V13n26 Pursuing LGBT Justice by Jackson Free Press Magazine

March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

TATE K. NATIONS

JACKSONIAN JADEN WESLEY NIXON

aden Wesley Nixon isn’t your typical 13 year old. For one, he has sickle cell disease, an illness where a person’s red blood cells are sickle-shaped, which can block blood flow to the limbs and organs. “I’m not as strong or as fast as the other kids in my grade, and I’m not able to run as long as other people,” Nixon says. “It affects my growth, so I’m a little shorter than people in my grade.” Normal blood cells are disc-shaped, which allows them to move easily through blood vessels. They carry a protein called hemoglobin that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. With sickle cell disease, red blood cells have an abnormal hemoglobin that causes the cells’ crescent shape. In addition to blocking blood flow, the stiff, sticky cells increase a sufferer’s risk of infection. When he was born, Nixon’s parents, Dee Bookert-Nixon and Larry Nixon, knew their son had the disease. Bookert-Nixon began curesicklecell.org in 2002 after seeing little research and a lack of funding to find a cure. She started the site to connect with other families with sickle-cell patients, but eventually the foundation became a way to make a difference. “We certainly think we’ve had a positive impact on the perception of sickle cell,” Larry Nixon, a partner with Surgical Anesthesia Associates, told BOOM Jackson magazine in January. His disease doesn’t stop young Jaden Nixon from being a young Renaissance man.

CONTENTS

When he was in 5th grade, Jaden’s interest in technology compelled him to join the robotics club at his school, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Ridgeland. “I thought I might give it a try and ended up really liking it,” Nixon says, especially when the club programs robots and tells them when and how to move. Nixon is also in the chess club, which he joined in 6th grade. In addition to club memberships, Nixon has played the violin in the Mississippi Youth Symphony Orchestra for six years, and he plays euphonium for St. Andrews’ school band He also enjoys playing African djembe drums. “Not only do I like listening to music, I like learning how to play it myself,” Nixon says. One day, he hopes to make music a paying job. Nixon also wants to become an anesthesiologist like his father and take professional photographs on the side. In fact, Jackson Free Press staffers first met Nixon at the January BOOM “Jackson Power Couples” shoot, where he took personal photos, while Tate Nations photographed his parents for the magazine. “I always like taking the pictures and not being in (them),” he says. Ever since his parents bought a professional camera last summer, Nixon has been honing his photography skills. Together, the Nixons volunteer with Jack and Jill of America, an organization dedicated to nurturing future African American leaders. The family also includes Makaila Faith Nixon, who is 3. —Amber Helsel

Cover photo of Roberta Kaplan by Trip Burns

10 Jacktown Shoutout How did Jackson end up in the song “Uptown Funk”? Here’s one theory.

23 Fresh Faced

Read about columnist Julie Skipper’s journey into 2015 with a literal fresh face.

27 Dinner with Andraé Crouch

“As the song began to take shape, I heard a hum coming from the couch. The song must have resonated with Sandra (Crouch) because she suddenly found a second wind and provided a harmony for her brother’s chorus. The moment was truly special. It was my first behind-the-scenes look at show business, and one that will last forever.” —Tommy Burton, “My Dinner With Andraé”

March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

4 ............................. EDITOR’S NOTE 6 ............................................ TALKS 12 ................................ EDITORIAL 13 .................................... OPINION 14 ............................ COVER STORY 22 .................................... HITCHED 23 ................... GIRL ABOUT TOWN 24 ......................................... FOOD 25 ....................................... 8 DAYS 27 ....................................... MUSIC 27 ....................... MUSIC LISTINGS 28 ...................................... EVENTS 30 ..................................... SPORTS 32 .................................... PUZZLES 33 ....................................... ASTRO

WIKICOMMONS/EIRIK VOSS; FLICKR/TOM MERTON; XXXX

MARCH 4 - 10, 2015 | VOL. 13 NO. 26

EDITOR’S note

by Donna Ladd, Editor-in-Chief

Setting Up Women for Failure … or Success

“G

ood grief.” That Facebook comment came right after I posted a 2012 Scientific American piece about a study proving gender bias in science is real. That response came from a man, but it might not have, which makes the problem of unconscious sexism all the more insidious, not to mention an economic hurdle for women, families and ultimately the taxpayers. In the National Academy of Sciences’ randomized double-blind study, science faculty participants rated applications with male names attached “as significantly more competent and hireable than the (identical) female applicant,” recommending higher starting salaries and more career mentoring to the “male” applicants. Get this: Men and women were equally likely to show bias against the female. This finding isn’t new. A Columbia University professor copied a case study created by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Heidi Rozen verbatim—except he changed her name to Howard on half. He gave the case studies to business-school students and surveyed their impressions of Howard and Heidi. The respondents found the two equally competent, but they did not like Heidi as much based on the document. Howard was the kind of guy they’d like to hang out with, but they weren’t sure they could trust Heidi. She, they thought, seemed “out for herself.” Yes, both men and women responded this way to identical case studies. Eek. This shows the conundrum women face every day. If we do our jobs as well as men do theirs, we’re not liked by many men or women as much as they are. It’s simple. I’ve seen it a million times in my own life and career, and many men who have worked alongside me (including my partner Todd) see it, too. But too many people are still in denial about the way our culture treats even successful and educated women differently.

So it makes a lot of sense that poor and less-educated women become the real dumping grounds for societal blame. And Lord help her if she’s raising children alone—a single mother can do nothing right. She’s damned if she wants to use birth control, go into the workforce and manage others, and she’s damned if she doesn’t. It doesn’t feel a whole lot different than the nowin ways too many men and women treat women in management or academia. But when we share evidence of this inherent bias in a country still infected by male

Women are damned if we do and damned if we don’t. So do. privilege 97 years after women got the right to vote, a progressive man responds with “good grief.” That is, people want us to shut up about it—which means it’s not going to change if we don’t help folks see their own bias. Realizing, of course, that they will like us even less if we keep bringing it up. Oh well. Most people don’t know they have this bias. It’s like the studies proving that even female teachers and professors call on males more in class, which limits women’s ability to develop the confidence to speak up, be heard and even be challenged in a “public” setting. All of that, of course, means they limit their earning and success potential over the long haul. And that means they may end up in need of more public assistance: another rea-

son taxpayers ought to sit up and pay attention and help these conversations happen. It’s not easy, though. After Tim Abram, a teacher and JFP columnist, wrote an inspiring column a couple weeks back about facing the reality of male privilege and his role in it, the response was stunning and educational. A lot of men jumped him in comments under the story. They belittled and derided him, in that old “don’t let yourself be whipped” tone we know well. They bent themselves into pretzels over the fact that Tim admitted that he benefits from male privilege. One even called Tim “self-loathing”— which is laughable when you read the column. His self-confidence exudes from his words and his willingness to publish them (using his name). Some men even complained that he wasn’t showing up to defend himself, as if they wanted him to duel for his male honor. He clearly doesn’t need to. More than one man I respect on most issues showed up there or on my Facebook page to mansplain that these problems are no worse for men than for women, that jerks are everywhere, blah, blah. Yes, that is true, but you’d have to be living under 97 rocks to not see that women still are treated very differently in our culture. Some of these men have daughters who are just now entering a workforce in which they could encounter both pressure to act that way toward female bosses (thus, hurting vital future connections) or they could, and hopefully will, bulldog through to become the women that others disparage for speaking her mind, deflecting belittlement and doing her job well. Some even angrily mansplained why mansplaining isn’t a real thing. But at least none of them devolved into talking about the size of my butt or bustline in those comments as I’ve seen happen to women who state their opinions online (myself included). And let’s be honest: It’s hard for anyone to succeed and excel in the American market-

place if we can’t speak our truth and state our opinions without an immediate rush to belittle us into submission. I’ve learned to recognize what I’m hearing and differentiate from what I need to learn from and what is just resentment that I’m not a pushover who cowers or cries at empty insults. But I do worry about younger women who must overcome this gauntlet of confusing gender messages, including pressure from men they care about to participate in the historic responses. I’ve watched a lot of women shoot themselves in the economic foot due to this kind of modeling, sadly. Plus, this double standard toward women may directly contribute to teen pregnancy and the economic turmoil that can follow. In its March 2014 report, “Teen Births Are Falling: What’s Going On?,”the Brookings Institution reported that “increased aspirations and expanded opportunities for young people have the potential to extend the downward trend in teen childbearing.” Most of us get this: A young woman who can see hopes beyond unprotected sex with her boyfriend is more likely to resist sex or at least demand condom use. But when she sees women silenced and belittled, she may already feel trapped onto a narrow path, so why not? The question for us is what messages of respect now—at home, at work and in our culture—will help the earning potential, and self-esteem, of young women (and their mothers and aunts) in the future? To get there, men and women need to notice society’s unconscious biases against supporting women’s success. When females get ’splained from every possible direction— with fingers wagging about what she did wrong from people who know less than she does—the effect can be devastating on her daughters, nieces and co-workers who don’t want to speak up and be slapped down. It’s time to stop setting girls and women up for failure. Even if you’re a woman.

March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

CONTRIBUTORS

Anna Wolfe

Eddie Outlaw

R.L. Nave

Amber Helsel

Tommy Burton

Imani Khayyam

Natalie West

Brandi Stodard

Investigative Reporter Anna Wolfe studied at Mississippi State. In her spare time, she complains about not having enough spare time. Email her at anna@jacksonfreepress. com. She interviewed Roberta Kaplan for this issue.

Eddie Outlaw is a writer and co-owner of the William Wallace Salon in Fondren and spends most of his time trying not to embarrass his sweet Delta mother on eddieoutlaw. com. He interviewed author Kevin Sessums for this issue.

R.L. Nave, native Missourian and news editor, roots for St. Louis (and the Mizzou Tigers)—and for Jackson. Send him news tips at rlnave@ jacksonfreepress.com or call him at 601-362-6121 ext. 12. He wrote news stories.

Assistant Editor Amber Helsel has befriended many leprechauns. She would characterize herself as a tenacious dragonpuma with a passion for net neutrality. She knows all the words to “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” She wrote a Hitched story.

Music Listings Editor Tommy Burton can levitate an object with his hands. Basically, he can pick things up. He taught Amber Helsel the words to “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Send gig info to music@jacksonfreepress.com. He wrote a music story.

New Staff Photographer Imani Khayyam is a Jackson native and a graduate of Tougaloo College. When he’s not busy scheduling fashion models in New York, he’s taking photos for Jackson Free Press. He took photos for the issue.

Marketing Assistant Natalie West enjoys marketing, assisting and blending SEO phrases into text so smoothly that not one jfp fondren first thursday sponsor even notices. She wrote lots of tweets about this issue.

Marketing Consultant Brandi Stodard is a Baton Rouge transplant who loves Ole Miss football, which is constantly breaking all preconceived notions. She has a passion for networking, promoting and connecting local businesses.

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Wednesday, February 25 The White House threatens to veto a Republican bill to fix the widely criticized No Child Left Behind law set for debate in the House, calling it â&#x20AC;&#x153;a significant step backwards.â&#x20AC;? ... The Senate votes 98 to 2 to move forward on a bill to fund the Homeland Security Department without including contentious immigration provisions, days ahead of a threatened partial agency shutdown.

Friday, February 27 Cash-strapped Ukraine seeks to buy time in its effort to ensure continued gas supplies from Russia, making a $15 million payment to Moscow as it waits for international rescue loans to arrive. Saturday, February 28 Boris Nemtsov, former deputy prime minister of Russia, is gunned down in the heart of Moscow. In a radio interview only hours before, he had called on Moscow residents to oppose Russian President Vladimir Putinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deadly policy of war against Ukraine.

March 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

Sunday, March 1 Iraqi Prime Minister Haider alAbadi calls on Sunni tribal fighters to abandon the Islamic State group ahead of a promised offensive to retake Saddam Husseinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hometown of Tikrit from the extremists.

Monday, March 2 U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon blocks Nebraskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gay marriage ban, but the decision will not take effect for a week, and the state plans to appeal. Tuesday, March 3 The Republican-led House relents and agrees to back legislation to fund the Homeland Security Department through the end of the budget year without restrictions on immigration. Daily breaking news: jfpdaily.com.

by R.L. Nave

ot a whole lot has happened in Jackson in the two years since the Legislature passed Gov. Phil Bryantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health-care zone law in 2012. That legislation, formally called Mississippi Health Care Industry Zone Act, gives the Mississippi Development Authority the ability to dedicate â&#x20AC;&#x153;health-care zones.â&#x20AC;? Inside those zones, businesses will be eligible for tax breaks and incentives. That includes clinics, medical-supply manufacturers and retailers and telecommunication companies. So far, state officials have approved 12 zones around the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but, oddly, none in Jackson or Hinds County despite the presence of University of Mississippi Medical Center, Baptist Health Systems and St. Dominic Hospital, all within a stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw from one another. Recently introduced legislation, called the Mississippi Healthcare Industry Zone Master Plan Act, aims to provide additional incentives to Jackson and other cities to help get their health-care master plans off the ground. House Bill 1634, which the House passed unanimously and the Senate Finance Committee will consider, would create several grant and loan funds that could pay for job training, health-care facility payrolls, municipal bond payments and state newmarket tax credit allocation to MDA-certified master plans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The city can be a unifying force,â&#x20AC;? given all Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health-care organizations, including the hospitals, clinics and the Jackson Medical Mall, said Jackson Ward 2 Councilman Melvin Priester Jr. The master planning process would

begin with stakeholder meetings, market analyses and mapping of existing community assets in the health-care businesses, including medical facilities, educational assets and industrial parks. Master planners would also consider how existing plans, including

Planning Association. In a letter to stakeholders, urging them to support the masterplan act, Mississippi APA President Donovan Scruggs said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As Mississippi attempts to grow a statewide health care cluster, our state has FILE PHOTO

Thursday, February 26 Defying threats from Congress, the District of Columbia legalizes possession of marijuana for recreational purposes, becoming the first place east of the Mississippi River with legal pot. ... The Federal Communications Commission votes to impose the toughest rules yet on broadband service to prevent companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T from creating paid fast lanes and slowing or blocking web traffic.

City Roundup: Health Care Zones, Land Trusts

The Mississippi Healthcare Industry Zone Master Plan Act aims to provide incentives to Jackson and other cities to help get their plans for health-care zones off the ground.

city comprehensive plans, might mesh with a health-care master plan. For example, backers of HB 1634 hope that it would help plans that are under way for a Jackson Medical Corridor, for which Andrew Jenkins of AJA Management developed a plan for a proposed project that would stretch the length of Woodrow Wilson Avenue between Interstates 55 and 220. The legislation also has the backing of the Mississippi Chapter of the American

a tremendous opportunity to transform its competitive landscape and at the same time promote a primary objective of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Planning Association to nurture and grow communities of lasting value and diversity with choices for living, working and enjoying life.â&#x20AC;? Bank Shot The city appeared to be moving full steam ahead with a plan to create a

More News Headlines That Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Exist - But Should Between crime talk and controversy, the news can look pretty bleak. Here are a few headlinesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;some wishful and some weirdâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that would brighten Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day.

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housing trust fund. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allows cities to set up trust funds in order to acquire property, improve sites, demolish structures, finance housing projects, provide relocation assistance, and pay for administrative and planning costs, as well as operating costs for rental housing. Mayor Tony Yarber has overhauled the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s process for remediating dilapidated and abandoned houses, but members of the city council have complained about the slow pace of actually getting the work done. Under new HUD rules, which go into effect in 2016, the state would receive a yearly allocation for housing projects that agency says will â&#x20AC;&#x153;increase and preserve the supply of decent, safe, and sanitary affordable housing for extremely low- and very low-income households, including homeless families.

This week, the city council discussed establishing an advisory committee under the Jackson Housing Authority, made up of seven members, one from each ward. Kristen Blanchard, who works for the city attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office, cautioned that even if the city established the commission, the body would not be able to take any official actions because the State of Mississippi would need to establish rules for doling out the funds per HUDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guidelines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is putting our ducks in a row ahead of time so that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a year ahead of the curve,â&#x20AC;? Ward 4 Councilman Deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keither Stamps told his colleagues at a March 2 special city council meeting. Water Battles The city is quietly preparing to lock horns with Siemens in court over the $90

million contract that has been a stone in Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoe seemingly since Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. first signed the agreement in 2012. After a three-hour meeting last week, just when the council was set to discuss a proposal from Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, tension emerged between the members of the council over whether to go into a closed-door executive session to discuss litigation related to the Siemens contract. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The public has a right to know weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been hoodwinked,â&#x20AC;? Stokes said at the meeting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now is the time to send a message to Siemens that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been hoodwinked and we want our money back.â&#x20AC;? In mid-February, Public Works Director Kishia Powell ordered a work stoppage on an ongoing water-meter-installation because a city worker discovered that crews had installed several gallon meters instead of the

appropriate cubic-foot meters. Stamps, the council president, grew visibly agitated as the discussion continued in open session the city is â&#x20AC;&#x153;messing with a multibillion-dollar company thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got more lawyers than we can afford.â&#x20AC;? The city councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s executive session lasted approximately an hour and a half, ending at 11:30 p.m. with no votes taken. The city moved its regular meeting up to March 5 at 10 a.m. City officials will receive a briefing from Raftelis Financial Consultants on its audit of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water department finances as well as portions of the Siemens contract. Council members and administration officials will first receive a briefing in executive session on Thursday; the meeting will reconvene at 2 p.m. in order to brief the public on Raftelisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; findings. Comment www.jfp.ms.

The Challenge of Paying for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;One Lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

owned potentially waterfront land along the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposed footprint, as the Jackson Free Press revealed then. Two Lakes was also controversial because it would have destroyed wetlands and flooded Mayes Lake, while the Corps warned that the project would be extremely costly. Opponents to the Two Lakes plan said that, even if the engineering would work, it would cost too much and disrupt the Pearlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fragile ecosystem. And some believed it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work as planned. McGowan scaled the plan back in 2011 and formed the Pearl River Vision Foundation to promote a revised, scaled-back lake project. The development of what is being called One Lake has been less controversial so far, but has not been without criticism. Downstream communities along the Pearl, particularly in Louisiana, have expressed concern over how much water their communities would receive as a result and how that flow would affect their ecologies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not going to be any impactâ&#x20AC;? south of Jackson under the plan now under review, Quinn promised, adding that his group has met with environmental groups including the Sierra Club, Gulf Restoration Network and Audubon Society, which separately voiced concerns ranging from protecting endangered species, water quality and other downstream impacts. TRIP BURNS

he U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with how to control flooding along the Pearl will give its final â&#x20AC;&#x153;yayâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;nayâ&#x20AC;? on River, and how to pay for it, for years without a long-awaited and long-overdue success. In the Easter flood of 1979, the river plan to ease flooding along the Pearl swelled to 25 feet above flood stage, displacRiver. The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood ing 17,000 people and causing $500 million and Drainage Control District, also called in damage. In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s money, the same flood the Levee Board, sent the environmental- would wreak $1.6 billion in economic losses. impact study, or EIS, that considers a number of flood-reduction options to the Corps of Engineers late last year. Planners expect the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s review to take through the end of 2015. But even in the Corpsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; signs-off, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not like itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s raining cash for floodreduction projects. The EIS contains 12 alternative proposals, including the Levee Boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preferred option, the plan commonly referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;One Lake,â&#x20AC;? a 1,500-acre six-mile-long lake that would extend from Lakeland Drive southward down to Richland. Dallas Quinn, the front man for Pearl River Vision Foundation, the nonprofit that oil businessman John The One Lake plan for flood control and McGowan started to shepherd his economic development is under review. The flood-control and economic-developnext step is figuring out how to pay for it all. ment plan, said One Lake would cost about $300 million to build. Quinn said approximately $150 mil- Just four years later, a less severe flood caused lion in federal funding is available. In 2007, $220 million in damage. Congress authorized $133 million for the In his so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Two Lakesâ&#x20AC;? plan, Mcproject as part of the U.S. Defense Depart- Gowan had proposed that economic dement budget, but pork-phobic Washington velopment would fund the project, which lawmakers have not appropriated the funds. could have provided development benefits Government officials have grappled to him and a number of his partners who

To raise money for the actual construction will require some creativity. The Levee Board, with its ability to issue bonds could contribute another $65 million to $70 million, creating a shortfall of about $65 million. Federal law also allows for public-private partnerships, which could provide another possible source of funding, Quinn said. PRVF is completing engineering work on the environmental-impact assessment required under the National Environmental Policy Act. Just paying for PRVFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development of the environmental assessment has been a steep hill to climb. Lake-development officials estimated the plan to cost $1.75 million, $1 million of which came from the Mississippi Development Authority; the Greater Chamber Partnership provided $200,000. All together, $1.2 million had been spent on the study as of December 2014, officials said. That same month, the Levee Board approved a $55,000 appropriation to PRVF, which closed out the million-dollar grant. Quinn told the Levee Board that McGowanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foundation was continuing to pay the bills, which included making payments to consultants, engineers and environmental experts. Ideally, the Corps of Engineers would complete its review later this spring, with a public comment period commencing by summer and a final report by the end of the year. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email R.L. Nave at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com.

March 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

by R.L. Nave

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March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

COURTESY DESTIN HOLMES/SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER

The Teen Community GSA would support stuhen a Magnolia Junior High School teach“It’s about students who are like-minded coming er conducted a math exercise by dividing dents who are not in school. It would also support stu- together to celebrate diversity,” Offiah said. MSSC wants the community GSA, which will ofthe classroom into two teams based on dents in school districts that are attempting to limit the gender, Destin Holmes was forced to sit in formation of GSAs. ten meet in libraries and other public spaces, to be a The Rankin County School District recently pushed youth-led organization. “We’re definitely going to leave the middle of the room. This, according to the teacher, was because the teenage girl was “an in-between it.” back on Brandon High School students who tried to cre- it to the youth who come to the meeting to lead the “I wasn’t on a team,” Holmes told organization,” Offiah said. the Jackson Free Press about her experiMeanwhile, the Human Rights ence in the Moss Point School District. Campaign is working to get businesses Holmes shops in the boys’ section to support the LGBT community with of clothing stores, and much of the haa program called “Equality is Our Busirassment she has faced has been a result ness.” The campaign, which encourages of her gender-nonconforming appearbusiness owners to sign a pledge saying ance. “I was called a wannabe dyke; a they believe in equality for all people, wannabe boy; a lesbian; a freak; an alien; will build on the work already done by a he-she. Nobody wants to go through Mississippi business owners Joce Pritchthat,” Holmes said. ett, Eddie Outlaw and Mitchell Moore As Holmes’ experience illustrates, in the “If You’re Buying” campaign. The campaign originally began in not only students engage in anti-LGBT bullying. After the Southern Poverty response to a bill that the Legislature Law Center sued Moss Point School passed and Gov. Phil Bryant signed, District in December 2013 for the antiSenate Bill 2618, or the Religious FreeLGBT harassment Holmes faced, the dom Restoration Act. Supporters of the district settled in February and agreed to bill argued that the law protects the First develop and implement anti-discriminaAmendment as outlined in the U.S. tory policies. Constitution, but opponents say it is de“We hope that through the resigned to legalize discrimination based formed policies and procedures and on sexual orientation. practices in handling complaints of bulThe RFRA controversy erupted in lying and harassment that there’s just a Mississippi after a number of nationmore inclusive environment that’s foswide cases in which LGBT couples tered and promoted,” SPLC staff attortook legal action against florists, phoney Anjali Nair said. tographers and bakers for refusing to Nair also said she hopes the policy extend services to LGBT couples for changes will create “a model, now, for their weddings. other school districts in the state and Now, HRC is creating social netacross the South.” working and educational programs to Holmes’ story also illustrates an help companies learn why equality is across-the-state need for support groups good for business. “We offer training and safe spaces within the LGBT comevents on how to be a more inclusive munity, which is why Natalie Offiah, workplace, not just for your employees community organizer for the Missisbut also for your customers or your clisippi Safe Schools Coalition, is helping ents,” HRC Mississippi Director Rob organize a Gay-Straight Alliance for the Hill said. Destin Holmes withdrew from Magnolia Junior High School in Moss Point School District after she experienced bullying by students and teachers due to her Jackson metropolitan area that is not Hill said creating real change will gender-nonconforming appearance. school-affiliated. take engaging the state’s economic base Holmes left Magnolia Junior High and also its churches, which is why the in 2012 to be homeschooled because of HRC also began the “All God’s Chilthe pervasive bullying she encountered. dren” campaign to bridge people of The then principal of the school, Durand Payton, is not- ate a GSA at their school. After the students requested faith with LGBT causes earlier this year. ed in the SPLC lawsuit as saying, “I don’t want a dyke permission for the new club, the school board changed He hopes these efforts will “speak to the people in this school.” Payton, who is now the director of the the district’s school club policy to require that students who make the laws in our state.” vocational department at Moss Point High School, did obtain a parent’s signature to create or join a club. Eventually, the HRC would like to see state laws Offiah said the school district’s decision lit a fire that protect LGBT people from getting fired or facing not return calls for comment by press time. Offiah said it is not uncommon for LGBT students in members of the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition housing discrimination based on their sexual orientation. to leave the public schools and that school faculty actu- to form the community GSA. During the controversy, Though the United States is moving closer to making ally target them for harsher discipline and suspension. Rankin administrators demonstrated a lack of under- marriage equality the law of the land, Hill said, “we’ve The GSA Network and Crossroads Collaborative standing of GSAs, claiming that the club might violate got to educate people that the work is not done.” conducted a study in October 2014 that found gender- abstinence-only policies, which is why Offiah believes An LGBT couple “could get married on Saturday nonconforming students were subjected to “harsh and it’s important to create a place for LGBT students to feel and on Monday morning lose their jobs,” Hill said. disparate discipline from school staff ” and “relatively safe, despite a school’s attempt to hinder students from Read more LGBT coverage at jfp.ms/lgbt. Comment higher levels of policing and surveillance.” at jfp.ms. doing so.

LEGISLATURE: Week 8

Funking Up Jackson, Targeting Crime by Anna Wolfe

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March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

Too Hot, Called a Police and a Fireman

While the Legislature allocated funds in the 2014 session for the Capital City Crime Prevention Study that began Feb. 16, the death of a number of Jackson-related bills calls the Legislature’s dedication to its capital city into question. Under the 2014 bill, the attorney general’s office must task a research team with analyzing the processing of criminal cases in Hinds County and how officials allocate court resources. It’s also looking at the efficiency of zero-tolerance discipline policies and the effect that school resource officers have on student performance. The

state expects the team’s report in July. But the $500,000 that the state appropriated to the attorney general’s office—which chose the BOTEC Analysis Corporation of Los Angeles to conduct the research—only covers the cost of the study. And the study was only one part of a larger plan that Sen. John Horhn, D-

pieces of legislation,” Horhn said. Sitting in the House Ways and Means Committee is a bill that would give tax credits to grocery stores in struggling communities “to attract and keep grocery stores,” Horhn said. Parts of Jackson are “food deserts” that have no grocery stores. TRIP BURNS

ide to Harlem, Hollywood, Jackson, Mississippi. If we show up, we gon’ show out, smoother than a fresh jar of skippy,” Bruno Mars sings in “Uptown Funk.” The Jackson Shout-out in Mark Ronson’s No. 1 hit is actually a salute to Ronson’s new protégé, Keyone Star, according to the agent who negotiated her contract, Fred McAfee. Ronson, who produced for Amy Winehouse, came to Mississippi to find his muse and instantly knew that Starr, a Jackson native, had what he was looking for, McAfee said. He believes more Mississippians could pursue dreams of artistry while staying home if the state invested in an entertainment industry—which could bring billions to the state. “Mississippi is just not capitalizing off of its most prevalent natural resource, and that is talent,” McAfee said. McAfee was on a study committee that the Mississippi Legislature created last year to determine the feasibility of creating incentives to facilitate an entertainment industry for the state. Now, lawmakers have the opportunity to act on the committee’s findings with the Mississippi Entertainment Industry Investment Act, a bill that passed the House and would, McAfee said, “effectively create the music industry.” The act would provide tax credits for record companies and incentivize the growth of public-private partnerships in the music and entertainment industry. “Normally, without this type of foundation, (an artist) would have a hard time becoming a multi-millionaire. He would have to leave Mississippi, as all of them have to. This gives people the opportunity to stay at home, pay taxes in Mississippi, which is good for everybody, and become the multi-millionaire that they (now) have to go to Atlanta or New York or Tennessee to become,” McAfee said.

Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, is looking for ways to improve the criminal justice system—but the Legislature turned back most of it.

Jackson, created to tackle criminal justice issues in the capital city. Horhn’s plan, under Senate Bill 2806, included funding of a multi-jurisdiction task force; special prosecutors and judges in Hinds County; a reentry program for ex-offenders; a summer youth program; and solutions to jail overcrowding. Still, Horhn is glad that the Legislature met at least part of his request. “While I’m disappointed it’s not as comprehensive as we anticipated, I’m happy at least that we’re looking at where the critical issues are in the criminal justice system so that we can start coming up with remedies for that,” Horhn said. Horhn said that not all of the half-million dollars appropriated to the project will be spent on the study, which may create the opportunity to do some follow-up work. Rep. Adrienne Wooten, D-Jackson, authored a bill this year to appropriate $5 million to the City of Jackson for the purpose of employing additional police officers and for vehicles. The bill, like most aimed at helping Jackson, died in the committee. Horhn said that legislation to help Jackson may be hidden, though. “The other thing about the process, and this is where we’ve been really successful in past years, is to attach things that benefit Jackson to other

Three bond bills for improvements to Jackson State University died in committee. Two bond bills for improvements to Woodrow Wilson Drive died in committee. So did a bill that would have appropriated funds to the city to remove and demolish dilapidated and blighted property like the vacant homes that line Farish Street in downtown Jackson. On the upside, one bond bill to make improvements to the Jackson zoo has advanced and remains alive. Take a Sip, Sign a Check Much of the conversation in the Legislature’s seventh week of the session was about decreasing the state budget. The Senate passed its tax cut—which includes a three-pronged approach to cutting taxes for all Mississippians and businesses—in the session’s sixth week. But Speaker of the House Philip Gunn’s tax cut, which would entirely eliminate the state’s personal income tax over 15 years, raised more concern. Democrats argued that lawmakers threw the bill together in a political move. Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, gave his impression of the House Republicans: “We’ve got the governor’s tax cut, the lieutenant governor’s tax cut, and, Oh my goodness we need one from the House.

This is an election year. What are we going to do if we don’t have our tax cut?” The House passed the income tax elimination 83-32 on Feb. 25. Some Democrats who are clearly against the cut, like Moak, voted for the cut so they “don’t get a postcard,” referring to the political mailers that criticize politicians on their voting record. The bill, Moak argued, won’t “see the light of day” in the Senate. ‘Bout That Money When the parents of 10-year-old Flannery Smith noticed their daughter’s learning difficulty, they enlisted the Mississippi Center for Justice, which helped compel Jackson Public Schools to provide services including diagnoses and a special computer program. Randy Smith, Flannery’s father, said his daughter lost one to two grade levels in the four years the family sought help. Now, she is now making all As and Bs, he said. With the special-needs voucher bill currently under deliberation in the Legislature, the family would receive $6,300, but still would have had to pay more than $30,000 out of their pockets. Smith is concerned that families who cannot afford expensive special-needs services on their own will not be helped by the voucher, which will only cover a portion of private costs. Plus, it doesn’t serve all students, he added. The Equal Opportunity for Students With Special Needs Act passed the House Education Committee Feb. 26. The bill would cost the state nearly $410 million and take more than 125 years to serve all students with special needs in the state, according to estimates. The bill provides $3.25 million in the first year to serve approximately 500 students. Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, has an alternative, which he plans to introduce through an amendment, that would eliminate the voucher and create an Office of Special Needs Counsel. It would provide legal advice and help compel school districts to follow the laws the state already has to ensure students with special needs, like Flannery, get an equal education. Baria said the office would cost the state $1.5 million, serve all students in its first year and not displace students from public schools. Smith supports the proposed special counsel’s office. “The turn around (for Flannery) really came because we were able to get the advice and counsel we needed to get the education that we already have a right to,” Smith said. Comment at www.jfp.ms

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oneqweesha Jones: â&#x20AC;&#x153;In this New World Order era, todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employers seek dedicated workers with more brains than brawn. This is why Hair Did University School of Cosmetology and Vocational Education wants to show new students how to navigate and land a job in an employerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market environment through the H.D.U. Adult Education program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hair Did Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s qualified and experienced instructors will teach students the skills needed to compete with a 10-year-old Cisco Certified IT expert from India. Aunt Tee Tee Hustle, our electronic technology guru and her well-trained Ghetto Geek Squad will show adult-education students what they need to know about smartphones, iPads, tablets, laptops and computers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big Deacon Jones, senior automotive technician at Rev. Cletus Car Sales Church, will teach basic automotive maintenance and repair. Upon completion of his class, students will have the skills to keep their car drivable and land a nice gig at Jiffy Larryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lube and Tune-Up shop. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ernest â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Monday Night Football Headâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Walker of Pork-N-Piggly Supermarkets will have his best and brightest customer service cashiers teach students how to operate electronic cash registers and deliver good customer service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Doodle Mae Jenkins from Jojoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Discount Dollar Store will teach store management and basic retail classes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Online classes are available and affordable. Classes at the H.D.U. campus are convenient, affordable and in the community. Join us at H.D.U.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adult education and get the skills you need to compete and survive in the New World Order of things.â&#x20AC;?

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Why it stinks: Weill said in court documents that he was informed Kelly â&#x20AC;&#x153;unlawfullyâ&#x20AC;? maintains a private practice on the side, but he did not provide evidence of what he characterizes as Kellyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bad behavior. One can practically hear the groans of defense attorneys upon learning that their cases will be tried in the court of Judge Jeff Weill, a former Republican member of the Jackson City Council who has a reputation as a throw-the-book-at-you kind of guy, even when the law calls for less severe penalties. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unlikely, however, that in our justice system, where defense attorneys would be foolhardy to file official complaints against judges, that Weill will face much public scrutiny for his behavior.

MDOC Transparency and Execution Secrecy Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Mix

he State of Georgia had planned to execute 47-year-old Kelly Renee Gissendaner on March 2, making her the first woman in modern history that the Peach State would put to death. However, Georgia state prison officials delayed the execution in the final hours, explaining: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Within the hours leading up to the scheduled execution, the Execution Team performed the necessary checks. At that time, the drugs appeared cloudy. The Department of Corrections immediately consulted with a pharmacist, and in an abundance of caution, Inmate Gissendanerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s execution has been postponed.â&#x20AC;? Gissendanerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s execution had already been moved once before, due to wintry weather conditionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that alone should constitute cruel and unusual punishmentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and comes amid a national debate over the humaneness of the lethal execution procedure and the quality of the toxic chemicals used in the process. In some states, botched executions attempted with untested lethal drugs caused condemned prisoners to die the kind of slow, painful deaths that state-administered execution is designed to conceal. Meanwhile, many states have slowed the pace of putting people to death because some pharmaceutical companies now decline to sell their drugs to states planning to use them for executions. In turn, states hellbent on playing God have tried to get creative with sourcing execution drugs, prompting lawsuits in several states, including Mississippi.

Jim Craig, a lawyer for the New Orleansbased Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center, filed an open-records request in November seeking information about Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s execution drugs and death-penalty procedures. The state is not only resisting making the disclosure in court, but a bill in the Legislature would shroud many other aspects of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s execution procedure in secrecy. Specifically, it would make the names of the executioner and others assisting in the executions exempt from public disclosure. Under the bill, the names of drug suppliers and others couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even be released in lawsuits, and that anyone disclosing the secret information could face fines. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bizarre that the state would go to such lengths to remove transparency from this process given the recent guilty plea of former Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps for taking kickbacks related to awarding of MDOC contracts. This, while state officials are scrambling to hold public hearings on MDOC corruption and working to increase transparency and accountability in contracting. Mississippi canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have it both ways. We cannot stamp out corruption at the state and local levels and, at the same time, hide behind a veil of secrecy when it comes to carrying out executions. In fact, the spirit behind the effort to increase openness at MDOC should spread to agencies and functions statewide.

Email letters and opinion to letters@jacksonfreepress.com, fax to 601-510-9019 or mail to 125 South Congress St., Suite 1324, Jackson, Mississippi 39201. Include daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, as well as factchecked.

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n the prestigious organization that is â&#x20AC;&#x153;The United States Presidents Club,â&#x20AC;? President Barack Obama is an outlier when one compares him to the 42 other members. The difference stems from obvious reasons. If you are unfamiliar with that difference, I recommend a quick Google search. Unlike his fellow members, Obama has been forced to address issues others in the club wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t touch with a 10-foot pole or a pen when writing the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution. (Yes, I took a dig at our founding fathers. As it relates to race, they were cowards). Due to tackling hot-button issues such as race, drug sentencing and sexual orientation throughout his presidency, Obama has seemingly developed the immunity of not giving a damn. Based on historic precedent, this mentality is unusual for a sitting president. Convention tells us that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;not giving a damnâ&#x20AC;? mentality is generally used during oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s post-presidency initiatives. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comments pertaining to religious extremism made during his National Prayer Breakfast speech surprised so many. In his speech, Obama attempted to bridge the gap between Christians and Muslims when he rightfully stated that extremists who commit evil acts in the name of God or Allah is nothing new to either religious entity. He proceeded to highlight past atrocities that Christians committed during the Crusades and the Inquisition. He confidently declared that even our country, which he apparently doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t love according to a washed-up and irrelevant former New York City mayor, is no stranger to past deplorable actions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ,â&#x20AC;? the president said correctly. Critics of President Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proclamations have adopted the counterpoint that the actions of one form of extremism have nothing to do with the other, arguing that ancient Christians who committed atrocities comparable to present-day Islamic extremists is in the distant past and should not have even been mentioned. Detractors accuse Obama of attempting to incorrectly justify the current evils of Islamic extremism by referring to past Christian actions, which are also, according to modern academia, classified as extreme. Political adversaries, not surprisingly,

have managed to grossly, if not purposely, misinterpret President Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message of religious extremism. Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message asserts one of unity, peace and historical precedent. The assertion of unity and peace stems from a commonly shared belief that faith, regardless of the religion one may or may not practice, holds the same common values of morality and love. However, when zealous, power-hungry groups like ISIS maliciously interpret or take outdated texts literally, the message of faith transforms into a weapon used to obtain territory and influence through violence and savagery. Extremist acts have been committed in the name of a single deity or multiple deities for as long as mankind has been able to conceptualize religion itself. Most religious entities and sects can point to a caliginous period. Hell, we see the impact of the interpretation of paramount religious texts in past and present-day examples. A Christian religious zealot can interpret an outdated Bible verse in order to justify the bombing of an abortion clinic, or a homophobic Alabama State Supreme Court Justice can interpret the state or U.S. Constitution as an affirmation of stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights or constitutional originalism in order to uphold and legitimize a ban on same-sex marriage based on his beliefs. Those who profited from slavery sought a way to justify such acts in order to not only maintain obedience over their slaves, but to also satisfy their own moral conflictions. Slave owners solved this conundrum, as Obama alluded to, by interpreting biblical verses that promoted master/servant loyalty and obedience. Subjective interpretation based on personal motives has always been a recipe for extremism. Extremists can manipulate or cite many texts in the Bible or Koran that are open-ended or obsolete, according to modern-day religious scholars, and feature them as a platform to justify nefarious activities. These holy writings, along with many others, continuously fall victim to malevolent interpretations and outdated texts in order to carry out acts of genocide, prejudice and tyranny. Leslie McLemore II is a Jackson native, now in Washington, D.C. He is a proud graduate of Jackson State University, North Carolina Central University School of Law (J.D.) and American University Washington College of Law.

As it relates to race, they were cowards.

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LESLIE MCLEMORE II

‘Justice, Justice, Thou Shalt Pursue’ THE JFP INTERVIEW WITH

COURTESY KAPLAN FAMILY

Roberta Kaplan by Anna Wolfe

March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

Attorney Roberta Kaplan (left) with her wife, Rachel Lavine, and 8-year-old son, Jacob.

ike many LGBTQ couples, New York attorney Roberta Kaplan and her wife, Rachel Lavine, have enjoyed federal marriage rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal restrictions against same-sex marriage in 2013. The decision was especially satisfying, though, because Kaplan argued—and won—United States v. Windsor on behalf of her client, while reaping the benefits for her own family. Eighty-four-year-old Edie Windsor, a widow, was left with more than $350,000 in federal estate taxes when her wife, Thea Spyer, passed and Windsor recovered the home they shared. While the State of New York recognized their marriage, the federal government did not, due to the Defense of Marriage Act. Windsor challenged the act, and in 2013, the Supreme Court found DOMA unconstitutional. Kaplan, who is Jewish, believes state same-sex marriage bans violate Americans’ rights as well, which is why she is leading the legal fight for marriage equality in Mississippi. Last November, she argued in front of Mississippi’s own federal judge, Judge Carlton Reeves, which led him to strike down Mississippi’s same-sex marriage ban. “The Constitution is the Constitution,” Kaplan said while she argued that same-sex marriage bans violate the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment in Mississippi’s case. Reeves agreed, writing in his opinion, “Gay and lesbian citizens cannot be subjected to such second-class citizenship.” The case currently is before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which could rule any moment. Kaplan has been fighting for marriage equality since a 2006 New York case, which she lost. But her fight could come to an end soon. The Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling this year. Only time will tell what’s next for the historic civil rights attorney. Kaplan, who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and has degrees from Harvard and Columbia universities, spoke to the Jackson Free Press recently by phone. Where does your passion for law and social justice come from?

Ironically enough, religious Jews have what’s called a bat mitzvah when they turn 13. … What you do at a bat mitzvah is you read publicly from the Torah, or the Old Testament, for the first time, and you read

Tell me about your family.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been married for a bunch of years, and we have an 8-year-old son. When did you get married, and what was that like?

So when did you know you wanted to do this kind of workâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;arguing these kind of cases in the law?

As I mentioned, I had been doing work on this for a long time, and I had originally gotten involved in the New York marriage case in 2004. So from kind of 2004 on, I have been working to achieve what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re now achieving. About the 2004 marriage caseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it was unsuccessful. What do you think has changed now to where you have been very successful?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really very interesting, because if you go back and you look at the briefs that we filed in the New York Court of Appeals, which is the highest court in New York, in 2006, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look very different. The arguments donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look very different, if different at all, from the arguments that people are making today. So the arguments have not changed, really. What has changed is the ability of people to hear those arguments. And I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very much the result of the changes in society. Edie answered this question best, I think, on the steps of the Supreme Court after we argued Windsor, and a reporter asked her, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What has changed?â&#x20AC;? And she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, one day, a brave gay man got up in the morning and said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m gay.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And then another, and then another and then another, so that by now, almost every American has a friend, a family member, a neighbor, a child whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gay. And once you know and love someone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gay, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really almost impossible to accept the proposition that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OK to discriminate against them based solely on who they are.â&#x20AC;?

Airbnb. To me, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an important part of being a lawyer.

Well, it is, and it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. My job as a lawyer is very much to focus on my clients. When I litigated the Windsor case, it really was all about Edie. And when I litigate the Mississippi case, it really is all about the plaintiff couples and (Campaign for Southern Equality) in Mississippi. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my job to put my stuff aside. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not my duty as a lawyer. However, obviously, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m married, and I get all of the federal rights because of Windsor now. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to say straight people canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t argue them; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not true. I think I have a certain sensitivity to the issues given my own personal experience. It sounds like you try to separate them.

I think you have to. You have to argue the case the best way for the client and the best way based on the law. And I think if

How do you chose which cases to take?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m kind of old-fashioned that way. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t choose as much as clients come to me, and if I think they have a good case, then I take their case. So, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not out there really very much looking for cases to bring, but certainly since Windsor, for sure, a number of people have come to me, and when I agree with them that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good case and the right time, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve brought the case. Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best example of that. Do you think that the plaintiff or the situation in the 2006 New York case influenced the judgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to uphold the ban, whereas Edie Windsorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case was more convincing?

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that the judges in 2006

Roberta Kaplan Born in 1966. Grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Lives in New York City. Wife Rachel Lavine. 8-year-old son Jacob. Graduated from Harvard University in 1988. Graduated from Columbia Law School in 1991.

How did you end up taking the Mississippi case?

What had happened is I had gone to Asheville, North Carolina, and given a talk there at Warren Wilson (College), and I met a whole bunch of people who were involved in Campaign for Southern Equality. Then, after the Supreme Court back in October denied cert in the cases out of the 4th, 7th and 10th circuits, they called me and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time in Mississippi. Will you do the case?â&#x20AC;?

Judge Reevesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; opinion talks an awful lot about that. And as I said at the 5th Circuit, you know, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m from New York. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not from Mississippi, so I would defer to what he has to say about that since he, after all, has spent his whole life in Mississippi. Did you know Windsor was going to be a successful case? Did you have any kind of feelings about it beforehand that this was the one?

I certainly thought she was the perfect plaintiff. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no question about that. And I certainly thought when we brought the case back in 2010 that we would win in the trial court in New York and in the appellant court in New York, which is the 2nd Circuit. I think I understood at that time that a case was going to go to the Supreme Court, but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have to be a real gambler to assume that it was going to be our case, so I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think I thought very much about that. Did you have any challenges arguing Windsor?

Named in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The 100 Most Influential Lawyersâ&#x20AC;? of 2013 in the United States by National Law Journal. Named the 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Litigator of the Yearâ&#x20AC;? by The American Lawyer.

Bader) Ginsburg, when she said Edie was something like a perfect plaintiff, I think she appreciated, certainly, that it did.

Is there anything about Mississippi that makes fighting marriage equality here unique or different?

COURTESY KAPLAN FAMILY

It was on the one hand a very different world, and on the other hand not so different. We got married in September 2005, in part because we knew our son was going to come, and we wanted to get married before he was born. This was before I lost the New York marriage case, so we hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet gotten marriage in New York. That didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen in New York until 2011, so we had to go to Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;just like Edie (Windsor) did, ironically. Then we had a religious ceremony at my wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house in Rhode Island a week later.

I realize this is personal work for youâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Roberta Kaplan and her son, Jacob.

Where were you when you found out that you had won in Windsor?

Named the 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lawyer of the Yearâ&#x20AC;? by Above the Law. Named the 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most Innovative Lawyer of The Yearâ&#x20AC;? by The Financial Times.

you let too much of your personal stuff get into it, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re kind of doing a disservice to your client and to your duty as a lawyer. However, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all human beingsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;judges, juries and lawyers are all human beings. We obviously canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t escape that fact, and obviously it has an impact on all of us. Do you develop an emotional connection with your clients?

I do, but I do with all my clients. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a marriage case or itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a case for Fitch Ratings or itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a case for

It was my first argument ever before the Supreme Court. Not a lot of people do that. The pressure was intense, as you can imagine. I went through a long period of preparation to get ready. So, absolutely.

were focused on the plaintiff couples at all. And part of the problem there was there were a lot of plaintiff couples, and if you have a lot, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of hard for them to focus on any one couple. With respect to Edie, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just no question, I think, in anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind, that the story of Edieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, her life with Thea, and the way her life spanned the history of the 20th century, and the incredible indignity she suffered as a result of DOMAâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I would be shocked if that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have an impact on the courts. And Justice (Ruth

We were here at my apartment. Edie had been told by her doctor that she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t travel. We were here literally sitting around the kitchen table with a bunch of people kind of on SCOTUS blog like everyone else waiting to view what they had done. What did you do when you heard? Howâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d you feel?

Screamed for joy. No question about that. Some people were screaming; some people were crying. I think I was in the screaming group. Is there anything, in your opinion, that is problematic about the language in the Windsor decision?

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a portion. The portion that I read was Deuteronomy 16:20â&#x20AC;&#x201D;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the portion that says â&#x20AC;&#x153;Justice, justice, thou shalt pursue.â&#x20AC;? So that might have had something to do with it. My family definitely had a big impact on me. My grandmother, in particular, instilled in me the values of pursuing justice and making sure you always do whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right, and as I said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly part of my religious tradition.

Roberta Kaplan from page 15

No. Let me think about that and give you a very long answer: no. There is nothing that is problematic about the language in Windsor. Absolutely nothing. One thing the states have argued is that the 14th Amendment doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t apply because marriage equality is a social issue, not a constitutional issue.

There literally is no support in either the Texas constitution or in any case that says that. If that were true, the great civil rights cases of the 5th Circuit would have come out the other way. How do you think legalizing same-sex marriage advances the LGBT movement as a whole?

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just no question that it has and that it does. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a question of whether or not people want to get married

or not. To be honest, being married is hard. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wonderful, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard. I can understand why people would make the decision for themselves personally not to get married; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal decision.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of other work to do out there. In some states, you can get married as a gay person. but you can be fired from your job simply because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gay. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s totally unacceptable, obviously. So, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

â&#x20AC;&#x153;What has changed is the ability of people to hear those arguments.â&#x20AC;? But the way that the law, our legal system, recognizes who someone is and who they love is through marriage. So, by obtaining equality in marriage, essentially what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done is establish the fact that gay people are equal to everyone else. That was the crucial battle that had to be won. There are plenty of other battles.

other work that needs to be done, but I really do believe that (marriage equality) is the central battle. I think it was Reeves who mentioned thisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that the LGBT movement has moved more quickly than that of other groups of

people. Why do you think that is?

I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the reason I said before. Today, almost every American knows someone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gay. So thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an identity with the issues in a way that unfortunately doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist with respect to other minoritiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;immigrants or other groups. Probably everyone in Mississippi knows someone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gay; they just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know that they know someone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gay. Because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably a lot fewer gay people in Mississippi who feel comfortable being out of the closet than there are other places. This is where you see these tragedies with these kids, who know theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gay and are so afraid to tell their parents. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s somethingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I know Edie Windsor feels very strongly about thisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something we have to fix. PRUH .$3/$1 VHH SDJH

Excerpts from Judge Carlton Reevesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ruling On progress:

March 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

On equality in Mississippi:

There also is the uncomfortable reality that a couple southern states have taken decades to recognize interracial marriage. In Alabama, voters decided to remove their interracial marriage ban from the books only in 2000, 33 years after Loving was decided. Mississippi voters repealed this Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ban on interracial marriage in 1987â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a mere 21 years post-Lovingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and only then by a margin of 52%-48%. Miss. Official and Statistical Register 1998-1992 579. Despite this achievement, a poll released in 2011 suggested that â&#x20AC;&#x153;nearly halfâ&#x20AC;? of our Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s majority political party thought interracial marriage should be unlawful.

COURTESY JSU/FILE PHOTO

Even an abbreviated history shows that millions of Americans were once deemed ineligible for full Fourteenth Amendment protection. But we now take for granted that racial discrimination is wrong, that women cannot be excluded from the professions, and that gay and lesbian citizens are entitled to the same privacy in their sex lives that heterosexual citizens enjoy. We changed. These issues have faded into the background of everyday life. The judiciary plays a unique role in this process. The above cases were not put to a vote of the American people. The votes had already been counted; the legislatures had already acted. Most voters thought nothing wrong with the status quo, unconstitutional as it may be.

If the passage of 50 years has had such negligible impact on the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinion of interracial marriage in the Deep South, it is difficult to see how gay and lesbian Missis-

On who gets to enforce the Constitution:

James Meredith was admitted to the University of Mississippi over the will of the voters. Edith Windsor was not told to send a strongly worded letter to her Congressman. The political process does not enforce individual constitutional rights. The judiciary does. On â&#x20AC;&#x153;responsible procreationâ&#x20AC;?:

U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves struck down Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s same-sex marriage ban in November.

sippians can depend on the political process to provide them any timely relief. On the views of Mississippians:

The majority of Mississippians disapprove of same-sex marriage. They have made that abundantly clear through every channel in which popular opinion can be voiced. This court does not believe that the 86% of Mississippians who voted against same-sex marriage in 2004 did so with malice, bigotry, or hatred in their hearts. Many were simply trying to preserve their view of what a marriage should be, whether by religion or tradition. They deserve an explanation as to why same-sex marriage is now sweeping the country.

The problem is that the Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s limitation of marriage to opposite-sex couples is not a rational means of achieving that end. Gay and lesbian couples can form stable family units just as well as opposite-sex couples. Gay and lesbian couples can also love and care for children just as well as opposite-sex couples. It makes no sense to exclude them from an institution that promotes stable families and strengthens children. If the purpose of State-recognized marriage is to protect families and children, then the State should expand marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples, not bar them from it. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another reason why the Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s limitation is irrational. Permitting same-sex marriage allows the State to continue to meet its articulated interest in encouraging â&#x20AC;&#x153;stable and enduring family relationships and . . . connecting children to stable families formed by their biological parents.â&#x20AC;? Same-sex marriage doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t impede that goal at all.

There is no reason to believe that opposite-sex couples will not marry because a same-sex couple can marry. White couples did not call off their marriages when the Supreme Court made interracial marriages lawful. Free-world couples did not cancel their weddings when the Supreme Court permitted incarcerated persons to marry. There is no harm to anyone else. The kicker:

In reviewing the arguments of the parties and conducting its own research, the court determined that an objective person must answer affirmatively to the following questions: Can gay and lesbian citizens love? Can gay and lesbian citizens have long-lasting and committed relationships? Can gay and lesbian citizens love and care for children? Can gay and lesbian citizens provide what is best for their children? Can gay and lesbian citizens help make their children good and productive citizens? Without the right to marry, are gay and lesbian citizens subjected to humiliation and indignity? Without the right to marry, are gay and lesbian citizens subjected to state-sanctioned prejudice? Answering â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yesâ&#x20AC;? to each of these questions leads the court to the inescapable conclusion that same-sex couples should be allowed to share in the benefits, and burdens, for better or for worse, of marriage.

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Roberta Kaplan from page 16

What might a fight in the law for a trans person look like?

COURTESY KAPLAN FAMILY

How can people who are not really familiar with the law use the momentum of these marriageequality cases to continue fighting for LGBT rights?

Right now, they’re several years behind, so they need to establish this basic right against discrimination against trans people simple because of who they are.

I think you’ve got to get involved. Get involved in communities. Vote when things come up. Help to organize. Elect people to public office who are on the right side of these issues. That’s definitely the way to do it. You’ve got to change minds and hearts—both are important. We’re so close to same-sex marriage being law of the land. What’s the next legal battleground for American LGBT citizens?

The obvious one is trans(gender) stuff. There’s a lot of activity in that area now. It affects a smaller percentage of the community, obviously, as well.

What’s next for you?

I have no idea. I never knew in the past, and I don’t know in the future. Do you think you might end up at the Supreme Court again?

Roberta Kaplan (right) and her wife, Rachel Lavine, married in Toronto in 2005.

I also think there’s going to be tons— lots and lots of issues—about people losing their jobs and stuff like that because they’re gay, and that all needs to be fixed. If a store is open and sells their goods

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I caught up with Sessums over the phone. He was in New York City, launching the book, and said it was freezing there. When I jokingly commented that it was COURTESY ST. MARTIN’S PRESS

n 2007, Kevin Sessums’ “Mississippi Sissy” (St. Martin’s Press, $24.95) became a best seller. The book opened our eyes to the life of a boy touched by tragedy, feeling like an outsider in an ultraconservative southern state, and his molestation at the hands of a trusted minister. When a teenage Sessums escaped to Jackson, I, like most readers, assumed he had made it to safety. Surely with Frank Hains, Eudora Welty and the burgeoning New Stage Theater community, and the Jackson literati of the day, Sessums could blossom. “Although I was only 16 at the time, I had immediately been accepted into their fold,” he wrote in the book. In the end, though, tragedy struck again in the form of a brutal murder. The book ends with Sessums taking in an afternoon matinee in New York City, searching for solace in the way he always has: being alone. I’ve followed Sessums on social media and read his interviews from Vanity Fair, Parade and Interview Magazine. I especially love when he posts photos from after-parties or star-studded openings with memories about whatever A-list celebrities he rubbed shoulders with. Since finishing “Mississippi Sissy” all those years ago, I have wondered just how that world-weary teenager full of promise became a celebrity journalist. Enter “I Left It on the Mountain: A Memoir” (St. Martin’s Press, 2015, $25.99).

Kevin Sessums signs his new book “I Left It on the Mountain: A Memoir” at Lemuria Books, Monday, March 9.

a “balmy 57 degrees here in Jackson,” he replied, “Yeah, well, f*ck you.” Whether in conversation or in his writings, Sessums is unflinchingly forthcoming with his feelings, thoughts and the way in which he shares them.

to everyone on an open basis, then they shouldn’t be allowed to say to a gay person: “You can’t come into my store. You can’t eat at my restaurant.” That’s not acceptable, so we’re going to have to work on that.

“I hope people don’t think it’s vulgar. I mean, not just the sexual parts, but it being too open,” he said. “I think I’m the only person who’s ever gone to a shrink to shut down.” It’s to our advantage that Sessums tends to overshare. When he started writing his latest book, he pitched it as a “sort of celebrity, fast-lane, glamour book,” but early on, he realized part of the story was his journey to sobriety. “Even though I was using and working on the book, I realized that I was going to have to write through the narrative of sobriety,” he said. “So, being a writer saved my life in a strange way.” In his brutally honest fashion, Kevin juxtaposes his downward spiral into addiction—“I only knew I was ironically growing to depend on such panic to feel alive”—with the heady glamour and seemingly serendipitous stories of limousine rides with Jessica Lange after the Oscars or luncheons where Diana Vreeland of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, and Jackie O.’s fashion adviser, flanked him. Sessums said that several of the celebrities he wrote about had seen the book before it went to press. “I let Jessica see it. It was such a love letter to her, I assumed she’d be OK with it,” he said “… Although some of the stuff I used wasn’t in the interviews I published, … it was all on the record. … So, I didn’t speak ‘out of school.’” In a recent interview with Huffington Post Live, Sessums said he thinks celebrities are comfortable with him because he is “never judging, always discerning.” “I don’t even think of myself as a journalist, really,” he told The Huffington Post

I certainly hope so. It’s kind of a dream for most lawyers to end up at the Supreme Court. I had a great time doing it, and I certainly would be thrilled. But we’ll kind of have to see what the future brings. Read and comment online at jfp. ms/Kaplan. Email Anna Wolfe at anna@ jacksonfreepress.com. Read the JFP’s full archive of LGBT coverage at jfp.ms/lgbt.

“… I’m a writer, un-intimidated by fame, who can write a narrative.” I confessed my amazement at how he’d fled Mississippi and happened to land amidst the jet-set crowd of writers, artists and the Hollywood elite. I asked how much of that he thought was divine intervention or simply his ability to will it into reality. He paused, then spoke about the tragedy of losing both parents, growing up during the civil rights struggles of the ’60s and feeling innately “other” as a gay man. “I’ve always looked at life as the narrative, and I’m just along for the ride,” he said. “I see myself as part of a story, and maybe that’s the way it manifested. … That world needs a peripheral, and I’m very aware that I’m right outside of it.” In addition to understanding his place in “that world,” Sessums likens his job as a very “blue-collar” type of work. He’s just a truck driver hauling glamorous cargo, and his ease in the presence of fame is easy to explain. “Once you’ve sat at a kitchen table with Eudora Welty … listened to her talk, let the liquor loosen her tongue a little bit, hangin’ with Madonna is nothing,” he said. “If you can sit … with a bunch of talkative women in Mississippi and keep up, keeping up with famous people is easy.” Kevin Sessums signs and reads from “I Left It on the Mountain: A Memoir” 5 p.m. Monday, March 9, at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202, 601-366-7619), and 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, at Square Books (160 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2262).

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GIRL ABOUT TOWN p 23 FOOD p 24

The Tale of Samantha Woo by Amber Helsel AMBER HELSEL

Tran, is a photographer who is most famous for guage wasn’t easy. Embroidery, beadwork and other types of his photos of the First Indochina War. handwork were her escape, though she didn’t consider it as a “Growing up in Vietnam, we didn’t have a career possibility until after she graduated from Belhaven. lot of toys,” Woo says. “The only toy I had was About 10 years after leaving Vietnam, she went home the scrap of fabric my mom left on the floor. I to see her mother. After seeing her making clothes, Woo bewould make dog clothes and … make a Barbie gan missing doing that. Over the next few years, she picked doll out of fabrics. I had to be really creative. it back up and then stopped, and picked it back up again, Growing up (in a) third-world country, I didn’t though she never stopped sketching and designing. have very much.” Woo says that as a child, she was Her first insight into the world of wedding dress design always drawing and sketching. was when she designed five dresses for her own wedding. Though she says her mom made everyShe and her husband bought the building off Old Canday clothes, Woo was fascinated with designing ton Road, with the intention of it eventually becoming her wedding dresses. “I love going to weddings. I love studio, about three years ago. However, Woo Couture didn’t seeing wedding dresses, even when I was young- open until fall of 2014. er,” she says. “My mother always says that I (was) Though she says she has created her own collections, at every wedding, almost. Even the neighbors’. Woo loves doing custom designs for brides. She does a conSomehow I always snuck in.” sultation, and then sketches a few designs. Once the bride She came to the United States when she picks a design, Woo can spend 50 to 60 hours making a dress, was 13 in 1994. Woo says that 10 years after the and that time doesn’t include beading, embroidery or other Vietnam War, the country was in the midst of a detail work. Though she pulls her inspirations from the likes bad economy. Missionaries connected to Catholic of Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, Woo says her clients are Charities of Jackson brought Woo to Mississippi. the biggest inspirations. “They took interest in me because I was “I think (the clients) are the ones that design the gown,” so curious about Western people,” she says. “I she says. “I just put it into life.” Besides wedding dresses, would always follow (the missionaries). They Woo Couture can do anything from flower girl dresses to just kind of checked me out and saw how I was.” mother-of-the-bride dresses. Woo says she was the last Vietnamese child the Woo says her love of wedding-dress design comes from organization sponsored. her love of fairytales, and through her designs, she ensures The missionaries brought her to Jackson, where she was adopted and lived with different Samantha Woo of Woo Couture loves custom designing wedding dresses for her brides. families as she grew up. “Everybody I met has always been my family,” she little, white house off Old Canton Road in Jack- says. “I was in America—a strange son has three large, pink fabric flowers in a row land—with nobody, but now everyon the porch. A horizontal pathway of stones body is my family.” She is closest to in varying shades of light brown and gray spans foster family the Caseys, whom she from the driveway to the edge of the house. A mannequin lived with for about four years. wearing a pale white wedding dress stares out from a large Woo graduated from Murrah window at passing traffic, and a small sign in the yard says High School in 2001. She went to Bel“Woo Couture.” haven University, where she graduated Samantha Woo opened Woo Couture at 4750 Old Canton Road in the When you enter the building, completed wedding with a bachelor’s degree in history and fall of 2014. There, she designs custom wedding dresses. dresses greet you. A dress form wearing pink and lace sits by a political science in 2005. She studied table full of beading and sketches. fashion design at the Academy of Art Fabric swatches, dress sketches and other fashion-design University in San Francisco and received her master’s degree that each bride gets the wedding she wants. paraphernalia are scattered about the studio. in fine art from Mississippi College in 2013. She married “The wedding is something special and something intiWoo Couture is the brainchild of Samantha Woo, a her husband, Dr. Mack Woo, a physician at the University mate, and your dress can be the same thing,” she says. wedding-dress designer from Vietnam. Woo’s family has of Mississippi Medical Center, in 2008. The couple has two “The one thing special about us is that it will fit you.” been making clothes for generations. She learned much of boys: Samuel, 4, and Matthew, 2. Woo Couture (4750 Old Canton Road) is open by apher craft from her mother, Su Dong, who is still in Vietnam. When she was growing up in the U.S., Woo didn’t pointment only. For more information, visit woocouture.com or Her father, Toan Tran, is an artist, and her grandfather, Tin know many people and learning English as her second lan- call 601-454-3262.

AMBER HELSEL

March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

LIFE&STYLE | girl about town

blessed me with good skin loved to wear winter white, in clothing and nail polish, so I decided to head to the manicurist in her memory. To put my own spin on it, though, I went with acrylic tips sharpened to a stiletto point. FLICKR/TOM MERTON

s February comes to a close, I wonder how many people vowed to start the year with a new commitment—to health, to fitness, to self-improvement—and how they’ve fared so far. I wonder because I’m decidedly not one of them. While eschewing New Year’s resolutions, I decided that rather than start 2015 with a metaphorical clean slate, I’d start it with a literal clean face. I engaged in a little maintenance at Body Anew Medical Spa (113 W. Jackson St., Suite 1A, Ridgeland, 601-605-0452; bodyanew medicalspa.com), where Dr. William Whitton and his staff keep me fresh-faced and youthful throughout the year. I contemplated a chemical peel—I try to get one every six to eight months or so—because a new year calls for a new layer of skin. I also determined that 2015 will be the year when I conduct a full-on assessment of my skin and make a plan of action to maintain what’s good, fix what’s not and prevent signs of aging. Luckily, good genetics (I credit my grandmother), not smoking and using sunscreen like it’s part of my job have given me a good starting point. In the January issues of Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, I devoured informative articles on cleansers and toners that would supposedly change my life in 2015 and contemplated what products I should try. Then, I noticed a sign during a stop at Sephora (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-8616, sephora.com) offering a free skin-care class. Expert assistance in determining what I need? I was in. On the morning of the class, three other gals and I settled in before the store opened for our session with two Sephora beauty consultants and a model. Savannah, the skin-care associate leading the session, recognized me as a store regular, which means that Sephora is my “Cheers,” I suppose, and I’m Norm or something. I suppose there are worse guilty pleasures to have. Two hours later, I emerged with an arsenal of new products and confidence in how and when to use them. I’d learned a lot, had a good time and thanks to the individual attention during the session, I knew that I walked away with what was right for me and my skin. As fate would have it, that included a daily chemical peel so I would, in fact, start the new year with the new layer of skin I’d intended. I also decided that it was time for some new nails. I like to give my nails some time without polish to breathe and rest, but sometimes it’s fun to go a little glam and feisty. Also, I was hankering for some winter white in my life. The grandmother who

STUDIOchane

Columnist Julie Skipper (not pictured) decided to start the new year with a literal fresh face.

But why stop at new skin and nails? It was also time—past time, actually—for some new hair as well. Extensions, aka Magic Hair, have changed my life for the better over the past couple of years, and I was due a new set. You may recall, dear readers, that in 2014, I set out to determine if blondes do have more fun. Turns out, they do. My blonde locks received rave reviews from my fellow, friends, family and even from strangers. More than one random gal has approached me to inquire who does my color, and many acquaintances marvel that I haven’t always been blonde. So while I often use a new set of extensions as a chance to try a new hue, for now, I’m sticking with golden locks. My new skin and I made an appointment with my hair guru, Justin McPherson of William Wallace Salon (2939 Old Canton Road, 601-982-8300), and I prepared to settle in for a day of color and hair application. At the time I wrote this, I was curating a stack of books (including memoirs by Diane von Furstenberg and Bergdorf Goodman’s legendary personal shopper Betty Halbreich) and magazines (the new Vogue and Elle, among others) to read for the long process. Given the fashion bent of my reading material for the extravaganza, I wouldn’t be surprised if I determine that next up in 2015, having freshened up my face and hair, it’ll be time to turn the attention to wardrobe. New year, new me; no resolution necessary.

March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

Resolution Not Necessary

by Julie Skipper

March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

Paid advertising section. Call 601-362-6121 x11 to list your restaurant

AMERICAN/SOUTHERN CUISINE Basil’s (2906 N State St #104, Jackson, 601-982-2100) Paninis pizza, pasta, soups and salads. They’ve got it all on the menu. Broad Street Bakery (4465 Interstate 55 N. 601-362-2900) Hot breakfast, coffee drinks, fresh breads & pastries, gourmet deli sandwiches. The Feathered Cow (4760 I-55 North 769-233-8366) Simple and homemade equal quality and freshness every time. You never leave The Cow hungry! Primos Cafe (2323 Lakeland 601-936-3398/ 515 Lake Harbour 601-898-3400) A Jackson institution for breakfast, blue-plates, catfish, burgers, prime rib, oysters, po-boys & wraps. Famous bakery! Rooster’s (2906 N State St, Jackson, 601-982-2001) You haven’t had a burger until you’ve had a Rooster’s burger. Pair it with their seasoned fries and you’re in heaven. Two Sisters Kitchen (707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180) Lunch. Mon-Fri, Sun. PIZZA Sal & Mookie’s (565 Taylor St. 601-368-1919) Pizzas of all kinds plus pasta, eggplant Parmesan, fried ravioli & ice cream for the kids! Mellow Mushroom (275 Dogwood Blvd, Flowood, 601-992-7499) More than just great pizza and beer. Open Monday - Friday 11-10 and Saturday 11-11. ITALIAN La Finestra (120 N Congress St #3, Jackson, 601-345-8735) Chef Tom Ramsey’s downtown Jackson hot-spot offers authentic Italian cuisine in cozy, inviting environment. BRAVO! (4500 Interstate 55 N., Jackson, 601-982-8111) Award-winning wine list, Jackson’s see-and-be-seen casual/upscale dining. STEAK, SEAFOOD & FINE DINING The Islander Seafood and Oyster House (1220 E Northside Drive, Suite 100, 601-366-5441) Oyster bar, seafood, gumbo, po’boys, crawfish and plenty of Gulf Coast delights in a laid-back Buffet-style atmosphere. The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen (1200 North State St. #100 601-398-4562) Transforms the essence of Mediterranean food and southern classics. The Penguin (1100 John R Lynch Street, 769-251-5222) Fine dining at its best. Rocky’s (1046 Warrington Road, Vicksburg 601-634-0100) Enjoy choice steaks, fresh seafood, great salads, hearty sandwiches. Sal and Phil’s Seafood (6600 Old Canton Rd, Ridgeland 601-957-1188) Great Seafood, Poboys, Lunch Specials, Boiled Seafood, Full Bar, Happy Hour Specials Saltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Avenue 601-982-2899) Creative seafood classics. Named one of Jackson’s Best New Restaurants. MEDITERRANEAN/GREEK Aladdin Mediterranean Grill (730 Lakeland Drive 601-366-6033) Delicious authentic dishes including lamb dishes, hummus, falafel, kababs, shwarma. Vasilios Greek Cusine (828 Hwy 51, Madison 601-853-0028) Authentic greek cuisine since 1994, specializing in gyros, greek salads, baklava cheesecake & fresh daily seafood. BARBEQUE Chimneyville (970 High St, Jackson 601-354-4665 www.chimneyville.com) Family style barbeque restaurant and catering service in the heart of downtown Jackson. Hickory Pit Barbecue (1491 Canton Mart Rd. 601-956-7079) The “Best Butts in Town” features BBQ chicken, beef and pork along with burgers and po’boys. Pig and Pint (3139 N State St, Jackson, 601-326-6070) Serving up competition style barbecue along with one of the of best beer selections in metro. COFFEE HOUSES Cups Espresso Café (Multiple Locations, www.cupsespressocafe.com) Jackson’s local group of coffeehouses offer a wide variety of espresso drinks. Wi-fi. BARS, PUBS & BURGERS Bonny Blair’s (1149 Old Fannin Rd 769-251-0692) Traditional Irish pub food and live entertainment. Open 11am daily. Burgers and Blues (1060 E. County Line Rd. 601-899-0038) Best Burger of 2013, plus live music and entertainment! Cherokee Inn (960 Briarfield Rd. 601-362-6388) Jackson’s “Best Hole in the Wall,” has a great jukebox, great bar and a great burger. Fenian’s Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches & Irish beers on tap. Hal and Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St. 601-948-0888) Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or daily specials. Legends Grill (5352 Lakeland Dr. 601-919-1165) Your neighborhood Sports Bar and Grill. Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 South State Street 601-354-9712) Lunch specials, pub appetizers or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, beer selection. Ole Tavern on George Street (416 George St. 601-960-2700) Pub food with a southern flair: beer-battered onion rings, chicken & sausage gumbo, salads, sandwiches. One Block East ( 642 Tombigbee St. 601-944-0203) Burger joint and dive bar located in downtown Jackson. Great music, tasty beverages and Bad Ass Burgers is what we do. Time Out (6270 Old Canton Road, 601-978-1839) Your neighborhood fun spot! Terrific lunch special and amazing Happy Hour! Underground 119 (119 South President St. 601-352-2322) Pan-seared crabcakes, shrimp and grits, filet mignon, vegetarian sliders. Live music. Opens 4 p.m., Wed-Sat Wing Stop (952 North State Street, 601-969-6400) Saucing and tossing in a choice of nine flavors, Wing Stop wings are made with care and served up piping hot. ASIAN AND INDIAN Fusion Japanese and Thai Cuisine (1002 Treetop Blvd, Flowood 601-664-7588) Specializing in fresh Japanese and Thai cuisine, an extensive menu features everything from curries to fresh sushi VEGETARIAN High Noon Café (2807 Old Canton Road in Rainbow Plaza 601-366-1513)Jackson’s own strict vegetarian (and very-vegan-friendly) restaurant adjacent to Rainbow Whole Foods.

See more of Patty Limatola’s recipes at mmgood.com.

Meals for a Busy Life by Patty Limatola

ven with all the craziness of life, it’s good to try and make time to sit around the table for a family dinner. Your children will never forget those days. Put your phones down and enjoy family conversation. Even if you only make the time one day a week, it’s still important to do it. I have some quick and easy recipes that will help you make family dinners a rousing success, including my 30-minute taco soup. These are recipes you can prepare in advance so when you come home from work, you’re not stuck in the kitchen. This is especially important for working moms and dads. The recipes allow you to be fully present for your family and loved ones.

30-Minute Taco Soup Sometimes we need a recipe that takes no effort and little time to make. This recipe fills those requirements. Essentially, you put canned beans, corn and tomatoes in a pan with a few other ingredients, warm it up and serve it hot. If you don’t think you will have time to prepare this soup when you get home, you can assemble the ingredients in the morning, put the dish in the refrigerator and when you get home from work, simply remove it from the refrigerator and warm it up. To make the soup more fun, offer a few different toppings to choose from. 10-ounce can cream of chicken soup 10-ounce can green enchilada sauce 10-ounce can chicken broth 1/4 cup (1 packet) taco seasoning 3/4 cup water

FLICKR/ COLLEEN GREENE

JFPmenus.com

LIFE&STYLE | food

Dishes such as this taco soup are simple and quick, so you can spend more time with your family.

Ingredients 10-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 10-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 10-ounce can corn, drained 10-ounce can diced tomatoes (I use Mexican-seasoned tomatoes)

Topping Options Sour cream Tortilla chips, crumbled Avocado Shredded cheese Jalapeño peppers Directions

Place all soup ingredients in an 8quart pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes and serve hot. If the soup is too thick, add water or more chicken broth. While the soup is cooking, prepare a few toppings. Serves four.

Shrimp with Sea Salt and Black Pepper

This dish takes less than 30 minutes to make, and I guarantee that you will love it. With a simple ingredient list and preparation method, you will find yourself craving it. I have experimented making the dish with the shrimps’ shells on and off, and I prefer to leave them on because the shells create more flavor. Play around with the amount of salt. I personally like extra salt for this dish, but you can always start out with a little less salt and add more if desired. Ingredients 1 pound shrimp, shells on or off 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon water Directions

Put the oil and shrimp in an 8-inch skillet and add sea salt and black pepper.

Cover over medium-high heat for three to four minutes. Remove the cover, toss the shrimp, add the water and cover again. This allows the shrimp to steam and keeps them moist. Remove the cover and adjust the seasonings. Serves four.

WEDNESDAY 3/4

SATURDAY 3/7

WEDNESDAY 3/11

Chew & Chat is at Koinonia Coffee House.

Terrence Simien performs at Duling Hall.

1 Million Cups is at the Hatch.

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LUCY WEBER

WEDNESDAY 3/4

The Millsaps Student Exhibition is at the Lewis Art Gallery (Millsaps College, Ford Academic Complex, 1701 N. State St.). See the best works from Millsaps art students at the juried art show through April 8. Free; call 601-9741000; millsaps.edu. … Spring Fling Dinner Party March 4, 6:30 p.m., at 1908 Provisions (Fairview Inn, 734 Fairview St.). Enjoy a four-course meal with an optional wine flight, and explanations for each course from Chef Gary Hawkins. Limited seating. RSVP. $49 food, $20 wine flight; call 601-948-3429, ext. 305; fairviewinn.com.

THURSDAY 3/5

(From left to right) Mandy Hackman, Marquita Levy, Lalane Ray-Higgins, Sarah Tracy, Jenny Cochran and (on the couch) Susan Alderman star in “The Odd Couple,” March 6-8 at the Madison Square Center for the Arts.

FRIDAY 3/6

“The Odd Couple” is 2:30 p.m. at the Madison Square Center for the Arts (2103 Main St., Madison). The Center Players present their version of the Neil Simon play. Additional shows on March 6-7, 7:30 p.m. $10-$12; call 601-853-0291; oddcouplemadison.eventzilla.net.

SATURDAY 3/7

The Rebirth of Dope is 8 p.m. at Soul Wired Cafe (111 Millsaps Ave.). Mahogany Blue hosts a night of soul-infused poetry. $5; call 601-863-6378; email teamsoulwiredcafe@gmail.com; soulwiredcafe.com.

EVENTS@

R&B singer Patti LaBelle performs Friday, March 6, at the Jackson Convention Complex.

Sister Act: Margaret Walker and Eudora Welty is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Eudora Welty Education and Visitors Center (1109 Pinehurst Place). In honor of Margaret Walker’s centennial, author Carolyn Brown discusses the personal and literary relationships between Margaret Walker and Eudora Welty. Free; call 601-353-7762.

SUNDAY 3/8

“Chamber III: Baroque!” is 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral (305 E. Capitol St.). The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra presents selections from selections from the Early and Middle Baroque periods along with High Baroque favorites from Torelli and Telemann. $16; call 601-960-1565; msorchestra.com. … Patti LaBelle performs 8 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. BY MICAH SMITH Pascagoula St.). The legendary R&B singer is known for songs such as “Lady Marmalade,” JACKSONFREEPRESS.COM “On My Own” and “If Only FAX: 601-510-9019 You Knew.” Doors open at 7 p.m. Xperience Jxn EntertainDAILY UPDATES AT ment is the host. $49.5-$77.5; JFPEVENTS.COM call 800-745-3000 (tickets) or 678-322-8098 (information).

The “180 Days: Hartsville” Film Screening and Panel Discussion is from 10 a.m.-noon, at Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Smith Robertson Museum and Parents For Public Schools of Jackson host the PBS documentary about education reform. Free; call 960-1550; email wshenefelt@ppsjackson.org; ppsjackson.org. … Drive-By Truckers performs 9 p.m. at Hal & Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St.). For ages 18 and up. $20 in advance, $25 at the door, $3 surcharge for under 21; call 601-292-7999; ardenland.net.

MONDAY 3/9

Author Kevin Sessums signs copies of his new book, “I Left It on the Mountain: A Memoir,” 5 p.m. at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202). The Mississippi-born author, editor and actor has been an editor for Interview and Vanity Fair. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $25.99 book; call 601-366-7619; email info@lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com.

TUESDAY 3/10

WEDNESDAY 3/11

History Is Lunch is noon-1 p.m. at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Author and political analyst Jere Nash presents “End of Construction: 1875 and the Most Infamous Campaign in Mississippi History.” Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us.

March 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

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The Cedar Creek Ramblers perform 5 p.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). The country and bluegrass quarter from northeast Mississippi performs. The concert is in conjunction with Fondren’s First Thursday. Free; call 292-7121; email arden@ardenland.net; ardenland.net. …

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n Jan. 8, Grammy Award-winning gospel artist AndraĂŠ Crouch died at age 72. Some of you may not know his name, but I can almost guarantee that you know his music. The choir arrangement on Michael Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Man in the Mirrorâ&#x20AC;?? That was Crouch. He also worked with Madonna on her hit â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like a Prayerâ&#x20AC;? and on the iconic film â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Color Purple.â&#x20AC;? If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve stepped foot in a church at any point in your life, then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re likely to have heard or sung a song from his extensive catalogue. He wrote â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Tribute (To God Be the Glory),â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Soon and Very Soonâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jesus Is the Answer.â&#x20AC;? To put things into perspective, there arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t many living composers in the hymnal, let alone ones so contemporary. Those pages are usually reserved for people long gone from this mortal coil. At an early age, Crouch discovered his gift for music when his father, Benjamin Crouch, asked him to play piano at a church where he was preaching. At age 14, Crouch wrote his first song. He tossed it into the trash, thinking it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t very good, but his twin sister, Sandra, rescued it. That song is the now-classic â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power.â&#x20AC;? My memory of Crouch is a personal one. Back in the late â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s, I worked as a manager at a Christian bookstore in Hattiesburg. The owner was a personal friend of the Crouches. He had promoted a concert for Crouch in Tupelo, and they became friends after learning that both their fathers had died of cancer. It was not unusual for me to answer the phone at the store and hear the familiar raspy voices of one of the Crouches, AndraĂŠ or Sandra, on the other end. Because ours was a small business, our group of coworkers was like an extended family, and by default, we became familiar with what was going in Los Angeles with AndraĂŠ Crouch. One day, the word came that the Crouches were coming into town for a visit. My boss put together an album signing in the store, after which he invited the employees to his house for a barbecue dinner. We were finally going to meet the legend. My boss had a beautiful, white grand piano in his living room. Of course, Crouch made his way to it after dinner and proceeded to try out a new song. His sister was quite tired and was resting on the couch. In a surreal moment, he struggled to remember the lyrics he was working on. There was a line where he sang, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In my Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house, there are many rooms.â&#x20AC;? I thought to myself, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m watching AndraĂŠ Crouch compose a song.â&#x20AC;? As the song began to take shape, I heard a hum coming from the couch. The song must have resonated with Sandra because she suddenly found a second wind and provided a harmony for her brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chorus. The moment was truly special. It was my first behind-the-scenes look at show business, and one that will last forever. When famous people die, it becomes clichĂŠ to say, but AndraĂŠ Crouch was the real deal. Lucky for me, I saw it firsthand.

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March 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

MUSIC | live

&2857(6< 2) =$&+ '$<

DIVERSIONS | music

rec eive Show you r vali d Col leg e ID and every night! se clo till 9pm 2 FOR 1 DRINKS from

#/--5.)49

HAPPY HOUR

Daily 4-7pm

$2 Domestic & 2 For 1 On All Drinks Including Wine Half Off Any Appetizer Until 9pm

Wednesday 3/4

Saturday 3/7

Karaoke

w/DJ Stache @ 9pm

PARALLAX

Thursday 3/5

Monday 3/9

W/ DJ Glenn Rogers LADIES DRINK FREE! 9pm - Close

w/Daniel Keys @ 8pm

Friday 3/6

SINGER/SONG WRITER NIGHT

Ladies Night

EDM PARTY with DJ Reign

Mind Blowing 3D visuals by VideoNauts

Pub Quiz

Tuesday 3/10

w/ Chad Perry @ 9pm $10 Domestic Bucket Beer Special

2am 6 0 1 - 9 6 0 - 2 7 0 0 Open Mon-Fri 11am-2am Sat 4pmorge St, Jackson, MS facebook.com/Ole Tavern 416 Ge

ulations t a r g n o C

(Staff â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice) Trip Burns Staff Photographer

(Managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice) Kristin Brenemen Art Director !

March 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

Brandi Stodard Account Manager

Amber Helsel Assistant Editor

Events at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.) â&#x20AC;˘ History Is Lunch March 4, noon-1 p.m. Ulysses S. Grant Association executive director John Marszalek presents â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Civil War Ends and Reconstruction Begins in Mississippi.â&#x20AC;? Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us. â&#x20AC;˘ History Is Lunch March 11, noon-1 p.m. Author and political analyst Jere Nash presents â&#x20AC;&#x153;End of Construction: 1875 and the Most Infamous Campaign in Mississippi History.â&#x20AC;? Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us. Lenten Lunch March 5, 11:30 a.m., at Wells United Methodist Church (2019 Bailey Ave.). The guest speakers are James Martin, director of music and creative ministries at Wells Church, and Bishop Ronnie Crudup, pastor of New Horizon Church. Free; call 601-353-0658; email admin@wellschurch.org; wellschurch.org.

+)$3 Events at Mississippi Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum (2145 Highland Drive) â&#x20AC;˘ NASA Day March 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Includes robot demonstrations, experiments and astronaut ice cream. $10, children under 12 months and museum members free; call 601-981-5469; mississippichildrensmuseum.com. â&#x20AC;˘ Know to Grow March 7, 10 a.m. In the Literacy Garden. Children and their families listen to a story and participate in a garden activity. Held Saturdays through Aug. 22. Included with admission ($10, free for children under 12 months and members); call 601-981-5469; mississippichildrensmuseum.com.

&//$ $2).+ Spring Fling Dinner Party March 4, 6:30 p.m., at 1908 Provisions (Fairview Inn, 734 Fairview St.). Enjoy a four-course meal with an optional wine flight, and explanations for each course. Limited seating. RSVP. $49 food, $20 wine flight; call 601-948-3429, ext. 305; fairviewinn.com. Scotch Tasting March 7, 3 p.m., at BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar (Highland Village, 4500 Interstate55 N.). Expert Chris Robertson leads the tasting of scotches from around the world. RSVP. $35; call 601-982-8111; email chrisr@ bravobuzz.com; bravobuzz.com.

34!'% 3#2%%. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Odd Coupleâ&#x20AC;? March 6, 7:30 p.m., March 7, 7:30 p.m., March 8, 2:30 p.m., at Madison Square Center for the Arts (2103 Main St., Madison). The Center Players present their version of the Neil Simon play with females as the roommates. $10-$12; call 601-853-0291; oddcouplemadison.eventzilla.net. "180 Days: Hartsville" Film Screening and Panel Discussion March 7, 10 a.m.-noon, at Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.). MPB, Smith Robertson Museum and Parents For Public Schools of Jackson host the PBS documentary about education reform. Free; call 960-1550; email wshenefelt@ppsjackson.org; ppsjackson.org.

#/.#%243 &%34)6!,3 Terrance Simien March 7, 8 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Adults must accompany children. $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $3 surcharge for patrons under 21; call 601-292-7999; email arden@ardenland.net; ardenland.net.

Patti LaBelle March 6, 8 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). Doors open at 7 p.m. Xperience Jxn Entertainment is the host. $49.5-$77.5; call 800-745-3000 (tickets) or 678-322-8098 (information). Events at Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (200 Commerce St.) â&#x20AC;˘ Rocco Deluca March 6, 9 p.m. Jonathan Thomas Wright and Old Man also perform. Doors open at 8 p.m. For ages 18 and up. $5 in advance, $10 at the door, $3 surcharge for patrons under 21; call 601-292-7999; email jane@halandmals.com; ardenland.net. â&#x20AC;˘ Drive-By Truckers March 7, 9 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m. For ages 18 and up. $20 in advance, $25 at the door, $3 surcharge for patrons under 21; call 601-292-7999; email jane@halandmals.com; ardenland.net. Mississippi Community Symphonic Band Concert March 7, 3-5 p.m., at Christ United Methodist Church (6000 Old Canton Road). Enjoy selections from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mary Poppins,â&#x20AC;? Monty Python, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Welcome to Kitty Hawkâ&#x20AC;? and other show tunes. Free; call 769-218-0828; mcsb.us.

,)4%2!29 3)'.).'3 Events at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202) â&#x20AC;˘ "I Left It on the Mountain: A Memoir" March 9, 5 p.m. Kevin Sessums signs books. Reading at 5:30 p.m.$25.99 book; call 601366-7619; email info@lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com. â&#x20AC;˘ "Casey's Last Chance" March 11, 5 p.m. Joseph B. Atkins signs books. $19.95 book; call 601-366-7619; email info@lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com. Margaret Walker Centennial Lecture March 10, 4:15 p.m., at Eudora Welty Library (300 N. State St.). Storyteller Terrence Roberts hosts Her-Story, the History of Jubilee: A Storytelling Workshop for Teens. Free; call 601-968-5811.

%8()")4 /0%.).'3 Fossil Road Show March 7, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). See the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fossil collection and collector displays, and meet institutional exhibitors. Enjoy hands-on activities, a simulated fossil dig and a scavenger hunt. Bring a fossil for the staff to identify. Included with admission ($4$6); call 601-576-6000; msnaturalscience.org. Considering Edward S. Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Occupation of Baltimoreâ&#x20AC;? March 7, 2 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Andrew Lang of Mississippi State University speaks on Edward Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1861 sketch. Space limited. Included with exhibit admission ($10, $8 seniors, $5 students, free for members and children ages 5 and under); call 601-960-1515; msmuseumart.org.

,'"4 PFLAG Jackson Meeting March 8, 6:30 p.m., at Julep Restaurant and Bar (4500 Interstate 55 N., Suite 105). Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) offers support and education to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, and their families and friends. Free; call 601-842-2274; pflagjacksonms.wordpress.com. Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings, or to add your own events online. You can also email event details to events@jacksonfreepress.com to be added to the calendar. The deadline is noon the Wednesday prior to the week of publication.

Wednesday 3/4

with Jacquelynn Rene Pilcher 7:30 pm

Thursday 3/5

Ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Night with Brian

Jones

7-10PM

Friday 3/6

Jason Turner 8pm

Tuesday 3/10

Trivia Night F r e e ! 7pm