This February, Mississippi State University is observing Black History Month by bringing Scholar-in-Residence Houston A. Baker, Jr., to campus and holding a Talking About Books series.
According to aas.msstate.edu, the Scholar-in-Residence program is a chance to bring the nation’s best minds to MSU.
The African-American Studies Scholar-in-Residence program brings to MSU renowned faculty from top universities, as well as leading professionals in various disciplines, for one week during the academic year. While in residence, the scholar will contribute to the intellectual life of the university and the wider community under the auspices of the African-American Studies Program,” the website said.
Baker, a Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt University, is MSU’s 2011 African-American Studies’ Scholar-in-Residence. He will be in Starkville from 7  to 11 a.m. giving a presentation on his book, “I Don’t Hate the South: Reflections on Faulkner, Family, and the South,” as well as participating in other campus activities.
Stephen Middleton, director of the African-American Studies program at MSU, said he believes Baker is a great addition to this year’s Black History Month celebration.
“Dr. Baker is one of America’s most prominent scholars and thinkers. He is an amazing talent that I believe everyone — students, faculty, staff, parents and community people — would want to hear,” Middleton said. “He is the type of talent that people really flock to see.”
According to Middleton, in addition to presenting a lecture on his book, Baker will visit classes, participate in MSU’s literary symposium and hold a discussion in the Talking About Books series.
Middleton said he came up with the idea for the Talking About Books series in early January as a great sponsorship opportunity for the African-American Studies program. The series consists of four professors, including Baker, who will each give a presentation on a piece of African-American nonfiction and hold a discussion. Middleton says it is all about creating a reading culture at MSU.
“That would make this very successful if people say, ‘We want to talk about books. We want to engage conversations in our dorms or the cafeteria. We want to be as excited about books as we are about a football game.’ That would be awesome,” Middleton said.
Anne Marshall, assistant professor in the Department of English, will hold a discussion on the book “For Freedom’s Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer.” Marshall said she thinks her discussion will be beneficial for those looking to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement.
“It gives wonderful insight not only into Fannie Lou Hamer’s life and the really important role she played in the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement but also gives insight into the times she lived in, the impediments that anybody who would want to work for African-American freedom and equality would face in the 1960s in Mississippi,” Marshall said.
Although the books to be discussed revolve around African Americans, Middleton said he urges  everyone to attend.
“I know this is Black History Month, and this is a book about an African-American, but this is not a conversation for African-Americans. This is a conversation for human beings,” Middleton said.
Despite the discussions are led by professors, Marshall emphasized audience participation as an integral part in the series’ success.
“I think that’s really what we are hoping for, more than having just a presentation and having an audience to talk to; we hope to create a discussion out of it,” Marshall said.
In the long run, Middleton said he hopes programs like the Talking About Books series enhance the academic environment at MSU.
“This series would be successful if students came and engaged conversations about books on their own; this doesn’t have to be a program-sponsored event,” Middleton said. “What if students just pick a month and pick a day to let’s form a group and talk about Marx’s ‘Communist Manifesto,’ can you imagine what this intellectual climate would be like?”