Interviewing Mayor Tony Yarber

by Asia Mangum

​My time here at YMP has been a great experience. The people here are great, along with its purpose and opportunities that come along with it. However, when I was asked to write a second blog about a memorable experience, I couldn't come up with one, that is until yesterday. I tagged along with five other YMP journalists to watch Donna Ladd interview the mayor of Jackson, Tony Yarber. 

As I was there, I started to get a feel of what journalism was all about. Donna asked some really good questions, to which the mayor had some really good answers. I even asked a question of my own, and tweeted a few inspiring quotes he gave during the interview. I enjoyed Mr. Yarber addressing the issue with violence in Jackson, along with stories of his childhood and his personal life. He have me an idea of who he was as a person and a politician.

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That was the first time I ever heard the mayor speak. My favorite part was after the interview, and I met him in person. I shared my thoughts about violence in the youth community, and he thought my points were "fair enough." I was very pleased to see that so many people liked and retweeted my tweets. I was even more pleased when I saw that one of those people were the mayor. I felt like a real reporter, and my press pass made me feel even more official. 

I appreciated the amount of praise that I got the day after for the work I did. It made me feel as though I knew what I was doing. Because a lot of times when I'm in a huge social environment, I feel out of place, and I often shut people out and keep to myself. I hope this wasn't the last time I interview the mayor, or any public figure for that matter. If not, I look forward to what YMP has to offer me in the future.  ​