Steven Fisk, left, hugs his wife Edith Fisk, right, after winning the Sanderson Farms Championship golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Credit: (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Let’s go back to May 19, 1968. War was escalating in Vietnam. President Lyndon Johnson had just announced he would not run for reelection. Mickey Mantle was limping through his last season with the New York Yankees. James Eastland and John Stennis, two Democrats, were Mississippi’s two U.S. senators. A promising young quarterback named Archie Manning was finishing spring training, preparing for his first varsity season at Ole Miss.
Rick Cleveland
Yes, and in Hattiesburg, B.R. “Mac” McClendon, a rookie playing his first professional golf tournament, won the first Magnolia Classic, defeating 53-year-old Pete Fleming in a nine-hole, sudden-death playoff at the Hattiesburg Country Club.
McClendon, fresh out of LSU where he was a three-time Southeastern Conference golf champion, won a not-so-grand total of $2,800 for his efforts. He birdied the ninth hole, his 45th of the day, at dusk, as car lights shone brightly from the parking lot just behind the green.
Few, if any, of us present that damp spring evening in Hattiesburg would have ever believed the little tournament with such humble beginnings would endure for 57 years, but it has.
Fast-forward to Sunday’s breezy, cloudy afternoon at the Country Club of Jackson in the final round of perhaps the final Sanderson Farms Championship. Steven Fisk, a 28-year-old Georgian, fired an 8-under-par 64 with birdies on the final three holes to win the tournament that began so long ago as the Magnolia Classic. First prize this time? Just over a million bucks. The late Mac McClendon surely wouldn’t have believed that.
Just as had happened 57 years before, Sunday’s final round came down to a two-man shootout. Fisk and South African Garrick Higgo trading birdies until Fisk birdied the final three holes with a remarkable display of grit and pinpoint accuracy.
“I know I’m good enough,” Fisk said immediately afterward. “I knew I could do it. It’s a lifelong dream, honestly. Sometimes you doubt yourself, but I just knew I could do it. Nothing was going to stop me from doing what I wanted today.”
A former Georgia Southern golfer, Fisk turned professional in 2019, but his early professional career was slowed – and threatened, really – by a condition in his left hand called carpometacarpal bossing. If that sounds serious, it was. The injury required surgery and then a change in his golf swing to prevent further problems. Fisk persevered.
Perseverance has also been the story of the Magnolia Classic, turned Deposit Guaranty Classic, turned Southern Farm Bureau Classic, turned Viking Classic, turned True South Classic, turned Sanderson Farms Championship. The event’s 57-year-history has included tournaments at three different golf courses, in three different Mississippi cities, and with six different sponsors. It has endured not only the sponsorhip losses, but also a 100-year flood, two lesser floods, a couple hurricanes, a tornado, a pandemic and a half dozen recessions. In 2005, before so much of that happened, Mississippi’s only PGA TOUR tournament had endured so much that a Sports Illustrated deemed it “the little tournament that could.”
The late Robert Morgan, a Hattiesburg businessman, championed the tournament through its first 40 years and a move from the Hattiesburg Country Club to Annandale in Madison. Then, Joe Sanderson, the Laurel poultry magnate, saved the event and oversaw the move from Annandale to the Country Club of Jackson where the tournament had seemingly flourished until now.
But Sanderson sold his company in 2022 and the new owners have decided not to continue sponsoring the event beyond this year’s tournament. A new sponsor has not been found, which could spell the end of the “little tournament that could.”
That would be a blow to several Mississippi charities and especially Children’s Hospital. Since 2013, the event has raised nearly $19 million for Children’s of Mississippi and $2.75 million for other Mississippi charities. Said Steve Jent, the tournament’s executive director, “All I can say is that we’d like to find a title sponsor for next year. We want to keep it going.”
Steven Fisk knew little of any of that before he came to Country Club of Jackson for the first time this week. He has quickly learned to adore the tournament which he called “a first-class event on a great golf course.”
Asked about the likelihood of this being the last Sanderson Farms Championship, Fisk, spoke for many when he replied, “If this was the last one, that stinks…”
OAKLAND, Miss. — Grocery store owner Marquitrice Mangham hurries out of the sweltering August heat of the Mississippi Delta and enters her newly opened Farmacy Marketplace.
She arrives about an hour before the doors open at 10 a.m.
It’s a quiet Friday in Oakland, Mississippi, except for the occasional screech of tires from semitrucks passing by on Highway 51. Oakland, fewer than 30 miles from her hometown of Webb, is home to about 400 residents, more than half of whom are Black.
Inside the store, Mangham greets and praises her assistant manager, Kini Bradford-Jefferson. She emphasizes that without her, the store couldn’t operate. They laugh, ask each other how they are doing and tidy up the 3,000-square-foot space.
Until April, Oakland had been without a grocery store.
In rural areas, particularly in the Delta, residents face some of the highest rates of food insecurity and unemployment in the state, resulting in poor health outcomes such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. These communities have high populations of Black people. They often struggle to attract grocery stores and are overwhelmed by a striking growth of dollar stores.
Marquitrice Mangham stands outside mobile food truck in Mound Bayou, Miss. Credit: Justin Hardiman/Capital B
Around 14% of Americans — more than 47 million people — were food insecure at some point during 2023, according to an Associated Press analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and Feeding America data.
Mississippi had a food insecurity rate of 18%, higher than the national rate.
Getting consistent support from the government to fight hunger is often a struggle. For the second year in a row, the Mississippi Department of Health and Human Services opted out of a federal program that would’ve provided kids with $40 in grocery assistance in the summer months. Advocates worry this decision could increase hunger and health issues. Recent federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the elimination of grants geared to help farmers and improve food access compound the problem.
Despite all these challenges, Black women like Mangham are stepping up. From grocery stores to food distribution services, they’re leading community-centered solutions to feed their families and improve the health and well-being of their neighbors.
Local grocer fills a crucial need
Community leaders in Oakland requested a supermarket after learning of Mangham’s first store in Webb, which she opened in 2022.
Oakland resident Bradford-Jefferson said there hadn’t been a place to shop for everyday necessities since she was a child. There’s only a library, food service plant, post office, bank and medical clinic. Like other residents, Bradford-Jefferson traveled to the nearest town to purchase food from stores such as Walmart or Piggly Wiggly.
She used to drive regularly to her retail job in Batesville, a 40-mile round trip. Not only did she get a job closer to home, but she’s been able to cut back on expenses such as gas.
“I can walk here (to work) if I had to,” she said.
The bell above the door chimed as the store doors swung open, welcoming the first customers of the day. They excitedly greeted Bradford-Jefferson before hugging Mangham.
It felt as if everyone knew everyone.
Kini Bradford-Jefferson smiles during her shift. Credit: Justin Hardiman/Capital B
Bradford-Jefferson seamlessly transitioned from ringing up purchases on the cash register to prepping meat at the deli station for two men on their lunch break.
The 58-year-old understands that the store is needed for her town, as well other rural areas where food access is limited.
“You got to think of the elders, and some people don’t have vehicles and can’t afford to pay people to take them to other towns to shop,” she said. “It’s a good thing for this community and the surrounding communities.”
Mangham grew up on a family farm in Webb, a majority-Black town of fewer than 500 people. They grew soybeans, corn, fruits and trees, and managed livestock (cows and hogs) on over 200 acres of land.
Back then, they “lived off the land,” meaning most of the food they consumed, they grew themselves. Even if they wanted to visit a grocery store, they had to drive 20 to 30 miles. But, as a child, Mangham didn’t grasp the severity of the situation.
The 48-year-old military veteran moved away after high school, eventually settling in Atlanta. In 2016, she inherited her family’s farm, which brought her back to Webb more frequently. She began paying closer attention to the food disparities.
It was worse than when she left nearly 25 years ago.
“My 89-year-old grandmother has to drive 15 to 20 miles just to get fresh food,” Mangham said. “She’s a diabetic and has this special diet.”
In 2023, Tallahatchie County, where Webb is located, 21% of people reported food insecurity in their household, higher than the state and national rates, with about 2,610 people who were food insecure.
Mangham’s nonprofit, In Her Shoes Inc., began in Atlanta and focuses on improving access to food and supporting farmers. But she recognized a greater need for these programs in the Delta. She conducted research, secured funding and successfully launched her first Farmacy Marketplace store.
Marquitrice Mangham serves a customer at her mobile food truck in Mound Bayou, Miss. Credit: Justin Hardiman/Capital B
She also teaches families how to prepare meals that cater to their specific health care needs and how to properly store fresh foods. The store also implemented the Double Up Food Bucks program, which encourages SNAP recipients to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
Inspired, other communities — like Oakland — have reached out for guidance.
“The most important thing was it showed so many other communities that this can be your community, too,” she said.
Online delivery services for those without transportation
About 19 miles away in Drew, Gloria Dickerson is working to uplift her community “from poverty to prosperity,” the mission of her youth nonprofit.
Providing residents with the resources to achieve food security is her North Star.
Despite growing up in poverty, Dickerson and her family knew how to put food on the table. Her parents, Mathew and Mae Bertha Carter, were sharecroppers who lived with their 13 children on a plantation near Drew. They grew a garden filled with fruits, vegetables and beans.
But that was snatched away when the children decided to do the unthinkable: integrate the “all white” Drew High School in 1965, becoming the first Black family to do so. Their house was shot at, credit in local stores was cut off, the garden was plowed up and they were evicted.
Mae Bertha was fortunate to have a friend in the civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, who lived less than 10 miles away. Hamer sent Charles McLaurin, her campaign manager and fellow activist, to check on the family, Dickerson recalled. This came with a wave of support from other civil rights workers who assisted the family with finding a home in Drew.
At the time, Main Street in downtown Drew had retail stores, grocery stores and even “nickel and dime stores,” Dickerson remembered.
Portrait of a young Gloria Dickerson. Credit: Justin Hardiman/Capital B
More than 60 years later, the same street in the 77% Black town of 2,000 people is different. Today, there are not many businesses. There’s Stafford’s Deli and Dickerson’s nonprofit We2Gether Creating Change, which operates out of several buildings on the street. In the town, there’s no grocery store. It closed in 2012. There’s only one Dollar General, which has some frozen foods. In Sunflower County, where Drew is located, 22.8% of people reported food insecurity in their household in 2023.
Dickerson noticed that many children in her programs often came to class hungry. Although she provided food, it still wasn’t enough. Along with other organizers, she created a group called Drew United for Progress. During a community discussion, residents repeatedly expressed a need for a grocery store.
“(They said), ‘We can’t buy an apple. We can’t buy a banana. We can’t buy any vegetables,’” she said. “’We have to hire somebody to take us out of the community to pay them $10 to get there, pay them $10 to get back and that takes away from the money we have to put on food.’”
They then formed the Drew Collaborative, which included experts to research the feasibility of a store. The market analysis found the town was too small to support a grocer. Instead of pursuing a supermarket, the collaborative launched the Grocery Online Ordering Distribution Service (GOODS) in 2021.
Residents of Drew, Ruleville, Parchman and Rome are able to place food orders online. The food is stored at the National Guard Armory for delivery or pickup. This initiative was initially funded by HOPE Credit Union in the Mississippi Delta. The nonprofit provides iPads and education on how to order food because of limited broadband and digital literacy concerns.
The program expanded to Shaw, about 27 miles from Drew. With the rising cost of food, more families need assistance. There are still some people who are left behind, said Chiquikta Fountain, former director of Delta Hands for Hope, which shepherds the program in Shaw.
Gloria Dickerson is leading the charge to ensure her community has access to food. Credit: Justin Hardiman/Capital B
“On a state level, we have a legislature that doesn’t value what it means for children and communities to be food secure,” she said. “They’re not working hard enough to make sure that people who make a living wage are able to buy food and not have to play Russian Roulette with what’s going to be a priority this month.”
In Drew, Dickerson responded by hosting a monthly food pantry.
This fall, We2Gether Creating Change willlaunch family gardens, where at least 10 families will have ownership of a plot of land. This project will teach them how to grow their own food, which they can use to feed their families or sell. Each family will also receive a $200 stipend to keep their garden up, and youth workers will get paid to help out in the summer.
Dickerson hopes to evolve this work into garden parties, cooking classes and more. Her biggest concern is that if food insecurity goes unchecked, it will affect the mental well-being of children and their ability to perform well in school.
Her call to action is for people to get involved, especially because the Delta was ground zero for the Civil Rights Movement, and everyone benefits from those sacrifices — from death and loss of jobs to political violence.
“People need to remember where they really came from and who was on the battlefield, fighting for them to have what they have right now … it was the people that lived in these small communities putting their lives on the line,” Dickerson said. “Don’t forget us.”
Growing the next generation
Back in Oakland, once business at Farmacy Marketplace is up and running, Mangham drives nearly 63 miles from the Oakland store to Mound Bayou to open her mobile grocery store around noon.
A few days earlier, she made the 12-hour trek from her residence in Atlanta to Mississippi. It’s part of her weekly routine. She spends a few days in Atlanta and then heads to her beloved home state to manage not one, but two, grocery stores.
It’s a sacrifice she doesn’t mind making.
Founded by formerly enslaved cousins, Mound Bayou is considered the “jewel of the Delta.” It is known as a self-reliant Black community that provided solace and refuge from the threats of the Jim Crow South. During the trial of Emmett Till’s murderers, the town became home to his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, the Black press — including Simeon Booker with Jet Magazine — and witnesses.
Mangham’s mobile truck is parked on the site of the now-shuttered Taborian Hospital, which exclusively admitted Black patients and staff during a time when other health care facilities didn’t accept Black folks. It’s across the street from a gas station, and near the high school, which closed in 2018 and now houses the Mound Bayou Museum of African American History and Culture.
Every Friday, the truck is in Mound Bayou from noon to 4 p.m. It is also stationed in Jonestown on Tuesdays and Coffeeville on Fridays.
Thirty minutes after opening, residents trickled in, asking about watermelon and selecting from a variety of frozen meats, fruits and vegetables. On that day, James Edwards Jr., a retired vocational instructor, traveled from his home in Marks to help out with the mobile market. As his wife, Maudy Edwards, assisted customers, James sat in a chair under a shaded tree, greeting and conversing with residents.
Dennis Wesley, left, Marquitrice Mangham and Maudy Edwards all operate the mobile food truck in Mound Bayou, Miss. Credit: Justin Hardiman/Capital B
Usually, he’s repairing or cleaning the mobile grocery truck. He makes sure it’s filled with gas and ensures the food is frozen and up to temperature. When he’s not on site helping with the mobile truck, he’s at the distribution center in Lambert or at the stores.
“It’s been a pleasure to do this because we bring in food to what we call desert communities, where we don’t have the grocery store,” Edwards said. “My wife and I think this is a wonderful thing, and I know it’s gonna grow, but it’s like a young baby, it’s got to be nourished. You gotta be on milk before it grows so and it’s a blessing to Mississippi.”
In Her Shoes received a grant in 2023 to build a chicken processing facility, which will allow Black farmers to make more money by processing their products. The organization is set to break ground on the facility in October.
“Mississippi has a billion-dollar poultry industry, but … there are no private processing facilities for the smaller farmers to be able to get their poultry into local stores,” Mangham said.
Mangham’s work provides not only a market for farmers to sell their produce and allow residents to purchase fresh foods, but also an avenue to get young people involved. She created an apprenticeship program that pairs students with farmers to learn how to grow produce.
In Bolivar County, where Mound Bayou is located, 24.4% of people reported food insecurity in their household in 2023. Addressing the issue takes more than opening two stores and providing a temporary mobile food truck, Mangham said. She’s looking at other avenues, like partnering with pharmacies to bring in a fresh food kiosk or refrigeration to store meats and vegetables. She’s also working to convert shipping containers into permanent corner grocery stores.
This work can be overwhelming and exhausting, but Mangham continues because of the community’s support, she said.
“When I see the 75-year-old lady come in and buy all of her groceries, and she doesn’t have to drive … that’s the kind of thing that makes it all worth it,” she said with teary eyes.
She added that her work has inspired others. “Nobody wants to invest in these rural communities. They don’t want to invest in the people. But just do what’s put on your heart to do, and the rewards will come.”
Before sunrise early Saturday morning in September, bicyclists from across the tri-county area, including Major Taylor Cycling Club members from Memphis, Tennessee, arrive at The Bike Crossing in Ridgeland.
Arree Williams, Soul City Cycling president, is leading the group of 30 or so riders dressed in colorful, skin-clinging cycling uniforms. Williams shares safety reminders with the group as they double check gear and store away hydration sources and snacks.
Soul City Cycling club president Arree Williams (far left) talks safety and riding route with other riders gathered at the Bike Crossing in Ridgeland before a ride into the county, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Soul City Cycling Club president Arree Williams (center) talks safety rules and ride route before cyclists head out for a morning ride along the Natchez Trace in Madison County, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Soul City Cycling members Denise Chaffe, club president Arree Williams and other riders, including the Major Taylor Cycling Club, gather at the Bike Crossing in Ridgeland before a ride into the county, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
The excitement is palpable as riders ready to complete a morning ride that will course 44 or 53 miles, depending on riding experience. The course runs through a section of Ridgeland, along the Natchez Trace Parkway, then deeper into Madison County.
Soul City Cycling and Major Taylor Cycling Club members gather at The Bike Crossing in Ridgeland before the start of a 40-50 mile ride, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“I started riding back in 2010,” said Williams. “Back then, there really weren’t a lot of Black people running and biking. I would be out on my bike and noticed I rarely, if ever, saw anybody who looked like me on a bike. If I did, I’d turn around and make my way to them asking all kinds of questions. That’s exactly how I met Cedrick Chaffee. I met his wife Denise too. Before long, we were riding together.”
Cedrick Chaffee of Clinton is the director of membership for Soul City Cycling. He was a member of the Memphis-based Black Men Run, but running on pavement became hard on his knees. And although he confesses to missing running, he turned to cycling.
Soul City Cycling and Major Taylor Cycling Club members gather at The Bike Crossing in Ridgeland before the start of a 40-50 mile ride, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Soul City Cycling members ride north on the Natchez Trace in Madison County, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025.
“He introduced me to several other riders,” said Williams of Chaffee. “Soul City Cycling was established in August of 2021. From a community standpoint, COVID played an unexpected part in it too. People were looking for a way to escape the seemingly endless sheltering in place, the working and schooling from home, and all that came with that. We got outside. People started buying bicycles and that includes the African American community.”
After an unpleasant riding experience, Chaffee’s wife Denise, discussed Major Taylor Cycling Clubs with her husband and a few friends.
Soul City Cycling Club member Denise Chaffe (second left), makes the rounds visiting with cyclists before the start of a morning ride in Ridgeland, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor was a road and track bicyclist, and the first African American cycling champion. Taylor, who was internationally famous in the 1800s, won the International Cycling Association (ICA) Track Cycling World Championship in 1899.
His life and accomplishments are the inspiration for cycling clubs that bear his name and the year 1899 around the world.
“That’s how Soul City Cycling was born,” she said.
Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor was an American cycling champion in the 1800s. Taylor and his legacy are the inspiration for Major Taylor Cycling Clubs across the globe. Credit: Web file photo
Major Taylor Cycling Club members from Memphis, Tenn., join Soul City Cycling Club members for a ride into Madison County, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“We want to encourage people to get out on bikes,” said Williams, after sharing the morning’s route with the group of riders. “Come out and see what we’re all about. Everybody is welcome. I don’t call us a club, we’re a community. One big, happy, diverse community.”
Soul City Cycling members ride north on the Natchez Trace in Madison County, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025
Soul City Cycling and Major Taylor Cycling Club members cruise along the Natchez Trace in Madison County, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Soul City Cycling and Major Taylor Cycling Club members ride along the Natchez Trace in Madison County, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Soul City Cycling and Major Taylor Cycling Club members ride past the Overlook on the Natchez Trace in Madison County, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
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.
I now see why hospitals and rehab centers in Mississippi may be facing cuts. I started not to write this, but after spending the last month in the hospital and at a rehab center, I’ve been soul-searching in Jackson – the “City with Soul.”
For more than 39 years, I worked as a journalist. I covered everything from politics to education, Hurricane Katrina, a space shuttle disaster to George W. Bush’s State of the Union, but some of the most emotional stories I encountered were about healthcare.
Patients and families would complain about how they were treated in hospitals. Most television stations ignored those stories, and when administrators were pressed for answers, the fallback quote was always: “It’s HIPAA. We can’t discuss it.”
That response hides the truth. Yes, under federal law you can’t disclose private patient information. But you can – and should – comment on your policies and procedures. And when those policies fail patients, the public has a right to know.
Katina Rankin Credit: Courtesy
When I landed in the hospital, I thought I knew what to expect. I ran to the “crosses” for obvious reasons. But what I found shocked me. I’ll be blunt: I would never go back, and I wouldn’t even take a stray or even a dead dog there in an emergency. At least he/she wouldn’t suffer.
My neurologist at the time (excluding the nurse practitioner in the office), cardiologist and attending physician were excellent. They cared. They listened. But the majority of nurses, CNAs and staff on my floor? They need either retraining, removal or termination. People enter a hospital because they are sick. They aren’t asking for spa treatment or red-carpet service. They just want to be treated with basic human dignity.
Here’s one degrading example. Patients are told: “Call for assistance if you need to go to the restroom. We don’t want you to fall.” Fair enough.
But when I pressed the call button, no one came. Not for 15 minutes. So I dragged myself to the restroom, dragged myself to the sink to wash my hands and dragged myself back to bed with IV in tow. Someone finally arrived five minutes later, only after another desperate call. Their excuse? “No one told me.”
Think about that. No one told me. What kind of communication system leaves sick patients unattended when they have to go to the restroom.
And why is the secretary — the one supposed to relay those calls — shielded from accountability? Not to protect her, but to protect a broken system that covers itself at the expense of patients.
Too often, I saw staff huddled in corners gossiping, scrolling through their phones or simply ignoring the patients they were supposed to be serving.
Managers were no better. When I reported mistreatment, one told me: “Glad it wasn’t one of mine. We were short-staffed and had to borrow from another floor.” Excuse me? Aren’t all nurses trained to care for patients? Isn’t compassion supposed to be universal? If that’s your excuse, then the system is beyond pathetic.
And then came the rehab nightmare. For days I asked when I would be transferred. The answer was always the same: “We’re waiting on a response.” Finally, I called the rehab center myself. They told me they had never received the paperwork. The next day, I learned my paperwork hadn’t been sent until 10 p.m. – days after my initial request.
In other words, I was lied to. Lied to while my health and recovery hung in the balance. And here’s the kicker: the moment I told my doctor what was happening, my transfer was suddenly approved. So the paperwork was never the problem. Honesty was.
This is not just about one hospital. It’s about a system that has lost its soul. A system that views patients as burdens, not people. A system where excuses and cover-ups are more common than compassion and competence.
Mississippi is already near the bottom of national health rankings. Our hospitals are underfunded, our nurses underpaid and our patients overlooked. But none of that excuses treating people with indifference, dishonesty or outright neglect.
Cuts may be coming. Closures may follow. But if hospitals continue operating as they do now, maybe they’ve earned it. Because a hospital without dignity is no hospital at all.
Patients in Mississippi deserve better. We deserve hospitals where care is more than a slogan, where dignity isn’t optional and where honesty is the standard. Until that happens, Mississippi’s “City with Soul” will remain a city without one.
Note: This is not meant to indict every hospital, health system or experience. But it was mine. We need more patient advocates. In the meantime, I chose to be my own advocate. If patients don’t speak up, no one will know the system must change. When lives and dignity are at stake, it’s always the right time to get into “good trouble.”
Bio: Katina Rankin, a Magee native, is an award winning journalist and founder of Katina’s Klassroom, a non-profit that strives “to improve reading skills and eliminate food insecurity in underserved areas.” She also is the author of multiple books, including “Up North, Down South: City Folk Meet Country Folk,” “Kendall’s Kitchen: Healthy and Hearty Recipes for Kids,” “Emmett Till: Sometimes Good Can Come Out Of A Bad Situation” and others.
Funding for federal programs administered by the state Health Department could dry up and employees could be furloughed, says a memo sent to department employees and obtained by Mississippi Today.
While the department told the news outlet no furloughs had been made yet, the memo circulated as an unspecified number of state Health Department contract employees were ordered to stop working this week because of a federal government shutdown.
The agency’s dependence on federal funds forced it to issue “stop-work orders” to contract employees across the agency, Health Department spokesperson Greg Flynn said. The employees were told to halt this week as their pay period ended, and were notified their jobs and compensation would pause until the shutdown ended.
Dr. Dan Edney, the state health officer, sent a department-wide memo Wednesday after the federal government shut down. Congress remains at loggerheads over government funding legislation, as Republicans and Democrats dig in for a prolonged fight. President Donald Trump has readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government.
Edney’s memo said federally funded programs could experience delays in reimbursement, grant drawdowns or new obligations. The Health Department receives 80% of its funding from the federal government, with that money impacting a wide range of programs.
One such program is the Women, Infants and Children’s Nutrition Program, a supplemental food program for new moms and young children. That program and other essential services will continue for “as long as possible,” the memo said. It is unclear whether the department will need to make additional cuts to free funds to maintain these programs.
Edney said in the memo Wednesday that the department might issue furloughs — temporary, unpaid leave — if the shutdown drags on.
Flynn told Mississippi Today there is a plan in place specifying which employees will be the first to be furloughed, but the plan hasn’t been implemented.
“Whether they become necessary depends on the federal government’s funding decisions in the coming days,” Edney wrote in his memo. “We are reviewing all available funding sources and will notify any impacted employees directly if furloughs are required.”
In addition to potential furloughs related to the government shutdown, the Health Department has already fired employees this week.
On Thursday, Mississippi Today reported that the Health Department fired at least 10 people from jobs dealing with preventive health and elimination of health disparities. A department spokesperson said “personnel adjustments” were made in response to “uncertainty around federal funding.”
A person outside the department who was briefed on the firings and spoke to Mississippi Today under condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency decisions said those layoffs were partially in response to issues outlined in a report published by theStateAuditor Shad White. The report alleged the Health Department failed to properly monitor taxpayer funds directed to the Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity.
U.S. senators were headed back to the Capitol on Friday for another vote on government funding, but there has been no sign of any real progress toward ending their standoff. Democrats are demanding that Congress extend health care benefits, while Republicans are trying to wear them down with day-after-day voting on a House-passed bill that would reopen the government temporarily, mostly at current spending levels.
The main point of contention between parties is the expiration of Biden-era subsidies that are making health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans. If they are not renewed, premiums on marketplace insurance plans will more than double next year, KFF estimates.
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia has been vocal on social media about the cost increases for his constituents. In one of his posts, he said the monthly cost for a family of four insured by Anthem would rise from $559 in 2025 to $2,131 in 2026.
Here are the lowest cost insurance options for a small business owner and family of 4 in Chatham County (2025 vs 2026).
Almost $20k more/yr & it was already WAY too expensive to begin with.
This is not business as usual. We have to stop the Republican cuts to health care. pic.twitter.com/nfbOkUSIS7
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) October 2, 2025
Mississippi’s Republican senators, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, have blamed the shutdown on Democrats and said it would damage the country’s national security interests. Senate Republican leadership has balked at renewing the health care subsidies with the government funding legislation, saying it should be considered in a separate measure, if at all.
In an unprecedented move, the Trump administration has used government websites to pin blame on Democrats. A banner across the website of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says: “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.”
In his memo, Edney said the Health Department would work to protect staff members and the work they do.
“We understand that this uncertainty is difficult,” Edney wrote. “This is not the first time a federal shutdown has affected our agency, and we are committed to managing the situation with as little disruption as possible.”
Mississippi Today is thrilled to announce Laura Santhanam as its new health editor.
Santhanam is a Mississippi native who has spent the last 11 years of her career working as a health reporter and producer at PBS News. She is a former Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan and was part of the team that won the Peabody Award in 2023 for “War in the Holy Land,” a special report documenting the Hamas attack on Israel and the aftermath.
“I am thankful and thrilled for the opportunity to contribute to a newsroom that has done so much work to hold people in power accountable and to serve my home state,” Santhanam said. “This moment demands fearless journalism, and I cannot imagine a place more ready to deliver on that need than Mississippi Today.”
Santhanam has covered health stories across four presidential administrations, including the overdose crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and reproductive health care. As a fellow for the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, she mentored journalists from across the country as they completed long-term investigations.
“We are so excited to gain the perspective of someone who not only has an impressive career in health journalism, but also an intimate knowledge of the state and its strengths and shortcomings,” said Kate Royals, managing editor of Mississippi Today. “Laura will undoubtedly strengthen our newsroom’s health coverage and be an amazing resource for the state as a whole.”
Mississippi Today’s award-winning health team was created in 2022 and is made up of three reporters and an editor. The team has covered stories including HIV prevention among minority groups, the state’s high rates of low-risk C-sections and state and local governments’ spending of opioid settlement funds.
Cliff Johnson, a University of Mississippi law school professor, announced on Thursday that he will run as a Democrat for Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District seat in next year against Republican incumbent Trent Kelly.
Johnson, in a campaign announcement video, said that if elected to the seat serving northeastern Mississippi, he would work to expand access to affordable healthcare, protect Social Security benefits, and preserve the state’s land and water resources.
“As Mississippians, we were taught that we are measured by how we treat those around us who are struggling and need help,” Johnson said. “But in Washington, too many career politicians have forgotten those values and callously bury Mississippi families under a heaping pile of oppressive policies that make life harder rather than easier.”
Kelly is likely to win the Republican nomination, but he could have a primary opponent.
If Johnson wins his party’s nomination, he will face incumbent Republican Kelly, a former district attorney and a retired officer in the Mississippi National Guard. Kelly currently serves on the House Armed Services and Agriculture committees and on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
A spokesperson for Kelly did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Johnson’s campaign announcement.
Former state Rep. Kelvin Buck, a Democrat who represented Marshall County, has also qualified to run for the congressional seat.
So far, no Republican has filed paperwork to run against Kelly.
Johnson’s announcement follows several other candidates who have announced that they’re running for Congress in the 2026 midterm election.
Here is a list of other candidates who have announced they’re running:
Mississippi’s Health Department fired employees working on preventive health and health equity issues, people familiar with the personnel decision told Mississippi Today.
An employee who was terminated Wednesday spoke to Mississippi Today on condition of anonymity because of concerns about repercussions in future job searches. The former employee said they were one of about 10 people laid off from jobs dealing with preventive health and elimination of health disparities.
The Health Department downsized what it had called the “Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity” partially in response to issues outlined in a Sept. 22 report published by the Office of State Auditor Shad White, according to a person outside the department who was briefed on the firings and spoke to Mississippi Today under condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency decisions. The report alleged the Health Department failed to properly monitor taxpayer funds directed to the Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity.
Greg Flynn, spokesperson for the state Health Department, confirmed the department made staffing “adjustments” but would not say how many employees were laid off or in which offices. He declined to comment on the auditor’s report but said programs and outreach around preventive health and health disparities continue to exist.
“With uncertainty around federal funding, we’ve made personnel adjustments to protect essential direct services and keep the focus on the health of Mississippi families,” Flynn said. “Our priority is ensuring stability and continuity for the communities we serve.”
The former Health Department employee who spoke to Mississippi Today said they did not receive a direct response when they asked whether the layoffs were caused by the federal government shutdown that began on Wednesday, hours before the employee was terminated. Rather, the person was told that as a state employee without civil service protection, they could be dismissed without cause.
The Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity worked on programs dealing with chronic disease prevention and healthy living, according to an April 2024 social media post published by the Health Department.
“Our Health Equity Office ensures fair healthcare access for all,” the post said. “Together, we’re building a healthier, more equitable MS!”
Financial documents from the Health Department make reference to an Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity, but there is no mention of such an office on the Department’s Preventive Health page or Health Disparities Office page.
The auditor’s report said the Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity failed to properly monitor some taxpayer funds awarded to nonprofits through subgrants. Thousands of dollars were spent on gift cards, grocery cards and gym memberships with “little documentation about who benefited,” the report said.
Mississippi State Auditor Shad White shares memories of his high school and college years at Sandersville City Hall on Feb. 6, 2025, in his hometown. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
A Ridgeland-based nonprofit was awarded over $250,000 by the Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity through a two-year grant to be used for disease prevention for “underserved Mississippians.” The Health Department often reimbursed the nonprofit without proper documentation to prove the expenditures were appropriate, the report said.
In a statement to Mississippi Today, White said the Auditor’s Office found state agencies have been giving tax dollars to groups with little accountability for how the money is spent.
“So it’s no surprise to us that agencies are starting to make some changes now that our reports have been made public and taxpayers are starting to ask more questions about how their money is spent,” White said.
This isn’t the first time the Health Department has come under fire by the Auditor’s Office for work it outsourced to nonprofits.
In May, the Auditor’s Office said the Health Department failed to adequately oversee how nonprofits were using federal funds to address HIV prevention. The Auditor’s Office found that only 35 HIV tests were administered between 2021 and 2024, while the nonprofits received reimbursements for alcohol, late-night rideshares, purchases from a smoke shop and rental of a nightclub owned by one group’s executive director.
The Health Department said the lapses were “unacceptable” and did not “reflect the value of many nonprofit partners we continue to work with across Mississippi.”
Even before White’s September report criticizing the Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity, President Donald Trump and Republicans around the country have criticized programs the word “equity” in their names.
The programs have been said to violate federal and state regulations banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Mississippi has some of the highest rates of preventable diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension, all of which are more common in Black residents in the state. These conditions contribute to maternal and infant mortality, in which Mississippi also leads the nation.
Update 10/2/2025: This story has been updated to add information about Mississippi’s health disparties.
Mississippi’s unemployment rate has changed little this year, while the state’s gross domestic product dipped slightly in the second quarter, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
August’s unemployment rate was 3.9% and has fluctuated between 4.0% and 3.9% since March. This follows a national trend of what economists are calling a “no-hire, no-fire” labor market.
Katherine Lin
The number of job openings and the number of hires in Mississippi didn’t change much in July. There were 10,000 less separations — employees who left voluntarily, were laid off or fired — month to month.
Gov. Tate Reeves celebrated the state’s record high for total non-farm employment at 1,205,500. This was up by 16,200 compared with August 2024. In the announcement, Reeves called it “another great day for our state.”
Mississippi’s labor force participation rate dropped slightly in August to 55.9%. It reached over 56% in February 2025, the first time it has reached that peak since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Mississippi’s labor force participation rate has historically been at or near the lowest in the nation, and is lower than the national rate, which was 62.3% in August.
Mississippi was one of two states where real GDP decreased in the second quarter of 2025. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, real GDP declined by 0.9%. Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting were the largest contributors to this change.
Economic numbers only tell a part of the story. I’d love to hear about how you believe the economy is doing. How easy is it for people to find a job, are you planning on staying at a job you were planning on leaving? Email me at marketplace@mississippitoday.org.
Earlier this year it announced production delays for two electric SUVs. The hybrid-powered Xterra had been discontinued in the U.S. a decade ago. Nissan and other auto makers are shifting away from fully electric autos. This follows a slowdown in electric vehicle demand and the end of federal EV tax credits.
Nissan was the first car manufacturer in Mississippi. The Canton plant opened in 2003. The Nissan plant has been described as “the cornerstone of Mississippi’s automotive industry” and is credited with attracting other car manufacturers and suppliers to the state.
Jabil, a manufacturing solutions provider, is investing $70 million in a new X-ray sterilization facility for medical devices in Marshall County. The investment will be spread out over three years and promises to create 24 jobs.
President Donald Trump recently announced a new $100,000 fee for new H-1B applications. The visa allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in “speciality occupations,” such as engineering and medicine. Mississippi had 261 visa approvals in Fiscal Year 2025 according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This encompassed new visas, renewals and transfers. The University of Mississippi had 22 new employment visa approvals, the highest for any employer. It was followed by the University of Mississippi Medical Center with 16.
Entergy Mississippi announced it’s investing $300 million to upgrade its power grid. This is the biggest grid upgrade in the history of the state’s largest utility company. Entergy Mississippi’s CEO promised that this investment would not impact customers’ bills.
Ole Miss and Southern Miss are off this weekend and Mississippi State is on the road, but the Sanderson Farms Championship, Mississippi’s only PGA Tour tournament returns to the Country Club of Jackson. Today’s discussion includes golf – both a Ryder Cup review and a Sanderson Farms preview – and a Mississippi college football season that keeps getting more interesting.
