What the Mamas Taught UsWhen I heard 40 days before Election Day that the "No on 26" folks were trying to hire a spokesperson, I just knew women didn't have a chance. Thankfully, I was wrong.
Love Thy Neighbor? Buy LocalThe programs are called all sorts of things these days--Think Local First, Small Business Saturday, Shift Your Shopping, Keep Austin Weird, Keep Fondren Funky--but they all point to one thing: the need to shop local* during the holidays. (Not to …
[Stiggers] Shop Without ShameJojo's Discount Dollar Store is ready to have another entertaining and enlightening 'Post Thanksgiving (not Black Friday)' sale. Jojo has stocked the store with plenty of inexpensive gift items, and he invites the 'new poor' (aka the middle class) to …
Home at Last?When I was small, my parents seemed to think that moving to a new city to give my dad better job opportunities was a pretty cool thing to do.
Vote ‘Yes' on the Tollison-Bell AmendmentThe worst dirty trick we saw this last election wasn't a campaign ad, a robo-call or an "astroturf" campaign from a shadowy coalition of instigators and carpetbaggers. (Of course, all three happened.) In fact, this dirty trick didn't happen in …
[Stiggers] Spinning Your FavoritesDon't let the bad, sad and terrible news mess with your mood. Come on down to Clubb Chicken Wing's 'Mid-Week After Hours Job Fair, Networking Session and Disco' and do the 'loose booty' with me and the Unemployed Dee Jays. …
[Outlaw] Home on the RanchFeel free to judge, but I've lived in eight different places since 2004. Yes, I'm aware that makes me sound like a Gypsy, but I can defend myself. Justin and I talked about home ownership the way some heterosexual couples …
The Best We Can BeLast week, I attended one of those uniquely Jackson events that national media never seem to know about when they paint us with a broad brush. It was a performance of "Defamation," a play by a Chicago playwright that allows …
Building BusinessGov. Haley Barbour has long been bullish on Mississippi's business environment, announcing every new business his administration brings into the state—large and small—and every new development with great fanfare.
[Stiggers] Oh Lord Have MercyI realize that your current situation is hard to take, but do not be despondent. Remember that life is a period of adjustments. I suggest you adjust by becoming critical thinkers and challenging the motives of predatory capitalism. Also, think …
[Kamikaze] Let's Talk, DemsHey, Mississippi Democratic Party: Can we talk? We've heard some pretty strong accusations that you aren't as powerful as you used to be. In fact, a few folks are whispering that you've become a shell of your former self.
[Stiggers] Pass It OnIf you've experience a rude awakening, Aunt Tee Tee and I want to help you through your economic and vocational perils. As associate dean of the Aunt Tee Tee Technical Institute, I invite the newly unemployed unskilled and skilled individuals …
[Queen] It's About Women's RightsI find it laughable that the state of Mississippi is even considering asking us to vote yes on Initiative 26. Really? We are being asked to make a law to give up our constitutional right to choice. Really.
If Not Now, When?Next Tuesday is Election Day in Mississippi. If voting trends hold true, fewer than 40 percent of those eligible to vote will actually cast ballots. It also means that progressives probably won't see many victories over conservative candidates.
Finding What's RightIt's easy to criticize. I know this intimately. In fact, I'm considering hiring a private detective to search for that half-full glass.
The Dems' Missed ChancesWe've said it before: It's tough to be even marginally progressive in Mississippi. It's as if the DNA of old habits has gotten into our water, and it won't work itself out. Politicians in our state, right and (so-called) left, …
[Stiggers] Breaking BreadSo, if you're affected by the recession, come and break bread with your friends from the Ghetto Science Team Hunger Task Force.
[Kamikaze] Good Food for Good WorkThere's not much going on in Jackson that I don't know about. I try to stay up to speed on all of the good things that the city has to offer, but occasionally, I'll run across something that really sparks …
[Blom] What Revolution Looks LikeWednesday, Oct. 26, marks the 40th day. The Occupy Wall Street protesters in Zuccotti Park and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have been playing tug-of-war for control of New York City's streets. And the wave has washed over the entire globe. That's …
Guns for Safety?It so happens that in the past few weeks, a number of people with ties to the Jackson Free Press—staff and former staff—have encountered the same piece of advice from Jackson Police Department officers. The advice: Buy a gun.
Relationships, Not GatesI would like to claim that Broadmeadow United Methodist Church first reached out to the neighborhood, but the truth is that the neighborhood reached out first to Broadmeadow.
[Stiggers] Quell the AnxietyAs you know, many in our community and around this nation struggle with economic imbalance. Many people suffer at the hands of some insensitive, uncaring and greedy individuals. Therefore, your non-judgmental solidarity with the poor, middle class and common folk …
[Oppenheim] Time to ListenOn Oct. 22, youth from all over Mississippi, but mostly Jackson, will gather at Metrocenter Mall for a special event: the first Art, Poetry and Justice SLAM. The event is part of National Youth Justice Awareness Month and brings together …
Craig Noone, Crime FighterA few weeks ago, Jackson State University professor Noel Didla was sitting outside Parlor Market in downtown Jackson waiting for friends. Suddenly, Craig Noone, the young visionary and chef who created the restaurant, saw her and came outside to talk …
No Tea Party of the Left, PleaseThe pent-up frustration caused by not speaking out in a clear voice finds a venue this Saturday when some Jacksonians will gather in Smith Park for Occupy Mississippi, a localized version of the Occupy Wall Street protest movement that spread …
[Stiggers] Double-Dutch ConvoyThe church buses are ready roll to take the people where they need to go. It's time to let the establishment know that we won't take it any more. Let's join in solidarity with the 99 percent.