OPINION: Ralph Northam: No Second ChanceToday, if a politician is confronted with evidence of their racism, they simply apologize or attempt to deflect blame in order to stay in office, despite having demonstrated that they don't view all of their constituents as fully human or …
OPINION: Talking About ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’For those of you who have read the book "If Beale Street Could Talk," the film is as heart-wrenching and depressing as the book. For those of you who have not read it, plan to do something very encouraging and …
EDITOR'S NOTE: Doing Good Things in JXNIn a 2008 study, researchers at Harvard University found that doing good deeds raises a person's level of happiness. Other studies have shown that happiness can create a positive feedback loop in your brain.
EDITORIAL: Mayor Must Repair City's Transparency Related to Policing, CrimeAfter asking for more than a year, the Jackson Free Press finally received the names and current status of Jackson police officers who shot people in the capital city since Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba became mayor in July 2017.
OPINION: The Stories We Tell About JacksonWe hear a lot of stories about our city secondhand from people who don't live here. Many of them are unflattering, and most are untrue.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Resolve to Make a Difference, Support LocalInstead of centering my New Year’s resolution on things that just benefit me, I decided to focus on shopping and eating locally as often as possible to help bolster the Jackson businesses I want to support, such as Offbeat in …
OPINION: Mississippi: A Microcosm of the U.S.Way back in 1964, the year of "Freedom Summer" and the disappearance and death of three civil rights workers in Neshoba County, the "singing journalist" Phil Ochs offered this elegy: "Here's to the land you've torn out the heart of, …
EDITOR'S NOTE: One Person, One City in JacksonCommunity is one of my favorite topics to discuss, and it's something we should all put more emphasis on. After all, if you look at it from the universe's perspective, all humans are one giant community.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: ‘Tis a Very VIP SeasonFor the better part of two decades, the JFP has been proud to present the one, authentic, local and first "Best of" competition that seeks to promote the unique people, businesses and organizations that make life in Jackson metro what …
EDITOR'S NOTE: 'Tis the Season for KindnessI will be the first to admit that "make America kind again" is a super hokey phrase, but it's a good reminder, and also so necessary right now when we're in the midst of a Senate race that's brought out …
OPINION: Cindy Hyde-Smith is Telling You Exactly Who She IsIn attempting to "apologize" for her offensive statements about being in the front row of a public hanging and her endorsement of voter suppression, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith read her "apology" from cue cards saying, "I've never been hurtful to anyone," …
OPINION: Factchecking Hyde-Smith, She Lied About Pre-Existing ConditionsU.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy has campaigned on protecting health insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith has voted to destroy, repeal and deny that coverage in both the Mississippi Senate and the United States Senate.
OPINION: Why The History of Lynching Is No Laughing Matter"A 'public hanging' solicited the worst images of black men and women swinging like strange fruit from sycamore trees while dozens or hundreds of white, mostly Christian, men and women congregated to point and smile with glee."
OPINION: NAFTA to USMCA, An Even Trade?"Demagogues have winning ways, especially with the man who has no one else to whom he can turn in his troubles," Mauldin wrote in his book, "Back Home," first published in 1947.
Finding the Lost BattalionThe stuff of legends! There are many books and movies about the six days of hell the Lost Battalion endured.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Of Breast Cancer and the Warrior’s LifeI feel like a warrior ready to turn the strength I’ve honed over my lifetime to my own health and spirit and that of my loved ones, especially my hero Todd Stauffer.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Breaking the ‘Bucket List’If I cared to make a bucket list, then Oct. 1 would have checked off one item for me. I got to lead my first workshop, "Making the Most of Music Media," thanks to BlueSky Studio and owner Casey Combest, …
OPINION: Huddled Masses Yearning to Break FreeThe world's largest gulag today is in the United States, where a quarter of the world's prison population is behind bars, and Mississippi is at the heart of that gulag with the nation's fifth-highest incarceration rate.
Today, if a politician is confronted with evidence of their racism, they simply apologize or attempt to deflect blame in order to stay in office, despite having demonstrated that they don't view all of their constituents as fully human or …
For those of you who have read the book "If Beale Street Could Talk," the film is as heart-wrenching and depressing as the book. For those of you who have not read it, plan to do something very encouraging and …
In a 2008 study, researchers at Harvard University found that doing good deeds raises a person's level of happiness. Other studies have shown that happiness can create a positive feedback loop in your brain.
Within the past few weeks, hate crimes have been splashed across cable news and newspaper headlines.
After asking for more than a year, the Jackson Free Press finally received the names and current status of Jackson police officers who shot people in the capital city since Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba became mayor in July 2017.
We hear a lot of stories about our city secondhand from people who don't live here. Many of them are unflattering, and most are untrue.
Each year, we use Best of Jackson to highlight the best local businesses, people and organizations in the city.
My employer in Mississippi prodded me in June to leave my job as a journalist in my hometown after police in a nearby city arrested and jailed me for a crime I did not commit.
Instead of centering my New Year’s resolution on things that just benefit me, I decided to focus on shopping and eating locally as often as possible to help bolster the Jackson businesses I want to support, such as Offbeat in …
Way back in 1964, the year of "Freedom Summer" and the disappearance and death of three civil rights workers in Neshoba County, the "singing journalist" Phil Ochs offered this elegy: "Here's to the land you've torn out the heart of, …
Community is one of my favorite topics to discuss, and it's something we should all put more emphasis on. After all, if you look at it from the universe's perspective, all humans are one giant community.
For the better part of two decades, the JFP has been proud to present the one, authentic, local and first "Best of" competition that seeks to promote the unique people, businesses and organizations that make life in Jackson metro what …
Drowning in our sorrow is easy, but in Mike Espy's defeat, I am learning so much about the place I call home. I've learned why I should appreciate my surroundings and the people who occupy them, more than ever.
I will be the first to admit that "make America kind again" is a super hokey phrase, but it's a good reminder, and also so necessary right now when we're in the midst of a Senate race that's brought out …
In attempting to "apologize" for her offensive statements about being in the front row of a public hanging and her endorsement of voter suppression, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith read her "apology" from cue cards saying, "I've never been hurtful to anyone," …
These past weeks Cindy Hyde-Smith has done a great job of yelling "abortion, abortion, abortion" every chance she gets, but the truth is that abortion is not at issue here.
U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy has campaigned on protecting health insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith has voted to destroy, repeal and deny that coverage in both the Mississippi Senate and the United States Senate.
"I recognize the advantages my white privilege gave me. It doesn’t define me. It gave me an opportunity to be successful in life that I had to take advantage of and use wisely."
"Why aren't you laughing? Those are all jokes, right? Laugh, and join in the fun. After all, our national leaders just say these things to amuse themselves and their supporters, right?"
When Cindy Hyde-Smith made the statement that she would attend a “public hanging,” her statements should have been universally condemned.
Mississippi is a state steeped and stained with a dark history of racial prejudice and violence towards African Americans.
"A 'public hanging' solicited the worst images of black men and women swinging like strange fruit from sycamore trees while dozens or hundreds of white, mostly Christian, men and women congregated to point and smile with glee."
"Demagogues have winning ways, especially with the man who has no one else to whom he can turn in his troubles," Mauldin wrote in his book, "Back Home," first published in 1947.
Dear Mississippi Republican leaders: Like much of the recent 40 years, your actions toward African Americans in our state in the last 10 days have been atrocious.
How did we let it get to this point in our country? When did the loyal opposition become the enemy of the people? Why have hate and grievance drowned out civility and hope?
The stuff of legends! There are many books and movies about the six days of hell the Lost Battalion endured.
I feel like a warrior ready to turn the strength I’ve honed over my lifetime to my own health and spirit and that of my loved ones, especially my hero Todd Stauffer.
If I cared to make a bucket list, then Oct. 1 would have checked off one item for me. I got to lead my first workshop, "Making the Most of Music Media," thanks to BlueSky Studio and owner Casey Combest, …
Why the rush to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court? One possible answer to these questions may be a case that is pending on the October docket of the United States Supreme Court, Gamble v. United States.
The world's largest gulag today is in the United States, where a quarter of the world's prison population is behind bars, and Mississippi is at the heart of that gulag with the nation's fifth-highest incarceration rate.