The Contributor: February 1, 2023

Contributor Board

Tom Wills, Chair

L L a a N N

#NashvilleMLKDay celebra la vida y legado del Rev., Martin Luther King Jr. LOCALES - POLÍTICA - INMIGRACIÓN - TRABAJOS - SALUD - ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS... Año 21 No. 364 Nashville, Tennessee “DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”

Cada año, en el tercer lunes de enero, se honra al reverendo Martin Luther King Jr. por su compromiso con la libertad y la igualdad para todos. La comunidad de Nashville se unió nuevamente para apoyar el reconocimiento y la observación de los muchos programas y eventos locales en honor al amado y recordado líder de los derechos civiles. Nacido el 15 de enero de 1929 en Atlanta, Georgia, este año habría cumplido 94 años. Varias organizaciones, instituciones educativas, como Vanderbilt, Belmont, y empresas locales realizaron eventos en su honor. El primer evento masivo del 16 de enero último, fue el 22.º Desayuno Anual de la Camaradería MLK, realizado en el Museo Estatal de Tennessee las 7:00 a. m., organizado por el bufete de abogados Spencer Fane Bone McAllester. El senador de EE. UU. por Nueva Jersey, Cory Booker, se encontraba entre otros exponentes destacados

en este evento con

La Marcha del Día de MLK en Nashville (#NashvilleMLKDay) y la Convocatoria más tarde en la mañana, así como otros eventos relacionados, son organizadas por la Fraternidad de Ministros Interdenominacionales desde 1989. A contiuación algunos eventos que se llevaron a cabo en Nashville para conmemorar el día: Rally de la Juventud: Mitin de jóvenes de 8:00 a. m. a 9:00 a. m. comenzando en la Iglesia Bautista Misionera de Jefferson Street. Con invitados especiales como el alcalde John Cooper, la presidenta de la Junta

de Educación de MNPS, Rachel Anne Elrod, y jóvenes artistas. Marcha del Día de MLK: Marcha anual del Día de MLK que comenzó a las 9:00 a. m. desde Jefferson Street hasta TSU Gentry Center. Convocación: Después de la marcha de la comunidad, la Convocación comenzó puntualmente a las 10:00 a. m. en el TSU Gentry Complex. La Reverenda Kelli X, Directora de Ministerios de Justicia Racial del Centro Scarritt Bennett, empezó el programa con la Invocación seguida de comentarios de la Honorable Cheryl Mayes, Junta de Educación del Distrito 6 y Presidenta del Comité del Día MLK de la IMF; Jacob Aparicio, co-presidente del Comité de la Juventud del Día de MLK; la doctora Glenda Glover, presidenta de la universidad TSU; la Senadora del Estado de Tennessee por el Distrito 16, Charlane Oliver; el reverendo, doctor Harold M. Love, TN House District 58; y el alcalde de Nashville, John Cooper. Por su parte, luego de un elocuente discurso que no estaba en el programa, el recientemente elegido Representante de la Casa de Legisladores del Estado de Tennessee, Justin Jones, presentó al orador principal, el Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, uno de los profesores más renombrados de la nación. La pre-

sentación del tema de Dyson se tituló "Proteger el Sueño: Confrontar los Asaltos". La maestra de ceremonias fue Harriet Vaughn-Wallace con la compañía Wallace Media Group y el pastor Aaron Marble, presidente de Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, pronunció los comentarios de clausura y la bendición final. Es grato que Nashville se una a las comunidades de todo el país para honrar el legado del Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. con un fin de semana lleno de eventos. Tuve el honor de participar una vez más en esta celebración y marchar junto los líderes de mi comunidad.

Lo siguiente es en resumen el por qué nos importa marchar en su memoria:

"El 28 de agosto de 1963, aproximadamente 250.000 estadounidenses marcharon hacia el Monumento a Lincoln en Washington para exigir derechos civiles, empleos, libertad y la aprobación del proyecto de ley de derechos civiles del presidente Kennedy. Ese día, el reverendo Martin Luther King, Jr. pronunció un discurso que ha reverberado a través de la historia. En 1963, los restaurantes y bebederos segregados todavía eran comunes en gran parte del Sur. El mismo año, la policía de Birmingham lanzó perros de ataque y mangueras contra incendios de alta presión contra los manifestantes no violentos.

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Vendor Writing

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SELLS PAPERS

Starting in 2019, our C.O.V.E.R. Program (Creating Opportunity for Vendor Employment, Engagement, and Resources) was the natural expansion of our mission of removing obstacles to housing. We now offer full case management, assistance with housing and rental expenses, addiction recovery, health insurance, food benefits, and SSI/SSDI assistance. We see the onestop-shop team approach radically transforming a vendor's image of self and their place in community.

Since we started in 2007, more than 3,200 different vendors have purchased $2.3 million worth of The Contributor and sold over six million copies, generating over $15 million in income for themselves.

Take the paper, change a life. Read the paper, change yours.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Cathy Jennings, Christine Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Kerry Graham, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Drew Morris, Andy Shapiro

Contributor Volunteers

Christine Doeg , Volunteer Coordinator

Joe First • Andy Shapiro • Michael

Cathy Jennings Executive Director

Tom Wills Director of Vendor Operations

Carli Tharp SNAP Specialist

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Mary Margaret Weatherford Housing Navigator

Jesse Call Operations Consultant

Raven Nye

Director of Housing Initiatives

Justin Wagner Resource Coordinator & Reporter

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Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors

Andrew Krinks Editor Emeritus

Will Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom Wills Contributor Co-Founders

Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed. The Contributor reserves the right to edit any submissions. The Contributor cannot and will not endorse any political candidate. Submissions may be emailed to: editorial@thecontributor.org

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THE CONTRIBUTOR CALENDAR

Nashville’s Best Free Events Downtown

Whether you’ve lived in Nashville for years or you’re just in town for a few days, there’s always a way to get out and about without spending a ton. Every two weeks, The Contributor rounds up some of the best local fun to help you navigate all the city has to offer as well as volunteer opportunities and the occasional quick hot tips for the tourists from a vendor.

BLACK HISTORY TOURS

Throughout February at the Tennessee State Museum, 1000 Rosa L Parks Blvd

This 45-minute tour at the state’s museum, which is free for all visitors, is a highlights tour of Black history in Tennessee. A museum educator will guide visitors through the galleries and outline stories of Black Tennesseans from the frontier to the quest for freedom and from the Civil War to Civil Rights. See Pg. 10 to read about The Legacy of Black Entrepreneurship in Tennessee, a Lunch & Learn series happening at the museum in February as well.

CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT FRIST AFTER FIVE

Feb. 2-23 at the Frist, 919 Broadway

Every Thursday in February from 6-8 p.m., The Frist is celebrating Black arts and culture with special programming in the Frist Café. The museum will have live music, poetry, local contemporary art and food trucks. On Feb. 2, they’ll be poetry by Wolfe with a musical performance by Chuck Indigo; on Feb. 9 poetry by Wisdom with a musical performance by Crystal Rose and band; on Feb. 16, poetry by Guru with a musical performance by Quez Cantrell and on Feb. 23, poetry Mama with a musical performance by Raemi. All of the events are free, and food and drink will be available for purchase.

NASHVILLE CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

Feb. 10 in a virtual format

The Metropolitan Historical Commission and Tennessee State University have partnered again to present the Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture. This year's conference is virtual, and the theme this year is “Tell it Like It Is: Exploring African American Public, Oral, and Written History in Tennessee.” The event includes panels and discussion with distinguished Tennessee historians, researchers and authors as well as entertainment from the TSU Meistersingers chamber choir and a theatrical performance from the Fisk University Stagecrafters. The $20 registration fee covers access to the half-day online event. Visit https://ncaahc.org/ to register.

NASHVILLE BLACK MARKET: BLACK HISTORY EXPO

Feb. 11-12 at The Fairgrounds Nashville, 625 Smith Ave.

The Nashville Black Market is hosting a two-day Black History Month Expo. The market will host more than 100 Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs at The Fairgrounds Nashville.

IN CONVERSATION WITH ANDREW FEILER, FRANK BRINKLEY AND CHARLES

BRINKLEY: A BETTER LIFE FOR THEIR CHILDREN

Feb. 24 at the Tennessee State Museum, 1000 Rosa L Parks Blvd.

Andrew Feiler, Frank Brinkley and Charles Brinkley will be in conversation on opening weekend of A Better Life For Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, And The 4,978 Schools That Changed America. The exhibit shows images by Feiler of schools involved in a historic collaboration between white businessman Julius Rosenwald and Black educator Booker T. Washington, which led to the building of nearly 5,000 public schools. Feiler drove more than 25,000 miles, photographed 105 schools and interviewed former students, teachers, preservationists and community leaders for this project.

When Spoon Man plays, it’s a prayer with the city

BY JUSTIN WAGNER

“Now, these angel wings? They used to be horns. That didn’t go over so well with elderly people or young kids.”

You might recognize William Boyd, also known as Spoon Man, by the distinctive tattoo he’s referring to: a pair of wide, feathered wings atop his head, flanked by stars. It’s one of many designs Boyd carries on his skin, rendering his experiences and hopes in ink.

“I have a — well, I won’t call it a story. But I have an answer for every one of them.”

But despite the distinguishing look, anyone who’s met Boyd remembers him as much for what they hear as for what they see; whether that’s the rhythmic snap of spoons, the sunny pipes of his singing, or the old gospel music buzzing from his portable speakers.

Wherever Boyd goes, a performance always seems to follow. And that’s no ac-

cident, he said.

“If I’m singing or playing a gospel song, it’s a prayer. It’s a prayer,” he explained. “Whether it’s fast, slow, whatever — it’s still a prayer. Not just to the Lord, but for everybody who I think needs that prayer. From the homeless to the sick, the elderly… considering what I’ve been through in life, I am so blessed to have these gifts the Lord has given me.”

Boyd has struggled with drug addiction, physical disability, and lost close family over his 74 years. Though he said he’s never felt called to the ministry, he’s emboldened and shared his faith in God in his singing and in his spoons.

“I try to use them every day. Every day of my life.”

As well as spiritual, Boyd’s relationship to music is tactile and personal.

Though he learned to play the spoons decades ago, an ongoing struggle with neu-

ropathy caused faltering dexterity in his hands. That didn’t stop him, of course — rather, he found perseverance therapeutic.

“I could only play so long, and then they’d just fall out of my hands, I wouldn’t even know it … so I developed a different style as I got older,” he said. “Music is my best medicine. Always has been, since I’ve had these muscle pains and all that. Music is my best medicine. I’ve told my doctors, ‘this is wonderful!’ If it works for you, it works for you!”

The only thing Boyd likes more than playing is singing, whether an old country standard or a gospel classic. Favorites like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Peace in the Valley” are even more rewarding when playing and singing simultaneously, he said.

His work with The Contributor, as well as a source of income, is a platform for his performances. The work of vending

and entertaining can be symbiotic, and in Boyd’s experience, folks in Nashville always love a good show.

“While I’m playin’, I got my badge showing, I got my papers displayed, and people interested in my music stop … I may get a $100 bill, a $5 bill, I may get $2. It’s all good. Even if I get just 50 cents, that pays for my paper and, hey, I get 25 cents extra. It’s not all about the money. It’s all about getting out there and doing what I love.”

He said the niche he’s found in Nashville’s community was like a sort of ministry, after all, despite the unique trappings. As for his place at The Contributor — he prefers to call that family.

“I’ve got a lot of Contributor family. I’ve got a lot of Room In The Inn family,” he said. “I love being a vendor. I love seeing, I love playing, and I love meeting people.”

Learn More About: Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) Utilization

BY JUDITH TACKETT

Last year, we wrote about Nashville’s Emergency Housing Voucher program, a housing subsidy under the federal COVID measures to help address homelessness (see The Contributor’s Volume 16, Number 6, March 16, 2022). In this issue, we’d like to revisit the program and see where it stands about one year later.

As part of the federal COVID response to homelessness, the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) received 198 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs), which provide additional flexibility to local jurisdictions to serve some of the most vulnerable individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness including those fleeing domestic violence. The EHVs fundamentally function the same way as Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8 vouchers, with a few more perks such as sign-up bonuses for landlords and support services dollars, depending on what a local jurisdiction chooses to invest in.

One main difference between EHVs and regular Housing Choice Vouchers is that once a household loses eligibility for an EHV, that voucher will not be renewed. In other words, if, for example, an EHV holder misses the annual recertification process, the voucher will be lost to the local jurisdiction. This is in line with the federal COVID funds that usually are one-time allocations to address consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic and focuses on helping vulnerable populations avoid dire outcomes.

Under Nashville’s EHV program, MDHA provides sign-up bonuses

for landlords and is able to pay for application fees, security deposits, utility deposits including up to $500 in utility arrears, and other eligible activities. These costs are in addition to the monthly rent assistance and are paid directly to landlords or utility districts. MDHA received a budget of $3,235,857 for its 198 EHVs and additional budget expenses.

I reached out to MDHA and as of early January 2023, the average housing assistance payment per month to Nashville households served by an EHV was $892. At that point, three EHVs had been terminated. Overall, MDHA said they actually issued 209 EHVs of which 34 have expired and nine have ported out (meaning those households left Davidson County and moved to another jurisdiction. They were able to take the EHV with them). MDHA is doing a good job staying on top of the program. The EHVs must be leased up by the end of 2023 or the unspent dollars (unused vouchers) will be returned to the federal government. That’s why MDHA said they’ve issued the EHVs as quickly as possible to try to minimize any potential risk of losing the vouchers.

However, the fact is that it is hard to utilize all rental subsidies (housing vouchers) because Davidson County, as pretty much any county in Tennessee and nationwide, is experiencing a housing shortage for low-income renters. That’s where the landlord incentives under the EHVs come in.

I would be remiss not to mention Metro’s Low Barrier Housing Collective (LBHC) here. The LBHC was created in 2021 as a collaborative landlord engagement program to encourage

For folks like me who want to see data, the federal government has created dashboards of the utilization of the EHV program across the nation. The cool thing is, the data is updated regularly, and you can filter the dashboards to view local data. The link to the dashboards can be found here: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/ehv/dashboard

landlords to accept housing vouchers from people who transition out of homelessness. Last October, the Metro Council approved a $50-million federal investment package to address homelessness. Of that, $3 million will be invested to further improve the

approach to engage and incentivize landlords through the LBHC.

While landlords accepting EHVs receive their own landlord incentives through the EHV program, MDHA coordinates closely with Metro. I don’t want to miss an opportunity

to encourage landlords to find out what incentives they can receive for the next couple of years when they accept different housing vouchers. For more information, reach out to MDHA at (615) 252-6517 or ndeep@ nasvhille-mdha.org

How Memphis Got Its Name

BY RIDLEY WILLS II

Some people think that Andrew Jackson, one of the three founders of Memphis, named the village on Fourth Chickasaw Bluff “Memphis.” He did not. His partner, General James Winchester, of Sumner County, Tennessee, gave the town its name. Why, one would ask, did he do this? Winchester was an educated man, one somewhat familiar with the classics. He followed Napoleon’s campaigns, including the one during which, in 1795, he captured Cairo, Egypt. Winchester’s children’s names reflected his interest in classical antiquity.

Their names were Marcus Brutus, Selina, Lucilius, Almira, Napoleon and Valerius Publicola. In 1799, General Winchester laid out and named the little river town of Cairo, Tennessee, a short distance up the Cumberland River from his home, Cragfont, for the Egyptian capital. Winchester lobbied for Cairo to become the county seat of Sumner County but was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, For the first two decades of its existence, Cairo thrived, primarily because it was a river town. However, in the 1830s it began to decline and, by the end of the 19th

Ridley wrote a book!

century, it was virtually a ghost town.

General Winchester’s son, Marcus B. Winchester and William Lawrence laid out the Memphis town lots and Marcus served as the towns first mayor and postmaster.

General Winchester regarded the Mississippi River as the American Nile, so it made sense, before 1819, to propose the name Memphis for the future town after Memphis, the ancient capital of Lower Egypt, 15 miles south of present-day Cairo on the west bank of the Nile.

Longtime writer for The Contributor Ridley Wills II has published a book cataloging all of his work writing History Corner articles for the paper from over the past decade. All proceeds from the book will be donated to The Contributor to continue its mission of providing low-barrier income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness so that they can find sustainable housing.

FIND THE BOOK AT THESE LOCAL STORES:

Belle Meade Mansion Gift Shop: 5025 Harding Pike

Elder's Bookstore: 101 White Bridge Road

Fort Negley Visitors Center: 1100 Fort Negley Boulevard

• Historic Belmont: 1800 Belmont Blvd.

• Logos Book Store: 2136 Bandywood Drive

• Parnassus Books: 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14

Landmark Booksellers: 114 East Main Street, Franklin TN

Hot Pink: 831 Franklin Pike, Brentwood TN

Duck River Books: 124 Public Square, Columbia TN

Photo Credit - Andrew Feiler

A Few Questions with Councilmember Tom Cash, District 18

BY JUDITH TACKETT

Councilmember Tom Cash loves District 18, where he’s lived most of his life. He’s a public schools supporter who is focused on improving walkability in his neighborhoods.

The Contributor talked with Cash as part of a series called A Few Questions With where we interview councilmembers about their district’s most pressing issues.

How would you describe District 18?

District 18 is an active and engaged district. We’ve got two universities and a major medical campus. This brings in a diversity of backgrounds and ideas. The neighborhoods in District 18 have historic pride in their architecture and their history. But they also are looking at the larger community in a big-picture way, not just what’s in front of them.

What are the main concerns you hear from your constituents?

Topping the list is managing growth in a fair way to ensure that infrastructure keeps up and concerns related to growth are addressed. Some neighborhoods are concerned with historic protections. We already have several conservation overlays.

Constituents care a lot about pedestrian and bicycle safety, making sure the neighborhood streets are walkable and safe for drivers as well. They want to make sure we keep up with infrastructure in a thoughtful way.

They care about their schools, parks, and come up with ways to beautify the neighborhoods, protect greenspace — those are some of the top things I hear about.

What do you think Metro needs to do to protect the local flair of areas like Hillsboro Village, which is in your District?

First, I’ve got to say that as consumers and Nashvillians, we really have the most power over protecting local businesses based on the choices we make, much more than anything government can do.

However, some independent businesses are being priced out of their rents, so helping with that as we can is something local government can pay attention to. Another thing is making sure we look out for and encourage women- and minority-owned businesses. In this term, with the American Rescue Plan funds we had some money we could give to support local businesses.

I think the COVID Oversight Committee did a good job in looking out for different industries in Nashville, especially those with a local flair and entertainment businesses, like the Belcourt theatre, and restaurants. It should have helped some of the smaller ones that were impacted by the pandemic the most.

Metro recently gave Fisk University some money for their business incubator. We continue to do things like that so that we have think tanks that help young and new entrepreneurs find a way to get off the ground. In some areas, government could explore business improvement

districts where we can collect extra taxes off the top to promote the area or improve services and infrastructure in the area. This might be good for Hillsboro Village.

We keep improving our Codes Department, making sure that if small businesses are moving into a new location, they have the city’s support to meet all the requirements. We can also make sure that our neighborhoods have safe routes to walk or bike to local businesses rather than jump into the car to drive across town to a mall.

Hillsboro Village has in the last 10 years benefited from tourism. That has helped those business owners. It might change the character some, but it is good for the financial stream for the businesses.

What would you like to focus on in this final year of your current term?

As it relates to transportation, I have a long list of things that I want to keep working on. I have three major avenues that go through my district. On the west side I’ve got West End, to the east I have 12th Avenue, and then 21st Avenue goes down through the middle. There are improvements that all three need, for example, parts of 21st and West End need some safe crossings.

We’re an older district near the core of the city. We are fortunate that we’ve had a pretty good sidewalk network, but there are still some gaps and streets that don’t have them, and it’s a pedestrian community. So, I hopefully can get some more sidewalks where we need them and

METRO COUNCIL COMMITTEES:

• Education, vice chair

• Government Operations and Regulations

• Transportation and Infrastructure

make sure that we have safe paths and crosswalks to commercial shopping areas.

The Metro Council last year passed a new parking management bill. There are some great things in there to better manage the public parking spaces we have and improve service for residential permit parking on streets. I think it’s going to be a big change, and so we are preparing different folks for those changes. It will bring more enforcement. In some ways, that’s going to cause more issues, but also clear up some issues, especially in a district that has two universities and a major medical campus. There will be some transition time to be aware of what works and what doesn’t.

You’re a staunch supporter of public schools. Where would you like to see investments made to strengthen Metro schools?

In this term, the Metro Council and Mayor have increased school funding in a very positive way, including teacher salaries and protected class sizes. We’ve also requested that funds be earmarked for social-emotional learning efforts and restorative practices.

My hope is that it becomes inherent in the culture and part of the regular classroom rather than just a special program.

Sometimes in education, we go through these periods of focusing on good ideas and trying something new. I think we need to be careful when we try special programs that we don’t let that hurt teacher salaries and classroom sizes.

What, in your opinion, are the ingredients Nashville needs to invest in to make a dent in homelessness?

The first answer is housing. Second is understanding and making sure that we as a city care about the homeless, and that we all work together to help them find housing and improve their lives, so that they can succeed and be independent and safe.

When it comes to understanding, one of my favorite books to teach as an English teacher for many years was To Kill A Mockingbird. In it, Atticus Finch talked about how you really never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Obviously housing is most important, but understanding is a key ingredient to help improve things.

As I said, we want to make investments in housing and wraparound services, but we also want to make sure that those investments include efforts to make sure that folks are aware of what’s offered. We can spend millions of dollars building housing and other government services that can help, but if people are not aware of them, then it’s not doing any good. We need to make sure we have strategy to reach out to people and not just wait for folks to come to us.

Kind of related, we started a program that has the Metro Police work side by side with Mental Health professionals. I think that’s a good program and should be expanded. That can help when police are to engage with homeless individuals.

Building Black Businesses

A new series Tennessee State Museum explores the history of the Black entrepreneurship

In a new series at the Tennessee State Museum, the museum’s curator of social history has dug into the histories of some of Tennessee’s Black-run businesses and will lead conversations on how they continue their family legacies.

Native Nashvillian Tranae Chatman helped put together the series called The Legacy of Black Entrepreneurship in Tennessee. Each Thursday at noon in February, Chatman will meet with a guest speaker from noteworthy historic Black businesses, and the community is invited to bring their own lunch and listen in.

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

On Feb. 2, André Prince Jeffries of Prince’s Hot Chicken is slated to discuss the history of the relationship between Black Americans and soul food and how businesses like Prince’s exist as cultural landmarks that continue this tradition.

On Feb. 9, Ladonna Boyd Of R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation will speak on how education exists as a gateway to freedom for Black Americans, the role of the church in connecting Black people to education, and how leaders like R.H. Boyd played a major part in this process.

On Feb. 16, Cheryl McKissack Of

McKissack & McKissack will discuss the history of Black people in business, barriers they faced, and how they overcame them.

On Feb. 23, Darrell Cobbins of Peace Realty will compare the ideals of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois and their belief that the Black middle class would play a significant role in transforming the lives of Black Americans.

Chatman says she hopes the series is a starting point and that folks will continue to learn more about Black businesses in their communities. Her most recent

research focuses on the experiences of minority groups, and her job includes telling the stories of Tennesseans through the procurement, preservation and interpretation of items from Tennnesee history.

“Black Tennesseans have a long history of entrepreneurship that continues to present day and support from the community is what keeps this tradition going,” Chatman says.

The Contributor asked Chatman a few questions about gathering information for The Legacy of Black Entrepreneurship series.

The Morris Memorial Building, pictured here, was designed by McKissack & McKissack in the 1920s for the African-American National Baptist Convention in downtown Nashville. PHOTO BY LINDA BAILEY

Can you speak to the history of how early on Black business owners in the state (and nationwide) could only really sell products to others in Black communities?

Black entrepreneurs have existed as early as the antebellum period. Although their experiences were confounded by the experiences of slavery and racial discrimination, antebellum Black business owners were able to develop enterprises that ranged from marginal to vast in size and scope.

According to Juliet E.K. Walker, a historian and subject matter expert, Black entrepreneurs “developed enterprises in virtually every area important to the pre-Civil War business community, including merchandising, manufacturing, real estate speculation and development, the construction trades, transportation, and the extractive industries.” Most Antebellum Black entrepreneurs provided services and skill work to the communities that surrounded them. In the early 1900s (after Reconstruction and with the rise of Jim Crow laws) is when you begin to see Black businesses become more confined to only the Black community, although there are exceptions to this.

How did Black people help Black people bolster businesses early on? Are there any pieces in the series/exhibit that you think showcase this?

Post Reconstruction, Black people supported Black businesses because of their proximity to them but also because separate-but-equal doctrine (Plessy vs. Ferguson, 1896) legalized segregation of public accommodations. That is not to say that they supported each other reluctantly. In the case of businesses like Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, the Black Nashville community has enthusiastically supported this entrepreneurial endeavor since 1945. So much so that up until recently, there was no need for advertising or branding to sustain the business’s fan base to present day. Many of these businesses received consistent support from the communities they were active in and sustained themselves by establishing great rapport.

Another example, R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation, began in 1896 as a major source of Black Baptist literature and church furniture locally and internationally. Within the Black Baptist community, they filled a need and were received well. Word of mouth and reputation plays a major part in the support that any business is given.

There were and are a lot of barriers for Black businesses in growth: discrimination in many forms like lack of capital opportunities and more explicit racism in many industries. Historically what have been the biggest barriers

for Black Tennesseans in business?

Lack of capital opportunities, in my opinion, is the biggest barrier for Black Tennesseans. Many Black entrepreneurs have great ideas that lack the financial support to sustain them long-term. As businesses grow, they require more money, and this is a tough barrier to overcome if you don’t start with capital from the beginning.

In the history of the state, were there major business milestones you wanted to make sure were noted in this series?

My main goal with this series was to highlight two types of businesses. First, the businesses that have been around for over 100 years like R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation and McKissack and McKissack. And next, businesses that have long histories that are not often shared or talked about enough like Peace Realty and Prince’s Hot Chicken.

Was there anything that surprised you while digging into this material?

I was surprised by how many projects McKissack & McKissack has worked on throughout their 100+ years in business. Their portfolio is truly breathtaking and is evidence of why they have been in business for so long.

As a family, they have worked on the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis as well as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. to name a few.

Do you have a favorite piece or tidbit of information you found while putting this series together?

The entire story of Peace Realty is fascinating to me. I was first told the story of Peace Realty while talking to a woman at the Museum about her family history. Her grandfather worked as a realtor for the company. As I researched, I was surprised that I had not previously learned about Samuel Peace or the history of the Lakeview Gardens subdivision in Memphis. Lakeview Gardens was the first middle-class enclave for Black Tennesseans in Memphis in the 1960’s. Peace Realty sold over 600 single-family homes in this subdivision and earned the National Association of Homebuilders Award for best-planned subdivision of any American city the size of Memphis. The subdivision was developed as the Civil Rights Movement played out on the national stage and is evidence of Tennesseans taking initiative in their own communities to push for change.

André Prince Jeffries Prince’s Hot Chicken

Ladonna Boyd R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Tranae Chatman

The Legacy of Black Entrepreneurship in Tennessee

Cheryl McKissack McKissack & McKissack

Darrell Cobbins Peace Realty

Web Show ‘Deep Dish Conversations’ Serves Up New Live Event

Nashville judges and Cyntoia Brown-Long will discuss Black women and the criminal legal system at The Belcourt

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

Historically, Black women have been some of the least well represented on both sides of the criminal legal system in America.

A 2021 study called the Report on Diversity in the U.S. Law Firms showed that a little more than 4 percent of all partners in law firms were women of color and less than 1 percent were Black women — all while the percentage of women of color working as law firm interns was around 25 percent. And on the other side of the equation, according to The Sentencing Project, Black women are twice as likely to be arrested and incarcerated than white women.

“There has never been a more necessary time to unpack what the hell is going on in our criminal legal system,” says Jerome Moore, the creator and host of the web series Deep Dish Conversations

In his show, he sits down with community members over pizza and asks them to come in and “engage, listen and learn about the critical social, cultural and political issues” in our community and talk about how they affect everyone.

For Deep Dish Converation ’s first live iteration, Moore has invited a group of local Black women to discuss the criminal legal system and provide insight from their own experiences. He says the idea for this panel came about as

he watched Ketanji Brown Jackson get confirmed as the first Black woman to serve as a justice of the United States Supreme Court — more than 230 years after the founding of the country.

“Here in Nashville, we just have Black women and women of color that have recently just been elected as judges and we have a lot of Black women doing advocacy work and often they’re not given the space to speak in the same way others have,” Moore says. “And honestly, as far as judges, the community really never hears from folks until they get to a courtroom. I wanted to invite some of the women here because I know they’re interested in changing that, in being more engaged than just waiting for the issues to show up in their courtroom.”

Recently elected judges Judge Khadija Babb, Judge I’Ashea L. Myles and Judge Robin Kimbrough-Hayes will join the live panel as well as Judge Rachel Bell, Judge Alegra Walker-Birdine and Judge Sheila Calloway. Cyntoia Brown-Long, a sex trafficking victim who was released after several years in prison after being convicted of murder at age 16, will also join the panel to discuss her experience with the criminal justice system.

“I just think when situations like [what happened to Brown-Long] occur that it allows and makes us have to think

about our criminal legal system,” Moore says. “We have to be able to adapt as well and pivot in certain ways. Everything is not black and white. There’s not a statute written for everything in our criminal legal system. I think she's a perfect example of that.”

Babb will share her unique experiences as a former criminal defense attorney, assistant district attorney and now judge and as Black women who grew up in Nashville. She says the court gains from having various experiences behind the bench.

“Sometimes folks who didn't grow up in certain circumstances, they don't understand what they're dealing with on a daily basis,” Babb says. “It's just hard for young people to believe you if you’re in juvenile court if they know you have no idea what their life is like, for example. And even if they aren’t in my courtroom, it’s important they understand by seeing me that somebody out here is successful who has had your same struggles, and you can do it too. It's possible. It's not impossible.”

Babb also hopes to learn more through community engagement and to utilize the time to encourage community members to ask more questions about how things are run — to be more curious about why the system is the way that it is.

“Ask questions to your elected officials,” she says. “Ask questions to the judges. Ask why they aren't involved in more community events panels? Why don't you do this? Or why do you think things are the way they are? I think just constantly keeping people, especially the people that we elect, accountable. … There are so many lives that are gonna be affected in the span of eight years, so understanding folks’ philosophies and being engaged in the process not just during an election is just needed. And from citizens, just learning more about the system outside of when you hear about an egregious crime or a crime that's on TV. The underlying issues can be understood if we’re always looking at the issues, always trying to understand.”

Moore says he’s drawn to bringing people together who may traditionally be placed in adversarial positions and asking them to sit down for a civil conversation. He wants to explore areas where they may have similarities or differences in opinion big and small.

“The goal is to mobilize this in different communities throughout the world and, you know, just talk to people and explore community and eat a lot of pizza while we’re doing it,” Moore says.

The live show is slated for Feb. 16 at The Belcourt. Tickets are $20 per person.

Page S. is a member of the music group YEARB4. She likes to buy The Contributor to help people in financial need. YEARB$ is on Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify. On YouTube you can watch and enjoy their videos "Skydiving" and "Folsom Prison Blues." ART BY CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR WENDELL J.

“The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.

“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publication include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.

L L a a N N ticia ticia

Cada año, en el tercer lunes de enero, se honra al reverendo Martin Luther King Jr. por su compromiso con la libertad y la igualdad para todos. La comunidad de Nashville se unió nuevamente para apoyar el reconocimiento y la observación de los muchos programas y eventos locales en honor al amado y recordado líder de los derechos civiles. Nacido el 15 de enero de 1929 en Atlanta, Georgia, este año habría cumplido 94 años. Varias organizaciones, instituciones educativas, como Vanderbilt, Belmont, y empresas locales realizaron eventos en su honor.

El primer evento masivo del 16 de enero último, fue el 22.º Desayuno Anual de la Camaradería MLK, realizado en el Museo Estatal de Tennessee a las 7:00 a. m., organizado por el bufete de abogados Spencer Fane Bone McAllester.

El senador de EE. UU. por Nueva Jersey, Cory Booker, se encontraba entre otros exponentes destacados en este evento con entradas agotadas que ha crecido significativamente desde que comenzó en 2002 y que cuenta con líderes nacionales que aún defienden los valores de Martin Luther King Jr.

La Marcha del Día de MLK en Nashville (#NashvilleMLKDay) y la Convocatoria más tarde en la mañana, así como otros eventos relacionados, son organizadas por la Fraternidad de Ministros Interdenominacionales desde 1989.

A contiuación algunos eventos que se llevaron a cabo en Nashville para conmemorar el día:

Rally de la Juventud: Mitin de jóvenes de 8:00 a. m. a 9:00 a. m. comenzando en la Iglesia Bautista Misionera de Jefferson Street. Con invitados especiales como el alcalde John Cooper, la presidenta de la Junta

Conoce tus derechos:

¿Que hacer en caso de una redada?

1. Mantenerse callado

2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido

3. No mentir

4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos

5. No revelar su situación migratoria

6. No llevar documentación de otro país

7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)

Basados en la

de Educación de MNPS, Rachel Anne Elrod, y jóvenes artistas.

Marcha del Día de MLK: Marcha anual del Día de MLK que comenzó a las 9:00 a. m. desde Jefferson Street hasta TSU Gentry Center.

Convocación: Después de la marcha de la comunidad, la Convocación comenzó puntualmente a las 10:00 a. m. en el TSU Gentry Complex. La Reverenda Kelli X, Directora de Ministerios de Justicia Racial del Centro Scarritt Bennett, empezó el programa con la Invocación seguida de comentarios de la Honorable Cheryl Mayes, Junta de Educación del Distrito 6 y Presidenta del Comité del Día MLK de la IMF; Jacob Aparicio, co-presidente del Comité de la Juventud del Día de MLK; la doctora Glenda Glover, presidenta de la universidad TSU; la Senadora del Estado de Tennessee por el Distrito 16, Charlane Oliver; el reverendo, doctor Harold M. Love, TN House District 58; y el alcalde de Nashville, John Cooper.

Por su parte, luego de un elocuente discurso que no estaba en el programa, el recientemente elegido Representante de la Casa de Legisladores del Estado de Tennessee, Justin Jones, presentó al orador principal, el Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, uno de los profesores más renombrados de la nación. La pre-

sentación del tema de Dyson se tituló "Proteger el Sueño: Confrontar los Asaltos". La maestra de ceremonias fue Harriet Vaughn-Wallace con la compañía Wallace Media Group y el pastor Aaron Marble, presidente de Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, pronunció los comentarios de clausura y la bendición final. Es grato que Nashville se una a las comunidades de todo el país para honrar el legado del Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. con un fin de semana lleno de eventos. Tuve el honor de participar una vez más en esta celebración y marchar junto a los líderes de mi comunidad.

Lo siguiente es en resumen el por qué nos importa marchar en su memoria:

"El 28 de agosto de 1963, aproximadamente 250.000 estadounidenses marcharon hacia el Monumento a Lincoln en Washington para exigir derechos

civiles, empleos, libertad y la aprobación del proyecto de ley de derechos civiles del presidente Kennedy. Ese día, el reverendo Martin Luther King, Jr. pronunció un discurso que ha reverberado a través de la historia.

En 1963, los restaurantes y bebederos segregados todavía eran comunes en gran parte del Sur. El mismo año, la policía de Birmingham lanzó perros de ataque y mangueras contra incendios de alta presión contra los manifestantes no violentos.

King proclamó: "Estados Unidos le ha dado al pueblo negro un cheque sin fondos, un cheque que ha regresado marcado como 'fondos insuficientes'."Tengo un sueño de que un día esta nación se levantará y vivirá el verdadero significado de su credo: 'Sostenemos que estas verdades son evidentes: que todos los hombres son creados iguales'". (Fuente: NPR)

La Marcha y Convocatoria del Día de MLK es organizada por la Fraternidad de Ministros Interdenominacionales (IMF) desde 1989. Visite mlkdaynashville.com para obtener más información sobre los eventos.

Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper.com ó 615-567-3569

OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”

Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.

Foto: Tennessee State University

La Presidenta de la Universidad TSU Glenda Glover junto al alcalde John Cooper (centro) marcha con lideres de la Fraternidad de Ministros Interdenominacionales (IMF) y miembros de la comunidad.

Por Yuri Cunza Editor in Chief @LaNoticiaNews

U.S Senator Cory Booker

Keynote speaker Dr. Michael Eric Dyson (right) stands in support of the powerful speech by newly elected Tennessee State Senator for District 16, Charlane Oliver.

Foto: La Noticia News Nashville Foto: La Noticia News Nashville

Flowers for Josephine Groves Holloway

BY BY JEN A.

"I've got something in my pocket, That belongs upon my face. I keep it very close at hand In a most convenient place! I bet you couldn't guess it If you guessed a long, long while, So I'll take it out and put it on, It's a great big Girl Scout smile!"

Yes, I was a Girl Scout for many years. And NO, I didn't need to Google the words to the song. They are forever and always preserved in my brain. Recently, a young friend of mine sent me a sales-pitch video to ask that I please buy some Girl Scout cookies from her. It got me to thinking about how the Girl Scouts have changed and endured for so many years. I schlepped a cardboard carton full of Thin Mints and trefoils around town in the cold knocking on doors back in the day. Now they are making sales videos on their phones. I wonder if there's

a badge for that.

This being Black History month, I was curious to know if a young Black girl had always had the opportunity to put that big, beautiful, Girl Scout smile on her face here in Nashville. Tennessee has a notorious history of racism and segregation. It couldn't have been easy to organize a troop for Black girls under those conditions.

There's an Historical Marker out on Granny White Pike that the girls of Girl Scout troop 1347 lobbied the Historical Commission for that pays tribute to Josephine Groves Holloway, the Black woman who fought long and hard to establish Girl Scout troops for Black girls here in Nashville. She exemplified every bit of the courage, confidence, and character, that troop leaders hope, to this day, to instill in the young girls of our community.

Holloway began her quest to establish official Girl Scout troops for Black girls in 1933 but

was told by the Nashville Girl Scout Council that they would not approve Black troops. Because of strict segregation in Tennessee at the time, they thought having two separate groups would be too expensive. Undaunted, Josephine formed an unofficial troop and encouraged her friends to do the same. She met with and organized her troop under the guidance of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the original scouting organization. Low travelled tirelessly throughout the states to advocate for her burgeoning organization and did not object to the idea of Black girls forming troops.

Holloway became such an effective troop leader, that in 1942, the Nashville Council finally relented and welcomed Josephine's girls into the organization officially. Within 18 months she had formed 13 new "Black district" troops. In 1944 she became the first Black woman hired by the council. Through the years she served as field advisor, district director, and camp director.

In 1955, Camp Holloway, a camping experience for Black Girl Scouts located in Millersville, TN, was dedicated in her honor. Today, the camp welcomes all campers regardless of their skin color. After the Nashville Girl Scout Council was finally totally desegregated in 1963, Josephine retired, took off her trefoil, and went home satisfied that her life's work of guiding young Black girls with an unfaltering example of Black strength and pride had been accomplished. Josephine Groves Holloway deserves all of the flowers we can offer.

So should you receive a truly charming video, email, or phone request from a very dedicated and ambitious young Girl Scout of Middle Tennessee asking that you please buy some of her sweet, yummy Girl Scout cookies, reward all of the positive qualities she's learning from the excellent troop leaders of today. Encourage a budding Tennessee entrepreneur. Do good! Eat cookies! That's a pretty good deal!

THEY'RE BAAAACK!

BY JEN A.

The Tennessee legislature is back in session. A brief glance at the first few bills up for consideration from this supposed esteemed body, most notably SB0001, should send chills up the spine of everyone in the state who believes in freedom and parental rights. Oh sure, you can buy and openly carry a lethal gun without a permit. There's no need training in its safe use and storage. Wherever you go in the state, you will not be held responsible or accountable if you leave it lying around and it's stolen or your six year old takes it to school and shoots themself, their teacher or their classmates with it. That's

Inside Out

BY JEFFREY

I am not an author by any means. So it’s going to be difficult at best to pen my feelings. So, the Holy Spirit will have to guide me. Today is Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. I went to my corner to sell papers as usual. Friday has been the day I rely on to get extra money to help during slower days. After a short period of time I knew today Jesus had other plans for my day. So this letter is just that. After many years, many cities and states, something has transpired. Thousands of people have asked, “Where should I go to church, Jeff?” I’ve had no choice but to say, “I do not go myself!” How could I possibly send them to a place where I wouldn’t go? Many have slowly turned into Centers of Seductive Satanism.

This past Sunday was my second time going to the Downtown Presbyterian church in Nashville. When my foot touched the bottom step

leading into the sanctuary where people gather to worship their king, Jesus, I felt something upon my first visit, the Sunday prior. Upon entering, a guestbook for people to list their names was properly placed. Normally, I write my name. This time I couldn’t because something was telling me deep inside that this was my new home. You’re not a guest here.

The first Sunday was incredible, so I wanted to go again. The second Sunday was equally amazing to me. Upon entering I was met with one of the warmest, sincere handshakes of my life. Yes, I am a homeless man with unclean clothes. Then, I went inside and picked a seat. It was early, so it was wide open where to sit. People sat directly behind me and greeted me warmly. Someone else sat a short distance on my right and did the same. I sat through the service and felt a warmness that I haven’t felt

just fine. As of today, Jan. 12, 2023, there have been nine fatal shootings in the greater Nashville area. But if you're a male child who, because of their individual, personal biology, believes they're a female, or a female child who believes they're male, AND IS A DANGER TO NO ONE, that's just too much for Tennessee to abide. Whatever the priorities of our legislators are — like persecuting transgender children with SB0001 — keeping Tennessee families safe from gun violence is not one of them. They're more interested in looking up our skirts and defining a biological process that is not easily defined. The de -

velopment of a human being is complicated and subject to any manner of genetic presentations. Magicians work their magic by distracting our attention with some frivolous gesture before they pull a rabbit out of their hat. We need to show Tennessee legislators we're on to their tricks. Contact your state legislator and ask them what they intend to do about the carnage caused by the proliferation of guns onto our streets. Their policies made that possible. Do they truly believe that the life of every Tennessean is sacred? Nine of our neighbors were shot dead in the first twelve days of 2023.

before. I also was pleased at the presence of the Holy Spirit. Everything I experienced was absolutely perfect to me. After the service was over, I was asking Jesus about the warmness I felt. The answer was beyond humbling. What I felt was the love that each and every one had felt for me. It was inside them and could be felt outside them!! Just as Simon on America’s Got Talent says, “It’s either in you or it’s not. You can’t fake it.” These people had all actually given me the “golden buzzer.” So a man who was once alone in a strange-to-him city, now has a family, friends and a safe place to worship our King.

As Jesus is really good at doing, he validated this even more in the physical. We’ve all used the expression, “Home is where the heart is.” So this past Wednesday the director of vending at The Contributor, Tom, let me know I had mail

in the Contributor office. I got it, but something was telling me I didn’t understand yet. This morning, I understood. It wasn’t what was inside the mail, it was that which was outside that mattered more. The laws of the land are such that, the place where your mail is sent, is where you live. How wonderful is it that my church family, friends and home came so quickly, I couldn’t care less about sleeping in a tent, I know where home now is!! Precisely just as the song goes, “All my ex’s live in Texas, that’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee!” With tears in my eyes, and joy in my heart, I can say, “ I made it home!” On Sunday it was made clear, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future!”

Thank you to all the people of Nashville for hell;iong me to find home, be on my post and live with dignity by purchasing The Contributor

The New Christian Year

Selected by Charles Williams (1941)

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. First published in 1941, this series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver

4TH WEDNESDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

CONSCIENCE is the aboriginal Vicar of Christ, a prophet in its informations, a monarch in its peremptoriness, a priest in its blessings and anathemas, and even though the eternal priesthood throughout the Church should cease to be, in it the sacerdotal principle would remain and have a sway.

Newman: Letter to the Duke of Norfolk.

O LORD our God, grant us grace to desire thee with our whole heart; that, so desiring, we may seek, and seeking find thee; and so finding thee may love thee; and loving thee, may hate those sins from which thou has redeemed. Amen.

St Anselm.

FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF ST MARY

WHEN love is the spirit of your life, it will have the freedom and universality of a spirit; it will always live and work in love, not because of this or that, here or there, but because the Spirit of Love can only love, wherever it is or goes or whatever is done to it. As the sparks know no motion but that of flying upwards, whether it be in the darkness of the night, or in the light of the day, so the Spirit of Love is always in the same course; it knows no difference of time, place or persons; but whether it gives or forgives, bears or forbears, it is equally doing its own delightful work equally blessed from itself.

William Law: The Spirit of Love.

4TH THURSDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

THERE is a temporal unsatiableness of riches, and there is a spiritual unsatiableness of sin.

John Donne: Sermons.

ONE of the old men said, “When a man saith unto his companions, ‘Forgive me,’ and at the same time humbleth himself, the devils are consumed. The Paradise of the Fathers.

5TH FRIDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

MOREOVER, I did pray all creatures (seeing how that I had offended them inasmuch as I had offended the Creator), that they would not accuse me before God. Thus did it appear unto me that all creatures and all the saints did have compassion upon me, wherefore with a greater fire of love did I apply myself to praying unto God more than was customary.

Angela of Foligno: The Book of Divine Consolation.

THIS also is Thou; neither is this Thou. Unknown.

5TH SATURDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

THE highest point that may be seen in the Passion is to think and know that he is that suffered. And in this Shewing he brought in part to mind the height and nobleness of the glorious Godhead, and wherewith the preciousness and the tenderness of the blissful Body, which be together oned; and also the lothness that is in our kind to suffer pain. For as much as he was most tender and clean, right so he was most strong and mighty to suffer. And for every man’s sin that shall be saved he suffered: and every man’s sorrow and desolation he saw, and sorrowed for kindness and love. For as long as he was passible he suffered for us and sorrowed for us; and now he is uprisen and no more passible, yet he suffereth with us.

Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love.

SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY

THE commandment of God is, that we love our Lord in all our heart, in all our soul, in all our thought. In all our heart; that is, in all our understanding without erring. In all our soul; that is, in all our will without gainsaying. In all our thought; that is, that we think on him, without forgetting. In this manner is very love and true, that is work of man’s will. For love is a wilful stirring of our thought unto God, so that is receive nothing that is against the love of Jesus Christ, and therewith that it be lasting in sweetness of devotion; and that is the perfection of this life.

Richard Rolle: The Commandment.

SEPTUAGESIMA MONDAY

YOU are under the power of no other enemy, are held in no other captivity and want no other deliverance but from the power of your own earthly self. This is the one murderer of the divine life within you. It is your own Cain that murders your own Abel. Now everything that your earthly nature does is under the influence of selfwill, self-love, and self-seeking, whether it carries you to laudable or blamable practices; all is done in the nature and spirit of Cain and only helps you to such goodness as when Cain slew his brother. For every action and motion of self has the spirit of Antichrist and murders the divine life within you.

William Law: The Spirit of Love.

SEPTUAGESIMA TUESDAY

. . . OUR soul as soon as ever she enters on this new and hither too untrodden path of life bends her gaze on the highest good as the goal, and therefore believes that everything she sees which appears to contain some good in itself is that highest good. And because her knowledge is at first imperfect through inexperience and lack of instruction, small goods appear great to her, and therefore her desires are first directed to these.

Dante: Convivio.

SEPTUAGESIMA WEDNESDAY

IT is written, “The Angel who spake in me.” And yet there is a difference even here. The Angel is in us suggesting what is good, not bestowing it: stimulating us to goodness, not creating goodness. God is so in us as to give the grace and infuse it into us; or rather, so in us that He Himself is infused and partaken of, so that one need not fear to say that He is one with our substance. For you know, “He that is joined unto God is one spirit. The Angel is in the soul as a comrade, God as life.

St Bernard: On Consideration.

SEPTUAGESIMA THURSDAY

GOD has not bound up man’s salvation with any given way. What one way has, what possibilities, with these God has furnished all good ways without exception, for one good never clashes with another, and by the same token people ought to realize that they do wrong to say, when they come across or hear about some admirable person, that because he does not use their way it is all labor lost: they dislike his method, so they decry as well his virtues and intentions.

Eckhart: In Collationibus.

SEPTUAGESIMA FRIDAY

PRAYERS negligently performed draw a curse, but not prayers weakly performed. The former is, when one can do better and will not; the latter is, when one would do

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better, but, alas! he cannot: and such failings, as they are his sins, so they are his sorrows also: pray, therefore faintly, that thou mayest pray fervently; pray weakly, that thou mayest pray strongly.

Thomas Fuller: A Wounded Conscience.

IT is well enough known that Christ constantly uses the expression ‘follower’; He never says anything about wanting admirers, admiring worshippers, adherents; and when he uses the expression ‘disciples,’ He always so explains it that we can perceive that followers are meant. Kierkegaard: Training in Christianity.

SEPTUAGESIMA SATURDAY

IT is not in the power of the devil to do so much harm, as God can do good; nay, we may be bold to say, it is not in the will, not in the desire of the devil to do so much harm, as God would do good.

John Donne: Sermons.

BELIEVE me, by God’s help, we shall advance more by contemplating the Divinity than by keeping our eyes fixed on ourselves, poor creatures of earth that we are.

St Teresa: The Interior Castle.

SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY

THE soul cannot enter into the night of itself, because no one is able of his own strength to empty his heart of all desires, so as to draw near unto God.

St John of the Cross: Ascent of Mount Carmel.

IN all our deaths, and deadly calamities of this life, we may justly hope of a good issue from Him; and all our periods and transitions in this life, are so many passages from death to death.

John Donne: Sermons.

SEXAGESIMA MONDAY

HUMAN nature, even though it sinned not, could not shine by its own strength simply; for it is not naturally light, but only a recipient of it; it is capable of containing wisdom, but is not wisdom itself.

Origen: Homilies.

HOW could we know what God wants to do with us when we cannot even know what we are nor who we are?

Léon Bloy: Letters to his Fiancée.

SEXAGESIMA TUESDAY

THE earth was made, but the earth itself which was made is not life. In the Wisdom of God however there is spiritually a certain Reason after which the earth was made. This is Life.

St Augustine, quoted in Aquinas: Catena Aurea.

IT is not that we keep His commandments first, and that the He loves; but that he loves us, and then we keep His commandments. This is that grace, which is revealed to the humble, but hidden from the proud.

St Augustine, quoted in Aquinas: Catena Aurea.

HOBOSCOPES

AQUARIUS

D7, Aquarius. No? OK, how about B8? Maybe F2? F5? C6? E2? Seriously, nothing? Look, Aquarius, if you’re going to play Battleship, you’re going to have to put your boats on the board. We don’t mind guessing what’s up. We’re genuinely interested. But if you hide all your pieces in the tray, this won’t be much of a game. I know, you’re afraid that to be known is to be sunk. I promise, that’s not it. Let’s reset the pieces and try again. I’ll let you guess first.

PISCES

I’m at home sick again, Pisces. It makes me think of when I was a kid missing school, watching The Price Is Right and eating freshly microwaved chicken soup. These days, nobody gets me an orange juice just because I shout “Mom” down the hallway. And nobody tells me it’s all going to get better soon. I have to look at my own life and my own history and the data and The Stars and the lives of those I’ve known and loved and then decide on my own what might get better when. And, given everything that’s come before, Pisces, I’m officially putting in a word for yes, it will get better. You will get through this. Reach out if you need to. But use the phone. Don’t come by. I’m sick.

ARIES

I’ve spent my whole life trying to look like I’m not doing anything on purpose. I’m confused about why, but maybe that’s just another layer of the bit. Somewhere I decided that people would think I was conceited if I ironed my shirt or had pants that weren’t at least a little too long. I bring this up because I think you incline in the opposite direction, Aries. You want people to know that you got where you are through your own efforts and your own choices. And you deserve credit. But take a minute today and think about the things that got you here that weren’t up to you. The opportunities, the forgiveness, the coincidences, the gifts. You can do some gratitude on purpose, too.

TAURUS

Let me get you a menu while you wait, Taurus. The weekly special is tuna-spinach casserole and the soup of the day is still three-bean chili. We’ll get you seated just as soon as a table opens up. One thing before I forget, Taurus, sometimes things take a little longer than we expect. Sometimes it feels like we’re right on time and the rest of the world is running behind. Maybe stop pushing so hard and take the time as it’s given. Breathe deep and rest into this moment of waiting. I’ll get you a water.

GEMINI

I’m not into blaming other people for their circumstances, Gemini. Still, I feel like if I’d done some things differently, I wouldn’t be sick on my futon trying to get my right sinus to open up just a little bit so I can breathe just enough to fall asleep. But it’s never too late to start living smarter, Gemini. Sure, I’ve got some recovering to do, but once I feel well enough to reenter the world, I’m gonna do it with a little extra care and caution. What extra steps have you been skipping? This is a good week to start.

CANCER

The Voyager 1 space probe launched in September of 1977 and it’s been traveling ever since. These days, it’s nearly 15 billion miles from where it started. It’s the farthest man made object from earth and it’s still sending back signals. You’re pretty far from where you started too, Cancer. But I hope you’ll keep checking in. What you’re doing is progress. It’s never been done. And we all want to hear about what you’ve seen and what you think about it. Next time you pass a comet, shoot us a text.

LEO

Well, this is it. This is the only shirt I have left that doesn’t have hot sauce stains on it. But it’s lunch time, Leo. And this burrito is tasting just a little bit bland. We always protect the things we love the most. Sometimes that’s how we find out what we really care about. Whatever I may tell myself, I’m learning that I care more about spicy, tart, salty deliciousness, than I do about how I’m going to look behind the podium at this memorial service. Learn what you love most, Leo, and never be ashamed of what you do to keep it safe.

VIRGO

I’m in bed with a fever, Virgo. I don’t actually own a thermometer, I just know that whenever my temperature gets over 99 degrees, I get really emotional about the commercials that auto-play before my amateur astrology videos. Like in this one, the dog wanders too far away from the family at the park and she can’t find them anywhere and then that Journey song starts to play and just when he sings “and now I come to you with open arms” the dog looks up and there’s her owner with a bag of bacon and peanut butter Flexi-Chews and…I can hardly keep it together, Virgo. It helps to have proper diagnostic tools to sort out your problems, but sometimes you just know. If you need a little extra help this week, you don’t have to prove it to anybody but yourself.

LIBRA

Before social media, if we wanted to share our opinions publicly, the only affordable option was a bumper sticker. You could max out your ‘87 Civic with “No Nukes,” “I Brake for Trekkies,” “Snoopy for President,” “Be a Pepper,” “I Hate Unicorns.” The sun roof was the limit! It was a fantastic way to be fully known and understood while waiting in the drive-thru at Hardee’s. This reminds me, Libra, that while your opinions are great, they are not what makes you valuable. You are worthy of love whether or not you intend to “Keep on Truckin’.” We want to know you deeper than your bio and wider than your “take.”

SCORPIO

I used to keep a scorecard, Scorpio. Am I having more good days or bad days? Which team is winning? I thought I could use that data to steer this ship. But it turns out the bad days were how I learned how to really love the good ones. The good days gave me the fuel I needed to make it through the bad. I learned to love them both and now there’s just days. And the just days are all worth it. Sure, Scorpio, if you find yourself putting another tick-mark in the “bad” column and you think a change of scenery, companions, or career will turn all that around, it’s ok to make a change. But let these days love each other, Scorpio. And let the love take care of you.

SAGITTARIUS

I think I’m feeling better today. No more fever. My headache is gone. My throat is still a little scratchy and I’m sure I’ll finish off this kleenex box today, but maybe I could get up and get some work done. I’ll just do some dishes and get the mail and maybe some laundry and…nope, that’s it, that’s gonna be all for today. I need to get back in bed and keep healing. You can too, Sagittarius, if that’s what you need today. It’s easy to overtax our bodies and our minds. But taking time to heal shouldn’t be something we have to forgive. Less working today, Sagittarius, more taking care.

CAPRICORN

Remember when Jim Betts jumped off the swingset and broke his arm and the ambulance drove right onto the playground? Or when Alan Wright jumped straight up all spread-eagle but then landed back on the diving board and had to go to the ER? (He was fine, I think.) And wasn’t it you, Capricorn, that dropped your own sword on your head during the Macbeth rehearsal and the doctor stapled your scalp? It never happens the way we think it will, Capricorn. But there are always people who can help. If you haven’t found them yet, keep asking around. Somebody’s gonna know how to put you back together. \

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained thermometer, or a registered paramedic. Mr. Mysterio is, however, a budding intermediate podcaster! Check out The Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Season 2 is now playing at mrmysterio.com. Got a question, just give Mr. M a call at 707-VHS-TAN1

Get To Know Your Customers, Let Them To Get To Know You

There are many benefits to getting to know your customers and letting them get to know you. As you read this article I think they will become crystal clear.

As you do, keep in mind each opportunity that presents itself is as unique as the people you are serving.

Consider the following examples:

Barbara Jean and her daughter Laura stopped by one Saturday for a visit saying they had missed me and bought a paper and a bumper sticker and gave me a good tip, so I showed them the book written by Ridley Wills II and they bought that too!

They said seeing me made their day, well, believe me when I say the feeling was mutual!

Brittany pulled into the parking lot for a quick visit asking about my story, she bought a multipack of papers with various articles I’d written. She said she would stay longer but she was on the way to meet her mom and everybody knows YOU CAN’T KEEP MOM WAITING!

Similarly Sienna saw me a few times when she was in the area on her way to the gym, and wanted to know more about my story. She gave me a rice krispy treat and a few dollars. She was impressed that I connected her name with the reddish brown color in the box of crayons. I told her it was one of my favorites!

There’s Alex with the cool British accent (he said I say that every time he stops to chat, but it’s true, it’s part of what makes him unique.) He said he hasn’t seen me lately I’m not sure why, I’ve been out there — I guess we’ve just been missing each other, it’s all about timing.

Walter Hicks saw me from the other side of the road one day as it started to rain made a u turn and came back to see me. (I must

BY NORMA B, CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

admit he’s went out of his way to see me several times.)

I met Christina, a nurse when she stayed one night at the Suburban hotel near my spot, she’s from the ‘Boro and came back and bought a paper after getting one few weeks earlier! it’s nice to have returning customers — especially when they make a special trip to see me!

John stopped to see me and gave me a nice tip then came back a few minutes later and gave me an even bigger tip to try to get me in out of the rain. I thanked him and told him I appreciated it. I explained I wasn’t trying to be greedy but I hadn’t been out all week because I’d had the flu. He understood.

Another couple who also noticed I hadn’t been out all week, they could tell I still wasn’t feeling my best when they saw me they bought a paper, they even came back later and gave me a bucket full of flowers 1 big creamy white hydrangea surrounded by big beautiful purple flowers-saying purple is your thing right? Maybe this will help you feel better!’ I gotta say the flowers were almost as beautiful as the folks who delivered them!

Lindsey seemed genuinely surprised to get a paper and one of Ridley’s book for her donation, and she’s since returned for more issues of the paper.

Kenny took time out of his busy schedule for a little chat one day. He returned a few days later and actually bought a paper!

After confirming the cost of the paper Lauren asked for 4 and gave me a tip. (It’s no secret to those who know me that when someone gives me extra I try to give them something ‘extra’ in return).-the only thing I had on hand was some extra wrapping paper from past issues of the paper, she loved it!

There’s also a guy (sadly I don’t know his

name)-but he ALWAYS stops to talk to me, sometimes donates, but NEVER takes the paper-until recently. Why? He said he was ‘going through some things and maybe this will help me gain some prospective.’ I hope it does! He’s a REALLY nice guy. The lesson here is simple — just because someone doesn’t initially take the paper, don’t assume they’ll NEVER take the paper, circumstances change!

Bonnie initially gave me a nice tip so I gave her a book and comped the paper. She’s since returned often with a goody bag in hand. On her most recent visit, even though she wasn’t having the best day, and the weather was cold and wet, she took the time to park her car and come and see me. Awesome!

For those who have given me food recently, notably Phil (this guy can REALLY cook-beef stew, chili, spaghetti) served up in a 16 oz. cup with a lid and Murray who brought me a double cheeseburger from McDonalds I shared the article ‘Food For Thought’ that demonstrates the true value of such gifts.

Also, if you get to know your customers and their interests you can direct them to specific articles in the paper that will be of interest to them.

I’ve often said it’s NOT just about the money it’s about the connections you make.

What do I mean by that? Here are just a few examples:

Laurie came by with a goody bag-it had some thermal pants and a shirt in it, along with several pairs of socks-some really thick ones and some soft fuzzy ones! It is PERFECT for the crazy weather we’ve been having lately. What a thoughtful and useful gift!

Ed’s whose most recent visit was different from the norm. He usually comes with his wife Cathy. In fact, I’ve NEVER seen them apart,

they’re ALWAYS together. Sadly he told me she had died. He told me he’d just bought her a new wheelchair noting mine was in bad shape. Trying to Inject a bit of humor into this now somber situation, I said I know, it’s even been run over by a truck, but hey, at least I wasn’t in it, and given the shape it’s in, you can be sure nobody will steal it. (It’s happened before!) In case you’re wondering how that happened, I forgot to put the brakes on while I was picking up trash around my spot and it rolled across the parking lot right behind a truck just as it was pulling out! Oops!

He gave a little smile and left with a paper only to return later that same day with that brand new chair he’d just bought for his wife. When he couldn’t get the feet attached he left again only to return with the tool he needed to attach them properly adjusting them to fit me-3 times in 1 day, proving that he’s a pretty special guy!

With that in mind, if I may ask my readers please keep Ed in your prayers, I’m sure he’d appreciate it.

As you can see, by allowing your customers to get to know you, they are better able to provide practical assistance in a variety of ways NOT JUST MONEY, and by getting to know your customers you’ll have something of value to offer them something they need in return that’s what happened with Shadae. She has stopped and visited for a while now, buying a paper when she could. Now she needed my help, I did what I could to help her out paying it forward and it turned out to be just what she needed. When she got her new job at Fed Ex, she stopped to share the good news and buy a paper.

If you do this you’re sure to build a loyal customer base that looks forward to seeing you and are eager to help you any way they possibly can!

Volunteer Spotlight: Jamie Dore

BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Jamie was born and raised in Connecticut.

He attended college in Indiana, Purdue University, where he got his Engineering degree.

You could say his work over the last 38 years has really taken him places — Ohio, Alabama, Texas — though he’s spent the last 32 years in Atlanta, Georgia with his family a wife Wendy raising 2 children. His son Chris lives in Atlanta but his daughter Erika is what brought him to Nashville after they found out she was expecting their first grandchild — a boy, Judah now 9 months old.

So how did he learn about The Contributor? He became acquaint-

ed with the paper while visiting his daughter who was attending Lipscomb University.

Upon moving to East Nashville, he was looking for a place to volunteer and since he was familiar with the paper and loves the model of helping homeless people set up a micro business, it seemed like a perfect fit!

At this point it’s worth noting his wife Wendy is also a giver, after retiring from 20 years teaching 2nd and 3rd grade she currently volunteers at the Nashville Zoo!

He has an ambitious goal for The Contributor that of seeing the number of vendors doubled!

He enjoys listening to people talk

about how they sell, which makes perfect sensehe spent the last eight years of his career coaching people on how to improve their sales.

In addition to helping out at The Contributor, he has other interests too which include: music, cooking, cross fit exercise, hiking, biking, running and pickle ball, he has LOTS of energy!

He enjoys spending time with the family’s two dogs Zach an old Labrador Retriever and Bella a Miniature Pincher.

He’s also a Nashville Predators fan attending his first live game on the day of this interview and they won! Go Preds!

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE OR YOUR ISSUES WILL BE MAILED MONTHLY AND YOU CAN DESIGNATE A VENDOR TO RECEIVE THE PROFITS — AND EVEN LEAVE A TIP FOR YOUR VENDOR!

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***WALK-IN INTERVIEWS*** EVERY WEDNESDAY 10A-12P AND 2P-4P

Benefits: Health

Insurance after 60 days of employment. Discounted Downtown Parking. Hotel travel discounts. 401(k) company match. Free meal daily. Discounted Bus Pass.

LINE COOK

Relevant Work Experience: 2+ Years

Relevant Industry: Fine Dining Restaurants

Hire Range: $18-$24/hr

STEWARD/PREP COOK

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HOUSEKEEPING

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Relevant Industry: Coffee Shops, Starbucks Hire Rate: $15/hr + tips

THEME: VALENTINE'S DAY

ACROSS

1. "Without further ____," pl.

5. Sweet 16 gift

8. Steps to the river, in India

12. *Michael BublÈ's "____ the Last Dance for Me"

13. Bigger than big

14. Nonkosher

15. Big-ticket one

16. October birthstone

17. *#5 Down's target

18. *Reason to celebrate Lupercalia, Valentine's Day predecessor

20. Make over

21. Omit

22. Hexagonal fastener

23. December birthstone, pl.

26. Most gem¸tlich

30. Ed.'s request

31. Two dots above a letter

34. Brussels org.

35. Church recesses

37. ____ or chicken?

38. Encourage (2 words)

39. What hoarders do

40. He crossed the Rubicon

42. Jet follower

43. English county courts, in the olden days

Gentlemen's gentlemen

Chop off

quest

Port in Yemen

*Heart-shaped box content

DOWN

1. "Clueless" catch phrase

2. *Get-together

3. End of a break-up phrase

4. Explosive of Czechoslovakian origin

5. *Winged one

6. September stone

7. Bank on

8. *____ card

9. Not tails

10. '70s hairdo

11. Sylvester, to Tweety

13. Wholism, alt. sp.

14. Monotonous hum

19. Intestinal obstruction

22. "Wayne's World" catchphrase

23. Japanese port

24. Necklace clasp location, pl.

25. Affirmatives

26. *Kisses' partners

27. National emblem

28. Type of weasel

29. BBQ tool

32. Pasturelands

33. Accompanies wisdom?

36. *a.k.a. St. Valentine's Malady

38. *Muse of love poetry

40. Large edible mushroom

41. Long-legged shore bird

Regions

Bummed about

Bell's invention

Active one

Soap block

weird

During the month of February the Belcourt Theatre’s Restoration Roundup series spotlights repertory film treasures that have been recently digitized in an effort to preserve these moving picture gems for future generations.

This series was a mainstay of the theater’s annual programming before 2020 when the pandemic up-ended the entire movie industry. Now, in the relative safety of these mostly-post-pandemic days, the Restoration Roundup is back to remind us of cinema’s central role in global popular culture and of the importance of preserving these pictures and sounds for all tomorrow’s movie audiences.

The Belcourt’s latest go-round of saved cinema includes a weird western, rock opera, a punk rock classic, and a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar-winner starring Michelle Yeoh just in time for Everything Everywhere All at Once ’s 2022 Academy Award nominations blitz.

Here are some highlights:

True Stories (1986)

David Byrne gives audiences a guided tour of the fictional Virgil, Texas in this weird patchwork film that reads like a David Lynch movie shot by William Eggleston. Byrne wears a cowboy hat and drives a red convertible as he introduces viewers to the folks of Virgil who are preparing for the “Celebration of Specialness” in honor of the 150th anniversary of Texas’ independence. Byrne created his story from the scraps of tabloid tales he read while touring with

opera,

punk

classic, and a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar-winner...”

JOE

Talking Heads. The result is a unique portrait of weird suburbia that includes Spalding Gray at his Spalding Grayest, an incredible singing performance from John Goodman, a show-stealing cameo from Pops Staples, and even the answer to the question “Where did Radiohead get their name?” True Stories screens Feb. 6 as part of the Belcourt’s Music City Mondays music movies series.

Tommy (1975)

Cinemaniac Ken Russell brings The Who’s titular rock opera to the big screen and creates a cornerstone of rock cinema in the process. The story of the “deaf, dumb and blind kid” who becomes a pinball champion and then a cult messiah is the stuff of rock music legend, and this film version of the classic double album features scene-stealing musical performances from Elton John and Tina Turner. Tommy screens on Feb. 13 as part of the Belcourt’s Music City Mondays music movies series.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Director Ang Lee’s wuxia blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon tells the story of two veteran warriors (Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat) tasked with unraveling the mystery of the theft of the fabled 400-year-old Green Destiny sword. Gorgeous landscapes and otherworldly stunt work abound, but the most thrilling parts of this picture are YunFat and Yeoh’s performances as dedicated fighters whose unspoken love for one

another is the brooding beating heart of this forever fantasy classic. While the film’s Yuen Woo-Ping-choreographed action sequences culminate in the famous floating fight in a bamboo forest, the shot I never forget features the two star-crossed warriors sitting perfectly still in aching silence. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon screens Feb. 17–23.

Times Square (1980)

Before director Allan Moyle made the anti-censorship classic Pump Up the Volume, he told this tale about a rich girl and runaway living out their punk rock dreams in New York City after they escape from a mental hospital. Trini Alvarado and Robin Johnson both give great young actor performances in this film. But this film’s reputation as a cult classic is mostly due to its saturated soundtrack which features songs from Patti Smith, The Cure, Lou Reed, The Ramones, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Robin Gibb, Gary Numan, Suzi Quatro, Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, XTC and more. Times Square screens on Feb. 27 as part of the Belcourt’s Music City Mondays music movies series.

Go to www.belcourt.org for a full list of the films in Restoration Roundup, tickets and times40.

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.

“...a

western, rock

a

rock

BY

NOLAN, FILM CRITIC