[Atkins] Modern-Day Servitude
I was a lowly intern at a major newspaper up north, sitting at my desk in a corner plotting my day when a small, elderly, bespectacled man walked past me to a nearby telephone. Notebook in hand, he picked up the receiver and dialed.
Boys Will Be Boys
I don't manage to get out of the office often these days for lunch. But Friday I was in the mood for a Two Sisters veggie plate (probably had something to do with the staff party the night before, but I digress).
To Do Its Job, Council Must Show Up
Jackson has a strong-mayor, weak-council structure. Some City Council members seem to want to weaken their own power even more by not attending meetings and work sessions—or leaving early when they do attend.
Benefits of Inmate Labor
When I met Haley Barbour he was running for governor for the first time in 2003. It was at the Black Hawk political rally here in Carroll County. I have to give him credit: He is good at the one-on-one politics required at settings like the one here. I believe that he is as much at ease whether at a rural political rally or a corporate boardroom. A year ago, I figured he would be making national headlines when 2012 came around.
[Outlaw] Yes. We. Can.
There was a weight on me—a black cloud that threatened all manner of lightening and rain, and I just couldn't shake it. "This," I thought to myself, "this will never end unless someone who matters stands up for us."
Deep as My Bones
Mama froze. She was holding something, a towel I think it was, and her hand stopped in mid air. Her incessant motion on pause for a moment, she looked at me in disbelief, her brown eyes sad and soft.
Don't Just Complain; Engage!
The Jackson Public Schools board meeting May 1 was packed. Parents and students who had recently learned about the district's rezoning plan lined the walls and stood in the halls to protest the plan, which will close schools and shift students around in the district.
[Stiggers] Hope and Ambition
Greetings, fellow hustlers. Welcome to the 'Work from Home without a Place to Live Entrepreneur and Job Search Seminar'—co-sponsored by the 'Lord Have Mercy We Really Need Work to Pay Our Bills Center for the Unemployed' and the 'Compensatory Investment Request Training and Development Support Group, L.L.C.
[Kamikaze] Keep Us Informed
Transparency, good communication, access to information, assurances, being proactive—these are a few traits I'm sure citizens expect out of those who hold leadership positions. Whether elected or appointed, a certain level of responsibility comes with certain positions.
[Queen] ‘A Place in the World'
"God Almighty created each and every one of us for a place in the world, and for the least of us to think that we were created only to be what we are—and not what we can make ourselves—is to impute an improper motive to the Creator for creating us." —Marcus Garvey
The Lies We Tell
Last Friday's email brought this little gem to my inbox: Super PACs spent $23 million on deceptive or misleading advertising in GOP primary races, more than half of all advertising they purchased through April 3. Now, you might think that the SPACs aimed their big buckets of money at President Barack Obama, but no. Almost all of it was directed at fellow Republicans--Mitt Romney's PAC lying about Rick Santorum, Santorum's PAC misrepresenting Newt Gingrich's record, Gingrich spinning about Romney.
Voter Shenanigans Could be Costly
A curious exchange took place between Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, and Republican Speaker Philip Gunn of Clinton over the weekend, as the Legislature hammered a budget for state agencies.
Voter Shenanigans Could be Costly
A curious exchange took place between Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, and Republican Speaker Philip Gunn of Clinton over the weekend, as the Legislature hammered a budget for state agencies.
[Brown] Moving Forward
On May 5, Democrats from across the Third Congressional District of Mississippi will meet at the Golden Moon Resort in Philadelphia to elect their slate of leaders for the next four years.
[Brown] Why Charter Schools Died
It appears that all of the charter-school proposals are dead for this legislative session. These bills were defeated by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans in the House with the support of hundreds of school-board members, administrators, teachers, parents and civic leaders across the state.
[Barkley] Power of the Purse and the Pill
Women's personal economies have always been tied to their ability to control their reproduction.
[Editor's Note] Young, Impressive, Ours
When freelance writer Greg Pigott turned in his write-up of Mark Scott of Callaway High School for this "Amazing Teens" issue, he wrote: "I wish I had more words to use--this kid was really amazing!"
Young, Impressive, Ours
When freelance writer Greg Pigott turned in his write-up of Mark Scott of Callaway High School for this "Amazing Teens" issue, he wrote: "I wish I had more words to use--this kid was really amazing!"
‘Father' Doesn't Always Know Best
At a recent event featuring Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, Gunn told the audience that Reeves and his wife had recently celebrated the birth of their third daughter.
‘Father' Doesn't Always Know Best
At a recent event featuring Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, Gunn told the audience that Reeves and his wife had recently celebrated the birth of their third daughter.
[Stiggers] Cool and Creamy
Children and adults of the Ghetto Science Community, the new, improved, environmentally friendly, solar powered Hybrid Electric and Petroleum Mister Ice Creamy Truck is coming to your neighborhood.
[Kamikaze] Enemies of Progress
When the check writers determine who the law writers are, the system never changes. When bureaucrats are allowed to govern with impunity, the system never changes. In or out of office, where we don't have natural leaders, citizens—and more importantly, children—are done a disservice.
[Walker] Politics Through My Eyes
I expected our senators to be similar to those in 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.'
Colonel Reb and His Cousin, R.I.P.
I spent two days on campus at Oxford last fall when some heated talk surfaced about bringing back Colonel Reb, the former Ole Miss mascot, through a petition to the Legislature. When PBS aired a program about the Confederate symbols and songs controversy, it seemed like time to tell my story.
The Wonder of it All
In the early 1960s, Mama and Papa leased an old, rundown gas station in Liberty, N.Y., in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, and spent every weekend of one winter and spring converting the property into our summer "retreat." We lived in Brooklyn at the time, but my parents were determined to get my sisters and me out of the city as much as possible, especially during the summer.
Police: First, Do No Harm
Controversy has surrounded police pursuits for decades. Since numerous studies on the subject began in the late 1980s and early '90s, law enforcement officials, legislators, citizens and the press have taken notice of the ever-rising death toll.
Police: First, Do No Harm
Controversy has surrounded police pursuits for decades. Since numerous studies on the subject began in the late 1980s and early '90s, law enforcement officials, legislators, citizens and the press have taken notice of the ever-rising death toll.
[Letter] Support for Charter Schools
I am a single parent of three school-age children, and I, like so many parents in DeSoto County support the Mississippi Charter School bill.
[Veckhoven] Public School Warrior in Jackson
The gray, roiling clouds that hung over the westbound lane of Interstate 20 were nothing short of a premonition.
Dinner and a Movie
Last Saturday night, Todd and I sat at a small table next to the open kitchen at Parlor Market and were dazzled by the chefs' performance.