The State Flag Must GoAs a true son of Mississippi and of the legacy of my Confederate forefathers, I urge you all to support changing the flag.
I’m French Canadian and IrishBoneqweesha Jones: "Welcome to Ghetto Science Public Television's special edition of 'Qweesha Live Special Report.' Wondering if I will jump on the Rachel Dolezal media bandwagon? The answer is yes."
O, Speak and We Shall LiveOn the night of June 16, 1964, Bud and Beatrice Cole, along with four other adults and two children, were attending a stewards' meeting to discuss finances at the Mt. Zion Methodist Church east of Philadelphia, Miss.
Time to Rethink Local Policing StrategiesThe B.R.A.V.E. program, adopted from Baton Rouge, started in a section of west Jackson from West Capitol Street to Interstate 20.
My Coming Out StoryThe LGBT community grows every year during National Coming Out Day. During this day of courage, "hidden" members of the LGBT community have a chance to reveal their true selves to society and be proud of their sexual orientation.
Givers We LoveI appreciate the presents my dad has bought me in the past, of course, but when it comes down to it, I'd rather hang out with him. I'd rather thank him for showing me the kind of person I want …
My Friend Rachel Dolezal: Walk in Her ShoesWhen Rachel Dolezal's story began trending this month, media outlets immediately began shucking the most symmetrical assumptions of race and ethnicity. The headlines ranged from "Hero" to "Hater."
Blackness, Leisure and an American DreamEveryone was sold on the American Dream. The trouble is, when scenes like McKinney play out, it's hard to make a case that black people who bought into the dream shouldn't get every penny of their money back.
McKinney, Texas: Let’s Reflect and TalkThe night of June 5, police were called to a pool party because, the reports said, a group of black kids had crashed the party and were being disruptive.
A Simple Battle StrategyMr. Announcement: "It's time for the award-winning daytime soap opera, 'All God's Churn Got Shoes.' Today's story takes place at the meeting room of Operation Corporate Backlash. Chief Executive Officer addresses members about Operation Corporate Backlash's 'War on Poverty' crusade."
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Private'We know based on data from the Mississippi Department of Education that children who didn't pass the reading test are concentrated in poorer districts, where families are more likely to qualify for programs such as Medicaid.
2016 Is the Year To Make Early Voting a RealityAs we enter the 2015 election cycle, it's worth noting that Mississippi is down to one of only 14 states that has no provision for early voting and requires an excuse for absentee voting.
What Is Beauty?Wherever you are, just appreciate the person looking back at you. Half the battle in life is learning to stop hating what you see in the mirror.
Why D-Day MattersAs I waited for my wife and contemplated the seemingly unending horrors that man can perpetrate on other men, I realized that standing here answered the question that I had asked myself just a couple of weeks before. Then, I …
City Should be More Proactive on Siemens OversightNearly four months ago, Jackson's Director of Public Works Kishia Powell brought the Siemens water-meter project to a screeching halt when one of her deputies discovered a major mistake that had the potential to cost water customers thousands of dollars …
We Are Enslaved StillIf you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong. If you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green—God makes no rules about color; only society makes rules where my people suffer, and that's why …
Congrats to Staff and Freelancers: It’s Award Season!Spring weather, barbecue and canned beer on ice mean a little something extra at the Jackson Free Press in the month of May, because it's also the annual announcement era for a few of the key journalism award contests that …
B.B. King’s Universal LanguageBlues music may be singing the "No Future Tomorrow" blues once B.B. King hangs up his guitar for good, Alligator Records founder Bruce Iglauer warned back in 2004.
Entrepreneurial Shark TankMr. Announcement: "Ghetto Science Public Television welcomes its viewers to the premiere of the 'Hustle Family Shark Tank' reality television show, featuring panelists from the Hustle family."
Better Education, Less CrimeA popularly cited statistic involves private corrections companies pouring over third-grade reading scores in a given jurisdiction to project how many prison beds will be needed in a decade, when those illiterate third graders go off track and run afoul …
The Steep Price of Summer SlideResearch from summerlearning.org suggests that unequal access to summer learning opportunities accounts for more than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income students.
Have a Little Fun, Why Don’t You?It's easy to fall into the trap of viewing Jackson, the metro area and Mississippi as a place where nothing will ever change, where there's nothing to do. But just look a little closer, and you can see that it's …
Why ‘Black Lives Matter’ MattersIt's a very serious assertion that the country needs to value the lives of non-white people as highly as it values those of whites. Likewise, it needs to value the lives of those who live in poverty and work to …
New Millennial PassingBigotry is bigotry. Certain things shouldn't be tolerated, but allowing the speech promotes dialogue, which could shed light on the hate. Logical thinking will bring such ideologies to their knees and kill them.
On PunishmentAn attorney friend put it best when she told me that equality and progress can't just mean taking the same broken system that victimizes black and brown folks and applying it to white people.
Othering and BelongingBuilding communities of belonging requires conscious engagement. It starts when you reflect on these three questions: 1) Where do I other? 2) What does it look and feel like? 3) How does it separate me from my humanity?
No Justice, No PeaceMr. Announcer: "In the ghetto criminal-justice system, the people are represented by members of the newly established Ghetto Science Community Peace Keeping Unit."
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Behaved'What is this nonsense about Mississippians being "better behaved" than people in Baltimore? The underlying sentiment of Bryant's remark seems to be that the power structure here has sufficiently crushed its citizens into submission.
Time to Rethink Third-Grade TestsAs predicted, a sizable chunk of Mississippi's third-grade students failed the so-called third-grade reading gate test and may have to repeat the whole school year.
As a true son of Mississippi and of the legacy of my Confederate forefathers, I urge you all to support changing the flag.
When Rachel Dolezal's story began trending this month, media outlets immediately began shucking the most symmetrical assumptions of race and ethnicity. The headlines ranged from "Hero" to "Hater."