Jackson Free Press

SPANN: Attitude Makes All the Difference

Somehow a white co-worker and I found ourselves talking about race relations. Sitting comfortably in my downtown Jackson office a year after the controversial state-flag vote, we joked about Mississippi …

[Spann] Nothing Sacred?

I'm tired of being politically correct. I'm tired of tiptoeing around people's feelings and trying to make everyone comfortable. So I'll just say it: I'm very disturbed by the recent …

[Fry] Why Young Minorities Barely Vote

OK, I am ready to vote. But for whom? Let me go through my process of personal questions. The first question is obvious: Which one is a person of color? …

[Lynette's Note] Because They'll Thank You Later

What do you do when your sweet and sexy husband dies at the age of 36, leaving you to raise two cutie-pie sons, ages 7 and 4, all by yourself? …

Editorial: The Status Quo Rides Again

It was a big week for proclamations by the Clarion-Ledger's editorial staff, with two doozies coming the same day. In his Nov. 24 column, editorial director David Hampton said of …

[Chick] If We Are the Body

I finally joined my Baptist church after two-and-a-half years of attendance. I can't believe that they would let such a slacker claim membership, but they are, and now I'm dreading …

WAR: If Duty Calls

I managed to get through the weekend without watching any news coverage of the war or any television for that matter. Instead, I worked on my research proposal for class, …

Marathon Woman

I'm doing a crazy thing this summer. It's a little bit self-serving, but mostly it could benefit a few million people that I will never meet. In January, I joined …

On Civil Elections and Civic Journalism

<b>Voters to Dems: Be Progressive</b>

In the few days since the Nov. 4 election, we've heard a lot of anger and consternation from readers. Many are wondering how in the world the blatant GOP use …

Me and Willie Hoyt

Willie Hoyt was a character. My mom met him when I was in the fourth grade. My father had died a couple years earlier after a long illness, she was …

WIGGS: Sweet Potato Power

<i>What one Jackson man gleans from the Sweet Potato madness. </i>

My mother and father each grew up with sisters and started off wanting some boys to balance the genealogical mix a bit. They wound up with four sons. "Be careful …

WIGGS: From Contrails to Commitment

In the two days before the shuttle Columbia disintegrated and traced that awful sparkling arc across the Texas sky, I'd already been thinking about space. On Thursday, I'd read a …

[Stiggers] Like a Wino Clutches his Bottle of Thunda Burd

The Cootie Creek Fair hosts representatives of S.O.A.C. (Society of Angry Caucasians ) handing out propaganda to people passing by. Some folk stare curiously at the controversial figures while other …

LOTT: The FCC's Mistake

The Federal Communications Commission has voted in favor of rules allowing more concentrated media ownership in which newspapers can own radio stations, TV stations or vice versa within the same …

The Convention Center Quandary

Although the JFP did its own feature story on the convention center a few weeks ago (Sept. 23-29, 2004), and I've talked to many of the players personally, I was …

[Ask JoAnne] The Voting Conundrum

A. What can be done to get young people to do anything? As a former high school teacher and a mother of two grown sons*, I know a little about …

The NAACP: An Equal Opportunity Critic

Recently, critics have argued that the tax-exempt status of the NAACP should be withdrawn because of attacks that the leadership made upon President Bush and the Republican Party. But those …

[Silver] Notes from a Former Addict

Hi. My name is Lawrence, and I'm a recovering Republican. Addicted to the pachyderm's promise of smaller government, for years I voted a straight ticket. But, one day I realized …

[Stiggers] So Why Are You Invisible, Man?

Greetings! My guest is one of the many street corner philosophers/intellectuals, handymen and jack-of-all-trades who cannot find a job as a black male. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome D. Invisible Mann.

‘Tis Time to Think and Drive

The JFP is joining Budweiser to present Alert Cab to offer Jacksonians free rides home this New Year's if you've had too much to drink. Please take advanage of this …