State of Our Union: Mississippi
The Deep South is changing—and nowhere is that change more evident than in Mississippi. From shifting demographics to economic development, Mississippi’s growing communities are proud, actively engaged hubs for tomorrow. But complex challenges remain—criminal-justice reform, educational opportunity, climate change, and so much more. The Atlantic, in partnership with Mississippi Today, convened local leaders, policy makers, and journalists to highlight the regional issues influencing the national dialogue, and the importance of local journalism.
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Speakers
LaDarion Ammons
Senior Partner, Ten One Strategies
Dean Baquet
Executive Editor, Local Investigations Fellowship, The New York Times
Terry Baquet
Editor in Chief, Verite News
Melissa Boteach
Vice President for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning, National Women’s Law Center
Underwriter Session
Nakeitra Burse
CEO and Principal Strategist, Six Dimensions
Underwriter Session
Kelly Butler
Senior Adviser, ReadingUniverse.org
Ilyssa Daly
Local Investigations Fellow, The New York Times
Catherine Coleman Flowers
Founding Director, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice
Adam Ganucheau
Editor in Chief, Mississippi Today
Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
Professor, Department of African American Studies, Princeton University
Errin Haines
Editor at Large, The 19th
Adam Harris
Staff Writer, The Atlantic
Delbert Hosemann
Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
Brian Howey
Investigative Reporting Fellow, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting
LeMia Jenkins
President, Brownkey Consulting Group
LeJeune Johnson
Founder and CEO, Therapy Plus
Sanford Johnson
Executive Director, Teach Plus Mississippi
Erica Jones
President, Mississippi Association of Educators
Lauren Jones
Co-founder and Executive Director, Mom.ME.
Elise Jordan
Political Analyst, NBC News and MSNBC
Tressie McMillan Cottom
Professor, UNC Chapel Hill, and Columnist, The New York Times
Ryan Miller
Executive Director, Accelerate MS
Underwriter Session
Jerry Mitchell
Founder, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting at Mississippi Today
Vann R. Newkirk II
Senior Editor, The Atlantic
Geoff Pender
Senior Reporter, Mississippi Today
Chip Pickering
CEO, INCOMPAS; Director, Great City Foundation
Nate Rosenfield
Investigative Reporting Fellow, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting
Evan Smith
Contributor, The Atlantic, and Senior Adviser, Emerson Collective
Isabelle Taft
Community Health Reporter, Mississippi Today
Cassandra Welchlin
Executive Director, Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable
Underwriter Session
Rhea Williams-Bishop
Director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programs, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Underwriter Session
Anna Wolfe
Investigative Reporter, Mississippi Today
AgendaNov 30
Doors Open + Breakfast
Duration
1 hour
Virtual or In-Person
In-Person
Welcome Remarks
State of Our State
Duration
31 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Speakers
Adam Ganucheau
Editor in Chief, Mississippi Today
Delbert Hosemann
Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
The Big Story: Mississippi’s Welfare Scandal
Duration
31 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Speakers
Evan Smith
Contributor, The Atlantic, and Senior Adviser, Emerson Collective
Anna Wolfe
Investigative Reporter, Mississippi Today
National Politics With a Southern Flavor
Duration
33 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Speakers
Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
Professor, Department of African American Studies, Princeton University
Errin Haines
Editor at Large, The 19th
Elise Jordan
Political Analyst, NBC News and MSNBC
Evan Smith
Contributor, The Atlantic, and Senior Adviser, Emerson Collective
Lunch Break
Duration
40 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
In-Person
Breakout Session - W.K. Kellogg Foundation Presents: Strong Women, Strong Mississippi: The Business Case for Women’s Economic Security
Underwritten by W.K. Kellogg FoundationSummary
This session is produced by our underwriter and is independent of the Atlantic’s editorial staff.
Duration
45 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Underwriter
Speakers
Melissa Boteach*
Vice President for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning, National Women’s Law Center
Nakeitra Burse*
CEO and Principal Strategist, Six Dimensions
Ryan Miller*
Executive Director, Accelerate MS
Cassandra Welchlin*
Executive Director, Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable
Rhea Williams-Bishop*
Director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programs, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Breakout Sessions - Mothering in Mississippi: The State of Maternal Health, Access, and Outcomes, and the Path Forward
Duration
45 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
In-Person
Speakers
LeJeune Johnson
Founder and CEO, Therapy Plus
Lauren Jones
Co-founder and Executive Director, Mom.ME.
Isabelle Taft
Community Health Reporter, Mississippi Today
Breakout Session - Reimagining K-12 Education
Duration
45 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
In-Person
Speakers
Kelly Butler
Senior Adviser, ReadingUniverse.org
Adam Harris
Staff Writer, The Atlantic
Sanford Johnson
Executive Director, Teach Plus Mississippi
Erica Jones
President, Mississippi Association of Educators
Breakout Session - Investigating Mississippi’s Most Powerful Position, the Sheriff
Duration
45 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Speakers
Dean Baquet
Executive Editor, Local Investigations Fellowship, The New York Times
Ilyssa Daly
Local Investigations Fellow, The New York Times
Brian Howey
Investigative Reporting Fellow, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting
Jerry Mitchell
Founder, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting at Mississippi Today
Nate Rosenfield
Investigative Reporting Fellow, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting
Opening Remarks
Duration
1 minute
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Securing the Future: Economic Development in Mississippi
Duration
29 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Speakers
LaDarion Ammons
Senior Partner, Ten One Strategies
LeMia Jenkins
President, Brownkey Consulting Group
Geoff Pender
Senior Reporter, Mississippi Today
Chip Pickering
CEO, INCOMPAS; Director, Great City Foundation
Climate Change and Environmental Justice in the Deep South
Duration
32 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Speakers
Catherine Coleman Flowers
Founding Director, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice
Vann R. Newkirk II
Senior Editor, The Atlantic
The New Deep South
Duration
30 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Speakers
Terry Baquet
Editor in Chief, Verite News
Tressie McMillan Cottom
Professor, UNC Chapel Hill, and Columnist, The New York Times
Closing Remarks
Duration
5 minutes
Virtual or In-Person
Virtual / In-Person
Underwritten by
Hosted In Partnership With
Event Details
Jackson, MS or Virtual
The Faulkner, 518 E Capitol St, Jackson, MS 39201
Thursday, November 30, 2023
9:00 am EDT
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