2022: A Year in Review
This year is almost in the books and the 2023 Legislation Session will begin next week, but before we say goodbye to 2022 it’s worth reflecting on how much was accomplished this year to create opportunity and help all Mississippians rise. Will you include us in your year-end giving?
Here are a few moments from 2022 we’re especially proud of:
School Celebration Bus Tour
We kicked off 2022 on the road! The Empower team boarded the National School Choice Week bus and took the celebration to schools across the state. From the Delta to South Mississippi and back to the state capital, we visited charter schools, private schools, special purpose schools and saw students thriving in the education setting that best fit their needs. We even had a few friends in the form of Southern Miss cheerleaders and mascot Seymour hop on the bus with us at various stops along the way to help students celebrate their schools. We are looking forward to celebrating National School Choice Week in 2023 back on the steps of the state capitol and hope to see you there.
The Mississippi Tax Freedom Act of 2022, the largest tax cut in state history, was signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves and we’re proud of the role Empower played helping to get that transformational change across the finish line. Empower spent two years building the case for substantive tax reform, by issuing the first dynamic economic modeling of income tax elimination plans, testifying at a joint legislative hearing, and engaging the media with over 1,100 mentions of our work to reach the general public with over 4.3 million views of our content on the web and social media. The end result is a phasing out of more than $500 million in income taxes over the next four years and a lower, flatter income tax forever.
Our new school accelerator, Embark, focused on finding, guiding, and investing in school founders in Mississippi, launched in December 2021. This year, Embark completed a 5-year strategic plan, established many state and national partnerships, and began building the pipeline of charter school and microschool founders around the state. Beginning next year, Embark will offer application year residency opportunities for promising charter school founders and provide assistance to charter school applicants with the goal of expanding Mississippi’s charter sector. Embark will also offer pre-launch coaching and microgrant opportunities to microschool founders twelve months or less from launch to create more small, flexible education options around the state.
Empower Mississippi hosted its second annual policy summit in June. Unleash Mississippi attracts lawmakers, stakeholders, state leaders and policy experts to discuss preparing Mississippi’s students for the future, protecting public safety while providing second chances, overcoming poverty and promoting prosperity. Held at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, it was an opportunity for people to come together to share ideas on the most pressing issues in Mississippi. Look for the 2023 event to be held in September.
Listening Sessions
This summer we hosted two listening sessions – one in Collins and the other in Pickens. It was a chance for us to sit down with a group of Mississippians and hear directly from them. We asked questions and learned a lot through those conversations. We learned that everyone agrees Mississippi is a great place to live. It’s warm, friendly, and hospitable, but we have a long way to go to ensure everyone has a chance at the American dream. The barriers that people face are real, even in 2022. These conversations helped us better understand our state and the challenges people are experiencing, and the role our advocacy can play in bringing about change. We look forward to hosting more of these listening sessions in 2023.
Jackson Water Crisis
At the height of the Jackson water crisis, our team leaped into action. There was nothing we could do to restore clean, running water, but we decided that we could help with some of the associated inconveniences and perhaps provide a smile. So, we stuffed 1,400 backpacks with supplies like hand sanitizer, personal hygiene items, snacks and more and then delivered them to students at six schools in the City of Jackson. Students were elated to get the supplies. This project was made possible with the gift of a generous donor and the hard work of our staff.
In September, the Empower team was in Atlanta for State Policy Network’s Annual Meeting. For the second year in a row, Empower was nominated for the Bob Williams Award for Biggest Win for Freedom. This year we brought home the hardware for our work on the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act of 2022! It was an honor to share the award with our friends at Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
Empower was also featured in two different panel discussions during the meeting. Russ Latino presented on our work to pass the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act while Grant Callen and Joanna Holbert discussed how to host listening sessions to better understand the needs of the people of your state.
Candidate School
November brought an opportunity for those who are interested in running for office to attend a session co-hosted by Empower Mississippi and Americans for Prosperity Foundation. The event provided practical campaign strategies from those who have been in the field along with a focus on key issues from policy experts. We covered a wide range of issues from education to tax policy and learned how to build a winning message.
None of this work would be possible without you, our friends and partners around the state. Your financial support is the lifeblood of our work.
As you consider your year-end giving, please consider a gift to support our work so that together we can make Mississippi the most opportunity rich state in America. All gifts must be postmarked or processed online before 12:00 pm on New Year’s Eve. Thank you for your support!
Now, bring on 2023!
