Jackson, It’s Time to Go to WorkWe're excited to see the work, progress, ideas, energy and journey of the Lumumba administration unfold, and we plan to hold them accountable and suggest solutions every step of the way.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Far Better Off'The majority of Mississippians on Medicaid are low-income children, the state's aging population, and the disabled and blind. Cuts to Medicaid could have a direct impact on their access to health care.
Put People Over PartyBoth the House and Senate approaches to health care will severely harm the vast majority of Mississippians. Ask our representatives in Congress to act on behalf of the greater good for Mississippians.
Shop, Eat and Drink Local This Fourth!We're deep into our 15th year of publishing as July 4th rolls around, which means we at the Jackson Free Press have being doing something else for a decade and a half—encouraging people to shop local first.
Democracy’s Third Branch in DangerThe Supreme Court has nine justices. Nine justices who are left to their own devices to interpret the constitution however they deem fit.
Creating a Culture of Wellness in JacksonWhen a company considers relocating or expanding to a city, it considers more than the conditions of its streets. The health of the population is also a factor because it affects medical costs and productivity, which can adversely affect the …
Democracy Only Works in Public ViewThe Mississippi attorney general's office releasing the TAC report, which details how the state should work to fix its children's mental- and behavioral-health care system, this week is just one in a line of recent examples where transparency could have …
Safe in Our Own ‘Castles’One of the last places I want to find myself when traveling with my family is on the side of dark stretch of freeway with flashing lights behind me.
Trump, DeVos Allowing Bigotry in Public SchoolsIn a presidential administration filled with shocking moments, it was a New York Times headline that crystallized the Trump crowd's disdain for children of color for me. "Education Dept. Says It Will Scale Back Civil Rights Investigations," The New York …
The Curious Case of ‘Those Mothers’"Did y'all hear about the 6-year-old boy who got kidnapped from Kroger this morning?" It was the first thing I heard from my mother when I stumbled into the kitchen in a grump for my orange juice after I took …
Long-game Economics Requires Investing in KidsThe typical economic-development strategy for Mississippi Republicans in recent years has been a game of tax cuts, supposedly so that corporations and companies will relocate and set up shop here in the state.
Broadening ExperiencesAt a time in our nation's history when we desperately need community involvement and a sense of local and national purpose, AmeriCorps is one of the organizations that can provide it.
Local Adventurers WantedAs I've gotten older, I've realized the importance of home—and also how expensive it is to move and travel all the time.
A Pre-Huey Long MississippiWhen Huey Long first swept onto the political scene in Louisiana in the 1920s, the state was the quintessential southern backwater.
Legislature Can’t Dress Up Damage Doing to StateThe special session on Monday presented lawmakers the chance to potentially clean up some unfinished business from the 2017 legislative session as well as messes by particular members (looking at you, Rep. Karl Oliver). Lawmakers failed on both fronts.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Travel Ban'President Trump has introduced two travel bans, both of which federal courts blocked, in order to supposedly up national security, despite research that shows how little they work.
June: A Month of EncouragementMiss Doodle Mae: "A lot of Jojo's Discount Dollar Store employees are concerned about their futures because of possible budget cuts on social, health-care and educational programs. Worry, apathy and depression consumes the morale of the staff."
Health and Tech Go Hand in HandThere aren't a lot of life lessons to gain from the 1998 teen horror flick "The Faculty." But when Elijah Wood's character says, "I don't think a person should run unless he's being chased," well, that's a message that just …
We Must Hold Our Political Leaders Accountable The time to mobilize isn't the next election. It's now. We have to start laying the groundwork for change in our state, and it starts with you and me.
I Refuse to Be a VictimRight now, I'm scared. I see children getting shot and three other only slightly larger children arrested for the crime, and I know that for the last five years, the state Legislature has been crippling or cutting any program designed …
New City Administration Must Be Smart on CrimeInterpersonal violence, much like the shooting spree allegedly spurred from domestic violence that left eight people dead in Lincoln County last weekend, is responsible for a huge amount of violent crime that police cannot stop.
Let’s Elect Lumumba on June 6 and Get OrganizedI've had a number of great conversations recently with local business people who are curious to see where our city is headed now that the primary is behind us, and it appears that Chokwe Antar Lumumba, who surprised many by …
Kingston’s Death: The Tragedy It IsI can't speak for Kingston Frazier's mama, but I know what it's like to be a black single mama who's judged because your child was a victim of a crime.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Lynched'Rep. Karl Oliver demonstrated how little progress, ideologically at least, has been made since the Civil Rights Movement in some communities and how those similar attitudes still permeate the Legislature, leading to inequitable policy and, now, calls for violence. It's …
Letter to a Young MotherDear Ebony, I don't know you, but I know you. You are me. You are my sister, my aunt, my friend. You are every woman, every mother who just wanted what was best for her child.
Time to End Free Passes for Racist LawmakersLeaders can feign disgust at Rep. Karl Oliver's words, but their cozy relationship with racial rhetoric and symbols emboldened him and may lead to the violence he encouraged. It is time to stop this game now.
Facing the Mirror, From Kingston Frazier to Karl OliverLittle Kingston Frazier is our mirror. The brutal murder of this 6-year-old in Jackson last week reflected the absolute best and the abhorrent worst of our community.
The Democratic Old GuardIn March, when Bernie Sanders stood on the podium at the "March on Mississippi" in Canton and told the crowd that "the eyes of the country and the eyes of the world are on you," thousands cheered.
Pointing Fingers Won’t Help Mental Health CrisisMississippi's mental-health care problems are not secrets, and yet only when the DOJ sues the state and after speaking with some community advocates does the governor start talking about community-based services.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'No Crisis'Gov. Phil Bryant railed against the media three separate times while speaking at the Mental Health Summit at the Jackson Hilton last week.
We're excited to see the work, progress, ideas, energy and journey of the Lumumba administration unfold, and we plan to hold them accountable and suggest solutions every step of the way.
The majority of Mississippians on Medicaid are low-income children, the state's aging population, and the disabled and blind. Cuts to Medicaid could have a direct impact on their access to health care.
Both the House and Senate approaches to health care will severely harm the vast majority of Mississippians. Ask our representatives in Congress to act on behalf of the greater good for Mississippians.
We're deep into our 15th year of publishing as July 4th rolls around, which means we at the Jackson Free Press have being doing something else for a decade and a half—encouraging people to shop local first.
The Supreme Court has nine justices. Nine justices who are left to their own devices to interpret the constitution however they deem fit.
When a company considers relocating or expanding to a city, it considers more than the conditions of its streets. The health of the population is also a factor because it affects medical costs and productivity, which can adversely affect the …
The Mississippi attorney general's office releasing the TAC report, which details how the state should work to fix its children's mental- and behavioral-health care system, this week is just one in a line of recent examples where transparency could have …
One of the last places I want to find myself when traveling with my family is on the side of dark stretch of freeway with flashing lights behind me.
In a presidential administration filled with shocking moments, it was a New York Times headline that crystallized the Trump crowd's disdain for children of color for me. "Education Dept. Says It Will Scale Back Civil Rights Investigations," The New York …
"Did y'all hear about the 6-year-old boy who got kidnapped from Kroger this morning?" It was the first thing I heard from my mother when I stumbled into the kitchen in a grump for my orange juice after I took …
The typical economic-development strategy for Mississippi Republicans in recent years has been a game of tax cuts, supposedly so that corporations and companies will relocate and set up shop here in the state.
At a time in our nation's history when we desperately need community involvement and a sense of local and national purpose, AmeriCorps is one of the organizations that can provide it.
As I've gotten older, I've realized the importance of home—and also how expensive it is to move and travel all the time.
When Huey Long first swept onto the political scene in Louisiana in the 1920s, the state was the quintessential southern backwater.
The special session on Monday presented lawmakers the chance to potentially clean up some unfinished business from the 2017 legislative session as well as messes by particular members (looking at you, Rep. Karl Oliver). Lawmakers failed on both fronts.
President Trump has introduced two travel bans, both of which federal courts blocked, in order to supposedly up national security, despite research that shows how little they work.
Miss Doodle Mae: "A lot of Jojo's Discount Dollar Store employees are concerned about their futures because of possible budget cuts on social, health-care and educational programs. Worry, apathy and depression consumes the morale of the staff."
There aren't a lot of life lessons to gain from the 1998 teen horror flick "The Faculty." But when Elijah Wood's character says, "I don't think a person should run unless he's being chased," well, that's a message that just …
The time to mobilize isn't the next election. It's now. We have to start laying the groundwork for change in our state, and it starts with you and me.
Right now, I'm scared. I see children getting shot and three other only slightly larger children arrested for the crime, and I know that for the last five years, the state Legislature has been crippling or cutting any program designed …
Interpersonal violence, much like the shooting spree allegedly spurred from domestic violence that left eight people dead in Lincoln County last weekend, is responsible for a huge amount of violent crime that police cannot stop.
I've had a number of great conversations recently with local business people who are curious to see where our city is headed now that the primary is behind us, and it appears that Chokwe Antar Lumumba, who surprised many by …
I can't speak for Kingston Frazier's mama, but I know what it's like to be a black single mama who's judged because your child was a victim of a crime.
Dear Ebony, I don't know you, but I know you. You are me. You are my sister, my aunt, my friend. You are every woman, every mother who just wanted what was best for her child.
Leaders can feign disgust at Rep. Karl Oliver's words, but their cozy relationship with racial rhetoric and symbols emboldened him and may lead to the violence he encouraged. It is time to stop this game now.
Little Kingston Frazier is our mirror. The brutal murder of this 6-year-old in Jackson last week reflected the absolute best and the abhorrent worst of our community.
In March, when Bernie Sanders stood on the podium at the "March on Mississippi" in Canton and told the crowd that "the eyes of the country and the eyes of the world are on you," thousands cheered.
Mississippi's mental-health care problems are not secrets, and yet only when the DOJ sues the state and after speaking with some community advocates does the governor start talking about community-based services.
Gov. Phil Bryant railed against the media three separate times while speaking at the Mental Health Summit at the Jackson Hilton last week.