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What do cowboy boots, a chainsaw, and sandwiches from Newk’s have in common? Very little– unless you’re keeping up with Riverside! Here’s what we’ve been up to this past month:
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Cooperative Entrepreneurship Program
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With the support of Noel Didla and Ryan Nave, we hosted students for our first cooperative entrepreneurship session with a focus on story-telling, media-making, and the business of media. Ryan, one of the founders of Mississippi Today and the current editor-in-chief of Reckon, a national news organization that (among many things) uplifts stories of Black joy, created space for us to tell stories about people in our lives solving problems. We talked about friends in medical school, missing phones, overcoming health scares, and getting better at ultimate frisbee. Next, Ryan offered up a cornucopia of fun supplies. We grabbed pipe cleaners, colorful stickers, and markers to design our own media companies. Antonio and Danaka, between bites of food from Newk's, came up with an idea to start a band podcast sponsored by Jackson State University. Ryan walked us through how media ventures make money and how young people already have the tools available to get started. A huge thank you to Ryan for driving all the way from Birmingham to connect with our Riverside entrepreneurs! Our next student meeting is happening on Wednesday, August 7th led by Ms. Vanessa and Noel.
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On July 26th, I bought cowboy boots as a birthday gift to myself (shoutout Boots & More). I’ve lived in Mississippi long enough; it was time to spice up the business casual rotation. What I didn’t expect is to use my boots immediately– not for their timeless western style, but practicality. The sides of our building are lined with bushes, making it difficult to access the walls and paint the community mural our students have been developing for months. So, at 7:30am the next morning, my friend Caleb and I made our way to Ace Hardware and bought a chainsaw. With some wasp spray, gardening gloves, and trusty cowboy boots we got the job done. Goodbye bushes! Now, we can easily pressure wash the walls and get them all set for painting. Thank you so much for your help Caleb!
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Also, we’ve been working with Entergy to get lights on in the building for the past few weeks. It has been a slow and arduous process that Lori has been relentless about. The hope is that we’re reconnected on Wednesday so we can host our community mural meeting in the building space. If anyone has some pull at Entergy please let us know.
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Mississippi AI Collaborative
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The Mississippi AI Collaborative hosted the inaugural Southern Spark Conference at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The conference convened a “community of educators, researchers, industry leaders, and community leaders who are all eager to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI.” The MS AI Collaborative team– composed of faculty and students from JSU– presented on the incredible work they’ve done improving Riverside’s website interface and social media strategy. We’re so grateful for their hard work and support of our mission.
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