WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC SWEPT ACROSS OUR COUNTRY, AND THE WORLD, DOWNTOWN JACKSON PARTNERS IMMEDIATELY BEGAN BRAINSTORMING WAYS IN WHICH THE ORGANIZATION COULD ADAPT TO BEST SERVE OUR COMMUNITY IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE. ONE OF OUR BIGGEST AND FIRST PRIORITIES WAS KEEPING THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY SAFE, INFORMED AND CONNECTED. TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT, WE BEGAN COMPILING RESOURCES THAT BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS COULD USE TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THAT EXTRAORDINARY TIME.
EACH WEEK, DJP SENT OUT THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS, GUIDELINES AND EXECUTIVE ORDERS ISSUED BY BOTH THE GOVERNOR OF MISSISSIPPI, FOR STATE-WIDE GUIDANCE, AND THE MAYOR OF JACKSON, FOR LOCAL ORDERS PERTAINING TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THESE NEWSLETTERS ALSO INCLUDED RESOURCES FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS, INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION, AND WHICH LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND SERVICES WERE CURRENTLY OPERATING WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT.
AS SPIRITS WERE LOW FOR MANY PEOPLE MUCH OF THE YEAR, THESE NEWSLETTERS COMMUNICATED HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO THOSE NEEDING A DOSE OF POSITIVITY IN THEIR NEWSFEED. WE INCLUDED INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT OUR COMMUNITY COULD DO DURING THAT TIME OF SOCIAL DISTANCING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR AREA. THESE THINGS INCLUDED MESSAGING TO BUY LOCAL, CHECK INTO THE GOOD FOOD IN GRATITUDE PROGRAM AND THE REFILL JACKSON INITIATIVE, AS WELL AS IDEAS TO HELP THE HOMELESS (DEEMED ONE OF THE MOST VULNERABLY EXPOSED POPULATIONS WITHIN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD), AND ENCOURAGING OUR AUDIENCE TO SHARE AND SPREAD GOOD CHEER AND GOOD NEWS TO EVERYONE THEY KNOW. DURING THIS UNIQUE TIME, MANY INITIATIVES AND ACTS TO HONOR OTHERS, SUCH AS TYING A RED RIBBON OUTSIDE THE HOME IN HONOR OF OUR HEALTHCARE WORKERS, CIRCULATED THROUGH OUR AREA, AND WE SHARED EACH AND EVERY ONE IN AN EFFORT TO CONTINUE SPREADING JOY.
IDEAS ON ACTIVITIES AND STAYING ACTIVE, AS WELL AS WAYS IN WHICH TO STAY CONNECTED, DURING THIS TIME WERE ALSO COMMUNICATED THROUGH THESE NEWSLETTERS. THINGS SUCH AS TAKING AN OUTDOOR, SOCIALLY-DISTANCED DOWNTOWN WALKING TOUR, AND PARTICIPATION IN THE DOWNTOWN FITNESS RELIEF PROGRAM, WERE ENCOURAGED OPTIONS FOR PHYSICAL EXERCISE. ONLINE EDUCATIONAL AND LEARNING PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE MUSEUM AT HOME PROGRAM WIH THE TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, AND THE ONLINE DIGITAL COLLECTIONS WHICH WERE MADE AVAILABLE BY THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES & HISTORY, WERE SHARED. MANY ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE DISTRICT FOUND WAYS TO ENGAGE WITH OUR COMMUNITY, FROM THEIR FINGERTIPS AND AT A DISTANCE, INCLUDING THE MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF ART, THE MISSISSIPPI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, THE JACKSON HINDS LIBRARY SYSTEM AND OTHERS.
IN ADDITION TO THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, DJP CREATED A COVID-19 WEBPAGE, HOUSED ON OUR WEBSITE. THE WEBPAGE IS A COMPLETE COMPILATION OF ALL CORONAVIRUS-RELATED INFORMATION THAT WE’D SHARED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AVAILABLE TO ANYONE SEEKING INFORMATION, ALL IN ONE PLACE.