Daily Archives: September 8, 2021

The Freedom Phone is a new "free speech and privacy first" handset unveiled in July that's raising red flags with journalists and security experts, who say it's just a rebranded budget Chinese Android phone.

The 22 year-old self-proclaimed "Bitcoin millionaire" Erik Finman in an interview with The New York Times described smartphones as "the ultimate political tools. Everyone has one in their pocket." His brand newFreedom Phonepromises to prioritize "free speech and privacy"above anything else. You might assume that the Freedom Phone follows the trend of phone-makers like Apple that use software updates to make it harder for companies to track you. Finman's initial announcement for the Freedom Phone was followed swiftly bysecurity concernsraised bynumerous publications and privacy experts.

The Freedom Phone and its politically conservative branding will appeal to many, but there is nothing to suggest that the phone, its privacy claims or avoidance of Big Tech work the way Finman suggests. The phone raises a number of red flags despite its maker wanting you to see nothing more than red, white and blue. The Freedom Phone contradicts Finman's hype and it makes me wonder if he is being entirely forthright with buyers.

On Aug. 9, Finman posted to Twitter a picture of a stack of FedEx boxes with the caption, "It's shipping time." The tweet was posted using Twitter for iPhone.

Eric Finman posted a tweet using Twitter for iPhone to announce that the first batch of Freedom Phones were shipping.

The website for the Freedom Phonehas been overhauled since it launched. The 10 different "buy" buttons were reduced to three, including the ability to use Apple Pay, which is curious, because of Finman's outspoken opposition to Big Tech companies. The site states, "Not just making America great. But also making a great phone." The Freedom Phone appears to be more interested in political rhetoric than technical innovations.

If you're looking for a phone that protects your privacy, look elsewhere. The Freedom Phone raises a lot of red flags. Initially the phone was supposed to run software called Freedom OS, which Finman claimed protects your privacy. It had an "uncensorable" app store called the PatriApp store that claims to feature apps banned by Big Tech. In the announcement video, Finman shows off a phone that is powered off and looks similar to a budget Chinese phone that sells for one-quarter of the Freedom Phone's $500 price.

On Aug. 26, Finman announced a partnership with ClearCellular, which runs on AT&T and T-Mobile networks in the US. Future models of the Freedom Phone will run ClearOS Mobile, which is based on Android 10, made by the Big Tech company Google. The new phones will have better hardware, security and a ClearCellular logo on the back.

Discover the latest news and best reviews in smartphones and carriers from CNET's mobile experts.

In a post on Twitter, Finman wrote, "We designed the original version great, but now we're making it 10x better. That means stronger security, tighter privacy, and better hardware."

Thebasic specsand technical details put the Freedom Phone nearly on par with a $200 budget Android phone. Despite Finman claiming that the Freedom Phone is comparable to the best smartphones, its hardware doesn't come close to premium phones like the Galaxy S21 Ultra or iPhone 12 Pro Max. On paper, it doesn't even seem comparable to the best budget phones. There are no details about the new version of the Freedom Phone that comes out in November or what makes it "10x better."

It's not clear whether the models that shipped in August will be upgraded from Freedom OS to ClearOS or if Finman is planning to support both Freedom OS and ClearOS moving forward. Also, if the original phone and OS was supposed to be robust, what makes the new OS have stronger security and privacy features? No matter what your politics are, this isn't a good sign.

Read more: 5G myths, debunked

There isn't much information about how any of the software privacy and free speech features actually work on the August version of the Freedom Phone, or the new version that's due out in November. This is a red flag. The phone is marketed entirely on its politically conservative branding and seems like nothing more than a savvy entrepreneur looking to make money from conservatives frustrated with Facebook and Twitter banning former President Donald Trump.

I also ordered a Freedom Phone for testing, but had my order canceled. I placed another order and hope to test it out when I receive it. I don't recommend you buy the Freedom Phone at this time. I contacted Freedom Phone and Finman for comment and to get more information about the phone.

It's a new phone that promises to protect your privacy and allow free speech without censorship across the device. In his promotional video, Finman says that the Freedom Phone "does everything your current phone does except censor you or spy on you." He says it's comparable to the best smartphones on the market. TheFreedom Phone's specs are not comparable to the specs of the best phones. At best, some of the specs are comparable to the $200 Moto G Play or the $250 Moto G Power. Both of those phones have a giant 5,000-mAh battery. The size of the Freedom Phone's battery is unknown.

Finman goes on to state that everyone is complaining about "Big Tech censorship" but no one is doing anything about it. On screen in the video, a generic tweet is shown that's dated Dec. 18 and attributed to Twitter user "@twitteruser" that reads, "BUILD YOUR OWN PHONE!" To which Finman replies, "So, I did." The Twitter account shown is a real address whose last post is dated Nov. 5, 2013.

There is the original Freedom Phone and apparently a new version that comes out in three months' time.

We don't know. In the launch video, the phone remains powered off the entire time. That could indicate that the software isn't ready for viewing. We asked Freedom Phone for more details.

Any time a handset vendor makes claims about a phone's features, it falls to the company to demonstrate and explain how those features work. The Freedom Phone's website, launch video and Finman's posts on Twitter give few details about the phone or how its protections work. The technical details shared don't match up to Finman's claims. The fact that the company already has a second version of the phone planned with an entirely new OS is a huge red flag.

It's listed at $500. That's the same price as a Galaxy A52 5G, a Google Pixel 4A 5G and an iPhone XR. It's $50 more than the new Google Pixel 5A with 5G.

Read more:Best phones under $500 in 2021

The Freedom Phone has the tagline: "Made for conservatives by conservatives." Turns out it's actually made by a Chinese company called Umidigi that's based in Shenzhen. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Finman confirmed that Umidigi made the Freedom Phone but didn't specify which Umidigi phone design is used.

Matthew Hickey, a cybersecurity expert who co-founded Hacker House, told the Daily Dot that the Freedom Phone is a Chinese phone called the Umidigi A9 Pro that can be bought from AliExpress for as little as $119. He said that the A9 Pro is sold in bulk with custom logos and branding.

In a tweet, Finman wrote, "We designed this between my design lab and our partner in Hong Kong to make a phone that is custom."

No. Even if all of Finman's claims about the Freedom Phone turn out to be true, it's best to wait until devices are available to test the company's claims.

Finman hasn't explained how the phone works, or how it protects your privacy or free speech. Despite the claims so far, the Freedom Phone's basic technical details don't match the claims Finman made about it being comparable to the best phone on the market. The fact that he is releasing an entirely new version of the Freedom Phone just months after the initial one shipped isn't a good sign either. While I can't outright call it a scam, I would approach this handset with caution until it's available for testing.

The first Freedom Phone runs on Freedom OS. Finman says that it won't track your apps, your keystrokes or your location, but he doesn't explain how. The phone's Freedom OS has a security privacy guard called Trust.

"With powerful tools such as Trust, you are in control of what your apps can do whenever you want. Trust will help you understand the security of your device and warn you about possible threats."

We have never heard of Trust. It might be something Finman's team developed. Again, there aren't any details on how it works or where it came from. It isn't clear if Freedom OS is based on Android. (And just a reminder that Big Tech company Google makes Android.)

Google frequently updates Android with software upgrades and security patches, which this phone likely wouldn't get.

An upcoming new version of the Freedom Phone will run ClearOS Mobile, which is built on Android 10.

The website says the Freedom Phone has an "uncensorable" PatriApp store offering apps banned by the Google Play Store and iOS App Store. What's unclear is if there are policies in the PatriApp store that protect against illicit criminal activity, hate speech, graphic and sexual material or pedophilia. Is the PatriApp store basically like the 4chan of app stores?

It also isn't clear how the phone would handle technical details like IP tracing, website cookies or other conventional tracking tools used on phones and other electronic devices. We don't know if the Freedom Phone has received clearance from the Federal Communications Commission.

The Freedom Phone website states it will work with "Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile & Sprint, and all other domestic and international carriers." (In 2020, T-Mobile officially closed its $26.5 billion merger with Sprint.)

The upcoming version will run on ClearCellular, which runs on the backs of AT&T and T-Mobile.

It's unclear, and the issue isn't addressed on the Freedom Phone website.

This is also unclear. In Finman's promo video, the term Big Tech is largely used in the context of Twitter and Facebook banning Trump after he used his accounts to whip up a mob that invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The Freedom Phone is available to order now. We strongly recommend you don't order it.

The original Freedom Phone shipped in August. A second batch will ship in October. The new version of the Freedom Phone is expected to ship in November.

At this time, only on the Freedom Phone website.

The website shows icons for Parler, NewsMax, OANN, Rumble, the DuckDuckGo web browser and Telegram encrypted messaging. But it's unclear if it will be able to run productivity apps like Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat, social media apps like TikTok or Snapchat, dating apps like Tinder or Grindr, or video games.

We have strong doubts. The design shown in the video looks like dozens of budget Android phones we've seen over the years. It doesn't look high-end. The screen has a teardrop cutout for the selfie camera, which is a design choice many Android phones had three years ago.

From the specs that are shared, it's clear that the Freedom Phone's are not on par with specs from thebest smartphones like the iPhone 12 or Galaxy S21. The Freedom Phone has some specs that match up to budget phones like the $200 Moto G Play and $250 Moto G Power, even though the Moto phones have additional features like Turbo Charging.

It has a 6-inch screen that Finman says is edge-to-edge. In the video, he never shows the display powered on running Freedom OS. Photos show a dual-SIM card tray with a spot for expandable storage. Finman says things like "great camera," "comparable to the best smartphones on the market" and a "super fast processor," but the specs shared tell a different story.

At best, the Freedom Phone's hardware specs put it barely on the same level with a $200-$250 budget phone. Important details about the type of processor (Qualcomm or MediaTek) as well as the battery size are left out. There are three rear cameras, but aside from the resolution of the sensors, information regarding cameras is absent, such as if one is ultrawide or a depth sensor.

Curiously, the Freedom Phone has NFC, which means it could be able to use wireless payments like Google Pay. But since Google is part of Big Tech I'm not sure what, if any, wireless payments would be supported on Freedom OS. There also isn't any mention of biometric security like a fingerprint reader to unlock the phone or for online shopping. See how the Freedom Phone's specs stack up against some 2021 budget phones below.

According to its website, Freedom Phone is owned by Finman, LLC, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Eric Finman is listed as the company's agent and organizer.

Finman grew up in Idaho. In 2013, at the age of 14 he reportedly bought 100 Bitcoin for $1,000, which, by the time he was 20, was worth more than $1 million. In 2017, he founded the education startup Botangle. In 2019, he invested in a cryptocurrency company calledMetal Pay to be a competitor to Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency (now called Diem).

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Freedom Phone: The 'ultimate political tool' and why you should avoid it - CNET

Earlier this year, just days before World Press Freedom Day, Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., joined forces to introduce the International Press Freedom Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill to protect at-risk journalists working in highly censored countries. The legislation is predicated on the idea that the United States is a uniquely safe place for journalists but that notion doesnt always hold up under scrutiny.

Introduced on April 29, the International Press Freedom Act is one of at least three press freedom bills that Congress has considered since Saudi authorities killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018. But while other bills have proposed piecemeal protections such as sanctions on restrictive governments or a government office for threatened journalists Kaine and Grahams bill takes a more comprehensive approach. In addition to directing State Department funds toward investigating and prosecuting crimes against journalists abroad, the law would create a new visa category for threatened reporters and open a State Department office with a $30 million annual fund to help journalists report safely or relocate.

Press advocacy groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists have praised Kaine and Grahams bill, claiming that the legislation would bolster U.S. foreign diplomacy on global press freedom. In a statement, Kaine emphasized the U.S.s responsibility to spread its free speech ethos.

Enshrined in both our Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, press freedom is a core American value that we must constantly promote around the globe, he said in a press release. With this bill, our country will let journalists know that we will protect their right to report and offer safe harbor when they are threatened.

But that safe harbor doesnt seem to apply to foreign journalists the U.S. government itself has threatened. For years, the Justice Department has worked to extradite and prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, first for publishing Army war logs provided by Chelsea Manning in 2010 and then in 2016 for publishing leaked Democratic Party emails that the Justice Department said were hacked by Russia. And thoughthe governmentsextradition efforts are inching closer to fruition amid several U.S. appeals, Kaine and Graham have remained silent.

Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in the U.K. but was arrested in 2019 on an extradition warrant under charges related to his 2010 publication of military documents. Assanges charges which include one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and 17 counts under the Espionage Act for exposing national defense information could land him in prison for a maximum of 147 years.

Of Assanges many critics, Kaine and Graham have been some of the loudest. In the years since the publication of the military war logs and the Democratic National Committees emails, the senators have taken to cable news to air their contempt. [WikiLeaks] released classified information between our government and foreign leaders that embarrassed foreign leaders and our government, Graham said on CNN in 2017, after former President Donald Trump tweeted support for Assange. So Mr. Assange is a fugitive from the law hiding in an embassy who has a history of undermining American interests.

Kaine, whose vice presidential hopes may have been hampered by the 2016 email leak, celebrated Assanges arrest in 2019. Its something that we expected, we knew the day would come, and justice has to be done, he told CNN anchors in 2019. The thing that Im most interested in is, when you get to the bottom of this story, how do we learn enough to protect sensitive information from vandals like Julian Assange? (Graham, meanwhile, tweeted his approval of the arrest.)

Over a year after Assanges detainment, Englands High Court held a series of hearings about his case, which culminated in a January 2021 ruling that blocked Assanges extradition. But in August, the court expanded the grounds on which the U.S. could appeal the decision, flooding the court with a wave of appeals. (The U.K.s extradition procedure requires British prosecutors to represent the U.S. in court, meaning that U.K. taxpayers are footing the prosecutions bill.)

Its fine to offer visas to persecuted journalists, but its immensely hypocritical for the U.S. to do this at the same time it is seeking to extradite Julian Assange.

Its clear theyre out to get him, said Chip Gibbons, policy director for Defending Rights & Dissent, who has covered Assanges case for Jacobin. Its fine to offer visas to persecuted journalists, but its immensely hypocritical for the U.S. to do this at the same time it is seeking to extradite Julian Assange.

Assange isnt the only publisher or whistleblower the bill sponsors have targeted. Graham, one of loudest critics of government leakers in Congress, championed the imprisonment of Edward Snowden and slammed Obama for commuting Mannings prison sentence in 2017. Kaine has occasionally taken a softer stance, although he also opposed Mannings commutation and said that Reality Winner has got to suffer the consequences for leaking a classified document pertaining to the 2016 election. Still, the senators bemoaned the number of journalists imprisoned worldwide in the press release for their bill.

A spokesperson for Kaine said that he introduced the International Press Freedom Act because of his long-standing support for human rights inspired by Kaines long-standing support for human rights and in particular his outrage over the death of Jamal Khashoggi but did not answer questions about Assanges extradition. Representatives for Graham and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a co-sponsor of the bill who has also voiced support for Assanges extradition, did not respond to requests for comment.

And press freedom advocates, while supportive of the press freedom bill, said that the legislation would yield the biggest impact if the U.S. followed its own policies.

Anytime we, or the U.S. government, or members of Congress are talking about press freedom internationally, its, in my mind, a good thing, said Trevor Timm, co-founder and executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. But for any of that advocacy to be remotely effective, its important for the U.S. to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

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Press Freedom Bill Would Protect Journalists but Not Assange - The Intercept

DENVER, Sept. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Freedom Healthcare Staffing (Freedom), a rapid response healthcare staffing agency that provides experienced, high-quality nurses, allied professionals and clinical practitioners to facilities across the nation, announces it has again been awarded a two-year Health Care Staffing Services certification by The Joint Commission. The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accreditation body in health care.

The Joint Commission notes that its Health Care Staffing Services (HCSS) certification "gives staffing agencies an independent, comprehensive evaluation of their ability to offer expert staffing services. Health care staffing firms seek certification because it demonstrates their commitment to delivering a higher standard of service."

Freedom Healthcare Staffing has been a recipient of The Joint Commission's Health Care Staffing Services certification since 2007.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for The Joint Commission and the rigor that they expect from health care organizations," said Susan Whitman, executive vice president of Freedom Healthcare Staffing. "As an independent organization they keep the bar high, and we, too, strive to keep the bar high."

According to The Joint Commission website, to become certified, health care staffing firms undergo an on-site review to determine their compliance with national consensus-based standards. This includes a review of key areas such as the processes used for matching the skills of temporary staff with a health care organization's needs, assessing, demonstrating and maintaining competencies, communication processes, background and health screening checks, and other processes.

About Freedom Healthcare Staffing

Headquartered in Denver, Freedom Healthcare Staffing supports more than 60,000 experienced high-quality nurses and paraprofessionals to healthcare facilities and government agencies across the nation. Founded in 2005 by a leadership team with first-hand healthcare facility expertise, Freedom provides premium patient care to allow facilities to rapidly meet staffing demands and feel confident when adapting to quickly changing healthcare environments. For more information about Freedom Healthcare Staffing, visit http://www.freedomhcs.com.

About The Joint Commission

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

SOURCE Freedom Healthcare Staffing

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Freedom Healthcare Staffing Awarded Health Care Staffing Services Certification by The Joint Commission - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Not everyone has the freedom to speech, religion, press, assembly or petition.

But Americans do.

My heart is breaking over what is happening in Afghanistan. To those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, to their families and to those who are getting killed for being Christian.

Their hardships make me realize how blessed we are to be American. We can say what we want, do what we want, believe what we want and go to school where we want. We wouldnt be able to do these things without those who fought for our freedom.

To the veterans who have served in Afghanistan since 2001, your service does not go unnoticed. Your courageous actions after 9/11 will forever be remembered. You left your families, friends, your wife or husband and did what had to be done.

You fought for our country. You helped us young ones learn about patriotism, what it means to be American and how to get up after tough stuff happens, like the horrific day of 9/11.

My heart is hurting for our soldiers who have been seriously injured or paid the ultimate sacrifice of their lives to our country this past week.

To the service members who lost their lives near Karzai International Airport 11 U.S. Marines, one Navy Sailor and one Army soldier your strength, enthusiasm and love for our country is inspiring.

We need to be grateful for all they have sacrificed for us.

There were players who would kneel and be ungrateful during the playing of the national anthem: what a shame. The national anthem pays respect to those who have risked their lives, those who have been injured and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to the United States of America.

Although these athletes are kneeling or sitting as a way to use their voice, I believe they can use other platforms for the issues they are advocating for. At the Olympics, there were a couple of U.S. players that would kneel for the national anthem their own team.

It is frustrating. You are competing at the highest level and you decide to kneel for your national anthem.

I think about those who have fought, are currently active and those who have been struggling since the end of their active duty. I think of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and then I think of those who sit or kneel for the national anthem.

I hope in the coming games, athletes realize what is going on in the world and decide to stand and put their hand on their heart. If you are not standing with your hand on your heart, you should not be on the team.

Be respectful.

You should be proud to be an American. You should be grateful for everything you got thanks to your freedom.

In the wise words of country singer Kip Moore, We live in a place where we roll up to any church we want to attend (while drinking our almond milk latte). We leave there to meet up with friends for our 1 p.m. brunch and mimosas. We wake up the following day and we complain. Were an outraged bunch.

And by outraged bunch he means ungrateful, greedy and selfish. We can go to whatever church, drink our fancy coffees and then can go out with friends afterwards. Then Monday comes and we are an ungrateful bunch again.

If you think about it, we need to be less outraged. We need to be grateful toward those who have served or are serving for our country. We need to wake up in the mornings and cherish everything weve got: a nice roof over our heads, food on the table, good company and an amazing country. I hope next time we feel ungrateful, we think about those who sacrifice holidays, birthdays and anniversaries to protect our country.

We live in the land of the free because of the brave.

Continued here:

Freedom is not free - the Spectrum - NDSU The Spectrum

Sarah Huckabee Sanders running for governor of Arkansas

Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that she is running for governor of Arkansas.

USA TODAY, Storyful

As part of her Freedom Tour, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, press secretary for former President Donald Trump and candidate for Arkansas governor,visited the Fort Smith Riverfront Amphitheatre to speak to a packed crowd about how she will use the office to defend the state from the "radical left in Washington D.C."

During her speech, Sanders shared her experience growing up in Arkansas, working with Trump and raising three children. She said being the mother of young children and working in Washington D.C. has prepared her to deal with any "chaos."

Prior to the event, the Times Record spoke with Sanders about issues facing the state.

Sanders doesn't agree with current Gov. Asa Hutchinson that Act 1002, which bans local school boards from allowing mask mandates, is overreach by the Legislature. She wasn't clear whether schools should require masks or not.

"There's nothing more local than a parent being able to make a decision about what's best for their kid. I think the more we can empower parents to make a decision about what's best for kids in consultation with medical professionals that is what we should be doing," Sanders said.

In various media outlets, Sanders has written op-eds encouragingpeople to get vaccinated.

Like her opponent in the Republican Primary, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, Sanders has promised to phase out the state income tax. According to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, the state income tax generates $3 billion a year, which is half the revenue for the general fund. The general fund helps the state pay for education, prisons, Department of Human Services and part of AR Works, the state's health insurance program that allows lower-income families to get private health insurance.

To make sure the state doesn't lose these critical services, Sanders said she will make government more efficient to pay for the tax cuts. Sanders said like Louisiana, Arkansas could save between $50 million to $70 million a year by modernizing technology and said she would get rid of "duplicate programs" across agencies.

"One of the things we've got to start doing is quit allowing government to grow exponentially, we have to rein that in and that'll be a big piece of the puzzle in order to phase out the income tax," Sanders said.

Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor, said regardless of who wins,they will need to address the shrinking population in the ruralparts of the state.Huckabee cited urbanization as the reason for the shrinking population in those areas. Huckabee said living in urban areas makes it easier for people to access important resources like schools, hospitals and airports.

"It has been happening now for quite some time and a lot of it has to do with the mechanization of farming, which used to require extraordinary amounts of manual labor. Now, it's done with machinery, and that is what's changed," Huckabee said.

Huckabee said it is important to get broadband internet into rural areas to attract higher earners to the rural parts of the state.

"It's got be an effort to repurpose how rural Arkansas can be viable and making it possible for people to work from home now and for the foreseeable future," Huckabee said.

Diane Senica, owner of One Eyed Possum Production, moved from San Diego to vote for Sanders.

MORE: Sarah Sanders to join Fox News as a contributor

"I like how she is very relatable and focused on local issues but also national issues and how she is going to make a change," Senica said.

Many of the attendees the Times Record spoke to before the event said they feel they can trust Sanders because of the work she did as press secretary for Trump.

The attendees who are registered to vote in the Republican primary did say it will be difficult to choose between Sanders and Rutledge. Few of the voters said the endorsement of Trump who has come out for Sanders will play a role in who they vote for.

More here:

Sanders focuses on freedom, stopping the federal government as governor of Arkansas - Times Record

This summer, I took a trip down to Mississippi to see my family.

Every time I am down there, I feel free. The rumble of a four wheeler engine, fireworks popping and loud bugs in the summer night bring to life a Southern experience Im not used to.

When people think of states like Mississippi and other parts of the deep south they immediately think racism, confederate flags, and that being Black is all about struggle, not freedom. I mean, I thought it too, despite whats on display in my own family.

William Townsend

My Aunt Sumay has owned this farm in Scobey, Mississippi for 40 years, and she feels most free when she is outside.

"I like getting my food out of the ground that I put in, you know. The Lord bless me to have," she says. "I like preparing food and seeing people enjoy."

When you're on the farm, even food and eating is a whole new experience. You can literally walk outside, get something off a bush and cook it and eat it that same day.

I get excited when my Aunt Sumay cooks. I love eating her food. I go down there just for those perfect BBQ ribs.

Well, I just cook. I'm not this fancy cooker. You know, I just cook what I grew up on my country cooking," she says. "Peas, greens and turkey. Even pork meat, I cook that. But I don't cook it the fancy way.

My Aunt Sumay grew up on her parents land in a time when Black families didnt own their own farms.

You know, here in Mississippi, a lot of people have to rent their place. Well, with us, the Lord blessed my father to be able to... we didn't have fancy nothing," she says. "But we were able to be on our own. When we were young, they went to their field and they did go help the neighbors. It was neighbors helping neighbors back then and they did it with no charges.

My cousin Tarius lives on the farm. He remembers when I first came down, calling me "anxious and a little nervous."

William Townsend

I was scared, at first, to ride a horse. But I found another mode of transportation I was more comfortable with: the four-wheeler. My cousins say it was the only thing I wasnt afraid of. They also say I was a "speed demon" and I was going the fastest the whole time.

My Aunt Sumay says: We have always had our freedom, even though things happen.

And now, I see her point.

Popping fireworks, riding like the wind and laughing with my folks on our own land.

It makes me question: What about my life in Raleigh feels as free as this?

2021 WUNC Youth Reporter William Townsend

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Fireworks And Four-Wheelers: Finding Freedom And Culture In Mississippi - WUNC