No one ought to work in substandard conditions just so we can all gorge ourselves on chicken wings while watching football. But the fact is, immigrants have been processing our chicken—and the rest of our food supply—for generations now. We’ve gotten spoiled, fat, and lazy off their labor.
You have the power to propel Mississippi into the future, to show the world that the state is more than a bunch of racists longing for the good ole days. Because, let’s face it, for many Mississippians, the good ole days have yet to arrive.
Apparently the current president called his attorney general a “dumb southerner” and made fun of his accent. This is one of many ugly incidents reported in Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book Fear. Look, I don’t like Jeff Sessions. He is a racist, sexist, homophobic, and self-righteous little man. But “dumb southerner” is an insult too far. One of …
We’re currently seeing numerous calls for civility in dealing with people on the opposite side of the political divide. These calls come from both Democrats and Republicans, though rarely in response to the same things. What passes for civility among friends is considered a grave insult when delivered by your enemy. Civility is an admirable …
I spent the past week traveling through my home state of Mississippi. I read from my latest novel at bookstores in Oxford, Greenwood, and Jackson, before heading to New Orleans for the Tennessee Williams Festival. My mother and my husband stuck with me through Mississippi, but I am on my own in New Orleans. I …
In the same week that our president was spewing some of his worst racist comments, Edgar Ray Killen drew his last breath at the state penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. Killen is the notorious klansman behind the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He was not convicted for the brutal crimes until …
This week in Louisiana, a teacher was arrested for speaking at a school board meeting. Let that sink in. The teacher, Deyshia Hargrave, spoke out against a proposed raise for the school superintendent. The school board voted to give the superintendent the raise and Hargrave spoke up again, complaining that the superintendent was getting a …
I don’t watch morning news-tainment programs, but I’m rooting for Hoda Kotb in her new job as co-host of the Today Show. Kotb is the daughter of Egyptian immigrants. She got her start at a small news station in Greenville, Mississippi, and honed her skills in New Orleans. She is a woman joining another woman, …
Last night I stayed up past my bedtime to watch Alabama make history. I said a few weeks ago that I didn’t believe Roy Moore would step down. On that point, I was right. But I also said, and believed, that Moore would win the senate seat. I didn’t believe the people of Alabama would …
I’ve always been a fan of good journalism. Good journalism is more than shoving a microphone under someone’s chin and letting them spew. Good journalism takes time. It requires a heightened level of skepticism and suspicion. A good journalist must constantly ask herself if the story she is hearing is true and verifiable, and if …