A rose to Mississippi School for Math and Science history instructor Chuck Yarborough, who was selected as an Emerson Collective Cohort this week. The Emerson Collective, founded by  Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple’s Steve Jobs, seeks to advance the cause of justice and equality through philanthropy and advocacy. Yarborough joins an impressive group of cohorts with a broad range of backgrounds and talents from across the country. As he has during his time at MSMS, Yarborough’s focus as cohort will be to promote the telling of the full history of communities, including the stories of minorities and other groups whose contributions have been neglected, misunderstood, mischaracterized or simply forgotten. This honor is a reflection of Yarborough’s contributions to a better understanding of our local history. We look forward to the opportunities this position affords him to continue and broaden that important work.

A thorn to U.S. Senator Roger Wicker for his comments during a radio interview this week in which he claimed President Biden’s decision to nominate a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court is an act of discrimination. That Wicker would make that charge against a yet-to-be identified nominee whose qualifications are obviously not yet known amplifies the ugly narrative that minorities ascend not by merit, but by quota. In truth, there may be a legitimate argument for discrimination when it comes to Supreme Court selections, although not the kind of discrimination Wicker so wrongly imagines: There have been 115 justices on the Supreme Court since its founding in 1789. Not one of them has been a Black woman and only two have been Black men.

A rose to the city of Starkville, which is seeking community input on an arts project that aims to beautify University Drive intersections and crosswalks. Starkville is one of only 26 cities nationwide recently awarded a Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative grant. The project will help connect the one-mile stretch between downtown Starkville and the Mississippi State campus at nine intersections on University Drive, from Camp Street to Washington Street. Intersections will be painted with designs to progressively lead pedestrians along the corridor, creating a means of connecting Downtown, Midtown and the Cotton District. We note that these kinds of projects convey an important message — that a community takes pride in itself and its appearance.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

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  Roses and Thorns: 6-20-26

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