By: Yasmine Malone | September 26, 2025
Clarksdale, MS — “Everything that you’d ever want to go see elsewhere, you can find here in the Delta…” On September 23, 2025, these words echoed through the halls of the Cutrer Mansion as Brenda Luckett delivered her final remarks during the Mississippi Delta Cultural Heritage Ambassadors graduation ceremony. They served as a powerful frame for understanding the significance of this program—not just for the cohort members, but for the Delta community at large.
Under the visionary direction of Jenna Welch, founder of StoryWorks Theater, fellows conducted intensive research exploring the history, culture, and lived experiences of African Americans and Native Americans in Coahoma County. The work culminated in the creation of the Delta Roots, Coahoma Routes tour—an original community storytelling experience that celebrates local memory and heritage.
The evening’s atmosphere was rich with the sounds of the South as Edna Nicole and Reverend Slim delivered live music to an intimate crowd of about 40 guests. Cohort members, community partners, and invited guests gathered to commemorate the close of this months-long fellowship, marked by storytelling, research, collaboration, and shared learning.
Graduating fellows included: Jack Bobo, Crystal Bradley, Charmion Davis, Tasheena Galmore, Irma Hicks, Jecorry Miller, Tyler Slack, Latanthony Strong, Thaxton Waters, Chandra Williams, and myself—Yasmine Malone. We celebrated the end of our journey with joy: live music, food, laughter, and dancing, surrounded by people who believe in the power of stories to transform and heal.
The speaker of the hour was Brenda Luckett, a former fellow, program alumna, and honored cultural bearer of the Delta. She offered moving reflections on the power of this work as a conduit for memory, a form of living archive. “What it taught me,” she recalled, “was that regardless of the research gathered, always look at the people that you are dealing with, whose lives you deal with. Remember to give them the dignity they deserve.”
Her words reminded us all that to encounter and share someone’s story is a sacred responsibility—an act of reverence, deeply rooted in care and respect.
This program was made possible through the collaboration of StoryWorks Theater and the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University, with support from the Walton Family Foundation. The essential work of the StoryWorks team—Aallyah Wright, Layla Young, and Rebecca Welch—brought this fellowship to life.
- Aallyah Wright serves as Editorial Director, helping shape the narrative and journalistic framework of our work.
- Layla Young is the Associate Artistic Director, guiding artistic vision through quiltmaking and championing critical public speaking skills.
- Rebecca Welch Weigel is the Education Director, designing curriculum and bridging storytelling with learning.
Their dedication and stewardship helped ensure that this fellowship was not just about telling stories, but about doing so with care, structure, and integrity.
As Brenda reminded us, we don’t have to look elsewhere to find meaning, beauty, or history. It’s already here in Coahoma, in Clarksdale, in the Delta. And through this fellowship, we have been given the tools to see it, honor it, and share it.
Connect with the StoryWorks Theater team on Facebook and Instagram at StoryWorks Theater.
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