The Darker Side of Social Media
Young people are much more impressionable than adults, and in many unfortunate scenarios, allow their peers to impact their self-image.
Kneeling for America: My Dad Fought, Lost Much for Athletes’ Right to Protest Racism
I believe that today my Daddy would stand, or kneel in spirit, with the NFL players who are pushing back on Trump’s treatment of them as chattel entertainment, calling for them to be kicked out to pasture if they dare exercise their rights that Willie Hoyt Smith left so much behind in Korea to maintain.
Finding My People in Mississippi
"Over the last nine years, so many people welcomed this transplant into their hearts and homes. They adopted me as their people."
The JFP at 15: Raising Hell, Having Fun
The Jackson Free Press' official birthday is Sept. 22, my late badass mother's birthday. She was illiterate, but loved to tell stories and encouraged me to say whatever I needed to say—so it was only appropriate to start the JFP on the day she would have turned 78.
Editorial: A State Takeover is Not the Solution for JPS
The looming state takeover of Jackson Public Schools is full of myriad problems, from the State' of Mississippi's less-than-stellar track record of previous takeovers to a lack of transparency and collaboration on the part of Mississippi Department of Education officials.
Doing It Ourselves in (and for) Jackson
Several people I know have recently referred to Jackson as a do-it-yourself city. But maybe it's more of a D.I.O. city—do-it-ourselves.
Celebrating 15 Years in the DIY City
The Jackson Free Press is 15 years old. It's still sinking in a little. No, it doesn't seem like "yesterday" to me when we started the JFP—because it's been a long road, and sometimes a tough one.
Kids Need Solutions, Not Just Numbers
The numbers in the Mississippi KIDS COUNT factbook should compel us to drive change at every level because Mississippi's children don't need numbers—they need solutions.
The People of Jackson Deserve Strong Transparency
We understand the need to increase revenue, but everyone must have a chance to be heard in the process.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Disservice'
Rolling back protections for survivors does nothing but push women back into a culture of silence, surviving sexual assault with no protections or avenues to justice at their universities.
In Times Like These
Rev. Cletus: "Welcome to another Rev. Cletus Car Sales Church radio broadcast. This is your car-sales pastor proclaiming the good news that God is in the blessing business in times like these."
Flashing a Kid’s Mugshot Is No Way to Prevent Crime
Disseminating mugshots of minors should be rare due to the harm that it can cause to that kid and society to treat children as adult criminals, especially before they even get a trial.
Simeon Wright: Unsung Civil-Rights Hero
"Fighting for justice is a long-term commitment, and it's our faith in hope and the people around us that sustains you."
The Joel Osteen Transaction
Obtaining wealth through teaching the word of Jesus clash with each other. This clash is so violent that I ask how one who has gained so much wealth by teaching Jesus' sacrifices, especially financial, be trusted?
The Dollars and Sense Needed to Fund Infrastructure
You can't have your cake and eat it, too, as the old proverb goes. Similarly, you can't cut taxes and increase them, too.
A Flag For Us All
If, as a state, we insist that symbols that were selected precisely for their oppressive, coercive charge remain, we send a message to the rest of the nation and world that we do not fathom how their continued display has the power and potential to harm the hearts and minds of some.
Reflections in a Dark, Watery World
Unplugging doesn't actually require you to do something crazy like get in a float tank. It could be something as simple as choosing to put your phone up when you go to bed. But we all need to unplug sometimes.
Fighting an Old War
While Russia and Confederate statues deserve media coverage, they are also easy targets that don't challenge the corporate state.
Prison Beds Not Based on Reading Scores, But ...
Educational deficiencies, especially when coupled with poverty or trauma, do increase the risk of crime later. It's important, though, to break down the various pieces of the puzzle to find solutions and not put all effort, and blame, into the reading basket.
Dear Confederates, Leave My Heritage Alone!
Mississippi's history is one of beauty and blood; music and malevolence; literature and lamentation. We can't ignore the ugly parts; those stains don't wash out. But we sure as hell don't have to build monuments to them—literal or ideological.
America, We Sink or Swim Together
As Houston and surrounding cities drowned, Trump was pushing the bigotry that fueled his rise to power. Meantime, America was proving our inherent greatness, despite the incessant efforts by certain leaders to trump it and force us to distrust and despise each other.
LGBTQ-Affirming Churches Should Be Celebrated, Not Demonized
"There is no inside or outside, but one community in which we are all sisters and brothers."
Speak Up, Speak Out Against Injustice
The fight carries on, and our fight is for justice. We seek justice for Emmett Till.
This Is It, Kid: This is America
"For the last decade, the two parties have been huffing their fumes, and social media makes the conflicts between the two polarized. The reality is carved in stone: America ain’t changing. In today’s social climate, we need to accept that there are two Americas."
Republican Party Dismantling Mississippi’s Public Health System
Mississippi has quickly become an excellent case study of how a public health system is nearly decimated when a poor state gives its revenue to the rich.
Address Poverty With Understanding, Compassion
For low-income families, Internet access and a stable living environment—let alone an address—to keep things like birth certificates safe aren't a given; they're a privilege that many families in poverty cannot afford.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'More Monuments'
Celebrating the progress the country has made with erecting "more monuments" completely ignores the fact that white supremacy is exactly what has preserved Confederate statues and inspires those that rally around them in the first place.
Stand Up for Their Rights
Mr. Announcement: "In the ghetto criminal-justice system, the people are represented by members of the newly established Ghetto Science Community Peace Keeping Unit."
White America’s Overdue Leap of Faith
Many white people want to just "move on." They'll shudder dismissively if you challenge the myths, preferring to leave the statues and flag and true history alone because it's just "dredging up the past."
