JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The mayor of Mississippi's capital was 5 years old when his parents moved their family from New York to Jackson in 1988 so that his father, who had been involved in a Black nationalist movement in the 1970s, could return to the unfinished business of challenging inequity and fighting racial injustice.
Lumumba describes himself as a "radical" who is "uncomfortable with oppressive conditions." A Democrat in his second term as mayor, he faces a high-pressure leadership test as Jackson struggles to consistently produce a basic necessity of life - safe, clean drinking water.
Othor Cain, a Jackson, Miss., radio host, regarding his criticisms of Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s lack of action regarding the city’s decades-old water problems, which have been recently exacerbated by heavy rains and problems at a water treatment plant. Critics of Lumumba argue that the mayor has failed to provide clear leadership while his supporters believe he deeply cares for Jackson and inherited extensive problems from previous city administrations. (Associated Press Sept. 30, 2022)