Category: Editor's Note - boom jackson

EDITOR'S NOTE: No More ‘Lynching Logic’ to Excuse Brutality Against Black People

9/4/2020

Donna Ladd

Southern newspapers, including the Jackson Daily News, announced the lynching of John Hartfield in Ellisville before it happened, probably helping increase the crowds that watched and later mailed postcards about his brutal lynching. Hartfield was accused of sexual assault of a white woman, but was offered no due process during the Red Summer of 1919 when white people were murdering and brutalizing Black people across the U.S., as well as burning their homes and businesses. Clippings: Newspapers.com

Warning: Disturbing content

The Jackson Daily News hit the streets in Mississippi on June 26, 1919, with a staggering headline: "John Hartfield will be lynched by Ellisville mob at 5 o'clock this afternoon." The New Orleans States newspaper was more specific: "3,000 Will Burn Negro."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Challenges of a Baby-Faced Editor

3/5/2020

by Nate Schumann

Deputy Editor Nate Schumann poses with his fiancée, Hannah, at the Best of Jackson 2020 Party. Photo by Acacia Clark

Thursday evening, in between wrapping plates in recycled newspapers and stacking limited-edition hardcover books into a dresser drawer (I moved into a new apartment over the weekend), I took three suit jackets off their racks and slipped them on, one-by-one. I had recently purchased each coat for $5 apiece at Junior League Jumble at the beginning of February, a steal. They fit well enough, not too tight around the chest, and the sleeves were the right length. However, when I looked into the mirror, my reflection sighed back at me.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jackson Lessons Learned As I Say Goodbye

9/19/2019

by Amber Helsel

The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science is one of departing Managing Editor Amber Helsel’s many favorite places in Jackson. Photo by Imani Khayyam

I started at the Jackson Free Press in 2013 as a 24-year-old who wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do with her life. The only thing I knew after a failed sales interview with the Jackson Free Press in late January that the newspaper was where I was supposed to be. I think my first clue was Art Director Kristin Brenemen's then-pink hair.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Joy and Pain of Being A Mississippian

5/16/2019

by Donna Ladd

Pam Confer really spoke to me on a subject that's been dear to me, my newspaper and our staff for nearly 17 years—the development of Jackson into a vibrant, economically successful, artistic, tolerant capital city with a stellar quality of life available to everyone. Photo by Stephen Wilson

"Anyone with half a brain should see that confronting and defeating the insane misogyny here is a huge step toward lifting Mississippi to higher and more successful ground for all its citizens."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Making the Most of Jackson

9/5/2018

Improving a city starts with the neighborhoods, and luckily, some people believe in Jackson enough to not only stay, but start making changes. Photo by Amber Helsel

by Amber Helsel

On any given day of the week, downtown is fairly busy. There's limited parking from all the people who work in the area, and from the ones who just come for the day.

I Believe in Jackson

6/4/2018

by Amber Helsel

Managing Editor Amber Helsel

City of Jackson Urban Designer Salam Rida and her fiance Travis Crabtree, also an urban designer for the City, came to Jackson from Detroit because they saw opportunity. They wanted to convert an industrial property into a multi-use facility, and guess what? Mississippi and Jackson are affordable, so they came here.

It's a Job, and I Love It

3/7/2018

by Amber Helsel

Managing Editor Amber Helsel

A few weeks ago, I got to talk to an acquaintance that I haven't seen in a while. We had a brief conversation, mostly about life and work. One thing that stuck out to me was when he said this about where he works: "I hate it, but it's a job."

We're All Different Together

12/5/2017

by Amber Helsel

I've done art in some shape or capacity for pretty much my whole life. I started taking art classes in seventh grade, and then took them all through high school. I was even in Advanced Placement art in senior year, and received a score of four out of five on my final portfolio. I won silver keys in the 2006 Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards competition for my photography.

Around the Dinner Table

8/30/2017

by Amber Helsel

Many of my favorite memories involve food: my dad buying me pints of ice cream at the gas station when I was little; that one time I found mini Pop-Tarts; learning how to decorate cookies as one of my first jobs; and more.

Is Jackson Poised to 'Boom'?

6/1/2017

by Todd Stauffer

Publisher Todd Stauffer

A week before this BOOM Jackson went to the printer, a small group from TeamJXN and associated economic-development nonprofits went to Birmingham, Ala., to observe that city's economic development and downtown improvements.