FOCUS: #MSWelfare/TANF Scandal • Jackson Water • Abortion • Race & Racism • Policing • Incarceration • Housing & Evictions
Bobby Rush, Central Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons, Carla Thomas and Eddie Lloyd break ground at a press conference for the site of the National R&B Hall of Fame, which took place in Marks, Miss., on Sept. 30, 2022.
Recognizing that alleys are often overlooked during city planning, the Hattiesburg Convention Commission decided to make use of the available real estate they provide, which led to the launch of the pocket museum in downtown Hattiesburg.
The “Breaking Bread” Itta Bena project encourages unity and communication between Mississippi Valley State University and the Itta Bena community.
On January 14, Jackson Indie Music Week’s “The Culture Rap Concert” commenced at Hal and Mal’s in Jackson. Brad Franklin first conceptualized the idea for Jackson Indie Music Week as a 10-year plan because he knew that things do not just happen overnight. “Mississippi is the birthplace of America’s music,” Franklin expressed. “It’s time that we kind of seize that moniker, and we seize that narrative, and we run with it.”
Many visitors comment on how the slaves were treated like family, or how their housing doesn’t seem that bad. Some would rather skip the whole slavery thing altogether and just comfortably learn about the decorative arts and the often luxurious lives of the white families who lived there.
Nearly three decades ago, most of the once-bustling businesses in downtown Laurel, Miss., had shuttered their windows, and the brick streets that criss-crossed the Pine Belt town’s center were void of pedestrians and drivers alike. Today, downtown Laurel is enjoying a resurgence thanks to locals and outside assistance. As always throughout its history, like that of other Mississippi towns, it’s complicated.
The Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee hosted a town hall meeting on Nov. 10 to get community input on a potential monument to honor and showcase the names of more than 3,000 African American men who served with the colored troops at Fort McPherson in Natchez during the Civil War and the Navy men who served and were born in Natchez.
This is an opportune time for us to work together to shed light on little known civil-rights people and places, to record oral histories of activists still living in our communities, and to explore collaborative proposals for national funding opportunities.
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The Mississippi Free Press is a project of the Mississippi Journalism and Education Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit journalism organization (EIN 85-1403937).