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MFP Voices

Address Jackson Water Crisis, Then All Existing Systems Failing Our Children

Rhea Williams-Bishop, director of Mississippi and New Orleans programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation writes that “together, we can be the ones who create the environments and communities that build up our children, rather than tear them down.” She encourages Mississippians to come together to solve the Jackson water crisis—and then to repair the systems that led to it.

Rhea Williams-Bishop September 2, 2022

MFP Voices

State Auditor’s ‘Fatherlessness’ Report Rife With Misinformation, Misdirection

Christine Dickason and Kaitlyn Barton submitted a response to State Auditor Shad White’s report, “Dads Matter: The Taxpayer Cost of Fatherlessness,” writing that the report is misinforming and misleading and that it “pulls our attention away from systemic issues plaguing the state.”

Christine Dickason and Kaitlyn Barton August 30, 2022

MFP Voices

‘Nightmares Can Come True:’ The Doctrine of Opportunity and the Decriminalization of Rape

Dr. William Lineaweaver writes that it is “unimaginable that legislators and jurists, like Republican Ohio State Rep. Jean Schmidt, believe in the absolute value of a fetus, regardless of circumstance or stage of conception,” especially if that circumstance is rape.

Dr. William Lineaweaver August 18, 2022

MFP Voices

Legalizing Cannabis In Mississippi: The Complexity of Regulating Federally Illegal Markets

Oklahoma native Teresa Teran, a cannabis patient, advocate and entrepreneur, writes about how she helped keep the legalization of medical cannabis in Mississippi alive while focusing on closing the gap between Mississippi voters and legislators.

Teresa Teran August 3, 2022

An abortion protestor speaks with arm raised in front of protestor signs

MFP Voices

‘MFP Model Must Spread’: We Persevere Through Proactive Reporting

“Kimberly and I have assembled a team at the Mississippi Free Press who aren’t easily fooled, who believe in difficult proactive reporting, and who report causes and then solutions,” Donna Ladd writes. “Our team is not lured by the two-way horserace model that lets so much vital reporting slip through the cracks and helps ingrain the kinds of public and media ignorance that led us to this moment. We don’t bow to politicians or parties of any stripe, and we work to anticipate the story, not scramble to catch up later.
As someone told me last week in Los Angeles: ‘The MFP model must spread.'”

Donna Ladd July 18, 2022

MFP Voices

Profiting Off Our Pain: Marijuana Legalization Must Include Equity for All Communities

Vicksburg, Miss., native Gabrielle Terrett writes that marijuana legalization should combat the war on drugs in marginalized Black and Brown communities, ensuring equity in profits, releasing prisoners with non-violent marijuana-related charges and encouraging full inclusion in the progressive marijuana movement.

Gabrielle Terrett June 21, 2022

MFP Voices

As Potential End of Roe v. Wade Looms, Mississippi Leaders Fail to Prepare

“Politicians and policy makers know the end of Roe will mean drastic changes within the state, and they aren’t doing anything to prepare or to address Mississippi’s current social woes,” sociologist Kimberly Kelly writes.

Kimberly Kelly April 26, 2022

MFP Voices

‘For Us, It’s More Than A Job’: Mississippians Jailed Unjustly Motivates MFP Reporter

“I cover the criminal justice and incarceration beat, and hardly anything riles me more than seeing people who might be in jail unjustly,” Kayode Crown writes. “Every colleague at the Mississippi Free Press, without exception, brings that kind of passion to our job. For us, it is more than a job.”

Kayode Crown April 11, 2022

News

Legislature Cuts, But Does Not Abolish State Income Tax

After a bruising fight between Mississippi’s House and Senate, the Legislature passed a significant income tax-reduction bill on Sunday, doing away with the state’s lower tax bracket and shearing 1% off of the top bracket. The total cut to revenue will amount to $524 million after the plan fully phases in by 2026.

Nick Judin March 28, 2022