v18n07 - Shanda Yates’ Surprise Victory by Jackson Free Press Magazine

JAC K S O N VOL 18 NO. 7 // NOVEMBER 27 - DECEMBER 10, 2019 // SUBSCRIBE FREE FOR BREAKING NEWS AT JFPDAILY.COM

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Finalist Ballot Opens Nov. 27 See pp 17-18, or bestofjackson.com

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CELEBRATING 17 YEARS OF THE JFP

REPORTING TRUTH TO POWER IN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 2002

A New Dynamic Shanda Yates’ Surprise Victory Pittman, pp 14 - 19

Messengers vs. Violence Bayram, pp7-9

Holiday Fave on Stage Jackson, p25

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contents November 27 December 10,2019 • Vol. 18 No. 8

ON THE COVER Shanda Yates under the Stennis flag at her home. photo courtesy Shanda Yates

4 Editor’s Note 7 Talks

7 Stopping the Virus Credible messengers can prevent violence.

ichael “Mike” P. Cashion Sr., who has lived in Clinton for 23 years with his wife, Debbie, recently retired as the executive director of the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association after 21 years of service. Born in Racine, Wis., Cashion enrolled in Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but his studies were cut short following the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent move to Florida. He moved to Florida as well and began his career in the restaurant business, which led him to Louisiana, then to Oklahoma and eventually Mississippi where he lived in Jackson, Columbus and Meridian before settling in Clinton when he married Debbie. Although he points to an increase in membership over his tenure with the MHRA and the financial position in which he left, he is particularly proud of his legacy with the organization’s ProStart program. It is a nationwide high-school program that teaches students culinary techniques, management skills and other crafts related to the field with an industry-driven curriculum. “It provides a lot of students pathways to careers,” Cashion says. He notes that the program serves a conduit of trained potential employees for the restaurant industry. The program began in partnership with the Department of Education with just five pilot schools but is currently in 50 high schools in Mississippi.

Mike Cashion

Susan M. Glisson gives her thoughts on how everyday people can elect better leaders.

14 Cover Story 17 Best of Jackson Since his retirement, Cashion has spent time working on his golf game, but he is also intimately involved with the community as an alderman for the City of Clinton—serving his third term since being elected in 2009. “I never saw myself in that position,” Cashion says of the alderman role. “It was not something that was gnawing at me to do.” But a number of people reached out to urge him to run. “I didn’t want to do it, but my wife and I prayed about it for a long time, and ultimately I felt led to run,” he said. Cashion is active in Morrison Heights Baptist Church where he and his wife are co-owners of “Kids for Christ Performing Arts,” a Christian-based dance and cheer studio. “We try to do more than just teach dance. We try to spread God’s word and God’s love through that ministry,” Cashion says. He is quick to add, “I don’t teach dance, I don’t dance.” The program is his wife’s ministry, but he keeps the books and helps with the administration. Cashion lives in the Easthaven subdivision of Clinton with his wife, a dog and two stray cats that seem to have adopted the couple. The couple have a large blended family of five children and 10 grandchildren. —Richard Coupe

24 events 25 arts 26 sPORTS

28 Blues of the Delta Kern Pratt releases his new album “Greenville, MS...What About You?”

30 music listings 32 Puzzle 32 Sorensen 33 astro 33 Classifieds 34 LOcal List

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Kristin Brenemen

12 Opinion: Build, Fight

editor’s note

by Donna Ladd, Editor-in-Chief

f the last week of Jackson Free Press web traffic has proved anything, it’s that people in the U.S., in Mississippi and especially in the Jackson area are excited about political newcomer Shanda Yates’ defeat of long-time Republican incumbent Bill Denny for the District 64 seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives. The viral shares of Ashton Pittman’s coverage of Yates’ win prove that Mississippians of various ages, races and backgrounds are excited by a positive, straightforward campaign that didn’t involve the candidate shootin’, huntin’ or pretendin’ to be more right wing than she is. Yates ran a hopeful, solutions-focused, shoe-leather campaign that lifted up the potential of Mississippians to do good things and make better decisions. It wasn’t designed around chicanery and “oppo”—the “opposition” dirt that

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Leaders should emerge, not be handpicked at the last hour.

drives most Mississippi campaigns, TV ads, misleading glossy mailers, and testosterone and yelling inside campaign headquarters. Yates, her husband and volunteers knocked on 10,000 doors in the metro. She told me for our “Let’s Talk Jackson” podcast that she ignored advice to put her energy into swing voters rather than the Democrats who presumably brilliant strategists assume will fall in line and turn out on cue to vote for the Democrat anyway. Put simply: The conventional (and losing) wisdom in typical Mississippi political circles is that candidates need to jostle for the same pool of (white and conservative) voters, push out a lot of juicy “oppo” and take other Democratic voters, such as many Jacksonians, for granted. I’ve watched it happen for years with my newspaper, which is focused first on the capital city, where we have very strong, diverse readership. Yates targeted voters head-on both by knocking on their doors and with positive advertising targeting our readers. Many Democratic candidates ignore our readers. And candidates are told

to avoid openly seeking “liberal” voters by addressing them head-on and publicly. Dem Jim Hood waited until the night before the election to release a robocall from Barack Obama. Still, Hood wasn’t known as a stellar candidate to many black voters due to ham-handed responses to blackface questions; his unsuccessful prosecutions of Hinds District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith; and his rather-abysmal criminaljustice record—he supported firing squads and wanted Michelle Byrom executed. It’s sad when Mississippi Republicans at least look more progressive on criminaljustice issues than Democratic leaders. I was happy to see Democratic pollster Brad Chism address this ignore-Jackson problem in a post about the election outcome, as Ashton reported last week. Chism wrote that Dems need to focus more on the Jackson area in statewide campaigns. Of course that’s true. Jackson is the capital city, we are majority black, and we can account for a lot of votes, and even more when our voters are taken seriously and inspired to turn out because candidates talk and listen to them and openly address issues that matter to residents of the capital city, as Shanda Yates did in the metro. Put it this way: I was at my Jackson home (outside her district) for weeks recovering from shoulder surgery nearly fulltime, and no candidates including Hood and his volunteers knocked on my door. Still, Chism wrote, Jackson accounted for 22% of Hood’s support. That could’ve been better had his and other campaigns taken Jackson voters seriously enough and talked directly to them. And I don’t mean showing up in a black church right before an election. That’s not authentic. Chism also said this: “Democrats

courtesy Women for Progress

Shanda Yates’ Mississippi Win Inspires, Teaches Lessons

The excitement over Shanda Yates’ win in Mississippi, and how she did it, offers lessons that political strategists ignore at the state’s peril.

don’t have a solid bench for statewide candidates in 2021.” Of course they don’t. The cycle in our state is to rustle up candidates right before an election; even Yates wasn’t approached until close to the deadline. Let’s be honest here: We need actual leaders of all races, genders and backgrounds to run for office in the state, and that means people who right now are willing to get out and engage in all our communities, to listen deeply and ask questions, and to not just show up at the end or take voters for granted. Leaders should emerge, not be handpicked at the last hour. Yates won because she took the race seriously, trusted her instincts and worked her butt off. So did a handful of other women and black Democratic candidates in the state. Who else is willing to put the work in starting now? It’s not all about money. Look, I listen to my readers here in Jackson and beyond. They want candi-

contributors

Ashton Pittman

Seyma Bayram

Torsheta Jackson

State and political reporter Ashton Pittman is from Hattiesburg, Miss. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied journalism and political science. He wrote about Shanda Yates’ win.

Staff Reporter Seyma Bayram is from the Kurdish region of Turkey and grew up in The Netherlands and New York. She is a graduate of the Columbia Journalism School and the State University of New York at Binghamton. She wrote about credible messengers.

Freelance writer Torsheta Jackson is originally from Shuqualak, Miss. A wife and mother of four, she freelances and is a certified lactation counselor. She wrote the arts story for the issue.

dates who speak to them directly, ask for their opinions and ideas, tailor messages to their needs and sure as hell not assume their votes are there. This is a losing strategy in Mississippi, and election night proved it. Shanda Yates is inspiring because, so far, she is bucking the conventional political wisdom (which is anything but wise) in Mississippi and meeting people where they are—often at their front doors. She is owning her views and, as a result, has the real potential to excite a new, wider voter base. It is a losing proposition to keep fighting over the same voters, especially if you think flinging dirt and gun-totin’ stereotypes provide the only way to win them over. It is an insult to Mississippians’ intelligence to allow just those people to define us, and hawking such stereotypes runs more smart people (and voters) out of the state. I write this from a race-equity summit in Columbia, S.C., led by the first assistant editor of the Jackson Free Press. When she introduced my panel, she mentioned that this newspaper struck her and others when we launched in 2001 because, as she put it, it felt good to see that we believed Mississippians deserved this kind of high-level, serious journalism. I agree with her. It is long past time for politicians and parties to dump the scared, tired appeal to “conservative” voters and do the same thing we did with this newspaper. Start talking up to Mississippians, not treating us like we’re the same old voters who can never change. This is adapted from Donna Ladd’s new weekly Dossier column, appearing online at jfpdaily.com every Friday. Subscribe free. Read her past Dossiers at jfp.ms/dossier.

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* Cosmetic procedures are not covered under this beneﬁt. WellCare Health Plans, Inc., is an HMO, PPO, PFFS plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in our plans depends on contract renewal. For accommodations of persons with special needs at meetings, call 1-877-699-3552 (TTY: 711). There is no obligation to enroll. Notice: TennCare is not responsible for payment for these benefits, except for appropriate cost sharing amounts. TennCare is not responsible for guaranteeing the availability or quality of these benefits. Out-of-network/ non-contracted providers are under no obligation to treat WellCare members, except in emergency situations. Please call our customer service number or see your Evidence of Coverage for more information, including the cost-sharing that applies to out-of-network services. Please contact WellCare for details. WellCare Health Plans, Inc. complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. ATTENTION: If you speak a language other than English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-877-374-4056 (TTY: 711). ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-877-374-4056 (TTY: 711). ٍิíϩ‫ش‬ՠΈᑫᝃˁ̂ç̤ͅѡ඘ᐻધდԶಖѫ‫ੁخ‬éቂࠔྑ 1-877-374-4056 (TTY: 711)é Y0070_WCM_45330E_M CMS Accepted 10202019 NA0WCMADV47330E_0000 ©WellCare 2019 J147194_WC_ENG_WK47_FC20EWEWC47330HP_MJFP_RD_11_6_19_9x5.5_BA.indd 1

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Episode 7x19

K L A T S ’ L ET N O S K C JA November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Now available on

Arekia Bennett November 27, 2019

Arekia Bennett is executive director of Mississippi Votes, which works to get young people involved in voting. Arekia graduated from Bailey Magnet High School and got her bachelor’s degree in Physics from Jackson State University. While at JSU, she got heavily involved in activism and advocacy, largely around women’s reproductive issues and issues affecting women of color. She spoke with editor-in-chief Donna Ladd about her work in getting young people and people of color engaged in the democratic process. Let’s Talk Jackson is sponsored by Mississippi Federal Credit Union (http://msfcu.us/); this episode also is brought to you by the Center for Art & Public Exchange at the Mississippi Museum of Art. More at http://museumcape.org/.

Join hosts Donna Ladd, Todd Stauffer, Ashton Pittman and others in Season 7

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Seyma Bayram

Terun Moore stands outside an abandoned house in the Washington Addition, one of three Jackson neighborhoods where a new crediblemessenger and violence-interruption program aims to counsel residents at risk of committing violence.

torytelling & e, s i ur

news, cul t

TALK JXN ence ver rre

Credible Messengers Closer to Hitting Streets

t was a warm day, so Terun Moore slung the Dallas Cowboys starter coat his uncle gave him over his shoulder as he stepped off the school bus. He and two friends were walking toward his grandmother’s house in the Virden Addition neighborhood of Jackson in the fall of 1993 when a car approached. In it were two young men, no older than 17 or 18. Moore, who was 12, had not seen them before, but he agreed to help when they asked for directions. That is when one of them jumped out and grabbed Moore’s favorite jacket. He got back into the car, and the pair sped off. Moore was hurt and felt weak as a result of the incident. It was the first time anyone had stolen from him. He did not want to feel that way again. Not long after the theft, Moore joined a local version of the Gangster Disciples, a street gang that originated in Chicago in the late 1960s. Moore’s early gang-related crimes were participating in a string of robberies. Then when he was 17, Moore killed a man during an armed robbery in Jackson.

A judge then sentenced Moore to life in prison without parole. ‘Trying to Be a Bright Light’ In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sentencing minors to life without parole was unconstitutional. After spending 19-and-a-half years behind bars, Moore came home in 2017. Since Moore left prison, he has used his own criminal history to mentor young people, hoping to help them make better decisions. “I don’t want to land back in prison,” Moore told the Jackson Free Press recently. “I want to help somebody not go to prison who may be feeling the same things I was feeling when I was young, just trying to belong to something and really not even knowing what it is about it.” In 2017, Moore co-founded the People’s Advocacy Institute, a grassroots organization that pushes for change in criminal justice and electoral policy and provides legal support, with his childhood friend, attorney and activist Rukia Lumumba. Last year, he and Lumumba decided to create a

credible-messenger and violence-interruption initiative to tackle the roots of violence in Jackson. Lumumba had already been involved in similar initiatives in Washington, D.C., and New York City. Credible messengers, many of whom have been through the criminal-justice system, enter into communities to mentor and discourage at-risk individuals from participating in criminal activity. Soon, Moore and Lumumba recruited Benny Ivey, another formerly incarcerated man and former white gang leader from Jackson, who wanted to do similar work to help others avoid the crime cycle. It was good timing: In 2018, Jackson saw its highest homicide rate in years, with 84 murders—a 25% increase over the previous year. By January 2019, the trio started holding community meetings and raising funds for the new program to add to $150,000 in seed money from FWD.us, a criminaljustice advocacy organization funded by the tech industry. They are preparing a recommendations report that will detail

what a credible-messenger and violenceinterruption program should look like in Jackson. They hope to launch officially in January 2020, with Moore and Ivey serving as full-time messengers as they recruit more community members. “I’m trying to be a bright light,” Moore said while walking through the Washington Addition, just south of Jackson State University. The team plans to target the historic middle-class neighborhood that was active during the Civil Rights Movement, but has since struggled with poverty and high crime, much of it owing to a combination of disinvestment and the ongoing repercussions of the 1980s crack-cocaine epidemic. An Esri demographics report found that the predominantly black neighborhood has an 11.7% unemployment rate and a $17,963 median household income. The Virden Addition further north and parts of south Jackson are also on the initial list of target areas for the crediblemessenger program. more MESSENGERS, p 8

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

by Seyma Bayram

news,

cu l

storytelling & re, ir tu

“I think you have the wrong number.”

TALK JXN

— Shanda Yates when asked to run for House District 64 (Full story starts on page 14)

ce eren rev November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

@jacksonfreepress

@jxnfreepress

occurs, especially in the aftermath of a violent act, which may lead to further retaliatory actions, causing the violence to spread like a virus. They do this work unarmed. Studies have shown that the model works when interrupters are properly trained. New York saw a 63% reduction in shootings in the South Bronx, and a 50%

Lumumba said that once the initiative releases its recommendations report, it will accept applications from community members who want to deliver services aligned with their skill sets. The program will offer a series of trainings on topics such restorative justice and positive youth development, as well as training for mentors. Donna Ladd

The Virus of Violence Desmeon Thomas is a Jackson native who has used a wheelchair since a 2002 shooting during a car-jacking that left him paralyzed. He attended a community meeting Moore and the credible-messenger team hosted at the COFO Civil Rights Education Center on Nov. 19. There, Thomas said mentors must feel authentic to those they are trying to reach in order to make a difference. “Me being a person with paralysis, can’t anybody just come tell me how to be a person with a spinal-cord injury or how to live that lifestyle,” Thomas said. “It’s got to be someone with the same diagnosis who experienced it before I did.” To Thomas, the credible-messenger model makes sense for Jackson. “[T]hey lived that lifestyle, and they walked that walk, so when we’re going out and talking to the youth,” he said, “it’s relatable and they can understand that the only reason why we are there to speak with them is because we care.” The model requires that the messengers—who themselves have been either victims of crimes or perpetrators, often both—come from the same communities and similar circumstances as those they are mentoring. Therein lies their credibility and distinction from traditional counselors, whose advice may not resonate with the people they most need to reach. “We feel like we’re the people that can help here in the community because we helped hurt it, a little bit,” Moore said, emphasizing Thomas’ point. “It was our examples of wrongdoing that caused other people to go that way, too. … We got some beautiful people here, but (violence) is hurting our city,” he said. In Jackson, the plan is to combine credible messaging with violence interruption, following former World Health Organization epidemiologist Gary Slutkin’s successful “Cure Violence” model. Slutkin views violence like an epidemic. Curing violence requires identifying people with the disease, treating those at highest risk for it, and changing behaviors and social attitudes around the disease, he believes. Trained, paid “violence interrupters” carry out the “Cure Violence” work through on-the-ground counseling, working to literally interrupt violence before it

@jxnfreepress

Left to right: JPD Assistant Chief Ricky Robinson, criminal-justice advocate Rukia Lumumba, and formerly incarcerated Terun Moore and Benny Ivey wait in Jackson City Hall in December 2018 to introduce Jackson’s inaugural credible-messenger strategy. They hope to officially launch it in January 2020.

decrease in gun-related injuries in East New York. A 2012 joint study from the Centers for Disease Control and Johns Hopkins University found that violence interruption in four Baltimore communities led to a 56% reduction in killings there.

‘Just Like Any Disease’ Gun violence is personal for Rukia Lumumba, the sister of Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba. Their older brother was shot in the head in Jackson when she was a little girl. He survived the shooting, but is para-

lyzed as a result of the incident. For Rukia Lumumba, Slutkin’s “Cure Violence” model is a way to create healthier communities. The goal, she told the Jackson Free Press, is to reflect on and use the resources available locally, but to also build them up, with the violence-interruption program further equipping communities with important skills. As a lawyer, Lumumba had access to trauma-informed care, social resilience and harm-reduction trainings. These skills, she believes now, should be accessible to all communities as prevention tools. “Another big component of this is to be able to offer those trainings to the community, just on a consistent basis,” she said in an interview. “ … How to engage with dignity when someone is having a psychotic episode—how are you able to engage with that person to not harm yourself and then not harm them? … How can (the harmreduction) model help to change how we deal with our loved ones who are suffering with drug addiction?” Lumumba added that residents already do a lot of the work of credible messengers, even if they do not have formal training. The pastor of Rosemont Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, for example, has led neighborhood clean-up and watch efforts, built a community garden, and more. “We’re not creating anything new,” Lumumba said. “We’re just providing more opportunities for more people to take up that space.” It is also a way to build systemic prevention and actually stop violence from

The Perfect Jackson Thanksgiving Moratorium on politics, especially with nonJacksonians.

Bad Egg Bowl jokes

Greens, baby.

Smack talk.

Black Friday (set alarm or stay up?)

Smoked or fried? Discuss.

Electric Slide, with any luck.

What a decent flag looks like. Hallmark movies (just admit it)

Pothole whining

Christmas tree (unless it’s been up for a month) Food coma(s)

MESSENGERS

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portunities, job training and food access. The mayor said the City cannot afford much funding for the program, but he says that if Jackson residents see the potential of the credible-messenger program, they can take part in the participatory budgeting process to increase funding for it.

“A lot of people in Jackson, especially young people, they just need some guidance, they need some attention,” he said. “They might not have had a father, they might not have a mother ... but the strong is supposed to pick up for the weak, and I think that every law enforcement

Moore walks through the Virden Addition in Jackson, where he grew up and joined the Gangster Disciples as a kid. Since his release from prison in 2017, Moore has worked to dissuade other young people from engaging in criminal activity.

grant $8 million, over three years, to start a Cure Violence program there. The board approved $5 million. Jackson’s population is roughly half of St. Louis, and its murder rate is slightly lower. This year, for the first time, the City of Jackson is giving $102,018 to the crediblemessenger and violence-interruption program for 2020. By press time, the City of Jackson could not detail how the funds will be used, but about half of that amount is intended as a salary and benefits for a full-time person to oversee the program in Jackson. The mayor said he is excited about supporting the program. “We think that if you don’t invest time and invest money in terms of addressing the root causes of criminal activity or the breakdown of relationships, then you’re always chasing behind problems,” he told the Jackson Free Press. “What we find is that the community is closest to the solution, long before the police or the leaders or politicians learn of something that’s taken place in the community,” he continued. The City can support the work of violence interrupters not only through funding but also by directing individuals and communities to the services they may need, such as employment and educational op-

Distancing from Police The Jackson Police Department may have been part of the initial announcement of the credible-messenger program in late 2018, but experts say the violence-interrupter model can only work without lawenforcement interference. In order to maintain credibility, messengers and interrupters must not be viewed as working together with police, or worse, as snitches, due to the historically tense relationship between police and over-policed communities even in cities with majorityblack police departments like Jackson. Jackson Police Chief James Davis did not respond to a request for an interview by press time, but the mayor said local law enforcement understand this delicate relationship. “Our police department—many of the leaders within our police department— have been educated on the distance, the proper distance, that they need to provide,” the mayor said. “They don’t need to be engaged with the messengers, because the messengers have to be able to go into spaces where they need to have the (sincere) trust of the community.” JPD Deputy Chief Deric Hearn, who was present at the Nov. 19 meeting, says law enforcement must approach the community from a place of love.

ought to have a commitment to serve, not just arrest. … If you’re there to serve, you can prevent a whole lot that can happen.” Rather than a community outsourcing its problems to law enforcement, the credible-messenger and violence-interruption initiative aims to equip communities with resources so that they can take care of each other. This includes creating spaces for afterschool activities, in cleaning up neighborhoods, in improving education access, and alleviating poverty and making residents feel safe, Moore said, so that people do not resort to a life of crime to survive. “We just need somewhere where people can go and be free,” he said, adding that his biggest wish is for “the community to have love again.” “That’s like our main objective, trying to love on those folks and get these folks involved and love on themselves,” Moore said. “People need to be met where they’re at. Everybody ain’t going to grow up the same way or have the same morals or values, but that doesn’t mean they’re not valuable.” Donna Ladd contributed to this report. To read more about the “Cure Violence” strategy, see jacksonfreepress.com/hungertolive. Follow City Reporter Seyma Bayram on Twitter @SeymaBayram0. Send story tips to seyma@jacksonfreepress.com.

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Affording the Solution Slutkin emphasized to the Jackson Free Press that a trained, dedicated, fulltime staff is necessary for the model to work and actually prevent violence. He made it clear that two or three interrupters trying to mentor a few young people is not enough to stop viral violence. In Jackson and many cities, funding remains the biggest obstacle to implementing a sustainable program. In its early years, the Chicago pilot of

Cure Violence averaged about $240,000 in yearly funding, but additional contributions from federal and state governments and philanthropic organizations grew its budget to $6.2 million in 2005 and $9.6 million in 2006. Earlier this fall, a St. Louis, Mo., alderman introduced a bill to

SEYMA BAYRAM

multiplying like a virus. In 2016, Slutkin told the Jackson Free Press about a study demonstrating that the “Cure Violence” approach had a 100% success rate in preventing retaliation. “I don’t know if it’s 10 or 70 events that wouldn’t happen” following one successful intervention, Slutkin said, because each prevented murder chips away at the cycle of revenge and further harm. The mayor has on many occasions said that it is impossible to out-police crime, which is especially true for homicide. “We have more police than any other country in the world, we have more people incarcerated than any other country in the world, yet and still, we have more crime than any other country in the world. Therefore, there has to be another dynamic that we may be missing,” he told the Jackson Free Press this month. Violence is “just like any disease,” the mayor said. “You need to kill it. You need to know what is the proper treatment for it.”

TALK JXN

incarceration

‘Extreme’ Prison Terms Must Be Focus for New Mississippi Leaders, Reformers Say by Ashton Pittman

“We were an economy for them back then, and a commodity for them, and that’s exactly what they use prison for now. There are more black men incarcerated than there were in chattel slavery.” ‘Common-sense Reforms’ Needed ”These findings confirm that ex-

tization advocacy. Empower has worked closely with Republican legislators and with Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on efforts like charter schools and privateschool vouchers. Reeves won the race for governor on Nov. 5, and will assume the office in January. With the election year behind them, Nick Judin

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

ississippi’s incoming class of statewide and legislative leaders should prioritize reducing “extremely” long prison sentences, a national bipartisan criminaljustice reform organizations says. Mississippi’s criminal-justice system is in a pretty dire place and has been in a long time and appears to be moving, instead of in the right direction, in a worsening direction over the past several years,” FWD.us Senior Criminal Justice Reform Director Zoe Towns told the Jackson Free Press recently. ”Our focus has been that, as this transition of leadership occurs, to ensure that the issue is front of mind,” she said. “We believe there are a lot of things that future governor could do if they are prioritizing criminal-justice reform.” In mid-November, FWD.us released a report concluding that “habitual” penalties are driving Mississippi’s “incarceration crisis,” as prosecutors give repeat offenders unusually long sentences for crimes like drug offenses. In many cases, that results in life sentences or “virtual life sentences,” meaning sentences that are so long that an inmate will likely die in prison. The study found that more than 2,600 people are serving prison sentences with habitual penalties in Mississippi. Of those, about one-third are serving 20 years or more, and about one-sixth are serving either life or at least 50 years. Local prosecutors can apply habitual sentences at their discretion—and they often do so in a way that disproportionately imprisons black men. Black adult men make up just 13% of the state’s population, but account for more than 75% of the people in Mississippi prisons sentenced to 20 years or longer for habitual sentences. At a rally against mass incarceration in Brandon in July, criminal-justice and prison-reform advocate Kenneth Glasgow compared the mass-incarceration problem to African American slavery. He is a pastor from Dothan, Ala., and the brother of civil-rights activist and MSNBC host Al Sharpton. “It’s an economy for them, just like chattel slavery,” he said in an interview.

FWD.us, a criminal-justice reform organization, says it is “heartened” by small reforms Mississippi leaders like Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves have made in recent years, but is is urging a focus on cutting down “extreme” sentencing laws.

treme sentences are a major driver of the incarceration crisis in Mississippi,” Laura Bennett, the manager for criminal justice reform at FWD.us said in a statement. “That is why a growing number of state leaders and bipartisan voices are calling for common-sense reforms to the habitual laws that will safely reduce incarceration and corrections spending.” Those voices include not only progressive reform organizations like the MacArthur Justice Center, but also Empower Mississippi, a right-leaning group known more for its school-priva-

and perhaps the legislative timidity that comes with it, criminal-reform advocates think Reeves and the new slate of lawmakers have the opportunity to significantly reduce the state’s incarceration crisis in upcoming years. ”People spend a disproportionately long period behind bars due to a series of laws and decisions that are being made at the executive and legislative levels. And any kind of meaningful steps forward in Mississippi is going to have to include some pretty robust sentencing reform. This is not asking Mississippi to be on

the vanguard,” Towns told the Jackson Free Press. ”This is asking Mississippi to catch up with its neighboring states by looking at their habitual laws and getting them in line, their sentencing lengths for drug and property crimes and getting them in line, and reclassifying certain crimes. Mississippi just needs to kind of catch up,” she added. The FWD.us report found that habitual penalties come at a high cost to the state. FWD.us looked at 78 prisoners serving life and “virtual life” habitual prison sentences for drug crimes. Those inmates are collectively serving 4,668 years, which will cost Mississippi taxpayers nearly $70 million over time, the study found. Overall, the report notes, Mississippi taxpayers spend about $360 million on its prison system per year. The state has the third-highest imprisonment rate nationwide, behind only Louisiana and Oklahoma. Each of those states, though, has enacted “major reforms to reduce incarceration,” the FWD.us press release notes, while Mississippi’s incarceration rates increased in recent years. The rates grew even though the Legislature passed and Gov. Phil Bryant signed modest criminal-justice reforms into law. Focus on More Than ‘Re-Entry’ The small reforms Mississippi leaders have either enacted or proposed in recent years often focus on “re-entry,” or making it easier for people to rejoin their communities once they get out of prison. In an interview in the Jackson Free Press ahead of the governor’s race, outgoing Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, the Democratic nominee who lost to Reeves on Nov. 5, talked about some re-entry reforms he has worked on in the attorney general’s office. ”I’ve been advocating for re-entry since I’ve been attorney general,” Hood said in the interview. “If people don’t have any hope, they’re not going to get a job and be a productive citizen in many cases unless you help them. And so just some of the ways we came up with that didn’t cost any money, like re-entry counseling. You can’t get a job with an

MILLSAPS COLLEGE worrisome. That list is actually incredible long. Those things should all remain on the list,” she said. “I think if the conversation at the Capitol and at the governor’s mansion in 2020 is not grounded in, ‘What can we do right now to bring this incarceration rate down through legislative and administrative action?’, you’re going to have a lot of good intentions and maybe some improvements, but you’re still going to have the same incarceration rate.” Actually Meaningful Reform? In 2014, Bryant signed a criminaljustice-reform bill into law that refocused enforcement of some drug crimes away from the criminal-justice system and toward rehab and intervention programs. It also created a uniform definition of “crime of violence” in an effort to reduce the number that nonviolent offenders serving sentences akin to those of violent offenders. That reform also ended the practice of putting people back in prison

There are more black men incarcerated than there were in chattel slavery.” president. ... I think that there has been a fair amount of focus on re-entry at the capitol in recent years, and that’s good, and that’s a great first step. But that is not what’s driving Mississippi’s incarceration crisis,” Towns said . ”What drives incarceration is who you send to prison and how long you send them there. It’s a really simple calculation. You need to reduce who you send to prison with laws and how long you send them there. ... Long prison sentences increase recidivism rates, so locking someone up for a long time makes them more and not less likely to commit a crime when they are released. A part of safe communities is right-sizing and reducing these terms.” The same is true when it comes to proposals to end or reduce the use of private prisons in the state that Democrats, like Hood, have suggested, she said: Private prisons present problems, but prison sentencing laws should be the priority. ”A lot of ancillary and periphery issues with Mississippi’s criminal-justice system are incredibly problematic and

for technical parole violations, sending them to detention centers instead. Earlier this year, Bryant signed “The Next Step Act” in Mississippi, expanding the state’s drug courts to handle cases involving mental illness and military veterans. It also ends the practice of the State of Mississippi revoking driver’s licenses for unpaid fines, or suspending them for those convicted of simple drug possession unrelated to the operation of a motor vehicle. Those were good steps, Glasgow told the Jackson Free Press in July, but Bryant and other Republican leaders could do more. “Is it really cutting it down on incarceration? That’s like putting a BANDAID on a knife cut. There’s blood everywhere,” Glasgow told the Jackson Free Press at the criminal-justice reform rally in July. “If Governor Bryant (and other Republicans) really wanted to do prison reform, they could do it.” Follow Jackson Free Press State Reporter Ashton Pittman on Twitter at @ashtonpittman. Send story tips to him at ashton@jacksonfreepress.com.

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MDOC card. So, we had to try to get them drivers licenses.” Many conservative Republicans, who in recent decades often took hardline “law and order” positions alongside some Democrats, have also supported reentry reforms in recent years, including Reeves, outgoing-Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and President Donald Trump. ”I’ve got to get re-entry programs,” Bryant told a crowd at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C., in February. “We’ve got to get folks back into the workforce. I’ve got 41,000 job openings in the state of Mississippi. We used to have people looking for jobs; now we’ve got jobs looking for people.” While re-entry programs are important, Towns said, those reforms alone will not alleviate the State’s sentencing crisis. “We’re heartened by some of the comments that Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves has made and the lieutenant governor’s history of moving justice reforms through the Legislature since he’s been Senate

SuSan M. GliSSon

Mississippi Not a ‘Lost Cause’: Build and Fight

Trump won Mississippi by almost 18 points in 2016. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jim Hood closed much of that gap to within six points. Mike Espy worked to within four points last fall for the U.S. Senate seat. That, my friends, is something to build on. Build and fight. I’m not upset with folks who didn’t vote. Between state officials’ efforts to sup-

Warren K. LeffLer, U.S. neWS & WorLd report Magazine/ pUbLic doMain

n election night, as results confirmed the sweep of one party in all statewide races, predictable bromides began appearing on social media; “Mississippi is a lost cause” sums up the gist of them. Many shared their plans to move out of state, their grief and anger. I get it. I really do. I chose to make my home here 23 years ago. Mississippi has

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Fannie Lou Hamer was a Mississippian who decided she was “tired of being sick and tired” of the power structures and racism in Mississippi.

broken my heart on many more than one occasion. So, I hope everyone who worked hard will take the time to regroup and repair. We must remember that, as of 2016, Mississippi had more than 445,000 unregistered voters. They lean toward voters under 30, black, brown and poor. By comparison, Trump beat Clinton by fewer than 214,000 votes in the U.S. But our candidates and campaigns do not generally appeal to a broader, younger generation. Too many Democratic candidates lean so far to the right to appeal to some magical swing voter that they seem to cease being Democrats. We’ve yet to have enough progressive candidates whose campaigns might compel Mississippians who have been hurting to get out to vote in the numbers needed to change the power structure. It will not matter how many progressive candidates we may have if we don’t do the everyday, unglamorous work of registering voters, educating voters and mobilizing voters to vote. We can’t only care about Mississippians’ lives for the five days before an election, if that. The small but mighty progressive community in Mississippi is doing its damndest on shoestring budgets and prayers but are far and away underresourced, understaffed and overwhelmed.

press voting and our inability to truly address the suffering of so many in the state, I can understand those numbers. So here is who gets my anger postelection: wealthy Democrats in the state

“Our leaders is just we ourself.” who don’t believe in, understand, or invest in community building and organizing; a national party apparatus that refuses to support that work; and national foundations that will not pool resources and make significant and extended investments in community organizing and capacity building. National foundations supported the civil-rights work of the 1950s and ’60s, often funneling money through regional organizations like the Southern Regional Council. In a backlash to the Civil Rights Movement’s successes, many of those same foundations pulled back from progressive work, and few have returned. When I get down about all this, I remember the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The real one, not the “fake news”

that “Rosa sat down, Martin stood up, and now everyone is free” fairy tale. I remember that Joann Robinson and the Women’s Political Caucus were organizing six years before Mrs. Parks was arrested and had a plan in place when the opportunity came. I remember Ella Baker, who trained Mrs. Parks in organizing and challenging white supremacy at Highlander Folk School in the 1940s. (She wasn’t too tired to get up; she chose to remain seated and defy a segregation ordinance.) E.D. Nixon, head of the local NAACP, and Vernon Johns, challenged white supremacy in spite of the potential for violent backlash. I remember 15-year-old Claudette Colvin, who was also arrested for refusing to give up her seat and who, in the courtroom later, confounded the judge, who thought that this young person, this black woman, couldn’t have possibly come up with this idea on her own. In response to his query as to who the leaders were that had prompted her action, she replied with wisdom: “Our leaders is just we ourself.” So, here is who is going to save Mississippi: us. Let’s connect to neighbors and friends who want a better Mississippi for all of us. If there isn’t a group near you, start one. Just grab the first couple of people who share your values of social justice and inclusion and go to lunch. Get to know each other. Do it again and invite more friends. Build trusting relationships. Educate yourself about your community. Who is hurting there? Who’s helping? Support them. Ask why there is suffering; get to and study the attitudes and systems that undergird suffering. Pool your money to support candidates with your values. Set up voter-registration tables at local libraries, gas stations, grocery stores. Strategize at the local and statewide levels. Be both patient and righteously indignant. Organizing takes time, and then sometimes a spark can catch and change things in an instant. But only those who have been organizing for the long haul can take advantage of sparks—the wood has to have been cut and collected—the kindling must be ready to light. This is how we win. And we bring everyone with us. Mrs. Hamer, Medgar Evers, Duncan Gray, Unita Blackwell, and so many others stayed in this state and fought for it with their dying breaths. We can do no less. Susan M. Glisson is a historian and cofounder and partner in Sustainable Equity (www.sustainableequity.net). This column does not necessarily reflect the views of the JFP.

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Scott Crawford

Jackson attorney Shanda Yates will take her seat as Mississippi House District 64â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Democratic representative after ousting 32-year incumbent Republican Bill Denny.

A New Dynamic

Shanda Yates’ Surprise Victory ily to earn a college degree. After earning her bachelor’s degree at the University of Southern Mississippi, Yates thought she might end up working as a secretary for a law office. With encouragement from some of her professors, though, she went to law school at Mississippi College and became an attorney instead. Despite her initial reluctance to run for office, Yates and her husband kept discussing the idea. “I talked to some of

around 10,000 doors, she said. Several national organizations offered help, including the California-based Sister District, which targets GOP-held seats in legislatures across the country and tries to help Democrats turn them blue. Sister District helped Yates with the technical “in the weeds stuff that I wouldn’t have been able to handle on my own”—like field organizing, identifying likely supporters and tracking door courtesy Shanda Yates

‘I Had to Do It’ Yates had never thought about running for office and had a litany of reasons

not to pursue the House District 64 seat when she first discussed the idea with her husband, Yancy Burns, her partner at their firm, Burns & Associates PLLC. “No, I don’t have the time to plan for this,” Yates told her husband. “It’s two weeks before the qualifying deadline. I never thought about doing this. I don’t have any of the groundwork laid.” Exceeding expectations, including her own, though, has been a staple of Yates’ life

Shanda Yates with her son, Evan, husband Yancy Burns, and their dog, Marshall.

“She had the glow of victory all around her.” —Mike Espy so far. In a Let’s Talk Jackson podcast with Jackson Free Press editor Donna Ladd, Yates shared her personal story. Her father, Rick Yates, a blue-collar worker, raised her and her brother, Ricky, alone as a single parent. At Hinds Community College, Shanda Yates became the first in her fam-

my close friends about it,” Yates told the Jackson Free Press in mid-November. “And at the end of the day, it came down to did I want to continue complaining about things on Facebook and be passively active, which I realize is an oxymoron, or was I willing to put myself out there and jump off this cliff and try to do something to make a change?” Yates thought about her home in Jackson, the business she and her husband are running here, and their 4-year-old son. She made the jump. “I just decided that I had to do it, if not for me, then for my son. So, I said yes and hit the ground running,” Yates said in the interview. Over the next few months, Yates and a team of volunteers knocked on

knocking. Their support, Yates said, was “huge.” The group also sent text messages to voters and knocked on doors. Yates also had help from former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy, who in 2018 ran for U.S. Senate with the most modern campaign apparatus of any Democrat in Mississippi. Though Espy lost that race against incumbent U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, he came closer to a U.S. Senate victory than any Democrat in more than three decades—and amassed a trove of valuable voter data. Just days after Hyde-Smith claimed victory with help from President Donald Trump, Espy filed for a rematch. Between then and his 2020 campaign kickoff in early November, though, the Democratic more YATES, p 16

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“I

think you have the wrong number,” Jackson attorney Shanda Yates said, laughing into the receiver when Democratic House Minority Leader David Baria called in February, asking if she would be interested in running for a Republican-held Mississippi House seat. It sounded like a heavy lift; the House District 64 incumbent, House Republican Floor Leader Bill Denny, first won the seat in 1987—when Yates was only 6 years old. With two weeks to go before the qualifying deadline for the party primaries, a number of fellow attorneys and Democratic leaders continued courting her, including Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Bobby Moak. Party leaders had taken notice of Yates, who is 38, early in the 2019 legislative session, after she met with Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn and wrote emails to representatives and senators, urging them not to pass the “Landowner Protection Act.” That tort-reform law, she warned in those emails, would “remove all liability of a property owner in virtually every context in which a crime is committed on its property” and free businesses of the “duty” to “act reasonably” to “protect its customers, patrons, and tenants from violent criminal activity that it knows is occurring on its property.” Despite her efforts and impassioned arguments from Democrats like Baria against the bill, the GOP-dominated Legislature passed it, and Gov. Phil Bryant signed it into law, drawing applause from business leaders. But Yates’ proactive efforts left an impression. “You’re a good attorney. We need more level-headed attorneys in the Legislature,” she recalled Baria, who is also an attorney, saying when he first called. Baria will step down from his position at the Legislature when the new term begins in January, after deciding against running for re-election to his Bay St. Louis-area House seat early this year.

by Ashton Pittman

Shanda Yates’ Unlikely Victory, from page 15 U.S. Senate hopeful used the resources and knowledge he gained during his 2018 campaign to help Democrats running for offices within the state. Yates stood out, Espy told the Jackson Free Press on Nov. 25. “I knew intuitively that she had the glow of victory all around her from the first time I saw her,” Courtesy Shanda Yates

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Espy said, recalling how impressed he was at the way she interacted with voters on whose doors she personally knocked. When deciding which candidates he would get behind, Espy said he analyzed his own performance in electoral districts across the state. Despite Denny’s long tenure, he identified Yates’ district as the most “flippable.” In 2018, Espy won among voters in House District 64 with 52% of the vote. Espy helped Yates knock on doors, recorded a robocall and gave Yates a $1,000 donation. He also gifted her with district-level data that helped the Yates team identify voters who had supported Espy in his unsuccessful 2018 race against Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith the year. That data helped Yates lay the foundation for her own campaign’s field plan, she said. “He was very helpful, and I appreciate that, because I know he could have been working on his 2020 campaign at that point,” Yates said. “But he understood the importance of the 2019 local elections, and I appreciate that very much.” ‘A New Dynamic’ Eight months after Yates launched her campaign and almost a year to the day since he conceded defeat to Hyde-Smith, Espy stood among a crowd of somber Democrats in downtown Jackson that

Purpling of Suburbs Though the state’s minority party is not yet winning statewide and has a ways to go before it can hope to reclaim a majority in either chamber of the Leg-

“We believe no district is out of reach, and no state is out of reach.” —Gaby Goldstein islature, Espy said he sees progress with each almost-win. Last year, he won 46% of the vote in the suburban Madison County; this year, Hood won Madison County, marking the first time a Democrat has done so in decades. Yates’ race is not the only one that demonstrates the purpling of suburbs in Mississippi, though. In DeSoto County’s election for House District 40, which is situated within the Memphis suburbs, Hester Jackson-McCray, an African American woman, ousted GOP House

Trust this year, helping candidates including Yates and Jackson-McCray. She told the Jackson Free Press on Nov. 25 that Yates and Jackson-McCray’s victories disproved the traditional Mississippi Democratic Party wisdom about who is “viable” and who isn’t. “I’m relatively new to the political sphere, and I know that there are people here who have been working in Democratic politics in Mississippi for decades, so I mean no disrespect when I say this,” said Baria, the daughter of outgoing DemocratCourtesy Shanda Yates

Shanda Yates grins with her father, Rick Yates, when she was about 6 years old—around the time voters first elected Republican Bill Denny to the Mississippi House.

included David Baria, watching as yet another Mississippi Democrat congratulated his Republican opponent. Attorney General Jim Hood, the last Democrat who still held statewide office, was considered the party’s best hope for recapturing the governorship for the first time since Republican Haley Barbour defeated Gov. Ronnie Musgrove in 2003. Though Hood came closer to winning than any Democratic candidate for governor since Musgrove won in 1999, he came up short. Hood’s loss not only meant that current Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves will be Mississippi’s next governor, but that for the first time in 143 years, the GOP will hold all eight statewide offices when the new slate of leaders take over in January. In House District 64, though, not far from Hood’s election-night headquarters, Shanda Yates watched the Election Day numbers roll in. At the end of the night, she led Denny by just 136 votes. With hundreds of provisional ballots left to count by hand in Hinds County, though, it was not over, yet. For nearly two weeks after the election, she waited. Finally, on Nov. 18, the Hinds County Election Commission confirmed to the Jackson Free Press and Yates that they had finished counting provisional ballots. With all 8,840 House District 64 votes counted, Yates beat the man who won the election when she was a young child by 168 votes. She won with 51% of the final tally. “It’s really exciting. It’s also a little surreal if I’m being honest,” she told the Jackson Free Press while driving from one meeting for incoming lawmakers to another about an hour after Hinds officials announced the final numbers. She had been attending meetings and “operating as if she had won since the morning after the election,” she said. “I always had in the back of my mind, ‘This is probably not going to pan out at the end of the day, but I’m still going to give 100% and see how close I can get,’” she said. Espy said Yates’ victory in her largely suburban, 74% white district is evidence of “a new dynamic in Mississippi” and proves that “Mississippi is not immune to national trends.” In recent national elections, majority-white suburban areas that were once solid GOP strongholds have trended toward Democrats.

Neighborhood children posed with Shanda Yates at a park near her home for a campaign mailer photo. Support for public education was top of her platform.

Rep. Ashley Henley by just 14 votes this year. When Jackson-McCray last challenged Henley for her seat in 2015, Henley beat her 68.3% to 31.7%. JacksonMcCray is another candidate to whom Espy gave his support. Merritt Baria worked as the deputy director for the Mississippi Democratic

ic House Majority Leader Baria. “I have observed during my short time working within this industry that there seems to be this idea that there are certain candidates that are viable and certain candidates that are not, and historically those candidates haven’t been women,” Merritt more YATES, p 19

est of Jackson voting is divided into two stages—a nominations ballot and a final ballot. We must receive your mailed finalist ballot by Dec. 15, 2019, or you may submit it online by midnight on Dec. 19, 2018. If you opt for the paper ballot, you must tear it from your copy of the Jackson Free Press (no photocopies allowed). We will announce the winners on Jan. 22, 2019.

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SERVER/WAITPERSON Ainsley Smith Alex Moore Casey Hardigree Michelle Corbin

Amelia Brunson Taylor Decell

LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESS BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s Capital City Kayak Adventures Offbeat The Prickly Hippie Sneaky Beans Spray Tans by Kayla

COVER BAND 601 LIVE Hunter Gibson and the Gators Just Cauz Keys vs. Strings Pop Fiction Steele Heart

MUSEUM Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Museum Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Mississippi Children’s Museum Mississippi Museum of Art Mississippi Museum of Natural Science

GOSPEL ARTIST/GROUP Benjamin Cone, III & Worship Jason Gibson & Destiny Project Rhonda Chambers-Davis

NEW ADDITION TO JACKSON Bar 3911 Cultivation Food Hall Godfrey’s Sophomore Spanish Club

HAPPY HOUR Babalu Tapas & Tacos CAET Seafood And Oysterette The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen Shaggy’s on the Rez Saltine Restaurant

SEXIEST BARTENDER Courtney Boykin Jamie Moss Katie Fortenberry Kree’ Blackwell Kurt Monaghan TEACHER Chiquila Pearson Harriett Eppes

Hanna Bourque Leigh Ann Westbrook

URBAN WARRIOR Amanda Paige Brad Franklin Phillip Rollins Tonja Murphy

Jeff Good

JACKSON VISUAL ARTIST (LIVING) Azha Sanders Camille Moenkhaus Eli Childers Justin Ransburg William Goodman Wyatt Waters

COMMUNITY & CULTURE ANNUAL EVENT Bright Lights Belhaven Nights Cathead Jam Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade & Festival WellsFest Jackson Indie Music Week Mistletoe Marketplace ART GALLERY AND Gallery Brown’s Fine Art & Framing Fischer Galleries Fondren Art Gallery Jackson Street Gallery Offbeat ARTS ORGANIZATION Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi Greater Jackson Arts Council Mississippi Arts Commission Mississippi Museum of Art Mississippi Symphony Orchestra CATEGORY WE LEFT OFF Best Local Facebook Group Best Manager Best Learning Lab Best Outdoor Activity Best Principal COMMUNITY GARDEN / NATURE ATTRACTION Art Garden at the Mississippi Museum of Art Mynelle Gardens Clinton Nature Center Leﬂeur’s Bluff State Park Mississippi Children’s Museum’s Gertrude C. Ford Literacy Garden DANCE GROUP Ballet Magniﬁcat! Dancing Dolls Kinetic Etchings Montage Theatre of Dance Purple Diamonds FESTIVAL Bright Lights Belhaven Nights Cathead Jam Farish Street Heritage Festival Jackson Indie Music Week Mississippi Science Festival WellsFest KIDS’ EVENT Boo at the Zoo Dr. Seuss’ Silly Birthday Celebration KidsFest at Ridgeland Touch a Truck Jackson WellsFest LOCAL LIVE THEATER / THEATRICAL GROUP Black Hat Shows Black Rose Theatre Company Fondren Theatre Workshop Hearth & Mantel Theatre Company MADDRAMA Performance Troupe New Stage Theatre

Reality Breached

Fondren Fitness Urban Foxes

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION The Bean Path Cheshire Abbey Community Animal Rescue & Adoption (CARA) The Mustard Seed, Inc. Pearl Riverkeeper Stewpot Community Services PUBLIC FORUM OR SPEAKER SERIES Friday Forum (Reﬁll Cafe) History is Lunch (MDAH) Ideas on Tap (MS Humanities Council) Millsaps Arts and Lecture Series Play Eat Learn (UMMC Center for Advancement of Youth)

COUNTRY ARTIST/BAND The Ballard Journeay Show Burnham Road Chasin’ Dixie Jason Miller Band Young Valley Zach Bridges

Four Washington Mississippi Mass Choir

HIP-HOP ARTIST/GROUP Dear Silas 5th Child Vitamin Cea Yung Jewelz

Timaal Bradford

JAZZ ARTIST/GROUP Barry Leach Buzz Pickens and Gena Steele Tiger Rogers Raphael Semmes Southern Komfort Brass Band

RADIO PERSONALITY OR TEAM Bo Bounds Tambra Cherie “Dirty D” and Melissa K Nate and Bender Mista Maine Traci & Hef

KARAOKE DJ Angela Pittman Charlie Keister

RADIO STATION WHLH – Hallelujah 95.5 WJMI – 99 JAMZ WMPN – MS Public Radio WUSJ – 96.7

LIVE MUSIC VENUE BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s Brandon Amphitheater Duling Hall Hal and Mal’s Martin’s Downtown Shucker’s Oyster Bar

WRBJ – 97.7 WYOY – Y101

REASON TO LIVE IN JACKSON Community Cost of Living Culture Fondren Food The People

Diversity

STAGE PLAY “The Dying of Ida Greene” (Hearth & Mantel Theatre) “Kansas City: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues” (Montage Theatre of Dance) “Mama I Want to Sing” (The Department of Art & Theatre at Jackson State University) “Murder on the Orient Express” (New Stage Theatre) “Sister Act” (New Stage Theatre) TOURIST ATTRACTION Eudora Welty House & Garden Medgar Evers Home Museum Mississippi Children’s Museum Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Mississippi Petriﬁed Forest

MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE BEST BAR BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s Fenian’s Pub Ole Tavern on George Street Pop’s Saloon

Fondren Public Shucker’s Oyster Bar

BLUES ARTIST/BAND The Bailey Brothers Bobby Rush Chris Gill Chad Wesley (Chad Wesley Band) Dexter Allen CLUB DJ DJ 901 DJ Finesse DJ Unpredictable

DJ Mason DJ Tank DJ Young Venom

COLLEGE STUDENT HANGOUT Cups Espresso Cafe Deep South Pops Fondren Public Ole Tavern on George Street

Fenian’s Pub Sneaky Beans

MUSICIAN Ariel Blackwell Gena Steele

Paper Ballot Due Dec. 13. Voting ends online Dec. 15!

P E O P L E

ms/bojlocal/ for more info on the rules and who is qualified), and “new” means it opened or started Dec. 1, 2018, or later.

Casey Hardigree (DJ Stache) Matt Collette Rob Lehman

Brian Jones Hunter Gibson

Chad Wesley Zach Bridges

OPEN-MIC NIGHT BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s Fenian’s Pub Martin’s Downtown Shaggy’s on the Rez Synergy Nights @ Mediterranean Grill PLACE FOR COCKTAILS 4th Avenue Lounge The Apothecary at Brent’s Drugs Babalu Tapas & Tacos Barrelhouse BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s CAET Seafood and Oysterette PLACE TO DANCE BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s Ole Tavern on George Street Pop’s Saloon Shucker’s Oyster Bar Bar 3911 PLACE TO DRINK CHEAP Capitol Grill Fenian’s Pub Pop’s Saloon Sam’s Lounge

Martin’s Downtown Shucker’s Oyster Bar

PLACE TO PLAY POOL Dockery Bar and Grill The Green Room Capt’n Jack’s Hot Shots Pop’s Saloon Sam’s Lounge Shucker’s Oyster Bar PLACE TO WATCH THE GAME 4th & Goal Sports Café BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s The Bulldog Capitol Grill Fondren Public Georgia Blue PUB QUIZ/TRIVIA NIGHT Fenian’s Pub Library Lounge The Pig & Pint Urban Foxes

Lost Pizza Co

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

F I N A L I S T

REMEMBER THAT BEST OF JACKSON HONORS OUR LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES AND PERSONALITIES WHO LIVE AND WORK IN THE JACKSON METRO CURRENTLY. Please vote only for the best local, authentic choices (see jfp.

Paper Ballot Due Dec. 13. Voting ends online Dec. 15! p o w e r e d b y

R&B Artist/Band Alexander FRE$CO Kerry Thomas Paige Dineen Stephanie Luckett

Lari Johns’n

Rock Artist/Band Brian Jones Empty Atlas Just Cauz Steele Heart Sweet Tooth Jones

Lovin Ledbetter

Service Industry Hangout BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s F Jones Corner Fenian’s Pub Sam’s Lounge Last Call Sports Grill Singer Ariele Blackwell Brooke King Gena Steele Hunter Gibson

F O O D

Charles Boyles Zach Bridges

D R I N K

Bakery Broad Street Baking Company Campbell’s Bakery La Brioche Patisserie The Prickly Hippie

Primos Cafe Urban Foxes

Barbecue E&L Barbecue Hickory Pit Little Willie’s BBQ Jefferson’s Grill Restaurant & Catering The Pig & Pint Sylvester’s MS Style BBQ Beer Selection (Restaurant) Barrelhouse The Bulldog Fondren Public The Pig & Pint Saltine Restaurant Beer Selection (Store) Barley’s Beer Barn Craft Beer Cellar Hops and Habanas LD’s Beer Run McDade’s Market

Liquor/Wine Store Briarwood Mart Wine & Spirits Fondren Cellars Corkscrew Fine Wine and Spirits Kats Wine & Spirits McDade’s Wine & Spirits Wine & Spirits in the Quarter

Thai Restaurant Fusion Japanese & Thai Cuisine Surin of Thailand Jutamas Thai Restaurant Thai Tasty Thai Time Thai & Sushi Restaurant

Nail Salon Cuticles Nail Studio Monaco Nails The Nail Lounge Rouge Nails Lash Wax Serenity Nail Spa ZaZa Nail and Spa

Lunch Counter or Buffet Brent’s Drugs Mama Hamil’s Southern Cookin’ & BBQ McDade’s Market Pearl’s Southern Cooking Ichiban Chinese Buffet

Vegetarian Options Aladdin Mediterranean Grill Bravo! Italian Restaurant & Bar Mama Nature’s Juice Bar North South Tadka

Place for a First Date Amerigo Babalu Tapas & Tacos Char Restaurant Mama Nature’s Juice Bar Sophomore Spanish Club Walker’s Drive-In

Margarita Babalu Tapas & Tacos El Sombrero Green Ghost Tacos Picante’s Mexican Grill Sombra Mexican Kitchen Sophomore Spanish Club Meal Under $10 Aladdin Mediterranean Grill Bully’s Soul Food Restaurant

Basil’s Beatty Street Grocery Green Ghost Tacos Keifer’s

Mexican/Latin Cazadores El Charro Authentic Mexican Restaurant El Sombrero Green Ghost Tacos Sombra Mexican Kitchen Sophomore Spanish Club New Restaurant Cultivation Food Hall Shaggy’s on the Rez Sweetie Pies

Godfrey’s Caribbean Restaurant Sophomore Spanish Club Urban Foxes

Veggie Burger Babalu Tacos & Tapas The Farmer’s Table Local 463 Urban Kitchen

Edo Japanese Restaurant Sakura Bana

Bravo! Italian Restaurant & Bar Crossroads Cafe

Wine List/Wine Selection Amerigo Italian Restaurant Bravo! Italian Restaurant & Bar CAET Seafood and Oysterette Char Restaurant Koestler Prime

U R B A N

L I V I N G

Animal Shelter Animal Rescue Fund of Mississippi Community Animal Rescue & Adoption (CARA) Cheshire Abbey Mississippi Animal Rescue League Webster Animal Shelter Rescue Revolution of Mississippi

Outdoor Dining Babalu Tapas & Tacos Fine and Dandy Kiefer’s Shaggy’s on the Res Sophomore Spanish Club Walker’s Drive In

Barbershop ACEY Custom Hair Design Fondren Barber Shop Custom Cuts & Styles Great Scott Maurice Barber Shop Noble Barber

Brunch BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar Char Restaurant The Iron Horse Grill The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen Saltine Restaurant Table 100

Place for Oysters CAET Seafood and Oysterette Half Shell Oyster House Shaggy’s on the Rez

Beauty Shop/Salon The Glossary Salon Molly Gee & Co. Salon Smoak Salon THairapy Garden Watercolor Salon William Wallace Salon

Local Burger Babalu Tapas & Tacos Burgers & Blues Fine & Dandy Lou’s Full-Serv Rooster’s Stamps Super Burgers

Local Pizza Basil’s Lost Pizza The Pizza Shack & Ice Cream Joint

Josephine’s Kitchen Saltine Restaurant

Chinese Food Great Wall Chinese Restaurant Hunan Wok Mr. Chen’s Tokyo Tasty Chinese & Sushi Buffet

Ichiban Wok to Go

Crawfish The Crawdad Hole The Crawfish Hut Mudbugs Sal & Phil’s Seafood Restaurant &Lounge T’Beaux’s Crawfish and Catering Doughnuts Donut Barn Donut Palace The Do-Nut Shop Cafe Monroe’s Donuts and Bakery Pillow Donuts The Prickly Hippie Ethnic Market Aladdin Mediterranean Grocery Carniceria Valdez Mr. Chen’s Patel Brothers Asian Market India Bazaar Fine Dining BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar CAET Seafood and Oysterette Table 100 Walker’s Drive In

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Sushi/Japanese Bonsai Japanese Steakhouse Ichiban Little Tokyo Nagoya Japanese Sushi Bar

Breakfast Brent’s Drugs Broad Street Baking Company Jo’s Diner La Brioche Patisserie Primos Cafe Sneaky Beans

Local Chicken Sandwich Barrelhouse Fine & Dandy Lou’s Full Serv Rooster’s

Italian Restaurant Amerigo Italian Restaurant BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar Cerami’s Italian Restaurant Fratesi’s Authentic Italian Cuisine Parlor Market

Char Restaurant Koestler Prime

Food Truck/Mobile Vendor 2 for 7 Kitchen 30 Below Rolled Ice Cream Bessi Roo’s Burgers & Blues One Guy Steak and Chicken Oops! All Vegan Mobile Eatery Local French Fries Aplos Simple Mediterranean CAET Seafood and Oysterette Fine & Dandy Rooster’s Keifer’s Stamps Super Burgers Local Fried Chicken Local 463 Lou’s Full Serv Mama Hamil’s Southern Cookin’ & BBQ Primos Café Rooster’s The Gathering at Livingston Gumbo Char Restaurant Gumbo Girl T’Beaux’s Crawfish and Catering Gumbo Spot Hangover Food BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s Keifer’s Rooster’s

Hal & Mal’s Fat Tuesday’s

Basil’s Green Ghost Tacos Shucker’s Oyster Bar

Drago’s Seafood Restaurant Saltine Restaurant Shucker’s Oyster Bar The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza Soulshine Pizza Factory

Place to Get Coffee Coffee Prose Cups Espresso Café The Prickly Hippie Sneaky Beans Place for Dessert Amerigo Italian Restaurant La Brioche Patisserie The Prickly Hippie

Mocha Mugs Urban Foxes

Char Restaurant Lou’s Full-Serv Urban Foxes

Place for Healthy Food Aladdin Mediterranean Grill Crossroads Cafe Kale Me Crazy Mama Nature’s Juice Bar Vitality Bowls (Franchise) Refill Cafe Place for Hummus Aladdin Mediterranean Grill Aplos Simple Mediterranean Athenos Greek & Lebanese Cafe Keifer’s Krilakis Greek Gyros & Salads Zeek’z House of Gyros Plate Lunch Bully’s Restaurant Georgia Blue Nonna’s Cafe Primos Cafe

McDade’s Market The Trace Grill

Restaurant Amerigo Italian Restaurant BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar Char Restaurant Godfrey’s Caribbean Restaurant The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen Walker’s Drive In Sandwich Place Basil’s Beagle Bagel Room Service

Broad Street Baking Company Steve’s

Seafood CAET Seafood and Oysterette Crab’s Seafood Shack Half Shell Oyster House Sal & Phil’s Seafood Restaurant & Lounge Saltine Restaurant Shaggy’s on the Rez Soul Food Bully’s Restaurant Gloria’s Kitchen Mama Hamil’s Southern Cookin’ & BBQ Sugar’s Place Yum Yum’s Kitchen & Catering Steak Char Restaurant Ely’s Restaurant & Bar Kathryn’s Steakhouse & Seafood Restaurant Koestler Prime MM Shapley’s Restaurant Tico’s Steak House

Car Dealer (Used or New) Bob Boyte Honda Gray-Daniels Chevrolet Herrin-Gear Automotive Group Mac Haik Mississippi Patty Peck Honda Paul Moak Automotive Caterer 4Top Catering Basil’s Fresh Cut Catering & Floral Godfrey’s Caribbean Restaurant Local 463 Urban Kitchen Mangia Bene Catering Dance Studio Dollhouse Dance Factory Judah School of Performing Arts Salsa Mississippi Club & Studio Studio K Studio Sole Dance XPress Dance Company

Local Women’s Clothing Store Libby Story Maison Weiss Material Girls Pink Possum Boutique and Gifts Red Square Clothing Company

Place for Unique Gifts Apple Annie’s Gift Shop Beacon O! How Cute Boutique & Gifts The Prickly Hippie

Offbeat Pine Cone

Place to Book a Party or Shower CAET The Cedars Fairview Inn Ice House Mississippi Children’s Museum The Prickly Hippie Place to Buy Antiques Antique Aly Antique Mall of the South The Flea Market, Mississippi’s Trade Place Interiors Market Old House Depot Repeat Street Place to Buy Kid Clothes/Toys Helen’s Young Ages Leap Frog Children’s Consignment & More Mississippi Children’s Museum Nursery Rhymes Once Upon a Child Wee the People Place to Get Married Bridlewood of Madison The Cedars Fairview Inn Ice House The Ivy The South Warehouse Place to Get Your Car Fixed Barnett’s Body Shop Capitol Body Shop Care Care Clinic Freeman Auto Repair Gateway Tire & Service Center Tony’s Tire and Automotive Place to Work Baptist Medical Center BB’S LIVE-Bonny Blair’s Cole Facial Clinic & Skin Care St. Dominic Hospital Mississippi Children’s Museum University of Mississippi Medical Center Tattoo/Piercing Parlor Black Lotus Tattoo Shop Electric Dagger Tattoo Hard Rocs Tattoo & Piercing House of Pain Inkk Junkies Tattoos Thrift/Consignment Shop Leap Frog Children’s Consignment N.U.T.S. Orange Peel Private Collection Consignment Repeat Street

Day Spa Aqua the Day Spa Massage Envy Drench Day Spa and Lash Lounge The Skin District Soul Spa The Wellness Spa

Veterinarian/Vet Clinic All Creatures Animal Care Center Briarwood Animal Hospital Crossgates Veterinary Clinic Hometown Veterinary Hospital Mannsdale Animal Clinic North State Animal Hospital

Fitness Center/Gym Baptist Healthplex The Club at St. Dominic’s Crossfit 601 Fondren Fitness Starke Fitness Xplicit J3 Fitness

Yoga Studio Butterfly Yoga Soul Synergy Center

Jenifer Simcox M Theory Yoga StudiOm Yoga Tara Yoga

Flower Shop A Daisy a Day Greenbrook Flowers Green Oak Florist & Garden Center Whitley’s Flowers Mostly Martha’s Florist and Gifts The Prickly Hippie Geek Hangout Cups Espresso Café The Hangout Gamer Lounge Keifer’s Offbeat Sneaky Beans Van’s Comics, Cards & Games Local Bank or Credit Union BankPlus Community Bank Hope Credit Union Magnolia Federal Credit Union Mississippi Federal Credit Union Trustmark Local Jeweler/Jewelry Store Albriton’s Jewelry Beckham Jewelry Carter Jewelers Jackson Jewelers Juniker Jewelry Co. Mike Wright Jewelers Local Men’s Clothing Store Great Scott Kinkade’s Fine Clothing Mozingo’s Clothiers Offbeat Red Square Clothing Company The Rogue

™

Name Phone Email You must include your name, email address and a valid phone number with area code for your ballot to count. Caution: We call many voters to check ballot authenticity. No fake phone numbers!

Mail ballot to the address below by Dec. 13, 2019: Jackson Free Press 125 South Congress Street Suite 1324 Jackson, MS 39201 “Best of Jackson” is a registered service mark in the state of Mississippi.

fallen on deaf ears regardless, because these people have talked to me and know me as a person,” Yates added. “I was in the Junior League with several hundred of the people in my district. I’m a practicing attorney and know several hundred people

Shanda Yates poses with other Democratic women who ran for office this year. From left: Yates, House District 64; Gayle Walsh Massey, House District 73; Jennifer Riley Collins, Mississippi Attorney General; Aisha Sanders, House District 96; Vicki Slater, House District 56. Yates is the only one who won, so far.

wanted to talk to me about my views on gun control or those sorts of things. “If people did ask me questions, I answered them honestly, but that wasn’t my campaign platform, and I think people appreciated that, because they want the issues that are at their front door—or at the end of their driveway, so to speak, if you’re talking about infrastructure.” ‘Genuine’ and ‘Willing’ In other races, Republicans sent mailers to voters and ran ads trying to tie their Democratic opponents to national liberal and progressive politicians like U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Denny did not do that, she said, but even if he had, she does not think it would have worked. “If you’re genuine, and you’re willing to knock the doors and put in the hard work, I think people will pick up on that,” Yates said. “So that’s why I think it was in my favor that I got in front of as many people as I did door knocking, because they can see me. They had talked to me, they had listened to me, they made their own impression of me. It didn’t come down to a demonizing mail piece where I was pitted with far-left national Democrats. That just never happened. “I don’t know why my opponent didn’t do that, but I feel like it would have

in my district because of that. I think all of those interpersonal connections really mattered at the end of the day.” When she takes office in January, Yates plans to continue to focus on education and infrastructure, she said. “Those are the things I campaigned courtesy Hester Jackson-McCray campaign

‘No State Out of Reach’ Organizers at Sister District, whose efforts helped flip Virginia’s GOP-led General Assembly to full-Democratic control this year, were thrilled with Yates’ victory—their first in Mississippi since the group launched in the wake of the 2016 election. “I think Shanda’s win is a tremendous bright spot for us. We believe no district is out of reach, and no state is out of reach,” Gaby Goldstein, Sister District’s co-founder and political organizer, told the Jackson Free Press. “It’s just a matter of providing inspiring candidates with resources they need.” Denny is not only the House Republican floor leader, but he is also the chairman of the Reappointment and Redistricting Committee, which would have put him in charge of overseeing redistricting of House seats in 2020. In 2015, Democrats did not even bother to field a challenger to run against Denny. Jackson attorney Dorsey Carson, the last Democrat to challenge him, lost by 13 points in 2011. Unlike many Democrats trying to unseat sitting Republicans in Mississippi, Yates did not portray herself as a moderate or conservative to woo voters in the other party. “I talked to the people in my district about things that people in my district cared about and were concerned about,”

Yates told the Jackson Free Press. “Those things include infrastructure repairs, investing in our public schools and finding ways to incentivize small-business ownership. We didn’t find many people who were interested in national issues or

Scott Crawford

Baria said in the interview. “I think the takeaway here is wrong. Our two biggest winners this year were women, and one was a woman of color.” Espy pointed to another unsung victory that he said deserves more attention: Democrat Willie Simmons flipped the Central District transportation commissioner seat from red to blue. Simmons is the first black candidate to win a regional district-level race in Mississippi since Reconstruction. Democratic Jackson City Councilman De’Keither Stamps nearly achieved the same historic milestone this year, Espy pointed out; Stamps won 49.4% of the vote for public service commissioner on Nov. 5, narrowly losing to Republican Brent Bailey. “Everybody’s saying the Republicans have all the statewide offices, yeah, that’s true. But look at the changes beneath for the real story,” Espy said. “Paul Harvey used to say, ‘For the rest of the story, look at the rest of the story.’ Look at what’s happening in Mississippi today. And so that’s why I’m not discouraged. I see that change is imminent and growth is coming.”

Democrat Hester Jackson-McCray won the House District 40 seat in DeSoto County, beating incumbent Republican Rep. Ashley Henley.

on, and those are the things I’d genuinely like to see more funds, more resources pushed to while I’m there at the Legislature,” she said. “I know as a baby legislator,

so to speak, I’ll have very little influence, especially considering I’m in the minority party. But I do hope to build relationships and connections and re-establish relationships with people there.” She cited Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn, whom she practiced law alongside for seven years. The representative-elect knows she will have to “work across party lines,” she said, but she hopes she can use pre-existing connections to make inroads. Just Her and the Male Judge The first time Yates went to court for an ex-parte hearing, it was just her and the male judge in his chambers. While he was asking her questions about the motion she was there to present, the judge stepped into a small room about 6 feet from the conference table, which she quickly realized was a bathroom because he didn’t close the door, she said. “He left the door open and just proceeded to start peeing, and continued to ask me questions while he was peeing, and obviously I could hear him the whole time,” she said, a story she also told in her “Let’s Talk Jackson” podcast recently. “That was my first time as a licensed attorney appearing before a judge.” Yates said she was not sure whether it was a “chauvinist” show of “power” or if he was “just like that with everyone.” As she prepares to take her seat in the Legislature, Yates said she brings plenty of professional experience handling sexist and degrading men. As one of the few women in the Legislature, she knows there is a not-insignificant chance she will have to deal with the sexism that comes with entering a historically maledominated institution. “My plan is to deal with those men the same way I’ve dealt with those men my entire life. That particular interaction with the judge didn’t cause me to quit my job as an attorney or never go back to court. If anything, it emboldened me,” Yates said. “And I would like to think that the same would be true at the Legislature. I am going into it assuming that everyone will be respectful and courteous and decent, but if they’re not, I will take it with a grain of salt and continue to do my job. “I’m not there to change how they feel they should interact with women,” she added. “I can only handle how I respond to it and whether I let that change who I am and what I plan to do.” Follow Jackson Free Press State Reporter Ashton Pittman on Twitter @ashtonpittman. Send tips to ashton@jacksonfreepress.com.

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Shanda Yates’ Unlikely Victory, from page 16

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How do you do donate? You can donate at www.wellschurch.org/giving. Be sure and use the “Food Pantry” ﬁeld. You can also drop oﬀ canned goods any Sunday. Wells Church, 2019 Bailey Avenue, Jackson, MS 39213 (601)353-0658

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November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Please support the Mississippi Youth Media Project in your year-end giving

FOOD&DRINK

Jack’s Kurbissuppe and Cranberry Sauce by Jack Brenemen

KRISTIN BRENEMEN

These autumninspired dishes make for fun and inventive seasonal meals.

JACK’S KURBISSUPPE CRANBERRY SAUCE

y sister didn’t care for cranberries until I brought some of this. If you prefer sweeter cranberries, then use half-cup measurements of the sugar. I prefer tart cranberry sauce to counterbalance all of the other holiday food items.

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

INGREDIENTS

1 package of fresh cranberries (a 12-ounce or so bag) 1 cup of orange juice ¼ cup of brown sugar ¼ cup of white sugar 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)

1 potato, peeled and chopped 3 or 4 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 onion, diced 4 cups vegetable broth 4 tablespoons minced garlic ½ tablespoon sage ½ cup of non-dairy soy sour cream 2 pumpkins Olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS

am not sure how the dish is pronounced, but I’m sticking with “Kirby Soupe” because it makes me laugh. The soup is served in a pumpkin bowl that appears almost like a jack-o-lantern carrying a delicious, fall-inspired vegetable stew. Mixing any leftovers into grits makes for a creative breakfast when complemented with scrambled eggs, pan-fried slices of tomato and bacon.

• Mix the sugars so that they make an even consistency. • In a medium saucepan, bring orange juice to a boil. Add sugar mixture and stir to combine. Lower heat to medium and add cranberries. Cover with a lid or splash guard. • The cranberries will begin to pop after a few minutes. Watch carefully so that the dish does not boil over. Once the cranberries are popped, which should take between 10 to 15 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the grand marnier and place in a serving bowl.

• Peel and cut the potato into chunks, peel and chop the carrots and dice the onion. • Pour the vegetable broth into a pot, add the veggies, minced garlic and sage, and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer, covered or uncovered. • Cut open the tops of the pumpkins, as you would when preparing a jack-o-lantern. Remove the strings and seeds, but keep all of the pumpkin ﬂesh inside. (Rather than discarding the seeds, cleaning and roasting them can make for a tasty fall snack for later, if you’d like.)

• Brush the insides of the pumpkin with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 350° and place the pumpkins onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about an hour until pumpkins are tender but not too soft (poke the insides with a fork to test). Remove and allow to cool. • Strip the ﬂesh of one of the pumpkins and add it to the simmering soup. Cutting the pumpkin into segments to help peel the meat from it may make the process easier. • Use an immersion blender to blend the soup contents. As an alternative, you may use a standard blender, but take precautions to be safe when handling hot liquids. Covering a blender with a towel to prevent splashing may be advisable. • Add salt and pepper to taste and blend in the soy sour cream to the soup. • Pour the soup mixture from the pot or blender into the second pumpkin, which you will be using as a bowl. Keep the pumpkin bowl on a baking sheet so that punctures in the pumpkin shell don’t cause messy leaks. You can scrape the sides of the pumpkin bowl to get more pumpkin meat as you serve the stew. • Garnish with fresh herbs, diced green onion or slices of bacon (all optional). Refrigerate leftovers.

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November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

lbhe

aTo Do Listd

Looking for something great to do in Jackson? Visit JFPEVENTS.COM for more. HOLIDAY “A Christmas Carol” Dec. 5-7, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 8, 2 p.m., Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m., at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The theater presents a production of the stage play written by Michael Wilson that was adapted from Charles Dickens’ original work detailing the story of Ebenezer Scrooge as he reawakens his holiday spirit. $35 adult, $30 child, student, senior, military; call 601-948-3533; newstagetheatre.com.

HV Santa Experience Dec. 7-8, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at Highland Village (4500 Interstate 55 N. Frontage Road, Suite 281). Highland Village holds picture-taking opportunities with Santa. Customers receive a link they can use to access their photos to use. $39.95 link to photos; call 601-982-5861; email highlandvillage@wsdevelopment.com; highlandvillagejxn.com. Downtown Jackson Walking Tour Dec. 7, 2-4:30 p.m., at Downtown Jackson (200 Commerce St.). More Than a Tour takes visitors on a

SATURDAY 11/30

PIXABAY

Hip Hop Cardio is from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at Salsa Mississippi Club & Studio (605 Duling Ave.). Tempestt Gilmore hosts a hip hop/R&B cardio dance workout that focuses on toning the arms, abs, glutes and legs. Additional date: Dec. 7. $5 general admission; call 601-213-6355; email dancetempg@gmail. com; find it on Facebook.

Ballet Mississippi’s “The Nutcracker” Dec. 5-6, 10 a.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). Ballet Mississippi presents a production of “The Nutcracker,” especially gearing toward student and teacher audiences. Entry is $5 per person, but a $50 deposit is required, with the $50 going toward the final cost of the group’s entry. Groups of less than 10 must pay a flat-rate of $50. Purchase orders due Nov. 20. Seating is general admission. Reservations required. See description; call 601-960-1560; balletms.com.

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Deck the District Dec. 5, 5-7 p.m., at The District at Eastover (1250 Eastover Drive). The District hosts a holiday event. The event begins with the lighting of a Christmas tree, which kicks off the Friends of Children’s Hospitals’ annual holiday fundraiser. BankPlus presents “Light-ALight.” Features a “Nutcracker” performance by Ballet Mississippi and a live music performance by Zach Bridges, who competed on “The Voice” this year. Also includes Glaexie Glister and Santa. Free admission; find it on Facebook.

Downtown Holiday Open House Dec. 5, 5-8 p.m., at Team Jackson (308 E. Pearl St., Suite 101). Team Jackson partners with Downtown Jackson Partners, Mississippi Museum of Art, Thalia Marla Hall and the Greater Jackson Arts Council to host a mega holiday open house. The event features an interactive Christmas Tree Trail, preview of the Keep Building Jackson exhibit, Santa Claus, an artisan market, food trucks and more. Free admission; call 601-336-2028; find it on Facebook. Share the Light Dec. 6-7, 6-8 p.m., at Methodist Children’s Homes of Mississippi (805 N. Flag Chapel Road). Methodist Children’s Homes and presenting sponsor, Community Bank, host a Christmas open house and light show. Features pictures with Santa, food trucks, Christmas carols, a festival of trees, various kids activities, holiday games and more. Free parking. Free admission; call 769-972-2027; email mbufkiin@ mchms.org; mchms.org.

holiday-inspired tour of Jackson that explores the city’s “past, present and future.” The tour starts and finishes in the parking lot between Hal & Mal’s and Martin’s Downtown. RSVP encouraged but not necessary. Payments made through PayPal or Venmo. $25 registration; email mtattravel@gmail.com; morethanatourist.net. Midtown Holiday Studio Tours 2019 Dec. 7, 4-8 p.m., at Midtown Jackson (329 Adelle St.). The Business Association of Midtown hosts a holiday community street festival event including studio tours, art, music and beer. Free admission; call 601-354-5373; find it on Facebook.

pants lessons in bridge. Registration requested. $10 per lesson; call 601-936-4856.

KIDS

Kickback at the Compound Nov. 27, Dec. 1, Dec. 4, Dec. 8, Dec. 11, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Khundi Compound (3220 N. State St.). The venue hosts an adult game night where participants play friendly matches of card and board games. Attendees may bring their own adult beverages if they wish. Free admission; call 601345-8680; email kundicompound@gmail.com; find it on Facebook.

Events at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Museum Blvd.)

Koinonia Friday Forum Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 9 a.m., at Refill Cafe (136 S. Adams St.). The weekly series features lectures and presentations on various topics from a number of reputable guests. The topic of the forums change every week. Free admission; email nmcnamee72@gmail.com. Museum Store Day Dec. 1, 1-6 p.m., at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Museum Blvd.). The museum holds a major sale event at its Trading Post in celebration of national Museum Store Day. Shopping at The Trading Post does not require daily admission to MCM. Free admission, item prices vary; call 601-981-5469; mschildrensmuseum.org. Worship My Pain Away Conference Dec. 6-7, 8 a.m.-10 p.m., at Camp Garaywa Conference Center (312 Camp Garaywa Road, Clinton). The two-day event uses art to encourage attendees to become more spiritual and be better followers of the Christian faith. Free admission, donations accepted; call 769-233-0873; email Nuvisionartsministry@gmail.com; Eventbrite. Chimneyville Crafts Festival Dec. 6-7, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Dec. 8, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at Mississippi

SUNDAY 12/1 1908 Provisions Sunday Brunch is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1908 Provisions Restaurant (734 Fairview St.). 1908 Provisions host brunch every Sunday featuring an omelette station, waffle station, breakfast meats, casseroles, various lunch plates, dessert and PIXABAY $5 mimosas/bloody mary’s served all day. Attendees can book a table in advance online or by phone. Additional date: Dec. 7. Free admission, food and drink items vary; call 601-948-3429, ext. 305; find it on Facebook.

COMMUNITY Jackson Scavenger Hunt: Pretty Mississippi Nov. 27-Dec. 11, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at Let’s Roam Scavenger Hunts (400 Mississippi St.). Let’s Roam hosts scavenger hunts for the Jackson area. Participants race against the clock as they take photos of the items on the list. Call for more details. $11 scavenger hunt ticket; call 833-2027626; email kelly@letsroam.com; letsroam.com. Fall Bridge Lessons: Play of the Hand Nov. 27, 9-11 a.m., at Jackson Bridge Association (300 Park Circle Drive) Jean Denson teaches partici-

Trade Mart (1200 Mississippi St.). The threeday arts festival and market features all original, hand-crafted works by many members of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi. Includes demonstrations by artisans, children’s workshops, special programs, live music and more. $10 admission; call 601-856-7546; festivalnet.com. Game Night Dec. 10, 3:30-5 p.m., at Willie Morris Library (4912 Old Canton Road). The library hosts the events on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Attendees play board, card and video games. Free admission; call 601987-8181; jhlibrary.com.

• Santa Visits MCM Nov. 30, 10 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3:30 p.m., Dec. 1, 2-4 p.m., Dec. 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-noon and 1:303:30 p.m. Children may take photos with Santa Claus at the museum. Admission TBA; call 601-981-5469; mschildrensmuseum.org. • ‘Twas a Night at the Museum Dec. 6, 5:307:30 p.m. The children’s museum hosts a holiday-themed event. Participants are invited to wear pajamas and listen to classic holiday stories read by holiday characters. Included with museum admission or membership. Children must be at least 36 inches tall to ride the Snowflake Slide. $10 general admission, free for MCM members; call 601-981-5469; email erin@mcm.ms. Pete the Cat Takes Over Lemuria Nov. 30, 10 a.m.-noon, at Lemuria Bookstore (4465 I-55 N.). The family friendly event features a photo-op with Pete the Cat and participants are welcome to choose from various Pete the Cat books to read, including the new “Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party.” Created by authorillustrator team James and Kimberly Dean, the book series teaches children about alliteration, different foods and friendship. Free admission; call 601-366-7619; find it on Facebook. “Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!” Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-noon, Dec. 11, 9 a.m.-noon, at Belhaven University - Center for the Arts (835 Riverside Drive). Belhaven hosts a puppetry retelling of the “Junie B. Jones” book centered around the holiday season. $8 advanced, $10 day-of, free admission for one adult with each group of 10 children; call 601-977-9840; email peter@mspuppetry.com; mspuppetry.com. STEM with Snowflakes Dec. 6, 10 a.m.-noon, at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Participants experiment with instant snow, make paper snowflakes to learn about snowflake symmetry, explore the properties of dry ice and hear the story of “Snowflake Bentley,” the naturalist and photographer who first captured snowflakes on film. $6 adult, $4 child, kids ages 3 and under free, members free; call 601-576-6000; email nicole.smith@mmns. ms.gov; mdwfp.com. Learning Tree Book Club Dec. 7, 2-3:30 p.m., at Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). The children’s book club gets together to read and talk about books on the first Saturday of each month. Books provided. Free admission; call 601-3720229; find it on Facebook. Hoot & Holler Family Creation Lab Dec. 8, 2-3:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). A museum educator leads families with children ages 6-10 in an art project taking inspiration from a different artist each month. This event takes place on the second Sunday of each month. $10 per child; call 601-960-1515; email mdrake@msmuseumart. org; msmuseumart.org.

aTo Do Listd FOOD & DRINK True Local Market Nov. 30, Dec. 6, 2-6 p.m., at Cultivation Food Hall (1250 Eastover Drive). The weekly farmers market brings together local vendors selling produce, crafts and other goods. Vendor prices vary; call 601-487-5196; email events@cultivationfoodhall.com; find it on Facebook. Iron Horse Grill Sunday Brunch Dec. 1, Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at The Iron Horse Grill (320 W. Pearl St.). The weekly brunch event includes live music performances, a waffle bar with topping choices such as fresh fruits, candied pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, powdered sugar,

art

Looking for something great to do in Jackson? Visit JFPEVENTS.COM for more. whipped cream and an omelet bar with toppings such as sausage, bacon, crabmeat, ham, crawfish, cheddar cheese and fresh vegetables. The menu also includes sautéed hash browns, Delta Grind grits, bottomless mimosas and endless bloody mary’s. Free admission, food and drink items vary; call 601-398-0151; find it on Facebook. Ramen Night Dec. 2, Dec. 9, 6-10 p.m., at Saltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Ave.). Saltine Restaurant serves house-made vegetarian, Nashville hot chicken, seafood and more flavored ramen bowls every Monday. Free admission, food prices vary; call 601-982-2899; find it on Facebook. “Murder Motown Style” at Biaggi’s Dec. 4, 7-9 p.m., at Biaggi’s (970 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). Fringe Dinner Theatre and Biaggi’s present an interactive, holiday-

inspired murder-mystery theatrical and musical performance while participants dine. Includes prizes and a three-course meal. Put some jingle in your mingle! Bring your friends, family or office to our holiday “musical” murder mystery! Prizes, great food and fun for all! Includes 3 course meal, tax, tip and show.$54, plus tax and gratuity; email fringedinnertheatre@gmail.com; fringedinnertheatre.com.

friends, family or office to our holiday “musical” murder mystery! Prizes, great food and fun for all! Includes 3 course meal, tax, tip and show.$54, plus tax and gratuity; email fringedinnertheatre@gmail.com; fringedinnertheatre.com.

SPORTS & WELLNESS Boxing & Kickboxing Nov. 27-28, Dec. 2-5, Dec. 9-11, 5-7 p.m., at Boxers Rebellion Fighting Arts & Fitness (856 S. State St., Suite E). Instructors teach participants boxing and kickboxing skills. $15 single day, $100 session; more options shown on website; call 262-994-3174; email jeremy@boxersrebellion.com; boxersrebellion.org.

“Murder Motwon Style” at Genna Benna’s Dec. 10, 7-9 p.m., at Genna Benna’s (200 Town Square Drive, Brandon). Fringe Dinner Theatre and Genna Benna’s present an interactive, holiday-inspired murder-mystery theatrical and musical performance while participants dine. Includes prizes and a three-course meal. Put some jingle in your mingle! Bring your

Holiday Fave Hits the Stage by Torsheta Jackson

or people around the world, Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” is a familiar, heartwarming story. Jackson metro residents will have an opportunity to spend some time with Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they experience the holiday favorite live this season. New Stage Theatre presents regular showings of “A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas” starting Dec. 5. The family-friendly performance features a swirling chorus

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Greg Campbell

“I hope the audience leaves knowing that we are a professional theatre and that we produce all our shows (while) doing a good job artistically, each year of raising the level of artistry in our community and raising it for ourselves,” Reynolds says. The cast features both new members as well as familiar faces from last season’s cast, including returning cast member Turner Crumbley as the play’s most notable character Scrooge and returning cast member Ethan Hartfield as Tiny Tim. The cast is comprised of 18 adults and 14 youth characters. Crumbley, who has been in preparation for the role for four months says he is excited for the opportunity to perform the role again. “I am particularly fond of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ both the book upon which the play is based and the play itself,” Crumbley says. “I really like this particular script by Micheal Wilson. I think of it like a real roller coaster ride. It’s got a really strong pace. At times, there is a lot of humor in it in addition to all the thrills and feels that come with the ghost story aspect of it.” Hartfield, who is 9 years old, will star as Tiny Tim. The youngest member of the cast says he hopes all will enjoy experiencing the show as much as he does performing it. “It’s a very good show. It has lots of (effects) like the ghosts,” Hartfield says. “It is a lot of fun.” Reynolds notes that although there New Stage Theatre presents a performance of “A Christmas Carol” through an adaptation by playwright Michael Wilson. have been some changes and additions to the performance since last season, the of characters who dance and sing while retelling the tale of redemption, magic and hope. message of redemption and selfless giving the timeless classic offers has not changed. “The most important thing is that the story that a lot of people already know the The production will mark the 24th season that New Stage has produced the play, as well ending to still moves them to go out and have a good holiday season and to think of those as the fifth adaptation of Dickens’ original work the theater has performed. New Stage first performed this adaptation written by Michael Wilson last holi- things that can change our hearts for the better,” Reynolds says. day season. However, Artistic Director Francine Thomas Reynolds says that this year’s “I think that’s the reason we do “A Christmas Carol.” production includes some changes and additions that viewers should enjoy. “We are increasing certain aspects of the play. We have a new set and a new costume New Stage performances of “A Christmas Carol” will be held Dec. 5-7, Dec.11-14 designer,” Reynolds says. “We’ve added a lot of sound effects and added or increased a lot and Dec.17-21 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 8, Dec. 15 and Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 of projection effects like the snow, ice, fog and ghosts.” Reynolds says she hopes the im- and $30 for children, students, seniors and military. Tickets can be purchased from the provements not only provide a more enjoyable experience, but also highlight New Stage’s box office located at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.), by phone at 601-948-3533 dedication to bringing quality performances to the stage. or online at newstagetheatre.com.

S L AT E

the best in sports over the next two weeks by Bryan Flynn, follow at jfpsports.com, @jfpsports

Alcorn State University has wrapped up everything to play for in the SWAC. Mississippi State University plays for a bowl game in the Eggs Bowl with the University of Mississippi in the role of potential spoiler. THURSDAY, NOV. 28

College football (6:30-10pm ESPN): University of Mississippi v. MSU. FRIDAY, NOV. 29

College football (2:30-6pm ABC): University of Cincinnati v. University of Memphis. SATURDAY, NOV. 30

College football (2:30-6pm NFLN): USM v. Florida Atlantic University. SUNDAY, DEC. 1

NFL (7-10:30pm NBC): New England Patriots v. Houston Texans. MONDAY, DEC. 2

NFL (7-10:30pm ESPN): Minnesota Vikings v. Seattle Seahawks. TUESDAY, DEC. 3

Men’s college basketball (6-8:30pm SECN): Butler University v. Mississippi. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4

Men’s college basketball (8:30-11pm ESPN): Ohio State University v. University of North Carolina. THURSDAY, DEC. 5

NFL (7-10:30pm Fox): Dallas Cowboys v. Chicago Bears. FRIDAY, DEC. 6

Men’s College Basketball (7-9:30pm ESPN3): Mississippi Valley State University v. Missouri State University. SATURDAY, DEC. 7

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

College Football (3-6:30pm CBS): University of Georgia v. LSU.

SUNDAY, DEC. 8

NFL (12-3:30pm Fox): San Francisco 49ers v. New Orleans Saints. MONDAY, DEC. 9

NFL (7-10:30pm ESPN): New York Giants v. Philadelphia Eagles. TUESDAY, DEC. 10

Men’s College Basketball (6-8:30pm ESPN): Texas Tech University v. University of Louisville. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11

Women’s College Basketball (7-9:30pm SECN): Texas Christian University v. Texas A&M University.

aTo Do Listd Choreorobics Dance Off @ Steps the Studio Nov. 27, Dec. 1, Dec. 4, Dec. 8, Dec. 11, 6:15 p.m., at Steps the Studio (6800 Old Canton Road, Suite 113). Dance professional duo Roger and Tena Long instruct participants in the hip hop dance class that aims to provide a way for people to both enjoy dancing while exercising. Individual rates are $10 per class for drop-ins and $50 for unlimited classes for the month (total of eight). The family rate is $70 per month for two adults and any children ages 21 and under within the same home. $10 drop-in rate, $50 for month (8 classes); choreorobics.com. Free West African Dance Class Dec. 1, Dec. 8, 2-3:30 p.m., at Central United Methodist Family Life Center (517 N. Farish St.). Shanina Carmichael teaches participants the art of West African dance. Open to all ages and experience levels. Includes live music by Alkebulan Music Philosophy. Attendees can stay until 4 p.m. to learn choreography for performances. Donations encouraged. Free admission, donations accepted; call 601-983-9305; email shanina.carmichael@ gmail.com; find it on Facebook. The Salt Cave Breath Class Dec. 2, 7-8 p.m., at Soul Synergy Center (5490 Castlewoods Court

Looking for something great to do in Jackson? Visit JFPEVENTS.COM for more. possible in part through a partnership with the Millsaps College Theatre Department and the Greater Jackson Arts Council. $15 general, $10 student; email info@hearthandmanteltheatre. com; hearthandmanteltheatre.com. “Determine Your Fate” Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m., at New Horizon International (1770 Ellis Ave.). The church holds a family friendly drama by Gospel Productions Stage that aims to entertain, inspire and present a biblical message. Also features Valerie McCulloch and evangelist Mitchell Rogers. A portion of donations benefit the American Cancer Society Gertrude C. Ford Hope Lodge. Produced and directed by Marie Antoinette from Houston, Texas. Free admission, donations accepted; call 601-460-0467; email marieantoinetteproductions7@gmail.com. Cirque Dreams Holidaze Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The touring troupe performs a production of “Cirque Dreams Holidaze.” The holidaythemed musical features singers, dancers, cirque artists and more in this colorful, artistic production. $45-$99; call 601-960-1537; see jacksonbroadway.com.

TUESDAY 12/3 Beginner Yoga Classes for Teens and Adults is from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Medgar Evers Library (4215 Medgar Evers Blvd.). Medgar Evers Library hosts yoga classes for beginners (teens and adults) every Tuesday evening with Eternal Yoga instructor, La’Desha Jones. The first 10 attendees will be provided yoga mats and water. Additional PIXABAY date: Dec. 10. Free admission; call 601-982-2867; email ssimmons@jhlibrary.com; find it on Facebook.

D, Flowood). The class focuses on the healing benefits of mindful breathing and salt therapy as the instructor guides participants through breath work, body awareness, visualization and music. Must bring and wear white socks to class. Attendees are recommended to arrive 15 minutes early as the class begins sharply at 7 p.m. Limited space. Admission TBA.

STAGE & SCREEN Earthquake LIVE Nov. 29, 7-9 p.m., at Chuckles Comedy House (6379 Ridgewood Court Drive). The comedian performs in the event that includes food and drink. $32.50 general admission, $45 VIP tickets; call 901-421-5905; find it on Facebook. “The Lady With Bruce Willis Eyes” Dec. 4-5, Dec. 11, 7:30-9:30 p.m., at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Heart & Mantel Theatre presents the solo show written by Mississippi playwright Mac Mitchell. The play depicts the story of an acclaimed professional ballet dancer who has cast off her emotional connection to her family and instead devoted her entire being to her dance career. When she is forced to retire early due to injuries, Hollie must regain her dignity and repair her relationships. Audience members are invited to stay after the show for complementary coffee and conversation. Recommended for people ages 13 and up. Made

CONCERTS & FESTIVALS Events at 4th Avenue Lounge (209 S. Lamar St.) • Jazz Nights Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Dec. 11, 6 p.m. The venue hosts weekly live jazz performances. Free admission; call 855-246-9636; email 4thavenuejxn.com. • Live Entertainment Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m. The venue hosts weekly live entertainment. Free admission; email jjchapman22@ gmail.com. 13th Year Anniversary & Mo the Cat’s Birthday Celebration Nov. 29, 2-4 p.m., at Old House Depot (639 Monroe St.). The family-friendly anniversary/birthday event celebrates Mo the Cat’s 9th year of life and the establishment’s 13th year in business. The event features live music by Tim Avalon, Matthew Magee, Tyler Kemp and Allison Jenkins. The event also includes free t-shirts, craft beer, wine and birthday cake. Free admission; call 601-592-6200; find it on Facebook. Events at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.) • 16th Annual Night of Musical Artistry Nov. 29, 7-11:30 p.m. The Mississippi Jazz Foundation presents its annual music event. Jazz trombonist Jeff Bradshaw—who has played alongside artists such as Michael Jack-

son, Pattie LaBelle and Earth, Wind & Fire— performs. Mississippi-native Mike Burton and Band also performs. Doors open at 6 p.m. Seating is first-come, first-serve. $40 advanced, $50 day-of; call 601-292-7121; dulinghall.ticketfly.com. • The Molly Ringwalds Nov. 30, 9 p.m. The group known for playing hit songs from the 1980s performs. Doors open at 7 p.m. Minors under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to enter. Seating is first-come, first-serve. Persons under 21 must pay a $5 upcharge. $25 advanced, $30 day-of; call 601-292-7121; find it on Facebook. Offbeat Friday Night Live Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 8 p.m., at Offbeat (151 Wesley Ave.). The weekly event features live music from various alternative acts in genres such as hip-hop, indie-rock and RnB. Doors open 7 p.m. $5 cover charge; find it on Facebook. CMBS Blue Monday Dec. 2, Dec. 9, 7 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). The Central Mississippi Blues Society presents the weekly blues show, which features a “Front Porch Acoustic Hour” and a jam with the Blue Monday Band. Cash bar available. $5 admission, $3 for CMBS members; call 601948-0888; halandmals.com.

LITERARY SIGNINGS “This Magic Moment” Book Signing Nov. 29, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at Lemuria Bookstore (4465 I-55 N.). William Morris signs copies of his new book. $27.99 signed copy; call 601-366-7619.

CREATIVE CLASSES Turner Crumbley’s On-Camera Acting Intensive for Youths Dec. 2, 5:15-6:15 p.m., at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). Professional actor Turner Crumbley instructs a class for youths that addresses various aspects of the on-camera acting process. Topics include audition prep and script analysis, live and taped auditions, working with casting directors and agents, details of the auditioning business, scene work with and without prep time, voice and movement, callbacks and how they may differ from initial auditions. Scripts provided before classes, and participants receive video footage of their work after each class. Limited space. $150 four-day class; call 601-948-3533, ext. 232; email smiles@newstagetheatre.com; newstagetheatre.com. Turner Crumbley’s On-Camera Acting Intensive for Adults Dec. 2, 6:45-7:45 p.m., at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). Professional actor Turner Crumbley instructs a class for adults that addresses various aspects of the on-camera acting process. Topics include audition prep and script analysis, live and taped auditions, working with casting directors and agents, details of the auditioning business, scene work with and without prep time, voice and movement, callbacks and how they may differ from initial auditions. Scripts provided before classes, and participants receive video footage of their work after each class. Limited space. $200 four-day class; call 601-948-3533, ext. 232; email smiles@newstagetheatre.com; newstagetheatre.com.

Acacia Clark for being named the

Holiday Open House

Jackson Free Press Freelancer of the Month for November

Tuesday, December 3 • 11 AM - 7 PM Wrap up your holiday shopping while enjoying champagne, sampling sweet treats, and exploring one-of-a-kind finds by Mississippi makers including: Kay & Renee Collectibles • FEAST Speciality foods • Mississippi Cold Drip • Let It Be Yours Jewelry • Joe Patterson Jewelry • Elaine Maisel Hand-painted feathers Paul Meek’s handmade duck and turkey calls • Galexie Glister At 5:45 PM, the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral Parish Choir performs during a special holiday edition of Music in the City.

MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM of ART 380 S LAMAR ST • JACKSON, MS • MSMUSEUMART.ORG • 601.960.1515 • Selfies with Santa

AND ON

• Concessions and Games

EARTH

• "Snow Ball" Dance Party

Peace

• Music

• Virtual Reality Arctic Explorations • STEM Exhibits

6:30 P.M. SUNDAY, DEC. 15 Join us for an evening of Christmas music presented by the Wells Choir and instrumental musicians along with special guests from Power APAC and Belhaven University.

6-8:30 PM MDWFP's Mississippi Museum of Natural Science

Invite friends and family and make this concert part of this year’s Christmas celebration. *Optional nursery provided for children age 5 and under.

Advance: $9 adults / $5 children • Door: $10 adults / $6 children Ages 3 and under are free

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

• Arts & Crafts

MUSIC

Kern Pratt’s Long Road: ‘That’s the Blues’ by Tom Scarborough

aTo Do Listd

In 2018, Pratt had a sold-out tour in Italy as co-headliner in the “An Evening with the Blues” tour. Pratt also has an amicable working relationship with Bobby Rush. “I’ve known Bobby Rush for over 30 years. Bobby asked me, ‘Kern, how many times have we done this festival?’ I said, ‘Mr. Bobby, I ain’t really sure.” He said, ‘I think we’ve done about 22 of these together.” VALERIE CRANCER

ississippi may arguably be more awash with musical talent than any state in the nation. As the gestation point for the blues, the fertile football of ground between Vicksburg and Memphis is the wellspring of a profound musical legacy. Though the blues progenitors are long gone and the second wave of Delta bluesmen is dying off, the region continues to percolate with musical dynamism rooted in the blues tradition. Singer-songwriter and ace guitarist Kern Pratt is one of those who have stepped up to carry forward the music of the Delta. Pratt, 54, grew up in Greenville, Miss. His mother died when he was 7 years old. Pratt’s father owned the local Western Auto store, and it was there that Pratt first encountered the bluesmen who would become his musical avatars—Calet Emphrey (B.B. King’s long-time drummer), Eddie Shaw and Eugene Powell. “I was 7 or 8 years old when I decided that playing the blues was what I wanted to do. By the time I was 10 I was playing in a band,” Pratt remembers. “When I was 16, I went on the road with Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds—they had that big hit ‘Don’t Pull Your Love.’ My first stadium gig was with them. There were 60,000 people, and I literally peed my pants—I had spandex britches on.” During this time Pratt also gigged with blues harp artist Willie Foster, who played in Muddy Waters’ band. “Me and Willie played at Po Monkey’s, outside Merigold, and many other blues joints. I played with T Model Ford, who didn’t start playing guitar until he was 50 years old—he lived to be close to 100, so that turned out to be a pretty good run for him,” Pratt says. Since those halcyon days, Pratt has become well known on the Mississippi blues-festival circuit, amassing numerous performances at the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival and the B.B. King Homecoming in Indianola.

Kern Pratt delivers the blues genre native to the Mississippi Delta to listeners near and far.

After putting out a couple of records that “didn’t matter,” Pratt released his well-received breakout album, “Broken Chains,” in 2015. The record was engineered by Nelson Blanchard, the lead singer for the band Louisiana Leroux. “It’s an album about breaking away from the chains of drug addiction. I OD’d five times—it’s been a

Looking for something great to do in Jackson? Visit JFPEVENTS.COM for more.

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

SATURDAY 12/7

PIXABAY

Central Mississippi Record Collection begins 9 a.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Vendors sell vintage records and other music-related collectibles like LPs, 45s, 78s, CDs, audio equipment and other memorabilia. $5 general admission, item prices vary; email msrecordcollector1@gmail.com; dulinghall. ticketfly.com.

ARTS & EXHIBITS Events at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) • Guided Tour of Exhibitions on View Nov. 30, Dec. 7, 11 a.m.-noon. The museum offers free guided tours of its exhibitions. Free admission; call 601-960-1515; msmuseumart.org. • Creative Healing Studio Dec. 4, 12:30-2 p.m. Art therapist Susan Anand leads the bimonthly art activity for adults being treated

long road, but that’s the blues.” The record contains the echoes of the great bluesmen who have influenced Pratt. In Pratt’s guitar one can discern the spare, clean phrasing of B.B. King. But Pratt endows each note with a trembling intensity that indelibly stamps the music as his own. Pratt’s newest album, “Greenville, MS … What About You?” will be released Dec. 1, on the Endless Blues Records label. Pratt says the album is in a similar vein as “Broken Chains” but includes a different ensemble of musical talent. The album will include the late Gregg Allman’s horn section of Marc Franklin and Kris Jensen. The producer of the record, Bob Dowell, plays trombone and the Hammond B3 organ, as well as bass. “I want to break Bob’s hands,” Pratt says, laughing. “No one should be able to do the things he does—he’s just too damn good.” Denise Owen, Pratt’s backing singer for several years and now his partner, lends powerful vocal support— singing lead on one song and singing a duet with Pratt on another. She also plays percussion. When asked about the state of the blues today, Pratt pauses. “Of course the blues are alive and well, but they’re going to be different. It’s like Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram—my lord, he’s a monster. There are some good young players coming up. A lot of people think the blues have to come from the Delta. But a lot of people take it wrong. They look at these kids coming up, a lot of whom aren’t from the Delta, and they say, ‘They ain’t got no soul. They haven’t paid any dues.’ And I think they’re wrong. Because these kids are working on their craft and perfecting their craft, and I think that’s just as much paying dues as if you gig in a juke joint. If you’re perfecting your craft, you’re paying your dues.” Find Kern Pratt’s music on CDBaby.com or EndlessBlues.com, or search for the artist on Facebook.

for cancer or those who have previously been diagnosed with cancer. All skill levels welcome. Registration required. Free admission; call 601-960-1515; email smainlay@aol.com; msmuseumart.org. NuRenaissance 17th Annual Art Showing & Gala Dec. 7, 7-9 p.m., at 440 Grill@ Freelons (440 Mill St.). NuRenaissance hosts an art gallery that also features a guest artist in a social setting. Free admission; call 601372-8088; email nurenaissance@yahoo.com; nurenaissance.com.

PROFESSIONAL & BIZ

Jackson. Free admission; call 601-960-1037; find it on Facebook.

Rotary Meeting: Irena McClain from the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi Dec. 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m., at Embassy Suites (200 Township Ave., Ridgeland). Associate Director Irena McClain from the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi presents as guest speaker at the Capital Area Sunset Rotary Club meeting. She speaks on the organization’s programs and efforts. Free admission; call 601-441-1889; find it on Facebook.

1% Sales Tax Commission Meetings Dec. 11, 2-5 p.m., at Warren G. Hood Building (200 S. President St.). The City of Jackson 1% Sales Tax Commission oversees revenue collected by the 1% Sales Tax to fund capital projects, reconstruction/resurfacing projects and water/sewer and drainage projects. The meeting is regularly held in the Andrew Jackson Conference room. Free admission; call 601-960-1084; find it on Facebook.

The Bean Path l Tech Office Hours Dec. 8, 12:30-3:30 p.m., at Medgar Evers Library (4215 Medgar Evers Blvd.). The tech-focused nonprofit provides free technical advice and guidance to individuals, new startups and small businesses in the community at the library. Free admission; email theresa@thebeanpath.org; thebeanpath.org. Regular City Council Meeting Dec. 10, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Jackson City Hall (219 S. President St.). The Jackson City Council discuss relevant topics concerning the city of

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.

In this holiday season, we’re thankful for all of the people who have generously supported the work of the Jackson Free Press by becoming JFP VIP subscribers. Jamie S. Ross, Jennifer Weyler, Ginger Ikeda, Sybla Rule, B. Longmire, Kathy Howard, Renita Cotton, Maxine Blackman, Glynn Kegley, Janice Brockley, Amy Hazel Franklin, Charles H. Hooker, Dr. George Schimmel, Karen L. Cox, JoAnne Morris, Mike Calnan, Charles Jones, Urban Planner, Walter Mack, Cynthia Newhall, Shannon Eubanks, Timothy Hannapel, Lind Quest, Blake Feldman, Dickie Scruggs, Ed Lipe, Signiﬁcant Developments, The D. L. Dykes, Jr. Foundation, Randy Redd, Leslie Turner, Evelyn Caﬀey Panter, Janet Hendrick Clark, Dr. Sandra L. Price, Alyce Byrd Craddock, Reilly Morse, Jane G. Gardner, Susan Mitchell, Michele B. Walker, J. L. Smith, Amber Hurtado Morrison, Nick M, Clay Harris, Don Potts, Joy Hogge, John & Kay Brocato, Tillie Petersen, Steve Rozman, Cecilia Reese Bullock, Avanell Sikes, Jennifer Anderson, Debra Sturgis-Stamps, Deloris Lee, Avery Rollins, Inglish DeVoss, Susan and David Voisin, Rudis, EFFoote, La Chelle Patricia, Richard and Alice Gong, James Parker, Jeannie B, Stephen Stray, Natalie Maynor, and 24 Anonymous Donors

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November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Thanks to these great folks:

courtesy PJ Morton

PJ Morton

11/27 - 12/10 Wednesday 11/27 1908 Provisions - Ronnie Brown 6:30 p.m. Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - New Bourbon Street Jazz Band 7 p.m. ISH - Martini Wednesday: Mike Rob 8 p.m. Kathryn’s - Gator Trio 6:30 p.m. Pelican Cove - Chris Gill 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Sonny & Co. 7:30 p.m. Table 100 - Andy Henderson 6 p.m.

Thursday 11/28 Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Fenian’s - Live Music 9 p.m. F. Jones Corner - Chris Minter & the KJ Funkmasters 11 p.m. $5 Georgia Blue, Flowood - Robert King 7 p.m. Table 100 - Andrew Pates 6 p.m.

Friday 11/29 1908 Provisions - Chuck Bryan 6:30 p.m. Ameristar Bottleneck Blues Bar, Vicksburg - Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monsters 8 p.m. Bar 3911 - DJ Taboo 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Bonny Blair’s Live, Brandon - Lovin

Genna Benna, Brandon - Ben Dew 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Flowood - Candy Lee Dobbs 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Madison - Eric Woods 7 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - Beebee’s, Bark and Witchcake in Red Room 7 p.m. Kathryn’s - The Sole Shakers 7 p.m. Old House Depot - 13th Year Anniversary/Mo the Cat Birthday Celebration: Tim Avalon & Friends 2 - 4 p.m. Pelican Cove - Phil Yarborough 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Sonny Duo 5:30 p.m.; Bad Charlotte 8 p.m. $5; Jason Turner 10 p.m. Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Saturday 11/30 Ameristar Bottleneck Blues Bar, Vicksburg - Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monsters 8 p.m. Bar 3911 - Drag Performance & Dance Party feat. DJ Taboo 8 p.m.-3 a.m. free before 10 p.m. Bonny Blair’s Live, Brandon - Sweet Tooth Jones 9 p.m. Cerami’s - Larry Brewer 6:30 p.m. Char - John Clark 6 p.m. CS’s - Karaoke 8 p.m. courtesy The Molly Ringwalds

The Molly Ringwalds

See more music at jfp.ms/musiclistings. To be included in print, email listings to music@jacksonfreepress.com. ley 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Madison - Jason Turner 7 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - Kerry Thomas in Dining Room 6:30-9:30 p.m.; WANNU in Red Room 10 p.m. Iron Horse Grill - Chris Gill & the Soulshakers 9 p.m. ISH - Uptown Saturday: Anissa Hampton 8 p.m. Kathryn’s - Faze 4 Dance Band 7 p.m. Margaritaville Hotel, Vicksburg - Calvin Duncan, Jr. at the Landshark Bar & Grill 6 p.m. Pelican Cove - Bad Charlotte 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads 3:30 p.m. Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Sunday 12/1 1908 Provisions - Live Music 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Char - Big Easy Three 11 a.m.; Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Kathryn’s - Jay Wadsworth & The Round Up Band 6 p.m. Pelican Cove - Chris Gill 5 p.m. Shucker’s - Steele Heart 3:30 p.m. Table 100 - Raphael Semmes Trio 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Dan Michael Colbert 6-9 p.m. Wellington’s - Andy Hardwick 11 a.m.-2 p.m. December 2, 2019 - Monday Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - CMBS presents Blue Monday 7 p.m. $5 Kathryn’s - Phil Yarborough 6:30 p.m. Table 100 - Andrew Pates 6 p.m.

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Wednesday 12/4

Ledbeter 9 p.m. Char - Ronnie Brown 6 p.m. Duling Hall - The MS Jazz Foundation 16th Annual Night of Musical Artistry: Jeff Bradshaw & Mike Burton 6 p.m. F. Jones Corner - The Blues Man 10 p.m. $5; Lonn’e George & Flasche midnight $10 Fenian’s - John Womble 9 p.m.

Cultivation Food Hall - Scott Albert Johnson 6 p.m. Duling Hall - The Molly Ringwalds 6 p.m. F. Jones Corner - Big Money Mel & Small Change Wayne 10 p.m. $5; Sorrento Ussery midnight $10 Fenian’s - Bradley Cooper 9 p.m. Genna Benna, Brandon - Nathan Logan 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Flowood - Chad Wes-

1908 Provisions - Ronnie Brown 6:30 p.m. Alumni House - Jerry Brooks & Jack Beal 7 p.m. Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - New Bourbon Street Jazz Band 7 p.m. Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 6:30 p.m. Martin’s - Open Mic 9 p.m. Pelican Cove - Robin Blkeney 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Sonny & Co. 7:30 p.m. Table 100 - Andy Henderson 6 p.m.

Thursday 12/5 Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Drago’s - Larry Brewer 6 p.m. Fenian’s - Live Music 9 p.m. F. Jones Corner - Chris Minter & the KJ Funkmasters 11 p.m. $5

Genna Benna, Brandon - Live Music 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Flowood - Live Music 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Madison - Live Music 7 p.m. Iron Horse Grill - John Causey 6 p.m. Kathryn’s - Steele Heart 6:30 p.m. Pelican Cove - Jonathan Alexander 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads 7:30 p.m. Table 100 - Andrew Pates 6 p.m.

Friday 12/6 1908 Provisions - Chuck Bryan 6:30 p.m. Alumni House - Gena & David Steele 7 p.m. Ameristar Bottleneck Blues Bar, Vicksburg - Mr. Sipp 8 p.m. Bar 3911 - DJ Taboo 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Bonny Blair’s Live, Brandon - Lovin Ledbeter 9 p.m. Char - Ronnie Brown 6 p.m. Duling Hall - PJ Morton 6 p.m. F. Jones Corner - The Blues Man 10 p.m. $5; Doug Brousseau & River City Allstars midnight $10 Genna Benna, Brandon - Live Music 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Flowood - Live Music 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Madison - Live Music 7 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - Ally & Jazz Katz in Dining Room; Beebee’s, Bark and Witchcake in Red Room 7 p.m. Iron Horse Grill - Shy Perry & Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry 9 p.m. Kathryn’s - Acoustic Crossroads 7 p.m. Martin’s - A Weekend of Joyfunk with CBDB (Night 1) 10 p.m. Pelican Cove - Dead End Circle 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Chad Perry 5:30 p.m.; Mississippi Moonlight 8 p.m. $5; Grosshart & Gaines 10 p.m. Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Saturday 12/7 Ameristar Bottleneck Blues Bar, Vicksburg - Pam Tillis 8 p.m. Bar 3911 - Drag Performance & Dance Party feat. DJ Taboo 8 p.m.-3 Char - John Clark 6 p.m. CS’s - Karaoke 8 p.m. Cultivation Food Hall - Victoria Lynne Sittig 6 p.m. Duling Hall - Central Mississippi Record Convention 6 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - Big Money Mel & Small Change Wayne 10 p.m. $5; Benard Jenkins midnight $10 Genna Benna, Brandon - Live Music 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Flowood - Live Music 7 p.m. Georgia Blue, Madison - Live Music 7 p.m. Iron Horse Grill - Doug Brousseau & the River City Allstars 9 p.m. Kathryn’s - The Jackson Gypsies 7 p.m. Martin’s - A Weekend of Joyfunk with CBDB (Night 2) 10 p.m. Pelican Cove - Silver & Lace 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Sofa Kings 3:30 p.m.; Mississippi Moonlight 8 p.m. $5; Chad Perry 10 p.m. Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Sunday 12/8 1908 Provisions - Live Music 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Char - Big Easy Three 11 a.m.; Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Iron Horse Grill - Live Music 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Kathryn’s - The McGees 6 p.m. Pelican Cove - Musician’s Christmas Party 11 a.m. Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads 3:30 p.m. Table 100 - Raphael Semmes Trio 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Dan Michael Colbert 6-9 p.m. Wellington’s - Andy Hardwick 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Monday 12/9 Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - CMBS presents Blue Monday 7 p.m. $5 Kathryn’s - Joseph LaSalla 6:30 p.m. Table 100 - Andrew Pates 6 p.m.

Tuesday 12/10 Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Drago’s - Larry Brewer 6 p.m. Fenian’s - Open Mic 9 p.m. Kathryn’s - Keys vs. Strings Dueling Piano Show 6:30 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - Dinner, Drinks and Jazz: Raphael Semmes & Friends 9 p.m. Table 100 - Chalmers Davis 6 p.m.

Know more? Send additional music information to music@ jacksonfreepress.com

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Offsite & Onsite CATERING AVAILABLE

NOVEMBER

DAILY BLUE PLACE SPECIALS

Music/Events

Wednesday 11/27

$5 Margaritas, $5 Mezcalitas, $3 Patron Shots $1 off all beer

Monday

Scrub Day 20% Off Your Meal with Scrubs or a Hospital Badge * Dine in only.

Tuesday

Taco Tuesay $2 Tacos All Day (Excludes shrimp and fish tacos)

Beebee’s, Bark and Witchcake Red Room - Doors 8 - Show 9

20 21

Dining Room - 6:00pm - Free

Friday 12/6

Burt Byler

Dining Room - 7pm - Free

Saturday 12/7

GRACE HOUSE HOSTS

Drag Brunch

Dining Room - 6:30pm - Free

Sunday 12/8

Kent Morris Dining Room - 7pm - Free

WANNU?

SAINTS VS. 49ERS

Monday 12/2

12pm |Big Room | BYOF (Bring your own food)

Red Room - Doors at 9 Show at 10 tickets $5

Sunday Potluck

Monday 12/9

Blue Monday Blue Monday

January

Dining Room - 7 - 11pm $3 Members $5 Non-Members

Tuesday 12/3

Dinner Drinks & Jazz with Raphael Semmes and Friends

Dining Room - 6pm

Sat-Sun

Ken Block AND Drew Copeland of Sister Hazel Red Room - Doors 7 - Show 8 Brian Jones

Saturday 11/30

Central MS Blues Society presents:

Dining Room - 6:00pm - Free

Big Room | Seating at 11:30, starts at 12

Kerry Thomas

$2 off Shrimp and Fish Tacos

Central MS Blues Society presents: Dining Room - 7 - 11pm $3 Members $5 Non-Members

Tuesday 12/10

Dinner Drinks & Jazz with Raphael Semmes and Friends Dining Room - 6pm

Upcoming

KRYSTAL BALL 12/31/19

24 COMPLETE SHOW LISTINGS & TICKETS

www.dulinghall.com

HAPPY HOUR 2820 N State St (601) 487-6082 greenghosttacos.com

Friday 11/29

RESTAURANT CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING

Ladies Day! JAMES MCMURTRY MCMURTRY IS CONSIDERED ONE OF Y JAMES 1/2 priced Salads and THE GREATEST LIVING SONGWRITERS BY HIS PEERS. DON'T MISS IT! E, FANS, CRITICS, AND Bowls N US! $10 COVER Happy Hour Starts at 4 p.m. for Ladies

Endless Mimosas $15 $6 Bloody Mary’s & Micheladas

Thursday 11/28

Thursday 12/5

Closed for Thanksgiving

$2 off Quesadillas

Friday

New Bourbon Street Jazz Band

Dining Room - 6:00pm - Free

DECEMBER

Wednesday Thursday

New Bourbon Street Jazz Band

AT DULING

TWO HOURS BEFORE EVERY SHOW $1 OFF FOOD & DRINKS CRAFT COCKTAILS • SMALL BITES • GOOD TIMES

12/10- Ideas on Tap 12/12- D’Lo Trio 12/12-12/13 - Priced To Move 12/13- Bill, Jeﬀ and Temperance 12/14- Jackson Gypsies 12/16- CMBS Presents Blues Monday 12/17- Dinner, Drinks and Jazz 12/18- New Bourbon Street Jazz Band 12/19- Thomas Jackson

We’re now on Waitr!

12/20- Waterworks Curve 12/21-15th Aunual Tacky Christmas 12/22-Saints vs. Titans 12/23-CMBS Presents Blues Monday 12/24- Dinner Drinks and Jazz 12/25- Cats Purring 12/27- Cary Hudson in Dining room 12/28- Timmy Avalon Duo 12/29- Saints vs. Panthers 12/30-- CMBS presents Blues Monday

visit halandmals.com for a full menu and concert schedule 601.948.0888

200 s. Commerce St.

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7pm!

Wednesday 12/4

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BY MATT JONES

38 John Stockton has the most in NBA history 39 Sony competitor 40 Eavesdropping range 42 â&#x20AC;&#x153;True, no?â&#x20AC;? 43 Titles differently 45 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Watchmenâ&#x20AC;? director Zack 47 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why is this night different ...?â&#x20AC;? feasts 49 Cub Scout pack leader 51 Anne of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donnie Brascoâ&#x20AC;? 54 Sch. at West Point 56 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Swell!â&#x20AC;? 60 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;est-ce ___?â&#x20AC;?

61 Inits. for supplementary costs at a car dealership ÂŠ2019 Jonesinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Crosswords (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com)

Last Weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Answers

For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800 655-6548. Reference puzzle #920.

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Psycho Sudoku by Matt Jones has been discontinued.

Down

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1 Video game series where you follow the moves of onscreen characters 10 Food service giant based in Houston 15 Very soon 16 Knightley of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Atonementâ&#x20AC;? 17 La Paz currency 18 Archipelago feature 19 Took the offer 20 Mystical foresight 21 Employer of Africa correspondent Ofeibia Quist-Arcton 23 Idris of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Wireâ&#x20AC;?

25 Play ___ (cause mischief) 27 Sooner than soon 28 Distributed cards 30 Ballet practice 32 Two before Thu. 33 Journal opening 35 Abbr. before a founding date 36 Musical genre for 1990s punk band Bikini Kill 38 â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Scuse meâ&#x20AC;? 41 Western movie hangout 44 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chandelierâ&#x20AC;? singer 45 Muscle-to-bone connector

1 Shied away, slangily 2 Still squeaking 3 Meme nickname of Turkish meatseasoning chef Nusret Gokce 4 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Enough already!â&#x20AC;? 5 Peace proponent 6 They shun most technology 7 Three-part ďŹ&#x201A;avor 8 Tapperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home 9 English prep school 10 Steers clear of 11 Simple question type 12 Early movies 13 Soldierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hairstyle 14 Cereal grain item 22 In ___ (â&#x20AC;&#x153;on paperâ&#x20AC;?) 24 Smartphone setting 26 Long-eared dogs 29 Quindec- divided by ďŹ ve 31 Some stone ďŹ nds at archaeological digs 34 Peanut butter-based Girl Scout Cookie 35 Macaroni shape 37 2020 political event in Charlotte, for short

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

During the next eleven months, you could initiate fundamental improvements in the way you live from day to day. It’s conceivable you’ll discover or generate innovations that permanently raise your life’s possibilities to a higher octave. At the risk of sounding grandiose, I’m tempted to predict that you’ll celebrate at least one improvement that is your personal equivalent of the invention of the wheel or the compass or the calendar.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn anything from history. Philosopher Georg Hegel said that. But I think you will have an excellent chance to disprove this theory in the coming months. I suspect you will be inclined and motivated to study your own past in detail; you’ll be skilled at drawing useful lessons from it; and you will apply those lessons with wise panache as you re-route your destiny.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

In his own time, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) was acclaimed and beloved. At the height of his fame, he earned $3,000 per poem. But modern literary critics think that most of what he created is derivative, sentimental, and unworthy of serious appreciation. In dramatic contrast is poet Emily Dickinson (1830–1886). Her writing was virtually unknown in her lifetime, but is now regarded as among the best ever. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to sort through your own past so as to determine which of your work, like Longfellow’s, should be archived as unimportant or irrelevant, and which, like Dickinson’s, deserves to be a continuing inspiration as you glide into the future.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

Humans invented the plow in 4,500 BC, the wheel in 4,000 BC, and writing in 3,400 BC. But long before that, by 6,000 BC, they had learned how to brew beer and make psychoactive drugs from plants. Psychopharmacologist Ronald Siegel points to this evidence to support his hypothesis that the yearning to transform our normal waking consciousness is a basic drive akin to our need to eat and drink. Of course, there are many ways to accomplish this shift besides alcohol and drugs. They include dancing, singing, praying, drumming, meditating, and having sex. What are your favorite modes? According to my astrological analysis, it’ll be extra important for you to alter your habitual perceptions and thinking patterns during the coming weeks. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What’s something you’re afraid of, but pretty confident you could become unafraid of? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to dismantle or dissolve that fear. Your levels of courage will be higher than usual, and your imagination will be unusually ingenious in devising methods and actions to free you of the unnecessary burden. Step one: Formulate an image or scene that symbolizes the dread, and visualize yourself blowing it up with a “bomb” made of a hundred roses.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

The word “enantiodromia” refers to a phenomenon that occurs when a vivid form of expression turns into its opposite, often in dramatic fashion. Yang becomes yin; resistance transforms into welcome; loss morphs into gain. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you Geminis are the sign of the zodiac that’s most likely to experience enantiodromia in the coming weeks. Will it be a good thing or a bad thing? You can have a lot of influence over how that question resolves. For best results, don’t fear or demonize contradictions and paradoxes. Love and embrace them.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

There are Americans who speak only one language, English, and yet imagine they are smarter than bilingual immigrants. That fact amazes me, and inspires me to advise me and all my fellow Cancerians to engage in humble reflection about how we judge our fellow humans. Now is a favorable time for us to take inventory of any inclinations we might have to regard ourselves as superior to others; to question why we might imagine others aren’t as worthy of love and respect as we are; or to be skeptical of any tendency we might have dismiss and devalue those who don’t act and think as we do. I’m not saying we Cancerians are more guilty of these sins than everyone else; I’m merely letting you know that the coming weeks are our special time to make corrections.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

“Erotic love is one of the highest forms of contemplation,” wrote the sensually wise poet Kenneth Rexroth. That’s a provocative and profitable inspiration for you to tap into. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’re in the Season of Lucky Plucky Delight, when brave love can save you from wrong turns and irrelevant ideas; when the grandeur of amour can be your teacher and catalyst. If you have a partner with whom you can conduct these educational experiments, wonderful. If you don’t, be extra sweet and intimate with yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

In the follow-up story to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, our heroine uses a magic mirror as a portal into a fantastical land. There she encounters the Red Queen, and soon the two of them are holding hands as they run as fast as they can. Alice notices that despite their great effort, they don’t seem to be moving forward. What’s happening? The Queen clears up the mystery: In her realm, you must run as hard as possible just to remain in the same spot. Sound familiar, Virgo? I’m wondering whether you’ve had a similar experience lately. If so, here’s my advice: Stop running. Sit back, relax, and allow the world to zoom by you. Yes, you might temporarily fall behind. But in the meantime, you’ll get fully recharged. No more than three weeks from now, you’ll be so energized that you’ll make up for all the lost time—and more.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Most sane people wish there could be less animosity between groups that have different beliefs and interests. How much better the world would be if everyone felt a generous acceptance toward those who are unlike them. But the problem goes even deeper: Most of us are at odds with ourselves. Here’s how author Rebecca West described it: Even the different parts of the same person do not often converse among themselves, do not succeed in learning from each other. That’s the bad news, Libra. The good news is that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to promote unity and harmony among all the various parts of yourself. I urge you to entice them to enter into earnest conversations with each other!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

Poet Cecilia Woloch asks, “How to un-want what the body has wanted, explain how the flesh in its wisdom was wrong?” Did the apparent error occur because of some “some ghost in the mind?” she adds. Was it due to “some blue chemical rushing the blood” or “some demon or god”? I’m sure that you, like most of us, have experienced this mystery. But the good news is that in the coming weeks you will have the power to un-want inappropriate or unhealthy experiences that your body has wanted. Step one: Have a talk with yourself about why the thing your body has wanted isn’t in alignment with your highest good.

Homework: You have the power to re-genius yourself. Guidance: https://tinyurl.com/ReGeniusYourself

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November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

Sagittarian composer Ludwig van Beethoven was inclined to get deeply absorbed in his work. Even when he took time to attend to the details of daily necessity, he allowed himself to be spontaneously responsive to compelling musical inspirations that suddenly welled up in him. On more than a few occasions, he lathered his face with the nineteenth-century equivalent of shaving cream, then got waylaid by a burst of brilliance and forgot to actually shave. His servants found that amusing. I suspect that the coming weeks may be Beethoven-like for you, Sagittarius. I bet you’ll be surprised by worthy fascinations and subject to impromptu illuminations.

To submit your Local List, email nate@jacksonfreepress.com.

4 3

Top 9 1

Edward Moak Edward Moak is a Jackson-based artist who is known for his colorful paintings, whimsical hand illustrations and unique T-shirt designs. He works full-time at The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi where he serves as a “creative” and as a youth engagement coordinator for the Generation FREE™ Youth Tobacco Prevention Program.

1 Amerigo (6592 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland; 601-977-0563; 155 Market St., Flowood; 601-992-1550; amerigo. net) I come for the cheese fritters and stay for the spicy Alfredo! Amerigo in Ridgeland has the perfect ambiance and is the perfect mix of noisy and festive.

2 The Everyday Gardener (2905 Old Canton Road; 601-981-0273; theeverydaygardner.com) The gift and

November 27 - December 10, 2019 • jfp.ms

garden shop has everything you need to take your “everyday” up a notch. From silk ribbons to ivy topiaries and oversized orchids, this place is a one-stop shop for “finishing touches” for home or garden.

3 BellaChes (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland; 601-605-2239) From Lafco candles to great holiday decor, the gift shop is a must-hit when stocking up on holiday goodies. 4 Broad Street Baking Company

(4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 101; 601362-2900; broadstbakery.com) Broad Street is a great lunch spot for grab-andgo or to sit and chat. You never know who might walk in. I recommend the chicken salad on toasted focaccia with a side remoulade dressing and barbecue zapps. The Bakery is also the perfect place to pick up a dozen holiday cookies.

5 Fresh Ink (4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 205; 601-982-0245; fresh-ink. com) Shop specializes in custom cards

anywhere else that I can get a birthday cake that is delicious and covered in live succulents that you can plant afterward.

or invitations. It hosts calligraphy classes, among other goods and services.

6 BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar (4500 Interstate 55 N., Suite 244, 601982-8111, bravobuzz.com) Two words: breakfast pizza. I also love the cinnamon bread and the bruschetta. The best part? It is served all day Saturday and Sunday so you can go at your own leisure.

7 The Prickly Hippie (500 Highway 51, Ridgeland; 601-910-6730; pricklyhippie.com) I can’t think of

ANNUAL HALF OFF GIFT CARD SALE Half off any denomination of gift card.

ONE DAY ONLY DECEMBER 7 In store only

8 Erik Kegler / EK Home (4501 Interstate 55 N. Frontage Road; 601366-9909) From antique finials to tables full of Chinese spice jars, EK Home has the perfect inspiration and elements to refresh your home.

9 Sophomore Spanish Club (200 District Blvd., Suite E; 601-203-3333; sophomorespanish.com) The festive atmosphere keeps it fun, while the food keeps it yum! I recommend the queso; add meat. Tell ’em Edward sent ya!

MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 730 Lakeland Dr. Jackson, MS | 601-366-6033 | Sun-Thurs: 11am - 10pm, Fri-Sat: 11am - 11pm We Deliver For Catering Orders Fondren / Belhaven / UMC area

Best of Jackson 2018 Best Place For Hummus-Winner Best Vegetarian-Winner Best Meal Under $10-Finalist Best Place For Healthy Food-Finalist

Courtesy edward Moak; Courtesy aMerigo; Clipart; Clipart; kyle M Hones; aMber Helsel; toM beCk; Courtesy priCkly Hippie; Clipart; _ sopHMore spanisH Club/lexie Maier

LOCAL LIST

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Returning Male AB Donors will be compensated up to $85 for a complete donation starting on their 2nd visit.

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In order to donate, you need: Valid picture ID Social Security Card Be between 18-70 years old Be in good health

Interstate Blood Bank. 3505 Terry Road Suite 204, Jackson Call us at 601.718.0986 for more information. Walk-ins are welcome. New donors will be compensated $50 for a full donation.

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