Southern Miss Alumna Earns Recognition for Thesis from Mississippi Historical Society

Fri, 02/07/2025 - 02:04pm | By: Dr. David Tisdale

A spring 2024 University of Southern Mississippi graduate has earned a prestigious accolade from the Mississippi Historical Society (MHS).

Jerra Boatner Runnels is the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Thesis award for her master’s research project, titled "Black Women in Hattiesburg During World War II: War Work and Community Activism on the Home Front" to be presented to her March 6 at the MHS annual meeting in Jackson.

Runnels, a native of Collinsville, Miss., earned a master's degree in history with an emphasis on war and society in May 2024. She also holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in criminal justice, both from Southern Miss.

After retiring from the state in December 2020, Runnels decided to return to graduate school to “learn the history I did not learn growing up, women's history and Black history.” Examining the war work of Black women during this period–which included resistance to Jim Crow segregation and the fight for Double Victory (fighting fascism abroad while securing civil rights at home) in her attempt to change the public memory of WWII to include Black women–are key elements of her thesis.

Runnels started her thesis research during the pandemic when most archives were closed. “I decided to focus on local history so sources would be accessible,” she explained. “I had no idea my thesis would eventually touch on so many topics, such as women's history, Black history, war and society, Mississippi and Southern history, labor history, and the early civil rights movement.

“We know many Black women who were active in the civil rights movement in the 1960s,” Runnels continued. “Still, the contributions of women during WWII are unknown, and these were the Eureka School (Hattiesburg’s segregated school for Black students) teachers who were teaching and motivating future activists. Their stories and names should be known.”

The Southern Miss history faculty and Dale Center for the Study of War and Society provided Runnels with multiple opportunities for her research. She cited her thesis advisor and mentor, Dr. Rebecca Tuuri, for helping her “understand the complexities of gender, race and class when researching women,” along with USM History program faculty members Dr. Andrew Haley for “giving me a new lens through which to view public history and its importance” and Dr. Kevin Greene for “training me in oral history.” She also expressed how much she learned from Dr. Andrew Wiest's war classes, and thanked Dr. Heather Stur and Dr. Greene for serving on her thesis committee.

“Jerra’s thesis is remarkable for its extensive research, use of sources and oral histories, and choice of an unexplored topic,” said Ryan Schilling, chair of the MHS award selection committee. “It’s also extremely well-written, making it an incredible read.”

“I hope to share my research throughout the state as a speaker with the Mississippi Humanities Council Speaker's Bureau,” Runnels stated.

Runnels currently works as an independent historian with plans to expand her thesis into a book. She also works part-time at the newly established Center for the Study of the National Guard at Southern Miss, helping archive the stories and contributions of the Mississippi National Guard. Additionally, Runnels teaches classes on women's history with USM's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, where she serves on its curriculum committee while also taking classes herself and volunteers at the African American Military History Museum.

Dr. Matt Casey, director of the USM School of Humanities and an associate professor of history, describes Runnels as "a dogged researcher and methodical writer.”

“Her thesis shows the power of analyzing Hattiesburg's history in a way that integrates it into national conversations and ongoing scholarly debates," said Casey.

Click here to learn more about the Southern Miss History program, housed in the School of Humanities.