Mississippi Edition

The state legislature continues its work to appropriate CARES Act Funds.

Then, as the November general election looms, we look at the safeguards some voting rights advocates are fighting for.

Then, in our Book Club, a new book that recounts the fatal shootings by law enforcement on the Jackson state campus fifty years ago.

Segment 1:

Small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic may now be eligible for federal relief money based on grant programs created by the Mississippi Legislature. One program would use $60 million for grants of $2,000 to those forced to close by government order. The other would use $240 million, and businesses could apply for grants of $1,500 to $25,000. Representative Robert Johnson, a Democrat from Natchez, explains the program with our Desare Frazier.

The Senate is considering plans from leaders in the education community over how to address distance learning shortfalls. During a Senate Education Committee meeting yesterday, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey Wright presented the plan for K12 education as an opportunity to address the disparity in educational technology across the state; College Board Commissioner Alfred Rankins echoes many of those concerns. 

Segment 2:

With six months left until Election Day, civil rights groups are pursuing legal measures they believe will prove critical to Americans’ efforts to access the ballot in 2020. Lawyers from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund say they are using litigation methods at the state and federal levels to address concerns over voter protection and ballot access during the November election. Ezra Rosenberg is the co-director of the Voting Rights Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He tells our Karen Brown the litigation is providing a critical tool to expanding voting access amid the pandemic. 

Segment 3:

Fifty years ago today, Jackson police and highway patrol officers marched onto the Jackson State College campus and opened fire on unarmed students. Two were killed. Countless others were injured. Historian, Nancy K. Bristow, recounts the tragedy in her new book: “Steeped in the Blood of Racism.” She talks with MPB’s Karen Brown.