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[Editor's Note] Two Steps Forward

"Leave." That one-word tweet came from a conservative dude in Louisiana, not Mississippi. But he wasn't pleased that I was talking about crazy legislation that the right wing has wrought upon Mississippi once again. I have a way of raising the hair on the necks of folks who prefer empty rhetoric over research-based criticism, especially when I'm talking about issues like women's health and reproductive services; sex ed; voter ID; or, yes, race.

[Stiggers] Love and Black History

Jojo wants to give his customers the gift of history to instill in them the ability to learn and think critically during the 'Tribute to Carter G. Woodson and Pre-Valentine Day Sale.' Therefore, Jojo will stock his store with plenty of black history books.

[Your Turn] No March for March 1st

"What do we want? Full equality! When do we want it? Now!" These sentiments provided a unified chant for gay-rights protesters March 1 on the south steps of the Mississippi Capitol building.

[Queen] If I Were A Man

We are just as capable and ready for battle as any man—whatever that battle is.

[Hood] No ‘Sunshine' Here

What if nobody stood between you—a law-abiding citizen of the state of Mississippi—and everyone else who would do you harm? What if a governor pardoned violent criminals, and no one was there to try and stop it? What if giant, money-hungry corporations stole your hard-earned paycheck, and not one person made them give it back? What if a company defrauded a state agency out of hundreds of millions of dollars, and the state agency did nothing about it?

Save ‘Violence Against Women Act'

Next on conservatives' list of things to drown in the bathtub of "big government extravagance" is the Violence Against Women Act. Bill Clinton signed VAWA into law in 1994, providing just over $1.5 billion to help investigate and prosecute perpetrators of violence against women, to provide grants for education about domestic violence and to help shelter women from abusers.

Keep Up the Reform Momentum

Former Gov. Haley Barbour's unprecedented spate of last-minute pardons brought numerous issues regarding some of Mississippi's antiquated customs into the glaring light of national media attention.

[Editor's Note] Rethinking "Tough on Crime"

Gov. Haley Barbour left a lot of people reeling with his recent round of pardons and clemencies. Among the list are vicious, premeditated murderers. It wasn't the first time he's done this--remember that we broke the news of his string of woman-killer pardons in 2008--but this time the state and national media actually paid attention.

[Editorial] Change Felony Voting Laws for All

Here's what continues to get us about former Gov. Haley Barbour's excuses for all those pardons. He keeps saying that he is a Christian and, thus, is concerned about the trustys and others whom he believes served enough time and now should be able to go vote and hunt and get professional licenses and the like. Our question to Barbour is: Where were you all these years?

[Editor's Note] Peace, Prosperity and Tolerance

Every December now for about a decade, we have asked the Jackson Free Press staff members to sign hundreds of holiday greeting cards that we send to freelancers, advertising clients, sources, and other friends and acquaintances of the JFP.

[Johnson] Right the First Time

Charter schools have the potential to be a boon for children in our state's education system.

[Barkley] Power of the Purse and the Pill

Women's personal economies have always been tied to their ability to control their reproduction.

Stop the Injustice of ‘Justice'

Nothing brings the inequality and foibles of our justice system into stark relief like an upcoming execution. As lawyers battle over last-minute efforts to save a human life, it's impossible not to weigh one man's sentence of death against others who receive lesser sentences—or even pardons—for equivalent crimes.

[Stiggers] Gainful Employment

My purpose is to celebrate and make history by encouraging the workers who remain jobless in 2012. I will not condescend or criticize people who feel betrayed by the government, politicians, corporations, etc. Instead, I will use the stories of people like Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells Barnett, and Ella Baker to motivate the despondent and defeated masses still looking for a job with health-care benefits.

[Stiggers] Drink Your Big Black Cow

Mr. Announcement: "Ghetto Science Public Television presents highlights from Kunta 'Rasheed X' Toby's thought-provoking documentary film series 'The Pursuit of Crappyness: The Unemployed, Underemployed and Part-time Djs are Close to the Edge.'"

[Dennis] Screaming in Stereo

Last night, my 3-year-old son kept screaming out in the night. Most nights he sleeps really well, but as any parent can testify, he has those occasional nights when peaceful rest is nothing more than an elusive dream. This was clearly going to be one of those nights that my wife, Leann, and I would rise to the challenge (literally) many times before morning.

[Queen] I Am a Feminist

One of my favorite quotes is by Margaret Trudeau: "I can't be a rose in any man's lapel." For years, these words have sung to the very core of my being, yet I failed to understand its significance to my life. A recent conversation led me to recall situations in coming-of-age that have awakened my reality.

Ellington

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