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Yesterday, Donna and I sat down with Mississippi native and “King Richard” star Aunjanue Ellis for a special donor pop-up event. This morning, I’m beaming with gratitude. The conversation was heavy and wonderful and filled with light. It was like sitting down to coffee with a good girlfriend you’ve not seen in a while.  

We talked about many things, including her path from Pike County, Miss., to Hollywood and the urgency of reliable broadband service in rural Mississippi. Of course, this is when I could spin out about the internet being a utility and not a luxury, but I think we all know where I stand on this point. Note: If you want to catch the replay of our conversation, donate any amount and you’ll get a copy of the recording next week. 

I’ve thought a lot about something Aunjanue said. She insists that women, particularly Black women, tell our stories. Too often, men, many well-meaning, take agency over Black women's stories. When this happens, women’s physical attributes and perceived character flaws can dominate our stories on the big and small screen. Many writers and directors focus on the look of women characters instead of who they are—this fetishism rarely surfaces in men’s stories. There wasn’t much effort to make Michael Oyelowo look like Martin Luther King and Idris Elba to look like Nelson Mandela in their roles as these iconic men. Their looks, or weight, weren’t the point or under scrutiny. Women rarely get that luxury, as Aunjanue pointed out yesterday.

That’s why we need your support for our “Black Women, Systemic Barriers and COVID-19” project and similar systemic reporting in counties across the state. For a year, we’ve convened virtual circles of Black women from around our state to talk systemic causes, existing inequities and solutions before another pandemic or disaster dismantles Mississippi’s Black communities. 

These kinds of conversations are rare. You’ve heard me say that media often report facts about Black folks but rarely do they tell the truth. Help us do what our very own movie star charged us with yesterday. Help us tell our stories with all the light and sharp edges they demand. 

To help us tell true stories, and move needles, please give now at mfp.ms/donate in our year-end campaign. The DEI Fund (Knight Foundation, Meta Journalism and the Walton Family Foundation) is now offering a $6,000 match to double your gifts now due to our dedication to serving communities of color in Mississippi. And thank you for helping us raise about $61,000 in November; we’re looking toward at least $100,000 by Jan. 1 to help grow our team and our reporting across our state.

With Appreciation,
Kimberly Griffin, Publisher

[Top Photo by Imani Khayyam]

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Thanks to our supports and matching donors, the MFP raised over $61,000 in November. And we still have the entire month of December to go!

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