From SOIL to "Sinners"

Written by Sadé Meeks

‘Sipp Talk is dedicated to amplifying contemporary stories of Mississippians and highlighting the unique narratives and perspectives found here. 

Over the past three years, our team has been working to cultivate connections in the Mississippi Delta, beginning in the Home of the Blues, Clarksdale. In 2024, we were able to help produce the exhibition SOIL – a new photo exhibition by Justin Hardiman, curated by Adrienne Domnick, highlighting the beauty and legacy of Black farmers and food traditions found in and around the Clarksdale area. 

Adrienne Domnick, Curator of SOIL, New Work by Justin Hardiman talks about her goals for SOIL

That work connected us to Rootswell, a subsidiary of A Partnership for a Healthy America, and from that experience, we were able to become enmeshed in the amazing culture and arts scene found within that community. 

As we continued to deepen our connections in Clarksdale, we visited events and fairs for local creatives and met even more community members driven by their passion for their community. We have continued to help document and highlight the work that local Clarksdalians are doing such as the reopening of J’s Grocery in the Brickyard neighborhood, which is a beacon shining a light on the cultural and food history of Clarksdale as they offer fresh foods to their community once more.  

Grand Re-Opening of J's Grocery in the Brickyard Community

Fast forward to today and we have now been a producing partner to help bring Sinners screenings and programming to Clarksdale. We wanted you to hear about that experience firsthand in case you wondered how we got here, and a friend of the ‘Sipp Talk Media Team, Sadé Meeks, dietitian, content-creator, and food blogger has written her account of the screening and how it has impacted her love for Clarksdale:

Sade Meeks at the first screening of Sinners in Clarksdale, Mississippi (photo by Justin Hardiman)

Have you ever had moments in life where the world stops? Kind of like in movies where two soulmates meet for the first time, and it’s like they’re the only ones in the room. It’s as if time freezes long enough to whisper how important the moment is.

Well, I heard whispers last week, but it wasn’t the first time.

I can recall another time, about a year ago, I made my way down the two-lane highway from Jackson, MS, to Clarksdale to visit for the first time. It was the opening night of Soil—an exhibition curated by Adrienne Domnick, featuring photographs by Justin Hardiman. The exhibit beautifully captured the agriculture, the farm life, and the humanity of Clarksdale, Mississippi.

As I made my way through the exhibit, music played, shutters clicked, and laughter and joy vibrated throughout the room. And then suddenly everything stopped, and I heard that whisper - one that stopped me in my tracks and stared back at me. It was the “Fortress of Solitude”, a photograph of the bush harbor church.

"Fortress of Solitude" by Justin Hardiman

As I stared back, tears filled my eyes. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the emotions I felt, but later I decided maybe it wasn’t emotions I was feeling. Maybe it was something deeper. Emotions ain’t the only things we can feel. We can feel stillness, we can feel power, we can feel prayers; and in that moment, I believe it was a combination of those things. And as I felt the weight of those prayers reach me, I knew I wasn’t the only one in the room being touched.

photo by Imani Khayyam

As prayers filled the room and everyone in it, I realized that night wasn’t just an art exhibition, it was a benediction. And the blessing wouldn’t just end that night, it would continue, and on Thursday, May 29th, 2025, I witnessed it.

Photo by Imani Khayyam

After an open letter and organizing from local journalists, activists, artists and friends, Ryan Coogler, Warner Brothers and others made their way to Clarksdale, MS for a free public screening of Sinners, and so did I.

I was sitting in the Clarksdale Civic Center about to watch Sinners for the third time, but I knew this time would be different. I was right. Watching Sinners with local Mississippians in Clarksdale, where the movie was based, was like watching sinners with my favorite cousins, aunts, and uncles at the family reunion. The laughter was different, the ad-libs were priceless, and the collective commentary was part of an experience I will never forget.

I won’t forget those emotions; I won’t forget the laughter. And I won’t forget that stillness – As I watched, the world seemed to stop again, and that moment took me back to SOIL.

Sitting in the Civic Center, I started to feel like a fly on a church wall, bearing witness to things beyond the big screen.

Ryan Coogler introduces key creatives of Sinners before the first screening. Photo by Imani Khayyam

I saw Clarksdale organizer, Tyler Yarbrough, go from local introductions to national ones.

I saw Jasmine Williams, creative producer and founder of 'Sipp Talk, go from producing opening night to inspiring a southern renaissance.

I saw Justin Hardiman, photographer and visual storyteller, go from amending SOIL to harvesting the fruit of it.

Jasmine Williams, Ryan Coogler, Justin Hardiman and Tyler Yarbrough in front of photos from SOIL, New Work by Justin Hardiman and the Crossroads Cultural Arts Center in Clarksdale, MS

I saw God order the steps of so many people around me. No step bigger than the other, but them all connected, all divine, and all equally important.

I saw the same prayers that nourished SOIL, lay hands on Sinners.

Pastor Bennie Brown giving a tour of Swan Lake in Clarksdale, Mississippi (Photo by Justin Hardiman)

Photos from the opening of SOIL, New Work by Justin Hardiman photographed by Raven Barnes