Topic: Jackson (Mississippi)

How 5 young black men see the Trayvon Martin case

The Monitor approached, at random, five young black men in Boston, Los Angeles, Coral Gables, Fla., and Louisville, Ky., and asked them to talk about the Trayvon Martin case, race relations, hoodies, and, of course, their own life experiences. Here's what they had to say.

Oscar party 2012: Dish out the Best Picture nominees

Oscar party fun: A dinner party inspired by the Best Picture nominees.

Beth Henley's 'The Jacksonian' takes the cast South

Eudora Welty: the garden at the heart of her creativity

Eudora Welty's love for flowers is explored in a new book. 

Haley Barbour's pardons put Southern redemption on trial

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour defended his mass pardon of over 200 current and former convicts, quoting the Christian principle of redemption enshrined in Southern law and tradition.

'Occupy' protests go global, riding wave of economic frustration

Protests in solidarity with 'Occupy Wall Street' occurred in US cities and around the world Saturday, sometimes drawing several thousand marchers. A key reason: Unemployment remains high, three years after a financial crisis in which banks got controversial bailouts.

'The Help' I knew cared more about voting rights than getting back at white ladies

What concerned 'the help' I met in Mississippi in the 1960s was not embarrassing the white women they worked for (as in Kathryn Stockett's novel-turned-movie 'The Help'). They wanted real political power, beginning with voting rights.

'Bridesmaids,' 'The Help' draw women audiences – and big box-office numbers

The surprise success of both 'Bridesmaids' and 'The Help' has shown that when the film is right, women can deliver some powerful box-office clout.

"The Help" hits theaters to mixed reviews

The movie adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's bestselling novel "The Help" garnered praise for its lead actors but was criticized for taking weighty issues too lightly.

The Help: movie review

Set in the Jim Crow South, 'The Help' too often feels like a civics lesson despite moments of nobility with stellar performances by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.

Mississippi floodwaters surge in Memphis, but crest is still days away

Evacuations and closed highways are a taste of what is in store for Memphis, Tenn., as the Mississippi rises. Farther south, Jackson, Miss., residents are already being asked to evacuate.

7 killed in Ala. storms, bringing US toll to 16

Combined with earlier reported fatalities in Arkansas and Oklahoma, the confirmed death toll had risen to 16 by early Saturday — the nation's deadliest storm of the season.

Educate or incarcerate? NAACP pushes states to shift priorities.

While education spending declined during the recession, most states increased prison spending, according to a new report from the NAACP.

Haley Barbour: Will his comments on civil rights era nix a presidential run?

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has created a stir by discussing the role of the white Citizens Council in a magazine interview. The episode shows the challenges for Southern politicians on the national stage.

Classic review: The Help

A young white woman kicks up a storm when she decides to interview the black maids in her Mississippi town.

BP CEO Tony Hayward not resigning, according to BP

BP CEO Tony Hayward is not resigning, according to a company spokeswoman, who denied a Russian news agency report on Monday.

BP stops short of accepting blame, plans a 'top kill' to plug oil leak

BP will attempt a 'top kill' in which heavy mud and cement would be shot into the well to plug it up.

BP hopes to siphon up to half of oil in BP Oil Spill

The oil giant has said that it will be happy if it can siphon half of the oil leaked in the BP Oil Spill.

With book sales still strong, 'The Help' will begin filming

Kathryn Stockett's debut novel 'The Help,' once rejected by 60 agents, continues to make headlines.

'Let's Move': Michelle Obama takes on childhood obesity

First lady Michelle Obama has made childhood obesity her signature project with the 'Let's Move' campaign. Wednesday she takes the message to the national Parent Teacher Association at a National Legislative Conference in Arlington, Va.

Afghanistan is not Vietnam

If President Obama learns from Britain’s mistakes in 1943 with Albania and meets Afghan warriors on their terms, the United States can end the war and win the peace in Afghanistan, honorably.

Best books of 2009: fiction

What we here at the Monitor liked best in 2009.