JACKSON, Miss.—“Welcome to the University of South Jackson,” Forest Hill High School senior Leundrea Thompson, radiating with pride, said as she handed out copies of the day’s agenda to students and members of the media who were filing into the school’s auditorium on Thursday, March 20.
At the same time, 11 candidates running to be the next mayor of the City of Jackson found their seats on the stage. Those candidates included incumbent Chokwe A. Lumumba, David Archie, Rodney DePriest, James Hopkins, Tim Henderson, Anthony Wilson, Marcus Wallace, Kim Wade, Delano Funches, Socrates Garrett and Zach Servis.
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Lanier High School senior Jeremiah Wilson told reporters after the Jackson Public Schools Teens Take The Lead Jackson mayoral candidate forum on March 20, 2025, that he was eager to hear the candidates’ positions on gun violence and youth involvement in gang activity in the capital city. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?fit=780%2C519&ssl=1″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?resize=780%2C519&ssl=1″ alt class=”wp-image-332000″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JeremiahWilson-LanierHigh-1024×682.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px”>Lanier High School senior Jeremiah Wilson told reporters after the Jackson Public Schools Teens Take The Lead Jackson mayoral candidate forum on March 20, 2025, that he was eager to hear the candidates’ positions on gun violence and youth involvement in gang activity in the capital city. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad
They shared their ideas on the issues that many of Jackson’s young people find most significant: funding for public schools, safe spaces for youth to gather outside of school, gun violence and access to mental-health services.
Sitting in the crowd of more than 100 students, educators and journalists was Jeremiah Wilson, a Lanier High School senior and registered voter who plans to vote for the first time during Mississippi’s April 1 municipal primaries on Tuesday.
@media ( min-width: 300px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 99px;}}@media ( min-width: 320px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 99px;}}@media ( min-width: 728px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 90px;}} ‘Address the Root Causes of Gun Violence’
Murrah High School senior Javion Shed moderated the Teens Take The Lead mayoral candidate
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