Jacquey Davis: His Own Man
Photo and story by Wynter Kimes Silence took over the room within only 10 seconds. The clock was counting down. It was July 2, 2018, and Jacquey Davis was playing with his wolverines, his teammates in the Mississippi Basketball Association summer league. They were in the finals championship, game seven in Brandon. The outcome would […]
Bradley Mitchell: City Boy with a Country Past
Photo and story by Danyelle Tillman The hot sun was beaming on Bradley Mitchell’s face as his last day in rural Byram approached, with him soon returning to Jackson to live. He looked around and soon realized that the country place was like a second home to him. Mitchell is a city boy with a […]
Danyelle Tillman: Learning to Focus
Photo and story by Bradley Mitchell Danyelle Tillman was at school in math class being hyperactive on May 2, 2011. She was on the phone with a friend about a school project when her sister Octavia came into the room talking loud and throwing things. After school at 5 p.m., Tillman asked Octavia to be […]
Rayven Jones: Accepting Herself, Becoming a Leader
Photo and story by Shaddia Lee “Mom, I do not look like everyone else. I have thick, coarse black hair and the rest of the little girls in my class have silky, long, smooth hair,” little Rayven Jones told her mother more than a decade ago. Who knew that an innocent 5-year-old could be bullied […]
Cymone West: Auditioning for Life
Photo and story by Ja’Corey Mitchell In the 8th grade at Bailey APAC Middle School, Cymone West had to audition for a school play, “Politics In The Land of Oz.” The night before, she memorized a monologue in 45 minutes. She acted it out five times, and the next day she auditioned in front of […]
Anthony Hawkins: Inspired by Underdogs
Story and photo of Anthony Hawkins by Carley Dunson One day while Anthony Hawkins was in gym class, a girl approached him and threw a basketball at his head. The other kids laughed while he cried. Hawkins was being bullied often during that time. Kids would talk about how he dressed. He says that he […]
Digging Deeper: Confronting Youth Crime’s Causes and Solutions
YMP students look deeply at causes of youth crime in Jackson, Miss.
From Negative to Positive: Jackson’s Young People Fight for a Voice
By Jeffery Caliedo and Meché Leflore Additional reporting by August Harp and Y’Sonni Pressley Zion Blount, 17, silently stood in awe staring at the towering 555-foot white pillar known as the Washington Monument in summer 2017. She readjusted her glasses and her white-collared shirt above her black boots and slacks. The Reflection Pool, calmly shimmering […]
From Woolworth’s to #BlackLivesMatter: Protesting for Life, Freedom and Dignity
By Kaitlyn Fowler and Maisie Brown Additional reporting by Joshua Wright, Z’eani Furdge and Chauncey Nettles The spray-painting of the demonstrators just added to the carnival atmosphere and elevated both the hysteria and the horror. In a sea of white customers, three dark spots speckled the startled crowd at Woolworth’s in downtown Jackson on May […]
Supporting Black Dollars and Businesses in Jackson, Miss.
by Asia Mangum, Kenytta Brown and Makallen Kelley Maati Joan Prim greets visitors to Marshall’s Music & Bookstore on Farish Street with a warm, enthusiastic hug, making them feel welcome from the start. On this day, her hair is wrapped in a yellow African head wrap, and she wears a matching shirt and an orange dashiki […]