July 28, 2021
How So Many Ignore Their Bleeding Neighbors
adminBy Scott Stearman Newborns in 10 counties in Mississippi have a shorter life expectancy than newborns in Bangladesh. Please read that again and let the pain behind the numbers take hold in your heart. In…
July 28, 2021
July 19, 2021
What the expanded Child Tax Credit means for Mississippians
Caroline JonesMore than one in four Mississippi children—including two-fifths of Black children—are living in poverty. It’s the highest percentage in the U.S., which as a country has one of the highest child poverty rates in the wealthy…
July 19, 2021
May 13, 2021
First impressions of Mississippi’s 2020 Census results
Jake McGraw
Mississippi was one of three states to lose population during the decade.
May 13, 2021
March 12, 2021
Capitol Dispatch: Weed, bigotry, tax cuts, and water
Jake McGraw
Running analysis and commentary about bills we’re watching in the 2021 Mississippi legislative session.
March 12, 2021
March 1, 2021
Capitol Dispatch: Taxation fixation
Jake McGraw
Running analysis and commentary about bills we’re watching in the 2021 legislative session.
March 1, 2021
February 15, 2021
Capitol Dispatch: Medicaid extraction
Jake McGraw
Running analysis and commentary about bills we’re watching in the 2021 legislative session.
February 15, 2021
October 6, 2020
Honoring Fannie Lou Hamer
Jake McGraw“There are two things we should all care about: never to forget where we came from and always praise the bridges that carried us over.? – Fannie Lou Hamer Mrs. Hamer ? born on October…
October 6, 2020
September 22, 2020
Are you registered to vote? Today’s the day to do it
Jake McGrawIn honor of National Voter Registration Day, we share these thoughts on civic responsibility written by Governor Winter in 2003. They feel as relevant as ever. ?The most important office is that of citizen. It…
September 22, 2020
September 2, 2020
Listen: a conversation with Bracey Harris about school segregation and reopening in COVID
Jake McGrawBracey Harris reports on education in Mississippi for the?The Hechinger?Report, a nonprofit education news service based at Columbia Teachers College.?Her stories illuminate the systemic effects of race and poverty while keeping the spotlight where it…
September 2, 2020
August 18, 2020
A visual primer on Mississippi’s brain drain (2020 update)
Jake McGraw
August 18, 2020
July 23, 2020
COVID is also a mental health epidemic
Jeran HerbertMental health and substance use challenges range from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction and more. Though some of these issues are? visible, many? can be harder to see when you?re not looking for them. In 2018,…
July 23, 2020
June 30, 2020
Podcast: our thoughts on Mississippi’s historic flag change
Jake McGrawThe sun has risen over Mississippi today, but for the first time in 126 years, the Confederate-themed state flag has not. The Winter Institute’s Jake McGraw, Jeran Herbert, and Von Gordon reflect on the remarkable…
June 30, 2020
June 24, 2020
Commentary: Changing the flag is just the start
Leah Davis and Susan M. Glisson
For now, leave the flagpoles bare. Let Mississippi earn a new flag that reflects an inclusive and just state.
June 24, 2020
May 1, 2020
Preparing for the Next Big One
Jake McGrawThis year, the next disaster keeps arriving before the last disaster is over. Historic rainfall in January and February swelled the Pearl River and flooded large swaths of Jackson and central Mississippi, inundating hundreds of…
May 1, 2020
April 17, 2020
Let Mississippians vote by mail in November
Jake McGrawOn November 3rd, more than 1.2 million Mississippians will cast their votes for the presidency, Congress, and a handful of down-ballot offices. At best, we will be in recovery from the worst public health and…
April 17, 2020
April 3, 2020
Keeping Mississippians at Home
Jake McGrawGovernor Reeves?s statewide stay-at-home order goes?into effect?today. It is a necessary ? and overdue ? measure to forestall the spread of the coronavirus that has infected at least 1,300 and killed 26 people in Mississippi….
April 3, 2020
March 27, 2020
Coronavirus and the Digital Divide?
Jake McGrawRight now, the best thing people can do for public health is?to isolate themselves at home. The best thing people can do?for?the economy is?to continue working. Both are possible for people who have?reliable internet access…
March 27, 2020
March 19, 2020
The recession has begun: How bad will it?get?
Jake McGrawConventional economic wisdom says that Mississippi is often the last state into and last state out of a national recession. That wisdom largely held for the 2001 and 2008 recessions, which started in sectors (tech…
March 19, 2020
March 12, 2020
Coronavirus arrives in Mississippi
Jake McGrawOn Wednesday night, Mississippi became the 39th state to confirm a case of COVID-19. Five more presumptive cases have been reported today. Coronavirus took a while to reach Mississippi, but now that it?s here, the…
March 12, 2020
March 5, 2020
Flood control in Jackson: two birds, ‘One Lake’?
Jake McGrawThe rainiest new year in memory swelled the Pearl River and inundated more than 450 homes and businesses in the Jackson area?in recent weeks. The flooding has been a humanitarian and economic disaster for a…
March 5, 2020
February 21, 2020
Happy birthday, Governor Winter
Jake McGrawFormer Governor William Winter, the namesake and inspiration of the Winter Institute, turns 97 today. His remarkable life has spanned nearly half of Mississippi?s 202-year history as a state. It?s a hard thing to fact…
February 21, 2020
November 1, 2019
Weekly roundup: Yes, we can read… and do math
Jake McGrawFor all of the standardized testing in schools these days, there’s only one exam that measures student achievement across the entire country. It’s the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is actually a set…
November 1, 2019
October 12, 2019
December 21, 2017
New Census data, same old story: People keep leaving Mississippi
Jake McGraw
Mississippi’s net migration loss since 2010 is almost equal to the population of Biloxi, the state’s fifth-largest city.
December 21, 2017
December 14, 2017
If my son?s going to be from Mississippi: One mother?s reflection on the bicentennial
Catherine Gray
“I hope that the bravery he sees in his predecessors makes him believe that he was built for brave choices, too.”
December 14, 2017
September 29, 2016
My Mississippi: The state flag is racist ? and unoriginal
Taylor McGraw
Every other state’s flag features something distinctive about itself. Why doesn’t ours?
September 29, 2016
September 23, 2016
Commentary: A call for a more careful use of rhetoric
LaToya Faulk, Jennifer Jackson, Amber Nichols-Buckley, & Sarah Bartlett Wilson
A response to recent columns The Daily Mississippian by professors of writing and rhetoric at the University of Mississippi.
September 23, 2016
September 23, 2016
My Mississippi: On being black and ready to die
Caleb Herod
“We are not shocked, because unfortunately we know it’s coming.”
September 23, 2016
September 14, 2016
My Mississippi: Delta Dojo
Michael Copperman
This is an excerpt from the new book, Teacher: Two Years in the Mississippi Delta.?
September 14, 2016
July 15, 2016
My Mississippi: Reading Ms. Welty after HB 1523
Douglas Ray
On a recent visit home, writer Douglas Ray reflected on Mississippi’s humane letters and inhumane laws.
July 15, 2016
May 19, 2016
My Mississippi: Home at the China-King Buffet
Michael Copperman
A former teacher’s reflection on breaking the black-white dichotomy in the Mississippi Delta.
May 19, 2016
April 29, 2016
My Mississippi: Delta students take flight
Catherine Sarenac
An upcoming trip to Canada is already broadening horizons.
April 29, 2016
April 8, 2016
My Mississippi: A setback and a sigh
Alex Beene
HB 1523 has been on the minds of Mississippi natives living in other parts of the country. For many, it underscores why they left.
April 8, 2016
March 18, 2016
Love it or leave it?
Jake McGraw
A state representative’s abrasive email sheds light on Mississippi’s self-destructive mentality.
March 18, 2016
January 25, 2016
Commentary: Mississippi does not have a state lottery. Let’s keep it that way.
Jake McGraw
The benefits are overstated, the costs are underestimated, and there are much better ways to fund essential services.
January 25, 2016
January 14, 2016
Why doesn’t Mississippi have a lottery?
Jake McGraw
It’s a simple question that requires a complex answer.
January 14, 2016
December 23, 2015
Mississippi’s SNAP Trap
Joel Dillard, Scalawag Magazine
What happens when states prosecute people on food stamps before they prosecute people who commit tax fraud worth millions of dollars?
December 23, 2015
December 17, 2015
A conversation with William Winter
Lamees El-sadek
The former governor shares his thoughts on education, racism, millennials’ obligation to social justice, and Mississippi’s place in America
December 17, 2015
November 20, 2015
Commentary: Why I joined the nationwide fast food strike
Cajania Brown
The average fast food worker in Mississippi earns less than the poverty line and receives few benefits or protections.
November 20, 2015
October 22, 2015
To rebuild after a storm, focus on building assets before it hits
Matt Williams, Mississippi Center for Justice
East Biloxi residents are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. Community organizations are doing their part to promote economic stability, but state policymakers need to lift unnecessary burdens.
October 22, 2015
September 22, 2015
Pre-K study shows that Mississippi kids succeed when given a chance
Jake McGraw
An analysis of MDE data shows that pre-K attendance can kickstart a positive domino effect that raises the likelihood of long-term academic success.
September 22, 2015
September 18, 2015
Read the fine print on special education vouchers
Jeremy Eisler, Mississippi Center for Justice
Special needs students are legally entitled to free, appropriate public education services. In order to accept one of Mississippi’s new $6,500 vouchers, they must waive that right ? with potentially costly consequences.
September 18, 2015
September 8, 2015
Commentary: How to make $60,000 when schools are underfunded
Jake McGraw
Become a lawyer and represent the Legislature when it evades its responsibility to adequately support public schools.
September 8, 2015
September 1, 2015
Mississippi leads south in black student suspensions
Jackie Mader, The Hechinger Report
Black students compose half of Mississippi’s enrollment but receive 74 percent of suspensions according to a new analysis of federal school discipline data.
September 1, 2015
August 14, 2015
Four policies that would close the wage gap for Mississippi women
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
White women in make only 79 cents for every dollar earned by white men. The gap is even worse for black women.
August 14, 2015
August 14, 2015
Healthy food, healthy children, healthy future
Mississippi Economic Policy Center
Thanks to a new policy, 250 high-poverty Mississippi schools are offering nutritious breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge.
August 14, 2015
August 14, 2015
Primary Colors: How Robert Gray’s upset was more than a century in the making
Jake McGraw
Mississippi’s anachronistic primary system made it possible for a mystery man to win the Democratic nomination for governor.
August 14, 2015
August 7, 2015
Watch Jon Stewart’s best segments about Mississippi
Jake McGraw
Even when ‘The Daily Show’ hit close to home, it was hard not to laugh.
August 7, 2015
August 4, 2015
Mississippi’s unfilled prescription
Mississippi Center for Justice
The refusal to expand Medicaid means hundreds of thousands of Mississippians will remain without health insurance ? and healthcare providers will be forced to pick up the tab.
August 4, 2015
May 22, 2015
What Works in Mississippi: A Q&A with the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi
Mississippi Economic Policy Center
?What Works in Mississippi? is series that will highlight current issues faced by working Mississippians and the good work being done to address those challenges. Our first subject is the Women?s Foundation of Mississippi, a…
May 22, 2015
May 14, 2015
Supporting working moms is smart economic policy
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
More than 300,000 mothers in Mississippi depend on the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
May 14, 2015
May 12, 2015
Mississippi’s leaders thought welfare recipients were on drugs. They were wrong.
Matt Williams, Mississippi Center for Justice
Mississippi has screened 5,578 TANF applicants for drug use since August. Only eight (0.14 percent) have tested positive.
May 12, 2015
May 2, 2015
College degrees are out of reach for most Mississippians
Jessica Shappley, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
Mississippi has one of the nation’s lowest rates of higher education attainment and one of the highest rates of student loan default.
May 2, 2015
April 16, 2015
Closing the book on fiscally-irresponsible tax cuts
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
The tax cut proposal defeated during the legislative session would have placed necessary investments at risk without improving the state’s economic competitiveness.
April 16, 2015
March 29, 2015
Commentary: The College Board?s dismissal of Dan Jones sets a dangerous precedent
Jake McGraw
If you take the IHL Board at their word, the University of Mississippi’s educational and social mission is subordinate to the quest for financial returns.
March 29, 2015
March 24, 2015
Letter from recent ASB presidents: Why Chancellor Jones won?t be easy to replace
Rethink Mississippi Staff
Four Ole Miss student body presidents say that the IHL Board has threatened the progress they worked with Dan Jones to achieve.
March 24, 2015
March 21, 2015
If you want to stand with Dan Jones, here’s what you can do
Jake McGraw
Don’t take the unjustified firing of Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones lying down.
March 21, 2015
March 17, 2015
Updated Senate plan would cut $550 million in corporate and income taxes
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
The “compromise” plan adds $170 million to the price tag — roughly as much as the Legislature underfunded K-12 education this year.
March 17, 2015
March 17, 2015
Ten things you should know about Mississippi’s tax cut plans
Jake McGraw
Will the Legislature mortgage the state’s long-term fiscal health for an election year boost? Check back for updates.
March 17, 2015
March 12, 2015
Why 3 percent growth won?t really ‘cover’ the costs of eliminating the income tax
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
If the economy grows, the income tax cut will become more expensive in absolute terms — as will the cost of education, infrastructure, and other public services.
March 12, 2015
March 5, 2015
House and Senate tax plans do little for struggling working families
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
Low- and middle-income Mississippians pay the state’s highest tax rates, but the Legislature has left them out of tax cut discussions.
March 5, 2015
March 4, 2015
Income tax elimination could tank Mississippi’s already-poor economy
Sebastian Johnson, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Mississippi lawmakers are playing a game of one-upmanship when it comes to tax proposals, but the biggest losers could be taxpayers if lawmakers enact one of the more ill-advised plans.
March 4, 2015
March 4, 2015
Mississippi cannot afford House or Senate tax cut plans
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
The Legislature’s tax cut proposals would require spending reductions for key services like education, infrastructure, mental health, and public safety.
March 4, 2015
February 25, 2015
Wealthy Mississippians would benefit most from income tax elimination
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
Eliminating the individual income tax would mean either a massive erosion of resources for education and other priorities or a tax shift from wealthy Mississippians to working families who are struggling to make ends meet.
February 25, 2015
February 25, 2015
Eliminating the state income tax in Mississippi: Is it a tax cut or a tax shift?
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
If the Legislature phases out the state’s second-largest revenue source, future budgets will be forced to slash essential investments or raise taxes and fees on low- and middle-income families.
February 25, 2015
February 24, 2015
Op-Ed: Toasting the demise of SB 2767
Natalie A. Collier
The bill, which would have prohibited abortions based on determinations of race or gender, played on disturbing stereotypes in yet another attempt to limit reproductive justice.
February 24, 2015
February 20, 2015
‘My Mississippi, Your Mississippi, and Our Mississippi’
Jake McGraw
The following speech by U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves — Mississippi’s second African American federal judge — has been shared widely since it was read in his courtroom?on February 10. The occasion was a…
February 20, 2015
February 12, 2015
Large corporate tax cuts are not the answer for Mississippi’s working families
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
Forbes ranked Mississippi the worst state for business because of a poorly-educated workforce and substandard quality of life factors. Durable investments are needed, not more corporate tax cuts.
February 12, 2015
February 10, 2015
To reduce unplanned pregnancies, focus on older teens and young adults
Jamie Bardwell, Women's Foundation of Mississippi
A 2014 law requires all of Mississippi’s two- and four-year colleges to develop plans to address unplanned pregnancy on campus. This is a good start, but more needs to be done.
February 10, 2015
February 2, 2015
Many working Mississippians struggle to escape the poverty trap
Low-wage jobs, inadequate savings, and the lack of proper financial tools keep many working Mississippians in a perpetual state of insecurity.
February 2, 2015
January 30, 2015
For most Mississippi families, ‘middle class’ does not imply economic security
62 percent of Mississippi households do not have enough savings to weather a job loss or medical emergency.
January 30, 2015
January 26, 2015
Mississippi has the most elected superintendents in the country. Here’s what it means for students.
Owen Phillips
Small school districts fare worse when superintendents are elected rather than appointed.
January 26, 2015
January 14, 2015
Report: In Mississippi, lower income means higher state and local taxes
High sales taxes place a disproportionate burden on low-income families, according report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
January 14, 2015
January 13, 2015
What does the Legislature’s alternative mean for Initiative 42?
Jake McGraw
It makes it harder to pass. Plain and simple.
January 13, 2015
January 8, 2015
These are the countries with lower infant mortality rates than Mississippi
Jake McGraw
Nearly 10 out of every 1,000 children do not survive their first year of life, making Mississippi one of the riskiest places to be born in the developed world.
January 8, 2015
January 5, 2015
Commentary: Will Gov. Bryant’s poverty plans ever go beyond ‘welfare junkies’ and ‘dice-shooting deadbeats’?
Jake McGraw
The governor of the country’s poorest state has exhausted all the stereotpyes about poverty. This is his last legislative session before reelection to address the needs of real people.
January 5, 2015
January 5, 2015
Universal meal program is ending hunger in high-poverty schools (as long as they sign up)
28.7 percent of Mississippi children do not have consistent, dependable access to nutritious food at home. The high-poverty community eligibility provision has extended school meals to thousands more Mississippi students, but hundreds of eligible schools…
January 5, 2015
December 18, 2014
Stephen Colbert’s best Mississippi-themed segments
Jake McGraw
Even when “The Colbert Report” hit close to home, it was hard not to laugh.
December 18, 2014
December 18, 2014
Budget recommendation shortchanges schools and Medicaid
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
Despite revenue growth and full reserves, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee’s FY2016 proposal fails to adequately fund the state’s education and health commitments.
December 18, 2014
December 15, 2014
Principal predicts ‘chaos’ if Mississippi drops Common Core
admin
Enterprise Attendance Center Principal Shannon Eubanks says the suggestion to drop Mississippi?s standards is ?political pandering.?
December 15, 2014
December 10, 2014
Legislative Budget Committee recommends sweeping budget cuts despite revenue growth and full reserves
Sara Miller, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
Despite $166 million in additional revenue, cuts are recommended for every major budget category except for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, for which the proposal includes a very small increase for teacher pay raises enacted…
December 10, 2014
December 10, 2014
Old beer laws are stifling new economic growth. Here’s how Mississippi can adapt.
Matthew McLaughlin
Craft breweries are an economic and cultural boon for Mississippi, but an outdated regulatory regime threatens their competitiveness and sustainability.
December 10, 2014
December 8, 2014
The Banking Divide: Nearly half of Mississippians lack the proper financial tools to save
Unbanked and underbanked households typically operate in a cash-based system, and, as a result, do not have the same financial security and opportunities as those who bank with traditional financial institutions.
December 8, 2014
November 12, 2014
Report: To lift kids out of poverty, help their parents, too
Reducing child poverty requires a “two-generation approach,” according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest KIDS COUNT report.
November 12, 2014
October 30, 2014
Tackling persistent poverty in Mississippi: Ideas from the Mississippi Economic Policy Center’s policy conference
Rethink Mississippi Staff
Folllow our running feed to get the best insights and ideas from the Mississippi Economic Policy Center’s 2014 conference.
October 30, 2014
October 24, 2014
Mississippi narrows the opportunity gap, but key deficiencies remain
Jackie Mader, The Hechinger Report
Despite modest education gains, Mississippi still ranks second from the bottom in annual “Opportunity Index.”
October 24, 2014
October 23, 2014
Report: Mississippi spends $623 less per student than in 2008
A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that Mississippi ranks among the worst in the country in depth of cuts to school funding since the start of the recession.
October 23, 2014
October 21, 2014
The myth that allows Mississippi to ignore a third of its children
Jake McGraw
The handful of Mississippians who have risen from poverty to prominence occupy more space in our imaginations — and our TVs, books, blogs, etc. — than combined stories of the 256,000 Mississippi children currently living…
October 21, 2014
October 13, 2014
Egg Bowl ticket or rent? Which would you pick?
Jake McGraw
Mississippi’s football success is getting very, very expensive.
October 13, 2014
October 5, 2014
History says Mississippi can’t have two good SEC football teams at the same time. Has that changed?
Jake McGraw
During a season in which Mississippi boasted two of the country’s top three college football teams, we explore the question that has frustrated Rebels and Bulldogs for a century.
October 5, 2014
September 25, 2014
Starting with quality data, Mississippi KIDS COUNT works to improve child well-being
For the 24th time in 25 years, Mississippi finished last in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s index of 16 child well-being indicators. The director of Mississippi KIDS COUNT provides an explanation of the rankings.
September 25, 2014
September 24, 2014
Mississippi’s businesses demand investment, not tax cuts
Despite low taxes, Mississippi ranked 49th in Forbes’s 2013 business climate survey thanks to a poorly-trained labor force and low quality of life.
September 24, 2014
September 18, 2014
Mississippi produces the most ‘geniuses’ in the South
Jake McGraw
Mississippians win MacArthur “Genius Grants” at a higher rate than residents of any other Southern state. What, if anything, does that say about us?
September 18, 2014
September 16, 2014
Mississippi’s jobs problem is also an income problem
After more than a decade of stagnant wages, one in three jobs in Mississippi does not pay enough to lift a family of four out of poverty.
September 16, 2014
September 11, 2014
Despite moderate recovery, Mississippi’s job market remains the weakest in the nation
Deeneaus Polk, Mississippi Economic Policy Center
At 8 percent, Mississippi?s unemployment rate was the highest in the nation for July.
September 11, 2014
September 2, 2014
Mississippi’s black males are twice as likely to drop out as their peers. This is no time to cut back on education funding.
From 2006 to 2012, the dropout rate for black males in Mississippi schools has been above 20 percent while the dropout rate for all students has declined from 17.6 percent to 13.9 percent.
September 2, 2014
August 15, 2014
To prevent a ‘license to discriminate,’ don’t let anti-LGBT judges run unopposed
Jake McGraw
This week’s same-sex marriage ruling from Rankin County shows the hostility to LGBT rights among some of Mississippi’s elected judges.
August 15, 2014
August 14, 2014
Sound, fury, and the burden of Mississippi history
Jake McGraw
As Faulkner instructs, the past is never dead. But lingering Confederate sympathy among Mississippians ? flaring in the wake of the University of Mississippi’s diversity and inclusion report ? proves that it is often misremembered….
August 14, 2014
August 4, 2014
Commentary: Dr. Jones knows if Ole Miss leads, others will pay attention
Adam Ganucheau
Mississippi’s flagship university has the opportunity to be a leader for institutions dealing with legacies of racism and exclusion. But before that can happen, we need to support Dan Jones’s leadership from within.
August 4, 2014
July 29, 2014
Medicaid expansion is a prescription that Mississippi needs to fill
Matt Williams, Mississippi Center for Justice
Mississippi?s rejection of Medicaid expansion means that hundreds of thousands will remain without insurance ? and healthcare providers will be forced to pick up the tab.
July 29, 2014
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