By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
Especially when growing up, if I had a nickel for every time I heard my mother say, “the Lord (or God) works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform,” I’d surely be a wealthy man. She was right, of course, but there were no nickels. Fortunately for me, God has always led me to the right path, and without a doubt, wealth can be measured in other ways besides money. That’s just the way it was when I was led to The Mississippi Link newspaper.
After forty-two years in active-duty military service, municipal and federal government service, an opportunity presented itself to fully retire. Confident that I still had some tread on my tires, I decided to move from Norfolk, Virginia to Jackson, Mississippi to devote whatever time I had left to the pursuit of justice. Mississippi is ground-zero in terms of ongoing racial and economic injustice, making Jackson the perfect fit for me. Time had long ago taught me that I had served under the flag of a nation that did not serve all of those under it, equally or equitably. Little did I know that well within a year of moving to Mississippi, my free-verse writings about Mississippi itself, would lead me straight to The Mississippi Link newspaper, and its publisher – Jacquelyn “Jackie” Hayes Hampton – who serves on the Board of Directors of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).
NNPA, known throughout the United States and far beyond as The Black Press of America, or simply, The Black Press – has well over 200 members. A brilliant light constantly shining on all things of importance in and to the African American community. The voice of the Black community, has 22+ million readers each week of the year, and every month of the year member organizations are celebrating anniversaries all over the country. Here in Mississippi, it’s October, and that means it’s time to mark the anniversary of The Mississippi Link newspaper. Thirty-two years of effort, persistence, and commitment. Thirty-two years of knowledge, information, and truth. Thirty-two years of lifting your voices and ensuring your stories are told. Never once, in 32 years, has The Mississippi Link newspaper missed a weekly issue – not once.
I’m white, as in – European American. My youngest daughter made me do the 23andMe thing – so there’s proof. It’s certainly not unheard of for a pale person like me to write articles that are published in African American newspapers, but it’s not that common, either. Shortly after meeting, Jackie asked me if I had ever been to Selma – to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the site of Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. I told her I had only been there in my mind, never in person. She suggested I go and bring back a story for the paper, with photos. I did, and my draft was an editor’s nightmare. She was patient, direct, and challenging in getting it press-day ready. She already knew what I didn’t, that because of the subject matter, it was destined for the cover of the March 10, 2022, issue. Since then, it’s been a rare week when I haven’t contributed.
Surely not a trained journalist, just an aspiring writer with a heart for justice, embraced by an African American and woman-owned newspaper, given opportunity to learn and grow. Mr. Socrates Garrett first heard my free-verse poems and quickly introduced me to Jackie Hampton. He had started what was the initial version of the paper – Today’s Mississippi, Tomorrow’s South. “The Jackson Advocate was more into social justice, but I really wanted a paper that would focus more on the economic injustices that we were seeing every day,” per Garrett, speaking about the early days of the paper.
Years later he turned the paper over completely to Jackie, who is the Publisher and co-owner, and his sister Minnie Garrett, who is the Copy Editor and co-owner. While Minnie has been with the paper since Day 1, Marcus Johnson rounds out the in-house team for the last thirteen years – handling all aspects of layout and graphics. A small tight team delivering big impact each week.
Scores of various types of writers load the paper with original content that is informative and relevant. Special columns are devoted to health, fitness, marriage, book reviews, sports, and area schools. Advertisers, large and small, know the value of the community marketplace and provide a constant reminder of their products and services. This team – ‘Keepers of the knowledge for people who speak the truth since 1993’ – turns itself inside out to keep readers informed in-print and digitally.
Northwestern University’s State and Local News Project tell us that since 2005, more than 3,200 print newspapers have vanished. Newspapers continue to disappear at a rate of more than two per week; in the past year alone, 130 newspapers have shut their doors. The American Journalism Project says, “research shows that the loss of local news is having an insidious effect on our democracy — contributing to polarization, decrease in voting, and government accountability.”
Congratulations to The Mississippi Link newspaper on 32 years of service and success. To our readers and community in the Jackson Metro and beyond, please step up now to support this newspaper just like it supports you. For less than a dollar a week, you can start a new subscription, renew your subscription, give a gift subscription. You can also take out a long-term ad. Take it from me, an unlikely and grateful contributor, your support is needed.
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