Post-Trump Guilt and Fear
I can't sleep, for Donald Trump is to be our next U.S. president. It's astonishing, horrifying, unnerving, embarrassing, deeply saddening and real.
The Impolite Free Press in the Age of Trump
Let's get this straight off the bat: There is no one reason that Hillary Clinton lost and Donald Trump won enough electoral votes last week to become president.
Gentleman Caller: Always About a 'Black Person, a Black Person, a Black Person'
A caller to the Jackson Free Press today complained that we cover far too many black people and now to find some white people to write about.
Address Trauma to Stop Youth Crime Cycles
Violence can sow seeds of fear in a community, but scientifically speaking, it literally leaves trauma in its wake. The psychological damage of witnessing violence can lead to more severe health consequences, from suicidal behavior to complex mental-health problems.
Stinker Quote of the Week: ‘We Have Not Changed Our Conclusion’
There has been much hoopla and speculation as to why Comey publicly announced the FBI was looking at more emails in the first place, especially this close to the election.
Overcoming P.T.E.S.D.
Mr. Announcer: "In the ghetto criminal-justice system, the people are represented by members of the Ghetto Science Community Peace Keeping Unit: police officer and part-time security guard at the Funky Ghetto Mall Dudley 'Do-Right' McBride; attorney Cootie McBride of the law firm McBride, Myself and I; and guest peace officers Psychologist Judy McBride and Sister Encouragement, co-host of the Rev. Cletus Cars Sales Radio Broadcast. This is their story."
Win or Lose, We Must Fight the ‘Trump Effect’
The white woman's name and phone number showed up clearly on the caller ID when she called the Jackson Free Press several times, angry about a column a young black woman had published in our paper.
Will Blacks Surrender the Power of Their Vote?
While the president sets the national agenda of the country, your representative, senator, governor, mayor and other local politicians affect you and your community directly.
Mississippi Women: Time to ‘Personhood’ Donald Trump, Mike Pence
Mississippi women turned back Personhood in 2011. Now, we need to vote against two men likely to limit everything from the birth-control pill to in vitro fertilization, from affordable cancer screenings to abortions to save the life of the mother.
Obama and the Black Millennial
When black millennials witness such blatant ignorance parade its orange head on the national stage, we always ask ourselves, “Could Obama get away with this?” I contend that the average black millennial would respond to that question with a resounding, “Hell nah.”
Lessons from NOLA
"Don’t allow a financial storm to be your Hurricane Katrina, the disaster that led to dismantling the public school system in New Orleans."
Raging Machine vs. Indigent Man
The Law is a mighty machine. Woe to the unfortunate man who, wholly or in part innocent, becomes entangled in its mighty wheels, unless his innocence is patent or his rescue planned and executed by able counsel.
Kitchens for Mississippi Supreme Court
Yet again, a race for a vitally important position in Mississippi has devolved into misleading rhetoric about a candidate for, supposedly, being soft on violent crime.
Deplorable Me
A report on "The Trump Effect" by the Southern Poverty Law Center found that the levels of anxiety, fear, and bullying in schools have increased, due in part to the tone of the Trump campaign. But he isn't the only candidate who is guilty of "us vs. them" tactics.
Political War Stories
Many American voters are profoundly unhappy with the candidates from both major parties this election. Fifteen years of war are enough, you two! Americans are sick of war.
Do Not Appeal Frivolous Planned Parenthood Law
A federal judge struck down Mississippi's political Medicaid reimbursement law for "nontherapeutic abortion providers" last week in an attempt to block Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funding.
Gov. Bryant: Do the Right Thing
If the governor expects Mississippians to take his offer of reconciliation seriously, he has to apologize to our state—apologize for Confederate Heritage Month, apologize for fighting on the wrong side of the flag debate—and moving forward, support the removal of the Confederate emblem from our state flag.
A Nation of Immigrants
Though I don't know where I come from, one thing is clear: At some point in my ancestry, my family migrated to this country. Like many families that came to live in this state and in this country, they were immigrants. They came to America in search of a better life, as many families have and continue to do.
Healing and Finding Joy After Domestic Abuse
Many think overcoming abuse equals leaving the abuser. But leaving does not heal the anguish and pain automatically. Sure, removing yourself from an abusive situation is an important step; however, it's only the beginning. There are no set rules to re-finding the joys of life. But you have to take steps, in your own time, to recover.
Mississippi: Stop Disenfranchising Black Voters
Mississippi has the second highest rate of voter disenfranchisement in the country, largely due to post-sentence restrictions. The state is one of 12 where a person can serve his or her time, be released and not automatically be able to vote. Twenty-two convictions means no voting rights until the Legislature, governor or a judge says otherwise.
Don’t Screw with MAEP
Since its original adoption in 1997, MAEP been funded only two times in accordance with the law. There are lots of reasons for the State's failure to fund, and no reason to point fingers. The issue is not what happened in the past. The issue now is how the Legislature will approach funding our public schools in the future.
Donald and Melania, Stop Insulting Men
Wait, what? No, Melania, good men aren't "egged" into bragging that they can grab women's private parts any time they want. I get that you're trying to defend your husband, but that kind of national enabling will just continue the "boys will be boys" lie that sexual predators and perverts have long lurked behind.
From Walls to Bad Cops: It’s Time We Awaken from Fear
I would like to apologize to the many people I have told "this is a free country" in order to justify any argument, because I was wrong and sadly mistaken. This is not a free country, at least not for black (or brown) people.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Locker Room Talk'
The fact that a presidential candidate excused away his past sexist, demeaning comments that suggested he could get away with sexual assault as mere "locker room talk" not once but four times in a presidential debate is not only reprehensible but unacceptable.
State Leaders: It’s Time to Dump Trump
If our state's political leaders were looking for an easy opt-out of supporting Donald Trump for president, they missed that precious 48-hour window of opportunity to speak out and say so.
‘Save a Brother or Sister’
Mr. Announcer: "In the ghetto criminal-justice system, the people are represented by members of the newly established Ghetto Science Community Peace Keeping Unit: police officer and part-time security guard at the Funky Ghetto Mall Dudley 'Do-Right' McBride, attorney Cootie McBride of the law firm McBride, Myself and I, and guest rookie peace officers Deacons Jones and Richardson of Rev. Cletus Car Sales Church. This is their story."
Our True Mental States
So 18.1 percent of the total U.S. population has a mental illness, and 50 percent of adults are likely to experience some type of mental illness in their lifetime. And yet we don't talk about it. Many of us see mental-health problems as a sign of weakness.
Doing it for Black Culture
Believe it or not, some people still deny the undeniable influence of black culture. Unfortunately for those who still attempt to deny these influences, black culture is American culture, and it is here to stay. Without it, there would be no such thing as soul, rhythm and the immense creativity born from the hell of supremacy—or seasoning.
Mental Care Needed for All, Including Inmates
Of the more than 19,000 men and women behind bars in Mississippi, about 3,000 inmates are receiving mental-health care.
Is America Really the Land of the Free?
Growing up as an African American, I always heard, "They don't want us here." I never understood that saying, especially when you go to school with a diverse group of people, and you're taught that "America is a free country."