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Testimonial: Spirit Freedom

Leading up to the 2010, the Jackson Free Press asked domestic-abuse survivors to tell their stories. This is one of the pieces we received, republished verbatim.

After a few moments of talking to Georgia Thomas, one can see the cute, quirky southern girl hiding behind her strong, sultry voice. She giggles in an endearing way, which—when she's really tickled—ends in a quiet asthmatic fade-out, and she loves her family and God. "I've always wanted it all," she says of her music and family life. "And I got it."

[Herman's Picks] Vol. 8, No. 31

Spring fever is in the air, and you'll find lots going on this week around town.

[Bahr] Little Flags

In the summer of '62, my grandfather was dying in the Biloxi, Miss., V.A. hospital, so Grandmother and I would ride over there every day to visit. As the city bus swayed pleasantly down the Coast highway, Memama always sat in silence, lost in thought, praying with her crystal rosary.

Northwest Cool Meets Jackson Soul

West Coast transplant Johnny Bertram, best known as the leader of indie synth-pop band Synthar, came to Jackson to help kids, but stayed to make music.

Charter Schools: Runaway Train?

A few times during last night's debate over the Mississippi House of Representatives' charter-school law, HB 369, Democrats were resigned that charter schools were a runaway train they couldn't stop.

Panther Mentality with a White Fist

I find myself agreeing with about 100% of what the original Black Panther Party stood for, after the black nationalist platform was abandon. Do not confuse this with the "New Black Panther Party" who advocates racism, anti-semitism and homophobia. I don't think that anyone would confuse the two since the NBPP is anti-white, and I am, well, white. They also have no direct association with the original party. I admire the BPP because they were not an organization who just complained about the problems they faced, they actually took action. I respect groups who walk the walk for a better society. I have always admired "radical" groups because of the passion and will to fight for everything they stand for knowing that there will be backlash. I love watching documentaries and reading about older radical groups. I get a sense of excitement and always want to watch or read more. Not just the BPP, but groups like the Revolutionary Youth Movement and Weather Underground. *Halt!* "Did he just say the Weather Underground?" Before you say to yourself, "there's a dirty commie," let me set the record straight and say I am not of such. I should actually do another post about the ignorance and fear of words that much of society has without knowing the meaning. Back to the topic. I do not completely disagree with these organizations politics. I actually agree with most, but I am more of a left-libertarian or libertarian-socialist. Do not be afraid! I am not a propaganda spitting device that is going to drown you with useless information. No, I am just informing you that I am not throwing these groups that I admire under the bus, but I know the readers of this will have the intelligence and acceptance to a new, or not so new, ideology :) . Basically, I should sum this whole post up to say... I should have lived in the 60s/70s *sigh*.

My Exciting NABJ Trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!!!

Yesterday was my first day back home from the 2011 National Association of Black Journalists Conference, and although I am just recovering from jet lag, I am bursting with energy and excitement! This was my first NABJ national conference, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the host city this year. From Wednesday to Saturday, I met journalists and aspiring journalists, attended seminars and panel discussions, and had a great time enjoying Philly!

‘If I Could Choose Yesterday'

William Winter, Billy Mounger, Bill Waller, Mike Mills—those are names we recognize. They have made political history over the course of their careers and most recently have published remembrances of those times.

Just Art, No Rules

Artist and community activist Teresa Haygood says it's not uncommon for a child to look up from their work In the middle of her mosaic classes and say to her, "Ms. T, I've never done an art project before."

Thoreau's Fire

True story: On April 30, 1844, Henry David Thoreau began the fire that eventually burned 300 acres of forest outside his home in Concord, Mass. He was never prosecuted for the act, but his neighbors shunned him for the next year, calling him "woods burner" behind his back.

The Whitewater Bug

In the early '70s, three Atlanta school teachers with a love for whitewater kayaking bought a simple motel on a narrow strip of highway in Wesser, N.C. Beside the highway runs a beautiful mountain river that flows through the Nantahala Gorge, just south of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Sweet Home Paradox

"Dixie Lullaby: A Story of Music, Race, and New Beginnings in a New South." You can tell by the title of this book what it's going to be about, right? Not exactly. What we have in Mark Kemp's new book (Free Press, 2004, $26) is much more than what it appears to be on the surface—it's a cathartic treatise on the author's life in and with the music of his formative and adult years and the musicians who brought it to him. It's a story much like that of other Southerners who were born in 1960, whether they're guys or gals. That's because for some Southerners, questioning the status quo of race and the acceptability of the changes in music after the British invasion and with the rise of Southern rock came naturally, much to the chagrin of their families, much to the confusion of themselves at times. Kemp wasn't satisfied to float through life; he looked for anchors to hold him and platforms from which to make the jump to the next step. For him, music was both.

A Satisfying Finale

"The Dark Knight Rises," the final installment in Christopher Nolan's Gotham trilogy, should have been the cherry on top of a summer sundae of blockbusters.

Obama's Grandmother Has Died

The day before the election, may she rest in peace:

"It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer," Obama said in a joint statement with his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng. "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility."

Bust a Move

"Groovaloo," coming to Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson Feb. 22, binds 10 dancers' true stories of abuse, low self-esteem and poverty with their dances. "These are our stories," Bradley Rapier, creator of the Broadway show, says about his troupe.

Coping with a Busted Bracket

In the middle of the most exciting March Madness in recent memory, you tipped over your Abita Turbodog and nacho cheese. Your NCAA bracket, patiently researched and completed, is now covered in a gooey coat of Rotel dip. You lovingly scrape away the damage to find … devastation.

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