What you need to know: Jackson City Council Meeting 4/7/2026
The Jackson City Council held a session on 04/07/2026 with an agenda that reflected a balance of routine approvals, infrastructure investments, and broader discussions about how the city prioritizes growth, services, and quality of life for residents. It also had moments of critical debate over water and the budget.
Spring in Bloom: Jackson’s Plant Sales Kick Off Neighborhood Beautification
When the days get longer and yards begin to wake up after the winter cold, Jackson gardeners turn to a handful of annual plant sales to kick off the spring season. From hearty old standards to heirloom varieties, native species, colorful annuals and perennials, and more, Jackson’s plant sales offer the area numerous options and opportunities for home and neighborhood beautification.
What you need to know: Jackson City Council Meeting 3/24/26
The Jackson City Council met March 23rd for a regular session meeting. This recap highlights key agenda items and discussions with potential impact on neighborhoods across Jackson.
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.
Skate JXN partnership brings new momentum to Midtown skate park effort
Skate JXN’s partnership with Midtown Partners has helped translate that energy into physical spaces. When Midtown leaders began looking for ways to address illegal dumping at the Wesley and Wightman lot, Skate JXN worked with them to design a skateable feature instead of installing a fence.
Clean Up Jackson Continues Transforming Jackson’s Overgrown & Littered Spaces
In 2023, Ward formed Clean Up Jackson, an organization that typifies what determined residents can achieve when they step up to reclaim their neighborhoods.
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.
Get Into The Rhythm: Jackson Indie Music Week
Jackson Indie Music Week returns as a celebration of the city’s vibrant creative scene, bringing together independent artists, music professionals, and fans for a week of performances, panels, and cultural experiences. The multi-day event highlights the diversity of Mississippi’s music community while creating opportunities for collaboration, learning, and economic growth. By spotlighting local talent across multiple genres and venues, Jackson Indie Music Week continues to position the city as a hub for Southern creativity and innovation.
Community Connection: Jackson Coffee Club & Latte Art Competitions
Perhaps the next best thing to sharing a meal with someone is meeting them for coffee. This is especially true in Jackson, where the opening of local coffee shops has been on caffeine for the last few years. But what’s beginning to stand out about the Jackson coffee scene is the opportunities it provides for people to gather. From coffee clubs to latte art throwdowns and annual events like the Jackson Coffee Festival, these events celebrate coffee culture in completely different ways and help to foster a growing sense of community in Jackson.
JAN Board Member Feature: Seymore Bell
Born and raised in a West Side community in Jackson’s Ward 4, Seymore is Jackson through and through. He serves as a board member of the Jackson Association of Neighborhoods, but this title only tells part of his story.
The Marshall of Farish Street
Founded during an age of segregation, Marshall’s opened its doors when African American readers in Mississippi had limited access to books that reflected their history, theology, politics and lived experience. Inside its walls, readers could find authors who were absent from mainstream shelves, along with sheet music, recordings and cultural materials that documented a parallel America.
JAN Board Member Feature: Azia Cimone
Azia Cimone has made downtown Jackson home for years, showing up for the City With Soul and organizing spaces long before she ever imagined a formal leadership role. That steady presence and commitment to place have now led her to the board of the Jackson Association of Neighborhoods, where she will help guide the organization’s work to strengthen neighborhoods across the city.
Duttoville: Neighborhood Partnership in Action
In Duttoville, a historic neighborhood nestled south of downtown between Highway 80, West and Gallatin streets, residents are working to restore a sense of pride and stability through cleanup efforts, property redevelopment and the formation of a formal neighborhood association.
Jackson Residents Encouraged to Use 211 for Local Resources
Jackson residents can dial 211 to access free, confidential support connecting them to local health, housing, utility assistance, senior services, and other community resources. Available 24/7, the service offers a simple way to get reliable information and help when it’s needed most.
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.
Brown University to Study ‘Environmental Comfort’ in Jackson Neighborhoods
Brown University’s Community Noise Lab is launching a new study in Jackson to better understand how temperature, air quality, noise and personal perception affect residents’ comfort and overall quality of life. The team is collecting community survey responses ahead of field measurements beginning in February 2026, and neighborhood input will help shape the research.
Jackson City Council Makes Live Streaming Change
The Jackson City Council has temporarily stopped streaming meetings on Facebook Live as it upgrades to a new digital broadcasting system. Residents can watch meetings through the city’s website or PEG Network YouTube page until Facebook Live resumes.