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Let's Just Be Friends
Old Mississippi wouldn't have allowed them to be friends. Back in the 1960s, when Cornelius "C" Turner, a black man, was fighting for civil rights in the state, he could have been run out of town for playfully cavorting with a local white restaurateur. The White Citizens Council might have boycotted Malcolm White's business had it been around then and served the likes of Turner. Today, the two men eat, drink, laugh and try to continue healing racial wounds together.
Time to Think Small
I've been a bit amazed of late to hear all the hoopla over Sam's Club deciding to leave Jackson for suburban pastures.
Rising and Converging
"Grace" is one of those words I struggle with. There are the simplistic, surface definitions like charm or loveliness. I tend to find it a complicated word, though, filled with lightness and darkness struggling for domination, with the clouds shrinking if we're lucky. I guess that means I lean more toward it meaning mercy, forgiveness, prayer, clemency, even immunity or reprieve.
Why Don’t We Value Black Lives?
Young, black men are often killed because white people fear them, and they kill each other because society tells them their lives are worthless. But the most terrifying part is that white people still defend others killing black folks because we have been socialized for generations to accept it.
Green Space
If you want to see how differently various people approach the idea of planning for Jackson's future, listen to a discussion of parks and green space.
Another Storm Brewin'
David Baria says he's one of the lucky ones. That's a bit hard to fathom. After evacuating from Bay St. Louis with his wife, three children and their pets to family in Pascagoula, he returned the morning after the storm to see what was left, working through the maze of roads, around debris and then walking down the railroad track to get to his home.
Jazz Supreme, by Andy Saje
For many, seven is a lucky number, representing good fortune. In jazz, the seventh chords are one of the essential building blocks of improvisation. In downtown Jackson, Seven* is the latest urban jazz café. And for Seven*'s proud owner Ezra Brown (also a jazz musician), the seventh letter of the alphabet represents God—whom Brown credits as the inspiration behind his latest creation.
Great Expectations
All of us need to be believed in, regardless of the luck of our early circumstances.
An Editor and a Gentleman
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.
Hattiesburg Club Owner: State Pressure to Cancel Big Freedia Like 'Footloose'
“I thought to myself that if Miley Cyrus can imitate Freedia at the Emmys, and Freedia can play Jazzfest with hundreds of thousands of people, and have a nationally syndicated cable-reality show, why is it OK in the rest of country, but not in Hattiesburg?”
Women Speak Out
We asked JFP readers and domestic-abuse victims to share their stories. Here are a couple of the many responses we received. I always thought I was too strong, smart and grounded to be caught up in the cycle of domestic violence, but here I am. The funny thing is, while I was with my abuser, I defended him. I lied to myself and made excuse after excuse for his behavior, not because I condoned it, but because I didn't understand the subtleties of domestic violence.
David Rae Morris
In the time I've known him, David Rae Morris has turned himself into an accomplished filmmaker who makes places and people in our state come alive in a way I know his father would have cherished.
Amid Hotel Flap, Fondren Labeled a Top ‘Endangered Historic Place’ in State
Fondren is now on the list of the “10 Most Endangered Historic Places in Mississippi," just as developers of a new hotel anger neighbors for demolishing the house the neighborhood is named after.
Going-Away Dance Party for Casey TONIGHT
The Jackson Free Press is sending Casey Parks off to grad school with style in the Red Room with a "Please Don't Go" Going-Away Dance Party. Starts at 9 p.m., no cover, 18+. DJs Stephen Barnette and Donna Ladd will help you dance your butts off. Casey Parks Look-alike Contest at 11 p.m. Be there! You're welcome even if aren't yet lucky enough to know Casey personally.
Oxford Residents Sharing Homes, Volunteering, Spending ... for Nothing?
This is about more than you.
To put John McCain's bailout on Mississippi in perspective, recall that Oxford homeowners have been bending over backward to both rent and share their homes with visiting journalists and others in town for the debates. You see, Sen. McCain, Oxford is a small town without a ton of hotel rooms. People have planned for months for this event. Many have volunteered for months. People have spent a lot of money. Ole Miss itself has spent $5.5 million; small businesses have stocked up in ways they cannot afford to lose.
God's Country: Katrina Sows Uncertainty In The Eye of The Storm
This story appeared five years ago in the days after Hurricane Katrina as many Gulf Coast residents sat waiting for help
Big AP Investigation Skewers Palin-the-"Reformer"
So much for all the mavericky "reformer" talk: the Associated Press is showing just how Gov. Sarah Palin has been bilking her own state for thousands of dollars. Lucky for Alaska that John McCain picked her; otherwise, they might not know just how un-reformish their governor really is. Gotta love the luxury hotel in New York for Bristol part. The long piece begins:
Beating the Spread
When I think of my childhood, I remember love and drama, my alcoholic daddies, a hard-working mother and lots of football.
From Nothing to Something
When I moved back to Mississippi 12 years ago, it felt as if the majority of people I met, especially younger ones, constantly had one foot out the door in one way or the other.
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