By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
The Grand Opening Ceremony and Ribbon-Cutting was held for Farish Street Green at 10AM Monday, October 5, 2026, with organizers, project partners, implementors, and community members – nearly 100 people on hand. The Farish Street Green is located on Farish Street between Amite Street and James Meredith Drive and is labeled on Google Maps as Farish Street Courtyard.
Dr. Dominika Parry is the founding president and CEO of 2CMississippi, an environmental economist and passionate about climate change. After determining that there are many urban heat islands in Jackson, she brought together a host of partners to begin addressing the impacts of climate change. There was significant community outreach conducted and citizens decided that the urban heat island on Farish Street should be addressed first. The Green is filled with trellis’s, trees, benches, a stage, and more. After an opening prayer by the Executive Director of Farish Street Community of Shalom, Minister Dorothy Davis, Nic Lott, Communications Director for the City of Jackson gave remarks. He shared regrets that Jackson Mayor John Horhn could not attend because he was at the ribbon-cutting for Canopy Children’s Solution, CARES Center Expansion.
Ward 7 Councilman Kevin Parkinson shared, “the very first ground-breaking that I attended was for this park. Ribbon-cuttings are always better than groundbreakings because groundbreakings tell you the work that we are going to do, and ribbon-cuttings show you the work that we have done. He spoke about heat resiliency, “if you are sitting here today saying to yourself, I hope this event wraps up before it gets too hot – that is the whole point. By 2050, in Jackson, Mississippi, a third of our days will have a heat index of ninety degrees or more. You will experience days with a heat index of 100 degrees or more in the month of May. We need to be prepared, and that is what this project is all about. It is designed to help cool the surrounding community – you can check the data yourself; this is a hot spot in our city…”
Dorothy Davis, Executive Director and Board President of Farish Street Community of Shalom, shared, “it is so good to be known, for the right reasons…this project actually started in the year of COVID – 2020. We had to go on pause for a while, but we did not give up the fight. People question some of these buildings, comments about so much negativity, but I feel that God has blessed us to call this home, and I just don’t feel that He is going to leave us back. This will be a place of refuge, a place of celebration. As I drive through Jackson, I see all these other areas being built up, so why not our Historic District…out of the ashes we shall rise.”
Davis brought forth James Brandon Davis to assist her in unveiling a placard with a photo of Dr. Dewey A. Handy, who had served on the board of directors for fifteen years before his passing and was deeply involved in the early years of the project. She announced that Farish Street Green is dedicated in loving memory to Dr. Handy.
The Farish Street Community of Shalom includes 2CMississippi, Jackson Redevelopment Authority, Gulf Coast Housing, New Hope MB Church, Central United Methodist Church, Blair Street AME Zion Church, People’s Funeral Home, Marshall’s Music and Bookstore, Big Apple Restaurant, Johnny T’s Bistro and Lounge, Mt. Helm Baptist Church, and Farish Street Baptist Church.
Alex Lawson, CEO and Executive Director of Jackson Redevelopment Authority (JRA), shared, “yes, you made my pitch for me, please come and buy these buildings. This was an underused space on one of the most historic streets in our city. It’s now a place where people can gather comfortably, a place where they can bring life back to this area. Some of the people that envisioned this space were eyewitnesses to Farish Street at its peak…government doesn’t always have to have the idea, sometimes the community has the idea and our responsibility is to listen…all across our country, communities that often have the least protection from the heat often have been Black communities and lower-income communities. It’s not simply about beautification. This is infrastructure…”
Professor Jassen Callender, Director of Mississippi State University Jackson Community Design Center, in partnership from the onset of the project, focused on gratitude. “The School of Architecture at MSU next year will celebrate 50 years in Jackson. It was one of the visions of the founders of the school that our students could come here and learn from a mid-sized American city and what it takes to revitalize mid-sized American cities. Our students come away with a love for places like this and an understanding of things that are possible…”
Just prior to the actual ribbon-cutting, James Brandon Davis was introduced as a young person involved with this project. “I’m James Brandon Davis and I am from the University of South Jackson and the Myrle Evers Community Development Center. This is a change for the better in Jackson. I have worked on the project for three years…” In a complete surprise, he was offered a $3,000 stipend to help with his continued education.
Project partners for Farish Street Green are Farish Street Community of Shalom, Jackson Redevelopment Authority, City of Jackson Mississippi, Mississippi State University School of Architecture, CAPA Strategies, and Jackson Community Design Center.
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