“We will be here when the cameras are gone and the issues are still going on.”
— DiAnna Tisdale Johnson
For the fourth episode of Season 1 of Infinite Patterns, we have the privilege of speaking with DeAnna Tisdale Johnson, the publisher of the Jackson Advocate. This week, she and Ty White, principal at ZEAL Cooperative and host of the podcast, dove into one of local journalism’s primary charges – addressing social determinants of health.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the wide range of conditions and environments in which people are born, live, work, and age that influence an individual’s health outcomes. SDOHs include economic stability, education performance, community engagement, social support, healthcare availability, the physical environment, transportation and food accessibility, and more.
Basically, SDOHs are the vibe check of a neighborhood. And, like many Mississippians, Tisdale Johnson is tired of the state falling short.
Quality local journalism can help move the needle for Mississippi, and that’s The Jackson Advocate’s mission.
The Jackson Advocate recognizes the interplay between social factors and health outcomes in a state where Black women experience alarming maternal mortality rates, four times that of their white counterparts: “We take the advocate in our name seriously. We live here, too.”
Their work has been instrumental in advocating for policy changes, including the recent expansion of Medicaid coverage to 12 months post-pregnancy, which Tisdale Johnson noted as a significant step forward in a landscape fraught with challenges.
Crumbling public services that fail to mitigate the state’s ongoing water crisis or provide adequate disaster relief are, at most, a footnote in the national 24-hour national newscycle, but this Mississippi newsroom knows that they are called to remain a consistent and dependable source for the community. “This is their paper,” DeAnna shared, “We will be here when the cameras are gone and the issues are still going on.”
The Jackson Advocate embodies the collaborative spirit of local journalism, a news source built on trust and shared experiences. Local residents act as “roving reporters,” sending in news and volunteering to write.
The paper was founded in 1938 by Percy Greene and later led by DeAnna’s father, Charles Tisdale, and then her mother, Alice Thomas (Tisdale) Perkins. DeAnna grew up in the newspaper office watching her mother hand-cut the layout, and her father pour over his yellow legal pad, absorbing what it truly meant to harness the power of storytelling and advocacy.
The Jackson Advocate continues to serve as “The Voice of Black Mississippians,” working tirelessly to highlight issues that affect the community. With a history of resilience—“Our offices have been firebombed, and we still got the paper out that week”—the publication stands as a testament to the power of the local Black press.
“I have always been someone who can be a light and amplify voices,” Tisdale Johnson reflected, resolved in the importance of advocacy, community, and role of local media.
You can learn more about the Jackson Advocate and its commitment to serving the community by visiting jacksonadvocateonline.com or following them on social media @jacksonadvocate. For those interested in supporting this crucial work, you can reach out via email at janews@thejacksonadvocate.com.