Opinion

Jackson, It’s Time to Go to Work

We're excited to see the work, progress, ideas, energy and journey of the Lumumba administration unfold, and we plan to hold them accountable and suggest solutions every step of the way.

Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Far Better Off'

The majority of Mississippians on Medicaid are low-income children, the state's aging population, and the disabled and blind. Cuts to Medicaid could have a direct impact on their access to health care.

Put People Over Party

Both the House and Senate approaches to health care will severely harm the vast majority of Mississippians. Ask our representatives in Congress to act on behalf of the greater good for Mississippians.

Shop, Eat and Drink Local This Fourth!

We're deep into our 15th year of publishing as July 4th rolls around, which means we at the Jackson Free Press have being doing something else for a decade and a half—encouraging people to shop local first.

Democracy’s Third Branch in Danger

The Supreme Court has nine justices. Nine justices who are left to their own devices to interpret the constitution however they deem fit.

Creating a Culture of Wellness in Jackson

When a company considers relocating or expanding to a city, it considers more than the conditions of its streets. The health of the population is also a factor because it affects medical costs and productivity, which can adversely affect the company's bottom line.

Democracy Only Works in Public View

The Mississippi attorney general's office releasing the TAC report, which details how the state should work to fix its children's mental- and behavioral-health care system, this week is just one in a line of recent examples where transparency could have enabled the democratic process to work in a more efficient way.

Safe in Our Own ‘Castles’

One of the last places I want to find myself when traveling with my family is on the side of dark stretch of freeway with flashing lights behind me.

Trump, DeVos Allowing Bigotry in Public Schools

In a presidential administration filled with shocking moments, it was a New York Times headline that crystallized the Trump crowd's disdain for children of color for me. "Education Dept. Says It Will Scale Back Civil Rights Investigations," The New York Times warned.

The Curious Case of ‘Those Mothers’

"Did y'all hear about the 6-year-old boy who got kidnapped from Kroger this morning?" It was the first thing I heard from my mother when I stumbled into the kitchen in a grump for my orange juice after I took my sister to school on that tragic day.

Long-game Economics Requires Investing in Kids

The typical economic-development strategy for Mississippi Republicans in recent years has been a game of tax cuts, supposedly so that corporations and companies will relocate and set up shop here in the state.

Broadening Experiences

At a time in our nation's history when we desperately need community involvement and a sense of local and national purpose, AmeriCorps is one of the organizations that can provide it.

Local Adventurers Wanted

As I've gotten older, I've realized the importance of home—and also how expensive it is to move and travel all the time.

A Pre-Huey Long Mississippi

When Huey Long first swept onto the political scene in Louisiana in the 1920s, the state was the quintessential southern backwater.

Legislature Can’t Dress Up Damage Doing to State

The special session on Monday presented lawmakers the chance to potentially clean up some unfinished business from the 2017 legislative session as well as messes by particular members (looking at you, Rep. Karl Oliver). Lawmakers failed on both fronts.

Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Travel Ban'

President Trump has introduced two travel bans, both of which federal courts blocked, in order to supposedly up national security, despite research that shows how little they work.

June: A Month of Encouragement

Miss Doodle Mae: "A lot of Jojo's Discount Dollar Store employees are concerned about their futures because of possible budget cuts on social, health-care and educational programs. Worry, apathy and depression consumes the morale of the staff."

Health and Tech Go Hand in Hand

There aren't a lot of life lessons to gain from the 1998 teen horror flick "The Faculty." But when Elijah Wood's character says, "I don't think a person should run unless he's being chased," well, that's a message that just makes sense to me.

We Must Hold Our Political Leaders Accountable

The time to mobilize isn't the next election. It's now. We have to start laying the groundwork for change in our state, and it starts with you and me.

I Refuse to Be a Victim

Right now, I'm scared. I see children getting shot and three other only slightly larger children arrested for the crime, and I know that for the last five years, the state Legislature has been crippling or cutting any program designed to help them from the budget.

New City Administration Must Be Smart on Crime

Interpersonal violence, much like the shooting spree allegedly spurred from domestic violence that left eight people dead in Lincoln County last weekend, is responsible for a huge amount of violent crime that police cannot stop.

Let’s Elect Lumumba on June 6 and Get Organized

I've had a number of great conversations recently with local business people who are curious to see where our city is headed now that the primary is behind us, and it appears that Chokwe Antar Lumumba, who surprised many by winning the primary outright, will be our next mayor.

Kingston’s Death: The Tragedy It Is

I can't speak for Kingston Frazier's mama, but I know what it's like to be a black single mama who's judged because your child was a victim of a crime.

Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Lynched'

Rep. Karl Oliver demonstrated how little progress, ideologically at least, has been made since the Civil Rights Movement in some communities and how those similar attitudes still permeate the Legislature, leading to inequitable policy and, now, calls for violence. It's inexcusable.

Ellington