Lifting education, health and prosperity through the B.B. King Museum
Malika Polk-Lee was expected to attend college after graduating from Greenville High School. Her maternal grandmother, Annie Mae Polk, instilled the importance of higher education in her children and grandchildren.
“She was a force to be reckoned with,” says Polk-Lee, who is Executive Director of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola. “She was very big on the importance of education because she knew how an education could change the quality of our lives. I never had to look outside of my family for role models; the women in my family were my role models. They have high values and self-esteem, and are well educated. In my family, girls had no choice of whether or not to go to college, only where to go to college and there was really not a lot of choice there. My grandmother lived in Starkville at a time when she wasn’t allowed to walk on the campus because she was Black. She always says that she would like to have a child go to Mississippi State University. I had three aunts and an uncle who went to MSU. Since then, I was the first grandchild of many to attend MSU. Our grandmother says there was nothing we couldn’t do as long as we lived our lives as God intended, treated people well and did the right things.”
Like a lot of kids from rural areas, Polk-Lee dreamed of living in a big city when she grew up. After receiving a B.S. in biology from MSU in 1998, she moved to Dallas to be a micro lab supervisor for a local food company. After a year, she was happy to move back home. Initially she worked with Bryan Foods in West Point before moving back to Greenville to work at Mars Foods, which produces Uncle Ben’s Rice.
“Dallas was not for me,” says Polk-Lee. “I didn’t like the fast pace of all of it. I hated wasting so many hours of my day in traffic. I was happy to move back to Mississippi. I have enjoyed being back home living and working in the Delta. I like the slowness of the Delta as far as the quality of life. People in the city call it slow but I think we are intentional in how we do things because we are trying to enjoy the moment. I like the fact here in the Delta you can actually get from one town to another in 30 minutes. I live in Greenville, and can drive to work in Indianola in 30 minutes. I can get to Cleveland or Greenwood in 30 minutes.”
Polk-Lee worked at Mars Foods for ten years with three of those years also studying to earn her MBA at Delta State University.
She came to the museum in 2012 as Chief Administrative Officer and was named Executive Director in 2015. While corporate America is different from the nonprofit world, she maintains that if you understand the basics of how a business works, you can translate that into just about any type of business.
Polk-Lee recalls first hearing King in her teen years when he had the hit “The Thrill is Gone.” She had a very diverse ear, but she grew up thinking blues music was sad without understanding its connection to American and African-American history, especially the Civil Rights movement. She learned about that in college. After starting work at the museum, she was very impressed with the inspirational story of King, the contributions of other great blues artists, and how popular blues music is now around the world.
King grew up picking cotton and driving a tractor, and was orphaned at an early age. Then the grandmother who was raising him died when he was only 9.
“At 9 years old he had to figure out how to grow up in the Mississippi Delta with all the socioeconomic and race issues,” says Polk-Lee. “For him to come from such humble beginnings and being able to overcome and perfect his trade to become one of the most iconic musicians in the world is amazing. I have to give him credit for self-determination, will power and genuine talent. You can come from difficult circumstances, but it doesn’t have to impact what you grow up to become. The more I learned about his history, the more I became passionate about this job.”
King is credited with helping create more positive impressions of Blacks, and helping break down racial barriers. Polk-Lee says while the country has made great strides in racial relationships, there is still more to be done to understand each other.
“At the end of the day, we are still human beings with the same needs and desires,” she says. “We need to continue to build bridges and grow the understanding and empowerment for each other. One way to do that is through music, which is a universal language. Music is one of the things that definitely unites people. You can get all races and creeds in the same room with good music, and they will socialize and interact. It is one of those things that breaks down racial and socio-economic differences. Music is one of those things that brings us together.”
People from all different races from all over the world visit the museum and related attractions. The museum has attracted visitors from more than 40 countries, and all the states. Polk-Lee finds it a great learning experience and joy to see the people who come in from different cultures because of the admiration for King. And today blues music is an even more respected genre in other countries like the U.K. than it is here in the U.S.
While she is passionate about her job and sharing King’s legacy with the world, the organization is much more than a museum. It is a cultural center and a community center. Its educational department operates all year long. They put on programming including on health and arts for all ages.
“We are a community with many socioeconomic issues and health disparities,” says Polk-Lee. “There is always a need for something. Here at the museum, we focus on helping better the community instead of just being a place to come and see beautiful artifacts. In 2021, we were a Covid testing site three times. We have a diabetes program. We do summer camps. We do art classes for seniors in the community. We do music programs and literacy programs. We do anything that we think is going to help move our community forward. I love the fact our mission supports us having the freedom to make an impact in our community. All our education programs are free. Our youth leadership program provides internships and jobs. For some it is their first job. I know these programs are important and needed because I am a Delta girl. I grew up here, and love having a say in the types of programming we have here and making a difference.
“The B.B. King Museum’s AllStars Ensemble displays the amazing musical talents of our Delta area children,” she says. “Our B.B.’s Bridge Building Ambassadors program is designed to engage Indianola and Sunflower County junior high and high school students in discovering their own leadership abilities by exploring history and participating in a variety of learning and leadership development opportunities.”
Her signature achievements as Executive Director include overseeing major expansion projects including a $3-million expansion of the museum in 2021 and a $1-million renovation to the historic Club Ebony, which opened in June 2023. This nightclub cemented Indianola as a major entertainment hub in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. King bought the club in 2008 after the retirement of Mary Shepard, its previous owner. In 2012, he donated it to the museum hoping that its history could be preserved and that it could add an authentic extension to the exhibits, as well as offer another much-needed music venue.
The museum has also been cited as the catalyst for investments that have included twelve new restaurants, and a new Hampton Inn Hotel. “Each and every one of these projects created jobs that provide important income for individuals and their families,” says Polk-Lee. “One very important statistic that offers a good barometer is the amazing rise in tourism-related taxes collected. From 2008 until now, tourism tax revenue for Indianola has increased 255 percent. The museum has helped to grow tourism not only in Indianola but Sunflower County overall, bringing attention to the blues markers and other historic sites throughout the county.”
Polk-Lee oversees a staff of 19-20 at the museum in addition to employees at Club Ebony. King Museum Education Consultant Verna Ransom says what she admires most about Malika’s leadership is her ability to make everyone feel that what they do matters, and no job is more important than another. She believes in no one person doing a single job. Therefore, cross training is her approach to making the leader within.
“She has improved the experience of visiting the museum by making sure each visit is an experience,” says Ransom. “From the moment you enter the doors, to your exit, good customer service is a must throughout your visit from each employee the visitors may encounter.
“During the time I have worked with Malika, her approach to creating and fostering a healthy workplace is nothing short of being one we can all learn from. She is constantly looking and asking for ways to improve the environment. She provides help for employees to be the best at what they do through training opportunities for their respective job. While providing recognition of work, supportive leadership, effective communication, she recognizes when there is a need for change for improvement and promotion. This is all done in line with the museum’s mission, vision, values and goals.”
Somehow, Polk-Lee finds time for a number of volunteer jobs. She is a board member of the Indianola Tourism Commission, the Indianola Chamber of Commerce and Indianola Main Street, and the Mississippi Historical Society. She is secretary/treasurer of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area board, and a past board member for the Association of African-American Museums where she served as the Governance Committee Chair. She is a member of the Indianola Rotary Club and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Family is alsovery important to her. “With God being first, family is one of the things that help to keep me centered and grounded,” says Polk-Lee. “My family provides constant support and encouragement. My joy and the center of my life is my daughter, London Grace Lee, who is 8. I also love to read, good movies and good food.”
B.B. King Museum operates many programs
• B.B.’s Bridge Building Ambassadors Youth Leadership Program is a program designed to engage Indianola and Sunflower County junior and high school students in discovering their own leadership abilities, while exploring the Mississippi Delta and its culture and being involved in community service projects.
• B.B. King Museum AllStars is a music education program for grades 6-12. This program aims to inspire and enhance leadership skills by utilizing music to express themselves as well as communicate with others.
• Be SMART and Control Your Diabetes is BBKM’s health and wellness program designed to bring awareness, educate and support the community at large that’s affected by diabetes.
• Art of Living Smart Summer Camp Program builds creativity and addresses community values by incorporating cultural dance, fitness, and music, writing, art, and culinary lessons while instructors serve as positive role models for children.
• Tune Into Black History is an annual series dedicated to celebrating and highlighting the achievements of Black Americans and the central roles they’ve played in the Civil Rights Movement and the overall advancement strides of African Americans.
• B.B. King’s Wide World Adventures traveling exhibit is designed to educate children aged 5-12 about the Mississippi’s diverse cultural heritage that is built around the life story of B.B. King.
• B.B. King’s Early Literacy Program is designed to increase community engagement through early learning. To promote reading literacy with early learners, B.B. King Museum brings together Pre-K and kindergarten classes for a fun, educational themed filled adventure with various learning activities.
• Arts in the School program allows us an opportunity to increase our efforts of displaying local artist talents and promote art in schools through exhibits and display.
• Engineering Day creates an occasion for youths to become familiar with the meaning of engineering and what a career in engineering looks like.
• Canvas and Conversations program provides a social gathering where senior citizens can engage in fun and creative painting lessons while in a relaxed atmosphere meeting new acquaintance while catching up with old ones.
Photography by Austin Britt