All results / Stories / Ashton Pittman
Civil Rights
The Street That Jim Crow Paved
Mobile Street in Hattiesburg served as one of Mississippi's most important hubs of black entrepreneurship, professional life, commerce and, later, a crucible of civil-rights activism that would have ramifications across …
Cover
The JFP Interview with David Baria: 'I Am Who I Am'
David Baria, the man who currently serves as the House minority leader in the Mississippi Legislature, shared his story, his plans for Mississippi, and why he thinks he can move …
Personhood
Mississippi AG Candidate Vows to Defend Six-Week Abortion Ban
State Rep. Mark Baker, a Republican candidate for Mississippi attorney general, is pledging to take the state's recently passed abortion ban all the way to the Supreme Court.
Cover
Governor’s Race: Hood Fixates on Corruption As Reeves Avoids Interviews
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, the Democratic nominee for governor, claims wealthy corporate donors control his opponent and much of the Legislature.
Politics
Opinion: Men, Punishing Women and Reporters for #MeToo is Not the Answer
Rep. Robert Foster says he denied a woman reporter equal access to his campaign because he does not want people to think he's having an affair. Many of his supporters, …
Civil Rights
Mississippi’s ‘Seg Academies’ Creating National Dialogue
The Jackson Free Press' report that Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith attended one of Mississippi's first segregation academies and later sent her daughter to one has spurred a national conversation on schools …
Crime
Refugees Locked Up In Mississippi: ‘Where Are the Family Values?’
Under the Trump administration, CoreCivic has a new mission at the Adams County Correctional Center: to house asylum seekers who are in the custody of the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement …
Cover
‘It All Starts With Education’: The JFP Interview With Jay Hughes
Education is the No. 1 issue for Mississippi House Rep. Jay Hughes, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor this year, who has taught in public schools himself.
Civil Rights
End Near for Racist Politics in Mississippi?
Wearing a long coat, she stood in front of a statue of Elvis Presley when she told the crowd that if her friend Colin Hutchinson "invited me to a public …
Cover
The Unwritten Story: The JFP Interview with Governor Hopeful Velesha P. Williams
For two hours, Velesha P. Williams shared her vision for moving Mississippi forward, and how she, a former U.S. Army officer who also spent years working at Jackson State University, …
Education
GOP Leaders Trick House Into Sending $2 Million to Private Schools
Mississippi will use millions in taxpayer dollars to fund private schools after Republican leaders in the Legislature secretly slipped funds into a bill for state construction projects.
Cover
‘Why Can’t I Break That Barrier?’: The JFP Interview with AG Hopeful Jennifer Riley Collins
During our afternoon interview with Jennifer Riley Collins in downtown Jackson, she explained why she believes she is up to the momentous task of becoming the first African American woman …
Civil Rights
Mississippi Leaders Still 'Honoring' Racists, After All These Years
The head of the Mississippi state agency that sent out a tweet this week honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee once attended a rally of a racist organization that refers …
Cover
Mississippi: The Battleground for Roe v. Wade’s Future?
Red states, emboldened by the Trump regime, are passing hardline anti-abortion laws aimed at triggering a reconsideration of Roe at the nation's highest court—laws like the fetal heartbeat bills the …
City & County
What Mississippi Voters Want
We asked Mississippi voters which issues they want candidates to talk about. From potholes, to poverty, to higher teacher pay and help with college, here’s what they told us.
Cover
‘It Only Matters What You Answer To’: The JFP Interview with Mike Espy
Mike Espy has neither sought nor served in public office since 1994; this year's U.S. Senate special election marks Espy's re-entry into politics as he runs in the special election …
Immigration
After ICE Raids, Some Kids Reunited with Parents or Relatives in Mississippi
Scott County Youth Court Prosecutor Constance Slaughter-Harvey watched Thursday morning as a few children reunited with and embraced parents whom, just a day before, they had been separated from after …
Health Care
Hood Criticizes 'Legal Corruption,' Pushes for Medicaid, Mental-Health Reform
On the heels of Tate Reeves' victory in the Republican runoff for Mississippi governor, Democratic nominee Jim Hood emphasized the urgency of health-care reform for Mississippians at the Jackson Medical …
Health Care
Focus on Money in Mental Health Crisis a 'Red Herring,' Advocate Says
Disability Rights Mississippi praised a federal judge's ruling earlier this week that found the State violates the civil rights of those with mental illness, but a leading mental health advocate …
Politics
Hood Vows to 'Prosecute' on Issues as Reeves Wins GOP Gov Nod
Just moments after Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves clenched the Republican nomination for governor in Tuesday night's runoff, his Democratic opponent in the November general election vowed to mount a …
