Congressman Bennie Thompson Announces National Park Services Awards $77,009 Mississippi Organizations

October 18, 2022

(BOLTON, MS) Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced the National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Jefferson National Parks Association (JNPA) has awarded $77,009 in grants for 4 projects promoting cultural heritage preservation through the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative (LMDI) region.

Established in 1994, the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative has provided more than $3 million in grants to organizations exempt from federal income tax, such as non-profit organizations, tribal groups, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and state and local governments. The Lower Mississippi Delta region includes 219 counties across the state of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.

This year’s grants will support the following projects:

ORGANIZATION	PROJECT TITLE	AMOUNT	PURPOSE
City of Natchez	Hiram Revels Plaza: Design & Construction Services	$25,000	Engineering and landscape design services to create Revels Plaza, a public space honoring Senator Hiram Revels, the first African American in the U.S. Congress. Situated at the St. Catherine Street gateway to Downtown Natchez, the plaza is adjacent to Zion Chapel, where Revels was pastor in 1865.
Mississippi Heritage Trust	Indianola Freedom House Stabilization	$24,500	The Mississippi Heritage Trust, in partnership with Dr. Felicia King, will complete the stabilization of the Indianola Freedom House.
Shape Up Mississippi	Resetting the Table: The History of Foodways in Vicksburg	$25,000	This project creates an interactive History of Foodways in Vicksburg exhibit at the Catfish Row Museum, showcasing how food and culture are profoundly intertwined in the Mississippi Delta. Our Demonstration Kitchen will promote culinary and cultural heritage tourism, sharing Vicksburg's unique food heritage while fostering economic growth in the region.
Copiah-Lincoln Community College Foundation	Using Local Voices to Teach the Voting Rights Story in Mississippi	$2,509	This project is a one-day teacher workshop which will focus on effective ways to use oral history to teach a more complete narrative and interpretation of African American voting rights in 1960s Mississippi.