At the Mississippi Center for Justice, we know from experience that disasters accelerate social trends already in place, for good or for ill. We saw it in housing after Hurricane Katrina and in our coastal ecosystems after the BP oil disaster. And it is just...
February 7, 2018 was National Black HIV Awareness Day. This year’s theme was “Stay the Course, the Fight is Not Over.” Our greatest fight yet is stressing the importance of individuals getting tested to know their HIV status. The Centers for Disease Control recommends individuals...
Not very long ago, the shortage of affordable rental housing was only a concern of those living in the dense population centers of the East and West Coasts. Unfortunately, rising rents and declining household incomes are now crippling low and moderate- income renters here in Mississippi. Meanwhile,...
The stigma of HIV has robbed countless individuals the freedom to exercise their legal rights. Perhaps more devastating, the stigma surrounding HIV has prevented individuals living with HIV from knowing the legal protections afforded to them after experiencing discriminatory conduct. In our great country, we...
Watching, along with the rest of America, the catastrophic flooding in Houston, my heart goes out to the people of South Texas as they confront the immediate aftermath of this disaster. Every affected individual captured by the television camera has his/her own unique story. And...
Mississippi is one of many states in the country with laws that criminalize HIV. Mississippi has the 9th highest HIV diagnosis rate in the United States, and the city of Jackson has the 4th highest rate of new HIV infections in the country. Criminalizing HIV perpetuates...