Pop Up Show at Graduate Hotel Combines Local Culture With a Good Cause

Thacker Mountain Radio Hour will host its inaugural pop-up show at the Graduate Oxford on Thursday, May 17, in partnership with Move On Up Mississippi (MOUM), a local nonprofit that recognizes and fights against the impacts of statewide child obesity and malnutrition.
Founded in 2015 by John Currence, chef and owner at Oxford’s City Restaurant Group, MOUM inspires and supports change agents through educational tools and selective programming with the fixed goal of creating a safer, healthier environment for Mississippi youth. The nonprofit has provided thousands of dollars to the Lafayette community since its inception and is currently in the middle of finding specific ways to generate funds and support underserved organizations in the county.
“We find the goals of MOUM important in addressing and upending the oftentimes ‘white-washing’ of Oxford, and one of the best ways to do that is in creating venues and outlets for artistic expression,” Currence said. “Through our programming, we want to pervade that sense of authenticity, and regenerate what made Oxford unique 20 years ago as a community.”
MOUM is bringing attention to the larger issue of Mississippi’s continually underperforming health profile. This past week, the state was named the “most food insecure state” for the eighth year in a row by Feeding America, a national association of food banks which deliver over four billion meals annually to the country’s highest at-risk regions.
“Our goals with this program are in finding, enabling, and supporting Mississippi’s youth, as well designing our standards to line up with other nonprofits that share the same interests,” said John T. Edge, Southern Foodways Alliance Director and MOUM President. “We strive for excellence in having programming that is creative and has a broader focus of our state. [Like Thacker Mountain], we need to look at the full story of the needs presented, and have a narrative focus on Mississippi and the South.”
In Feeding America’s 2016 edition of the Map the Meal Gap report, an interactive outline of the country’s food prosperity, over 600,000 Mississippi residents were considered below the threshold for food security, including 176,580 children. With a national food budget shortfall of over $300 million, the need for community funding is drastic.
“MOUM is a fairly young foundation, and we’re excited to assist existing organizations and programs with health initiatives for youth across Lafayette county,” said Afton Thomas, Southern Foodways Alliance programmer and newly-announced MOUM board member. “We recently wrapped up our preliminary grant cycle and have invited some applicants, LOU organizations with initiatives and programs that align with [MOUM’s] mission to support educational youth initiatives focused on health, well-being and physical activity, to complete the full grant application for funding for their upcoming fiscal year.”
According to research by the University of Mississippi Medical Center, much of the state is suffering from defined “food deserts,” areas that are considered to fall below the poverty line and lack outlets for fresh fruits and vegetables. For instance, in conjunction with the site’s infographics, studies indicate that low-income areas have nearly 30 percent more convenience stores and fast-food chains than middle-income districts.
With unlimited, unhealthy food options, these areas are prone to higher rates of obesity, as well as other food-related illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Children are especially susceptible to early onsets of these complications, given their relatively high dependence rates.
In addition to the child food health crisis, a recent report from the Mississippi Birth Coalition cited the state as the poorest in the nation for women’s, infants’, and children’s health. This includes the highest infant and pregnancy-related maternal mortality rates, as well as insufficient support and education for young mothers on proper childcare.
“With MOUM, we wanted to create our own program that not only meets the letter of what our mission states but was something we could duplicate and take into other communities,” Currence said. “We’ve had a slow build-up, because we recognize that it takes a deliberate approach in looking at our programming and addressing the ills of a certain need.”
Taking all these facets into account, MOUM is steadily organizing community events and fundraisers to help improve the state’s food infrastructure. The show at the Graduate Hotel’s rooftop restaurant and lounge, The Coop, will prove no different, with a unique lineup of individuals connected to the cause.

“As a board, we are thrilled of the possibilities of working with outstanding programs in the area,” Afton said. “Lafayette County is filled with wonderful organizations and philanthropic individuals with specific missions, but each operate within a larger, shared mission to continue to strengthen the opportunities and support we can provide for our LOU community.”
The show will feature James Beard-nominated chef and author Edward Lee, who has earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the Emmy Award-winning TV series, ‘The Mind of a Chef.’ His latest title, ‘Buttermilk Graffiti,’ explores the oftentimes generalized American culinary landscape by turning it on its head, exploring a variety of chefs and cuisines that have added internationality to the country’s landscape.
“We’re stoked to have this pop-up show in conjunction with Currence’s foundation and the Graduate [Hotel],” said Kate Teague, Thacker Mountain Radio director and producer. “They have been so generous to us, and the fact that we’re able to host this with amazing, talented guests, will make it an event to remember.”
A nod to the relationship between healthy childcare and food, the show will also feature readings by nanny and author Connie Simpson, a celebrity childcare specialist with clients including Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, and Amal and George Clooney. Simpson’s practices involve “an abundance of compassion and patience,” which are highlighted in her manual, “The Nanny Connie Way — Secrets to Mastering the First Four Months of Parenthood.”
“We live in a small town. Partnerships are necessary in achieving any goal and makes them that much sweeter when you have the support of your community,” Afton said. “It truly takes a village to execute any vision. Thacker Mountain Radio is a gem in our community [of Oxford], and this particular show is really exciting.”
Tanya Blount and Michael Trotter, a husband and wife duo behind the band, The War Treaty, will be performing their soul and bluegrass originals at the event. As artists themselves, they find it important to recognize the opportunity to merge creative pursuits.
“Music and food together transcend the limits of language and social differences to bring us together. This is what make’s Move On Up Mississippi’s mission so unique,” the married couple and band members said. “We’re excited to support Move On Up Mississippi in their mission because both food and music can serve as the antidote to any problem in life. Both fill the soul.”
This partnership of nonprofits lends support to Oxford’s ongoing attempts in bringing community organizations together for the greater good, as well as putting a focal point on the civilians of Mississippi who are making a difference.
“As MOUM comes into its third year, we’re trying to recognize and assist the reality behind the city of Oxford,” Edge said. “The reality is that there are people, especially children, among us in deep, profound need, and that need exists right along with our wealth and progression. The chefs and nonprofits we’ve partnered with recognize that need, and it’s imperative that we all harness that power, that intellect and sense of community, together.”
It is a story that is broader than its parts, with MOUM trying to encompass regions of the state that rarely get to share in the slow but growing success rate of Mississippi’s leadership on the nationwide map. As government agencies continue to put money elsewhere, it also raises the question of how to support a need that seems daunting for most small-scale, local nonprofits.
“We sought, and are seeking, to be a grand mechanism for local nonprofits, and inspire others in the areas of health, well-being, and education,” Currence said. “We come up with and identify programming already in place, and then see what we can offer through our connections and move it outward.”
The show will take place on Thursday, May 17 at 6 p.m. on the rooftop of the Graduate Hotel. It is free for all ages and open to public viewing. Additional tickets for MOUM events happening throughout the week can be found on the organization’s event page.

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By Anne Marie Hanna
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