12 Days of AF: Jackson Chapter

I’ve enjoyed leading the America’s Future chapter in Jackson, Mississippi. Mississippi is a very conservative state.  There are no shortage of politicians here advocating for small government.  When we first began, there really wasn’t a space for young professionals who were interested in the liberty movement, or for people from outside the government to get involved.  So with America’s Future, we took the opportunity to inform people about free market ideas, and open up the floor for friendly discussions.  

Today, America’s Future – Jackson provides a space for young professionals to learn all about the ideas of liberty, and how to expand the freedom movement throughout the state. Our focus has been on young professionals between 20 and 40 years old. We must make sure this generation doesn’t see freedom go extinct! That’s why America’s Future works to make sure our audiences are actually informed while having conversations about the issues that matter. 

I’ve been very proud of many of our events where we have worked with people who don’t always agree on everything we chat about.  One such event featured a local sheriff and Democrats and Republicans talking about law enforcement and prison reform. Individuals from different backgrounds and points of view attended and participated in the discussion. They agreed about the need for change on this one particular question over locking people up for the rest of their lives for one mistake — and spending millions of taxpayer dollars to do it. This event motivated our members to get involved in criminal justice reform.

Another topic where we attract new audiences is with our annual celebration of “School Choice Week.”  Here in Mississippi, like across the nation, minority communities and parents are very supportive of school choice. They welcome opportunities to educate their kids and give them the resources to compete statewide, nationally, and across the world.  After the annual School Choice rally at the Capitol with elected officials plus hundreds of kids, parents and educators, America’s Future-Jackson held a panel and a reception to discuss progress and celebrate accomplishments on this front. It’s always well-attended, and again the audience is very diverse.  

We hosted a debate about the pros and cons of amending the state code to allow medicinal marijuana. Of course, over the past year we’ve had to host some of our events “virtually” online.  But despite all the challenges, our members have stayed highly engaged with one another.  

Our biggest event from this year featured Heritage Foundation President Kay Coles James. It was an honor to host her as she shared her life’s experiences and gave us an inside look at her leadership skills. It was truly inspiring. We were happy to open this event up for AF members to attend virtually across the nation. One hundred participants was a record for us!

I’m glad to be a part of America’s Future.  I look forward to further growing our movement.  I especially want to keep reaching out to people in non-traditional libertarian communities, so that they better understand the growing threat to liberty.  If we succeed, our movement will continue to grow and expand across all boundaries.