The Shape of Things to Come
The Shape of Things to Come

Sitting in an intro philosophy class my sophomore year at Union University, I was asked a question: Would it be ethical to sacrifice a person (or a few people) in order to find the cure for cancer? Well, yes, of course it would, I said. We’re talking about cancer, right? I was nineteen and, apparently, omniscient—or so I thought at the time. The certainty of an arrogant college student is a certainty like no other.

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EssaysGabe HartJackson TN, Tennessee, Gabe Hart, Union University, cancer, Midtown Jackson, Wilshire Drive, neighborhoods, family, house, hospital, development, community, Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, childhood, West Tennessee, West Tennessee Healthcare, West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center, Kirkland Cancer Center, West Tennessee Neuroscience and Spine Center, health, healthcare
Cheaper By the [Half] Dozen
Cheaper By the [Half] Dozen

We’ve all seen our fair share of family-focused reality TV. Men, women, and children sign up to put their lives on display for all to see. So what does that look like in Jackson, Tennessee? The recently launched web series, Loving My 6. Now happily married for over ten years, John and Timond Williams are the parents of six children under the age of ten.

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StoriesGuest ContributorBlack History Month, Jackson TN, Tennessee, Loving My 6, John Mike, John Williams, Timond Williams, TV, reality TV, YouTube, family, Christian, marriage, parenthood, children, kids, homeschool, Dynamics Music, music, African American, A Night of Storytelling, A Night of Storytelling Spring 2017, Women's History Month, woman of color
Winds of Change
Winds of Change

The Wizard of Oz. That’s my earliest memory of the power of a tornado. From the time I saw that witch riding a bicycle in the air with that house spinning out of control, the power of a tornado had me under its thumb. As a five-year-old, I had no idea how close I would come to that dominance that struck so much fear in me as a child. West Tennessee, and Jackson in particular, is no stranger to tornadoes. As much as we think tornadoes are an indiscriminate act of nature, they’re not. 

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StoriesGabe HartJackson TN, Tennessee, Gabe Hart, Danny Murphy, tornado, weather, Our Jackson Home: The Magazine, Vol. 2 Issue 2, disaster, nature, NOAA, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Mid-South, The South, geography, Southeast, Midtown Jackson, South Jackson, downtown Jackson, Beech Bluff TN, Calvary Baptist Church, emergency, family, memory, neighborhoods, Westwood Avenue, community, West Tennessee, Madison County, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, history, damage, Nando Jones, West Tennessee Farmers' Market, Farmers' Market, Phillips Street, Cartmell Street, Parkview Courts, Union University, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, recovery, destruction, Ferguson Group, HUD, development, East Jackson, poverty, death, Ralph Waldo Emerson, safety, miracle, loss, restoration
Never Unraveled
Never Unraveled

As a lover of clothing with a longing to become a fashion designer, nothing could have deterred me from introducing myself to a group of women whose sewing flourishes with creativity and design. Most of you may know these women as none other than the Wilbourn sisters. These talented women have been a household name for the past thirty years, not only in the surrounding counties of West Tennessee but all over the globe.

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StoriesGuest ContributorJackson TN, Tennessee, local, local business, family business, family, sisters, mother, Asanta M. Brooks, Wilbourn's Sewing & Alterations, clothing, sewing, alterations, West Tennessee, Johnetta Black, Mary Adams, customer service, African American, women, entrepreneur, business, seamstress, Jason Hollowell, quality, Queen Mother Elizabeth, daughters, Bible, Christianity, Christian, work ethic, fashion, fashion design, Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, Martha Hampton, Ruth Osborn, Midtown Jackson, Susie Ferguson, interior design, Carolyn Wilbourn, Janice Wilbourn-Woods, Wilbourn Sister Designs, Lithia Springs GA, Georgia, California, local shop, New Orleans LA, Iyanla Vanzant, Nene Leakes, Regina Love, Black History Month, Women's History Month, female entrepreneur, woman of color
New Life
New Life

While most of us are prone to toss out old things and run to the new, others are gifted with the vision to make something out of what the rest of us leave behind. Ellen Bennett, the creator of “The Restored Attic,” creates home decor and furniture pieces by repurposing found and thrifted materials. From childhood trips to yard sales with her father, she learned that she didn’t have to pay full price for anything. As she grew up, it evolved into trying to search for furniture and other pieces to decorate her home.

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StoriesCourtney SearcyJackson TN, Tennessee, Courtney Searcy, local, local business, Vintage Market, Ellen Bennett, Our Jackson Home: The Magazine, Vol. 1 Issue 1, The Restored Attic, thrift, art, craft, handmade, Jackson Pop-Up Shops, trash, recycling, furniture, Christian, vulnerability, Women's History Month