Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Mississippi Elections Commissioner Accused of Racism After Complaining 'the Blacks' Are Having Voter Registration Events

Mississippi Elections Commissioner Accused of Racism After Complaining 'the Blacks' Are Having Voter Registration Events
Gail Harrison Welch/Facebook // Jason McCarty/Facebook

It's been a historic week for Mississippi.

The State's congress voted to remove the state flag—whose upper left hand corner featured the Confederate battle flag—after decades of opposition since its adoption in 1894. In September, Mississippians will vote on a new design.


While the move gave many a cause for celebration, it didn't stop the attitude that allowed the flag in the first place from rearing the ugly head.

That was more than evident in a recent Facebook comment from Gail Welch, a Mississippi Elections Commissioner.

Welch expressed concern that "the blacks" were having too many voter registration events.

Mississippi has the highest percentage of Black Americans in the country at nearly 40% of its population, but due to centuries of unjust voting laws and jurisdictions, the Black vote is largely suppressed, thus necessitating massive outreach for voter registration.

Attitudes like Welch's, especially when helping oversee elections, is a large part of that problem.

State Senator Juan Barnett—who oversees Jones County—said of the post:

"With people saying that kind of stuff, it makes them question, if this person is over the election, are they really going to run this? Are they really going to do what they say they're going to do? It puts that office that you're holding … now there's some credibility issues with that office. Not necessarily with you, but in that office."

For her part, Welsh said:

"We've always in the past had whites really participating in registering to vote. So many people don't seem to be concerned about [voting]. This was an error on my part."

Welch's distinction between "the blacks" and "people in Mississippi" said a mouthful.





People are demanding her resignation.




At the 2000 census, Jones County was 30% Black.

More from News

Jodie Turner-Smith
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tory Burch

'Acolyte' Star Speaks Out To Criticize Disney For Staying Silent As Actors Faced Racist Bullying

British actor Jodie Turner-Smith has had enough of Disney staying silent regarding the racist backlash leveled at projects led by people of color.

Smith starred as Mother Aniseya, a leader of a coven of space witches, in the Disney+ series The Acolyte. The sci-fi show is part of the Star Wars franchise that takes place at the end of the High Republic era long before the events of the Skywalker Saga and it follows a Jedi Master investigating a series of crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less
TikTok screenshot of Celine Dion; YouTube screenshot of Kelly Clarkson
@celinedion/TikTok; The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube

Celine Dion's Emotional Reaction To Kelly Clarkson's Cover Of 'My Heart Will Go On' Has Us In Tears

Celine Dion got emotional over Kelly Clarkson's rendition of "My Heart Will Go On," and, guys, the waterworks are contagious.

Dion took to TikTok to sing her praises after watching the American Idol winner cover the iconic Titanic song on the "Kellyoke" segment of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Lara Trump and Laura Ingraham discussing Kamala Harris
Fox News

Lara Trump Roasted After Claiming MAGA Fans Slip Her Notes On Napkins 'Every Time' She Flies

Former President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law and current RNC co-chair Lara Trump was roasted after claiming MAGA fans slip her notes on napkins affirming their support for Trump "every time" she flies.

Lara Trump expressed skepticism about new polling that suggests Vice President Kamala Harris is now increasingly viewed as the “change candidate” in the 2024 election.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Screenshot of Kamala Harris
Joe Raedle/Getty Images; CBS

Trump Is Now Demanding That Harris's Interview On '60 Minutes' Be Investigated In Unhinged Rant

Former President Donald Trump was criticized after claiming in a post on Truth Social that 60 Minutes "sliced and diced" answers Vice President Kamala Harris gave during an interview and demanded an investigation.

Trump claimed, without providing any evidence, that Harris's responses were "virtually incoherent" and suggested they had been edited "as many as four times in a single sentence or thought."

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian elder
Jixiao Huang on Unsplash

People Break Down Advice That Seemed Crazy At First But Was Actually Life-Changing

Unsolicited advice can be very annoying, but that doesn’t mean there aren't any nuggets of wisdom there.

Sometimes the most bizarre suggestions end up being a good idea.

Keep ReadingShow less