“The holiday season is meant to be filled with joy, connection and celebration of rituals,” Mandy Doria writes. “Many people, however, are starkly reminded of their grief this time of year and of whom—or what—they have lost.”
Christina Dent writes about a change of heart she had that may help in rethinking Mississippi’s criminal-justice approach to drugs and addiction.
Shanina Carmichael reflects on how bell hooks’ “All About Love” makes her question her own evolution of love, starting with her parents. “I can release parts of love that no longer serve me and my family, but I choose to acknowledge the parts of it that fed me and made me who I am today,” she writes
“This historical trauma must be addressed. It functions as a persistent sickness, a deadly virus—in the family, in the African-American community and in the larger society,” Psychologists Taasogle Daryl Rowe and Kamilah Marie Woodson writes. “The establishment of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice begins a long-awaited process of healing from the unspeakable and unacknowledged acts in our history, whose echoes can still be heard today.”
“The deadly shooting of at least 19 children and two adults in Texas on May 24, 2022, is the latest in an ever-growing list of national tragedies, leaving families and friends of the victims gripped with grief, anguish and despair,” Dr. Arash Javanbakht writes. “I am a trauma and anxiety researcher and clinician, and I know that the effects of such violence reach millions. While the immediate survivors are most affected, the rest of society suffers, too.”
Oresa Napper-Williams is the founder of Not Another Child, a nonprofit organization that she founded after her son, Andrell Daron Napper, was killed by gun violence in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2007. One mission of her work is to ensure that parents who lost children to violence are treated with respect and dignity, and get the resources they need. She both collaborates with NYPD on violence prevention and is frank about problems within policing, including respect for Black community members.
Talamieka Brice’s “A Mother’s Journey” is a film that follows her process in addressing traumas of the past in a quest to seek healing. Talamieka Brice will show “A Mother’s Journey” on Feb. 9, 2022, at noon for the Mississippi Department of Archives’ History Is Lunch series. The Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Center will host a brief showing and Q&A with Brice and Kiese Laymon on Feb. 12, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Advikaa Anand reflects on times in her life when she was bullied, remembering the effect it had on her self-esteem and overall mental health. She encourages parents, teachers and neighbors to proactively validate children’s experiences, protect them and provide just consequences for bullying.
Since last week, the date has changed, but policing in America has not. Many organizations will continue to post compelling social-media statuses, touting justice, mourning George Floyd, chanting about small steps and accountability, but George will not applaud. He cannot. Ma’Khia Bryant will not cheer—she cannot. Daunte Wright will not celebrate—he cannot.
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
info@mississippifreepress.org
tips@mississippifreepress.org
events@mississippifreepress.org
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).
