Oprah, You Bad, Bad GirlStern isn't the only thorn in the FCC's paw. Bush's conservative agenda has spawned several new definitions of what indecent means, resulting in tons of FCC battles.
The Media as CensorThe war in Iraq has also become a war of images. This week, we were troubled by a video of the be-heading of an American. The week before, it was pictures of tortured Iraqi prisoners. Every week, we see photographs …
Black Monday: Mississippi's Ugly Response to 'Brown v. Board' DecisionIt was the late spring 1953, and Gov. Hugh White had called a crucial special session of the Mississippi Legislature. He needed to mobilize a group of moderate lawmakers. If he could get the numbers right, White would ask them …
‘Thurgood's Coming:' Tale of a Hero LawyerWhen Thurgood Marshall hung out his shingle in 1933 as an attorney in his hometown of Baltimore, he immediately became a very popular attorney among fellow African Americans. One problem, though: His clients couldn't afford to pay the young man …
JPS, Then and NowThe 1957 Murrah High School yearbook is filled with happy white faces, and names like Hederman, Copeland and Mize. One photo shows the yearbook staffers cutting up and having a good time; one young man's grinning face is painted black. …
The Rest of UsA recent article in The New York Times Magazine portrayed a group of women who have decided to step away from careers to raise their young children. The title of the article was "The Opt Out Revolution." While evocative of …
Fran's Creole GirlsWhen I was a child in the 1950s, white middle class society pitied childless women. They had few options for a productive life outside of motherhood. The husband of a childless woman was well tended, though. That's all the poor …
Singling Out Single MomsGreat—another Hallmark holiday, as if picking out cards for your half-sister's secretary's niece's baptism wasn't enough already. Hoping to spark a national trend, American Singles Education Inc. is sponsoring a singles-mixer celebration in San Rafael, Calif. Single Mother's Day is …
All Chicks Didn't Just HatchOne Thursday evening last November, I saw a group of women dressed in purple, the odd bit of red plumage on their bright red hats, listening to Rhonda Richmond sing "Mood Indigo" upstairs at the Mississippi Museum of Art's Jazz, …
Just Another Church<i>Methodist minister Ed King worked and lived Freedom Summer in Mississippi in 1964. The Vicksburg native ran for lieutenant governor on the Freedom Vote mock election ballot while Aaron Henry was the gubernatorial candidate. The two were pitted against actual …
Paycheck Not EnoughMaybe it's a natural cycle after the excessive '80s and dot-com '90s, maybe it's because of the recent business scandals or the inner reflecting many are doing in the wake of Sept. 11, but the Millennium Generation seems to want …
Young People Want to Be Own BossJustin Reed gets it. He can see why African-American junior high and high school kids said in the Interprise Poll, Junior Achievement's 2003 nationwide survey, that they wanted to become entrepreneurs more than they wanted to be doctors or lawyers …
Clash of the GenerationsMaybe you once diapered somebody who is now your boss' age. Or maybe you supervise someone who once babysat you. Regardless, the two of you likely look at the world, and the workplace, very differently. And that might make working …
Two-Party BickeringState lawmakers have a little more than a month left in this legislative session, and they are getting down to business on the most important item on their agenda: Passing a budget. Advocates, educators and concerned citizens are rallying for …
Triple Trouble at MDHSThe Mississippi Department of Human Services' latest troubles have come in threes: Children's Rights, a national advocacy group has filed a federal lawsuit against it; the state auditor is investigating the agency; and children and family advocates are criticizing Executive …