OPINION: One Lake—‘One Sewage Lagoon’?
It is interesting how quiet the proponents of the "One Lake" plan have been over the last couple of months. Maybe it is because in September 2018, U.S. Congressman Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, added language to the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 to stall the progress of the One Lake project.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Billy Graham, Primary Coverage and JFP VIPs
"If a male politician elects to follow the "Billy Graham Rule," it really is incumbent upon him to make the accommodations necessary to meet with women—reporters, constituents, policy advisers and advocates."
OPINION: The 'Illegal' Immigrants
There is a great deal of confusion about what an "illegal" immigrant is. The need to revamp our immigration laws and the policies on enforcing those laws is glaringly obvious.
Opinion: Men, Punishing Women and Reporters for #MeToo is Not the Answer
Rep. Robert Foster says he denied a woman reporter equal access to his campaign because he does not want people to think he's having an affair. Many of his supporters, though, think it's about striking back at #MeToo.
OPINION: Tuning in to Tate Television
"(Tate) Reeves is dead-set against insuring uninsured Mississippians. Why is he opposed to 'Obamacare expansion?' Lately, Reeves won't give a reason. He's just against it."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Journalism Can Beat the Hell Out of You, But It Must Go On
"When you get into this crazy business for the express purpose of having positive impact, you make it happen no matter what and find people who share the same drive to help you."
OPINION: Deepest Midnight Returns—Cedric Willis Taken Far Too Soon
We all failed Cedric (Willis) in life. Let us not fail him in death. I need you to insist on a better way, on a better life for all of us. I need you to care.
OPINION: Why You Should Volunteer
"The act of volunteering is a learning and growing experience for everyone involved and helps create the positive changes we want to see in our community."
OPINION: Creating a Radical City
Our mayor wants Jackson to be the most radical city on the planet. What could be more radical than, instead of asking what is good for ourselves, asking what is good for our city and then doing that thing?
EDITOR'S NOTE: Goodbye, Bozo—My Friend Cedric Willis Gone Too Soon
Cedric Willis had to claw his way to freedom while living in hell. Then he returned to a community that, until to the present, has never collectively decided to tackle and prevent violence rather than thinking that the police can do that.
OPINION: A Northerner’s Introduction to the South
Moving to the South was a wake-up call. Slavery was abolished a little more than 150 years ago, but the residual effects are still very present for me. You can easily see, if not feel, the history of the divide of our people in several places.
OPINION: Mississippi's New Governor—The Time for Change is Now!
Every state in the union has done the right and humane thing of removing the Confederate symbol from their flags. Mississippi stands alone, steeped in injustice and fear.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Onward and Upward in Downtown Jackson
To have a strong city, we have to have a strong downtown, and right now, we just don't. But that's not the end of the story.
OPINION: A Changing Culture in Jackson and Mississippi
How are we actively and intentionally exploring, participating and making things to contribute to our culture? What place does each of us have? What responsibility do we hold, here and now?
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mississippi Male Leaders Again Pretend to Value ‘Life’
Some things are universal, or should be. That includes never forcing a woman to have a child, lose her contraception or forbid a safe way to help her have a baby.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Joy and Pain of Being A Mississippian
"Anyone with half a brain should see that confronting and defeating the insane misogyny here is a huge step toward lifting Mississippi to higher and more successful ground for all its citizens."
OPINION: Truth to Power: Blacklists, Boycotts and the First Amendment
If there's a competition to determine which state legislature can pass the greatest number of blatantly unconstitutional bills in the shortest period of time, Mississippi's would be a worthy contender. Its most recent target is the right to boycott.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Men, It’s Time to Solve Sexism
"It's up to men to solve sexism." We were at breakfast when Donna said that to me. I was immediately struck by the profundity of the statement—in part because it resonates with another one that I've internalized from my years of volunteerism as a racial-healing dialogue participant and facilitator.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Set an Example for the Next Generation
As women, we need to band together to make sure we set good examples for the younger generation. We need to show them that it's OK to be whatever kind of woman they want to be, that they don't have to fit that mold.
OPINION: Last Days of 2019 Session Expose Deception, Manipulation
On the last day of the 2019 session, Mississippi lawmakers were stunned to discover school vouchers had appeared in an appropriation bill at the very last minute.
OPINION: Baker's 'Sovereignty' Comment Shows Disrespect for Voters, Law
At a recent campaign stop, Republican candidate for attorney general and Mississippi State Rep. Mark Baker claimed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a pivotal law in black Americans' struggle for equal rights and representation, violated Mississippi's "sovereignty."
OPINION: Legislature Needs More Sunlight, New Technology
There are some simple steps the Legislature could take that would bolster trust not only among the lawmakers, but also between themselves and the public.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: On Podcasting, Events and Crossroads Film Festival
As the weather gets a little more accommodating, I encourage you to take advantage of opportunities not only to have a little fun but to support local artists, local organizations or to lend your support to an important cause.
OPINION: Lessons to Learn From Nissan
Unless workers unionize, companies operate as dictatorships, where the businesses will sacrifice workers' livelihoods, pantries, mortgages, car payments, medical bills and other needs for the bottom line.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Women, Don’t Apologize
As women, we need less criticism and more support. We need people who will step up and remind us of all that we've accomplished.
OPINION: Jay Hughes and the Apostasy of ‘White Democrats’ in Mississippi
Not content with the number of obstacles currently in a pregnant woman's path to accessing safe abortion care, our state government has continued its efforts to erode Roe v. Wade. Gov. Phil Bryant has repeatedly said that he wants “Mississippi to be the safest place in America for an unborn child”—even, apparently, if that entails making Mississippi the least safe place for mothers and born children.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: On Tourism, the Food Business and ‘Let’s Talk Jackson’
This issue of BOOM Jackson serves two major purposes. One, it's a three-month look ahead at arts and cultural events in the Jackson metro. Two, we do the BOOM edition quarterly, with a focus on local entrepreneurship and economic development—stuff I love!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Moving Forward in #TheNext200
Previous iterations of TEDxJackson commemorated areas such as Mississippi's space program and the state's bicentennial, but instead of looking at the last 200 years, this year's TEDx focused on the next 200.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A Woman’s Life in the Mississippi Minefield
It's tough being a woman in Mississippi. In fact, it's probably the most difficult state for women to speak our minds and publicly engage on political and policy fronts, and we routinely watch our basic rights come under attack, often without any of us invited to the table.
EDITORIAL: State Should Not Shield Names of Officers Who Shoot, Kill
Members of the Mississippi Legislature have jumped into the middle of serious and historic problem that the City of Jackson has grappled with over the last year—whether or when law-enforcement officers who shoot and/or kill non-police should be identified.