American scholar Imani Perry visited the University of Southern Mississippi last Tuesday to deliver the annual Clyde Kennard Lecture.
Held in the Thad Cochran Grand Ballroom, the event drew students, faculty and community leaders eager to hear Perry’s insights on race, education and personal purpose.
Imani Perry is an esteemed interdisciplinary scholar whose work spans race, law, literature and African American culture. She is the author of several acclaimed books, including her latest, “Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People,” which explores how the color blue reflects the history and culture of Black Americans.
The Clyde Kennard Lecture honors the legacy of Clyde Kennard, the first African American to attempt enrollment at the then-segregated Mississippi Southern College in the 1950s. The institution, now known as The University of Southern Mississippi, was eventually integrated in 1965. The lecture series commemorates Kennard’s role as an unsung civil rights activist who helped spark progressive change in the movement for racial integration in higher education across Mississippi and the nation.
Perry began her lecture with a personal story, emphasizing the power of individual narratives to foster connection and understanding.
“I’m going to offer a personal story about my family home in Birmingham, Alabama,” Perry said. “I think there’s a lot to our stories and connecting them to the larger world. Our personal stories matter because that’s how we’re connected to the fabric of community.”
She also shared why speaking at USM held special significance for her.
“You know there’s no better place to be centered in your purpose than the region where you begin,” said Perry. “The legacy of the civil rights movement and the traditions of the black south are so important to everything I do. There’s also the fact that there is so much political and social organizing happening in the south, it’s just the place to be now.”
The lecture concluded with a book signing and an open discussion session, where Perry offered heartfelt advice to students about the value of education.
“Take your education seriously; not just to go towards your profession, but to grow as a human being,” Perry said. “Figure out your interests, what issues matter most to you. If you can find an issue that you believe is important and that you can dedicate 10 years, then you will have done incredible work, and I think that’s where we start.”
Raylawni Branch, one of the first African American students to enroll at USM, also attended the event and shared her reflections.
“We must communicate with each other if we’re going to make this world better,” Branch said. “I know a lot of people don’t agree with being friendly with people, but if we don’t go out there and do something about it then it won’t change.”
For more information about the Clyde Kennard Lecture Series, visit usm.edu/black-studies/Clyde-Kennard-lecture.
