Mississippi Today to host community listening sessions across the Delta

Members of the Mississippi Today newsroom will be in Clarksdale, Greenwood and Greenville conducting community listening sessions in June. The listening sessions are a way for Delta residents to share their experiences and information needs with the newsroom, in advance of an extensive reporting project Mississippi Today is planning in the region.

“Through support from the Julia Reed Charitable Trust and the McMullan O’Connor Family Foundation we are embarking on a multifaceted reporting project in the Mississippi Delta,” said Mary Margaret White, Mississippi Today CEO and Executive Director. “We feel it is imperative to listen first to community members across the region before deciding on the direction of the reporting. The Delta is not a monolith and it is important for us to begin this project with a nuanced understanding of the reporting people want and need.”

In partnership with Modern Farmer, Mississippi Today reporters will be conducting community listening at the Clarksdale Farmers Market on Thursday, June 20 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and at the Greenwood Farmers Market on Saturday, June 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The Greenville listening session will take place on Tuesday, June 25 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Washington County Public Library.

“To meet your community’s needs, you must start by listening, which is why we are so pleased to be partnering with Mississippi Today on this project,” said Erica Anderson, Modern Farmer Director of Content. “Agriculture is at the heart of the Mississippi Delta. As a nonprofit news outlet covering equity and resiliency in our food system, we can think of no better place than the farmers market to engage with folks and hear their concerns.”

Modern Farmer is a nonprofit initiative dedicated to inspiring action and driving change toward a more equitable and resilient food system in North America. Through storytelling, community engagement, and partnerships, Modern Farmer engages and empowers a diverse audience to get involved and make an impact.

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