MOUND BAYOU, Mississippi — On an early summer morning, Hermon Johnson Jr. walked the halls of the former band hall of the John F. Kennedy High School surrounded by archival photographs and rotating exhibits. The historical records tell the story of Mound Bayou, Mississippi. The small but mighty town is one of America’s first all-Black […]
Mississippi
Posted inNews
Black Student Found Hanging at Delta State. Police Say No Foul Play.
This story has been updated. The death of a Black college student, who was found hanging from a tree on his school’s campus in Mississippi, sparking online speculation of a lynching, has been ruled a suicide, according to the state examiner’s office. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on Sept. 17, after […]
Posted inHistory
The Long Journey to Preserve Emmett Till’s Story, 70 Years After His Lynching
At about 9 a.m. local time on Thursday, the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. arrived by train in Greenwood, Mississippi. He traveled for nearly 13 hours from Chicago aboard the Amtrak City of New Orleans. This first-of-its-kind commemorative ride was done to honor the life of his cousin and best friend, Emmett Till. Parker and Till […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Black Voters ‘Finally’ Get Win After Federal Judge Strikes Down Mississippi Map
In Dyamone White’s rural Mississippi town, churches long served as the gathering spot for community events. As a millennial, she recognized the need to bring those events elsewhere as a way to increase civic engagement and host important community discussions. Over the years, she’s seen the participation grow in Edwards and Bolton, towns near her […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
DOJ Under Trump Shuts Down Police Reform Cases Sparked by Floyd, Taylor Deaths
Just days before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the Justice Department said they will dismiss police investigations launched during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Harmeet Dhillon, the leader of the department’s Civil Rights Division, announced Wednesday plans to withdraw pending federal lawsuits against police departments in Louisville, Kentucky, following the death of Breonna […]
Posted inCulture, Economic Development
‘Sinners’ Is Set in Clarksdale, Where There’s No Theater. Locals Are Asking for a Screening.
Tyler Yarbrough didn’t see Sinners once, but twice. The film, which has made more than $200 million at the box office, is authentically Mississippi Delta through and through, he said. From the Chinese Delta history to the Black businesses, residents say director and filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who has Mississippi roots, did his homework. On both […]
Posted inCulture, History
What to Read, Watch, and Visit Next If ‘Sinners’ Left You Wanting More
Most may recall hearing their grandparents playing the blues at fish fries, family gatherings, or during weekend cleaning days. Clarksdale, Mississippi, native Yasmine Malone, 26, encountered the art form as an elementary student visiting the Delta Blues Museum. The museum is Mississippi’s oldest, and the world’s first, space dedicated to the blues, according to its […]
Posted inBlack Businesses, Culture, History, Money
‘Sinners’ Honored Juke Joints. Today, They’re Fighting to Stay Open.
The blues runs deep through Orlando Paden’s veins. As a child, he danced for nickels and quarters by the jukebox. He cleaned, crushed cans, and bagged them. He’d greet Mr. Bill, the bouncer, at the front door of his father’s juke joint, and watch patrons play pool and arcade games. Folks broke beer bottles, fought, […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Black Residents Liken Mississippi’s New Court System to ‘Modern Day Slavery’
This story originally published in 2024, but has been updated to reflect that three judges and a clerk have been sworn in. Jackson, Mississippi, resident and organizer Rukia Lumumba is frustrated with a federal appeals court decision that allows Mississippi to move forward with its separate, state-run court system in her hometown. Backed by a […]
Posted inHealth, Rural Issues
Healing a Dark Past: The Long Road to Reopening Hospitals in the Rural South
Bridging Access: Across rural America, communities of color may be facing barriers to health care, but they’re also laying the groundwork for a more equitable future. Whether it’s hospitals reopening, a community’s holistic approach to maternal care, or the grassroots work to bring comprehensive services to immigrants, these stories offer a road map. This story […]