Jackson / Mississippi / United States
MISSISSIPPI LINK HISTORYIn the late 1980s, entrepreneur Socrates Garrett, chairman and founder of The Mississippi Link, along with a few other local businessmen, discussed the concept of publishing a monthly magazine to cover the black business community because their voices were not being heard inside city government or in the city and county school systems. Thus, the publication, "Todays Mississippi, " became a reality and was published until Garrett realized the community needed a broader spectrum of coverage other than business.In 1993, Garrett began publishing a semi-monthly tabloid newspaper. This publication was named The Missing Link and in 1995 the name was changed to The Mississippi Link and became a weekly newspaper. The new name was designed to reflect a statewide and global approach to the marketplace and today it continues to serve its purpose. In 2001 The Mississippi Link became a broadsheet newspaper. With a state population of around 3 million, and a black citizenry consisting of about 40 percent, the black population is growing. Prior to 1940, blacks were the majority base in Mississippi ; however, the black population declined due to the Great Migration. However, statistics show the states black population is on the rise and the intent of The Mississippi Link is to cover the black community by keeping its readers connected to what is happening in the overall population of the state. In January of 1998, The Mississippi Link made history by becoming the first medium in Mississippi to launch a website publication.
