[Editorial] Jackson’s Comeback

October 14, 2009

You can feel it in the air. Jacksonians are starting to believe in the power of Mississippi's capital city to be great, to rise from the ashes that fiery politics and racism of old turned us into. The difference today from seven years ago when the Jackson Free Press launched is palpable: More people every day believe in our potential for greatness.

This isn't empty rhetoric. Here at the Jackson Free Press, we've worked hard to chronicle the city's comeback and the determined people who believe we can be the next Austin or Memphis or whatever we want to be. We've put a lot of faith into our city, and our people, because we saw her potential, even as other media downed the city, hyped crime statistics and acted like moving to the suburbs was, somehow, cool.

Ha! The joke's on them as the light fixtures in the newly renovated King Edward Hotel flickering over the construction workers turn the symbol of our demise into the symbol of our comeback. The joke's on them as their kids come up thinking it's a lot cooler to hang out and work in the city than out near a strip mall somewhere. The joke's on them as the city piles up accolade after accolade to go along with our newly paved streets and improving crime rate.

As we write this, the latest good news is in: Fortune Small Business and CNN Money have chosen Jackson the 11th best mid-sized metropolis in which to launch a business. This doesn't surprise us; we started a small business here seven years ago, and it has grown every year, even during bad times. Why? A big part of the reason is because we believe in our city and our people and don't down them every chance we get to make the city's bashers feel vindicated.

We believe. And part of believing in a city, or a person, or anything else, is knowing that tough love is part of growing. We don't treat this city, or its leaders, with kid gloves. Never have. Never will. We believe in high standards, and we know that our city will be strongest if we challenge each other to push past our comfort zones, to work hard and to be accountable to each other.

Yes, Jackson has problems. We have poverty. We have crime. But the JFP has long known what many others are just now figuring out, and some probably never will: Economic development cannot wait until a city's problems, such as crime, are "solved." Economic development, and the hard work and faith that it requires, helps solve a city's problems.

Every day, Jackson is proving the naysayers wrong—from all those Clarion-Ledger editorials that declared that we must solve crime before the city can rise again, to the anonymous haters from surrounding areas who barely hide their racist agendas on that paper's forums and on other local blogs.

Keep working and looking to the sky, Jackson. Our time is coming.

posted by golden eagle on 10/19/09 at 08:45 AM

posted by Ironghost on 10/19/09 at 09:04 AM

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posted by J.T. on 10/19/09 at 04:27 PM

posted by Walt on 10/19/09 at 05:58 PM

posted by Reximus on 10/20/09 at 02:10 PM

posted by Ironghost on 10/20/09 at 02:13 PM

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posted by golden eagle on 10/20/09 at 03:07 PM

posted by GratefulJTE on 10/20/09 at 04:17 PM

posted by golden eagle on 10/20/09 at 05:57 PM

posted by justjess on 10/21/09 at 11:08 AM