry is dated January 31. How might the new year have impacted Walker's reflections?

Thank you to all the JSU students and faculty that joined us for the screening of Ava DuVernay's powerful film, "August ...
08/28/2026

Thank you to all the JSU students and faculty that joined us for the screening of Ava DuVernay's powerful film, "August 28: A Day in the Life of a People."

We were proud to be one of many sites nationwide to showcase the film as a part of the National Museum of African American History & Culture's 10th anniversary celebration.

Attention JSU students, faculty, and staff!!! Please join us TODAY at NOON in Student Center Ballroom A for a special sc...
08/28/2026

Attention JSU students, faculty, and staff!!! Please join us TODAY at NOON in Student Center Ballroom A for a special screening of Ava DuVernay's film, "August 28: A Day in the Life of a People."

The August 28th film highlights pivotal moments in Black history that all occurred on a single date. The Margaret Walker Center and JSU Student Center present this film to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

This meaningful film is usually shown only at the NMAAHC museum in Washington, D.C., so don't miss your chance to see it!

Reminder for tomorrow--Please share with any JSU students/orgs/departments!Don't miss your chance to see acclaimed write...
08/28/2026

Reminder for tomorrow--Please share with any JSU students/orgs/departments!

Don't miss your chance to see acclaimed writer and director Ava DuVernary's "August 28: A Day in the Life of a People" tomorrow at noon in the JSU Student Center Ballroom A!

We're proud to screen this film in honor of the 10th anniversary of the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC).

Attention JSU students!!! Please join us TOMORROW at NOON in Student Center Ballroom A for a special screening of Ava Du...
08/27/2026

Attention JSU students!!! Please join us TOMORROW at NOON in Student Center Ballroom A for a special screening of Ava DuVernay's film, "August 28: A Day in the Life of a People."

The August 28th film highlights pivotal moments in Black history that all occurred on a single date. The Margaret Walker Center and JSU Student Center present this film to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

This film is usually shown only at the NMAAHC museum in Washington, D.C., so don't miss your chance to see it!

Please help us wish Dr. John A. Peoples, Jr., a very happy birthday!Dr. Peoples' outstanding career includes 17 years as...
08/26/2026

Please help us wish Dr. John A. Peoples, Jr., a very happy birthday!

Dr. Peoples' outstanding career includes 17 years as president of Jackson State University, where he had previously taught mathematics. In addition to his dedication to JSU, he has been immersed in the community, serving on countless boards and organizations, working for education initiatives, and furthering museum and cultural work.

Thank you for all you do, Dr. Peoples!

Meet part of the lineup for the Margaret Walker Center team!As the fall semester gets underway at JSU, we wanted to put ...
08/26/2026

Meet part of the lineup for the Margaret Walker Center team!

As the fall semester gets underway at JSU, we wanted to put some faces to names. If you see us around campus, don't hesitate to say hello!

In alphabetical order, our roster here includes:
- Alissa Rae Funderburk, Mellon Oral Historian
- Patrice Jones, Administrative Assistant/Building Administrator
- Garrad Lee, HCAC Digital Humanities Program Manager
- Robert Luckett, Director
- Angela Stewart, Archivist
- Patricia Syner, Communications Director
- Anastasia Taylor, HCAC Director of Digital and Community Engagement

To meet the rest of our dynamic team, come see us at Gallery 1 or keep an eye out for our public events and programming!

Huge congratulations to Mr. Hezekiah Watkins for receiving the Bill Billingsley Award at the 2026 Association of African...
08/25/2026

Huge congratulations to Mr. Hezekiah Watkins for receiving the Bill Billingsley Award at the 2026 Association of African American Museums Conference! A much deserved recognition for someone who does so much volunteering, educating, and leading in the community.

P.S. If you can’t already tell by all the yelling, we got a little excited about our shoutout.

Today's looks a little different!While this sketch from 1947 might seem simple at first glance, like all of Margaret W...
08/24/2026

Today's looks a little different!

While this sketch from 1947 might seem simple at first glance, like all of Margaret Walker's journal pages, it still tells a story. Walker was definitely a planner, and many of her journal pages are filled with notes about lessons, budgets, creative works (of course), meal plans, and more.

In this example, she sketches a floor plan of a house in High Point, North Carolina, where she was planning to move. It's interesting to note that the preceding pages contain personal reflections, and the following pages contain an astrological chart. It's clear that Walker had a variety of things on her mind.

No doubt that this type of planning and organizing helped her write Jubilee, a long and complex novel.

How do you journal? Do you draw or write or both? Do you make lists or write essays? Let us know in the comments!

Some sights from the beginning of the 2026 conference in Philadelphia! 🛩️🌆It was a great opening last night at the zoo...
08/20/2026

Some sights from the beginning of the 2026 conference in Philadelphia! 🛩️🌆

It was a great opening last night at the zoo, and we’re excited for the rest of the conference!

Address

P. O. Box 17008
Jackson, MS
39217

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

601-979-3935

Website

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