Opinion

Coretta, Betty and MeIt was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States.
[Tisserand] Throw Us Something, AmericaThe silence can be terrifying. Not just the silence that still shrouds so much of greater New Orleans—the silence of neighborhoods on the brink, homes and schools empty, stores shuttered, communities scattered, friends out of touch.
[Stiggers] What Would Kanye Do?Ghetto Science Public Television and Kunta "Rahsheed X" Toby Film Works present "Moments in Angry, Black History."
For These Are All Our ChildrenFebuary 8, 2006
[Greggs] Male Rules For DatingWhile sitting down and enjoying an "adult beverage" with a few guy friends the other night, the topic of dating came up. Now, I've always maintained that I wouldn't write about dating in a column. I've previously mentioned that I …
[Stiggers] Angry Moments In Black HistoryBruh Jojo: "Thirty years ago, I was one of the first black students to attend a predominately white, private high school. I encountered my most challenging moment during an American history class. The lesson of the day covered slavery, chapter …
[Kamikaze] Our Victories Are HistoryI've never really liked the idea of Black History "Month." There'll be another slew of black history programs (yawn). We'll hear the same speakers speak, and my kids will once again hear about Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman …
Make Friends, And Build A CityWhat we call the "Best Of" season in January here at the JFP always ends with a big bang in the form of our Best of Jackson party, which happened this year in the Electric 308 building in downtown Jackson. …
A Hospitality CheckWhen I saw the fax on my desk, inviting me to a 2006 Breakfast with the Legislature with the Mississippi Hospitality & Rest-aurant Association, all the memories came flooding back. As kitchen manager of my local Irish pub, I had …
[Stiggers] Working For Mr. ChollyBoneqweesha: "It's Boneqweesha live, covering the grand opening of the Let Me Hold Five Dollars Insurance Company's Daddy McBride memorial building. I'm with Daddy McBride, patriarch of the McBride family and inspiration for L.M.H.F.D. Insurance Company. Daddy, I know that …
The Art Of Being The BestJust mention "the state's inferiority complex" to a Mississippi native, and he or she will likely respond: "God, isn't that the truth?" Let's just say that residents of our dear state haven't been schooled in the fine art of being …
[Stiggers] Dee-wishious ChocolateThe Qweem-O-Wheat man addresses the Cootie Creek County Community College Black Student Union during their Pre-Black History Month Miss Sausage Biscuit Beauty pageant.
[Greggs] The Love Of PowerI've been reading the "The 48 Laws of Power" recently. I won't take credit for buying it, as it was a gift from a friend. A gift, that once I figured out what the book was about, immediately made him …
Let Us Be AudaciousLet us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.
[Kamikaze] Relax, And Hire YoungWithout thrusting myself into the political fray, I must say that Ward 4 Councilman Frank Bluntson and Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman were dead-on last week in response to Mayor Frank Melton's appointment of Marcus Ward as city lobbyist. There …
[Stiggers] Dr. Collard Greene Goes OrganicChef "Low" Fat Meat: "My health-conscious friends complained about the food I used to serve at my restaurant.
Let Me Count The WaysWhen my assistant editor, Casey Parks, left the JFP last month to go on to graduate school, she wrote a goodbye editor's note that made me cry. I admit I was touched by what she said about me, the city …
[Stiggers] Tricklin' On DownBrutha Hustle, the Carlton Sheets of the ghetto, introduces Hustle-Nomics 2006, a plan that helps financially challenged individuals supplement their current income within an inflated economy.
[Greggs] An Angry Young WomanTopics often jump out at me over the course of a week. This week, everything was jumping, and not a one of them was staying down. I went over my last columns in my head wondering what to pontificate about …
The Cult Of IrresponsibilityJust how bad of a newspaper is The Clarion-Ledger? A hint comes three-quarters of the way into Executive Editor Ronnie Agnew's "end of the year" column (Jan. 1, 2006). The paragraph is about Mayor Frank Melton:
[Kamikaze] Disrespecting RappersThe year 2005 was a great one for hiphop. As a genre, it continues to dominate the music industry and pop culture in general. Here locally, hiphop has almost (and I stress almost) gone from a red-headed stepchild to a …
[Stiggers] Bring Your Own SoapPicture this scene: You're at home in the dark without water, gas and telephone because you cannot afford to pay your utility bills. You seek help from your neighbor. But you also discover that he or she is in the …
[De Groote] Devil Worshipers of the Mid-'90sTroy's "Big Mini" was our favorite means of conveyance on many high school adventures back in the mid- '90s. We drove that Ford minivan through absolute hell and back, and it bore the scars and peeling paint as proof of …
The Best Of Times, The Worst Of TimesLast year began on a high note for the Jackson Free Press, and it's closing on a high note—with our readership at an all-time high, our position as the city's most-read weekly publication cemented, and the biggest advertising issue we've …
[Stiggers] The Spooks Outside Yo' DoorThe following is an excerpt from the script, "The Spooks outside Yo' Door" by Kunta "Rasheed X" Toby:
[Greggs] Ali G's Magnificent 2006 PredictionsLast year on New Year's, I made a resolution against resolutions. My logic for this decision was knowing that if I truly wanted to change something about myself, I could wake up some random Tuesday in March and make the …
[Kamikaze] The CNN Of The StreetsOver the years hip-hop music has been effective in uncovering many truths. The L.A.-based group NWA shined a bright light on rampant police brutality in songs like "F_*ck the Police." Rapper-turned-actor Ice T practically predicted the L.A. riots that followed …
Do Not Take Revenge, My FriendsCain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever …
Loving Thy NeighborLast week, the day after the JFP's first "Race, Religion & Society" panel discussion, I looked at two e-mails within a couple hours of each other. The first, from a white man in Brandon with a subject line of just …
[Stiggers] The Night Before KwanzaaWelcome to a Ghetto Science Christmas with the Fifth Alternate Financially Challenged and Concerned Citizens Community Choir, directed by Auntie Church Hat. Here's a song from their first Christmas CD titled "Broke, Busted and Frustrated during the Holiday Season."