A rose to photographer and Columbus native Jess Fielder for her recent photo shoot, which encourages women to cultivate a positive self-image in a society where many girls and women feel the burden of “body shaming.”
Fielder’s work has drawn a large following on her Facebook page.
Seventeen Golden Triangle women participated in Fielder’s latest project. Women are photographed holding signs with comments others have made about them, then exchange that sign for a sign with a positive message they have adopted for themselves.”I don’t think I’ve ever felt as empowered and beautiful as I did after that shoot,” said Riley Gordon, a 24-year-old from Starkville who was one of the 17 to participate.
A rose of thanks to J.C. Johnson, who closed his West Point pharmacy, Plaza Drugs, Friday after almost 50 years of service to the community. At age 90 and with the increasing competition from larger chain pharmacies, Johnson decided the time had come to say goodbye.
We commend Johnson for his dedicated service to the community. We are always sad to see a locally owned and operated business close, but in Johnson’s case, it is especially sad. We wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.
A rose to the Columbus Police Department and Community Relations Officer Rhonda Sanders for putting together the city’s “Night Out Against Crime.” This year’s event will be held Tuesday evening from 5 to 8 at seven locations: East Columbus Gym, First United Methodist Church’s back parking lot, North Haven Wood Park, Sandfield Community Center, Sim Scott Community Center and Townsend Community Center. The Plantation Pointe retirement home will also host a Night Out event for its residents.
A part of the national campaign, the event is held to inspire dialogue between police and the communities they serve. “That’s very important,” Sanders said. “You never know when the police department is going to need the public. We need each other to keep things running smoothly in Columbus. This is about building a connection between the people and police department so they can come forward and have a conversation.”
In this era of strained relations between police and citizens, we believe this year’s event, the 20th held in Columbus, is especially valuable.
A rose to the “home-grown” entrepreneurs in our communities. Whether they are well-financed, highly-ambitious startups such as that of Hagan Walker of Columbus and his partner Kaylie Mitchell of Pascagoula or the home-based businesses whose products we see at farmers markets and craft shows. We applaud the effort and believe there is a real value when a spirit of innovation and enterprise prevails.
The best businesses are those we create ourselves because they tend to establish deep roots in our communities, employing local people and producing products and services we all enjoy. The more businesses we create, the fewer we have to recruit and the fewer concessions we have to make. That’s good for all of us. We continue to encourage everyone to support these businesses, big and small.
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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