Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images. [7], In 2009, Yarber entered city politics, running for the Jackson City Council from Ward 6. Ebony said she changed her number at that point anyway. "When I really look at it, Jackson has given me the best parts of my life. After a day of teaching at Tougaloo or seeking answers to Jackson's problems, the couple comes home to their 3-year-old daughter, Alak, whose Yoruba name means "one to be made much of.". 501 E. Court St. When it comes to a far-left approach, I dont think thats the best way for the city of Jackson, says Banks, pointing out that Mississippi is still a very Republican state. Chokwe had coordinated with her friends to show up without her knowledge. "People that are trying to steal, don't usually ask for help during the act," Scott Conger wrote. Remembering George Floyd: A year of protest. Hes fended off a state takeover of Jacksons school system. Executive Team. The candidates all talk about what theyd like to do, she said. Guns in America. "I'm thinking, this is game," she said. This guy actually has a plan. Jackson Police Department responded to 1,705 calls for service at Walmart on Emporium Drive over a two-year period, 647 of which specifically reported shoplifting. [12] A city investigation discovered that the Jackson Zoological Society had mismanaged funds and failed to pay $6 million in water bills. White residents began moving out of Jackson to avoid forced integration; eventually, wealthier Black residents moved out too, leaving a shrinking city where today nearly a quarter of the residents live below the poverty line. Ebony says that Alak gives perspective without realizing it. "This is amazing that I kept it. That summer, however, they rekindled their Facebook thread, and that communication evolved into daily phone chats. [2] He has served on the Board of Directors for Relevant Ministries. As we struggle to address those material benefits, those material issues, we ultimately can make a connection to some of the larger issues that that we suffer from, and not to get too long-winded., While some accuse Lumumba of being less effective than his father, Lumumba argues his critics are put off by his youth and new ideas. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. "You say I was your first friend," first lady Ebony Lumumba said to her husband and now-mayor of Jackson, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, in an interview with the Jackson Free Press. "Ebony has been a real trooper ever since Alak was born," Chokwe said. He also said the city should fix its water billing issues before raising taxes: They understand now that they have to get that fixed long before the request of asking other taxpayers throughout the state or other taxpayers throughout the nation to bail out the Jackson water system.. Rita DiPietro, who lives downtown, said she supported Lightfoot in 2019. Theres a new generation coming forward, he says. The capital city of Mississippi, Jackson has 200,000 residents, of whom Otherwise it becomes an almost impossible challenge., Mississippis Republican Gov. "We always look for signs and that sort of thing, but I thought, 'Wow,'" Ebony said. "She is a refreshing reminder of what life is really about when you get home," Lumumba said of his daughter. In the time since that proposal in 2011, they have been through highs and lowsmany unfolding publicly. During their frequent visits between Jackson and Oxford, Chokwe decided he wanted to propose, and set forth his plan to surprise Ebony with green eggs and ham. Because it was a very cordial hi-and-bye-good-to-see-you-moment. The city and nonprofit groups spent a month distributing both drinking water and water to flush toilets, while working to rebuild water pressure across Jackson. They say hes doing the best he can under the circumstances. [5], Yarber received a B.S. ", The Lumumbas have been married since 2012, and they are less than a year into Chokwe's first term as mayor. Ebony chose Spelman, and Chokwe went to Tuskegee University in Alabama. He has cleaned up and digitized the citys financial files; until recently the files were only available in hard copy in manilla folders in City Hall. Three years later, he would run again and win with his daughter and wife by his side the whole time. Hes a work in progress, says Democratic state Sen. Hillman Frazier, whose district includes parts of Jackson. Fraziers son and Lumumba played Little League and basketball together. For the mayor in the perfectly tailored outfit, though, the failure of those hoses represents a kind of test. A federal infrastructure bill would help, of course, but Lumumba has no control of that. "I'm thinking, this is game," she said. At first, he served on Jacksons city council; then he became mayor in 2013. "I need to see him first because I can jet or pretend like I didn't show up if I didn't like the way he looks. If the city is going to thrive and have success, we have to find that road in the middle.. Chokwe also had two Chuck E. Cheese's medallions representative of that party he missed decades before. He told the airline Ebony is his fiance or wifehe can't remember whichand she got the approval. "He rode the bus, too, thoughno, I'm kidding.". At bottom, campaign signs for local elections. The cars started pulling up about 20 minutes later, even before the arrival of the youth volunteers. From 2012 to 2015, Councilman Stokes served the people as a Hinds County Supervisor for [18], Lumumba has two children with his wife, Ebony. He called the airline to get permission for Ebony to come to the gatea special privilege that is reserved for family members and spouses post-9/11. Usually, they put those items in "the area designated for things that need to be restocked" after purchasing their other items. Jessica Conger purchased about $200 worth of items during the same transaction, and a cashier voided several items during the checkout process, according to the statement. His goals are as much about policy as process; he has worked to include residents in decisions about, say, which roads get paved first. He has estimated that it would cost $2 billion just to replace the citys torn-up roads and fix its century-old water pipes and sewers. To make up for time he feels like he lost campaigning during Alak's infancy, he is hoping to take paternity leaveEbony, who relishes sleep, says she is looking forward to taking naps. "She claimed I never tried to talk to her, and I told her I actually gave her my number," Chokwe said. Despite their collective grief and new addition to the family, Ebony believes everything happened in perfect timing. WebAs Mayor, he has been recognized as one of Mississippis Top 50 Most Influential Leaders and was named one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans of 2017 by the Root. Follow Cassandra on Twitter at @CStephenson731. Lumumbas policy ideas wouldnt sound out of place in Austin or Seattle, which have large tax bases and where wealthy residents have long since displaced low-income ones. The pandemic has paused some of his efforts to make municipal government more accountable, like trying to get citizens involved in crafting the city budget. Their teacher cooked green eggs and ham for the class, and Chokwe remembers his teacher getting in trouble for letting him eat pork. Jackson doesnt have a widespread UBI program, a transformed police department or those co-operative businesses. "I have not yet matured in that fashion.". She went through a drawer and found the receipt paper from the store with Chokwe's handwritten phone number on it. The first thing the elder Lumumba did when he became mayor was work with the city council and state legislature to push through a 1 percent sales tax to help repair the citys infrastructure. Wednesday, February 7, 2018 The Lumumbas got married in 2012, and are now less than one year into Chokwes mayorship. Despite life's challenges, losses, hectic work schedules and the demands of parenthood, the self-proclaimed best friends credit their loving foundation that began as a friendship here in Jackson as the source of their determination to invest in the capital city for their daughters and the community that nurtured them both. ", "I have these awesome pictures of friends that we know now, but he's not in them," Ebony said. Proceeds support the efforts of mental health in the City of Moss Point with a focus on the Moss Point School District, converting spaces into a therapeutic and innovative learning environment.. "But, she's been holding this against me our whole relationship. He had a strange hairdo at the time," she said. According to this sister, he held just one peoples assembly about the budgeting process, in 2019, before Covid struck. Marcus Wallace, who is mayor of Edwards, a small town west of Jackson, owns a construction company that has done business with previous mayors. "My locks were dope; everybody liked them.". "And out of all the people, as huge as Tuskegee's campus is, we're in the line waiting to get in the game, and I bump into Chokwe. And I don't know another person in my life that makes me feel that way. That means a lot. Ebony is excited to raise her daughters in the very place that nurtured her, her siblings and her man, she said. And his political supporters say hes still learning the job and figuring out how to win support from the city council. in Education Administration and Supervision from Jackson State University. She went through a drawer and found the receipt paper from the store with Chokwe's handwritten phone number on it. | Who are the power players, and how are they driving politics and influencing Washington? By the evening of May 7, 2013, it was announced that Lumumba had forced "[2][8], On May 2, 2017, Yarber was soundly defeated by Chokwe Antar Lumumba in the nine-candidate primary for the Democratic nominee for mayor of Jackson, receiving 5% to Lumumba's 55%.[9]. [2] He is married and has three children. The previous month, a different, more disastrous winter storm had hit Jackson, leaving many of the citys nearly 170,000 residents stranded without water for weeks. JACKSON, Miss. During their frequent visits between Jackson and Oxford, Chokwe decided he wanted to propose, and set forth his plan to surprise Ebony with green eggs and ham. (But) I saw him get off the plane, and I was very happy to see him.". Ebony chose Spelman, and Chokwe went to Tuskegee University in Alabama. Not Lorean Young, a retiree who is slowly regaining water pressure in her house. (AP) The mayor of Mississippi's capital was 5 years old when his parents moved their family from New York to Jackson in 1988 so that his father, who had been involved in a Black nationalist movement in the 1970s, could return to the unfinished business of challenging inequity and fighting racial injustice. Kimberly V. Bracey is suing the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi after accusing him of firing her after she ended an alleged affair with him. The race garnered nationwide attention as it split the Democratic Party between its progressive and moderate wings. A year or so later, Ebony celebrated her 7th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's, and although she invited the whole class, Chokwe didn't show up. The Lumumbas got married in 2012, and are now less than one year into Chokwes mayorship. Despite their collective grief and new addition to the family, Ebony believes everything happened in perfect timing. In a majority-Black city, and a state where Black people are disproportionately imprisoned, the question of what to do about the spike has created deep tension between Lumumba who has advocated for attacking the root causes of crime by boosting mental health services, youth programs and economic development and several Black city council members who want to pursue a more law-and-order approach. Her best friend seems to feel the same way. "Whatever was happening in our world, we needed each other, we needed our families in those moments, and our daughter followed suit," Ebony said. My daughter was not allowed to use the restroom and had an accident. Not Veronica Thomas, who was picking up water for the fifth time, for her and her four kids. Last year, the city saw 128 homicides, a record, according to WLBT, a local news station. Hey, what's up?' Andy Beshear may be in trouble in November: Four months later, in November 2018, Bloomberg gave the City of Jackson $1 million to create art spotlighting food insecurity. User agreement and privacy statement. Then began a more formal dating relationship that meant back and forth trips to Houston and Atlanta. "No, go ahead and tell them about your crush on somebody else," Chokwe told the JFP at Surin at Thailand. Both Evers-Williams and Evers, the former mayor of Fayette, Photo courtesy Ebony Lumumba. Today, the hallway leading to Lumumbas office is lined with portraits of civil rights icons: Patrice Lumumba, Medgar Evers, Ida B. WebLeland Speed (October 20, 1899 August 8, 1971) was an investment banker and former mayor of Jackson, Mississippi and the husband of Katherine Ettl.. Photo courtesy Ebony Lumumba. Ebony said. "Charter of the City of Jackson, and Revised Ordinances of 1890: Together with Certain Miscellaneous Matters Pertaining to the City", "Chokwe Antar Lumumba sworn in as Jackson mayor", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_mayors_of_Jackson,_Mississippi&oldid=1125511019, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Union officer appointed as mayor; stabbed to death by, This page was last edited on 4 December 2022, at 10:53. [2] He was succeeded as Mayor of Jackson by his predecessor's son Chokwe Antar Lumumba on July 3, 2017. "I thought, 'OK, God, I'll do this if this is what you're opening the door of my destiny to do,'" she said. He described the proposed plan as disingenuous and disrespectful. I met my first friend, who's now my wife, in Jackson. He never thought he knew it all.. An official website of the United States government. [17] July 29, 2021, it was announced via Nina Turner's social media that Mayor Lumumba had endorsed her in Ohio's 11th Congressional District 2021 Special Election, the seat which was left empty when representative Marcia Fudge was selected by President Joe Biden for HUD Secretary. Driving around downtown Jackson on a Saturday morning, Wallace pointed out potholes and cracked city streets that Lumumba hadnt gotten around to fixing. Rory Doyle for POLITICO Magazine. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. The couple has a lot of obvious, outward adoration for one another, and they managed to throw in corrections and charming asides into the retelling of their love story without interrupting one another. Last year, for example, Democratic presidential hopefuls sought out Lumumba as a key endorsement in the 2020 primary. She was hungry because it was lunch time and was not allowed to eat. Chokwe transferred to their rival high schoolCallaway High School. "When I really look at it, Jackson has given me the best parts of my life. American attorney, activist, and politician, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Ohio's 11th Congressional District 2021 Special Election, "Chokwe Antar Lumumba sworn in as Jackson mayor", "Some Mayors Defeated in Mississippi Municipal Primaries", "Jackson, Mississippi, Just Nominated Radical Activist Chokwe Antar Lumumba to Be the Next Mayor", "A revolutionary, not a liberal: can a radical black mayor bring change to Mississippi? [2][4] He attended Forest Hill High School in Jackson. He became City Council Vice President in 2011, and President in 2012. But none of these residents blamed Lumumba for the citys problems. The Kings pled guilty on February 24, 2021. She pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge in August, marking the first time in Jackson City Court Judge Blake Anderson's long tenure that someone has pleaded not guilty in a Walmart shoplifting case. There are a lot of reasons he has struggled. In the unfolding pandemic, economic crisis and reckoning on race, governors and mayors are shaping our shared future. He also stands by the process, which he said gave residents a chance to hear candidates platforms. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer. Theres a new generation coming forward, Lumumba says. A mayor who embraces Bernie Sanders-style progressivism isnt what Jackson needs, Lumumbas critics say. Ebony was trying to hold back emotions in case he had just come as an early birthday surprise and not to proposeher birthday tends to fall around homecoming. He would end the call and response with: By any means necessary. It was the Republic of New Afrikas secessionist slogan, one that Lumumbas father also used when he spoke. CHICAGO (AP) Four years ago, Paul Vallas finished toward the bottom of the pack in a crowded race for Chicago mayor. The death of Chokwe Lumumba, the mayor of Jackson, Miss., interrupts one of Americas most promising civic experiments still in its fragile beginning. It was a month earlier, in mid-February, that the big winter storm had battered the citys ailing infrastructure, leaving residents and businesses without water. ' Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? (And Wallace told me he has always done the work for which hes paid.) He wont admit if being Jacksons mayor is the first step toward a longer statewide or national political career, or toward the long-shot goal of turning Mississippi blue. It took more than four weeks for the city to lift the boil water advisory for all residents. So I literally have seen my cycle of life and development in so many ways here. They were both briefly enrolled in Murrah High School's freshman class, and Ebony would see Chokwe when she rode the bus home with her best friendthis is when Ebony had a crush on someone else, Chokwe recalls. I never used it, but I did keep it, which has to mean something.". He laid out an expansive vision of how Jackson could become a model for the country, promising to use City Hall to deliver not just better services, but a whole menu of new progressive ideas like universal basic income, co-operative businesses and alternatives to policing. "I had twists in my hairI was trying to lock them," Chokwe said. "I thought boys were disgusting at the time I was 5," she said. Lumumbas older sister, Rukia, who moved to Jackson from New York to run her brothers campaign in 2016, told me she was surprised her brother, who had never shown an interest in elected office, ended up running. I know its not his fault, Hunt says. Some told me hes doing a great job, mostly because they finally have seen a specific potholed road get paved. Because Jackson is majority-Democratic, if Lumumba wins the primary, hell most likely win the general election on June 8. After a speech in front of all of her friends, Chokwe fumbled for the ring that he had forgotten was in his back pocket, and ultimately popped the question. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba gives an update on the city’s water They both remember walking to school together with other kids in the neighborhood and playing together in their cul-de-sac after school. "I had twists in my hairI was trying to lock them," Chokwe said. By Othor Cain (The Mississippi Link/NNPA Member) Chokwe Antar Lumumba became the youngest mayor in the history of Jackson, Miss., when he was sworn-in last month in front of a standing room-only crowd at Jacksons Convention Center Complex.