Viewing on cspan which has been a supporter from the first year. We appreciate them very much, im with goodwin with the Mississippi Department of archives, if youve not already done so please silence your cell phones. Our panel this morning isa spotlight on mississippi civil rights. We thank bradley both cummings from sponsoring it, theyve also been withthe w book festival since the beginning, where grateful for that early support and for their sticking with us. We are in this room today, thanks to foreman watkins law efirm. We appreciate their support. Our panelists are Natalie Adams, Michelle Purdy and hezekiah watkins. Purchase copies of their books from vendors outside and you can find the times our authors will be signing in your programs. We will hear from our panelists forabout 40 minutes, and open the floor to questions. Please come to the podium in the center of the room to ask your questions. Be carefulof the ramp, dont trip. Now let me welcome our moderator, pamela said dc j
Welcome to the 2019 mississippi book festival. This morning we celebrate the fifth anniversary of her literary long party. [applause] we are honored to have so many distinguished authors and friends join our celebration from the Mississippi State capital. Today more than 170 authors will visit with thousands of booklovers making connections through the love of books and the written word. Cspan has been with us since the very beginning and we are grateful for the partnership we start today by recognizing the readers to mississippi culturally a landscape. The writers trail is an ever list the places all over the state that mark significant places in the lives of mississippi authors. Ida b wells and richard ford are the very best writers. Two is famous for Investigative Journalism. And ford is famous for his novels. The hardhitting pieces about lynching of the 20th century achieve such notoriety that was known by some as the most famous black woman in america. Her marker will be placed in