William ‘Brother’ Rogers to speak on race relations

William 'Brother' Rogers to speak on race relations

William "Brother" Rogers will present "Race Relations in Mississippi: Where Do We Go from Here?" at the Holmes Community College Adcock Library on Thursday, July 12 at 12:30 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Holmes Library in conjunction with the Ridgeland Public Library and was funded with support from the Mississippi Humanities Council. The presentation is open to the public free of charge.

"The subject of race relations in Mississippi was addressed this year through the Holmes English Department," said Assistant Librarian Jennifer Smith. "The Department explored race relations through studying a novel, art and music as well as by listening to various guest speakers. We believe that this topic is important so we collaborated with the Ridgeland Public Library to bring Brother Rogers in to further stimulate this discussion among students, faculty, prospective Holmes students and community members."

Rogers serves as director of the Programs and Communication Division of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). Prior to working for MDAH, he served as the associate director of the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service in Starkville from 1990-2016. Before joining the Stennis Center, Rogers served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Representative Donald Payne of New Jersey.

Always active in community affairs, Rogers served eight years as the facilitator for the Race Relations Team of the Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce and is responsible for the Cool Papa Bell historical marker in Starkville. He chaired the Unity Park Committee, which created a park in Starkville to honor Mississippians who have improved race relations in the state. Additionally, he was a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News from 1994-2017 and taught as an adjunct professor in the University of Alabama Honors College from 2008-2014.

An alumnus of the University of Alabama, Rogers graduated magna cum laude in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in economics. Upon graduation, he earned a master's degree in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Rogers is originally from Brandon and was an exchange student in Kyoto, Japan in high school.

Rogers is also past president and current secretary-treasurer of the Mississippi Historical Society and serves as a board member of both the Mississippi Heritage Trust and the Mississippi Humanities Council. He has sat on a number of other boards, as well, and under his leadership, the United Way set a fund raising record.

Rogers won the 2017 Elmer Staats Award from the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. He has served for 20 years on Truman Scholar selection panels in Nashville, been a senior scholar at Truman Scholars Leadership Week, and helped organize numerous events for Truman Scholars, including regional conferences, visiting the USS TRUMAN aircraft carrier, special trips to the Pentagon and seminars on Capitol Hill. He was the recipient of the 2011 Bert Reed Award for Outstanding Adult Leadership in Boy Scout Troop 14 and also won two Awards of Merit from the Mississippi Historical Society, one for his work on Unity Park in Starkville and another for photographing historical markers across Mississippi.

Rogers and his son Andrew, a student at Mississippi State University, enjoy music, sports and traveling.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Pictured is William "Brother" Rogers, director of the Programs and Communication Division of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Rogers will present "Race Relations in Mississippi: Where Do We Go from Here?" at the Holmes Community College Adcock Library on Thursday, July 12 at 12:30 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Holmes Library in conjunction with the Ridgeland Public Library and is open to the public free of charge.