
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Joy and Pain of Fighting for U.S. Democracy
Donald Trump is just one man. The real threat is the terrifying number of Americans who dote on him no matter what he does. His supporters are often described as a cult, and it's hard to disagree with that much of the time.

OPINION: Where the Real Blood Money Lies in Fight Against Initiative 65
"The truth is that the real blood money in the marijuana fight comes from political contributions from large pharmaceutical companies, ones that have a vested interest in limiting the ability of physicians to prescribe alternatives to their priciest medications."

OPINION: The Man Behind Mississippi’s Failing ‘Moocher’ Economy
Mississippi's economy is sinking. We are among the worst in about everything, and we are dependent on money from taxpayers in other states. Gov. Tate Reeves is responsible for the crisis by obediently following the economic dogmas of Arthur Laffer.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Learning to Roar in Mississippi from Anne, Hazel and Fannie Lou
Mississippi has long had women warriors who don't flinch at attempts to make them shut our little mouths, who stare back, who write scathing columns, who get the hell beaten out of them in jail cells without editing one word they still need to say afterward.

OPINION: What Will Election Day Look Like in Mississippi on Nov. 3? Prepare Now
Absentee voting is underway now. Because state law prohibits most Mississippians from voting early or by mail, long lines at crowded polling places are likely on Election Day. It didn't have to be this way.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: A Mask Mandate is Support for Small Business
We've heard it over and over again. Masks are the best defense against the spread of the virus. They're about helping other people as much as about helping yourself, especially cloth and non-medical masks.

OPINION: The Case for Medicinal Marijuana in Mississippi
"To my surprise, former Gov. Phil Bryant is boldly making false claims about Initiative 65, on the ballot in November to legalize medical marijuana in Mississippi if it passes. I must refute Governor Phil's ill-advised campaign to stop the sale of medical marijuana in Mississippi with these points."

EDITOR'S NOTE: As You Vote, Recall the Blackjacks Hitting Mrs. Hamer’s Back
"(Fannie Lou Hamer) came up in a Mississippi where white leaders, including former Confederate generals immortalized as heroes, had worked diligently in the years before her birth to make sure that Black people could not enjoy the fruits of emancipation."
OPINION: Mayor Lumumba’s Support of Police State, Incarceration Not In Dispute
"Despite many promises and assertions that alternatives to policing are needed, the mayor continues to tout his record of providing JPD with more surveillance gadgets, weaponry, more officers and fleets of new vehicles."

OPINION: We Must Vote Like Our Lives Depend On It—Because They Do
"I don't understand why people would even consider the thought of not voting, but I believe it's a very dangerous train of thought for anyone to perpetuate."

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Secret to JFP’s Longevity? You Just Don’t Quit
The truth is, running a media company is always tough when your primary goal is to tell the truth—and not just please or appease the powerful.

EDITOR'S NOTE: No More ‘Lynching Logic’ to Excuse Brutality Against Black People
"The most common excuse we hear is (Jacob) Blake was wanted for a sexual-assault warrant. So, all of us should be outraged enough to think it was just fine for an officer to shoot the father repeatedly in the back? He did something bad, as far as we know, so anything goes?"

OPINION: How Much is a Human Life Worth?
Every day the media report the number of new infections and deaths attributed to COVID-19, and many debate the closing or opening of schools, businesses and places of worship.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Gov. Reeves, Stop the Insanity
Gov. Reeves knew the threat to Mississippi hospitals when he implemented one of the most liberal reopening plans of any U.S. state in late May. As with Florida and Texas, Mississippi has paid for its governor's lack of clarity and decisiveness.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rage and Grace Amid COVID-19
In Mississippi, will it take bodies piled up on North State Street outside of UMMC before we all stand hand-in-hand, unafraid to collectively unite and govern ourselves?
OPINION: John Lewis, Charles Evers, C.T. Vivian: Fighters and Heroes for their People
It is with distinct sadness and difficulty that I write this column in memory of Congressman John Lewis, Mayor Charles Evers and Rev. C.T. Vivian. It's hard to condense my thoughts about these three icons into a short column, but I will try.

OPINION: John Robert Lewis, ‘A Soul Giant’ Who Touched Mississippi and Me
"One of the best ways to remember John (Lewis) is to look and listen to the young voices who are speaking out today for human and civil rights. John often spoke to young people of all races and nationalities and challenged them: "Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Life in the Shadows of Neshoba County’s Confederate Statue
As a Neshoba County kid, I grew up in the shadows of the Confederate statue that loomed in front of the courthouse.

OPINION: Blackness and Whiteness, To Whom the Story of America Concerns
James Baldwin said "the story of the in America is the story of America. It is not a pretty story." This ugly, brutal, and festering story is the truth that Black Americans are born into and that Black Americans wake up to every day.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tate Reeves Needs to Stop Making Excuses, Start Leading
"Gov. Tate Reeves is spinning. He is grasping at any straw he thinks can divert attention away from his abysmal leadership during the COVID-19 crisis in Mississippi."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Stop Glamorizing the Cruelty of Racist Ancestors
"The Legislature put up this flag as a stated symbol of white supremacy in 1894 as all those hideous soldier statues were popping up with their sappy remembrances, and it can take this putridly racist flag down in 2020."
OPINION: What Side Are You On? Racism Is Dividing Nation Along Line of Morality
"This election year will force America to choose between two very different ideas. What side are you on? Yes, America, there are two sides. We have arrived at the inevitable clash of different ideas and visions for the future of this country."

OPINION: Mississippi Flag Representing Chattel Slavery Must Go Now
"We are currently in a season of change; the winds of change are blowing away old ways of thinking and old symbols of white supremacy."

OPINION: I’m Out of the Political Closet After 30 Years of Hiding My Beliefs
"I'm a white senior woman living in the Deep South. I’m also a Democrat. My closest family members and a few friends are aware of this, and a few of my Facebook friends may suspect, but I hope this is news to most."

OPINION: Mississippi Community Leaders Support Removal of the Mississippi State Flag
"In Mississippi, the state flag is the most visible symbol of white supremacy. For many black Mississippians, the flag is traumatizing because it is a constant reminder of oppression."

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The Stennis Flag Is the Best Choice Now for Mississippi
This spring and early summer have been heavy and filled with circumstances that one could not imagine only six months ago. COVID-19 is decimating our communities, and we endured another triad of black bodies killed because they were existing while black.
OPINION: No ‘Free Kills’ Unless We Are Black in Jackson
"The mayor claims to be against police murder. The “no free kills” banner Lumumba surrogates recently rallied under obfuscates that no real costs are meted out when the Jackson police kill Black people."

OPINION: What Is Wrong with America Is Us White People
This word is for white people. I will start with my own identity: I am a white, heterosexual, 43-year-old man from Mississippi. There is a crisis of belief among what has felt like the vast majority of our white sisters and brothers throughout this country. Historically, we don't believe people who are not white.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Safety Net ‘Designed to Fail’ in Good Times Failing Big Now
It's telling that, as part of his executive orders during this crisis, Gov. Tate Reeves suspended several rules regarding application for and receipt of unemployment benefits. Why did they exist?
OPINION: Mississippians Can’t Breathe if Gov. Tate Reeves Keeps Validating Symbols of Hate
Columnist Duvalier Malone writes that Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves news to immediately take down all symbols of hate, including the state flag, so Mississippi can begin the process of racial healing and reconciliation.