Nashville Pride May 5, 2023

President Biden calls Black Press ‘heroes’ during WHCD speech

See page 2

People Are Talking

Shock television talk show host Jerry Springer dies at 79

Meharry Medical College holds Commencement activities

See page 3

Vanderbilt Poll: Consensus on guns, abortion exists between Tennessee’s MAGA Republicans, Democrats

In its semiannual statewide survey the Vanderbilt Poll measured significant bipartisan support for various gun regulations basic protections for abortion access as well as health care access for the LGBTQ community

T h e s u r v e y w a s c o n d u c t e d A p r i l 19–23 among 1 003 registered Tennessee voters

“It’s hopeful that while 58% of r e s p o n d e n t s v i e w Te n n e s s e a n s a s divided, there is a fairly strong agreement on basic next steps in our most politically divisive issues said John Geer, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll and Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science and professor of political science at Vanderbilt University “At the same time, 74% of registered voters say they’d prefer their elected leaders compromise across the aisle rather than strictly pursue their own values and priorities

reins of a genre-changing talk show has died S p r i n g e r ’s d e a t h w a s c o nfirmed by Jene Galvin a longtime friend who served as executive producer of the outlandish talk show host’s podcast

He was 79

As the New York Times noted, b y t h e m i d - 1 9 9 0 s , T h e J e r r y Springer Show set new standards for tawdriness on American television

The confrontational and fightbaiting program turned the talkshow format into an “arena for shocking confessions adulteryfueled screaming matches and not infrequent fistfights ”

Many now recognize the show as the beginning of the reality television boom that has made people like the Kardashian family rich and famous Springer earned a law degree from Northwestern University in 1968 He won election to the Cincinnati City Council in 1971, where scandal struck

He resigned in 1974 after writing a check to a Kentucky massage parlor for prostitution services Voters brought Springer back a year later, and in 1977, he won the Cincinnati mayor s race

His unsuccessful run for governor in 1982 also didn’t lack the degradation that would highlight his 1990s talk show Springer boasted of his prostitution arrest during the campaign

“The next governor is going to have to take some heavy risks and face some hard truths he said

I m prepared to do that This commercial should be proof I’m not afraid even of the truth and even if it hurts

“He finished third in the Democratic primary and made a career change, joining WLWT-TV first as a news commentator and then an anchor and later as managing editor, winning or sharing multiple Emmy Awards for local coverage over the next decade ” the New York Times reported

The Jerry Springer Show, a

“This points to there being an o p p o r t u n i t y f o r b r o a d p o p u l a r progress at the state level, said Josh Clinton, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll who holds the Abby and Jon Winkelried Chair at Vanderbilt and is a professor of political science “The special session that Gov Bill Lee has called to address guns and public safety is the first such chance, but there are many other issues on which the public agree and which paint a logical path forward in the next full session ”

Since May 2012, the Vanderbilt Poll has asked registered voters to rank what issue should be the Tennessee government’s top priority For 20 consecutive surveys guns ranked last or nearly last This April, it ranked as the third-most important issue, just two percentage points behind education and three points behind the economy

On April 11, in response to The C o v e n a n t S c h o o l s h o o t i n g i n Nashville, Lee signed an executive o r d e r s t r e n g t h e n i n g b a c k g r o u n d

Vanderbilt’s Statewide poll reveals that 82% support Gov Bill Lee’s executive order on gun background checks, three-quarters of voters support a red flag gun law, and contrary to current law, the majority of voters of all party affiliations think abortion should be legal to protect the life and health of the mother

checks for firearm purchases This action is supported by 82% of Tennesseans with only 10% opposing it T h i s s u p p o r t c a r r i e s t h r o u g h k e y demographics across the state S e v e n t y - t w o p e r c e n t o f s e l fdescribed MAGA Republicans and 81% of non-MAGA Republicans support the governor ’s executive order, as do 91% of Democrats and 78% of I n d e p e n d e n t s A m o n g t h o s e w h o s t r o n g l y o r s o m e w h a t f a v o r t h e National Rifle Association, support for the executive action is also strong at 74% and 77%, respectively

An overwhelming majority of registered voters also support a so-called red flag law that would temporarily restrict access to guns for individuals

Tenn. State Museum hosts Free Events May

13 and May 18

who are at a high risk of harming t h e m s e l v e s o r o t h e r s S u c h a l a w would likely be the focus of the special legislative session called for by Lee Some fundamental tenets of abortion access have bipartisan support as w e l l , e v e n a m o n g s e l f - i d e n t i f i e d MAGA Republicans Currently in Tennessee, abortion is illegal at any stage of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest At the time of the survey, a physician who performed an abortion to save the life or physical well-being of the mother can be charged with a felony unless they can affirmatively prove the mother was at risk Tennessee is the only

Continued on page 5

Judge finds of ficer guilty of aiding murder of George Floyd

By Cass Teague

The Tennessee State Museum

(TSM) hosts two free special events in May you might be interested in TN Writers / TN Stories: Elizabeth

Elkins and Scott Williams is Saturday, May 13, 2023, from 10:30 AM - 12:00 Noon and The Lunch and Learn: Bicentennial Mall: How the Park Created a Cultural Destination is on Thursday May 18 2023 from 12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM

The May 13 event explores two b o o k s - - E l i z a b e t h E l k i n s We Should Soon Become Respectable: Nashville's Own Timothy Demonbreun (Vanderbilt University Press) and R Scott Williams The Accidental Fame & Lack of Fortune of West Te n n e s s e e ' s D a v i d C ro c k e t t T h e program will explore these biogra-

p h i e s e a c h w i t h a u n i q u e approach of two legendary Tennessee figures

Author Elizabeth Elkins sorts through the legends and nails down the facts in order to present the true story of “Nashville's First Citizen,” while Scott Williams uncovers what p r o p e l l e d C r o c k e t t ’s f a s c i n a t i n g journey, while also examining the birth of Tennessee during one of the most fascinating periods in American history This event takes place in the Digital Learning Center at TSM and includes an opportunity to purchase books through the Museum store and get them signed by the author Elizabeth Elkins is a professional songwriter and writer with a Mas-

Continued on page 5

Tou Thao

by Stacy M Brown, NNPA

Newswire senior national correspondent

Tou Thao, a former police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was found guilty of aiding and abetting the second-degree manslaughter of George Floyd in May 2020, according to court documents

Judge Peter Cahill s 177-page ruling states that Thao ignored his orders and encouraged his colleagues to use t h e d a n g e r o u s , p r o n e r e s t r a i n t o n Floyd “Like the bystanders Thao could see Floyd s life slowly ebbing away as the restraint continued,” Cahill wrote in the verdict “Yet Thao consciously decided to participate in Floyd s death

Continued on page 5

Authors Elizabeth Elkins and R Scott Williams with their books

President Joe Biden calls Black Press ‘heroes’ during pointed, hilarious White House Correspondents Dinner

by Stacy M Brown, NNPA Newswire senior

national correspondent

President Joe Biden proved likely as funny a n d p r e s c i e n t i n h i s White House Correspondents Dinner remarks as h i r e d c o m e d i a n a n d Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr

But the commander in chief struck a rather serious and forceful tone d u r i n g h i s 2 2 - m i n u t e speech when he declared h o w v i t a l t h e B l a c k Press remains after 196 years of speaking truth to power After hilariously railing on everyone from Fox News Tucker Carlson Donald Trump and R e p u b l i c a n R e p M a rjorie Taylor Greene, the president made fun of himself in a tour de force of hilariously self-deprecating jokes

But it was his proclamation calling the Black Press heroes that punctuated a 22-plus minute speech that proved one

for the ages

During Black Histor y M o n t h t h i s y e a r, I hosted the screening of the movie Till the president stated, after such quips like “MSNBC is owned by NBC Univers a l a n d F o x N e w s i s o w n e d b y D o m i n i o n Voting Systems

T h e s t o r y o f

E m m e t t Ti l l a n d h i s mother is a story of a f a m i l y s p r o m i s e a n d loss and a nation’s recko n i n g w i t h h a t e v i olence, and the abuse of power,” Biden said as he started his championing of the Black Press

“It’s a story that was seared into our memory and our conscience the n a t i o n ’s c o n s c i e n c e , when Mrs Till insisted that an open casket for h e r m u r d e r e d a n d maimed 14-year-old son be the means by which he was transported She said, ‘Let the people see what I ve seen

T h e r e a s o n t h e world saw what she saw

was because of another hero in this story: the

B l a c k P r e s s T h a t ’s a fact Jet magazine, the Chicago Defender and other Black radio and n e w s p a p e r s w e r e unflinching and brave in m a k i n g s u r e A m e r i c a saw what she saw And I mean it ”

H e q u o t e d I d a B Wells, who said: “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon the wrongs ” “ T h a t ’s t h e s a c r e d v i e w, i n m y v i e w, Biden said “That’s the sacred charge of a free press And I mean that

E a r l i e r t h e W h i t e H o u s e C o r r e s p o n d e n t s A s s o c i a t i o n h o n o r e d fallen PBS star journalist Gwen Ifill, and Biden took notice

“That’s what someo n e w e s t i l l m i s s s o much who you honored posthumously, stood for G w e n I f i l l , ” h e s a i d She moderated my first debate for vice president and was a trusted voice

Carolyn Bryant Donham, Emmett T ill’s false accuser, dies at 88

for millions of Americans

Gwen understood that the louder the noise the more it’s on all of us to cut through the noise to the truth The truth matters ” Before given way to Wo o d t h e p r e s i d e n t r e m i n i s c e d a b o u t t h e 2022 dinner As I said last year at this dinner, a poison is r u n n i n g t h r o u g h o u r

democracy and parts of

t h e e x t r e m e p r e s s ”

Biden said The truth buried by lies, and lies living on as truth; lies t o l d f o r p r o f i t a n d power; lies of conspiracy and malice repeated over and over again designed to generate a cycle of a n g e r, h a t e , a n d e v e n violence

A c y c l e t h a t emboldens history to be

b u r i e d , b o o k s t o b e

b a n n e d c h i l d r e n a n d families to be attacked by the state, and the rule of law and our rights and freedoms to be stripped away And where elected r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h e people are expelled from statehouses for standing for the people I ve made clear that we know in our bones, and you know it too our d e m o c r a c y r e m a i n s a t risk But I’ve also made i t c l e a r a s I ’ v e s e e n throughout my life, it s within our power, each and every one of us to preserve our democracy We can We must We will ” National Newspaper P u b l i s h e r s A s s o c i a t i o n (NNPA) President/CEO Dr Benjamin F Chavis Jr (who sat nearby as the president spoke) offered praise to Biden “The NNPA thanks President Joe Biden for highlighting the strategic

Continued on page 5

Donham’s false claims against Emmett Till set off a chain of events that sparked the modern civil rights movement

by Stacy M Brown, NNPA Newswire senior

T h e W h i t e w o m a n w h o t e s t i f i e d t h a t a B l a c k t e e n a g e r n a m e d

Emmett Till had made inappropriate approaches toward her which led to his lynching and murd e r i n M i s s i s s i p p i i n 1955 has died

According to a coron e r ’s r e p o r t , C a r o l y n

B r y a n t D o n h a m 8 8 d i e d w h i l e r e c e i v i n g h o s p i c e c a r e i n Louisiana

A death record issued

by Stacy M Brown,

Newswire

NNPA

senior n a t i o n a l c o r re s p o ndent T h e U S S u p r e m e Court plans to consider Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo a case t h a t c o u l d h a v e f a rreaching effects on U S government regulation T h e C h e v r o n c a s e from 1984 is at the heart of this litigation because it established a precedent for federal agencies t o i n t e r p r e t v a g u e statutes at their discretion T h a t p r e c e d e n t h a s informed environmental law, labor regulations, c o n s u m e r s a f e g u a r d s , a n d i m m i g r a t i o n p o l icies T h e c o n s e r v a t i v e

on Thursday, April 27, in t h e C a l c a s i e u P a r i s h Coroner s Office noted t h a t D o n h a m d i e d i n We s t l a k e , L o u i s i a n a , two nights earlier

D o n h a m ’s f a l s e claims against Emmett Till set off a chain of events that sparked the m o d e r n c i v i l r i g h t s movement

A f t e r t h e t e e n s mother insisted his casket remain open during the funeral and photos of Till’s battered and mutilated body appeared in Jet magazine, the world

r e c e i v e d a b i r d s - e y e view of the brutality of A m e r i c a s r a m p a n t

racism In August 1955, Till traveled from Chicago to M i s s i s s i p p i t o s p e n d time with relatives

D o n h a m t h e n 2 1 years old and going by t h e n a m e C a r o l y n Bryant accused Till of m a k i n g i n a p p r o p r i a t e approaches toward her while she worked at a g r o c e r y s h o p i n t h e small town of Money

Continued on page 5

m a j o r i t y o n t h e c o u r t has been critical of gove r n m e n t r e g u l a t o r s i n r e c e n t y e a r s , m o s t notably when it limited the EPA s ability to cont r o l g r e e n h o u s e g a s emissions a year ago The court regularly r e f e r s t o C h e v r o n a r u l i n g n a r r o w i n g i t s s c o p e o r r e v e r s i n g i t might limit the ability of federal officials to gove r n m a n y a s p e c t s o f American life F o u r c o n s e r v a t i v e court members Justices C l a r e n c e T h o m a s , Samuel Alito, and Neil G o r s u c h h a v e r a i s e d d o u b t s a b o u t t h e Chevron theory

As an appeals court judge, Gorsuch claimed it was inconsistent with

the constitution framers’ intent because it gave the executive bureaucracy too much power At least four of the n i n e j u s t i c e s o n t h e court agreed that they should hear the matter According to tradition, however, they kept the results secret One potential stumbling block is that Just i c e K e t a n j i B r o w n J a c k s o n w i l l n o t b e hearing the case, reducing the number of part i c i p a t i n g j u s t i c e s t o eight J a c k s o n p r e v i o u s l y sat on a panel of appellate judges who heard t h e c a s e f o r t h e U S Court of Appeals for the

Continued on page 5

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President Joe Biden

U.S. Supreme Court set to take up case possibly reducing gover nment regulatory authority

by Wanda Clay

I n l i f e w e h a v e plans that are developed from birth At that t i m e o u r p a r e n t s o r other caretakers determine what those plans are Toddlers may be put in certain sports or g y m n a s t i c s , o r s o m e p a r e n t s m a y t r y t o develop musical gifts for those children who seem so inclined As c h i l d r e n g r o w o l d e r, s u c h a c t i v i t i e s m a y turn into ‘leads’ in life's d e v e l o p m e n t S o a s c h i l d r e n c o n t i n u e t o grow into adults, they develop plans of their own that may or may n o t i n c l u d e t h e l o n g term activities of the past

As adults, we then make our plans from a c o m b i n a t i o n o f p a s t activities and interests w e h a v e d e v e l o p e d over the years

When dealing with long term illness, one doesn’t know what to e x p e c t W h i l e b e i n g thankful to still have t h e a b i l i t y t o m a k e plans that are likely to be carried out, we have to stay ready to make a d j u s t m e n t s R e v Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary B a p t i s t C h u r c h h a s spent his adult life in

ministry and as a pastor He was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer a few years ago a n d h a s t h a n k f u l l y exceeded his prognosis of sustaining life for 15 months We praise God that it has been well over that time! Rev Fuzz has made great strides as he continues in his journey yet he still has a ways to go to be cancer free H e h a s h a d c a n c e r s h r i n k a g e a n d i m provements concerning the cancer itself However, he has developed other issues relative to h i s c a n c e r d i a g n o s i s Rev Fuzz is able to do and maintain many of the activities that were a large part of his past H o w e v e r, h e m a k e s this statement: " P e o p l e s t i l l h a ven't caught on that just because they see me in p u b l i c d o e s n ' t m e a n that I'm back to doing anything like my old self What they see is the ‘25%’ of the time I get to go out I've cut down 75% of my activi t i e s l i k e i n s t e a d o f preaching six to eight sermons each month I d e l i v e r t w o s e r m o n s each month I delegate re s p o n s i b i l i t i e s l i k e hospital and sick visits,

t e a c h i n g S u n d a y school etc " So when Rev Fuzz i s s e e n i n p u b l i c , understand that he is much better; however he is still in need of m a n y p r a y e r s A l l t h i n g s a r e d o n e i n God's time So we must never cease from praying One of Rev Fuzz s focus in ministry has a l w a y s b e e n a b o u t praying and the power of prayer It has been his desire for the whole world to be in prayer t o g e t h e r A l l R e v Fuzz’s routine activities have been cut by 75%, but he uses his remaining 25% to continue to serve in ministry and community K e e p p r a y i n g Share and be encouraged by the postings and weekly readings of Cancer: My Journey in Time ’

by

Cass Teague

T h e 1 4 8 t h C o m -

mencement Exercises of Meharry Medical College are Saturday May 20, 2023 at 9 a m , in

T h e G r a n d O l e O p r y

H o u s e H o m e c o m i n g and Reunion 2023 activities for graduates of all

M e h a r r y S c h o o l s including Medical, Dental, Graduate and (hist o r i c ) N u r s i n g r u n

We d n e s d a y M a y 1 7 t h r o u g h S u n d a y, M a y 2 1 H o m e c o m i n g a n d

Reunion host hotel is the JW Marriott Nashville

D r D a v i d M

Carlisle, the Commencement Speaker, has been President and CEO of Charles R Drew University of Medicine and S c i e n c e i n t h e Wa t t s -

Wi l l o w b r o o k a r e a o f

L o s A n g e l e s C o u n t y since 2011 Dr Carlisle is a published author in health policy, quality of care, medical education d i v e r s i t y a n d e l i m i n ation of health disparities

A board-certified internal medicine specialist P r e s i d e n t C a r l i s l e received his B A from Wesleyan University his M D from Brown University and his MPH and Ph D in health services from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

H o m e c o m i n g a n d

Reunion 2023 celebrates

graduating Classes from 1948 1958 1963 1968 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018 Host hotel is the JW Marriott Nashville, with overflow a t L o e w s Va n d e r b i l t

Hotel R e u n i o n / H o m ecoming activities begin

We d n e s d a y M a y 1 7 with the (Virtual) Nurses Legacy Tea, 10:00 a m – 11 : 0 0 a m D e a n s

Meet & Greet Receptions run 4:30 p m –5 : 3 0 p m : S c h o o l o f

D e n t i s t r y, L o b b y ; School of Medicine

Harold D West Basic Sciences Center, Lobby; and School of Graduate Studies West Basic Science Center Meharry A l

runs 9:00 p m – 12:00 Midn i g h t , We s t i n H o t e l –

L 2 7 R o o f t o p L o u n g e Friday May 19 Charles

E B r o w n , M D 3 6 t h

A n n u a l G o l f To u r n ament 7:30 a m –

2:00 p m at Ted Rhodes Golf Course, 1901 Ed Temple Blvd

T h e 5 0 t h G o l d e n Anniversary Celebration

Dinner for classes 1938 1943, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968 and 1973, runs 6:00 p m – 8:30 p m , with Class Pictures at 6:30 p m in the Westi n H o t e l R a d n o r Room The 25th Silver Anniversary Celebration is 6:30 p m – 8:30 p m

Westin Hotel SoBro I & II Room All Reunion

C l a s s P i c t u r e s a r e a t

7:30 p m – No retakes

Westin Hotel Ballroom

A Reunion Homecoming Soiree at the National Museum of African

A m e r i c a n M u s i c , 5 1 0

B r o a d w a y S t r e e t r u n s

8:30 p m – 12:00 Midn i g h t ; G a l l e r y To u r s

8:30 p m – 10:30 p m S a t u r d a y, M a y 2 0 ,

11:30 a m , CEO Roundt a b l e o n C a n c e r a n d

Meharry Medical Col-

lege Cancer Walk: Every

Step Counts, Starting at Meharry School of Dentistry entrance Everyone is invited alumni a n d c o m m u n i t y m e mb e r s ! A l u m n i P i c n i c

12:00 Noon

3:30 p m West Basic Science Center Lawn **Inclement w e a t h e r F i r s t F l o o r Lobby, The Cal Turner Family Center for Student Education

The National Alumni Association Scholarship Gala is at The Cal Turne r C e n t e r f o r S t u d e n t E d u c a t i o n B a l l r o o m ,

6:30 p m – Reception / 7:00 p m Dinner; Attire: C o c k t a i l T h e A l u m n i F a r e w e l l C h a m p a g n e Brunch is Sunday, May

2 1 , 1 0 : 0 0 a m - 1 : 0 0 p m Westin Hotel

Mayor John Cooper has filed his proposed FY24 budget to Metro Council for their consideration Mayor Cooper previewed some of the budget s key priorities at last week’s 60th State of Metro Address This year s proposal reflects $3 218 202 300 in total revenue, which is a 6 2 % i n c r e a s e o r $188M, from the FY23 operating budget It also fully achieves the new f u n d b a l a n c e p o l i c y passed by Metro Counc i l w h i c h h o l d s t w o m o n t h s o f o p e r a t i n g expenditures and 50% of a n n u a l b u d g e t e d d e b t service in reserves I n a d d i t i o n M a y o r Cooper is proposing an additional $125 7 million in one-time capital spending and additional reserves as a result of surplus funds available a f t e r m e e t i n g M e t r o s f u n d b a l a n c e p o l i c y t h r e s h o l d T h e M e t r o Council ordinance establishing the new policy directs that any surplus b e u s e d f o r o n e - t i m e c a p i t a l e x p e n s e s , d e b t reduction or the establ i s h m e n t o f a d d i t i o n a l reserves I n t h e p a s t f o u r years we have course c o r r e c t e d o n y e a r s o f u n d e r i n v e s t m e n t a n d made generational improvements in our most i m p o r t a n t p r i o r i t i e s : education, public safety, h o u s i n g , i n f r a s t r u c t u r e and other core governm e n t s e r v i c e s , ” s a i d M a y o r C o o p e r T h i s year ’s budget builds on those efforts, investing in what works and innovating to meet the chall e n g e s o f t o m o r r o w N a s h v i l l e ’s f u t u r e i s bright, and this budget helps create a platform for a successful city for decades to come C o o p e r ’s F Y 2 4 b u d g e t i n c l u d e s $ 9 9 , 970 300 in new operating spending for Metro N a s h v i l l e P u b l i c Schools; nearly $50 million in new spending to i n c r e a s e w a g e s f o r

Metro employees; significant funding increases for affordable housing, including the Barnes F u n d a t $ 3 0 m i l l i o n ; new investments to comb a t h o m e l e s s n e s s , including establishing a new Office of Homeless Services; fully funding all staffing requests for sworn officers, EMS and f i r e f i g h t e r s ; a n d a n emphasis on continued stability of waste management and furthering our capacity to address litter

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e M a y o r ’s O ff i c e , t h i s y e a r s b u d g e t r e f l e c t s Mayor Cooper ’s consistent priority of ensuring o u r s t u d e n t s h a v e t h e t o p - q u a l i t y r e s o u r c e s and facilities they need, while our teachers are receiving the pay they deserve

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e n e a r l y $ 1 0 0 M i n n e w operating spending for our public schools, this budget fully funds continuity of service and four percent COLA and steps f o r M e t r o N a s h v i l l e Public School Employees Additionally, it calls for:

• A pay increase for principals and associate principals;

• $ 1 0 8 M t o f u l l y expand a national best p r a c t i c e p i l o t p r o g r a m called Classroom Associates to fix a broken

s u b s t i t u t e t e a c h e r s y stem; and

• $ 8 M f o r n o - c o s t meals to ensure every single student receives a free school lunch Other highlights of C o o p e r ’s b u d g e t includes:

• $15M for increasing police pay

• $10 7M for increasing fire pay F o r t y - n i n e n e w EMS positions and 39 more firefighters

• A d d i t i o n a l p o l i c e officers to fully staff the 9th Police Precinct in Southeast Nashville

• Recurring funding for MNPS’s SRO program

• Fully funds operation for all Parks Comm u n i t y C e n t e r s t o b e open on Saturdays

• Increases funding for library staffing in our branches

• Provides Commun i t y C o u r t n a v i g a t o r s and program support

• B o l s t e r s S o c i a l Service program focus and staffing on vulnerable elderly I n c r e a s e s o p e r at i o n a l a n d p r o v i d e s $7 3M of capital funding for the Nashville General Hospital

• An almost $10M i n c r e a s e t o t h e M e t r o a n d R e g i o n a l Tr a n s i t Authorities

• $2 6M of Better Bus Enhancements

Howard Gentry Criminal Court Clerk

Metropolitian Nashville & Davidson County

Expungement Services Available

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Mayor Cooper delivering the 60th annual State of Metro at James Lawson High School

Blacks are not anti-law enforcement

by William T Robinson, Jr

For those who are ready to get on the bandwagon with rhetoric that the Black community is anti-law enforcement and are advocating for criminals that is far from the truth African Americans and people of color want the paintbrush of justice, equality, and righteousness to encompass the whole canvass treating everyone the same, regardless of their race, ethnicity, social status, gender, or religious affiliation Is asking for equal fairness across the board asking for too much in a country where some argue that racism doesn’t exist or is exaggerated? We all know that is not the case in this country

How many times does America have to witness African Americans being disproportionately singled out, abused and even murdered by corrupt law enforcement officers and deny that this is not a

nationwide practice? Many in privy entitled White communities are quick to dismiss the severity of police abuse and brutality toward African Americans They are blind to the reality existing for so many African Americans in this country Can you imagine the multitude of abuse cases and even murder of Blacks by policemen never recorded or videoed? Such cases would then never gain national attention African Americans have been calling attention to the discriminatory practices by some blatantly corrupt police departments for years only to have their cries fall upon deaf ears In communities of color there are power-obsessed police abusing their authority (thinking they are above the law) wreaking havoc under the guise of providing safety and protection In fact, many would argue that many police agencies have been infiltrated

Thirty years later, an antidote to NAFTA

by Ben Jealous (TriceEdneyWire) –

Thirty years ago my university suspended me for leading a protest against a research lab that the school wanted to put in the Audubon Ballroom where Malcolm X was assassinated The plans ignored both that history and the neighbors in Harlem who would be exposed to risks from biomedical and environmental waste I spent months crisscrossing the country speaking out against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for the Student Environmental Action Coalition Our message was simple: killing jobs and the environment were far too high a price to pay to boost regional trade They called us Chicken Little for saying that the deal would make the U S weaker and would poison the Earth quicker

Since January, I’ve been to many of the same places: Alabama, Illinois, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin among them In all those states I ve felt the pain of being proven right Everything we warned in 1993 would happen has and worse

Tens of thousands of plants here were shuttered while plants sprang up overseas

Too often, those new plants opened where there was the least environmental regulation and outside North America We saw the impact of this loss of manufacturing capacity two years ago when we couldn’t produce ventilators and protective equipment at the start of COVID-19

NAFTA created legal backdoors that allowed polluters to challenge environmental policies outside of

by Dr Benjamin F Chavis Jr

Whether we accept it or not obesity continues to be a complex chronic disease that kills thousands of Black Americans every year Indeed, nearly half of Black Americans live with obesity, so we cannot afford to ignore this national emergency any longer

The public discourse around weight loss that has taken over recent headlines has entirely missed the mark Our mainstream media social media and content providers are all either dissecting whether a movie star used weight loss medication or analyzing whether these medications are safe to take, even though they’re

FDA approved

The fact of the matter is that we are squandering a critical moment to focus

by a significant number of racist, White supremacist lawmen

Most Whites who have never been abused or mistreated by law officers believe that when you are mistreated beaten or arrested by policemen you are automatically guilty and the treatment is warranted Unfortunately, much of Black America’s history with the police reflects a reality of racism and police brutality resulting in distrust and fear of law enforcing agencies because the abusive practices are so prevalent Demagogues racists and the media have presented contentious narratives depicting predominately Black communities as overly corrupt, favoring protecting criminals over law enforcement Nothing could be farther from the truth with this prefabricated rhetoric Why is it so hard to understand that African Americans are only asking for the same

fairness and respect they see manifested to their White counterparts? It is insulting how the messaging is high-jacked and manipulated It suggests that African Americans don t want to be protected by the law However it is how they are treated by the law in so many cases that should be questioned and investigated Common sense dictates that the average African American wants to be protected and live in a safe neighborhood like any other decent law abiding citizen They don t want to be disproportionately targeted and treated unjustly as criminals just because of their race or the impoverished neighborhoods in which they live Extremist conservatives have taken the term ‘defund the police’ and labeled anyone agreeing with it as antilaw enforcement; however, it really means putting some of the money given to law enforcement agencies into interven-

tion and counseling programs to keep more people from becoming victims of the criminal justice system

It only makes sense to assume that many crimes altering people s lives could be eliminated if proper intervention were offered or made available You would think that using some of the monies allocated to law enforcement agencies would help combat crime, considering the big budgets some law enforcement agencies are allotted Using exorbitant amounts of money to invest in military weapons by law enforcing agencies only serves to rub some civilians the wrong way Why is it so hard for some people to understand the pain, hurt, and suffering unnecessarily and disproportionately inflicted by some policemen upon many African Americans and people of color? Naturally this would warrant distrust and a flaming desire for

T ime to fight back against censorship

our courts

It tied Canada s hands in regulating fossil fuel In Mexico it prompted export-driven farming that relies heavily on dangerous pesticides, and destructive mining as well The incentives pointed in the wrong direction

Despite those troubling results, I ve left every place I ve been this year hopeful I m seeing that we have an antidote now to NAFTA’s poison

First science and technology now can free us from an extraction economy that pretends to give us energy independence and low costs In reality, electric vehicles need a quarter of the power or less (and their sticker price is dropping with demand) than gas-powered equivalents All but one coal fired power plant in the country is more expensive per kilowatt hour of electricity produced than solar and wind power And we won’t run out of sun and wind

Second, the United States investing in a cleaner healthier planet through historic federal spending on everything from homeowners buying solar panels to school districts replacing dirty diesel buses with electric ones to property owners electrifying buildings Behind it all is funding and incentives to promote more clean technology The result will be good jobs that don t take a college degree in industries that don’t destroy the planet

The private sector is moving more slowly but is moving Major banks no longer fund drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Small groups of their shareholders are pushing for broader bans The price for off-

on the deadly disease of obesity, and missing the opportunity to save thousands of lives particularly Black lives Within the next seven years researchers anticipate that half of American adults will live with obesity This is a personal health burden and a public health crisis, and we should talk about it as such

Turning the narrative around on this disease, and on Black wellness overall is critical to stemming obesity s growth The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a trade association of more than 250 Black-owned community newspapers and media companies from across the United States, has consistently been the voice of the Black community since its founding 83 years ago

Ben Jealous

shore leases to produce wind power has exceeded gas and oil leases in recent government sales

Third everywhere I go I ve heard fear in the people I’ve met about the future of the Earth and frustration with an economy that seems to result in persistent downward mobility and poverty At the same time, I’ve heard profound hope that it’s not too late, that we can still preserve the planet and create good jobs for more Americans I ve heard a recognition that all of it is connected

We need to make sure that the billions we’re investing as a country through the infrastructure and clean energy packages gets spent well Those decisions will get made locally and we need to be watchful locally as well

The desire so many of us share to turn toward a cleaner and healthier world creates demand If we’re loud enough and persistent enough, the markets will begin to shift NAFTA, after all, was an economic agreement, so changing directions needs to happen in those kinds of economic terms as well I suspect my 20year-old self would see the unprecedented opportunity in this intersection of innovation, investment, and interest I’d be encouraging people to seize it because we won’t have it again That s what I see clearly through 50year-old eyes

I serve as the organization s president/CEO and right now we re calling on our members to elevate the conversation on the obesity crisis to one that clarifies the facts shares reliable resources, and advocates for impactful changes for the benefit of our community’s health and longevity We can address obesity in a way that gives hope, because this is not a hopeless fight

To start it s vital that we correct the misinformation Too often people don’t know that obesity is a chronic disease and a long-term illness, with multiple contributing factors outside of a person’s control, e g : environmental circumstances, inherently racist healthcare programs, poverty, and genetics In cities across the country, like Washington D C where near-

by Svante Myrick ( Tr i c e E d n e y Wi re ) –

Every year, the American Library Association unveils its list of the top 1 0 m o s t - c h a l l e n g e d books of the previous year This year, ‘number one is the same as last y e a r ’s ‘ n u m b e r o n e ’ : Gender Queer, by Maia K o b a b e O t h e r b o o k s a c h i e v i n g t h i s d i s t i n ction included Toni Morr i s o n ’s c l a s s i c T h e B l u e s t E y e , A l l B o y s Aren t Blue by George M Johnson and other titles dealing with race, gender identity, sexuality and coming of age in other words real life

This year ’s list also f o l l o w s t h e A s s o c i at i o n s a n n o u n c e m e n t that demands to censor l i b r a r y b o o k s r e a c h e d

1,269 last year, nearly doubling demands from the previous year That’s a record high in all the years since ALA began compiling data more than 20 years a g o B e c a u s e c e n s o rship demands now often i n c l u d e n u m e r o u s b o o k s a r e c o r d - h i g h n u m b e r o f i n d i v i d u a l titles made the list of targeted books last year:

2,571 T h e A L A s a y s t h e vast majority were written by or about people of color or the LGBTQ community This is a tragedy for s t u d e n t s a n d n o t j u s t s t u d e n t s w h o c o m e f r o m t h e c o m m u n i t i e s t h e c e n s o r s w a n t t o silence Those students lose the sometimes lifes a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e o f seeing themselves in a story thereby realizing they are neither abnormal nor alone Meanwhile all students grow up knowing less about t h e w o r l d C e n s o r s h i p stunts their intellectual growth

A r t S p i e g e l m a n i s the creator of Maus, a P u l i t z e r P r i z e - w i n n i n g g r a p h i c n o v e l t h a t d e p i c t s h i s f a m i l y ’s

ly half the population is Black, food deserts and food swamps have become the norm in Black communities This makes it nearly impossible for many Black residents to eat well even if they wanted to That is to say, many people cannot access one of the key tools for combating obesity (a healthy diet) because of factors outside of their control

It s also important to note that obesity is a complex disease that may require more than diet and exercise Our understanding of the disease has changed drastically over the years thanks to scientific research and advances Where diet and exercise are not enough, some people may need the extra support of antiobesity medications to fight the disease Just as many of us take medica-

William T Robinson, Jr

reform within so many of these law enforcing agencies Let’s not buy into the rhetoric of many self serving politicians who spin false narratives to feed their fan base and further divide the public Wanting justice for those unfairly killed by officers doesn’t make African Americans antilaw enforcement Once again, remember that African Americans want to feel safe, protected and given the same respect, consideration, and fairness as their White counterparts Don t feed into the narrative that Blacks are anti-law enforcement They just want the brush of justice to cover all of us

experience of the Holocaust and is frequently targeted by censors His experience as a target of censors has made him a leading activist against book banning, and he believes the answer to the book-banning craze i s t o g e t i n v o l v e d i n local politics, including school board elections, where the battles over c e n s o r s h i p a r e w a g e d S p i e g e l m a n m a d e i t clear in a recent CBS News interview that he recognizes the right of a parent to say their own child can or can’t read a book but to make that decision for other parents’ kids is “suppression and authoritarianism S p i e g e l m a n ’s p o s ition seems entirely reasonable to me We can honor the rights of individual parents to make d e c i s i o n s a b o u t t h e i r kids exposure to books, a r t a n d o t h e r c u l t u r a l materials without mand a t i n g d e c i s i o n s f o r e v e r y b o d y e l s e T h a t s e e m s l i k e r a t i o n a l ground we should all be able to occupy B u t r a t i o n a l i t y l e f t the room a while ago when it comes to the Far Right’s attacks on the freedom to learn The main group leading the c h a rg e o n b a n n i n g books, Moms for Liberty, has become something akin to a terrorist organization Reports now abound of group members carr y i n g o u t h a r a s s m e n t campaigns in their comm u n i t i e s , c a l l i n g f o r librarians to be shot and making unfounded public accusations of child a b u s e a n d p e d o p h i l i a against their perceived ‘ e n e m i e s T h e g r o u p has also become a significant force in Republican politics and it s growing

All of which makes it intimidating to think about getting involved in school board politics

tions to manage hypertension, diabetes, or cholesterol (conditions you may have inherited) medications for chronic weight management may be needed as well

Further, combating severe obesity may even require bariatric surgery

Chronic diseases are treated with a range of treatment options, and obesity is no different

To be clear, the perception that people who live with obesity just need to take better care of themselves is false and dangerous as it prevents thousands from receiving or seeking the care they need Societal weight biases strain the mental health of people living with obesity, prevent people from living their healthiest lives, and contribute to our country s stagnant healthcare policies that exacerbate obe-

Svante Myrick

if you want to fight censorship That’s exactly the point What we need now are not just brave and p r i n c i p l e d p e o p l e o n school boards, but also bigger, more powerful o rg a n i z a t i o n s t h a t a r e willing to support them

The organization I lead, People For the American Way has a cadre of school board members i n o u r Yo u n g E l e c t e d O ff i c i a l s n e t w o r k We are engaged in outreach to these folks especiall y i n s t a t e s t h a t a r e hotbeds for book bann i n g l i k e F l o r i d a a n d Virginia We’re asking them what they need, including on the securit y f r o n t We w a n t t o empower them to stay i n t h e i r r o l e s b e c a u s e we need them more than ever to stand up to the onslaught of groups like Moms for Liberty I f t h e A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y A s s o c i a t i o n s findings are any indication, this is just the start of a new struggle for the freedom to learn one that hasn’t yet reached its peak We owe it to the next generation not to stand on the sidelines Please t h i n k a b o u t h o w y o u can help ( S v a n t e M y r i c k i s president of People For the American Way Prev i o u s l y, h e s e r v e d a s e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r o f People For and led campaigns focused on transf o r m i n g p u b l i c s a f e t y, r a c i a l e q u i t y v o t i n g rights, and empowering young elected officials Myrick garnered nationa l a t t e n t i o n a s t h e youngest-ever mayor in New York state history )

sity s disproportionate impact on Black communities

From less access to quality healthcare to the exclusion of anti-obesity medications from Medicare, and most Medicaid and general insurance coverage, our healthcare systems underprioritizes the well-being of Black Americans And we’ve learned from history that until we make our voices heard, this crisis will continue to be brushed aside Dr Fatima Cody Stanford an expert on obesity noted that we have been living through three pandemics: COVID-19, racism, and obesity We must prioritize combating the obesity pandemic with the same energy we use to combat COVID-19 and racial injustice Our lives depend on it

O b e s i t y c r i s i s n o t a h o p e l e s s f i g h t f o r B l a c k A m e r i c a

Vanderbilt Poll... from page 1

state in the country with such a requirement On April 28 Lee signed into law a narrow expansion that allows doctors to use reasonable medical judgment in determining if an abortion is necessary for the health of the mother H o w e v e r, 8 2 % o f registered voters including a majority of voters of all party affiliations, think abortion should be legal in Tennessee if it would prevent the death or serious health risk of the mother Support is highest among Democrats (95%) followed by I n d e p e n d e n t s ( 8 6 % )

M A G A R e p u b l i c a n s (74%) and non-MAGA

Republicans (72%)

At a rate of three to one, Tennesseans oppose the idea that a person should be charged with a crime if they help a Tenn e s s e e c i t i z e n g e t a n abortion in another state Opposition to this idea is a g a i n b i p a r t i s a n w i t h 93% of Democrats, 82% of Independents, 62% of n o n - M A G A R e p u b l icans and 53% of MAGA Republicans

“The laws currently o n th e b o o k s in Tennessee are out of step w i t h v o t e r s ’ v i e w s regardless of party affiliation,” Geer said

Registered voters are m i x e d a b o u t h o w t h e state legislature is handling laws that affect the LGBTQ community in

Te n n e s s e e A p l u r a l i t y (47%) of voters disapprove including 80% of Democrats and half of I n d e p e n d e n t s S u p p o r t varies within the Republican base, with 56% of MAGA Republicans in support but less than half of non-MAGA Republicans in support T h e d i v i s i o n b ec o m e s c l e a r e r w h e n exploring specific actions and proposals by the state legislature

Voters support bans on ‘adult cabaret entert a i n m e n t i n p u b l i c spaces at a rate of nearly two to one (63% compared to 35%)

However, most vote r s o p p o s e l e g i s l a t i o n that would restrict transgender individuals’ access to health care Sixtysix percent opposed such restrictions with only a quarter of voters in supp o r t T h a t o p p o s i t i o n holds across party lines, i n c l u d i n g i n s u b d i v isions of MAGA (52%) and non-MAGA Republicans (58%) S i n c e N o v e m b e r

2 0 2 2 , a p p r o v a l s o f statewide officials fluctuated slightly Lee s approval dipped by four percentage points to 53% Sen Marsha Blackburn and Sen Bill Hagerty both saw a t w o - p o i n t d r o p i n t h e same period to 46% and 42%, respectively In the fall 55% of voters approved of the

Jerry Springer... from page 1

job the Tennessee State Legislature was doing, w i t h 3 4 % d i s a p p r o ving a net approval of 21% Since that time, t h e l e g i s l a t u r e s n e t approval saw a 26-point swing and is now negative five percent (43% a p p r o v e ; 4 8 % d i s a pprove) The legislature’s approval is at its lowest level since the Vanderbilt Poll began measuring it in 2012

Compared to the fall 2022 survey, the legislature’s approval dropped among all party affiliations, most dramatically a m o n g R e p u b l i c a n s Democrats approval of t h e s t a t e l e g i s l a t u r e decreased by nine perc e n t a g e p o i n t s I n d ependents’ by 12 points, MAGA Republicans’ by

1 4 p o i n t s a n d n o nMAGA Republicans’ by 16 points

Vanderbilt Poll s fall 2 0 2 2 s u r v e y f o u n d a majority of all Republic a n s p r e f e r r e d F l o r i d a G o v R o n D e S a n t i s (54%) instead of former President Donald Trump (41%) to be the Republican presidential candidate in 2024 With the Vanderbilt Poll spring 2023 survey, s u p p o r t f o r t h e 2 0 2 4

R e p u b l i c a n n o m i n e e among Republicans has n o w f l i p p e d w i t h DeSantis 13-point advantage now becoming a 19-point advantage for Trump

Of ficer found guilty... from page 1

actively He held back t h e c o n c e r n e d b y s t a nders and even prevented an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter from renderi n g t h e m e d i c a l a i d F l o y d s o d e s p e r a t e l y needed Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who led the prosecution of Floyd’s murder, said:

“The conviction of Tou Thao is historic and the right outcome It brings one measure of accountability in the tragic death o f G e o rg e F l o y d

A c c o u n t a b i l i t y i s n o t justice but it is a step on the road to justice, Ellison said Thao witnessed the incident and yelled at onlookers to keep their distance from the police prosecutors said H e b l o c k e d t h e c r o w d f r o m a i d i n g Floyd, who was pleading for air, and his mother T h a o a l s o m o c k e d Floyd, falsely assuming that he was on drugs

D u r i n g h i s f e d e r a l t r i a l i n 2 0 2 2 , T h a o claimed his job was to manage the crowd and t r a ff i c a f t e r t h e o t h e r officers handled Floyd

In response to questions from the prosecution, Thao insisted that he trusted Derek Chauvin a 19-year veteran to h a n d l e t h e s i t u a t i o n rather than ordering him to take his knee out of Floyd’s neck

C h a u v i n , T h a o , T h o m a s L a n e a n d J Alexander Kueng were all fired and eventually prosecuted for Floyd s murder

T h e c o u r t s f o u n d each guilty of various offenses

In state court, a jury found Chauvin guilty of second- and third-degree m u r d e r a n d s e c o n ddegree manslaughter

He received a 22 5year prison sentence

A d d i t i o n a l l y h e received a 21-year sentence in federal prison after pleading guilty to

daytime talk show syndicated by Multimedia E n t e r t a i n m e n t , w h i c h owned WLWT began in 1991

Originally it was an issue-oriented program The Los Angeles Times called it “an oppressivel y s e l f - i m p o r t a n t t a l k hour starring a Cincinn a t i n e w s a n c h o r m a n

and former mayor T h e Ti m e s p o i n t e d out that, by 1993, leadins like Worshiping the Lord with snakes next, J e r r y S p r i n g e r ! ’ w e r e t u r n i n g u p a n d t h e s h o c k v a l u e j u s t k e p t g o i n g u p A 1 9 9 5 episode featured a young m a n n a m e d R a y m o n d whom Mr Springer was

helping to lose his virginity, offering him five y o u n g w o m e n , h i d d e n by a screen to choose from Raymond’s friend Wo o d y a c c o m p a n i e d him Wo o d y d o e s n t know it His 18-year-old virgin sister is one of the c o n t e s t a n t s ! a s c r o l l told viewers

Tenn. State Museum... from page 1

ter ’s in Journalism from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor ’s in E n g l i s h a n d H i s t o r y from Emory University Scott Williams is President and CEO of Discovery Park of America a

heritage park in Union City, Tenn O n T h u r s d a y, M a y 18 2023 12:00 Noon1:00 PM, The Lunch and L e a r n : B i c e n t e n n i a l Mall: How the Park Created a Cultural Destination is in the Museum’s Digital Learning Center at 12:00 No RSVPs are required to attend this free event It will also be l i v e s t r e a m e d o n t h e M u s e u m ’s w e b s i t e a t TNMuseum org/Videos If you have any questions please email Pub lic Programs@tn gov

The Tennessee Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park was dedicated on Statehood Day June 1 1996 and over the past twenty-five years it has matured and hosted a wide variety of celebrations, concerts, and e d u c a t i o n a l e v e n t s Located directly north of t h e Te n n e s s e e S t a t e C a p i t o l , t h e 1 9 - a c r e urban setting is part of Te n n e s s e e ’s s t a t e p a r k system, and it is one of Nashville s most visited public spaces and has r e c e i v e d n a t i o n a l a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e c o g n ition Join us as the park's lead designer Kem Hinton, discusses his new book, Tennessee's Bicentennial Mall and how the park, now flanked by t h e Te n n e s s e e S t a t e Museum and Tennessee

S t a t e L i b r a r y & A r c h i v e s , h a s e v o l v e d i n t o a c o m p r e h e n s i v e cultural and educational d e s t i n a t i o n d e l i g h t i n g citizens and visitors, and reinforcing the original t h e m e o f t h e p a r k t o p r e s e n t “ t h e l a n d , t h e people, and the music of Te n n e s s e e B o x e d lunches by Apple Spice

N a s h v i l l e , i n c l u d i n g a sandwich chips and a cookie ($12 24) must be ordered by noon Tuesday May 16 if desired

Don t miss the A Better Life For Their Children: Julius Rosenwald Booker T Washington, and The 4,978 Schools That Changed America

E x h i b i t i o n a t T S M , which closes on Sunday, May 21 2023 See the TSM website for details o n a l l p r o g r a m s : https://tnmuseum org/

Donham... from page

2

Floyd’s civil rights violations and another civil rights violation

Both of his sentences are running simultaneously

I n f e d e r a l c o u r t Lane Kueng and Thao were found guilty of viol a t i n g F l o y d ’s c i v i l rights by failing to act when Chauvin restrained him

T h a o w a s f o u n d guilty on federal charges in February 2022 and has been in prison since then, serving a 3 5-year term

K u e n g a n d L a n e were handed three and a half and three years in jail after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter in state prosecutions

During the state case, Thao chose a stipulated evidence trial in October 2022 He opted not to have a jury decide his fate but rather to allow Judge Cahill to decide in light of the arguments made by both sides

President Joe Biden... from page 2

importance and ongoing value of the Black Press o f A m e r i c a C h a v i s stated “Biden’s speech to the 2023 White House Correspondents Dinner i n Wa s h i n g t o n , D C , was another historic tribute to the Black Press as t h e N N PA r e a ff i r m s being the trusted voice of Black America ”

Following the presid e n t ’s s p e e c h , Wo o d jumped in R e a l q u i c k , M r President, I think you left some of your classified documents up here, Woods joked “I’ll put them in a safe place He d o n t k n o w w h e r e t o keep them ” W h i l e t h a t l e d t o

hearty chuckles, Wood went on to deliver bellyaching laughter when he z e r o e d i n o n F l o r i d a G o v R o n D e S a n t i s , Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, form e r F o x h o s t Tu c k e r C a r l s o n f o r m e r C N N host Don Lemon, and others “Ron, everybody knows how to do politics This is America, Wood said in addressing DeSantis We don t pass laws

You make a promise to v o t e r s A n d t h e n y o u don t do it That s what the great leaders in this room understand Ask any Republican [to] try to explain CRT, they sound like a Demo-

crat trying to explain the charges against Trump Yo u a r e t r y i n g t o erase Black people and a l o t o f B l a c k p e o p l e wouldn t mind some of that erasure as long as t h a t B l a c k p e r s o n i s Clarence Thomas A n d w h i l e Tr u m p , a n d s o m a n y o t h e r s p r o v e d t a rg e t s Wo o d didn t spare Biden “ W h e n t h e r e t i r ement age went up two years to 64 [in France] they rioted because they didn’t want to work till 64, Wood said “Meanwhile in Amer i c a w e h a v e a n 8 0year-old man begging us for four more years of work ”

U.S. Supreme Court... from page 2

D i s t r i c t o f C o l u m b i a Circuit

The high court plans to hear the case in the fall because it has completed its argument hearings for the term scheduled to end in June

They have two more months to hand down rulings before taking the summer off

The case is part of an o n g o i n g d i s a g r e e m e n t b e t w e e n c o m m e r c i a l fishermen and the federal government over who should foot the bill for data collection and regu-

latory compliance T h e f i s h e r m e n a r e f i g h t i n g t h e g o v e r nment s attempt to force them to pay for their crew members In a large fishery off the East Coast, fishermen harvested Atlantic herring for use as both food and bait

Loper Bright Enterprises of New Jersey the principal plaintiff, and o t h e r f i s h i n g g r o u p s allege that the requirement to pay contractors hundreds of dollars per day is an unfair applica-

A c c o r d i n g t o R e v Wheeler Parker a cousin of Till who was present at the time, the 14-yearold Till whistled at the woman, which was an a c t t h a t v i o l a t e d t h e r a c i s t s o c i a l s t a n d a r d s that were prevalent in Mississippi Evidence suggested a lady identified Emmett Till to Donham’s thenhusband Roy Bryant and h i s h a l f - b r o t h e r J W M i l a m , w h o w e r e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r Ti l l s murder

A n a l l - W h i t e j u r y acquitted the two White suspects, but the men l a t e r c o n f e s s e d t h e i r g u i l t i n a n i n t e r v i e w with Look magazine

In 2022, the Associa t e d P r e s s s e c u r e d a c o p y o f D o n h a m s unpublished memoir, in which she claimed that she had no idea what would become of Till

The outlet noted that the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting was the first organization to reveal the cont e n t s o f t h e 9 9 - p a g e book titled I am More Than A Wolf Whistle

Author and historian Ti m o t h y Ty s o n o f Durham North Caroli n a , g a v e r e p o r t e r s a copy of the book Ty s o n c l a i m e d h e r e c e i v e d a c o p y f r o m Donham in 2008 while i n t e r v i e w i n g h e r t h e Associated Press reported Though Tyson claimed to have provided the FBI with the text, the agency ended its lengthy investigation into Donham in 2021

T h e b o o k w a s deposited in an archive a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f North Carolina with the promise that it would only be made public for a while

Tyson stated that he

decided to make it public after individuals performing research at the L e f l o r e C o u n t y c o u r thouse in Mississippi in June 2022 discovered an arrest warrant on abduction charges that were i s s u e d f o r ‘ M r s R o y Bryant’ in 1955 but were never served or executed

Leflore County Circuit Clerk Elmus Stockstill told The Associated Press that the documents were kept inside boxes marked by decade

S t i l l , t h i s w a s t h e first time anyone else could indicate where the w a r r a n t , d a t e d A u g u s t

2 9 1 9 5 5 m i g h t h a v e been “ T h e y n a r r o w e d i t down between the ’50s and 60s and got lucky, said Stockstill, who certified the warrant as genuine

In March 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022, making lynching a federal hate crime Earlier the bipartisan measure passed both chambers of Congress T h e l e g i s l a t i o n received pushback from t h r e e R e p u b l i c a n s –Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Chip Roy of Texas

They were the lone votes against the bill I c o u l d n o t h a v e been prouder to stand behind President Biden as he signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act i n t o l a w ” N a t i o n a l Urban League President Marc Morial said “The a c t o f l y n c h i n g i s a weapon of racial terror that has been used for decades, and our communities are still impacted by these hate crimes to this day

“ T h i s b i l l i s l o n g overdue and I applaud P r e s i d e n t B i d e n a n d m e m b e r s o f C o n g r e s s for their leadership in h o n o r i n g E m m e t t Ti l l and other lynching victims by passing this significant piece of legislation ” A c c o r d i n g t o t h e b i l l ’s t e x t : “ W h o e v e r conspires to commit any offense shall A) if death results from the offense, be imprisoned for any term of years or for life ” B) In any other case, be subjected to the same penalties as the penalties p r e s c r i b e d f o r t h e offense of the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy ”

Specifically the legislation makes lynching a f e d e r a l h a t e c r i m e , punishable by up to life in prison

T h e m e a s u r e h a d faced defeat for over 100 years with lawmakers attempting to pass the l e g i s l a t i o n m o r e t h a n 200 times

T h e H o u s e f i n a l l y passed the bill on a 4223 vote

It passed unanimously in the Senate

T h e M i s s i s s i p p i s e a r c h g r o u p i n c l u d e d E m m e t t Ti l l L e g a c y F o u n d a t i o n m e m b e r s and two Till relatives: cousin Deborah Watts, head of the foundation and her daughter, Teri Wa t t s , t h e A s s o c i a t e d Press reported

K e i t h B e a u c h a m p , whose documentary film T h e U n t o l d S t o r y o f Emmett Louis Till preceded a renewed Justice Department probe that ended without charges in 2007, was also part of the search

H e s a i d t h e r e w a s enough new evidence to prosecute Donham

tion of federal regulations

Lower courts have, however rejected them

The case’s resolution may have far-reaching implications for how the federal government and p r i v a t e s e c t o r i n t h e United States relate to one another

W h e t h e r t h e S u preme Court will restrict the Chevron doctrine is an open question

T h e c o n s e r v a t i v e m a j o r i t y o n t h e c o u r t will undoubtedly sway the ruling

Faith of A Mustard Seed

by Barbara A Woods Washington,

M Div

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the f o u n d a t i o n s o f m a n y generations; you shall be called the repairer o f t h e b r e a c h t h e restorer of streets to dwell in ” Isaiah 58:12 (RSV)

So, the work that is c o m m e n c e d b y R e v Dr William J Barber as a “Moral Monday Movement” in 2013 on the steps of the North Carolina Statehouse in R a l e i g h , h a s g r o w n into a Revival of the “Poor People’s Campaign begun by the Rev Dr Martin Luther K i n g J r d u r i n g h i s founding/leadership days of the “Southern C h r i s t i a n L e a d e r s h i p C o n f e r e n c e ” ; N O W into The Repairer of The Breach”! At the org website is a very precisely written statement of this ‘Prophet Isaiah’ driven Mission: “ R e p a i r e r s o f t h e Breach is building a movement rooted in a framework that uplifts our deepest moral and constitutional values to redeem the heart and soul of our country We are committed to buildi n g a n d s u p p o r t i n g moral movements for s o c i a l c h a n g e a n d training a fusion group o f p e o p l e , a c t i v i s t s , artists and faith leade r s t o o rg a n i z e a n d m o b i l i z e a r o u n d a m o r a l p o l i c y a g e n d a t h a t p r i o r i t i z e s l o v e , truth, and justice I d i d s a y t h a t I h a v e e n j o i n e d m y ( n a m e ) f a i t h t o t h i s Mission and have been following from state to state for several years now What a powerful journey it has been!

On April 17, 2023 B i s h o p B a r b e r s t o o d on the steps of the Tenn e s s e e S t a t e h o u s e i n movement to Repair t h e B r e e c h ’ b e t w e e n the Tennessee Legislature and the People of Tennessee who began a Protest against COMP O U N D E D E X T E NSIVE Gun Law Legislation; in the wake of the Violent attack that

B a r b a r a A Wo o d s Washington, M Div

killed Seven children and adults to include the principal and Janitor of The Covenant School; and the dismissal of two African Americans elected as H o u s e R e p r e s e n t atives

First, is the understanding that 33 Senators make up the Tennessee Senate, TwentySeven (27) are Republican leaving a total of S i x c o u n t t h e m ( 6 ) D e m o c r a t i c S e n a t o r s present in the higher body of the Tennessee G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y Among Dem 6 are Three Black Women, 1 f r o m N a s h v i l l e & 2 from Memphis With a current 2nd Legislation t o “ R e d i s t r i c t ” t h e s e two cities being held up by a Judge I had w a t c h e d t h e “ n i g h t before elections rall i e s h e l d i n s e v e r a l states where in the past ten years of this Movement Dr Barber has put before the people of that State the most r a w e s t s t a t i s t i c s a n d details of the political and legislative realities in which we live in America Now to have him do this for Tennessee Politico in the wake o f t h i s “ v e r y b r i g h t l i g h t ” n o w b e i n g s h i n e d o n t h e Te nn e s s e e L e g i s l a t u r e states: “The world of politics experienced a c o l l e c t i v e s h o c k t h i s w e e k a s Te n n e s s e e R e p u b l i c a n s e x p e l l e d t w o y o u n g B l a c k D e m o c r a t i c H o u s e members for protesting gun laws on the chamber floor after a deadly s c h o o l s h o o t i n g i n

Faithful Utterances

Nashville The place h a s b e e n d e f i n e d b y partisan vitriol, pique, s c a n d a l , r a c i s m a n d O l y m p i c - l e v e l p e t t iness for years ” “Protesters filled the halls week after week, year after year calling for the removal of the bust of the Ku Klux Klan’s first Grand Wizard, a piece of art featured p r o m i n e n t l y b e t w e e n the House and Senate chambers Bishop Barber submitted this to the Tenn e s s e a n : E x t r e m i s t s are using state capitols t o m a k e e n d r u n s around the U S Constitution and the heart o f o u r d e m o c r a c y –f r o m M i s s i s s i p p i where extremists in the state House of Representatives passed a bill c r e a t i n g a s e p a r a t e , unelected court in the majority-Black city of J a c k s o n ; t o F l o r i d a where voter suppression is top of the agenda in the state legislature All across the country, and especially in the South, we’re seeing attempted political coups d’états ” April 17 2023 on the steps of the Tenn e s s e e S t a t e h o u s e Bishop Barber brought ‘prophetic fire’: “We are here not as a Violent Insurrection, but a M o r a l R e s u r r e c t i o n D e e p e r t h a n p a r t isanism The politics of Lies and Greed and Death must be chall e n g e d b y t h e m o r a l v i s i o n o f Tr u t h a n d Justice and Love and L i f e We c a n n o t accept the Public Policy Murder”; this “Policy Violence as normal, anymore The s a m e p e o p l e w h o B l o c k G u n L a w s , B l o c k H e a l t h c a r e T h e s a m e p e o p l e who block Healthcare, b l o c k Vo t e r R i g h t s T h e s a m e p e o p l e w h o b l o c k Vo t e r R i g h t s , b l o c k L i v i n g Wage We are all in this together; so we got to get together It’s time to get on the Front Line ” B y e m a i l : m y f a t h e r s m a n s i o n p r e s s @ gmail com

Expressions of Faith

My true r eleasing

b y B i s h o p - e l e c t D r Monterey D Lee, Sr “ T h e r e f o r e i f a n y man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, a l l t h i n g s a r e b e c o m e n e w ” 2 C o r i n t h i a n s

5:17 P a u l d e s c r i b e s o u r resurrected bodies in full detail as being released in Christ as better than e v e r b e f o r e I n

1Corinthians 15:46-58, Paul makes it plain that in Christ our bodies will be better than we can imagine without sickness or disease In verse

5 5 h e a s k s d e a t h

“Where is your sting?

G r a v e , w h e r e i s y o u r victory? The sting of d e a t h i s s i n ; a n d t h e strength of sin is the law

But we are going to be better than we can imagi n e b e c a u s e o f o u r releasing Thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord J e s u s C h r i s t , t h a t o u r b o d i e s w i l l b e b e t t e r t h a n w e c a n i m a g i n e because we are in Him and He is in us “ B y H i s p o w e r t o rule all things, He will change our sinful bodies, our vile bodies and make them like His own glorious body according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself, Philippians 3:21

We know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord This is why we walk by faith, not by s i g h t T h e r e w e a r e away from the Lord So w e w o u l d r a t h e r b e absent from the body

This is our reconciliation, our atonement, our r e d e m p t i o n b e t w e e n God and humanity, that w e w o u l d b e p r e s e n t with the Lord This is the life that we live to bring honor to God Paul says everything I do and my companions is to bring honor to God

We are lead by the love of Christ to do the will of God Christ died for us, so that we would also be dead to our old lives no longer living to please ourselves, but t o p l e a s e G o d I t i s Christ who died and rose again for us This is why we are committed to the will of God We are new beings on the inside and the Holy Spirit is working in us to keep us at the place of new life The Holy Spirit is our guarantee that God will give u s e v e r l a s t i n g b o d i e s

We are not turning over a new life; we are in a new life We are a new creation for we are in Christ God has brought us back to Himself by making us His righteous c h i l d r e n We a r e n o l o n g e r s t r a n g e r s , f o reigners or enemies of God

Verse 20 tells us we a r e a m b a s s a d o r s f o r

C h r i s t : “ a s G o d d i d beseech you by us that we pray you in Christ’s stead We have been sent to speak for Christ God is calling to you through us that you will speak His word

You are His ambassadors Christ s ambassadors To be an ambassador is to be reconciled

by Dr Froswa Booker-Drew

This past week there have been numerous acts o f v i o l e n c e m a k i n g n a t i o n a l h e a d l i n e s Ralph Yarl is a 16-yearold Black teenager who was shot by a homeowne r i n K a n s a s C i t y, Missouri, after he accid e n t a l l y w e n t t o t h e wrong address to pick up h i s s i b l i n g s Tw e n t yyear-old Kaylin Gillis of Schuylerville, New York was shot and killed in a c a r t h a t m i s t a k e n l y pulled into the wrong driveway Cheerleaders Payton Washington and teammate Heather Roth were shot and wounded when Payton got into the wrong car by mistake

In North Carolina, a s i x - y e a r- o l d g i r l , h e r parents and an additional neighbor were shot after a basketball rolled into a neighbor ’s yard These attacks have called for more demands on gun control but I believe the issue is one that is multifaceted It is truly an i s s u e t h a t r e q u i r e s a n examination of both our obsession as a culture with guns but also deeper exploration into our hearts We have become so fearful that we are willing to take the lives of others

We are more afraid of people than we are of God s laws We don t love others and instead of believing the best in o t h e r s , o u r s o c i e t y focuses more on what’s wrong with people than choosing to see what is right We ‘other ’ people and as a result, we don’t see their lives as valuable as our own We can dismiss others because we don’t see them as i m p o r t a n t a n d t h a t ’s because at the core, we do not believe that each of us is created in the image of God Scripture reminds us

that what we are seeing is not catching God off g u a r d G o d i s n o t alarmed by this behavior but has warned us that this is a result of our behavior and our lack of respect for ourselves and each other “But understand this, that in the last d a y s t h e r e w i l l c o m e times of difficulty For people will be lovers of self lovers of money proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless unappeasable slanderous without selfcontrol, brutal, not lovi n g g o o d , t r e a c h e r o u s , r e c k l e s s , s w o l l e n w i t h conceit lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 God is still in control, but we must recogn i z e t h a t o u r a c t i o n s h a v e c o n s e q u e n c e s When we witness these awful events we always talk about offering our p r a y e r s b u t o u r f a i t h without action is dead We must do more than pray offer condolences and go back to living our l i v e s w i t h o u t a n y r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o r accountability for ourselves and to one another It's imperative that we do not just sit back as b e l i e v e r s a n d a c c e p t what we are seeing

It s important that we look in the mirror and recognize that just as we are witnessing so much evil in the world, we need to be mindful of our contribution to either making the world better or worse It’s so easy to think that our missteps are minor We have the tendency to weigh some transgressions as worse than others To God, sin is sin When we make t h e s e c h o i c e s t o g o against God we disrupt o u r r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h

Dr Froswa Booker-Drew

God and with others

We a r e a l s o n o t exempt from the conseq u e n c e s o f o u r d e c is i o n s We e a c h m a k e c h o i c e s d a i l y a n d s o o f t e n , w e c h o o s e t o exclude God from those decisions “The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust Lust gets pregnant and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood and becomes a real killer,” James 1:13-15 Our churches no longer focus on these issues We want everyone to be happy and prosperous while people are hurting and dying because of our unwillingness to speak truth to power Those of u s i n t h e p e w s d o n ’t want to hear about the results of our actions and ch o ices We are mo re interested in being entertained than really exami n i n g o u r l o v e w a l k Until we are willing to deal with our hearts as a society we must be prep a r e d t o e x p e r i e n c e more of the same

(Dr Froswa BookerDrew is the host of the Tapestry podcast and the author of three books for women She is also the v i c e p re s i d e n t o f Community Affairs for the State Fair of Texas To l e a r n m o re v i s i t <drfroswa com> )

Nashville PRiDE Directory of Churches

T Brown pastor Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church 2334 Herman Street Nashville TN 3728 615-329-2779

Sunday School @ 8:45am

Sunday Worship @ 10:00am Bible Studies: MondayThursday @ 6pm; Wednesdays @ 12 noon gordonmemorialumc org Rev Dr Paula B Smith, Pastor Jefferson Street MBC 2708 Jefferson Street Nashville TN 37208 615-329-2990

Morning Worship: 10 a m Rev Aaron X Marble pastor

Bishop-elect Dr Monterey D Lee, Sr

Christ We don’t need title holders We need w o r d s p e a k e r s G o d made Christ (who knew no sin) to repent your sins for you so that you might be made whole in the righteous image of God Himself When you r e a l i z e t h i s , y o u w i l l become what Jesus is: God’s ‘word speaker ’ He did it for you Now what will you do for Him? Will you be an o ff i c i a l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e for Christ and speak the word of reconciliation to the world? Will you fulfill the grant commission as Christ’s ambassador?

To advertise in the PRIDE, call (615) 292-9150.

John Wesley UMC 901 Benton Avenue 615-298-2019

Sunday worship 8am/11am Daniel M Hayes, Sr pastor jwesleyumc@bellsouth net http://jwesleyumc org/ Lake Providence MBC 5891 Nolensville Pike Nashville TN 37211 (615) 833-5539 Sunday worship: 8am/11am

It’s much deeper than that

Bank of America awards Negro leagues Baseball Museum $1M grant for new facility

K A N S A S C I T Y, M o – T h e N e g r o Leagues Baseball Museu m ( N L B M ) h a s announced it has been a w a r d e d a $ 1 m i l l i o n g r a n t f r o m B a n k o f America in support of the museum s $25 million capital campaign to b u i l d a n e w 3 0 0 0 0 square-foot facility This funding will enable the NLBM to provide the l a t e s t s t a t e o f t h e a r t technology that will be used to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity t h r o u g h t h e l e n s o f America's unsung baseball heroes who overcame tremendous social adversity to play baseball The announcement was made at the NLBM with bank and museum officials alongside U S Rep Emanuel Cleaver; K a n s a s C i t y M a y o r Q u i n t o n L u c a s ; F r a n k W h i t e , J r , J a c k s o n C o u n t y E x e c u t i v e ; K a t h y N e l s o n , p r e s ident/CEO, Kansas City Sports Commission; and J o h n S h e r m a n , c h a i rman/CEO, Kansas City Royals

To coincide with the b a n k ' s c o m m i t m e n t o f the new museum Major League Baseball alumni players David DeJesus Rajai Davis, and Dexter Fowler will take part in a Bank of America ‘Play It

Forward’ baseball clinic on Saturday, May 6, for 50 area youth from the Y M C A o f G r e a t e r Kansas City The Clinic coincides with the celebration of the winning

spirit of the Kansas City Monarchs and is held on the anniversary of Jackie

R o b i n s o n ' s f i r s t g a m e with the team The new state of the art facility will be built a d j a c e n t t o t h e B u c k

O N e i l E d u c a t i o n a n d R e s e a r c h C e n t e r ( B O E R C ) w h i c h w i l l now be housed in the f o r m e r P a s e o Y M C A

That historic building is w h e r e A n d r e w ‘ R u b e ’ F o s t e r e s t a b l i s h e d t h e Negro Leagues in 1920 Wi t h h e l p f r o m t h e anchor grant, the new NLBM, in combination with the BOERC, will create a Negro Leagues

C a m p u s t h a t w i l l become the gateway into K a n s a s C i t y ' s f a m e d H i s t o r i c 1 8 t h & Vi n e District This will be a c a t a l y s t f o r e c o n o m i c growth in a vastly unders e r v e d , p r e d o m i n a n t l y African American community T h e b a n k ' s s u p p o r t will allow the NLBM to e x p a n d p r o g r a m m i n g , create dynamic interact i v e d i s p l a y s , h o u s e a gallery to showcase new e x h i b i t i o n s f e a t u r e a l a rg e r g i f t s h o p a n d include a more expansive archival and storage space

"Thanks to the gene r o s i t y a n d c o n t i n u e d s u p p o r t o f B a n k o f America, the future of the Negro Leagues Baseb a l l M u s e u m b e g i n s t o d a y, " s a i d B o b Kendrick, museum president

"Our growth from a

o n e - r o o m o ff i c e t o b e c o m i n g A m e r i c a ' s National Negro Leagues B a s e b a l l M u s e u m h a s been an amazing journey Now, we're building an organization that will continue to preserve and celebrate the triumphant s t o r y o f t h e N e g r o Leagues but also fortify our position as one of the nation's most important civil rights and social justice institutions " The grant is part of Bank of America's overa l l c o m m i t m e n t t o s t r e n g t h e n i n g t h e Kansas City community by addressing key issues fundamental to economic opportunity and social progress It also builds on Bank of America's efforts to advance racial equality and opportunity f o r c o m m u n i t i e s o f color The new facility will integrate a blend of technology and nostalgia to create an immersive culturally enriched exper i e n c e t h a t e n l i g h t e n s students and adults about a precious piece of baseball and Americana that has been excluded from the pages of American history books "We share NLBM's mission to preserve and celebrate the rich history o f A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America," said Matt Linski, president, Bank of America Kansas City

O u r c o m m i t m e n t r e c o g n i z e s t h e i m p o rt a n c e c u l t u r a l l y a n d

e c o n o m i c a l l y, o f t h e 18th & Vine District to Kansas City today and we hope it will be an example for other funders to follow Additionally this grant is param o u n t t o e n s u r i n g g r e a t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g and better appreciation of the many contributions African Americans have made and continue to make, including Jackie Robinson breaking the Major League color barrier " T h i s a n n o u n c e m e n t is the latest in a series of investments that Bank of America has made in the Kansas City community B a n k o f A m e r i c a h a s invested more than $13 m i l l i o n i n g r a n t s a n d sponsorships since 2020 as well as capital investments to help small businesses, affordable housing, and other economic r e v i t a l i z a t i o n p r o j e c t s benefiting communities

Music Biz Annual Conference retur ns

May 15 –18 at JW Marriott

by Cass Teague

After a return to inperson format in 2022, Music Biz 2023 takes place May 15 – 18 2023 a t t h e J W M a r r i o t t Nashville The organization’s flagship event will d e l i v e r f o u r d a y s o f i n d u s t r y - d e f i n i n g c o nversations and connections, plus important disc u s s i o n s o n h o w t h e industry may evolve to better serve the needs of all music professionals

I n d i e a r t i s t , L U KALA along with Jillian Rutstein of Prescript i o n S o n g s / A m i g o R e c o r d s a n d Tr a c y Gardner of TikTok will participate in the closing M u s i c B i z L I V E keynote, “Leveling the Playing Field of Music Discovery on TikTok,” T h u r s d a y, M a y 1 8 , 10:45 11:45 am CDT

A major hallmark of the Music Biz Conference is how we use our p l a t f o r m t o h i g h l i g h t new tools & technologies that help artists at all levels reach new fans and create lasting relat i o n s h i p s t h a t a l l o w t h e m t h e f r e e d o m t o a u t h e n t i c a l l y e x p r e s s themselves,” said Music B i z P r e s i d e n t , P o r t i a

Sabin “I’m very excited to have this conversation with LU, Tracy, and Jillian as they showcase how TikTok and artist t e a m s a r e w o r k i n g together to leverage the platform in the service o f b o o s t i n g a r t i s t s ’ careers ” Congolese-Canadian s i n g e r / s o n g w r i t e r L U

K A L A i s r e d e f i n i n g what a Pop star sounds l i k e b o t h t h r o u g h h e r own tracks and those she h a s w r i t t e n f o r a r t i s t s l i k e J e n n i f e r H u d s o n Wi t h o v e r 1 9 m i l l i o n s t r e a m s L U h a s a l s o found great success on Ti k To k r e c e n t l y s u rpassing 271,000 followers with viral snippets from her songs including “Love Sh*t,” highlighted by fellow songstress SZA Her most recent single “Pretty Girl Era,” which was shown organic love by the likes of M e g h a n Tr a i n o r a n d Toni Braxton currently h a s 2 2 0 0 0 + U G C videos and more than 88 million views Her next EP is set for release in summer 2023

The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is a not-for-profit membership organization that

LU KALA will discuss Music on TikTok at MusicBiz 2023 on May 18

advances promotes and invests in the future of the music business by p r o v i d i n g a t r u s t e d forum where ideas and c o o p e r a t i o n f l o u r i s h Through events, education and engagement, the A s s o c i a t i o n b r i n g s together the full breadth o f t h e i n d u s t r y f o r u n p a r a l l e l e d a c c e s s t o n e t w o r k i n g r e s o u r c e s and thought leadership F o r m o r e t h a n s i x decades, the Music Biz Conference has been the point of origin for inspiration and collaboration in the music business, as a t t e n d e e s s h a r e t h e

insights learned at our event with their peers a n d e x t e n d a r i p p l e effect of change across the global industry

T h e 2 n d A n n u a l B i z z y Aw a r d s d i n n e r honoring music companies & individuals who are advancing commerce i n t h e m u s i c i n d u s t r y and making a difference i n d i v e r s i t y, e q u i t y & i n c l u s i o n e ff o r t s , i s We d n e s d a y, M a y 1 7 , hosted by Noelle Scaggs (Fitz and the Tantrums, E l e k t r a s o l o r e c o r d i n g a r t i s t D i v e r s i f y t h e Stage) “ T h e n u m b e r o f Bizzy nominees doubled this year, and the high quality of those submissions made this selection process incredibly hard,” said Music Biz Presid e n t , P o r t i a S a b i n “We’re proud to once a g a i n c e l e b r a t e t h o s e w h o a r e d o i n g g r e a t work in our industry and to support and shine a s p o t l i g h t o n t h o s e a t t e m p t i n g t o m a k e change for the better ” Vi s i t m u s i c b i z 2 0 2 3 com for an up-to-date c o n f e r e n c e a g e n d a , e v e n t r e g i s t r a t i o n & lodging information, and more

The Sporting life: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Edition

By Cass Teague

In Marvel Studios’

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere But it isn t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past Peter Quill still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them Guardians blasts into theaters on May 5 and is full of surprises that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats “Vol 3” is the final film in director / writer James Gunn’s wildly popular “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy “The central character, in a way, is Rocket, and Rocket s the one I feel close to says Gunn

The first film is the story of the mother the second film is the story of the

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is in theaters now

father, and this film is the story of the self so it s innately more intimate because of that

Rocket is definitely the heart of the story in the third and final film of the Guardians franchise This last film in James Gunn’s trilogy combines deep emotion, the director ’s special brand of humor, cinematic artistry and action-packed moments all leading to an outcome that no one will expect #bringyourtissues

“This is a little animal who was taken and turned into something he shouldn’t be and felt completely ostracized

and alienated from every other life form in the galaxy and was angry because of that and angry because he’s scared ” says Gunn “That loneliness is the center of the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy ’ It’s funny because people think of them as lighthearted movies and fun movies but everything that drives it is that emotional center of Rocket and the other characters who are all outsiders who don t feel as if they really belong But the cracks start to open up a little bit between some of the characters, so they start to love each other ”

throughout Kansas City

B a n k o f A m e r i c a s r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e NLBM dates back to the 1980s with bank leaders h a v i n g s e r v e d o n t h e o r i g i n a l 1 8 t h & Vi n e A u t h o r i t y B o a r d t h a t established the district Bank of America funded the exhibition ‘Discove r i n g G r e a t n e s s ’ t h a t traveled to all Historically Black Colleges and U n i v e r s i t i e s ( H B C U ) campuses to reach young African Americans who m i g h t o t h e r w i s e h a v e been unaware of their Negro Leagues heritage

In 2008 the museum presented Bank of America the prestigious Buck O'Neil Legacy Award In

2019, the museum was selected for Neighborhood Builders, Bank of A m e r i c a ' s s i g n a t u r e p h i l a n t h r o p i c p r o g r a m and received $2 000 000 g r a n t f o r o p e r a t i o n a l funding and leadership training President Bob Kendrick has provided t h o u g h t l e a d e r s h i p a t n u m e r o u s B a n k o f America events includi n g ‘ C o u r a g e o u s C o nversations’ over the past three years and at the r e c e n t o p e n i n g o f t h e Barrier Breakers exhibition at Dodger Stadium The NLBM has been part of the bank's Museums on Us program for many years

U.S. States

The film stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel as Groot and Bradley Cooper as Rocket Sean Gunn Chukwudi

Iwuji Will Poulter and Maria Bakalova James Gunn is the director and also wrote the screenplay Kevin Feige produced the film, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nikolas Korda, Simon Hatt and Sara Smith serving as executive producers You re going to be on the funny roller coaster then you re going to switch off onto the emotional roller coaster then you’re going to switch off again and go on the totally action-driven one,” says Zoe Saldaña, who plays Gamora “When you sit there, you want your heart to be taken for a ride, and you want your mind to be challenged, but also you want all of your senses to be catered to I feel like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is going to do just that ”

Rendering of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Tyson Moore President, Bank of America Nashville