Jackson Free Press

Welcome to the Terrordome

Just before the Senate convened on Monday, a young lawmaker tried to jam a fistful of blue and white pieces of paper into an already overstuffed bill box.

Do Better, Jackson

When I became a feminist activist and a visible advocate for a woman's right to choose, I knew that I might lose a few friends in the process. Abortion has …

Rising and Falling

Navigating the tricky world of being The Black Person has been my life. I'm a biracial woman who was raised half her life in an almost all-white town and who …

A Dangerous Game

Rarely does a two-day period go by that I don't get a Facebook message or email asking about how to apply for Medicaid or where to access free or low-cost …

Milking Our Emotions

With all that is going on with the government lately, people on all sides of the political spectrum seem to be on edge. Nothing will make people emotional faster than …

Mississippi’s Gumbo

Mississippi has always had a diverse group of people. Think of an ethnic group and, in all likelihood, its people reside here. Though their numbers may be smaller, all of …

Leading and Loving

As an activist (and a real-life poor person), I am offended when I have to deal with classism within the liberal political and social-justice organizations I work with.

Panic Doesn’t Fight Crime

We in the Jackson area have been rocked recently by some horrific murders. My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims.

Overcoming Ableism

When my twins were diagnosed with autism at age 2, I did what most parents do: I learned how to advocate for my kids.

Gov. Phil Bryant’s Welfare-Queen Rhetoric

There are no simple fixes for poverty in our state. Yet, instead of coming up with a multifaceted comprehensive plan to help, Phil Bryant is feeding us bumper-sticker slogans and …

• 2 comments

Kuumba and Imani to You

My family and I have been celebrating Kwanzaa for 11 years as of this year. In 2003, I decided my family was going to have our first Kwanzaa after researching …

In Love of Humanity

Change, like time, has no care for how you feel or if you are ready for it. It shows up when it wants and makes itself known. We must choose …

• 1 comment

Teen Pregnancy, Misunderstood

It takes a lot of courage for teens to go to a clinic. Shaming them when they get there doesn't encourage them to come back or tell their friends it's …

Help When It’s Needed

Recently, fast-food workers across the country went on strike. They asked for something fairly simple: a living wage. Make no mistake: The multinational companies that employ these workers can afford …

No Apologies, No Excuses for Racist Symbols

Recently on social media I've read a lot of conversation about the state flag and, because of Halloween, white people wearing blackface.

The Other Dr. King

As I commemorated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, I thought about the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we rarely hear about. We have allowed people to define …

• 2 comments

Not Buying It This Year

As many people come off the high of the Thanksgiving holiday and the shopping experiences of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I am spending my time contemplating if all the …

Playing Politics with Abortion

Our lawmakers are choosing to focus on abortion because it is low-hanging fruit to get political points with their base.

Another Do-Nothing Legislature?

For the past four years, I have read almost every bill presented to the House and Senate, and most of them are complete and utter nonsense.

I Hold My Son Close

Black mothers do not have reproductive justice. If we choose to parent, we have a long list of things to protect our children from.