If Not for My Size"You are such a beautiful woman for your size." Yep. In 2017, someone said that to me.
Cheers to Bi-partisanship in the Mississippi HouseThe blame for the budget meltdown belongs to both the House and the Senate, but if you believe that bipartisanship, maintaining the state's infrastructure and compromise are important in how laws are made, give your House members a high-five the …
What ‘Confederate History Month’ Really IsCelebrating Confederate History Month without even attempting to put it in its proper context of human slavery and racism is just another one of the things we do to refuse to let go of our white supremacist past.
Growing Jackson’s Entrepreneurship EcosystemThere's a word for what Jackson has developed for certain industries, especially food, medical-technology, nonprofit and government work, even law—it's an "ecosystem."
Americans for Prosperity: Online Sales Tax is Wrong for MississippiThe Jackson Free Press recently published an editorial criticizing my organization, Americans for Prosperity, for opposing a bill that would impose sales taxes on all online purchases made in Mississippi—even when the seller has no presence in the state.
Last-Hour Gang Law Overhaul Is Self-DefeatingWhen Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, stood up at the last hour to amend state gang law at the Mississippi Legislature on March 8, he committed what can be called a "tell."
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'No Evidence'On his personal Twitter account, President Donald Trump used Clapper's decision to not comment on the ongoing investigation into the Trump administration and campaign's ties to Russia to conclude that there must be "no evidence" of such collusions.
Caution: Oligarchy AheadBrother Hustle: "Welcome to this very important Compensatory Investment Request Support Group meeting. While democracy transitions into an oligarchy, the common, poor and financially challenged communities must brace themselves for a severe beatdown."
Jackson Needs More CamaraderieIt's great to have a sense of pride in your neighborhood, but it's also important to remember that we're all part of one city.
Conserving Fannye A. Cook’s LegacyWhen Fannye A. Cook was born in Copiah County, women were almost 80 years away from gaining the right to serve on a Mississippi jury and 95 years away from the Mississippi State Legislature's symbolic ratification of the 19th Amendment, …
Calling on Our Ancestral MothersEach year I make deliberate efforts to study women throughout history. This year I have dissected my celebration. With intentional focus, I am celebrating black women. I am dedicating myself to who I am because of who we are.
Use the T-word: Trauma Matters, Must Be TreatedWithout an understanding of trauma—what often lies beneath the surface of a child who was taken out of an abusive home or a teenager in juvenile detention—the wounds won't heal.
Want Change? Get InvolvedSome exciting things are happening in technology and entrepreneurship in Jackson this year.
Denying Sanctuary Spreads FearIn the midst of a souring national climate toward immigration—thanks in large part to President Donald Trump's executive order, which authorizes more detention facilities to hold detained immigrants, among other costly revamping measures—Mississippi's leaders have stubbornly aligned themselves with Trump's …
An Editor and a GentlemanAn odd fluke of fate brought me to the patch of dirt where three civil rights workers were murdered in my home county, holding the hand of James Chaney's daughter 40 years after he died there.
Danny Glover and the Rights of WorkersI'll never forget Danny Glover as the drifter Moze in the 1984 film "Places in the Heart." It was a Depression-era story of a widowed mother in the South trying to keep her children and save her farm with the …
Killing Online Sales Tax Bill Is HypocrisyThe state's budget is shrinking, and whether a lawmaker blames slow economic development or large tax breaks given to corporations that never came to Mississippi, the budget squeeze is on most legislators' minds this session.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Pioneers'DeVos called historically black colleges and universities "living proof" that more options for students means greater access and quality, when in actuality HBCUs were not so much a choice as they were a necessity for African Americans looking to attend …
Miss Doodle Mae’s Safe Haven from Fake NewsMiss Doodle Mae: "In a time of 'fake news' and 'alternative facts,' Jojo's Discount Dollar Store has become a safe haven for the common people."
Try Everything, Learn SomethingLike a lot of people, when I was younger, I tried my hand at everything in the hopes that I would also be inexplicably great at everything.
Of Racial Profiling and Scarlet LettersFor a lot of immigrants—especially immigrants of color—part of the relief of becoming a citizen is that you won't get scarlet-letter documents that are different from everyone else's.
Lawmakers: Stay Off the Trump Immigrant RoadWith a president hell-bent on securing borders and going after undocumented immigrants in the name of drug wars and criminal activity, it is a scary time to not technically be legal.
Love Is All You NeedTake a good look around the world today. Many people present hate in the face of love daily. We spend a lot of time trying to correct hatred in this country. I personally believe we are in a place now …
‘Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor’I've talked about this before, but we are a nation of many immigrants. Unless you're Native American, you can likely trace your roots back somewhere across the seas or down in South and Central America.
From Council Schools to Today’s Fight for Public EdYearbooks and classmates prove that Gov. Phil Bryant is the product of white flight and segregationist education, which may explain his efforts, along with others in his party, to undermine public education in this state.
"You are such a beautiful woman for your size." Yep. In 2017, someone said that to me.
The blame for the budget meltdown belongs to both the House and the Senate, but if you believe that bipartisanship, maintaining the state's infrastructure and compromise are important in how laws are made, give your House members a high-five the …
Celebrating Confederate History Month without even attempting to put it in its proper context of human slavery and racism is just another one of the things we do to refuse to let go of our white supremacist past.
There's a word for what Jackson has developed for certain industries, especially food, medical-technology, nonprofit and government work, even law—it's an "ecosystem."
"This is no longer a Mississippi fight. This is a battle for the soul of America."
The Jackson Free Press recently published an editorial criticizing my organization, Americans for Prosperity, for opposing a bill that would impose sales taxes on all online purchases made in Mississippi—even when the seller has no presence in the state.
When Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, stood up at the last hour to amend state gang law at the Mississippi Legislature on March 8, he committed what can be called a "tell."
Brother Hustle: "Welcome to this very important Compensatory Investment Request Support Group meeting. While democracy transitions into an oligarchy, the common, poor and financially challenged communities must brace themselves for a severe beatdown."
It's great to have a sense of pride in your neighborhood, but it's also important to remember that we're all part of one city.
When Fannye A. Cook was born in Copiah County, women were almost 80 years away from gaining the right to serve on a Mississippi jury and 95 years away from the Mississippi State Legislature's symbolic ratification of the 19th Amendment, …
Each year I make deliberate efforts to study women throughout history. This year I have dissected my celebration. With intentional focus, I am celebrating black women. I am dedicating myself to who I am because of who we are.
Without an understanding of trauma—what often lies beneath the surface of a child who was taken out of an abusive home or a teenager in juvenile detention—the wounds won't heal.
Some exciting things are happening in technology and entrepreneurship in Jackson this year.
"Improving women’s access to fair and equal pay not only uplifts them, but their entire families and their communities as well."
As a former Jacksonian looking into the city from D.C. with a powerful set of binoculars, I can't help but ask myself, "What the hell is going on?"
In the midst of a souring national climate toward immigration—thanks in large part to President Donald Trump's executive order, which authorizes more detention facilities to hold detained immigrants, among other costly revamping measures—Mississippi's leaders have stubbornly aligned themselves with Trump's …
A dark shadow has been cast over the land in the wake of chants of "Make America Great Again" and "America First."
An odd fluke of fate brought me to the patch of dirt where three civil rights workers were murdered in my home county, holding the hand of James Chaney's daughter 40 years after he died there.
"We are moving in the right direction, but we still have much more to do."
I'll never forget Danny Glover as the drifter Moze in the 1984 film "Places in the Heart." It was a Depression-era story of a widowed mother in the South trying to keep her children and save her farm with the …
The state's budget is shrinking, and whether a lawmaker blames slow economic development or large tax breaks given to corporations that never came to Mississippi, the budget squeeze is on most legislators' minds this session.
Miss Doodle Mae: "In a time of 'fake news' and 'alternative facts,' Jojo's Discount Dollar Store has become a safe haven for the common people."
Like a lot of people, when I was younger, I tried my hand at everything in the hopes that I would also be inexplicably great at everything.
For a lot of immigrants—especially immigrants of color—part of the relief of becoming a citizen is that you won't get scarlet-letter documents that are different from everyone else's.
With a president hell-bent on securing borders and going after undocumented immigrants in the name of drug wars and criminal activity, it is a scary time to not technically be legal.
Take a good look around the world today. Many people present hate in the face of love daily. We spend a lot of time trying to correct hatred in this country. I personally believe we are in a place now …
I've talked about this before, but we are a nation of many immigrants. Unless you're Native American, you can likely trace your roots back somewhere across the seas or down in South and Central America.
Yearbooks and classmates prove that Gov. Phil Bryant is the product of white flight and segregationist education, which may explain his efforts, along with others in his party, to undermine public education in this state.