Moms face a public health crisis that’s putting Mississippi behind every other state, and it could get worse under federal changes, speakers said at a Legislative Black Caucus hearing.
Amid the cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, exacerbated by the ongoing shutdown, advocates called on the state to take action. They said lawmakers should expand Medicaid, protect food assistance programs, create standardized paid parental leave, support midwives and doulas and invest in child care and early childhood education.
Mississippi is one of the most dangerous places to give birth, especially for Black women, who are four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related deaths, or deaths that occur during pregnancy or up to one year postpartum and are caused in part by the pregnancy. A combination of poverty, chronic diseases, provider shortages and policies that have shut out tens of thousands of Mississippians from health care contribute to bad outcomes for mothers and babies.
Now, cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs threaten to walk back progress that has been made over the years, speakers said Thursday at the state Capitol.
In the past three years, the Mississippi Legislature passed laws to give women an additional 12 months of Medicaid coverage postpartum, timely prenatal care as they wait for their Medicaid applications to process and paid parental leave for state employees.
Democratic lawmakers and advocates in Mississippi had hoped to build on those policies by passing laws to guarantee all workers paid parental leave, and to expand Medicaid to cover those who currently fall in the coverage gap – making too much to qualify for the state’s strict Medicaid income threshold but too little to qualify for subsidies that make Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance more affordable.
Now, they worry that even keeping the current policies from shrinking might be an impossible feat.
“We are facing dramatic cuts to Medicaid through the Big Ugly Bill and Donald Trump and Congressional Republican members’ efforts to gut this lifesaving health care program that covers so many births in your state and across the country,” said U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, one of the authors of “Momnibus” legislation aimed at addressing the Black maternal health crisis. Underwood attended the Mississippi event by video conference.
“To hear that you all are thinking about growing the workforce, investing in doulas, interested in taking a look at how to support community-based organizations and clinics across the state – these are the kinds of resources that our moms and our families need.”
Partisan disagreements over health care are at the center of the ongoing federal government shutdown. Democrats are fighting to renew Biden-era subsidies that are making health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans. If they are not renewed, premiums on ACA marketplace insurance plans will more than double next year, KFF estimates.
And it’s not just about having health insurance, Cassandra Welchlin of the Black Women’s Roundtable argued. Welchlin described a mother she knows who works at a diner making $10 an hour, has no paid leave and relies on others to transport her. She risked her job to attend prenatal visits and returned to work two weeks postpartum.
“If you aren’t Danielle, you know Danielle,” Welchlin said of the mother. “It’s not just about the health care coverage but a string of policies that we have to co-create together in order to make strong babies and healthy moms.”
Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, speaks during a press conference for Black Maternal Health Week at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, April 14, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
The federal budget bill signed into law by President Donald Trump over the summer includes the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in history. The cuts to Medicaid are expected to trigger the downsizing of many rural hospitals – and labor and delivery units are often the first to go when hospital budgets shrink.
Women in rural areas already have few options for giving birth. Half of Mississippi’s counties are maternity care deserts, and the state Health Department recently declared a public health emergency for the state’s infant mortality rate – the highest in the nation.
Nobody knows that more than Shenelle Ball-Burks, whose pregnant daughter and unborn grandchild died in 2021 on the side of the road as her husband was driving her 28 minutes from their home to the closest hospital.
“I come before you from Belzoni in Humphreys County, a place where our hearts are full but our health care is empty, a place where the difference between life and death can be measured not in miles but in minutes,” Ball-Burks said at the hearing. “I didn’t know what to say when I was asked to speak here today because how do you find words when your heart has been shattered? How do you strive after watching your child’s life fade because help was too far away?”
Ball-Burks said she worries for all the moms and babies who will continue to suffer as help becomes farther away through federal and state policy changes.
“I don’t want another mother to hold her child’s obituary instead of her hand,” Ball-Burks said. “I don’t want another husband to kneel beside a little girl crying for help that never comes. I don’t want another child to walk across a graduation stage in search of a face that isn’t there.”
Research shows that when eligibility for social safety net programs is made stricter, women tend to lose the most. That’s partly because women more often participate in the programs – due to the wage gap and life events such as childbirth – but also because they are more often caregivers to those who use the programs.
“This is not just a statistic, not just someone else’s problem,” said Rep. Timaka James-Jones, a Democrat from Belzoni and the sister-in-law of Ball-Burks. “It’s a sacred responsibility. Because when we save our mothers, we don’t just save one life. We save families. We save our children’s futures. We save the heartbeat of our communities.”
Rep. Timaka James-Jones asks questions during a hearing on how the federal budget bill impacts Mississippi families, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
Many of the legislators and health care providers who spoke about their experience living through or witnessing the statistics that put Mississippi at the bottom of nearly every list when it comes to the health of moms and babies.
“Mississippi remains one of the hardest places in America to be pregnant and give birth, especially if you’re Black,” said Rep. Zakiya Summers, a Democrat from Jackson. “I speak to you not only as a legislator but as a Black mother who has carried life while carrying fear. Our survival should not be revolutionary. It should be standard.”
Women in rural communities don’t just suffer from a dearth of hospitals or obstetricians. They suffer from a dearth of reliable and affordable support in all forms, said Dr. Michelle Owens, maternal fetal medicine specialist in Jackson and the chair of the Mississippi Maternal Mortality Review Committee.
“There is data to support that having a person at the bedside, consistently, improves pregnancy outcomes and decreases C-section rates,” Owens said. “So what does that mean? It suggests that what we do with our hearts can even be more powerful than what we can accomplish with our hands.”
JXN Water, the third-party manager of Jackson’s water and wastewater systems, said in a quarterly report filed Friday that it will move forward with a rate increase on water bills it first requested this spring. The increase will go into effect by Dec. 15, the report said.
The rate increase, on average, would raise Jacksonians’ monthly bills — which also include costs for sewer and sanitation — by 12%, the utility said.
Ted Henifin, who heads the utility, has reiterated JXN Water is rapidly losing money because of inadequate revenue. In September, the utility said it was “currently insolvent.”
Henifin could not be reached Friday to confirm the utility’s plans to raise rates. JXN Water communications officer Aisha Carson said the report does not serve as an official notice of a rate increase. The quarterly update said JXN Water will issue an official notice to customers by Nov. 15.
Both Jackson’s mayor and city council have spoken out against the proposal, arguing it’s unfair to ask more from those who are contributing while about 30% of customers aren’t paying their bills. The city council voted in April against the increase, and Mayor John Horhn reaffirmed his position last week during a meeting with state lawmakers.
But under a federal court’s stipulated order that outlines the scope of Henifin’s powers and responsibilities, the court allows the utility to proceed with a rate increase without the city’s approval and as long as more than a year has passed since the last rate hike. JXN Water first increased rates in February 2024.
U.S. District Court Judge Henry Wingate, who appointed Henifin to his role in 2022, said during hearings this summer the utility should explore all other avenues for funding, including collections from apartment complexes with large debts, before raising rates. Over the last year, JXN Water has pressured apartment complexes to pay their debts leading to shutoffs and ongoing lawsuits. It’s been months, though, since Wingate has last discussed the proposal, and it’s unclear if he plans to address the matter anytime soon.
Henifin’s frustration with the judge’s stance came out during a July hearing where the utility manager threatened to quit, although he walked back the statement soon after.
In response to Wingate and city officials, Henifin maintained that even if all customers paid their bill at the current rates, JXN Water would still lose money. The utility estimated in September that it was losing $3 million a month.
The quarterly update also addressed $54 million the utility asked Congress to reallocate for operating funds. The money was originally part of $450 million in federal funding set aside for larger projects.
While the money was held up as part of the ongoing federal government shutdown, JXN Water said it expected Congress to pass the funding bill “in the coming days,” and that the Environmental Protection Agency would issue the money to the utility in a new grant. But, the report added, the utility wouldn’t be able to access the $54 million until early 2026.
Mississippi Today reached out to Wingate’s office for a comment Friday but did not hear back.
The Supplemental Food Assistance Program, or SNAP, will be suspended on Saturday with no guarantee for Mississippians when benefits will restart amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The following is a list of organizations in Jackson and the greater metro area that are offering emergency food assistance. Call ahead to check the status of the food assistance offerings, as many pantries only provide service while supplies last.
On Nov. 3, Converge, a nonprofit that disburses federal funding for reproductive health services and family planning in Mississippi, is offering a pop-up for infant formula and diapers at the Jackson Medical Mall at 350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave at Suite 459 on the first floor.
The pop-up will run from noon to 6 p.m. while supplies last with a limit of one can of formula per person. Registration is encouraged, and you can call 601-355-6915 with questions.
This is not a comprehensive list and will be updated as we learn more.
Jackson food assistance
Basket Food Pantry 785 North President Street, Jackson, MS 39201 Phone: 214-679-8846 Hours: Wednesday at 10 a.m. Each person can get a box twice a month (while resources last). You are encouraged to come early and bring your ID. Food items vary.
Good Samaritan Center, Inc. 114 Millsaps Ave Jackson MS 39202 Phone: 601-355-6276 Hours: With SNAP suspended, this program is making arrangements to be able to see additional clients and is asking people seeking assistance to call them on Monday, Nov. 3.
Jackson Public Schools Supper Meal Program JPS is offering free supper for students that must be eaten on site, and adults can purchase to-go meals for $4. at the following schools:
Bates Elementary, 3180 McDowell Road Extension Spann Elementary, 1615 Brecon Drive Walton Elementary, 3200 Bailey Avenue Blackburn Middle, 1311 West Pearl Street Kirksey Middle, 5677 Highland Drive Forest Hill High, 2607 Raymond Road Jim Hill High, 2185 Coach Fred Harris Street Lanier Jr. Sr. High, 833 West Maple Street
Phone: 601-960-8935 Hours: Starting Nov. 3, JPS will serve evening meals Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Jackson Resource Center 1129 Langley Avenue, Jackson, MS 39204 Phone: 769-218-0008 Hours: Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Lunch, 11:30 to 12:30 and Dinner from 4 to 5 p.m.
The Salvation Army Jackson Corps Food Pantry 110 Presto Lane, Jackson, MS Phone: 1-800-725-2769 Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Assistance is limited to once every 90 days.
Stewpot Community Services 1100 W. Capital Street, Jackson, MS 39203 Phone: 601-490-8411 Hours: Free lunch Monday through Saturday from 12 to 1 p.m. and 1 to 2 p.m. on Sundays. Food bags will be available to Hinds County residents with an appointment.
Turning Point Mission Center 1814 Shady Lane Drive, Jackson, MS 39204 Phone: 601-372-1080 Hours: Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m.
VA Medical Center Food Pantry 1500 East Woodrow Wilson, Jackson, MS 39216 Phone: 601-364-1391 Hours: Second Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. while supplies last in November and December. The rest of the year, the pantry is open the third Saturday of the month.
Voice of Calvary Ministries 1750 Ellis Avenue, Jackson, MS 39204 Phone: 601-371-1427 Hours: Last Tuesday of every month starting at 8:30 a.m. while supplies last.
We Will Go Ministries 806 N. Farish Street, Jackson, MS 39202 Phone: 601-398-2410 Hours: Call to make an appointment for pick-up.
Wells United Methodist Church Pantry 2019 Bailey Avenue, Jackson, MS 39213 Phone: 601-353-0658 Hours: Every Tuesday from 9 to 10 a.m. Food varies, but may include fresh, nonperishable and frozen food.
Greater metro area food assistance
The Care Center 103 F. Marshall Rd., Brandon, MS 39047 Phone: 601-829-3501 Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon. Call to schedule an appointment.
Cornerstone Church Food Pantry 1950 Hwy 80 E, Pearl, MS 39208 Phone: 601-420-4840 Hours: Tuesdays from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.
Crossgates Baptist Church Food Pantry 8 Crosswoods Rd, Brandon, MS 39042 Phone: 601-825-2561 Hours: Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Ever Reaching Community Outreach 306 Brooks Ave, Pelahatchie, MS 39145 Phone: 601-665-5720 Hours: Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
First Ridgeland Church Food Pantry 302 W Jackson St., Ridgeland, MS 39157 Phone: 601-856-6139 Hours: Monday from 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Mississippi Urban League/UMMC EversCare Clinic Jackson Medical Mall, 350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave, Jackson, MS Phone: 601-815-3535 Hours: Third Wednesday of the month at 9:30 a.m. until supplies run out.
Overflow Food Pantry 222 Railroad Avenue East, Magee, MS 39111 Phone: (601) 849-6407 Hours: Third Saturday of each month, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Rials Creek Church Food Pantry 185 Rials Creek Road, Mendenhall, MS 39114 Phone: (601) 382-8593 or (601) 382-3106 Hours: Second Saturday of each month, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Trace Ridge Baptist Church Food Pantry 238 Lake Harbour Dr, Ridgeland MS 39157 Phone: 601-856-2529 Hours: First Tuesday of the month from 5 to 7 p.m. and third Tuesday from 9 to 11 a.m.
Additional resources
The Mississippi Food Network has an assistance map of Jackson-area and statewide food pantries that offer emergency food assistance. Click here to view the map. You can also call 601-353-7286 or e-mail info@msfoodnet.org for help.
The Community Foundation of Mississippi has a list on their website of a sampling of local food resources and is asking residents to email or call them if they know of additional resources. Click here to view the Community Foundation’s list.
Plan A, a brick-and-mortar and mobile health clinic that serves the Mississippi Delta, will distribute free diapers and formula on Saturday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Louise Community Clinic. The clinic is located at 1454 Main St.
Sen. Roger Wicker, Armed Services Committee chairman, and his Democratic counterpart have asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide the legal basis for the U.S. military’s attacks on supposed drug boats off the South American coast.
Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, and Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, also requested the directives Hegseth approved for the military strikes and the unedited videos of some of the attacks.
The U.S. military has killed at least 61 people in 14 strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, according to the Associated Press.
The requests from the high-ranking senators were made in two letters, one from late September and the other from early October, which were released on Friday by Wicker and Reed. The two senators said in a joint news release that they had not yet received the requested information by Friday.
President Donald Trump’s administration has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. Some senators from both parties have questioned the administration’s use of military force without congressional approval, though neither of Mississippi’s senators has done so.
Mississippi Public Broadcasting is ending its daily 30-minute radio news program, “Mississippi Edition.”
Executives at the network said the change will make way for more news coverage throughout the day.
The last broadcast of “Mississippi Edition” was Friday morning, according to a statement on MPB’s website. Starting Monday, MPB radio will air news segments at the beginning of every hour from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Anna Neel, MPB’s chief operating officer, said the new approach will allow for more coverage of news as it develops.
“We’re hoping the new format gives reporters more flexibility to tell quality stories throughout the day,” Neel told Mississippi Today. “They’re not going to be as rushed to try to put together a 30-minute package.”
Mississippi Public Broadcasting is one of over 1,500 locally-owned radio and television stations that lost money. Neel estimated that MPB lost about 15% of its funding with the federal cuts. She said state funding and donors pay for MPB’s locally produced content, including state news coverage.
MPB continues to air emergency weather alerts along with local programming and will change its mix of PBS and NPR programming sometime next year, Neel said Friday. She said MPB plans to add more local programming in the future.
Mississippi will seek a waiver that would restrict the use of food assistance benefits to purchase sugary food and drinks, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced Friday.
The announcement comes as thousands of Mississippi families face the loss of Supplemental Food Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits beginning Saturday as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown.
In addition, purchasing hot prepared chicken with SNAP benefits would be allowed if the federal government accepts the state’s waiver application. If approved, the changes will take effect in January 2027.
“In a nation that is printing money daily just to make our debt payments, it doesn’t make sense to throw your tax money at anything other than the true necessities,” Reeves said in a statement.
“So it makes no sense at all to fund sugar instead of hearty nutritious meals. That’s why we’re amending our food stamp rules to allow good sustaining food like rotisserie chickens and disallow sugary candy and drinks.”
Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Friday to use emergency funds to continue SNAP payments. It was not clear how quickly people would be able to access their benefits, a process that can take one to two weeks, according to the Associated Press.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services said it could not yet comment on how the ruling will impact distribution of SNAP benefits in the state for November.
Gov. Tate Reeves speaks during the Neshoba County Fair in Philadelphia, Miss., on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
Food assistance has continued to flow in past shutdowns, but the federal government has said it cannot use emergency funds to pay for the program during the ongoing shutdown.
Reeves has not indicated he will move for Mississippi to bridge the gap in the food assistance program until the federal shutdown ends. Democratic and Republican governors in a handful of other states, including Louisiana, have pledged to use state funds to cover all or part of the program.
Dr. Patricia Tibbs, the president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said she shares Reeves’ goal of promoting healthy eating, but believes that state leaders must first address the loss of benefits that will begin Saturday.
“While efforts to encourage healthier food choices are commendable, restricting options without ensuring consistent access to food first risks worsening hunger in already vulnerable homes,” she said in a written statement to Mississippi Today.
“It is difficult to talk about ‘healthy choices’ when families face empty refrigerators.”
Twelve other states, overwhelmingly led by Republican governors, have been approved this year for waivers that ban the purchase of sugary foods and drinks by the United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food assistance program. The approved changes will take effect next year.
Some states have been approved for or requested waivers that allow for the purchase of hot chicken. SNAP benefits can not currently be used to buy any foods that are hot at the point of sale.
Mississippi’s waiver asks the federal government to approve the following changes to SNAP:
Banning purchases of processed foods that list sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup as the first two ingredients. The restrictions do not include foods with granulated sugar, raw sugar, and other single-ingredient sugars used for cooking and baking listed as the first two ingredients.
Banning purchases of beverages that list carbonated water and sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup as the first two ingredients. Drinks that list aspartame or other low- or noncaloric sweeteners as the first two ingredients will remain eligible.
Making hot prepared chicken eligible for purchase using SNAP benefits, including items like rotisserie and non-fried, non-breaded chicken. The state also plans to collaborate with the Double Up Food Bucks Program to encourage people to buy fresh fruits and vegetables with purchases of hot prepared chicken.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed for the changes as a part of his “make America healthy again” agenda and encouraged states to apply for waivers.
“For years, SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to fund soda and candy — products that fuel America’s diabetes and chronic disease epidemics,” he said in a statement on Aug. 4.
About 1 in 8 Mississippians — or about 400,000 people — receive food assistance through SNAP. Two thirds of participants are in families with children, and about 41% are in households with older adults or adults with a disability.
An August report from state Auditor Shad White found that Mississippi taxpayers would save $22 million annually and improve the health of its citizens by restricting the purchase of certain junk foods with SNAP benefits.
“President Trump is focused on making America healthy again, so we need to make Mississippi healthy again,” said White in a statement.
“That means a renewed commitment to exercise and teaching our children healthy habits, but it also means using a little more common sense in how we spend taxpayer money on food stamps.”
Flanked by a coalition of city leaders from nonprofits, food pantries and churches, Jackson Mayor John Horhn took to the steps of City Hall Friday to announce a coordinated effort to counter the anticipated rise in food insecurity in the capital city amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Coming the day before federal nutrition support is set to be suspended on Saturday, Horhn said the city is pledging $150,000 for meals and targeted food assistance throughout the metro area. The funding will chiefly support two nonprofits – the Community Foundation of Mississippi and supper meals provided by Jackson Public Schools.
“When neighbors are in need, we rally,” he said.
The mayor also called on Jacksonians with the means to donate nonperishable goods and money to these efforts, noting he had already pledged $1,000 of his own money. The city funds will come from a suspended program, he said.
“Let’s make sure no one faces an empty refrigerator or dining table,” he said.
Fire stations throughout the city will accept donations of nonperishable goods. The National Folk Festival, set for Nov. 7-9, will also have a donation box next to the guest services booth.
City leaders said food pantries in the metro area need volunteers.
“One of the things that will constrain us most is if we don’t have the staff and the manpower to meet the needs,” said Jill Buckley, the executive director of Stewpot Community Services.
In an example of the coordinated effort, Karla McCullough, executive director of the Juanita Sims Doty Foundation, said the nonprofit has over 250 volunteers who can help the pantries process food donations. She also thanked Horhn for his leadership.
“Youth and community, those are our north stars,” she said. “So wherever they go, whatever they need, this is where we go and we provide what we can to fill the need.”
In a press release, JPS said it was expanding its supper meal program beginning on Monday. Meals will be available from 4-5:30 p.m. at eight schools in the metro area. Students can eat for free at the schools, and adults can take a meal to go for $4.
“We have long known that our work does not end with the education of our scholars in our classrooms,” Superintendent Errick Greene said at the press conference.
Horhn called on federal lawmakers to “come to their senses” and end the government shutdown.
“You hear the news about what’s going on with the federal shutdown, but a lot of times we don’t really connect with the impact the shutdown is having on people, on citizens, everyday folks who are just struggling from day to day to make ends meet,” he said.
Even in times without a crisis, food insecurity is an issue in Jackson, with 33,000 people in Hinds County relying on SNAP, the mayor said. With the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill mandating changes to food assistance to include work requirements for older people and more parents with teenagers, some Jacksonians could lose SNAP even after the federal shutdown ends.
But the wholesale pause of SNAP benefits in November is an extraordinary moment, said Bill Washington, the food pantry manager at New Horizon Church, one of the largest pantries in the metro area.
“So we’ve got to do extraordinary things to overcome this situation,” he said.
About $6.5 million comes into Hinds County every month because of SNAP, and every dollar spent has nearly double the impact on the local economy, said Jane Alexander, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Mississippi. This means Hinds County is facing a potential loss of nearly $18 million. Grocery stores will be impacted by the SNAP suspension. So will the city’s sales tax collection.
To counter this, Alexander said the Community Foundation of Mississippi is looking at restarting an initiative from the pandemic in which they provide about $25 on bulk grocery cards. She has already been in touch with grocery stores throughout the metro area and hopes the foundation will be able to offer the cards as soon as it has the funding.
“The one single tenant of disaster emergency response is to try to keep the money flowing through the local economy as much as you can,” she said.
Many food pantries in the metro area limit residents to one box a week, Alexander said, and will be quickly overwhelmed by the need.
“For an economy that’s very fragile, it has very narrow margins already,” she said. “We want to make sure that when benefits are restored and when some of these efforts pay off, that these outlets are still available in our community.”
Some Hinds County voters may be focusing on a legislative or school board race. But all the county’s voters have one choice to make Tuesday: who will be the next coroner.
The race hasn’t been competitive in over two decades. But this year, six candidates from different sectors of the emergency services and death care fields are vying to be the county’s next chief death investigator. The pay is $900 per month with an additional $185 per case, according to the current office holder.
Coroners are called to car wrecks and murder scenes, and wherever else a death has occurred that may be natural, sudden, unexpected or unnatural. They determine the cause and manner of death. They are also responsible for keeping records of death investigations for the last five years and coordinating with the state medical examiner’s office during investigations.
Coroners must make “reasonable efforts” to notify next-of-kin. At least seven Hinds County residents were buried without adequately notifying relatives from 2022 to 2023. Most families believed their loved ones were missing until they learned of their burial in a pauper field behind Raymond Detention Center. Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart later admitted she struggled to find relatives of missing people. She retired soon after in December 2024.
Jeramiah Howard, her chief deputy for five years, is interim/acting coroner and, along with five other candidates, is running to finish the last two years of her four-year term.
Candidates must be at least 21, have a high school diploma or its equivalent and be eligible to vote. Only a handful of states have fewer prerequisites to become a coroner. Louisiana, Kansas, Ohio and North Dakota alone require that a coroner in most of their parishes or counties have a medical degree.
Coroners must attend the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory and State Medical Examiner Death Investigation Training School upon election. Mississippi law mandates ongoing training by the state medical examiner’s office on specimen collection and locating next-of-kin every four years along with 24 hours of continuing education each year.
Most candidates in this election have worked crime scenes in some capacity. The candidate pool includes those who have done work in the private and public sector. All are Hinds County natives, though they’ve lived in other states and counties.
Crystal Houston is a candidate for Hinds County coroner. Credit: Courtesy of Crystal Houston
Crystal Houson has worked in law enforcement the last 22 years, including stints at the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department and Jackson State University. She got her start in community policing, getting to know repeat offenders and the neighborhood families. She spent four years as captain in the Warrants Division.
She said her work as both a patrol captain and a public information officer taught her the importance of record management and how to preserve and organize evidence. She also took an advanced course in death investigation to aid her on visits to crime scenes.
“Throughout my career, I have investigated numerous deaths, crime scenes, and traumatic incidents — developing the skills necessary to determine facts accurately and without bias,” she wrote in a statement to Mississippi Today.
She said she wants to restore trust and integrity to the office and would strive to be accountable to the public if elected. Her goal would be to speed up the process of identifying next of kin and to provide more regular updates to grieving families on the status of autopsies. Finding families spread across the county was once part of her job.
She plans to lobby the Hinds County Board of Supervisors to approve the burial of more unclaimed bodies to address a backlog. She would allow families without an initial preference for a funeral home to keep loved ones stored at the morgue while they research options.
She has canvassed the community as a patrol officer.
“I believe that this role is not simply a position of duty; it is a profound commitment to assisting families during some of the most challenging times in their lives,” she said.
Jeramiah Howard is interim/acting Hinds County coroner and a candidate for the permanent position. Credit: Courtesy of Jeramiah Howard
Jeramiah Howard joined the Pocahontas Volunteer Fire Department after a tree took out his electricity and the volunteer fire chief arrived to help and proceeded to recruit him.
“If you get my power on, I promise I’ll be at the next meeting,” Howard told him.
He’s been with the department 17 years, including 10 as fire chief. He lives in a home in Pocahontas.
“I don’t want to be the president or the governor or anything at all,” Howard told Mississippi Today. “I want people to genuinely remember me as a good dude. If I could do good, I stop and help. That’s always been my MO.”
TV shows such as “ER” got him interested in becoming a paramedic when he enrolled at Holmes Community College. He enjoyed learning about how even obscure illnesses can alter the human body.
The job had him entering homes engulfed in flames in search of pets and family heirlooms, and prying victims from wrecked cars. It was a departure from his day job as a project manager for a government contractor. He enjoyed helping his regulars like a woman who was prone to falls and often required help getting up.
For many years in the coroner’s office, he operated with only the White Pages and Google to identify family members of the deceased. It was challenging when the deceased had lost touch with family or come from a fractured one. He also had to remove the bodies of those abandoned at funeral homes by financially struggling families.
Howard’s latest initiative is to secure similar databases used by law enforcement to aid in body identification and next-of-kin notification. He depends on technology afforded the Capitol Police to provide fingerprint identification to bodies. Otherwise, if a death occurred on a Friday evening, he would have to wait until Monday for results from an ink fingerprint scan.
Howard has knocked on hundreds of doors to notify families of dead relatives. He has been on hours-long group calls with grieving relatives.
“You never think you can find the right words to say,” he said. “Everyone takes death differently. I am always happy to tell the relatives everything I know.”
His job involves difficult decisions made on little sleep. He says he once got a call from hospital staff that needed help identifying a grandmother’s relatives. They were close to “pulling the plug,” he said. He visited every address listed for the woman’s relatives in central Mississippi, and eventually found next of kin. The grandmother spent her last three hours with her grandchildren.
He also dissuaded a mother from visiting the morgue where her daughter was transported after a car wreck on the interstate.
Howard said he aims to improve transparency surrounding pending investigations and departmental shortcomings. If elected, he hopes to procure a backgrounding database and a contractor to renovate the county morgue. His goal is to be the “gold standard” for death investigation in the state, and rebuild trust with Hinds County residents.
“The ones for whom this race means something are those who have felt loss.”
Stephanie Meachum, a candidate running for Hinds County Coroner, participated in a forum held at Church in Raymond, Thursday evening, Oct. 30, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Stephanie Meachum was office manager for the Hinds County Coroner’s Office from 2005 until 2016. The job taught her how to organize agency records and log bodies. She sometimes had to fill in as a deputy coroner and collect information from a crime scene as part of investigations. She also set the office budget.
She has run the death division at the state Department of Health’s vital statistics office since 2016. In this role, she coordinates with coroners across the state and ensures death certificates are issued on time and filled out properly. She regularly phones funeral home directors, nursing homes and other stakeholders that may not understand the paperwork required for death registration. She also regularly speaks with the state Crime Lab, ensuring that deaths resulting from domestic violence and drug abuse are correctly labeled.
“The job is basically understanding what you’re seeing and reading, and answering the questions to the best that you can,” Meachum said.
In her current job, she has observed that Hinds County, even considering its larger intake of bodies in relation to other counties, lags in processing death certificates.
As coroner, she said she would strive to make people more aware of crime victim services. She also envisions the role as more of a presence in the community, traveling to ensure that families have a plan during hurricane season.
“I feel like I’m much more qualified because I have done every aspect of the coroner’s office,” Meachum said. “I’m not learning what to do. I’m coming in with over 20 years of death investigation experience. I’ve been on the on-the-street investigation side. I’ve done hospital calls. I’ve been through mass fatalities and mass disasters.”
She would like more candidates to speak about what occurred in 2021 when the coroner’s office caught heat for its next-of-kin notification policy. She believes the office should be more transparent about its shortcomings, providing regular updates on social media and at forums.
When she worked as office manager for the Hinds County coroner, deputy coroners sometimes had an uneven distribution of work, which Meachum said contributed to a case backlog. She also grew frustrated with deputy coroners who relied on email and fax to ensure important records were shared, when the people could’ve just dropped the paperwork in-person.
“I’m not just a person who’s going to come out and declare someone deceased without doing the investigative work,” she said.
Schwanna Roberts is a candidate for Hinds County coroner. Credit: Courtesy of Schwanna Roberts
Schwanna Roberts has worked in funeral homes since she was 17. She was so young that her mother had to sign a release form before she could start. She was initially an embalmer but for the past decade has worked as a funeral home director in Jackson and Chicago.
She remembers when she first got interested in the death care industry. She was attending the wake of her grandmother’s husband and was put off by the embalming work. His skin was discolored, and his body was poorly positioned in the casket. She vowed to her grandmother that she could do a better job.
Her grandmother continued to take her to funerals for inspiration. Her favorite part of a funeral is the two-minute remarks given by family at the end to “lighten the mood.”
Roberts became the grief counselor soon after she started working at the funeral home. She said supervisors and colleagues have praised her clear and calming presence.
She hopes to establish a family liaison role within the office to provide “a single, compassionate point of contact during difficult times.” Another priority is establishing protocols to ensure families receive timely updates with empathy and respect.
“The coroner needs to be someone who is for the people,” Roberts said. “You need someone who can tell the truth. You need someone that has great character.”
When her brother died seven years ago, she couldn’t speak his name without crying. The experience, more than over a decade of funeral home work, made her realize how critical clear communication and a dedicated staff can be for mourners. She started Doves of Peace Ministry to cater the meal after the funeral for two grieving families each month. During difficult times, the 38-year old mother of one daughter said she leans on her family and her faith.
“The main thing is to have someone with a heart in that position,” Roberts said. “Trust has been broken. When there isn’t a communication breakdown or outdated procedures, families aren’t frustrated.”
Her campaign flyer reads: “for the families no one’s checking on, for the families still waiting for answers.” She said she regularly calls random Hinds County numbers in the White Pages as part of campaigning and knocks on dozens of doors.
“There will be no growth if the wrong person is elected,” she said. “I don’t have big plans of wanting a state-of-the-art facility. We should be focused on the basics like identifying and contacting families”
Davista Tillman, a candidate running for Hinds County Coroner, participated in a forum held at Church in Raymond, Thursday evening, Oct. 30, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Davista Tillman has wanted to be coroner since she was in fourth grade. Grisham-Stewart spoke to her classroom for career day at Wells Power APAC. She was only 10 years old, but was inspired to see a woman in a county position.
“I told myself I was going to put in some work until that time comes,” Tillman told Mississippi Today.
After graduating from Lanier High School in Jackson, she attended mortuary school where she obtained certificates in mortuary science and funeral services. She later obtained her license as both an embalmer and funeral director. She received her associate degree in criminal justice from Holmes Community College.
Tillman began her career as an orderly in the adult emergency department at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the only Level 1 trauma center in the state. She later became an autopsy technician, assisting the pathologist in thorough examinations.
She worked as a funeral director in Jackson and around the state. She currently works as a funeral home director/coroner liaison and post-mortem anatomical donation technician for the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency. Once a body comes in, she removes, preserves and transports tissue to be used in some cases for what she calls “life-improving surgery.”
“When doing this for so long, you as a person can become numb to death,” Tillman said. “It has also taught me to be more delicate with people’s feelings. Most people’s emotions are all over the place. You learn not to take it to heart when families lash out at you. You become their support in their hardest days.”
She is always on call as a technician for MORA and for the funeral home. She sometimes comes in to work at 10 p.m. or 2 a.m. Her schedule is already similar to that of the coroner and coroner’s deputies, she said.
“My life experience has given me the knowledge to succeed in this role,” she said. “When I worked as an autopsy technician, you would see the difference between a heart attack and other ailments on the body. Seeing homicides as an embalmer, you see entrance and exit wounds and learn to look for the ligature marks.”
She would make renovating the county morgue a priority. She also envisions an opportunity for mortuary students to embalm bodies that spend excess time at the morgue. If she is going to be the face that parents see on the worst day of their lives, she wants to be more active in the community to offset that shock.
Bryan White, a candidate for Hinds County Coroner, participated in a forum before a small gathering at Belmont Baptist Church in Raymond, Thursday evening, Oct. 30, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Bryan White joined the candidate forum hosted by the Hinds County Democratic Party Executive Committee on Thursday. Dressed in an emergency services uniform, White wanted attendees to know that he was not a “career politician.”
He reminded candidates that he had a law enforcement background, which he deemed important given Hinds County’s high crime rate.
He envisioned an app that would track the progress of death certificates for loved ones. He expressed a desire to work closer with the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department. If elected, he said he would track homeless people through a database.
The pauper burial controversy was a reminder of how many homeless people live in Jackson, he said.
While on a wellness check, he said he solved a difficult case by determining a deceased person died of carbon monoxide poisoning. He identified a nearby lawn mower as the problem. The mower had recently run out of gas.
“You have to look for the smoking gun,” he said.
White is no longer in law enforcement. He works with emergency services in the county.
Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.
It is with great pride and excitement that Mississippi’s Capital City prepares to host the 82nd Annual National Folk Festival, Nov. 7-9.This is significant in the life of the National Folk Festival because it marks the first time in the history of the event that it has been held in the Deep South.
November also marks the beginning of a three-year residency for Jackson. The event also will be hosted in Jackson in 2026 and 2027.
At the conclusion of the 2027 festival, the Jackson community will have the opportunity to create a legacy that will sustain a vibrant, locally-produced festival celebrating our living heritage, utilizing the infrastructure of the National Folk Festival.
For years, citizens and visitors alike have inquired, “When is Jubilee JAM! returning?” Well, hosting the National Folk Festival creates an opportunity to birth an annual event with many similarities to that historic and enduring event.
Why does the National Folk Festival matter?
For over 90 years, the National Folk Festival has celebrated the artistry, music, dance, story and crafts that form the living traditions of America. We are honored to bring this storied festival to Jackson. The 2026 festival will play an integral role in the American 250 (Mississippi) Celebration.
Yamini Kalluri and the Kritya Music Ensemble performing at the National Folk Festival Kickoff held in downtown Jackson, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King
The National Folk Festival is more than a festival. It is a statement. It’s about honoring the roots of America’s music and culture, from the Mississippi Delta to the Gulf Coast, from African-American traditions to Native American crafts and beyond.
Everybody knows that Mississippi is the Birthplace of America’s Music. Also, it is about a place known as “The City with Soul” stepping into the national spotlight and celebrating what makes us unique. It’s about doing so together. We at Visit Jackson call it “collective ambition.”
What Is folk?
Folk is a cultural tradition from all across America. It’s Bobby Rush, bluegrass, steel guitars, gospel and Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South marching band. It is western dance, South African qawwali, the Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago and E.U. and their hit from my college days, “Da Butt.” It is basketmaking and multiple other activities.
Over three days, downtown Jackson will be transformed. More than 300 artists, musicians, dancers and storytellers will grace multiple stages, with continuous performances, craft demonstrations, food representing regional and international traditions, a bustling marketplace of folklife and family-friendly programming.
From blues and bluegrass to hip-hop and Irish fiddle, from Choctaw social dancing to South Asian qawwali, there is something for everyone.
The event reinforces the commitment to accessibility, sustainability, community and cultural celebration.
Hosting the National Folk Festival isn’t only about the arts. It’s about the broader impact on our city and state. Over the three-year run, the festival is projected to generate significant economic benefit and elevate Jackson’s standing as a cultural destination.
It will bring tens of thousands of visitors, fill our hotels, restaurants and shops, and spotlight our region’s talents on a national stage.
Jackson is uniquely positioned to host the event.
Mississippi is rightly known as the birthplace of so much of America’s music: blues, gospel, soul, marching bands and traditions that shaped the world. Jackson is located at the heart of that legacy, and we are perfectly positioned to host a festival of this magnitude.
The city of Jackson, Visit Jackson, the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, the Mississippi Arts Commission, Visit Mississippi, the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, Hinds County Economic Development Authority, the Community Foundation for Mississippi and many others have come together to make this possible.
Far too many times I have heard metro Jacksonians say that there is nothing to do here. And while that is far from the truth, I encourage our residents, families, friends and visitors to attend this historic event. Bring your children, grandparents and friends.
Walk the streets of downtown Jackson, enjoy the music, sample the food, browse the crafts and celebrate the diversity of tradition that binds us together. Volunteer opportunities are available, vendor applications are open, and the festival is a platform for our local artists and makers to shine.
Will the festival be safe?
The festival is produced by a respected national organization, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, in partnership with the city and local agencies, which suggests there will be professional event planning, crowd management, security coordination and infrastructure.
In fact, local and state law enforcement agencies have been a part of the planning process since the event selected Jackson.
The location and staging have been intentionally strategic. Multiple stages and programs have been planned in an open public space, utilizing proven event safety best practices.
We encourage attendees to review the event map before arrival so that they can more easily locate venues, vendors and stages. Also, know where you will park. The event organizers have this type of information and much more on the website, www.nationalfolkfestival.com.
Thank you for being part of this journey. I look forward to seeing you downtown in Jackson, Nov. 7-9, tapping your toes, dancing, exploring and celebrating – together.
In short, enjoy the National Folk Festival in Jackson, Mississippi – MY CITY – THE CITY WITH SOUL.
Rickey L. Thigpen serves as chief executive officer of Visit Jackson, the official destination organization for Jackson.. He assumed the role in February 2019 after rising through the ranks of the organization since his arrival in 1987. A native of Jackson, Thigpen holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Mississippi Valley State University, a master’s in leadership from Belhaven University and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Mississippi’s children, older adults and low-income families will suffer when federal food assistance halts tomorrow if the state does not step in, pediatricians and legislators urged in letters to the governor this week.
New benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will not be issued beginning Nov. 1 due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, the Mississippi Department of Human Services announced Oct. 24. Food assistance has continued to flow in past shutdowns, but the federal government has said it cannot use emergency funds to pay for the program.
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has not indicated that he will move for Mississippi to bridge the gap in the food assistance program. Democratic and Republican governors in a handful of other states, including Louisiana, have pledged to use state funds to cover all or part of the program.
There will be long-term consequences for children if Reeves and state legislators do not take similar steps to fund the benefits, leaders of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote in a Tuesday letter.
“The cost of inaction will be far greater than the cost of temporary assistance,” said the letter penned by President Dr. Patricia Tibbs and Vice President Dr. David Reeves.
“Families already struggling to make ends meet will be forced to choose between food, utilities, and medicine. Hospitals and clinics will inevitably bear the burden of increased malnutrition and preventable illness. Our children, the future of this state, will suffer the most.”
Rep. Kabir Karriem, D-Columbus, voices his disappointment in the failure of a suffrage restoration bill to pass, during a press conference held at the state Capitol, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Kabir Karriem, a Democrat from Columbus, encouraged Reeves to declare a state of emergency and call a special session of the Legislature to appropriate funds to cover the shortfall.
“Ensuring that no Mississippian faces hunger due to gaps in SNAP delivery is a critical public health and humanitarian priority,” he wrote in a letter Tuesday.
Reeves did not respond to a request for comment from Mississippi Today.
In a social media post Monday, he blamed Democrats for the government shutdown’s ramifications and said the state cannot cover the halted funds.
“Democrats in Washington are evidently more interested in providing free healthcare to illegals than a safety net for poor Mississippians,” he wrote.
“They evidently hate Trump more than they like their constituents. There is sadly no simple way for state government to just step in and pay the hundreds of millions of dollars in harm that this shutdown by the Washington Democrats is causing.”
The battle over whether or not to extend expiring tax credits that make health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans is at the heart of the government shutdown standoff, with Democrats pushing for their renewal, along with the reversal of cuts to Medicaid. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for the subsidies, nor are they eligible for full Medicaid benefits.
Reeves announced Friday that he has requested a waiver from the United States Department of Agriculture to ban using SNAP benefits to purchase processed foods high in sugar and allow for the purchase of hot prepared chicken. The benefits can not currently be used to buy foods that are hot at the point of sale. Twelve other states have been approved for similar waivers.
“In a nation that is printing money daily just to make our debt payments, it doesn’t make sense to throw your tax money at anything other than the true necessities,” he said in a statement. “So it makes no sense at all to fund sugar instead of hearty nutritious meals. That’s why we’re amending our food stamp rules to allow good sustaining food like rotisserie chickens and disallow sugary candy and drinks.”
Nearly 400,000 Mississippians — or 13% of the state’s population — receive food assistance through SNAP. Two thirds of participants are in families with children, and about 41% are in households with older adults or adults with a disability.
Mississippi has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty in the nation, with over 1 in 5 children living in poverty and lacking reliable access to food.
“I’m really worried,” Tibbs told Mississippi Today. She referenced the effects that hunger can have on children’s development, behavior, academic performance and long-term health.
Some counties rely heavily on SNAP benefits. In four Mississippi counties, over a third of residents rely on the program to purchase food, according to a report from WLBT.
The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1 as Congress works to strike a deal on the national budget. It is now the second-longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
More than two dozen states sued the Trump administration Tuesday over the halted food assistance benefits, arguing that the decision was illegal and will harm the 42 million Americans who depend on the benefits.
Federal officials say they are legally prohibited from extending the benefits by using emergency funds.
“No child in our state should go hungry because of political gridlock in Washington,” Tibbs and Reeves, the pediatrics association’s vice president, wrote in the Oct. 28 letter.
SNAP beneficiaries in Mississippi must meet income and resource limits, and most able-bodied adults must also meet work requirements.
New work requirements for SNAP are set to begin next month as a result of federal budget legislation President Donald Trump signed into law last summer. The law increases the existing work requirement’s upper age limit from 54 to 65 and extends the requirement to people who were previously exempt: veterans, those facing homelessness, and young people aging out of foster care. There is still a caregiver exemption, but parents must have children younger than 14 — down from 18.
Even in the best of times, many Mississippi families aren’t able to provide healthy meals for their kids, said Tibbs. A pause to SNAP could be devastating.
“I just hope that the state sees the crisis that’s looming for our vulnerable citizens and that they do something to extend benefits for as long as we can,” she said.
“We need to have said in the future that we tried, we tried to do the things we need to do for the children in our state, regardless of what’s happening in Washington, D.C.”
Update: This story has been updated to include comments from Gov. Tate Reeves on changes he has requested for SNAP benefits.
