Marvin Hogan, founder of Friends of Children of Mississippi, battled for a more equitable education for all Missisippians for 53 years until his recent death on Nov. 6, 2021, at age 83.
In Susan Cushman’s novel, John and Mary Margaret forged a connection in the crucible of 1960s “Ole Miss,” just a few years removed from the bloody riot over the admission of James Meredith that killed two and wounded more than 300, but societal pressures kept them apart for decades. He was Black, and she was white.
Both Fire Chief Deedra Burton and firefighter Lavonda Aldrich say women’s presence in the workforce can be helpful in and out of the fire-response field. They have each come to learn that women who are domestic-violence victims often feel more comfortable sharing sensitive details of abuse they’ve suffered at the hands of a loved one with another woman. They also attest that a woman firefighter can better assist little girls who tend to look for nurturing, motherly figures in trying times.
Dr. Hilliard Lackey, a long-time professor at JSU, has paved a path for students from his own hometown to attend the historically Black college in west Jackson. In the years since, the Lackey Scholarship has gone to students ranked as low as eighth in the class, as well as to the highest-ranked student (other than the valedictorian and salutatorian) who has chosen to attend JSU.
Before he served as district attorney, Robert Shyler Smith was a prosecutor with the City of Jackson and a public defender with Hinds County, but became a private defense attorney involved in many high-profile cases.
Former first lady of Mississippi Elise Varner Winter reacts to questions from Elbert Hilliard, former director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Wednesday, May 20, 2015, in Jackson, Miss. Winter wrote a book based on her entries in a personal daily journal that she kept as the first lady of Mississippi during the 1980-1984 term of her husband, former Gov. William F. Winter. She died July 17, 2021.
When Gerald Sander began working at Monroe Tufline Manufacturing in Columbus, Miss., in 2017, he received a starting salary of $8 an hour. At first, Sander felt this was fair. Six months later, Sander was still making $8 an hour, despite the fact that he had long outstripped the 10 weeks that a temporary worker is expected to stay on a job. Motivated by his need to provide for his young child, Sander says he approached the management of the plant to ask a difficult question: “I ain’t tryin’ to offend nobody, but is it the color of my skin?”
Pamela McKelvy Hamner never thought she would run for political office. After all, she was a reporter for 30 years. She knew what politics were like—brutal. Eight years after local members of the Federation of Democratic Women started approaching her as a potential candidate for local office, Hamner decided to run.
Shira Stallworth is the self-proclaimed Oprah Winfrey of Moss Point. “The Lavish Queen,” as the Moss Point personality is known from her popular local WGUD television show on the Gulf Coast, is one of eight candidates vying for the City of Moss Point’s top seat in the Democratic primary today, vacated by Mayor Mario King who resigned from office after he and his wife pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges in February.
Mississippi Journalism and Education Group is a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization (EIN 85-1403937) for the state, devoted to going beyond partisanship and publishing solutions journalism for the Magnolia State and all of its people.
125 S. Congress Street #1324
Jackson, MS 39201
[email protected]
[email protected]
601-362-6121
The Mississippi Free Press is a project of the Mississippi Journalism and Education Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit journalism organization (EIN 85-1403937).