Latest news with #ChickasawInkanaFoundation
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Davis, Thompson qualify for District 16 special election
TUPELO — Incumbent Rep. Rickey Thompson, Democrat, has qualified for re-election to his seat in District 16 for the Mississippi House of Representatives, and he's picked up a challenger in Chickasaw Inkana Foundation CEO Brady Davis of Tupelo. Both Davis and Thompson qualified to run for the seat Monday morning, the first day to qualify for the Nov. 4 special election, with primaries set for Aug. 5. District 16 encompasses Chickasaw, Lee, Monroe and Pontotoc counties and includes portions of Tupelo, Verona and Shannon. Following recent redistricting, District 16 took in much of southwest Pontotoc County, northwest Chickasaw County and expanded further south of Monroe County. Thompson, 60, defeated independent candidate Steve Holland in 2019 and ran unopposed in 2023. Thompson said, if reelected, he will continue to focus on workforce development, economic growth and education. 'I am running on a record that I have represented the people of Northeast Mississippi. Communities want to see change,' he said. 'We have to get the people out to the polls to vote.' From Shannon, Thompson serves as the vice chair of the Enrolled Bills committee and also serves on the Agriculture, Judiciary B and Public Health and Human Services committees. He sponsored House Bill 565, which amended state code to require law enforcement agencies to provide the board on law enforcement officer standards notifications on when an officer is fired or resigns from disciplinary action within 72 hours of termination. The bill passed and was signed into law on March 18. This is Davis' first attempt at political office. However, he said he has worked closely with state and local officials in his work at the foundation and in his professional relationship with the Chickasaw Nation. He said, if elected, he wants to be present for the community and bring goodwill and do the right thing. 'What it boils down to is my campaign really is encapsulated by my slogan, 'Progress through unity, and unity through service,'' he said. 'That aims to achieve several critical objectives, which are all centered on the fundamental principle of bringing people together for the betterment of our community … True progress begins with understanding, and that means listening to everyone regardless of their background, beliefs or affiliations.'
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chickasaw Heritage Center work on schedule for late 2026 opening
TUPELO – Sometime late next year, the much-anticipated and long-awaited Chickasaw Heritage Center will open, telling the story of the Chickasaw Nation through the perspective of its people. The center represents the "journey home" for the Chickasaw and their nation, which encompassed much of Northeast Mississippi, northwest Alabama, west Tennessee and southwest Kentucky before the U.S. Government forced them west in the 1830s. During the height of the nation, the Tupelo area was located at the heart of it. Brady Davis is the CEO of the nonprofit Chickasaw Inkana Foundation, which started in 2014 with a mission to preserve, protect and interpret the Chickasaw history and culture. "The vision for the center has been 40 years in the making," Davis said. "There were individuals here in the 1980s that wanted some type of Chickasaw cultural center, and there was some funding provided by the Mississippi Department of Archives, and Jamie Joyner our current chairperson was involved in that." Also during that time, a Harvard archeologist surveyed the area for more than two years and found more than 1,500 sites. Five sites were identified on the 160-acre site where the CHC is under construction. "It's extremely important that groups are allowed to tell their story and how they experienced it," Davis said. "There have been a lot of attempts in the region to share Chickasaw history and culture, and a lot of them have been very valuable and meaningful. We have a lot of great smaller regional museums, and they've done a good job with that. But we feel it's important to have the Chickasaw perspective, and what better place than the heart of their homeland from where they were removed in 1837?" The facility will include a reconstructed village area and other attractions. The project is divided into two phases. The first includes the atrium, lobby, art gallery, multipurpose room, catering kitchen, gift shop, collections management, administrative offices and a plaza. Phase 2 will have a theater, cafe and additional space for exhibits. Davis said there will be a playground and trails throughout the property that connect to the Natchez Trace Parkway trails. The construction of the first phase of facility is expected to be complete by late 2026, and Phase II to begin shortly after. Between local, state, Chickasaw Nation, the foundation and business and individual donations, the project has raised more than $44 million in funding, including $16 million from the Chickasaw Nation, $16 million from the state of Mississippi, $1 million from form the Tupelo CVB and nearly $1 million raised by the foundation locally in personal donations. The foundation also pledged $10 million to cover costs. "The original project was supposed to be only $32 million, and then of course COVID and then inflation, and the project cost swelled well over $50 million, and now we're sitting at $60 million for everything," Brady said. Enough money has been raised to fully complete the first phase of the project and into Phase 2. The hope is that the rest of the funding for Phase 2 will be secured by the time for the first-phase ribbon cutting ceremony planned for November 2026. Brady is also working with several companies for sponsorships and naming opportunities. The site will have two entrances — one off the Natchez Trace Parkway, and the other is Browning Road of West Jackson Street. Construction is on schedule, with the slab of the facility is expected to be poured in June followed by the steel framework. "We're looking at hiring our first staff in October for the center, and Brad Deramus is the director of the Chickasaw Heritage Center," Davis said. "For over 20 years he's worked for Chickasaw Nation and was director of operations of the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulfur, Oklahoma." Sarah McCullough is development and tourism manager, and has several years of experience with the Mississippi Development Authority and international business development. She spent several years with Visit Mississippi, the tourism arm of MDA, focusing on cultural heritage tourism. "The impact of cultural heritage tourism on the local economy goes far beyond just one site; it also creates a great amenity that makes a community attractive," she said. Additionally, the expected economic impact of the CHC is up to $6 million a year. Davis has been working closely with Deramus with content development for the Chickasaw Heritage Center and about 90% of the exhibit hall content has been collected. "We're coming here to honor our ancestors and make new friends along the way to be on this journey with us," he said. The center, Davis said, is "about who we are, how we see ourselves in the world; come learn about us from our perspective. Learn about our language, how we dress, our food ... it's not just a bunch of names and dates. We want to interweave culture and history ... we want people to come out of here with an understanding about Chickasaw strength and resilience, adaptability and a strong connection with the Chickasaw people today."
