MUW Dumping Women's Sports
Ouch. The Mississippi University for Women (and Men, actually) is trying to abolish its women's athletics programs due to budget cuts and tornado damage. "MUW President Claudia Limbert is asking state College Board approval on Thursday to take steps to eliminate the school's four teams beginning July 1, 2003," the Clarion-Ledger reported today.
Our Boy Trent
Is Lott an anachronism, or does he represent a stereotypical, but true, Mississippi that still denies its racist past?
Blythe Daigle
Blythe Daigle doesn't look like your stereotypical activist. Dressed conservatively in a gray turtleneck, blue jeans and black clunky shoes, she resembles the other inhabitants of her Belhaven apartment complex. But, unlike most people who are only three years out of college, Daigle, a Louisiana native, has already completed a two-year stint in Paraguay as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Don't Believe The Urban Legends
Todd and I were out at Little Toyko one Friday night having dinner with two other couples. Politically, the left, right and the middle were amply represented among the six of us. So were various perceptions of Jackson. We were having one of those loud, aerobic conversations that bounce blissfully from topic to topic, probably annoying the heck out of the people around us. Our waitress seemed quietly, but distantly, bemused. Then one of our friends said something that made my neck hairs stand up.
Artiste At Work
For two months the lights at the large, older brick home on Morningside Street in Belhaven Heights burned the night. There's no "artist at work" sign on the outside; however, a peek inside the house reveals organized chaos, with silk batik scarves draped from clotheslines stretched across the length of a spare bedroom/studio, in doorways and on a screened back porch.
A Child Of Peace
Mark Henderson's dark skin gleams in the green and white stage lights of the University Park Auditorium on the Jackson State University campus. The group of 20 or so performers in this weekend's "Black Nativity: (some of them members of the Mississippi Mass Choir), ranging in age 8 to mid-40s, start to congregate in the cavernous room to rehearse. Looking on, Henderson, 33, talks about his MADDRAMA (Making A Difference Doing Respectable And Meaningful Art) acting troupe that is presenting the play. The JSU alumnus and professor started the group in 1996 for students interested in developing their theatrical skills; it has now grown to encompass students and non-students alike.
Liberals In The Christian Center
These days in Mississippi, it can be hard to admit that you're, gulp, not conservative. And don't even say the L-word in public. You might get summarily run over by a honkin' SUV with a "United We Guzzle" license plate and several American flags in various stages of decay.
They Call Him Mr. Bass, by Katherine R. Dougan
Everybody knows him, either by name or reputation.
When I first met Raphael Semmes, I didn't realize he was a legend on bass guitar. My first impression: Semmes was a super-nice guy who played bass. Moments later, I learned better.
Bill Minor
Bill Minor is proof that the best way to keep a muscle fit is to exercise it. Rigorously. When I arrived at his Broadmoor home the Friday after Thanksgiving, the brain of this 80-year-old journalist and columnist immediately started churning, and for the next two hours, he exploded with facts, details and opinions and quirkobilia. I didn't need to ask a single question of the man who has made a career out of asking questions in the state of Mississippi.
Tea With Lydy
I've thought often of Lydy Caldwell since she was so horribly murdered in October. But I thought of her often when she was alive, too.
Carolyn Renee Morris
Carolyn Morris—the storyteller, singer, songwriter, connector—is the product of the two strong women who raised her. The 40-year-old South Jacksonian was born in the University Medical Center in 1962 and then bounced back and forth between her feminist mother, Tahira'h Abubakr, and her more traditional grandmother, Gussie Seals. Abubakr raised Morris in New York City and Indianapolis to be politically aware and determined and independent. She visited Miss Gussie, a former sharecropper, back here in Pocahontas and learned the feminine arts. "Otherwise, I'd never have put on a dress," Morris says, laughing softly as she nibbles at a tofu burrito outside High Noon Café.
Delicate Shades of Folk, by Katherine R. Dougan
Jackson folks might remember Kris Wilkinson from her days with Perfect Strangers, a band formed in the mid-1980s while she was in college at Delta State University in Cleveland. After graduating, she lived and performed in Jackson for a couple of years. Wilkinson, now half of the duo Cicero Buck, is coming back to Jackson Nov. 27, when her tour for her recently released CD, "Delicate Shades of Grey," brings her to Fenian's Pub.
Go Jackson State!
Sorry, Alcorn. We've got to root for the home team. Tickets are $32, $22, and $17. And, truth be known, the "Braves" part doesn't help anything. Go Tigers!
Tea With Lydy
I've thought often of Lydy Caldwell since she was so horribly murdered in October. But I thought of her often when she was alive, too.
The Streets We Live On
Can the width of our roads actually affect the quality of our lives? That's one of the questions central to the discussion surrounding "infill" and revitalization development in urban areas. It's something, for instance, that local urban planners are discussing in regard to the planned Jackson Metro Parkway and its impact on the surrounding neighborhoods—indeed, its impact on anyone doing business in central Jackson. But the design of a street can affect us on every level—at home, getting to work, heading down to the grocery store or fighting traffic at the mall.
Minding the Shop
We weren't stopping at every convenience store in West Jackson. Todd and I were primarily distributing the Jackson Free Press to beauty and barbershops, barbecue spots, libraries and nightclubs—places where West Jacksonians like to congregate and, hopefully, look through magazines. Besides, it was raining torrents, and stopping in front of a strip of businesses made our task a little more efficient and a little less water-logged. But the tiny store at the southwest corner of Jackson State looked too charming to pass up. Plus, it was probably the kind of place that JSU students stop into constantly for coffee and snacks. It would be perfect for the Jackson Free Press.
NOT Annoyed, Thank You
We were interested to see that The Clarion-Ledger 'fessed up that a vote for Rep. Chip Pickering in the Third District would not annoy the newspaper. The Pickering campaign, or somebody darned close to it, had been trying to work up a frenzy about the reliable, old Clarion-Ledger being a—eek—liberal newspaper. We told you last issue that the GOP was handing out bumper stickers, proclaiming (wink, wink): "ANNOY The Clarion-Ledger: Vote for Chip Pickering."
Boycott du Jour
That was then.
I recently met David Baria, president of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, for the first time. He was in the lounge side of Bravo Restaurant in Highland Village, lightheartedly holding court with his wife, also an attorney, a couple family members, and various and assorted other confident folks in business suits drinking red wine and martinis. He was boisterous, even as the state Legislature was facing a contentious debate over whether or not to enact civil tort reform—his personal bête noir—in the state. I got the feeling that he and his entourage might gather often in that very same spot; they were clearly a part of the vibrant young professional scene at Bravo.
Dogging Youth
<i>Is Metrocenter Mall's New Policy Good for Business?</i>
When the four young women arrived at Metrocenter Mall Friday, Oct. 25, just after dark, they didn't expect to be carded at the door. Casually dressed in sweats and sneakers, Renata Davis, 20; Stacey Swana, 25; and Danielle Baldwin, 15; came with Andreal Davis, 18, to get her infant daughter's ears pierced. But when they reached the entrance next to Ruby Tuesday's, they met a white-shirted security guard in a big black hat and a member of mall management who asked for their IDs. The weekend before, Metrocenter had launched a new curfew, called the Family First Guardian Policy, that requires people 17 and under to be escorted by a parent or legal guardian from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.
948-CHIP
Talk about an ironic bumper sticker: "ANNOY The Clarion Ledger: VOTE PICKERING"
Your Vote Counts Here
Imagine a state where moderates have as loud a voice as extreme conservatives. Imagine a state where it's considered cool to be progressive. A state where young people are drawn to politics so they can help people, not corporations. A state where your vote counts.
Bandits At Home
The Jackson Bandits are home in the Big Barn (aka the Mississippi Coliseum) on Friday and Saturday for games with Columbia and Baton Rouge. Here's the report from the team:
Injustice Everywhere
The meeting, at Freelon's Restaurant on Mill Street, was called to organize support for controversial African-American attorney Chokwe Lumumba, who may be disbarred by the Mississippi State Bar. Lumumba, founder of the New Afrikan People's Organization, is a nationally known attorney who has vigorously represented African Americans, ranging from the late rapper Tupac Shakur to the exonerated defendants in the New York Brinks armored-car robbery case.
Rob McDuff
Robert B. McDuff, 46, looks too rumpled and carefree to be about to argue the Democrats' congressional redistricting case before the U.S. Supreme Court in December. But, a cursory look around the Jackson attorney's office—in a slightly crumbling North Congress house with crooked steps and peeling gray paint—reveals that he's about more than power. He wants to make a difference.
First Stop, Pakistan, by Katherine R. Dougan
The Derek Trucks Band brings its multicultural sounds and "joyful noise" to Hal & Mal's Halloween night.
The British Are Coming, by Herman Snell
British indie-pop invades Martin's Sunday night.
The birth of MTV in August 1981 was boycotted and banned in Jackson. I wanted my MTV. So at the tender age of 11, teen angst set in. Months later, the local cable company gave in to the pop gods, and my musical education began.
World Series Party with the Senators
From David Blount: "Although the Senators season ended last month, baseball season reaches its climax Saturday with the World Series. The Angels and Giants play Game One Saturday night on FOX (hope you have cable!). The Jackson Senators are sponsoring a free World Series party on Tuesday night for Game Three. The event will be held at the Clarion Hotel (by the Coliseum, formerly the Ramada) on Oct. 22 at 6:30. There will be a complimentary buffet, door prizes, and an update on some good news concerning the Senators and Smith-Wills. It's free, so please pass the word. For more information and to RSVP please call the Senators office at 362-2294.
Green Peace, Anyone?
We are proud to report that the JFP acknowledged the burgeoning peace movement in Jackson before other local media. Hopefully, they'll all keep reporting that not everyone in Mississippi is behind the current war efforts. And don't miss Claretta Hasberry's Free Press Facts about James O. Eastland that appear at the end of this story.
Chutzpah, Y'all
Then, she pursued Madonna, JFK Jr., the New York Yankees and the beautiful people at the Cannes Film Festival. Now, it's the Sweet Potato Queens and congressional candidates at the Neshoba County Fair. Photographer and New Yorker-turned-Jacksonian Suzi Altman knows who she wants to shoot and how to chase them down, sometimes wearing a "Girls Kick Ass" T-shirt. "I am quick, little and determined," said the 5-foot-3 Altman.
Shaking Hands
The last time I shook David Bowen's hand, he was a congressman, and I was a Stennis Scholar at Mississippi State. The scholarship generously provided a trip to Washington, D.C., the summer between my junior and senior years. My fellow scholar, Jim Young (now an attorney in Jackson), and I were sent north. It was my first time going anywhere near the Mason-Dixon Line.
Studying That Good Ol' Way, by Nina Parikh
When I toured through the Delta three years ago with the acclaimed filmmaking brothers, Joel and Ethan Coen, I don't remember listening to music. It's possible we even drove in silence as they looked at locations to shoot their film, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?." If we listened to anything, it certainly wasn't bluegrass or roots or any songs that T. Bone Burnett would later put on the soundtrack, which quickly became the hottest "new" music in the U.S.
Lifting As We Climb
The women wore breathtaking hats to hear Lerone Bennett Jr. A gargantuan canary-yellow feather creation was perfectly calibrated to match the wearer's canary-yellow suit. A bright-pink straw hat had big pink plastic roses encircling the brim. And, on the head of a younger woman, a red glitter cowboy hat winked a hint of ironic non-conformity.
Close Call
Sept. 11 brought a reprieve for a Farish Street building that housed many of the early machinations of the country-blues movement. On Aug. 9 the front façade of Brown Furniture Building at 225 North Farish Street started bowing after construction crews ripped up the sidewalks in front. Apparently, the sidewalk was holding up the bricks in the front façade; when the sidewalk went, the building was in danger of going, too. So the city wanted to rip it down.
Highty, Tighty, Gosh a Mighty ... Who Cares?
Back home after having Frank's biscuits for lunch, Todd plops down in front of the TV. "Look, Ole Miss is about to beat Florida. And they're ranked No. 6," he says, excitedly. Mississippi State alum that I am, I start watching the TV screen in a rather bored fashion. Suddenly, I realize that the man I love and who has routinely cheered for State with me is rooting for Ole Miss. He even supported my team against his alma mater, Texas A&M in the bowl game a couple years back (he knew I'd be hard to live with if State lost). Now, though, he's betraying me? What the ....?!? "Well, they're the Mississippi team. We've got to root for Mississippi teams. And they'll tear down the goal posts." I'm starting to realize that my Texas man is truly becoming a Mississippian -- except, well, you can't root for both State and Ole Miss. Not in the same lifetime. He oughta know that; he's from a football state. When's the last time Mr. A&M cheered on Texas, eh? I keep shooting him dirty looks through the end of the game, even as Ole Miss students rush the field. Later, I will hear that Texas Tech beat A&M today. Well, then.
Ultimate Disk Southern Regionals
The city of Jackson and the Mississippi Ultimate Disk Association are hosting the 2002 Ultimate Disk Southern Regionals this Saturday and Sunday in Butts Park. Teams from Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee will compete, with up to 1,000 people expected to attend. "Ultimate," as this sport is called, began in the early 1960s an universities around the U.S. Stanford University even awards full scholarships, and Ultimate is considered a varsity sport. Visit the Ultimate Players Association's Web site at http://www.upa.org and see http://www.canufly.net/~sadie/ for special details on the Jackson events.
Sun/King 5K Run/Walk for Habitat
Remember the 3rd Annual Sun King 5K Run/Walk in memory of Ernest Davidson
Saturday, Oct.5, 2002, 8 a.m. Race will start and finish at St. James Episcopal Church This year' s event will benefit St. James' Habitat for Humanity projects.
Hockey in Mississippi!?
I'll be honest: I still can't quite mesh hockey with my home state. And, truth be known, I have a hard time understanding the game even though I used to attend University of North Dakota games when they were No. 1. But it is an amazing clash of testosterone and graceful moves, so I'm in. I see that the Jackson Bandits' first game is Oct. 18. We've got to get out to support our home teams; buy your season tickets now at 352-PUCK. See http://www.thebandits.com for a full schedule.
Keke Lowe
Marquise "Keke" Lowe has lived in Jackson his whole 19-year-old life. Lowe, a slim teenager with amused chestnut eyes and a small, sculpted face, grew up in Shady Oaks, attended Bailey Magnet High School and now lives Downtown. He's studying computer science and business at Tougaloo College so he can own his own computer-programming company. "Technology is trying to run things right now," he says.
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