COMMUNITY
Tri-State Defender
Page 13
May 17 - 23, 2012
‘The magnitude of the need’ Hunger aid draws hundreds
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
Hundreds of Memphians on Wednesday (May 16) made their way to St. Paul Baptist Church in Whitehaven, one of the partner sites for Feed The Children’s Americans Feeding Americans initiative. “There are many families in America who are in crisis. Our city and our neighborhood here in Whitehaven is a microcosmic example of what’s happening in the rest of the country,” said Senior Pastor Dr. Christopher B. Davis.
“The magnitude of the need in the community was evidenced by the response we had. The community was so very appreciative. We won’t solve the hunger problem today but we are happy to do our part to provide some relief to those who we were able to reach.” Each family received a box of food designed to last a household of four for up to a week, a box of personal care items and a box of Avon products. The church operates a food pantry weekly and provides for approximately 100 families per month. According to statistics from Feed The Children via the U.S. Census, 26.5 percent of
people in the city of Memphis live in poverty with nearly 40 percent of children under 18 living at or below poverty. Feed The Children is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Okla. It delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty, or natural disaster. (For more information on the church or the weekly food pantry, visit www.spbcmemphis .org or call 346.5544.)
Feed The Childrenʼs Americans Feeding Americans initiative dropped anchor at St. Paul Baptist Church on Wednesday to address a need that the Rev. Dr. Christopher B. Davis said was “evidenced by the response.” (Photo by Deadrick Doggett)
BRIEFS & THINGS U of M Law School names diversity programs coordinator
The Omni Prep Academyʼs first “Walk For Freedom” was a fundraiser for the Withers Collection Museum & Gallery and chance to see the schoolʼs connection to the community. (Courtesy photo)
Education equals freedom is formula for success at Omni Prep Academy Special to The New Tri-State Defender
“Education equals freedom is like a mime in a box. The mime is in the box because it has no education; the education is the key. When the mime gets an education, the key opens the door to freedom and the mime is free.” Celina Williams, Seventh grade scholar, Omni Prep Academy
Middle school scholars at Omni Prep Academy (OPA) visited the Withers Collection Museum & Gallery in February. Last Friday (May 11) – three weeks to the day of their visit – they got a chance to build on the earlier connection. The occasion was the first annual “Walk For Freedom,” which served as a fundraiser for the Withers Collection Museum & Gallery. The February visit to the museum and gallery was part of OPA’s Saturday school field experiences. “The Walk for Freedom serves two major purposes for our students. First, the walk underscores the need for them to pursue, with vigor their own educational goals,” said Marc Willis, co-founder and CEO of Omni Prep Academy. “Secondly, our students see more and more of how our school is a part of a larger community and by supporting the Withers Collection Museum & Gallery, we are participating and connect-
ing in our community.” OPA scholars will give the Withers Collection Museum & Gallery a gift of $200 to continue opportunities for young people to experience the Beale Street icon. “It is such an honor and a privilege for the Withers Collection Museum & Gallery to be the recipient from this wonderful and brilliant program that teaches students at and early age philanthropy,” said Rosalind Withers, daughter of the museum’s namesake, the late and renowned photographer Ernest Withers. “It ties into our mission of education and preservation of my father’s work. We were able to educate the students as they visited our museum with the historical images of my father’s work and they are now a contributor to the preservation of more than a million of his images.” “We would like to encourage more students to be like the students at Omni Prep Academy and give back to the community toward any program that they believe in,” said Withers. Omni Prep Academy, located at 3333 Old Brownsville Rd., is a public charter school in the Raleigh area serving grades K-3 in the lower school and grades 5-8 in the middle school. The school plans to expand the annual Walk for Freedom and include other community organizations.
Jacqueline O’Bryant is the new coordinator of diversity programs at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis. O’Bryant will oversee the Tennessee Institute for Prelaw, the state’s only summer diversity access program for law school. She will also actively recruit and support diverse law students, while developing addiJacqueline tional diversity OʼBryant outreach initiatives for the school. A former deputy prosecuting attorney for Pulaski County (Little Rock) in Arkansas, O’Bryant also taught as an adjunct professor at Philander Smith College in Little Rock. She also has served as in-house counsel for Alltel Communications in Little Rock and worked with the Arkansas Public Defender Commission in the state capital. Bryant holds a law degree from the Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock and a B.A. degree in political science from Alcorn State University in Mississippi. She was a member of the Overton Inn of Court in 2008-09, and she was a public service extern for U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas in 2005.
Tribute for former Fayette County Schools supt.
Former Fayette County Schools’ Supt. Myles Wilson will be honored during a tribute event dubbed “Cotton Sack to Superintendent” to be held June 1 beginning at 7 p.m. at House of Faith Ministries on HWY 76 in Somerville. Wilson, who was born and raised in Fayette County, retired last year after serving eight and a half years as superintendent, and more than 40plus years in the field of education. He served two terms as president of the Somerville Rotary Club and two terms as president of the Fayette Teachers Association. “He has also served as a county commissioner for more than 22 years. Myles has paid his dues,” said Lane College National Alumni Association President Dr. L. LaSimba Gray Gray. Isaac Northern, regional vice president of the alumni association and coordinator of the event said, “Supt. Wilson touched so many lives during his tenure as a teacher, coach, asst. principal, principal and superintendent. He was a pioneer. The odds
were against him but he persevered and overcame them.” The Rt. Rev. Lawrence L. Reddick III, chairman of the board of trustees at Lane College and presiding prelate of the First Episcopal District of the CME Church, will be the featured speaker. For more information, call 901-754-3979 or contact Louise Holloway at 901-465-2504.
BRIEFLY: Memphis City Schools will sponsor the Second Annual Exceptional Children Parent Summit from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Colonial Middle School at 1370 Colonial Rd. on Saturday (May 19). Workshops tailored to the needs of each student’s disability will be held throughout the day. Joe Fisher, Tennessee Department of Education assistant commissioner for Special Education, will be the guest speaker. For more information, contact Annette Vaughn at 901416-0161. BRIEFLY: Impact Baptist Church celebrates its move to Northaven on Saturday (May 19), beginning with a parade that starts at noon at Northaven Elementary School. The groundbreaking ceremony will be at 2 p.m. at the school. For more information, call 358-3391 or visit www.impactbcm.org. Dr. Michael C. Ellis is pastor. BRIEFLY: Federal, state, local and non-profit organizations will gather on May 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to assist veterans and their families in Shelby County with questions about enrollment, filing claims, housing education and employment opportunities during an outreach event at Memphis Pentecostal Assembly at 8941 East Shelby Dr. For more information, contact Julia Richardson, 901-577-7673, Julia.richardson@tn.gov; Carol Baldwin, 901-523-8990, ext. 5141; Joseph Tyler, 901-230-9458, militaryminded@yahoo.com. BRIEFLY: Memorial Park Funeral home will hosts its annual Memorial Day program beginning at 11 a.m. at Memorial Park Cemetery. The program will feature a live cannon salute and a keynote address by Secretary of State Tre Hargett. BRIEFLY: The Greater Memphis Chamber’s “A Conversation With…Jack Truong” will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Memphis Cook Convention Center at 255 North Main on June 8. The president and CEO of Electrolux will give an update on timeline, jobs and the company’s place in the community. The event is $35 for members, $40 for non-members. Registration: Tunga Lee: tlee@memphischamber .com or call 901-543-3571. BRIEFLY: The Westwood High School Class of 1977 will commemorate its matriculation the weekend of July 13-15. For information concerning the events planned for the 35th year class reunion, contact Elbert Brent III at 901-634-5358 or Christopher Howard at 901-550-8036
Doctorates in chemistry for 3 African Americans at University of Mississippi Special to The New Tri-State Defender
OXFORD, Miss. – If three African-American students graduated from the University of Mississippi with doctorates in chemistry all at the same time, would that be a big deal? Yes, it would! That’s what happened last Friday (May 12). “On average, about 50 African-American students receive Ph.D.s in chemistry nationwide each year, so UM produced 6 percent of the national total,” said Maurice Eftink, associate provost and professor of chemistry and biochemistry. The history-making candidates who received their degrees were Kari Copeland of Coldwater, Margo Montgomery of New Orleans and Jeffrey Veals of Gloster. A fourth African-American stu-
dent, Shanna Stoddard of Louisville, Ky., is on track to earn her doctorate in chemistry in December. “This is a significant achievement for these three graduates and their families, and it is also significant for the university,” Chancellor Dan Jones said. “UM 2020, our new strategic plan, calls on us as the flagship university of our state to lead our state and region in preparing professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, especially from underrepresented groups.” It is the second time in recent years that UM has set a benchmark in STEM fields. The university produced four African-American Ph.D.s in mathematics in 2006. “That was an even more outstanding achievement given that there are only 15-to-30
African-American Ph.D.s in math granted each year,” Eftink said. Charles Hussey, UM chair of chemistry and biochemistry, said the department and its faculty are “absolutely devoted to the success of minority students, regardless of whether they are undergraduate or graduate students.”
The newest alums
“I am elated to earn my doctoral degree from the University of Mississippi,” said Copeland, whose general area is computational quantum chemistry. She worked on characterizing the subtle interactions between molecules that influence many important processes in chemistry and biology, including how molecules in our bodies – proteins and DNA, for example – rec-
ognize each other. “I feel my degree is just as worthy as a degree from Harvard or any other Ivy League institution,” said Copeland, whose immediate plans are to continue research at Jackson State University as a post-doctoral researcher. Montgomery, who did research in bio-organic chemistry, is very interested in teaching and envisions becoming a role model for future scientists. “I want to remind students that no matter how impossible things may seem at times, if you continue to study and work hard, everything and anything is possible,” she said. “Creating an interest for science at an early age will hopefully encourage more minorities to study science in college and beyond,” Montgomery
Kari Copeland, Margo Montgomery and Jeffrey Veals are trendsetters with doctoral degrees in chemistry. (Courtesy photo) said. “No longer will it be a phenomenon to have three African-Americans graduate with a doctoral degree in chemistry, but rather routine.” Veals, whose field is computational chemistry, used computational methods to explore the possibilities of storing and releasing energy using strained molecular structures. He said receiving his degree felt “surreal, but great.” “If you would have asked
me nine years ago as a freshman if I would have a Ph. D. by the time I was 27, I would have laughed and said, ‘Yeah, right,’” he said. “Ole Miss has grown on me over the years, so it does feel good to have received it from here.”
(For more information about chemistry and biochemistry education at UM, visit w w w. o l e m i s s . e d u / d e p t s / chemistry_biochemistry/.)