MS SC506

Commends the Mississippi Humanities Council on celebrating 50 years of service to the state since its establishment in 1972

Recognizes the Council's role as state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, providing grants to nonprofits supporting public programs exploring Mississippi and U.S. history and culture across all 82 counties

Highlights major Council programs including family reading initiatives, speakers bureau, Ideas on Tap for civil discourse, and Museum on Main Street which brought 10 Smithsonian exhibits to 56 sites statewide

Acknowledges the Mississippi Encyclopedia Online project (launched 2018) reaching over 700,000 users globally and the Council's partnership with community colleges to provide for-credit humanities courses for incarcerated students at three state prisons

Notes the Council distributed over $1 million in federal CARES and ARP relief funds to museums and cultural organizations during the pandemic and administered the Mississippi Oral History Project with legislative support