Congratulations
JSU Men’s
VOL. 72, NO. 20
Advocate welcomes
Alphas to capital city
By Alice Thomas-Tisdale
Jackson Advocate Publisher
Over 1,000 members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will be in
Jackson this weekend to celebrate the achievements of its Southern
Region, which consists of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida,
Tennessee and the Carolinas. On tap to welcome conferees will be
Mayor Harvey Jackson, a member of the Alpha order. The theme for
Fir st Lady captivates Jackson
Michelle Obama visits Brinkley Middle School to talk about her new initiative ‘Let’s Move’. Tiffany Thomas (right) gave an enthusiastic
introduction of the first lady. (PHOTO: DeAnna Tisdale)
Jackson rally draws national
attention to Scott Sisters case
By Earnest McBride
JA Contributing Editor
Increasing demands for ad-
equate medical treatment for
state prisoner Jamie Scott,
who suffered double-kidney
failure in December, reached
far into the Mississippi’s cor-
ridors of power last week be-
hind the determined voice of
civil rights veteran Charles
Evers and other community
leaders.
A dozen members of the
Legislative Black Caucus, in-
cluding three female state rep-
resentatives and a state
senator, all pledged to take ac-
tion inside state government
to bring justice to the suffer-
ing Scott sisters.
Evers, the general manager
of radio station WMPR-FM in
Jackson, staged the rally of
about 200 inside the Capitol,
after being encouraged by
radio announcer Rip Daniels
of Gulfport, who has stimu-
lated interest throughout Mis-
Budget move ends conflict over prisons vs schools
By Earnest McBride
JA Contributing Editor
In the heat of the battle over
the state budget, prison com-
missioner Christopher Epps
took issue with a statement cir-
culated by Representative
George Flaggs of Vicksburg
that implied the state was giv-
ing a higher priority to prison
inmates than to public school
students.
When Senate Bill 2688
passed in late February with
$86 million in funds to restore
some of the cuts made in edu-
MARCH 4-10, 2010
See Alphas on 10A
Civil Rights Leader Charles Evers rallies crowd inside State Capitol.
sissippi in the case. Evers
called for Mississippi Gover-
nor Haley Barbour to release
Jamie Scott from prison be-
cause of her serious medical
condition.
“Jamie’s now in the hospi-
tal,” Evers said. “And she’s
lost both kidneys. And she’s
cation and other departments,
Gov. Haley Barbour threat-
ened to veto the bill unless $16
million of that money went to
the Department of Corrections.
The bill allowed only $1 mil-
lion to supplement DOC fund-
ing and Barbour vetoed it on
February 24. Flaggs accused
the governor of using the veto
to support the prisons at the
expense of education.
It costs $8762 a year more
to house an inmate than to ed-
ucate a student in the public
schools, Flaggs said.
THE VOICE OF BLACK
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
Kelsey Rushing
Mississippi
begging for help. Now, Gov-
ernor, suppose this was your
daughter. I know you
wouldn’t just leave her in
prison like this. The governor
has the power to release any-
one. You know he has re-
leased murderers. He’s
pardoned a young man who
Epps Flaggs
“The state of Mississippi
should reflect its priority of
funding the education of our
most precious resource, our
children, by restoring FY (fis-
cal year) 2010 at the maximum
possible rather than diverting
MISSISSIPPIANS
www.jacksonadvocate.com
Laurence Aikens
North Carolina
shot his wife in cold blood.
Shot her brains out in his own
home on the Gulf Coast. Now,
why can’t he do the same for
this young woman?”
Evers said he would meet
with Mississippi Prison Com-
missioner Chris Epps to urge
See Rally on 10A
state funds to the Department
of Corrections,” he said.
DOC Commissioner Epps
wrote members of the state
legislature to rebut Flaggs’
charges that the state prison
system was getting better
treatment in restoring reduced
budget funding than the
schools are getting.
The Mississippi Adequate
Education Program requires
that each K-12 school district
have enough funds to provide
a certain quality of education
for all students.
B a s ke t b a l l
SWAC
champions
SECTION A & B 50¢
Adrian West Ronald M. Natson
South Carolina Georgia
By ReJohn Mit’chel
JA Contributing Writer
Before a standing-room-only crowd of enthusi-
astic middle school students, school board execu-
tives, state legislators, various city mayors, county
supervisors, and the local list of VIP’s and Who’s
Who of Metro Jackson, First Lady Michelle
Obama, accompanied by Governor Haley Barbour
and Mississippi First Lady Marsha Barbour, intro-
duced her “Let’s Move” initiative promoting
healthy eating, nutrition, and physical activity in
schools.
“I am happy to be here,” the First Lady said. “I
am here first of all, and more importantly, as a
Mother. One thing I enjoy about living in the
White House is leaving to visit schools like Pecan
Park Elementary and Brinkley Middle School. I
am not here to highlight what is wrong. I am here to
highlight what you have been doing that is right;
like your ‘Jump Start Jackson’ and ‘Lets go Walk-
ing Mississippi’ initiatives.”
Ms. Obama shared her goal of ending the epi-
demic of obesity in one generation. For the first
time in the history of the United States, the possibil-
ity of a younger generation not outliving their par-
ents has become a reality. This is due in part to the
epidemic of obesity. The current obesity trend car-
ries with it potentially fatal health problems such as
See Obama on 10A
Dr. Ronald Mason, Jr.
Dr. Beverly Hogan
President chooses
Hogan and Mason
•Pair to serve on HBCU board
By Alice Thomas-Tisdale
Jackson Advocate Publisher
In order to advance equal opportunity in higher education
and strengthen the capacity of the nation’s 105 historically
black colleges and universities, President Barack Obama has
reestablished the White House Initiative on HBCUs and the
President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs. The last such
HBCU initiative was in 2002. On his list of 11 appointees
are Tougaloo College President, Dr. Beverly Hogan, and
Jackson State University President, Dr. Ronald Mason, Jr.
The Executive Order signed Feb. 26, 2010, represents the
Administration’s commitment to assure increased access to
See HBCU on 10A
Epps denied that the re- empted from civil service pro-
stored prison funds would tections for its employees in
cause a shortfall in school 2004. With this measure in
funding. place, Epps said he was able to
“During these difficult cut 567 staff members. The
budgetary times,” Epps wrote, cutback saved the state $15.6
“it is important to examine million the first year and $62.4
how the state distributes its million over four years.
limited resources. Corrections He also insisted that there
remains a leader in operating was no fair way to compare
efficiently, and during the cur- the spending on prisoners with
rent budgetary crisis, other that of students.
agencies are looking to us for “So long as we have crimi-
ways they, too, can operate at nals and house them in prisons,
a lower cost.” it will always cost more per
Epps’ department was ex- See Budget on 10A