Mary Crump: A Healer at the Heart of Her Community
For the retired nurse and Jackson Association of Neighborhoods board member representing Ward 2, community involvement is a responsibility shaped by her upbringing, education and decades of service. Whether managing a research clinic or encouraging residents to attend meetings, Mary Crump believes progress requires participation.
Foot Print Farms Is Planting a Different Vision for Jackson
Across the city of Jackson, there are pockets of vacant lots and neglected properties. Many are often discussed in terms of what they take away from neighborhoods, including property values, safety, beauty and investment. Dr. Cindy Ayers Elliott, founder of Foot Print Farms, sees something else when she looks at available land.
JAN September Board Recap: Adopt-a-Block, Fall Programming and Neighborhood Engagement
JAN’s September Board Meeting featured updates on the City of Jackson’s new Adopt-a-Block Neighborhood Beautification Microgrant Program, JAN’s fall programming, membership relaunch, neighborhood database update and efforts to increase accessibility and engagement across Jackson neighborhoods.
“Sulton” of Stewardship: Treasurer and Ward 6 Board Member Robert Sulton
Robert Sulton currently serves as Treasurer for the Jackson Association of Neighborhoods Board of Directors. If there’s one thing that sums up Sulton’s journey from his birthplace in Rolling Fork, Mississippi to his longtime home in the Jackson area, it is his wholehearted embrace of Stewardship.
Black, White, and Many Nations: How Lorena Quiroz Is Helping Jackson Build Community Across Cultures
When people think about Jackson’s history, they often think in terms of Black and white. While those stories remain essential to understanding Mississippi, Lorena Quiroz, executive director of the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity (IAJE), understands that they are not the only stories shaping the city of Jackson today.
Caitlin Brooking Is Refilling Jackson
Founded in 2019, Refill Jackson runs a nine-week workforce development program that combines classroom instruction in soft skills like professional communication, teamwork and interviewing with hands-on job training and related social services.
Sustainability & Partnership Guide Ward 3 Board Member, Felicia Tripp, As A Community Leader
If there is one idea that sums up Felecia Tripp’s involvement with Jackson Association of Neighborhoods, it is optimism. Jackson is a glass half full, and Tripp aims to fill it to overflowing, serving on JAN’s Board of Directors as a representative of Ward 3 and chair of its Sustainability Committee.
Operation Good’s Neighborhood-First Philosophy
As founder of Operation Good, Geno Womack has spent more than a decade building a simple but often overlooked philosophy: neighborhoods are transformed from the inside out. Not from the top down.
What You Missed: Voting Rights, New Leadership and More at JAN
Missed JAN’s August board meeting? Catch up on our conversation with Mississippi Votes about voting rights and civic engagement, important JAN leadership updates, upcoming opportunities and ways to get involved in strengthening Jackson’s neighborhoods.
Faith, Family, Finances, and Flutes! Jasmine Barnes Brings a Thoughtful Approach to JAN’s Ward 1 Leadership
A woman of faith, a devoted mother of two boys, a financial professional and a former flutist, Barnes has learned that life often requires balancing many different roles. Rather than trying to do everything, she has become intentional about doing the right things well. That mindset shapes not only her career and family life, but also her approach to serving Jackson’s neighborhoods.
Person of the Week: Joseph Slack, Winner of JAN’s Emerging Leader Award
The Jackson Association of Neighborhoods Emerging Leader Award recognizes active young people making a positive impact on their communities. The award highlights Joseph’s commitment to Jackson’s growth and his willingness to step up even as he excelled in the classroom.
Carrying the Weight: How Immanuel Wiggins Found Purpose in the City of Jackson
Drawn to Jackson by a band scholarship, Immanuel Wiggins arrived as a young musician ready to perform. What he did not expect was how deeply the city would shape him, or how much he would grow to love it.
More Than Development: Why Alex Lawson Believes Jackson’s Best Days Are Ahead
As the newly appointed executive director of the Jackson Redevelopment Authority (JRA), Alex Lawson sees the city not as a collection of problems to fix, but as a place full of untapped potential waiting for the right systems, partnerships and investments to unlock it.
JAN Board Recap: Innovation Team Shares Ideation Session Findings, Community Survey Still Open
After engaging more than 385 residents, city staff and stakeholders through a series of ideation sessions, Jackson's Innovation Team is turning community input into action. Four priority areas have been identified to improve neighborhoods across Jackson, and the community still has a chance to weigh in. Take the neighborhood beautification survey today and help shape the future of your community.
A Night for the Neighborhoods: Jackson’s First Community Impact Gala Celebrates the Power of People
the Jackson Association of Neighborhoods collaborated with the City of Jackson’s Department of Planning and Development to host the inaugural Community Impact Gala at the Jackson Medical Mall. It was an evening that did more than present awards. It told the story of a city powered by its people.
Sirena Wilson is Casting her line for Community
A Jackson native, Wilson’s connection to the city is woven through family, faith and a lifelong commitment to community. Raised in an environment where service was not optional but expected, she grew up watching her Jackson native parents step in to help neighbors in need. That example became a blueprint.
Princess Barber-Williams is a Princess of the People and a Champion of New Leaders
Born and raised in Westside Subdivision No. 2 in Ward 4, Princess Barber-Williams has spent her entire life in the community she now helps lead. Her roots run deep in Jackson, beginning with her early education in Catholic school before transferring to Jackson Public Schools in eighth grade. She graduated from Forest Hill High School and later attended Mississippi College in Clinton.
JAN Board Member Feature: Ray McCants III
Ray McCants III came to Mississippi from Detroit with a scholarship and curiosity about business. What he found instead was a city full of possibilities. Through marketing, mentorship, and a belief in Jackson’s creative potential, he’s helping write its next chapter.
Expanding Civic Engagement Beyond Our Own Neighborhoods
Jackson grows stronger when we see the success of every community as connected to our own. Civic engagement isn’t limited to where we live—it’s about how we show up for the entire city. Whether through mentorship, volunteering, donating supplies, or simply sharing information, each of us has something to offer. When neighborhoods invest in one another, we create safer streets, healthier public spaces, and stronger relationships across Jackson. Progress becomes possible when we step beyond familiar boundaries and work together for the good of all.
