Mississippi
Reeves Proclaims Confederate Heritage Month in Mississippi
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared April 2024 as Confederate Heritage Month in Mississippi, keeping alive a 31-year-old tradition that began in 1993. Beauvoir, the Biloxi, Miss., the museum and historic home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, announced the proclamation in a Facebook post on Friday, April 12.
“Whereas, as we honor all who lost their lives in this war, it is important for all Americans to reflect upon our nation’s past, to gain insight from our mistakes and successes, and to come to a full understanding that the lessons learned yesterday and today will carry us through tomorrow if we carefully and earnestly strive to understand and appreciate our heritage and our opportunities which lie before us,” says the governor’s proclamation, which is dated April 12. “Now, therefore, I, Tate Reeves, Governor of the State of Mississippi, hereby proclaim the month of April 2024 as Confederate Heritage Month in the State of Mississippi.”
Beauvoir is owned and operated by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a neo-Confederate organization that promotes “Lost Cause” ideology, a revisionist history that whitewashes the Confederacy’s racist past and downplays the role of slavery in the Civil War. Beauvoir annually receives $100,000 from the State of Mississippi for development and maintenance.
Starting in 2016, Donna Ladd, then the editor of the Jackson Free Press and now the executive editor of the Mississippi Free Press, first reported on then-Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant’s Confederate Heritage Month proclamations. The Mississippi Free Press has reported on Reeves’ annual proclamations as well in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The Confederate Heritage Month proclamations annually appear on SCV Facebook pages, but neither the governor nor any other state official publicizes the proclamations or posts them on any public-facing state websites or social-media pages.
Reeves defended issuing the proclamations in 2021.
“For the last 30 years, five Mississippi governors—Republicans and Democrats alike—have signed a proclamation recognizing the statutory state holiday and identifying April as Confederate Heritage Month,” he said in a statement to WAPT at the time. “Gov. Reeves also signed the proclamation because he believes we can all learn from our history.”
‘Thoroughly Identified With the Institution of Slavery’
After Kirk Fordice became Mississippi’s first Republican governor in a century while courting the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens and criticizing efforts to atone for the state’s racist past, he issued the inaugural Confederate Heritage Month proclamation at the request of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in 1993.
Since then, one Democratic governor and three Republican governors have followed Fordice’s lead. In the 30 years since then, only one governor has ever skipped issuing a Confederate Heritage Month proclamation. Despite issuing them for his first seven years in office between 2011 and 2018, former Gov. Bryant did not issue a Confederate Heritage Month proclamation in 2019, his last year in office, opting instead for a “Month of Unity” proclamation on behalf of a Christian organization.
The language in Reeves’ Confederate Heritage Month proclamation uses much of the same language as one that former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, who served from 2000 to 2004, issued in April 2000.
Last year, Musgrove told the Mississippi Free Press that Confederate Heritage Month is “something that should not continue in today’s world.”
“I cannot say why the practice started, but it was one that should never have been started,” the former governor said. “It was one that I should not have signed and it should have ended a long time ago.”
Former Republican Gov. Haley Barbour also signed Confederate Heritage Month proclamations every year between 2004 and 2016.
Though Confederate Heritage groups like SCV promote a whitewashed version of the South’s role in the Civil War that has often made its way into textbooks in the state and throughout the country, the historical record makes clear that slavery was the primary cause of the Union’s split and the subsequent Civil War.
“Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery—the greatest material interest of the world,” Mississippi’s 1861 Declaration of Secession says. “Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth.”
Reeves’ ties to the SCV stretch back long before his time as governor. In 2013, he spoke to the SCV’s national gathering in Vicksburg, Miss., in front of a massive Confederate battle flag and in a room decorated with smaller Confederate flags and cotton plants. After then-Lt. Gov. Reeves congratulated the organization for “keeping history for our youth,” speakers defended the Confederate “cause” and compared “Yankees” to German “Nazis” in World War II.
Long before entering politics, Reeves was part of a Millsaps College fraternity known for Confederate-themed parties where members wore blackface and for lionizing Confederate General Robert E. Lee. When it became an issue in his 2019 campaign for governor, though, he said he never participated in blackface during his time in the fraternity.
Reeves’ Democratic opponent at the time, then-Attorney General Jim Hood, was also in a fraternity at the University of Mississippi where members wore blackface; he similarly denied ever participating.
Reeves Denied Existence of ‘Systemic Racism’
In the decades after the Civil War ended, Confederate veterans, such as Mississippi State University inaugural President Stephen D. Lee, and groups like SCV began the work of remaking history in a way that shone a more favorable light on the South—muddying the waters over the cause of the war and falsely describing it as a “war of northern aggression.”
After the Civil War and the failure of Reconstruction, Mississippi’s white leaders worked to enshrine white supremacy in state law, adopting a Jim Crow state constitution in 1890 (its racist felony voter disenfranchisement provision remains in state law and continues to disproportionately disenfranchise Black voters). White supremacist leaders in Mississippi renewed efforts to enshrine Confederate heritage in the 1950s and 1960s in reaction to the rise of the civil rights movement.
Mississippi’s Confederate-themed 1894 state flag flew over state buildings until 2020, when state lawmakers voted to retire and replace it amid a national race reckoning about Black activists’ efforts for decades and in the wake of young Black Mississippians leading protests against racism and the Mississippi flag after the murder of George Floyd. Despite his campaign pledge not to support efforts to retire the flag, Gov. Reeves signed the bill retiring the old flag into law, calling it “a law to turn a page in Mississippi today.”
“It is fashionable in some quarters to say our ancestors were all evil. I reject that notion. I also reject the elitist worldview that these United States are anything but the greatest nation in the history of mankind. I reject the mobs tearing down statues of our history—north and south, Union and Confederate, founding fathers and veterans,” the governor said in 2020, criticizing Black Lives Matter protesters even as he signed the legislation retiring the old state flag. “I reject the chaos and lawlessness, and I am proud it has not happened in our state.”
Despite signing the law that changed the old flag, though, Gov. Reeves continued to deny the lasting effects of the state’s white supremacist history. In 2021, he told Fox News that “there is not systemic racism in America”—contradicting mountains of evidence, including the vestiges of Jim Crow that remain in force in Mississippi law like the State’s racially targeted 1890 voter disenfranchisement law.
Then, in 2022, Reeves signed a so-called “critical race theory ban” into law, which is a misnomer because despite its legislative title, the law neither mentions nor describes critical race theory. As he signed the bill, the governor claimed that “critical race theory is running amok,” despite the fact that the lawmakers who drafted it admitted that they did not know of any public K-12 schools where the academic theory is taught.
He also painted critical race theory, which addresses systemic racial inequalities in the legal system and throughout society, as a tool of indoctrination that is used to “humiliate” white people.
“Children are dragged to the front of the classroom and are coerced to declare themselves as oppressors, that they should feel guilty because of their race, or that they are inherently a victim because of their race,” he said at the time.
The State will also observe Confederate Memorial Day on April 27 as mandated under State law.
For more on the Sons of Confederate Veterans, “redemption” schemes, and the censorship campaign to romanticize and sanitize the Confederacy in southern and U.S. textbooks, read this in-depth piece about first Mississippi State University President Stephen D. Lee’s successful efforts to rewrite the Confederate narrative.
Disclosure: Former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove has donated to the Mississippi Free Press. This does not affect our coverage.
MISSISSIPPI. (WLBT) – Diesel prices climbed this week across Mississippi and the nation, leaving truck drivers uncertain about their ability to continue hauling freight.
Lemone Guice said seeing diesel prices at the pumps was concerning.
“It’s rough right now with the economy. We don’t know how it’s going to be with it being up and down,” Guice said.
Guice and fellow truck driver Ronnie Tran said they don’t know how long their fuel will last.
“If it keeps going like this, I don’t think we can survive,” Tran said.
Tran said his fill-up costs have doubled.
“My normal fill-up: usually around $600 to $700. Now, you’re talking about a thousand to $1,200, so it’s, like, double,” Tran said.
King Gaulden said the situation has been difficult.
“Man, it’s been ridiculous. Ever since Trump said the gas prices would go down, they have been going up. We’re just trying to figure it out. It’s been hard out here, man,” Gaulden said.
According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of gas is $4.54. That’s the highest since the summer of 2022.
Guice said the spike is affecting decisions about whether to transport loads.
“For those of us that freight slows up, yes. You just don’t want to be just getting somewhere sitting and fuel you know… you don’t know whether you’re going to have a half of a tank or a quarter of tank. That isn’t good,” Guice said.
In Mississippi, the average price stands at $4.00, up more than 28 cents from last week.
Tran said his wish is simple.
“I wish the price would go back to $2 and something. Right now, it’s $4 and something. I wish it can go down to two or three something. That would be nice,” Tran said.
Mississippi still ranks among the states with the lowest gas prices.
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This is The Marshall Project – Jackson’s newsletter, a monthly digest of criminal justice news from around Mississippi gathered by our staff of local journalists. Want this delivered to your inbox? Sign up for future newsletters.
The future of the Voting Rights Act runs through a legal fight over Mississippi’s Supreme Court. Also, violence persists in the Hinds County jail, even under federal oversight, and immigration enforcement in Mississippi is drawing more attention.
– Caleb Bedillion and Daja E. Henry
Mississippi grapples with SCOTUS voting rights decision
Last year, U.S. District Court Judge Sharion Aycock ruled that the voting districts used to elect the Mississippi Supreme Court’s nine justices illegally dilute the influence of Black voters. About 38% of Mississippi is Black, but only one justice currently sitting on the bench is Black. All the other judges are White.
Then last week, the U.S. Supreme Court set off a legal earthquake by releasing a decision that significantly weakens the Voting Rights Act and makes it harder for racial minorities to claim in court that they are disadvantaged by voting districts used in elections.
The opinion in Louisiana v. Callais shifts voting rights law so much that the civil rights plaintiffs who filed the Mississippi lawsuit and the defendants have jointly asked a federal appeals court to void (the legal term is “vacate”) the ruling by Aycock and send the case back to her for new arguments.
As of Friday, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals had not yet ruled in response to this joint motion.
The Callais ruling has triggered intense speculation about its impact on a partisan redistricting war raging across the country ahead of midterm elections. With fewer voting protections in place for racial minorities, states across the South could try to eliminate voting districts drawn to favor those voters. This week, Tennessee lawmakers voted to eliminate the state’s lone Black-majority congressional district.
In Mississippi, the state Supreme Court districts loom as the most immediate issue.
When she found last year that the current maps discriminate against Black voters, Aycock gave state lawmakers an opportunity to draw a new voting map. In a legislative session that ended in April, they failed to do so.
A special session called by Gov. Tate Reeves is now scheduled for later this month, during which legislators could potentially change the voting districts of the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Will those lawmakers decide again to leave the status quo in place? Will they adopt a map that is more favorable to Black voters in a bid to bring litigation to a close? Could the Republican-controlled body take Callais as a signal to make the districts less favorable to Black voters?
At the same time, public speculation has mostly centered on whether Reeves will expand the scope of the special session to include the state’s Congressional districts. Some elected officials in the state — as well as President Donald Trump — are calling for more sweeping changes that will change the state’s congressional districts to eliminate a Black-majority district currently represented by Bennie Thompson, a Democrat.
Violence continues at Hinds County jail
Violence continues to plague Hinds County’s Raymond Detention Center, now under the control of a court-appointed federal receiver. Two men were assaulted at the jail on April 23, Sheriff Tyree Jones confirmed to Mississippi Today.
The men were identified as 26-year-old Isaac Gibson and 22-year-old Quandarius Beasley. Gibson’s aunt told Mississippi Today that he had been stabbed.
Violence is just one of the systemic issues that have plagued the facility for decades, leading to the federal takeover. U.S. District Court Judge Carlton W. Reeves ordered the receivership in 2022 after the county repeatedly failed to address constitutional violations found in the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2014 investigation.
Federal receiver, Wendell M. France Sr., took over operations at the facility in October 2025. In a February 2026 court hearing, France said staffing levels at the facility were “woeful.” The building is deteriorating and overcrowded, he reported.
“We will never reach a constitutional, sustainable jail if we do not increase the staff,” France said in the hearing.
According to logs obtained by The Marshall Project – Jackson, dispatchers responded to at least 121 assaults, one stabbing, and 29 aggravated assaults which involved the use of a weapon, in the facility in 2025.
Last year, eight people died in the jail, and one of those deaths was ruled a homicide, according to documents obtained by The Marshall Project – Jackson. In April 2025, 37-year-old Anthony Johnson was found unresponsive in his cell after being assaulted. Three people have been charged in connection with his death.
At least four more people have died in the facility this year.
Tracking immigration enforcement in Mississippi
The privately run Adams County Correctional Center in Mississippi is among the largest ICE detention facilities. People from across the country are held there ahead of possible deportation. But the number of detainees has recently dropped sharply, according to Mississippi Today and The New York Times. With the ability to hold up to 2,500 people, the facility was holding 1,400 people during an April tour, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, told the news outlets.
Nationally, detention numbers have not decreased. A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement denied any intent to close the facility.
The news outlets are reporting in partnership about immigration enforcement and detention in Mississippi. They have interviewed Thompson about his visits to the Adams County facility and probed the scant details about the death of a person held there.
Elsewhere in Mississippi, two brothers from the Republic of the Congo who were attending a public high school on the Mississippi Gulf Coast were recently released from ICE custody after the intervention of prominent Republican officials, according to the Mississippi Free Press. Israel and Max Makoka legally came to the U.S. on student visas, but then transferred from the private boarding school in Rankin County that they initially attended. In a statement, ICE told the Mississippi Free Press the brothers were out of compliance with their visa terms.
Though they are back home with their host parents for now, the brothers still face possible deportation.
Around the state
More redistricting news. Some Mississippi Republicans have urged caution in redistricting. SuperTalk. “Mississippi faces pressure to redistrict before congressional midterms, but also real-world constraints.” Magnolia Tribune Special legislative session on redistricting will take place in Mississippi’s notorious Old Capitol, where the state’s Jim Crow Constitution was approved. Mississippi Today TMP Context: Black candidates have a “bleak” history in Mississippi Supreme Court elections. The Marshall Project
Retaliation on Death Row. There is only one woman on Mississippi’s Death Row. After speaking to a news outlet earlier this year about the restrictive conditions she faces, Lisa Jo Chamberlin believes she faced retaliation. Mother Jones
“Goon Squad” scandal yields new lawsuit. Two men who were beaten and tortured by deputies with the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department are now suing an elected member of the county’s Board of Supervisors for defamation. Mississippi Today
Immigration cooperation. Two rural Mississippi counties recently inked local cooperation agreements with ICE, allowing deputies for the departments to perform certain immigration enforcement duties. One of the sheriffs acknowledged that his department hasn’t arrested a single undocumented immigrant within the last year. The Dispatch
Too much paperwork. Jackson’s new police chief recently told the City Council that the billing system currently in use requires that she spend hours reviewing invoices. WLBT
Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from May 7 drawing
01-03-20-28-29
Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from May 7 drawing
Midday: 6-9-1, FB: 0
Evening: 4-1-1, FB: 2
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from May 7 drawing
Midday: 3-9-8-8, FB: 0
Evening: 5-9-0-2, FB: 2
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 7 drawing
Midday: 09
Evening: 12
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Story continues below gallery.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.
Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:
Mississippi Lottery Corporation
P.O. Box 321462
Flowood, MS
39232
If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.
Mississippi Lottery Headquarters
1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100
Flowood, MS
39232
Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.
When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?
- Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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