Ole Miss Journalism Professor’s Book Project Highlighted by National Humanities Alliance

By Anna Grace Usery
Editor-in-Chief
anna.grace.usery@hottytoddy.com

Ole Miss assistant professor of journalism and new media Alysia Burton Steele is being recognized nationally for her literary achievements and preserving Mississippi’s history. 

Alysia Burton Steele is the author of “Delta Jewels”. Photo courtesy of Alysia Burton Steele.

Steele was selected as one of 1,402 applicants, as her 2015 book project was one of 51 partnerships highlighted by the National Humanities Alliance. 

The “Delta Jewels Oral History” partnership was an 18-month collaboration between the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University, according to the National Humanities Alliance. Her 2015 book “Delta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother’s Wisdom” details the lives of African American church women in the Delta.

The Delta Center planned 15 gatherings in the Delta region that reached more than 1,000 community members. A gathering commemorating Women’s History Month and the National Park Service Centennial was also held at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum in Washington, D.C.

Steele said the once-in-a-lifetime experience opened her eyes to the level of community engagement in the Delta. 

““It was really a growing experience, a learning experience personally and professionally. It changed my life,” she told the National Humanities Alliance. 

Steele is in the process of writing her next book that centers around those in Mississippi who were impacted by cotton. 

“It didn’t matter where I was in Mississippi—the hills, the Gulf, the Delta, the capital—people wanted to talk about their experiences with cotton and I’m not sure why. I thought ‘OK, I’m listening to you, God. Cotton it is.’