■■ COMMUNITY
From Page 7
protect us. He can save us. And He will turn this country around.”
‘I may not look like what I’ve been through’
The Rev. Regina Clark, a Memphis-area minister and educator, stepped up to share her testimony.
“Domestic violence survivor. That’s me. Single parent. That’s me. Unhoused for over 10 months. That’s me, too,” said Clark, who added she holds two master’s degrees, but still relies on SNAP benefits and has faced housing insecurity. “Do you know what it’s like to hold two master’s degrees, be called ‘Reverend,’ and still need food stamps?”
“This law doesn’t just attack our stomachs, it attacks our souls,” she said. “It doesn’t just cut benefits, it cuts our ability to serve. When you strip away someone’s food security, you strip away their strength to lift others. When you make health care inaccessible, you make it impossible for people like me to stay healthy enough to serve our communities.”
Clark’s testimony ended in a call to stand together: “We are your teachers, your ministers, your students and your neighbors. We are the ones holding your community together. And this bill seeks to tear us apart.”
‘Work of the church’ is speaking up for the poor
Throughout the rally, Barber returned to the church’s role in standing with the poor.
“Jesus didn’t get crucified for preaching about private sin,” he said. “He got crucified for turning over the money tables. For challenging the unholy alliance between religious nationalism and greed.”
He quoted the Rev. Dr. James Lawson, saying mass rallies are important not just for protest, but for mass education: “If you come to the rally and go home and be quiet ... you’ve got poetry without praxis. The Gospel says be doers of the word, not hearers only.” Then he turned to the clergy.
“Pastors, have you done a survey of your congregation?” he asked. “Have you really found out how many of your members are poor or on Medicaid or going without food?”
Barber called on religious leaders to go beyond the pulpit and into the neighborhoods around them. “We can no longer ask people to come into church and play and be phony. They must come just as they are. And we must serve them as they are.”
Delivering the caskets
After the speeches, a quiet procession began across Civic Center Plaza toward the Odell Horton Federal Building, where Sen. Bill Hagerty’s local office is located. At the front of the line, clergy and activists carried the wooden caskets.
Their intention: to deliver the caskets and campaign materials directly to the senator’s office, as a symbolic act of witness and warning.
But the group was stopped at the building’s rear entrance. It was not open to the public. Security officers eventually directed the delegation to the front entrance, where they were again restricted — no coffins allowed, no cameras inside.
A small group of faith leaders and campaign representatives were allowed in to deliver a letter and pray with Hagerty’s staff.
Others remained outside, circling the caskets with flyers and singing spirituals.
‘We
will not sit here and die’
As the rally concluded, Barber reminded the crowd that the fight didn’t end in Memphis nor at the federal building doors.
“They want us divided. But we will not be divided,” he said. “Cancer doesn’t kill you Black or white or brown. It just kills you. If you can’t pay your light bill, we’re all Black in the dark. So we might as well be together in the light.”
“Fighting for health care is life. Fighting for immigrants is life. Fighting for food and housing is life,” Barber said. “And death is no longer an option. We will not sit here and die.”
PUBLIC NOTICES / CLASSIFIEDS
LEGAL NOTICE Request for Proposals
MSCAA Project Number 16-1408-02
RW 9-27 Runway Status Lights – Construction
Sealed proposals for RW 9-27 Runway Status Lights – Construction will be received by the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (Authority), Procurement Department, 4150 Louis Carruthers Drive, Memphis, TN 38118, until 2:00 PM Local Time on 8/21/2025. A listing of all proposers responding will be posted to the Authority’s website one (1) hour after the response deadline. Responses to Requests for Proposals will not be publicly opened and read. A complete Request for Proposals Packet with submittal instructions, additional data, and response format may be found on the Authority’s website (www.flymemphis.com) on or after July 15, 2025.
A pre-proposal conference will be held Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at 11:00 AM Local Time via video conference (Microsoft Teams Meeting Information: Meeting ID: 293 866 109 999 3; Passcode: e4FE6mX6). The link to the video conference can be found at www.flymemphis.com. Attendance at the pre-proposal conference is strongly recommended.
All Respondents are responsible for checking the Authority’s website up to the submission deadline for any updates, addenda, or additional information. In accordance with the Authority’s purchasing policies, the Authority will give preference to businesses located in Shelby County, Tennessee when awarding contracts and making purchases, unless prohibited by law. The successful Respondent must sign a contract with the Authority that includes Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration provisions, if applicable, regarding the Buy American Preference, Foreign Trade Restriction, Davis-Bacon, Affirmative Action, Debarment and Suspension, Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment, Domestic Preferences for Procurements, and Drug-Free Workplace, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Each Response must be made by a contractor licensed in Tennessee and be accompanied by a $5,000 Proposal Bond. The successful Respondent must execute a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond in the amount of 100% each of the Contract Price and meet the Small Business Participating Program (SBPP) participation goal for this project, which is 12%.
The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this Request for Proposals in whole or in part; to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions related to this Request for Proposals; and to reject responses on any other basis authorized by the Authority’s purchasing policies.
The Authority is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination based on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, disability, marital status, military service, or sexual orientation in its hiring and employment practices and in the admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, and activities.
By order of:
Terry Blue, A.A.E. President and CEO Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
Southwest earns FAA certification, a first for a two-year college in Tennessee
By Dalisia Ballinger The Tri-State Defender
Southwest Tennessee Community College has joined the ranks of federally certified aviation training institutions after receiving a provisional Part 141 designation from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The certification made Southwest the first two-year college in Tennessee and the only one in West Tennessee to earn this distinction.
Southwest leaders, aviation experts and members of the community gathered recently at the college’s Maxine A. Smith Center to recognize the achievement. During the ceremony, Capt. Albert Glenn, director of the Luke Weathers Flight Academy, presented an official certification letter from the FAA to Southwest President Dr. Tracy Hall.
The Part 141 certification validated the structure and quality of the college’s Aviation Operations Technology (AOT) program, which offers flight training alongside associate degrees in flight dispatch and aviation administration. The FAA designation allows graduates pursuing pilot careers to complete their training with 1,250 flight hours instead of the standard 1,500, reducing both time and cost without sacrificing quality.
Currently, 46 students are enrolled in Southwest’s aviation program, which began in 2022 and offers three concentrations: professional pilot, flight dispatch and aviation administration. The Part 141 certification specifically impacts the professional pilot concentration, allowing students to become airline transport pilots faster and at a lower cost by meeting the FAA’s rigorous training standards.
Before the certification, students were required to complete additional
flight training hours beyond graduation in order to qualify for airline transport certification. The new designation certifies the overall program rather than individual students, streamlining the path for those pursuing professional pilot careers.
No new classes will be added to the curriculum with the new designation because Southwest’s existing program already meets necessary federal standards.
Southwest expects to see its first class of pilots graduate under the FAA-certified designation in Spring 2027.
“This certification reflects our commitment to preparing students for high-demand, high-skill careers,” said Hall. “It also demonstrates Southwest’s growing role in addressing the pilot shortage in Memphis and across the country.”
Industry forecasts predict a need for more than 130,000 pilots in North America over the next two decades.
By earning Part 141 status, Southwest is poised to play a key role in meeting that demand — especially in Memphis, a major logistics and aviation hub.
The certification was the result of months of preparation and collaboration. Willie Robison, the college’s AOT program coordinator and chief flight instructor, successfully completed the FAA’s oral exam with Inspector Brad Gottschalk, a key requirement for approval.
“This was a team effort that speaks to the dedication and expertise of our faculty,” said Charles Baker, dean of business and technologies. “Our aviation program now offers a direct path to the flight deck, air traffic center or airport office at a fraction of the cost of many four-year programs.”
Aaron Jagers Jr., department chair of technologies, said the program’s impact
extends well beyond the classroom.
“This recognition from the FAA confirms that Southwest has the resources, leadership and vision to support aviation education at the highest level,” Jagers said. “It’s a win not just for our
students but for the entire Mid-South region.”
Students have already seen success in the program.
“Even though the aviation program is still relatively young, only three years old, I’ve been able to complete all of my flight training so far on a full-ride scholarship thanks to Southwest and its partners,” said Darrell DeGraffenreid, a current aviation student. “With their support, I earned my Private Pilot License in December 2024, which is the first major milestone for every aspiring aviator.”
Graduates of Southwest’s aviation program are positioned for competitive careers in the aviation industry, with pilots earning between $50,000 and $400,000 annually, and dispatchers and administrators also benefiting from strong starting salaries and advancement opportunities.
Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Aviation Operations Technology program offers students flight training for future pilots alongside associate degrees in flight dispatch and aviation administration. (Courtesy photos)
Industry forecasts predict a need for more than 130,000 pilots in North America over the next two decades. Southwest is helping train those future aviators.