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The Southern Quarterly has published a special issue dedicated to understanding the life, accomplishments and legacy of former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, who has spent the last seven decades creating and encouraging radical change in the politics and social climate of his home state.
In addition to serving Mississippi as a representative, state tax collector and treasurer, lieutenant governor and governor, William Winter has been active as a historian, as a member and president of various boards (including the Editorial Board of The Southern Quarterly), as a college and seminary trustee, as a promoter of the arts and as a fierce champion for racial reconciliation.
The issue opens with a new interview with Gov. Winter conducted by Jake McGraw focusing on the governor’s political triumphs, his laments on the state’s continued public and political “erosion of support for public schools,” and his hopes for Mississippi’s future.
Following this spirited interview are eight articles about Gov. Winter and the Democratic Party in Mississippi, 1948, his work on the Education Reform Act, his role as both politician and historian, his leadership in supporting the Mississippi Dept. of Archives and History, his pivotal role in the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration and the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation.
The issue also contains an article on Elise Winter, “A New Kind of First Lady.”
Another element of the issue that is of great historical and archival value is the inclusion of a political comic book used to help voters understand Gov. Winter and his ideas released during his unsuccessful 1967 campaign for governor.
Summing up the importance of this special issue, guest editor James G. Thomas, Jr. observed: “Governor Winter’s legacy is defined by his work on racial and educational equality. This issue puts his political philosophy, political discourse and governance in context.”
Copies of this issue are available for $15 through SouthernQuarterly@gmail.com.
Published by The University of Southern Mississippi since 1962, The Southern Quarterly is a scholarly journal devoted to the interdisciplinary study of Southern arts and culture. A member of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals and available through Project MUSE, The Southern Quarterly defines “the arts” broadly, including literature, painting, sculpture, music, dance, theatre, film and popular culture. We also publish studies of Southern culture informed by such disciplines as history, folklore, anthropology, political science and social geography. The Southern Quarterly defines “The South” as anything south of the Mason Dixon Line, including the Caribbean, to the larger Global South. The Southern Quarterly brings scholarly articles, cutting edge interviews, archival documents with commentary, photo essays, portfolios and book reviews to subscribers all over the world.
