Reporting fellow Jarius Smith is a senior mass communications major at Jackson State University. From Utica, Miss., he worked as an intern at the Jackson Advocate before joining the MFP as a reporting fellow. While at the Advocate, he joined the Mississippi Trusted Elections team and coordinated the first voting-access virtual solutions circle shortly before the November 2020 election. He moved to the MFP as a reporting fellow in January 2021 and will continue to help organize  solutions circles. He is also assisting with the “Equity and Resilience: Black Woman and COVID-19” collaborative reporting project with the Mississippi Free Press and the Jackson Advocate.

Email Jarius at [email protected]