Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: Celebrating Teen Excellence at Crossroads Film Fest
Little pleases me more than seeing teenagers from all parts of Jackson achieve great things and be recognized for them such as their inclusion this week in the Crossroads Film …
City & County
EDITOR'S NOTE: Right, Left Must Work Together for Criminal Reforms
It is time that criminal-justice reform be on every candidate's agenda in Mississippi, regardless of party. The goal should be to lower mass incarceration, especially for drug and victimless crimes—which …
Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: Parkland Teens Lead by Talking Back, Listening
The Parkland, Fla., teenagers who became activists against gun violence while locked in closets on Valentine's Day are giving many of us life during a dark period in our country.
Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: Move On from ‘Antiquated and Useless’ Gang Bill
A very bad "gang bill" has died in the Legislature for the second year in a row. This death occurred after the Senate passed the bill to criminalize gang association …
Civil Rights
EDITOR'S NOTE: Reps. John Lewis, Bennie Thompson to Attend Grand Celebration of Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
U.S. Reps. John Lewis and Bennie Thompson are attending the Grand Celebration and Gala at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Feb. 23 and 24. Both will receive awards.
Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: Fighting Like a Woman in 2018
Like many women, I grew up in a world where our careers were already subject to the approval of the men who tend to run and fund stuff, and if …
Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: Tis the Season to Stop Judging the Poor
Bare feet don't have bootstraps. You catapult from day-to-day, trying to stay ahead enough not to go hungry or have the lights turned off, even if you eat milk and …
City & County
Truth and Pandering as Mississippi History, Civil Rights Museums Open
When the 90-year-old man slipped into the open seat next to me, the opening ceremony for Mississippi's duo of history museums was about to start.
Civil Rights
EDITOR'S NOTE: Trump Crashes Mississippi’s Coming-out Party
Inviting Trump is a lurid distraction from what the civil-rights museum finally admits about Mississippi, even using state dollars to tell these truths. Maybe that's why Bryant invited him.
Crime
EDITOR'S NOTE: Media, Cops: Choose Crime Solutions Over Perp Shows
It has never occurred to me to call up the police and ask them to stage a special "perp walk" so I can send someone to photograph someone accused of …
Editor's Note
EDITOR'S NOTE: 2017 is a Year to Be Thankful ... Really
Look, it's been a tough year. Donald Trump's election last November was the precursor to so much hell breaking loose on the national and international stages.
Education
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Lies Scientific Racists Told About Jackson’s Children
I did not know a federal judge in the 1960s had codified lies about how black children in Jackson were genetically inferior.
City & County
EDITOR'S NOTE: Our Journalism Seeks Solutions Over Blame and Partisanship
I'm a journalist to find solutions for issues such as youth crime. And that means seeking the various causes first to get there. That is why the journalism in the …
Domestic Violence
From Trump to Weinstein: ‘This Way of Treating Women Ends Now’
Hell week for women started with Donald Trump telling employers they can cherry-pick access to birth control out of women employees' health insurance. It ended with a long line of …
City & County
Yep, JPS Takeover Is a Conspiracy. Prove Me Wrong.
The predictability of all this takeover hoohaa isn't lost on anyone who comprehends Mississippi's history of racial dynamics, white flight and victim-blaming.
Civil Rights
Kneeling for America: My Dad Fought, Lost Much for Athletes’ Right to Protest Racism
I believe that today my Daddy would stand, or kneel in spirit, with the NFL players who are pushing back on Trump’s treatment of them as chattel entertainment, calling for …
JFP
The JFP at 15: Raising Hell, Having Fun
The Jackson Free Press' official birthday is Sept. 22, my late badass mother's birthday. She was illiterate, but loved to tell stories and encouraged me to say whatever I needed …
Crime
Flashing a Kid’s Mugshot Is No Way to Prevent Crime
Disseminating mugshots of minors should be rare due to the harm that it can cause to that kid and society to treat children as adult criminals, especially before they even …
Editor's Note
America, We Sink or Swim Together
As Houston and surrounding cities drowned, Trump was pushing the bigotry that fueled his rise to power. Meantime, America was proving our inherent greatness, despite the incessant efforts by certain …
Civil Rights
White America’s Overdue Leap of Faith
Many white people want to just "move on." They'll shudder dismissively if you challenge the myths, preferring to leave the statues and flag and true history alone because it's just …
Crime
Let’s Talk About Violence, Then Take Action
It's a problem when all cops are stereotyped, but it's also wrong that more law enforcement won't speak out publicly like that about bad cops and, too often, will defend …
chickball
The Future of the JFP Chick Ball
First, I'll share the sad news in case you haven't heard. We have reluctantly decided to postpone the JFP Chick Ball again this year, as we did in 2016, and …
Civil Rights
Trump, DeVos Allowing Bigotry in Public Schools
In a presidential administration filled with shocking moments, it was a New York Times headline that crystallized the Trump crowd's disdain for children of color for me. "Education Dept. Says …
Civil Rights
Facing the Mirror, From Kingston Frazier to Karl Oliver
Little Kingston Frazier is our mirror. The brutal murder of this 6-year-old in Jackson last week reflected the absolute best and the abhorrent worst of our community.
Next Mayor Must Lead on Preventing Youth Crime
As I type, the polls for the mayoral primaries are still open, and the outcome is uncertain. What I do know is that Jackson must adopt a new attitude when …
