Connecting Better ElectricallyEven if you're just an occasional reader of the Jackson Free Press, you may have noticed that editor Donna Ladd is something of a "connector" in the parlance of the much-quoted book "The Tipping Point."
Young, Influential ... and StayingI vividly remember ripping off my hat and gown and tossing them into a big, open truck outside the Mississippi State coliseum in 1983. It was hot as hell, and I was wearing shorts underneath unlike most of the women …
Make Provisions For Our Mentally IllThe shooting death of 67-year-old Jackson resident K.C. Battle says plenty about the local community's inability to handle mental illness.
[Queen] Leave to LiveAt the beginning of the relationship, everything was fine. Not long after, he started changing. He often seemed angry, like he hated me. I think he changed his mind about being with me, but he wouldn't tell me that. He …
Dancing in the KitchenYou see, my mom is a goofy mom. I mean "dance in the kitchen with the refrigerator doors to the sound of the "Battlestar Galactica" theme song playing in the background from the TV in front of my dad" goofy.
Stop Playing GodRight now, there is a lively discussion at jacksonfreepress.com about the upcoming May 21 state execution of Earl Berry, who was convicted Nov. 29, 1987, for the murder of Mary Bounds.
[Sue Doh Nem] The Next GenerationPoochie: "It's me, the talking, literate black dog. Today, I'm starring in a sitcom pilot called 'Ruff Times,' an updated version of the famous television series 'Good Times.' Kunta 'Rahsheed X' Toby is the executive producer, writer and director, and …
[Kamikaze] Stop Bragging, AmericaAmerica is arrogant. But before you right-wingnuts paint me with the "anti-American'' brush, observe a more practical scenario: Close your eyes and imagine your workplace. Now picture one of your colleagues coming over to your desk and crowing about how …
[Gregory] The Waggina MonologuesTwo weeks ago, I attended the 10th anniversary of "The Vagina Monologues" in New Orleans. The entire weekend was an anniversary celebration of the first performance of the show and was a vehicle to bring awareness to the issue of …
[Folayan] A Clear Path for the JourneyI recently experienced what I like to call my very own voyage to Mecca. Like one of my lifelong heroes, Malcolm X, I've encountered a brand new world, a new ideal and a new revelation.
Salter to Hood ... Drop DeadWhy did C-L Perspectives Editor Sid Salter react to AG Jim Hood's criticism with a personal attack instead of discussing the role of corporate media in our politics?
State Advertising Needs OversightGov. Haley Barbour was crying his eyes out Monday over poor, starving, unemployed Mississippians, according to a statement from his office. The Legislature's failure to reauthorize the Mississippi Department of Employment Security will seriously hurt that demographic, he said.
[Sue Doh Nem] ‘No Pay' Into ‘Co-Pay'Pork-N-Piggly Customer Service Representative: "Attention Pork-N-Piggly Supermarket shoppers! As you know, prices throughout our store have drastically changed. High fuel prices, housing and credit crisis and the economic recession have affected the way folk spend their dollars. Our Pork-N-Piggly marketing …
[Hightower] Stop Subsidizing Big OilIn 2006, the CEO of Exxon Mobil exclaimed that, gosh, his corporation was rolling in so much profit that he simply didn't know how to spend it all.
[Kamikaze] Prom NightYep, race in your face. Again. In this new round of race discussions, I've found the antibody to be none other than our young people.
Blog OnBack in 2002, a small group of us had a radical idea. Sure, we also decided to start a progressive weekly newspaper in the heart of Mississippi, but the really cutting-edge idea was what we decided to do online. We …
Don't Cheat Inner-City SchoolsThe Jackson City Council is frustrated and looking for answers as to why new schools aren't being built two years after Jacksonians agreed to up their taxes to finance the construction.
[Sue Doh Nem] I'm No ElitistJudy McBride: "Greetings fellow Ghetto Science Team psychologists and mental-health counselors. Welcome to my brief presentation, 'What Happens to a Dream Deferred: Overcoming Bitterness in the Ghetto.' Before I start, I want the audience to know that I'm sharing my …
[Hutchinson] Hillary's X FactorChelsea Clinton is incredibly naïve, incredibly sheltered, incredibly in denial or maybe a bit of all three. In late March, Hillary Clinton's daughter told a North Carolina Young Democrats audience that she was shocked at the nasty things some male …
The Trash Man ComethYour efforts at greening your life do make a difference, and they will add up with all the other actions by those around you.
[Grayson] I Changed the WorldAccording to JFP columnist and intern Melishia Grayson, even younger adults can make connections, mentor, and change lives in Jackson.
Senators: Don't Disrespect JacksonSen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, acted shamefully this week in circumventing an attempt to get better funding for Jackson's cops.
Time to Be Responsible, Pet OwnersThis issue of the Jackson Free Press, owned and operated by animal lovers, is dedicated to the idea that Jackson, and Mississippi as a whole, can quickly become a whole lot smarter when it comes to taking care of animals. …
[Sue Doh Nem] Hush and Be CoolBoneqweesha Jones: "Stimulus checks come to those financially challenged citizens who wait for a few months. Today hundreds of consumers have gathered at the Funky Ghetto Mall parking lot to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of their stimulus checks and view …
[Kamikaze] Parental PreceptsIt's 2008. Do you know where your kids are? Better yet, do you know what they're plotting behind those closed bedroom doors, between cell phone texts and e-mails on MySpace or Facebook? Do you really "know'' what they're doing? Know …
[Gregory] ‘Mom, What Did You Do?'Recently, at a flea market in a town a little south of here, I dug into a bin of old newspapers and found a copy of the Jackson Daily News printed 35 years ago to the exact date. Besides reinforcing …
Owning Our StoriesThe last time I talked to documentary filmmaker Micki Dickoff, we were standing on Center Avenue in my hometown during the Edgar Ray Killen trial. I was yelling at her for trying to own the story of long-overdue justice and …