Mississippi
‘We could possibly turn Mississippi blue’: Black women in MS rally around Kamala Harris
“I see her as someone different.”
Kamala Harris speaks at AKA convention in Dallas
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Wednesday.
Fox – 4 News
With just over 100 days until the 2024 Presidential Election, Kamala Harris took over President Joe Biden’s place as the expected Democratic candidate after the sitting President dropped out of the race Sunday, July 21.
If elected, Harris would not only become the first woman to serve as United States President, but also the first Black woman and South Asian woman in the role.
Black women throughout Mississippi have rallied around Harris since her Sunday announcement to run. Both political figures and community members feel Harris would much better represent their rights over Republican Candidate and former president Donald Trump.
Some Democrats hope Harris is the key in securing Black voters and women voters, two groups that showed dwindling support for Biden’s campaign during its final weeks.
Harris’ campaign has already kicked it into high gear in regard to securing womens’ votes. On Tuesday, the “KamalaHQ” Instagram account posted a video showing pictures of Harris and Trump overlaid with lyrics from artist Chappell Roan’s song “femininomenon.”
Harris has been vocal about her support of abortion rights, another key issue that may persuade women to cast their ballots in November.
On Sunday evening, 44,000 Black women throughout the nation joined a Zoom call hosted by the collective “Win With Black Women.” The call exceeded expectations and raised $1.6 million for Harris’ campaign in under four hours.
Hattiesburg City Council Member Deborah Delgado was one of the women on that Zoom call. Delgado said she supports Harris for one simple reason: she’s qualified.
“(Harris) has a record of supporting issues that are of concern to me as a Black woman and as an elected official,” Delgado said. “A lot of times, government makes decisions or puts policies in place that are not always in the best interest of the people that we’re supposed to represent. I see her as somebody different.”
Mississippi in recent presidential elections leans red. While unlikely to tip the scale blue, Delgado said it’s still important to vote.
“Every election is important,” Delgado said. “It’s not just the people at the top of the ticket, but certainly as a Black woman, I’m mostly motivated by her being at the top of the ticket. I know if we have someone with her capabilities at the top of the government of this country, that we’re going to be better and things are going to change in a big way.”
Delgado said she hopes the next few months leading up to November include a robust campaign from Harris.
“I hope that people who have historically not been excited about voting get the excitement that we need, that we just create a movement that’s going to make us victorious in November,” Delgado said.
Mississippi Dist. 69, State Rep. Tamarra Bulter-Washington, D, shared similar sentiments about Harris’ long resume as district attorney and a former U.S. Senator from California.
Butler-Washington added another crucial trait in Harris’ campaign: “She’s relatable.”
“I truly believe that she will be fighting for the people, and not just certain people, but all citizens of the United States,” said Butler-Washington, who was eating in a restaurant in Chicago on Sunday when her husband looked at his phone and told her Biden had endorsed Harris. She said she was “elated” to hear the news.
“That spoke volumes because that means that the president himself, our current sitting president, believes in her and believes she can run this country and believes she can do it right,” Butler-Washington said.
The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus held a town hall meeting in Jackson Monday evening. Butler-Washington attended after flying back from Chicago earlier that day. During that meeting, the Caucus officially endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee.
“We had people of all ages that were there,” Butler-Washington said. “I heard the excitement in their voices … I’ve heard more people talk about a push to mobilize not just African Americans to get out and vote, but everyone to get out and vote in this election. It is imperative that we vote.”
Cassandra Welchlin serves as executive director of the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable. While the Jackson-based organization is non-partisan and does not endorse specific candidates, Welchlin did emphasize the general need for representation.
“Our efforts ensure that Black women have a voice at the policy tables that impact our kitchen tables,” Welchlin said. “Representation matters.”
The buzz of Harris’ campaign has been evident in the local Jackson community, Butler-Washington said. She said most of the chatter has been positive and bursting with excitement.
When asked why voting for Harris is important even in a red state like Mississippi, Butler-Washington said, “We could possibly turn Mississippi blue.”
“We have come so far in regards to all economic inequalities — health care, criminal justice reform, and on women’s health issues,” Butler-Washington said.
Along with securing votes with Black voters and women voters, Harris has aimed her campaign toward Generation Z.
Washington said that demographic is crucial. When discussing Project 2025, she predicted Gen Z won’t accept similar projects “as easily as maybe our parents did or our grandparents.”
“(Young voters) have a voice, and they want to be able to project their voice,” Butler-Washington said. “They want to be able to participate with this process.”
Harris could potentially bring representation to groups historically marginalized within the White House: women and people of color.
“As an African American woman in the Mississippi Legislature, my support undoubtedly is for our Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate for our upcoming presidential election,” Butler-Washington said. “I am proud to see that we as women are making strides in politics, that we are making all women — Black, white, Asian, Latino — we’re all making strides in politics.”
Kentucky has seen 20 scholarship players leave the program for the transfer portal since the end of the regular season. Another one found a new home on a power conference team. Redshirt freshman center Koby Keenum was only in the transfer portal for four days.
The former three-star recruit committed to Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon.
The Florence (Ala.) Mars Hill will move closer to home and play for head coach Jeff Lebby at Mississippi State. Koby Keenum will be a redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining in 2025. The class of 2023 signee only played 32 offensive snaps during his two-year career in Lexington.
Koby Keenum is one of 11 players in that 2023 high school signing class to leave the Kentucky roster for the transfer portal with multiple years of eligibility remaining.
The transfer portal is open for business and so far we know of 20 players who will be seeking out greener pastures this offseason.
- DL Keeshawn Silver (Committed to USC on Dec. 19)
- DB Avery Stuart
- LB Jayvant Brown
- TE Tanner Lemaster
- TE Khamari Anderson
- TE Jordan Dingle (Committed to South Carolina on Dec. 18)
- OL Courtland Ford (Committed to UCLA on Dec. 17)
- OL Ben Christman
- OL Dylan Ray (Committed to Minnesota on Dec. 21)
- OL Koby Keenum (Committee to Mississippi State on Dec. 22)
- DL Tommy Ziesmer (Committed to EKU on Dec. 15)
- WR Dane Key
- WR Barion Brown (Committed to LSU on Dec. 14)
- WR Anthony Brown-Stephens
- WR Brandon White
- EDGE Tyreese Fearbry
- EDGE Noah Matthews
- EDGE Caleb Redd (Committed to Kansas on Dec. 20)
- RB Chip Trayanum
- QB Gavin Wimsatt
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. Keep closer tabs on the Cats with our staff-only sticky thread on KSBoard, which will have updates on departures and targets throughout the offseason. Not a KSR+ member? Try it out today.
Each holiday season, the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion in downtown Jackson comes alive with twinkling Christmas lights and festive decorations. All of these magical touches are made possible by Mississippi artists.
This year’s theme is “Made in Mississippi,” and honors the state’s many industries including small businesses, agriculture and tourism. Back in July, Gov. Tate Reeves and First Lady Elee Reeves’ team chose the theme to honor the local businesses, big and small, that have shaped the state.
April Hunter of Quitman was chosen as this year’s guest decorator. Hunter took over Fantasy Cottage Flowers and Gifts in 2008, eight years after its opening. In the 16 years since, Fantasy Cottage has flourished and become a community staple. Hunter provides flowers for weddings, funerals and everything in between, not just for Clarke County, but for all of Mississippi and even for some surrounding states.
Hunter’s work within the Governor’s Mansion began when she was chosen as a featured florist in Nov. 2022. Shortly after moving in to the Governor’s Mansion, the First Lady began the featured florist initiative as a way to support Mississippi artists. Each florist chosen provides floral arrangements for the mansion for the duration of their month. Hunter served as featured florist four more times in March and November of 2023 and in July and September of 2024.
Fantasy Cottage was set to serve as featured florist once again in November 2024. However, once Hunter and her team were chosen for the Christmas decorations, November was swapped out for December.
Guest decorators for Christmas in the Governor’s mansion are chosen each year out of a pool of applicants. Hunter’s application was one of seven proposals submitted to the First Lady in July. Hunter and her son Cody Hunter worked on the proposal, which outlined in detail her vision for the “Made in Mississippi” theme if Fantasy Cottage were to get chosen.
“We didn’t want to just scatter (the decorations) completely all over and it just be hodgepodge everywhere,” Hunter said. “We kind of wanted each room to have its own thing. For example, one of the bedrooms is the tourism room. Another bedroom we kind of geared more to mom-and-pop shops in Mississippi. Another one we geared towards Mississippi artists — your basket weavers, your potters. There’s a lot of Walter Anderson, McCarty’s (Pottery), Peter’s Pottery and Wolfe Studio.”
On Sept. 5, the Mississippi First Lady called Hunter and told her Fantasy Cottage had been chosen to decorate the Governor’s Mansion. Hunter and her team spent the next two months preparing. On Sunday, Dec. 1, Hunter and eight team members got to work bringing in the decorations. Everything had to be set up by the following Wednesday for a gathering in the mansion.
By 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, Hunter’s work was complete. Hunter’s decorations fill several bedrooms, the entry way, a conference room and two parlors in the mansion.
“I believe that sometimes big things come in small packages,” Hunter said. “You don’t necessarily need a team of 50 to get a job done. Sometimes it’s better to have a small number of hardworking individuals, and each person plays an essential role.”
Gov. Reeves provided Hunter with a list of more than 300 Mississippi-owned businesses that have been established or that he felt have flourished during his tenure as governor. In order to incorporate all of the businesses, Hunter made a gold star with the name of each printed on the front. The gold stars hang on the only live Christmas tree in the mansion, a 14-foot tree in the Rose Parlor.
The talk of the season, Hunter said, is the stuffed deer standing in front of a Christmas tree in the Gold Parlor, the room decorated to honor Mississippi’s agriculture industry. The deer, harvested by Danny Joe Jones in 2008, previously spent the better part of a decade greeting diners in Long’s Fish Camp, a restaurant in Enterprise, MS.
After long-time owner Rep. Troy Smith sold Long’s Fish Camp a few years ago, the new owners sent the deer back to Jones. While brainstorming about which decorations to put in the agriculture room, Hunter suddenly thought about that deer. She called up Rep. Smith who told Hunter the deer had been returned to Jones, who happened to be a frequent customer of Fantasy Cottage. Jones then lent the deer, who’s mount had since broken, to Hunter’s team. Hunter got the mount fixed up, and the deer traveled from Enterprise to Jackson.
“Apparently nobody’s ever brought in a deer to the mansion,” Hunter joked. “We did it… If I could have bottled up the reaction of the mansion staff when we showed up that day to start decorating and we literally came in with a real deer… we went pretty heavy.”
The deer is joined in the Gold Parlor by alligator head replicas and a turkey fan contrasted with some more traditional, festive Christmas decorations like the gold pine cones dotted throughout the room.
Among the extravagant Christmas decorations in the entrance, a gingerbread replica of the Governor’s Mansion sits greeting guests. The replica was made entirely by hand by Madison-based baker Beth Hennington.
Hennington has nearly a decade of experience under her belt with her cookie company The Vanillan. In 2022, Hennington’s career took an unexpected turn when she won Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge”. Since her Food Network victory, Hennington’s business has grown in ways she never thought possible. Hennington sold her first dozen cookies for $35. Now, a dozen of Hennington’s cookies go for $125, and as of December, she is booked until next August.
Looking at the detailed work on the gingerbread replica of the Governor’s Mansion, you may think Hennington has a long career of making gingerbread houses. In actuality, Hennington had never made anything like the replica in her life. Previously, the only gingerbread houses she made were the simple, four-walls-and-a-roof kind that come in pre-cut kits. In the summer, Hennington reached out to the Governor’s Mansion and asked if she could provide the replica for Christmas.
“I’ve made several different structures, but I’d never made a really big structure,” Hennington said. “So, why not? Let’s do a replica of the Governor’s Mansion as the first one. I mean, what was I thinking?”
Armed with cookie cutters and piping bags, from Saturday, Nov. 30 to Wednesday, Dec. 4, Hennington said she spent around 80 hours in her own kitchen constructing the gingerbread replica, leaving only a few hours for sleep. She used her own pictures of the mansion and some provided aerial photos as a guide. The process, Hennington said, consisted of a lot of trial and error.
“I debated on putting it together at the mansion, and then I thought, if I have calamities, problems, issues in the mansion kitchen where I’m not comfortable, where I don’t know where everything is, it might make it worse,” Hennington said.
In total, Hennington crafted 56 royal icing wreaths placed on the replica’s front door and 55 windows, all made individually by hand. She indented every single brick with a paintbrush before putting the walls into the oven. The completed structure is four feet long, two and a half feet tall and three feet wide at its widest point. The house is completely hollow inside, and the only non-edible features are the little decorations on the replica’s lawn and some paper on the inside of the windows.
The replica is held together solely by icing, and no glue was involved in the building process. Hennington used isomalt as an adherent, a sugar substitute that the baker called “hot glue for bakers.” Some of the structure’s walls are made from classic, soft gingerbread dough, and some are made from what’s known as “construction gingerbread,” which doesn’t contain eggs so the final product is stronger and studier.
After she had finished the replica, which was built on a piece of plywood, Hennington and her husband, Jackson Fire Department Captain Kenneth Hennington, laid down the seats of her Nissan Rouge and loaded up the structure. She then drove the replica from her home with her husband holding it steady from the front seat and delivered it straight to the Governor’s Mansion.
Despite the hard work and long hours, Hennington said she had a great time recreating the Governor’s Mansion out of gingerbread.
“I’m playing with icing and gingerbread,” Hennington said. “My house smells good. I got Christmas music playing… my house has been the North Pole. I have always wanted to be an architect. I just didn’t know my medium was going to be gingerbread.”
All of the decorations will come down Jan. 2. Hennington said if the Governor doesn’t want to keep the gingerbread replica, she will take it back and preserve it with resin.
As for Hunter’s decorations, the Quitman florist said Jan. 2 will be a bittersweet day. Hunter called her decorations a “work of heart,” emphasizing what an honor the whole experience has been, especially for a small-town florist. Fantasy Cottage sits right across from the Quitman post office in a town with only two red lights, Hunter quipped.
“It takes my breath away sometimes when I think about the magnitude of it, but I’m so thankful and so proud that we were chosen,” Hunter said. “I hope that we have made Clarke County proud and Mississippi. This has been a Christmas to remember.”
Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com
From Mississippi Highway Patrol Public Affairs Office
LAMAR COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) – A woman died from injuries suffered in a two-vehicle collision Friday afternoon on a stretch of Mississippi 42 in Lamar County.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol said a 2004 Toyota Sienna driven by 32-year-old Alaina R. McLeod, of Bassfield, was traveling east on Mississippi 42 when it collided with a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado driven by 36-year-old Harold Guilbeau, of Sumrall.
The accident took place about 2:30 p.m. Friday, MHP said.
MHP said McLeod was declared at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation by MHP.
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