MFP Live Podcast

On this special episode of MFP Live, young Mississippians discuss what racial healing looks like in Mississippi on the 7th annual W.K. Kellogg Foundation National Day of Racial Healing. 

Within the conversation, panelists discussed the individual work that they have been doing within Mississippi along with discussing the issues that they are currently working on to make Mississippi a better place for all. 

The moderator was Arielle Hudson and the panelists include Tyler Yarbrough, Leah Davis, Jordan Jefferson, Maisie Brown and Jarrius Adams. 

W.K. Kellogg Foundation provides support for the Mississippi Free Press, and Donna Ladd is a former Community Leadership Network Fellow for Mississippi.

On this episode of MFP Live, Donna Ladd and Kimberly Griffin talk to Rhea Williams-Bishop, of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Von Gordon of the Alluvial Collective.

They discussed the recent 7th annual W.K. Kellogg Foundation National Day of Racial Healing. They also discussed the power in creating space to hold conversations to help further various communities and societies. 

Rhea is a three-time graduate of Jackson State University where she earned an undergraduate degree in Urban Affairs, a Masters in Public Policy and a doctorate in philosophy in educational leadership. Rhea was raised in Carthage, Mississippi.

Von is a graduate of University of Mississippi where he was a student leader and helped organize the first statewide summit on race. He served as a founding board member of the Winter Institute and the only student representative. He is a member of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation provides support for the Mississippi Free Press, and Donna Ladd is a former Community Leadership Network Fellow for Mississippi.

On this episode of MFP Live, Donna Ladd and Kimberly Griffin talk to Keith Beauchamp, Deborah Watts and Jaribu Hill about “Till”, the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s endless pursuit of justice for her son Emmett Till. 

They discussed the exciting journey of creating the film based on Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight for justice as well as the recent discoveries that was made within the Emmett Till case. They also discussed the ongoing work of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation and their commitment to getting justice for Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till. 

Keith Beauchamp is a filmmaker, co-writer and producer of the feature film “Till”. Keith has been featured on a number of broadcasts and publications including “60 Minutes”, ABC World News Tonight, Associated Press,    and Jackson Free Press. Keith’s documentary “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till” was a major factor in the decision to reopening the murder case back in 2004.  Keith is a member of The Mississippi Free Press Advisory Board. 

Deborah Watts is an author, motivational speaker, co-founder of Emmett Till Legacy Foundation and the cousin of Emmett Till. She has been featured in a number of broadcasts and publications including Black Enterprise, Essence, and MSNBC. Deborah is also the first African American woman to represent Minnesota’s third congressional district as a 2004 candidate for Congress in the United States House of Representatives.

Jaribu Hill is an author, civil and human rights attorney. She is the founder and executive director of the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights. She is the author of Knowledge is Power—A Know Your Rights Manual and co-author of The Black College Guide. she  has appeared on various TV and Radio programs, including TV One’s acclaimed series: Murder in Black and White. She also  serves on Mississippi’s Access to Justice Commission and hosts “Talking Rights With Jaribu”, a weekly radio program on WDSV 91.9 FM.

On this episode of MFP Live, Kimberly Griffin and Azia Wiggins talk to Dr. Byron D’Andra Orey, political science professor at Jackson State University.

They discussed the various forms of voter suppression in Mississippi along with the complexities of Mississippi politics. They also discussed redlining and redistricting and their lasting effects in Mississippi. 

Dr. Orey is a Jackson, Mississippi native. He has earned his  PhD from the University of New Orleans in Political Science. He has a masters in political science from State University of New York at Stony Brook, a masters of public administration from University of Mississippi and bachelor of science in business administration from Mississippi Valley State University.

On this episode of MFP Live, Kimberly Griffin and Azia Wiggins speak to Kanika Welch, executive director of The Bean Path, and Anik Kurkjian, the organization's director of STEAM and their newly opened Makerspace. 

They discussed The Bean Path and the ever-growing impact that the tech literacy organization is making within the Jackson community through their Makerspace and STEAM-inspired programming. They also discussed their plans for furthering the Jackson Tech District and providing space for local talent to flourish. 

Kanika is a Jackson, Mississippi native and graduate of Alcorn State University. Anik is from the United Kingdom and graduated from the University of Brighton.

On this episode of MFP Live, Donna Ladd and Kimberly Griffin speak to journalist, filmmaker and teacher Ellen Ann Fentress. 

    

They discussed Ellen Ann’s years as a student at Pillow Academy, a segregation academy near Greenwood, Mississippi, and how she came to terms with her time there and the way it shaped her. They also discussed how a reflection essay written in 2019 led her to create "The Academy Stories," an online forum examining segregation academies’ impact on their recent and past graduates. 

Ellen Ann is a native of Greenwood, Mississippi. As a journalist, her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Oxford American, The Bitter Southerner, The Baffler and Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

On this episode of MFP Live, Donna Ladd and Kimberly Griffin speak to Mississippi chef Nick Wallace. 

Nick discussed his introduction to cooking from his grandmothers’ kitchen and how that has shaped his culinary techniques. Mixing his Mississippi roots with French culinary techniques, Nick elevated southern dishes into tasty creations that he calls “modern Mississippi cuisine”. They also discussed his dedication to giving back to Mississippi through his nonprofit, CreativityKitchen, which works with Jackson Public Schools to ensure children are receiving nutritious and delicious meals. 

Nick has made a name for himself in the world of television cooking competitions, having competed on “Comfort Nation,” “Chopped,” “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Firemasters,” “Unexplored America–Mississippi,” “50 States 50 Chefs,” and most recently, season 19 of “Top Chef.” In Mississippi, though, he has already established himself as a local favorite.

On this episode of MFP Live, Donna Ladd and Kimberly Griffin speak to David Rae Morris. 

David is the author of “Love, Daddy: Letters from my Father” a book that examines the loving but complicated relationship of father and son through letters and photographs over the course of 20 years. They discussed David’s difficulties of growing up with his father, Willie Morris, who had a larger than life personality but also struggled with alcoholism.The book comes 22 years after the publication of Morris’ first book collaboration with his father. “My Mississippi,” which was near completion at the time of Willie Morris’ sudden death in 1999, was a collection of essays and photographs of and about the state and its people by the Mississippi native father and the son who came to the state as an “outsider.”Although David is not a Mississippi native, Mississippi is often featured in his photography. 

Currently living in New Orleans, David has done extensive work in New Orleans, including extensive photographic documentation of Hurricane Katrina which resulted in a solo exhibition called “Do You Know What it Means? The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina” at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.David’s photos can also be found in private and public collections including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans and Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson.

On this episode of MFP Live, Kimberly Griffin and Azia Wiggins speak to Arekia Bennett Scott and Velvet Johnson from Mississippi Votes. 

Arekia, executive director and Velvet, program director of Mississippi Votes, discussed the statewide voter organization and how it is in the unique position of engaging young Mississippians in civic involvement. 

Led by members of the millennial generation and younger, they also discussed how important it is to meet the youth of Mississippi where they are when it comes to voting engagement and giving them the space to create the solutions that they would like to see. 

On Juneteenth, Mississippi Votes launched a campaign called Up2Us in hopes of engaging the community around upcoming midterm elections.

Arekia is a Jackson, Mississippi native and graduate of Jackson State University, and Velvet is a McCool, Mississippi native and graduate of Millsaps College.

On this episode of MFP Live, Donna Ladd and Kimberly Griffin's guest is comedian, musician, writer, and military veteran Rita Brent.

In the episode, the three discuss how Brent’s willingness to try different things led her into comedy and opened doors to the many places that her career has taken her. They also discuss her desire to always stay connected to Mississippi, as well as her exciting new upcoming projects.

The multi-hyphenate creative is a Jackson, Mississippi native and a graduate of Jackson State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass and Speech Communication. She is a former radio host and producer for Mississippi Public Broadcasting and was a drummer in the 41st Army National Guard Band.

Since embarking on her career in comedy, Brent has toured with comedians Rickey Smiley and Cedric the Entertainer, and was featured on Kevin Hart’s Comedy Central Show, “Hart of the City''. Recently, she has worked as a writer for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, the 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards Show, and “Stand Out: An LBGTQ+ Celebration”, part of "Netflix is a Joke: The Festival."