Let's Talk Jackson

Let’s Talk Jackson: Arekia Bennett 7×19

By Dustin Cardon | 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 bachelors 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. msvotes.org/

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Let's Talk Jackson

Let’s Talk Jackson: Shanda Yates 7×18

By Dustin Cardon | November 21, 2019

Shanda Yates is a 38-year old attorney and mother who surprised a lot of people this year by winning the Mississippi House seat in district 64 over long-time Republican incumbent Bill Denny. One of Mississippi Democrats only bright spots on election night, Shanda knocked on thousands of doors and focused on issues important to her as a Millennial, a woman, a mother and as a product of public schools. She talked about how it all came together with Jackson Free Press’ editor in chief, Donna Ladd. www.facebook.com/shanda.yates.7

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Let's Talk Jackson

Let’s Talk Jackson: Karla McCullough 7×17

By Dustin Cardon | November 2, 2019

Dr. Karla McCullough graduated from Callaway High School in Jackson in the mid-1990s and then immediately left the state, getting her undergraduate degree from Tuskegee University in Psychology and a masters in public administration from Auburn University. After having a son and feeling the tug of home, she return to Mississippi, where she got a PhD in Urban Higher Education from Jackson State University. She’s the executive director of the Juanita Simms Doty Foundation, which offers, among other initiatives, the Evers Academy for African American Males, which is a program to inspire young men of color to honor the life and legacy of slain civil rights work Medgar Evers as they interact with a “village” of role models and mentors. jsdfoundation.com
This episode is brought to you by the members of the JFP VIP Club. Join at jfp.ms/VIP and help support JFP programming such as Let’s Talk Jackson. Continue Reading

Let's Talk Jackson

Let’s Talk Jackson: Virgi Lindsay 7×16

By Dustin Cardon | October 17, 2019

Jackson City Council President Virgi Lindsay speaks to Donna Ladd in this episode about massive challenges with the capital city’s infrastructure, budget, zoo and loss of residents. She also talks about growing up around rocket builders, being a woman leader (she’s the only woman on the council) and her time as a Clarion-Ledger reporter back when it won a Pulitzer Prize. Hear her address challenges of her ward, which extends from her neighborhood Belhaven into parts of west and south Jackson. 

Let’s Talk Jackson is sponsored by Mississippi Federal Credit Union; 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/.  

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Let's Talk Jackson

Let’s Talk Jackson: Judy Meredith 7×15

By Dustin Cardon | October 4, 2019

In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Judy Meredith, a former TV and radio news reporter and anchor and also a former journalism professor at Jackson State University. Judy Meredith recently completed a documentary about her husband, called “Who is James Meredith” and she discussed the film, her husband, and her own life and career with Let’s Talk Jackson’s Donna Ladd. This episode is brought to you by the Center for Art & Public Exchange at the Mississippi Museum of Art. More at http://museumcape.org/. Let’s Talk Jackson is sponsored by Mississippi Federal Credit Union. Continue Reading

Let's Talk Jackson

Let’s Talk Jackson Art 1×01: New Symphony of Time

By Dustin Cardon | October 2, 2019

In this special episode sponsored by the Mississippi Museum or Art, we recorded this podcast in front of a live audience at the Museum on Sept 10th, 2019 as a part of Art Nights, which is sponsored by Baker Donalson. Our host was Maisie Brown, a Murrah high school senior who recently took a position as Youth Program Director & Communications Associate for the Institute for Democratic Education in America. Maisie was joined on stage by the Museum’s curator of American art, ELIZABETH ABSTON, along with DR. RASHELL SMITH-SPEARS, an associate professor of English Literature at Jackson State University, and JEFFREY CALIEDO, also a senior at Murrah High School, who was crowned the ACT-SO National Champion of Written Poetry by the NAACP for his poem “Igneous.” He wrote and read a poem in response to the Margaret Walker poem, “This is My Century: Black Synthesis of Time” the poem that serves as inspiration for the museum’s new exhibition, title “New Symphony of Time.”

msmuseumart.org/index.php/exhibit…-symphony-of-time

Let’s Talk Jackson is sponsored by Mississippi Federal Credit Union; 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/. This episode is brought to you by the members of the JFP VIP Club. Continue Reading

Let's Talk Jackson

Let’s Talk Jackson: Jordan Butler 7×14

By Dustin Cardon | September 19, 2019

On this episode of Let’s Talk Jackson, Todd Stauffer sits down with Jordan Butler, the vice president of education and training for the Refill Jackson Initiative. They talk about the opening of Refill Cafe, its mission in the community and how Jordan got involved in this training and economic development effort. This episode is brought to you by the Center for Art & Public Exchange at the Mississippi Museum of Art. More at http://museumcape.org/. This episode is brought to you by the members of the JFP VIP Club. Continue Reading

Let's Talk Jackson

Let’s Talk Jackson: Alana Willis 7×13

By Dustin Cardon | September 4, 2019

In this episode of Let’s Talk Jackson, JFP Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd talks to Alana Willis, the younger sister of the late Cedric Willis. Alana talks about her brother’s 12-year false imprisonment from 1994 to 2006 and the effect that had on their family and her as a child. They also discuss Cedric’s recent murder after being free for 13 years. In this emotional podcast, Willis also talks about her own sexual assault as a child. She challenges Jackson residents to do more to prevent violence. Continue Reading