The Tri-State Defender - November 16-22, 2023

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November 16 - 22, 2023

VOL. 72, No. 46

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County Commission seeks update on troubled County Clerk’s Office

by James Coleman The Tri-State Defender

Shelby County Commissioners closed their Monday (Nov. 13) meeting requesting an update on the current investigation into Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert’s management of her office and to inform them whether official replacement proceedings should be considered.

The add-on item was the latest pitch in the long-simmering feud between the oft-criticized Halbert and an increasingly short-fused commission.

“I don’t expect the (Hamilton County District Attorney General Coty) …Wamp, would herself report to us. I doubt she’s able to comment.

I don’t know that, but I would expect we could have someone from that office to give us an update on the pro-

cess and just…let the public hear that something is being done,” said sponsor commissioner Brandon Morrison.

Wamp was appointed by Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft. In June, Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy recused himself from the investigation, prompting Wamp’s selection.

The closure of the clerk’s satellite Poplar Plaza office, on Nov. 8, sparked the latest call for action to

be taken against Halbert, who began her second four-term as Shelby Clerk Sept. 1, 2022. The Clerk’s Office also has been deluged with complaints about poor service and long wait lines.

Located on a major east-west corridor, Poplar Avenue, that runs from Downtown Memphis to the suburbs, the now-defunct office was one of seven clerk offices in the county.

Its duties include the issuing of

vehicle tags, County Clerk license plates, Wanda Halbert business permits and marriage licenses. According to the county administration, rent of the office space had not been paid since July.

The owner of the satellite space, Finard Properties, months ago informed the clerk they would not re-

SEE HALBERT ON PAGE 2

Veterans Day weekend in Greater Memphis was replete with salutes to those who have served in the military. Case in point: the unveiling of the Veterans Boulevard sign on Austin Peay Highway last Thursday (Nov. 9)D. (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)

A sign of service rendered!

TSD Newsroom As part of Veterans Day Weekend, Rep. Antonio Parkinson hosted the unveiling of the Veterans Boulevard sign on Austin Peay Highway on Thursday.

Lunch was served for veterans under a tent on the rear parking lot at the Walmart on Austin Peay and New Covington Pike.

The community salute featured multiple generations of veterans meshed with an array of supporters, including elected and appointed city officials.

Young members of the color guard build on the tradition of honoring veterans.

Is a new ‘Mental Health, Safety and Justice Center’ in County’s future?

by James Coleman

Special to The Tri-State Defender

Following a presentation and lingering discussion, Shelby County Commissioners Monday (Nov. 13) tabled a vote on a $2.5 million feasibility study for a proposed mental health facility until after the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Approval of this item will give our partners in law enforcement a new tool to reduce crime. Specifically, we want to begin the process of building a county-owned facility

to divert individuals from jail to appropriate mental healthcare,” said administration Deputy Chief of Staff Frankie Dakin.

Commissioner Erika Sugarmon sponsored the item. Charlie Caswell was added as a co-sponsor.

The initial outlay would come from American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The estimated total cost for the project is $25 million.

The resolution would also fund design plans for a “Mental Health, Safety and Justice Center” to divert people with mental illness from possible jail time. It would be modeled

after a Nashville facility run by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department.

Among the services offered at the site are therapy, medications, and a discharge Shelby County plan.

Commissioner “It has really Erika made an impact Sugarmon on recidivism.

Their recidivism rate is less than half the national av-

erage,” said Dakin.

He also called the Shelby County Jail at 201 Poplar the largest mental health provider in the region.

“This has been the norm for decades and it absolutely should not be.

It does not make moral sense and it sure does not improve public safety,” said Dakin.

Initial plans call for four separate units, housing up to 15 patients each.

Two would serve more severe needs.

The other two would serve patients with lesser demands. From there, they would be connected with wraparound services to prevent recidivism.

Commissioner Britney Thornton argued there should be a larger review of whether a new jail is needed.

She also said the 60 beds in the proposed facility would fall short of the “total population” needs.

“I heard about 700 persons identified that could potentially need access to this service,” said Thornton.

“It seems like we’re serving the tip of the iceberg where the needs are.”

Many who end up in the County Jail are homeless, who are typically brought in on misdemeanor charges,

SEE MENTAL ON PAGE 2

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The Tri-State Defender

HALBERT

CONTINUED FROM FRONT new the lease for that location but offered her other available space within the shopping center. So far, she has not followed up on the offer.

Halbert’s troubles were aggravated Tuesday (Nov. 14) when the Millington office was closed until further notice.

In a social media post, Halbert blamed internet issues for the shutdown. No re-open date has been announced.

Regarding the Poplar Plaza closing, so far, a replacement location hasn’t been found.

“With the closing of Poplar Plaza, there’s been an increased number of complaints in my email box,” said Morrison.

Morris said Halbert brought further negative attention to herself by being conspicuously absent during recent gathering of local state lawmakers. “…Some of you were there, we heard from some representatives. They had some concerns (about the clerk’s office), as well. The office of the clerk was asked to be present.

They did not hear back. So, there was concern from our state legislators, as well,” added Morrison.

Only one commissioner, Mickel Lowery, pushed back on Morrison request. He questioned the process.

“To the sponsor, I’m with you, but is this customary…

I guess if there’s an investigation, to give us an update on the process of the investigation, or what’s being done?” pondered Mickell Lowery.

Commissioners voted 11-01, despite a clear answer from Morrison.

Although the political response has been swift, the exit from the shopping center was long anticipated.

The lease with Finard Properties ran out in June. An adjacent business’ plans an expansion into space. In the months before the exit, the Clerk’s Office received numerous warnings about the imminent closure. They went unanswered.

The Clerk’s Office was given an automatic three-month extension in June. Despite a September deadline, they stayed for another month. A “notice of surrender” was sent on Oct. 11.

“Kindly remit these monies immediately,” the Finard notice says of the past due rent.

“Please be advised that this Notice of Expiration/Notice of Termination of Lease does not relieve Tenant of the obligation to pay rent and other charges for all periods of Tenant’s occupancy,” it read.

Halbert held a press conference the day after the closure, on Nov. 9, calling the backlog in rent “trivial,” saying rent at all office locations are up to date.

Prior to the closure, Halbert said she had found a replacement space at a nearby business. However, the deal fell through after the property lacked the needed square footage.

In addition to the void at Poplar Plaza, Halbert’s problems were compounded when Shelby County Trustee Regina Newman revealed Halbert’s office’s continued failure to submit on-time monthly revenue reports.

The revenue, which is partly derived from the county’s wheel tax, funds Shelby County’s seven school systems.

It also is earmarked to pay the county’s share, $350 million, of the $750 million Regional One Health Campus, along with new high schools in Cordova and Frayser.

The county clerk is one of many elected officials or heads of county divisions that are required to submit the reports. The money automatically flows into a central business account at the end of every business day.

However, the lack of ontime reports complicates tracking revenue. It becomes more pronounced in the fall months, when revenues are thinning before the next infusion of property taxes begins in February.

Halbert has defended her performance, chalking it up to due diligence and wanting to account for “every penny.”

In the past, Halbert has complained to Tennessee State Comptroller’s Office about the automatic money transfer process. However, no irregularities were found.

November 16 - 22, 2023

Page 2

NEWS

Tennessee Innocence Project expands ‘justice and exoneration’ reach to West Tennessee Special to The TriState Defender The Nashville-based Tennessee Innocence Project has opened a Memphis office as an anchor to “take on the challenges of the Mid-South region.”

A non-profit law firm that works to free wrongfully convicted Tennesseans, the Tennessee Innocence Project (TIP) is the first full-time innocence organization in the state.

The Memphis office is located at 2029 Peabody Avenue.

“We are thrilled to bring our mission to this incredible city and fight for justice and exoneration alongside the Memphis community,” said Jessica Van Dyke, TIP’s executive director and lead counsel.

TIP has worked since 2019 in pursuit of justice for prisoners who served time for crimes they did not commit.

“After months of hard work and planning, we can finally say that we are ready to take on the challenges of the MidSouth region,” said Van Dyke.

MENTAL

CONTINUED FROM FRONT like disorderly conduct or criminal trespassing charges.

Mental illness often plays a factor.

“Those persons may not have been on their medications. If we can find the right facility to give them these wraparound services, those persons don’t have to be in our jail,” said Chief Jailer Kirk

“There is no way to make up for the time that these individuals lost due to injustices in the legal system.

But the Tennessee Innocence Project is determined to give them the justice that they deserve.”

— Jessica Van Dyke “We couldn’t have done it without the support of our amazing sponsors, donors, and allies.”

Since 1989, over 3,400 people in America have been found innocent after being imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. Thirty of those have come from Tennessee, including six found innocent as a direct result of the Tennessee Innocence Project.

Tennessee, which has the 18th highest prison population in the US, has only one perFields, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Several commissioners expressed enthusiasm during their comments. However, the mention of money, particularly seven figures, brought demands for further detail.

“I need to see what’s going to be on the back end of this.

This is $2.5 (million) to hire somebody to design a facil-

The Tennessee Innocence Project, a non-profit law firm that works to free wrongfully convicted Tennesseans, will focus on West Tennessee from its new office at 2029 Peabody Avenue. cent of exonerations nationally. Shelby County has the highest number of submitted applications in the state.

“There is no way to make up for the time that these individuals lost due to injustices in the legal system,” said Van Dyke. “But the Tennessee Innocence Project is determined to give them the justice that they deserve.”

(To learn more about the Tennessee Innocence Project, visit, www.tninnocence.org.)

ity. We don’t know where.

We’ve got to purchase land.

How many employees are we hiring? This is all going to come back to us…I’m seeing on page of a big, old book,” said commissioner Amber Mills.

Commissioner Shante Avant also questioned the timing of the request. Earlier in the year, the commission agreed to an

Jessica Van Dyke (Courtesy photo) administration request to fund $350 million of a $750 million rebuild of the Regional One Health Campus. The resolution also funds the construction of high schools in Cordova and Frayser.

For his part, commissioner Mick Wright said the conversation on the first $2.5 million was just beginning.

The Tri-State Defender

November 16 - 22, 2023

Page 3

NEWS

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. – the first ‘Divine Nine’ sorority to raise $1 Million for St. Jude NNPA Newswire Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. has completed a historic pledge made in 2021 to raise $1 million for The achievement came just ahead of the international collegiate and nonprofit community service organization’s 101st anniversary, marking over a century of commitment to helping those in need.

At the time of the original announcement, Sigma Gamma Rho had already raised nearly $500,000 for St. Jude. As part of the push to reach $1 million, Sigma Gamma Rho pledged a three-year sponsorship for the annual St. Jude Walk/Run, held during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month each September.

Since then, Sigma Gamma Rho has reached its goal in large part through its participation in the St. Jude Walk/ Run. In 2023, the organization entered more than 200 Walk/Run teams in cities across the United States, helping it cross the fundraising finish line this year.

Rasheeda S. Liberty, International Grand Basileus of Sigma Gamma Rho: “Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated is grateful for the opportunity to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s work to find cures and help save the lives of children all over the world.” (Courtesy photo) Rasheeda S. Liberty, International Grand Basileus of Sigma Gamma Rho, said, “Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated is grateful

for the opportunity to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s work to find cures and help save the lives of children all over

the world. I am proud of the mobilization of our global membership to reach this $1,000,000 milestone, and to have done so just prior to our

101st Founders’ Day. “This accomplishment aligns with our sorority’s motto, ‘Greater Service, Greater Progress.’ We look forward to continuing our partnership with St. Jude in the years to come.”

Support from organizations such as Sigma Gamma Rho helps ensure that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – so they can focus on helping their child live.

“We’re so grateful for and honored by the incredible heart and dedicated service shown by Sigma Gamma Rho,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“This is a milestone accomplishment by Sigma Gamma Rho and its members all over the world that will help St. Jude continue making progress in improving survival rates for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”

Honorable discharges for 110 Buffalo Soldiers convicted in aftermath of 1917 Houston riots

by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth has formally given the green light to overturn the court-martial convictions of 110 Black soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, popularly known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

The Army said in a news release that officials made the decision based on a suggestion from the Board for Correction of Military Records and to atone for the unfair treatment of soldiers after the 1917 Houston Riots.

“After a thorough review, the Board has found that these Soldiers were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials,” Secretary Wormuth stated.

“By setting aside their convictions and granting honorable discharges, the Army is acknowledging past mistakes and setting the record straight.”

The Houston Riots, which erupted on August 23, 1917, stemmed from racial tensions and provocations against members of the 24th Infantry Regiment. The catalyst for the riots was the violent arrest and assault of two Black soldiers, leading to a group

of 110 soldiers seizing weapons and marching into the city. Clashes ensued, resulting in 19 deaths.

The subsequent trials of the soldiers were marred by irregularities, according to historians, culminating in the largest mass execution of American Soldiers by the U.S. Army.

The Army’s immediate regulatory change, prohibiting future executions without proper review, followed the initially secretive executions.

The South Texas College of Law, in October 2020 and December 2021, petitioned the Army for a review of the court-martial. Retired general officers also submitted petitions requesting clemency for the soldiers.

“We cannot change the past; however, this decision provides the Army and the American people an opportunity to learn from this difficult moment in our history,” Under Secretary of the Army, Gabe Camarillo, said in the release.

At the Secretary’s request, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records meticulously reviewed records related to the court-martial cases, officials affirmed. The unanimous decision was that significant deficiencies permeated the proceedings, rendering them fundamentally

The catalyst for the 1917 Houston riots was the violent arrest and assault of two Black soldiers, leading to a group of 110 soldiers seizing weapons and marching into the city. Clashes ensued, resulting in 19 deaths. unfair.

The board recommended setting aside all convictions and characterizing the soldiers’ military service as “honorable.” Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Review Boards Michael Mahoney, overseeing the review, agreed with the decision.

“With the support of our experts, our dedicated Board members looked at each record carefully and came up with our best advice to Army leaders to correct a miscarriage of justice,” Mahoney added.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said it actively supports family members affected by the correction of records, helping upon receipt of the amended documents.

“It is a long time coming, but it is justice that is finally achieved,” John

Haymond, a historian, told the New York Times, which reported that the Army acted after it received a petition requesting clemency for the soldiers that had been written by Haymond and Dru Brenner-Beck, a lawyer. The duo cited trial transcripts and other records to show that the soldiers had been denied due process and other basic rights.

“This isn’t a political action. This is the Army internally fixing a problem that was the Army’s problem 106 years ago,” Haymond asserted.

Family members of the 110 Soldiers may be entitled to benefits, and guidelines for applying to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records can be found at https://arba. army.pentagon.mil/abcmr-app.html.

Online applications can be submitted

at https://arba.army.pentagon.mil/ online-application.html or through mail to Army Review Boards Agency (ARBA), 251 18th Street South, Suite 385, Arlington, VA 22202-3531.

Applications should include documentation proving a relationship to one of the 110 formerly convicted Soldiers.

Family members and interested parties can request a copy of the corrected records from the National Archives and Records Administration, following the NARA Archival Records Request procedures at https:// www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.

(Follow Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent, @StacyBrownMedia.)

PERSPECTIVE The Tri-State Defender, November 16 - 22, 2023, Page 4

Conservatives’ ongoing assault on public education warrants a concerted defense

by Curtis Weathers

Special to The Tri-State Defender

The phrase “Conservatives’ War Against Public Education” is a provocative characterization to describe what is perceived as a concerted effort by conservative politicians and interest groups to undermine, privatize, reshape, or otherwise weaken public education in the United States.

I clearly recognize that this characterization represents my personal viewpoint, and not all conservatives or conservative policies align with this characterization.

But there are some elements of truth to the idea that conservatives have waged a kind of “war” against public schools in recent decades, though the real situation is complex, to say the least.

There is an intricate interplay of political, ideological, and social factors that shapes public education policy in the United States.

It remains a vital and contentious topic in American politics, and discussions about its funding, governance, curriculum, and values are ongoing and subject to evolving perspectives and policies.

The mess, however, that is our United States Congress is proof positive that we have a group of men and women, led mostly by a handful of Republican conservatives, who are simply incapable of governing responsibly.

We all watched in awe as the Republican conference stumbled and fought with each other over efforts to fire and find leadership capable of guiding an unruly group of people interested only in their own petty self-interest.

Please note that this kind of dysfunctionality and mindset is consistently at work when these men and women are busy shaping policies that directly impact public education in our country. It is not a comforting sight to behold.

America clearly dodged when the republican Congress failed to agree on the leadership of Congressman Jim Jordan from Ohio. Public education breathed a sigh of relief when he finally gave up his fight to be Speaker of the House.

Our public education system is already a mess. It is in need of strong leadership from the highest levels of our government. But what we from the conservative wing of Congress during the House Speaker selection drama is a prime example of how reckless and incapable they are of governing and leading this nation.

And it is not just our Congress, but many other legislative bodies across the country that keep many of our institutions, i.e., public education, fighting to protect our children and our families from harmful policies that undermine the accomplishments of hard-working teachers and educators.

The conservative assault on public education has had a number of negative consequences. It has made it more difficult for public schools to serve all students effectively. It has led to increased censorship of the curricula, the banning of books, and the harassment and intimidation of LGBTQ+ students and teachers.

Conservatives believe these policies serve to increase accountability, school choice, efficiency, and education quality. The totality of these efforts, however, is seen by critics as an ideological attack on public schooling in favor of private alternatives.

For example, school vouchers are government subsidies that allow parents to send their children to private schools. Conservative lawmakers argue that school vouchers give parents more choices and promote competition among schools.

Curtis Critics argue, however, Weathers that school vouchers drain money from public schools and disproportionately benefit wealthy families.

Conservatives have raised concerns about what they view as a liberal bias in public school curricula, textbooks, and classroom materials. They have raised concerns about the teaching of progressive values in public schools, such as racial and gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmentalism.

They often argue that these values are being taught in a way that is indoctrinating students and undermining parental authority.

Conservative lawmakers often oppose efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in public schools. They argue that these efforts are divisive or promote a liberal agenda.

Some conservatives have expressed strong opposition to teaching concepts like critical race theory (CRT) in public schools, arguing that these ideas promote divisive ideologies and undermine traditional American values.

This has led to efforts in some states to restrict or ban the teaching of CRT or related topics.

The assault on public education gained momentum during the Trump administration, unleashing a wave of “parent rights” activists nationwide. They demanded that certain books be banned, certain plays and musicals be prohibited, and discussions on many issues around race and the LGBTQ community be severely muted or silenced altogether.

Politicians such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the poster child for extreme conservativism, have argued that education laws are necessary to give parents “more control” over their children’s learning and that parents “should be protected from schools using classroom instruction to sexualize their kids.

He has publicly criticized critical race theory, calling it “state-sanctioned racism” and saying it would teach our children that “the country is rotten and that our institutions are illegitimate.”

Once again, I want to emphasize that not all conservatives share the same views on these particular issues, and there are variations within the conservative movement regarding education policy. But there is clearly a very aggressive effort to disrupt and reshape public education here in America, and those efforts will continue for some time to come.

It is important to spread the word about these issues and to build support for our public schools.

It is also important to remember that the Republican assault on public education is part of a broader attack on democracy and social justice. Americans need to come together to defend public education and all of the other institutions that are essential to our democracy.

Billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow has provided U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas with luxury trips and even paid for the child he raised to attend private school. Thomas failed to disclose these gifts until news outlets revealed them publicly.

SCOTUS finally has new rules; will they actually rein in Clarence Thomas?

by Jessica Washington theroot.com

After an escalating series of scandals, the Supreme Court finally issued a code of conduct. But will this new code actually do anything to curb the behavior of some of the more notorious justices (**cough cough** Justice Clarence Thomas), or will it just sit Jessica there collecting dust?

Washington Not to burst any bubbles, but the first page of the justice’s statement kind of gives the whole game away.

“For the most part these rules and principles are not new,” reads the statement. “The absence of a Code, however has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules. To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.”

For those unfamiliar with Supreme Court Justice shade, the “we just wrote this thing to get you off our back” vibe radiates off the page.

Can Clarence Thomas still get gifts from Harlan Crow?

Now, we could walk you through every detail of this 14-page document, but what most people really want to know is whether this will actually stop the kinds of ethics scandals we’ve all been reading about.

The short answer: this probably won’t do anything.

The scandal we all know focuses on Justice Clarence Thomas’ cozy gift-ladened relationship with Billionaire Harlan Crow. The Repub-

(Follow me, TSD’s education columnist, on Twitter @curtisweathers. Email me at curtislweathers@gmail.com.)

lican donor has provided Thomas with luxury trips and even paid for the child he raised to attend private school. Thomas failed to disclose these gifts until after ProPublica and other outlets revealed them publicly.

The Code of Conduct does mention gifts, but it just says that Justices have to follow the already-established rules on gifting. The rules re-iterate that Justices have to disclose these gifts, but to be clear, they were already supposed to be doing that.

The code of conduct lacks teeth The big reason it seems unlikely that this will foster a ton of change is that it completely lacks teeth. The code isn’t binding, and it’s left entirely up to the Court to enforce.

Court watchdog groups have been quick to point out the flaw of allowing the justices to police themselves.

“If the nine are going to release an ethics code with no enforcement mechanism and remain the only police of the nine, then how can the public trust they’re going to do anything more than simply cover for one another, ethics be damned?” wrote Gabe Roth, executive director of left-leaning watchdog group Fix The Court, in a statement.

Democrats have also not responded well to the new rules. “We cannot rely on Supreme Court justices to hold themselves accountable,” wrote Representative Ayanna Pressley, who has been a leader on court reform. “This new ethics code is pointless without enforcement, and Congress must pass the *binding* code of ethics the Court so desperately needs.”

Democratic leaders such as Sen. Dick Durbin, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, have argued that this is a good step but nowhere near enough. Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham, who serves as Ranking member on the committee, has been remarkably quiet on the subject despite previously railing against an ethics code.

But the bottom line is if you’re expecting a transformed Supreme Court, this doesn’t look like the thing to do.

The Supreme Court as composed June 30, 2022 to present (front row, left to right): Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., and Associate Justice Elena Kagan; (back row, left to right): Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Photo: Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States)

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The Tri-State Defender

November 16 - 22, 2023

Page 5

EDUCATION

Two collegians from Memphis land Bridging the Dream Scholarships TSD Newsroom

Marcellus Odom

Memphians Ka’Mya Anderson and Marcellus Odom are two of 27 nationwide recipients of this year’s Bridging the Dream Scholarship for High School Seniors from Sallie Mae in partnership with Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

The scholarship provides deserving students from historically underserved communities with up to $10,000 each to help access higher education.

Anderson, a freshman at Alabama A&M, an HBCU (historically Black college and university) in Huntsville, is studying biology. Odom is a freshman at Georgia Tech, studying mechanical engineering and public policy. They were selected from over 1,100 applicants based on their academic performance and upstanding moral character, both in their academic and personal lives.

The Sallie Mae Fund, the charitable arm of Sallie Mae, awarded recipients $250,000 as part of

Ka’Mya Anderson

a $3 million commitment to open doors for students from all backgrounds who are pursuing higher education.

To date, Sallie Mae has awarded 637 scholarships, collectively totaling $2.3 million.

Anderson, Odom and the other winners will be highlighted on Sallie Mae’s X (Twitter) and LinkedIn channels throughout November in celebration of National Scholarship Month.

Hooks Institute turns office renovation into hands-on learning opportunity TSD Newsroom With hard hats and T squares at the ready, students from the University of Memphis are taking part in a learning opportunity offered by the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change.

Renovations under the management of RKA Construction and A2H Engineers Architects and Planners are underway at the Institute’s new offices on the 11th floor of Wilder Tower. Experts from the two companies have worked alongside Hooks Institute staff to develop an educational module to leverage this process as an on-site, experiential learning opportunity for University of Memphis students.

Participants include members of the Hooks Institute’s student success programs as well as students from the Herff College of Engineering.

Over the course of four learning sessions, students are invited to review the official plans and drawings for the space, learn about construction project management, the local and state permitting process, and visit the renovation site during two hard hat tours. Students who complete three of the four sessions will receive a special certificate from the Hooks Institute and its corporate partners.

“It was an eye-opening experience, seeing how places I see every day are constructed,” said Adeel Khawaja, an engineering student at UofM and program participant. “It demystified construction and architecture for me, and I am grateful to have had this experience.”

Amy Ruggaber, strategic partnerships consultant for the Hooks Institute and manager of the program, said, “As anyone who has gone through a renovation knows, it is a learning experience. (Hooks Institute) Executive Director Daphene McFerren and the Hooks staff wanted to find a meaningful way to share this journey with participants in our student success programs and the University at large. …

Ruggaber said there are many good jobs available through the construction industry that utilize all kinds of skills, and “we wanted to highlight that. We were so pleased when RKA and A2H agreed to help us turn the renovation itself into a learning experience.”

Patrick Johnston of RKA Construction said, “We are thrilled to be renovating the 11th Floor of Wilder Tower for the Hooks Institute and helping to advance the mission of the Hooks Institute. … An added bonus is that RKA is helping to teach the UofM engineering students and students from the Hooks Institute programs about the construction process as the project progresses.

“This training will help students develop workforce experiences which will ultimately benefit not only the students but employers like RKA in their futures in the construction and engineering industries.”

Logan Meeks is former board chair of the Hooks Institute’s advisory board and president of A2H. “UofM engineering students and students enrolled in the Hooks African American Male Initiative (HAAMI) and A Seat

Members of the Hooks Institute Student Construction Crew and RKA employees during a recent hard hat tour of the Wilder Tower renovation project. (Courtesy photo) at the Table are learning from the design created by A2H. … These UofM students will have a head start in understanding the diverse careers that exist in architecture, engineering, and construction, and that he hopes students will be inspired to consider careers in these fields.”

Michael Swafford, a program participant and also a part of HAAMI, said, “This has really exposed my mind to more engineering out there in the real world.”

Student Aleks Vincent said he “went into Mechanical Engineering not really knowing a lot of career possibilities, but

“It was an eye-opening experience, seeing how places I see every day are constructed.

It demystified construction and architecture for me, and I am grateful to have had this experience.”

— Adeel Khawaja

now with this (program) I know just how involved construction really is and how detailed everything is.”

A2H team members Lisa Starzynski, Ryan Coopwood and Phillip Haynes are leading their portion of the program while RKA is represented by Johnston, Kat Gates, Sean Dial and Ann Cooper.

“This program is so unique, and it means that the generous support provided by our donors for the renovation goes beyond the brick-and-mortar transformation, also providing an educational component for our students,” Ruggaber said.

The Tri-State Defender, November 16 - 22, 2023, Page 6

This undated image made available by the National Human Genome Research Institute shows the output from a DNA sequencer. Scientists are setting out to collect genetic material from 500,000 people of African ancestry to create what they believe will be the world’s largest database of genomic information from the population. (NHGRI via AP, File)

People of African ancestry are poorly represented in genetic studies. A new effort would change that

by Laura Ungar The Associated Press

Scientists are setting out to collect genetic material from 500,000 people of African ancestry to create what they believe will be the world’s largest database of genomic information from the population.

The hope is to build a new “reference genome” — a template to compare to full sets of DNA from individuals — and better understand genetic variants that affect Black people. It could eventually translate into new medicines and diagnostic tests — and help reduce health disparities.

The initiative was launched Wednesday by Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Regeneron Genetics Center, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk and Roche. The pharmaceutical companies are providing the funding, while the data will be managed by a nonprofit started by Meharry, called the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute.

Organizers said there’s a clear need for the project, pointing to research showing that less than 2 percent of genetic information being studied today comes from people of African ancestry.

“We are going to bridge that gap, and this is just the beginning,” said Anil Shanker, senior vice president for research and innovation at Meharry.

Scientists have long known that the reference they compare to individual genomes has serious limits because it mostly relies on genetic material from one man and doesn’t reflect the spectrum of human diversity.

Although any two people’s genomes — that is, a set of instructions to build and sustain a human being — are more than 99 percent identical, scientists say they want to understand the differences.

The project is not connected with related research already underway. In May, scientists published four studies about building a diverse reference genome that they call a “pangenome.” At that point, it included the genetic material of 24 people of African ancestry, 16 from the Americas and the Caribbean, six from Asia and one from Europe.

In the new project, Meharry, a historically Black academic health sciences center, will recruit patients from the Nashville area to donate blood, then send it to the Regeneron Genetics Center, which will do the genetic sequencing for free.

Other historically Black colleges and universities in the U.S., and the University of Zambia in Africa, will also recruit volunteers. Project organizers said they are also open to working with other universities in Africa, as well as medical centers and health departments there.

Organizers expect enrollment to take about five years. All information will be kept anonymous.

After the genetic sequencing, the data will go into a repository at the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute, and the database will be provided exclusively to HBCUs and the institutions involved in Africa. Outside researchers can access the information through those institutions.

“You can imagine if these schools have such a resource, other academic institutions are going to want to collaborate with them,” said Lyndon Mitnaul, executive director for research initiatives at Regeneron Genetics Center.

Corporate partners will be able to use the data for research and to develop medicines and diagnostic tests.

The 10-year initiative also involves establishing a grant program to support research and education in genomics and related fields at Meharry, plus broader STEM programs for gradeschool children in diverse communities. Each of the pharmaceutical companies involved intends to contribute $20 million toward the genetic and educational parts of the effort.

Dr. Tony Matthews (right), president and CEO of the International African American Museum in Charleston S.C., chats with actress Phylicia Rashad, during the museum’s dedication ceremony. (AP Photos/Chris Carlson)

Reclaiming sacred ground for enslaved kin via new International African American Museum

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The International African American Museum, which opened in South Carolina this past summer, has become a new site of homecoming and pilgrimage for descendants of enslaved Africans whose arrival in the Western Hemisphere begins on the docks of the lowcountry coast.

Overlooking the old wharf in Charleston at which nearly half of the enslaved population first entered North America, the 150,000-square-foot (14,000-square-meter) museum houses exhibits and artifacts exploring how African Americans’ labor, perseverance, resistance and cultures shaped the Carolinas, the nation and the world.

It also includes a genealogy research center to help families trace their ancestors’ journey from point of arrival on the land.

The museum opened to the public at a time when the very idea of Black people’s survival through slavery, racial apartheid and economic oppression being quintessential to the American story is being challenged throughout the U.S. Leaders of the museum said its existence is not a rebuttal to current attempts to suppress history, but rather an invitation to dialogue and discovery.

“Show me a courageous space, show me an open space, show me a space that meets me where I am, and then gets me where I asked to go,” said Dr. Tonya Matthews, the museum’s president and CEO. “I think that’s the superpower of museums,” she said. “The only thing you need to bring to this museum is your curiosity, and we’ll do the rest.”

The $120 million facility features nine galleries that contain nearly a dozen interactive exhibits of more than 150 historical objects and 30 works of art. One of the museum’s exhibits will rotate two to three times each year.

Upon entering the space, eight large video screens play a looped trailer of a diasporic journey that spans centuries, from cultural roots on the African continent and the horrors of the Middle Passage to the regional and international legacies that spawned out of Africans’ dispersal and migration across lands.

One unique feature of the museum is its gallery dedicated to the history and culture of the Gullah Geechee people.

Their isolation on rice, indigo and cotton plantations on coastal South Carolina, Georgia and North Florida helped them maintain ties to West African cultural traditions and creole language. A multimedia, chapel-sized “praise house” in the gallery highlights the faith expressions

Malika Pryor, chief learning and education officer at the International African American Museum in Charleston S.C., gives a tour. of the Gullah Geechee and shows how those expressions are imprinted on Black American gospel music.

Planning for the International African American Museum dates back to 2000, when former Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley, Jr. called for its creation in a State of the City address. It took many more years, through setbacks in fundraising and changes in museum leadership, before construction started in 2019.

Originally set to open in 2020, the museum was further delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as by issues in the supply chain of materials needed to complete construction.

Gadsden’s Wharf, a 2.3-acre waterfront plot where it’s estimated that up 45% of enslaved Africans brought to the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries walked, sets the tone for how the museum is experienced. The wharf was built by Revolutionary War figure Christopher Gadsden.

The land is now part of an intentionally designed ancestral garden. Black granite walls are erected on the spot of a former storage house, a space where hunched enslaved humans perished awaiting their transport to the slave market. The walls are emblazoned with lines of Maya Angelou’s poem, “And Still I Rise.”

“There’s something incredibly significant about reclaiming a space that was once the landing point, the beginning of a horrific American journey for captured Africans,” said Malika Pryor, the museum’s chief learning and education officer.

The opening of the Charleston muse-

um adds to a growing array of institutions dedicated to teaching an accurate history of the Black experience in America.

Pryor, formerly the educational director of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, said these types of museums focus on the underdiscussed, underengaged parts of the American story.

“This is such an incredibly expansive history, there’s room for 25 more museums that would have opportunities to bring a new curatorial lens to this conversation,” she said.

The museum has launched an initiative to develop relationships with school districts, especially in places where laws limit how public school teachers discuss race and racism in the classroom.

Pryor said South Carolina’s ban on the teaching of critical race theory in public schools has not put the museum out of reach for local elementary, middle and high schools that hope to make field trips there.

“If you ask me what we want people to feel when they are in the museum, our answer is something akin to everything,” museum president Matthews said.

“It is the epitome of our journey, the execution of our mission, to honor the untold stories of the African American journey at one of our nation’s most sacred sites.”

(Aaron Morrison is a New York-based member of AP’s Race and Ethnicity team.

Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison.)

The Tri-State Defender

November 16 - 22, 2023

LITERATURE

‘The Invisible Ache’ is not just for the broken

Eriq La Salle’s ‘Laws of Annihilation’ is a good thriller with a decent cliffhanger

by Terri Schlichenmeyer Special to The Tri-State Defender

by Terri Schlichenmeyer Special to The Tri-State Defender

One thing or another.

You have to choose; you can’t have both.

This one or that one, that or the other, think about it and then pick a side.

Or maybe you don’t even have to think about it. Maybe, as in the new novel “Laws of Annihilation” by Eriq La Salle, the decision was made decades ago.

Agent Janet Maclin wasn’t entirely unprepared for the news but still, it’s tough to learn that you have incurable cancer and that death is near. The diagnosis explained her constant pain and the ravaging of her entire body on a daily basis but it didn’t explain how she was going to break the news to her two partners in the department.

Detective Phee Freeman and Detective Quincy Cavanaugh were not just partners, but friends – maybe the only friends Maclin had anymore – and she was reluctant to share her news. She was not going to survive this, so why would it matter? They were busy enough on a huge case; there was no need to add anything else.

A young Black man had been caught spray-painting hate symbols on a Jewish synagogue and the mob that witnessed his deed chased the young man to his death. Did this lead to the bloody, gruesome murders of Jewish rabbis who had called for peace in the community?

Were those deaths connected to the disappearance of a man named Spider, who was heavily involved in an Islamic group in Harlem and who was the young man’s uncle? And where was Ezra Pearl, an influential man in the Jewish community who’d been filmed leading the chase that caused the young man’s death?

The Mayor of New York was calling for calm but with both sides demanding revenge, two people missing, and a killer (or two) on the loose, Maclin knew that calm wouldn’t be that easy. Neither would solving what was a growing list of violent crimes.

As New York City seethed, she hoped she’d live long enough to see this end.

Crack open “Laws of Annihilation” and you might think you’d stepped onto a random sidewalk in a major city somewhere in America.

Page 7

“Laws of Annihilation”

by Eriq La Salle c.2023 Lavette Books, Poisoned Pen Press $16.99 13 pages Eriq La Salle – actor, director and producer – is widely known for his performance in the film “Coming to America” and his role as Dr. Peter Benton on the NBC Medical drama “E.R.” (Photo: 2022 Crown Media United States/ Allister Foster) The events in the book are entirely plausible, given current events in the world today and last summer’s heatwave. You can almost feel the tension. You can almost smell it.

That realism sharpens the vicious gruesomeness of the murders that pepper this story, as does the authenticism in the details pertaining to religions. The latter is subtle, as author Eriq La Salle leads readers to understand without detracting from the story itself.

And that story...? Well, let’s just say that if you plan on sharing this book, you might want to get someone their own copy. Yours will be ripped from ferocious, eager page-turning...

It may go without saying that this thriller contains violence, profanity, and a relatively quick, relatively chaste bedroom scene, but a warning bears repeating.

Still, if you love a good thriller with a decent cliffhanger, “Laws of Annihilation” is one thing you should read.

Your skin was not even broken.

No cuts, no scratches, no stitches needed.

There was no blood and no bruise, either, not even the least bit of soreness. And yet, you’re wounded, raw, wincing. You’re absolutely not OK right now, and in the new book “The Invisible Ache” by Courtney B. Vance & Dr. Robin L. Smith, with Charisse Jones, it’s from a hurt you cannot see.

The phone call came early in the morning in the middle of the week.

Courtney Vance’s father had taken his own life, leaving his adult children and a wife who was all but paralyzed with grief. Vance “felt like a boy suddenly dealing Dr. Robin L. with big man stuff” but he Smith (Photo: Nick helped his mother who, Onken) after the funeral, insisted that Vance and his sister seek therapy.

Vance had known that his father was in emotional pain for a long time, for a variety of reasons – and he came to understand that he was, too. It was almost like a legacy, one that he says many Black men suffer.

Says Vance’s co-author, “Society’s mirror doesn’t reflect how varied Black men really are...” Black boys are not supposed to cry or be vulnerable, although Smith says that “To be vulnerable is to be strong.” Black men are taught to deal with their problems alone, in silence, but Smith says that talking through trauma allows room for reclaiming power.

Seek support, she says, and remember that “life isn’t virtual,” so draw boundaries and step back from social media sometimes. Don’t be afraid “to talk to young men (and) young women, about the sanctity of their bodies.”

Find your sense of gratitude and remember that church isn’t the only place to pray.

“Feel free to frolic. Walk barefoot through a mud patch if it makes you happy. Plant a garden. Pick up a hula hoop. Plunge into a pool.”

And remember: when it comes to mental self-care, “silence isn’t golden. It is actually deadly. So let’s talk it out.”

Have you hit your discomfort level yet? If not, well, just wait. Authors Courtney B. Vance

“The Invisible Ache”

by Courtney B. Vance & Dr. Robin L. Smith with Charisse Jones c.2023, Balance $30 268 pages and Dr. Robin L. Smith will take you there soon enough – and in “The Invisible Ache,” they’ll Courtney B. Vance bring you back whole.

(Photo: Part autobiography, part Matthew advice, this book is like Jordan Smith) getting poked and prodded until a deep self-inspection is performed – and then being asked to look again. It’s very raw, like removing the bandages the day after cutting off a piece of yourself, but it’s oddly cathartic.

Vance tells his tale and that of his father in a calm way that makes readers want to keep going, despite that it hurts; Smith then takes over and soothes the pain with leading statements that feel like having your hand held. It’s a nice mix, and very helpful.

While this book is primarily meant for Black men, young and old, it’s not a bad read for a woman who wants to help, understand, or do some introspection of her own. Find it; ‘The Invisible Ache’ is not just for the broken.

COMMUNITY The Tri-State Defender, November 16 - 22, 2023, Page 8

Incumbent Joe Brown and Tami Sawyer on course to vie for General Sessions Court Clerk

TSD Newsroom

The General Sessions Court Clerk’s office maintains payments and records for the state’s and largest court operation handling civil and criminal divisions. Incumbent Democrat Joe Brown wants a second term and now his challengers include former Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer.

Brown took out his qualifying petition last month. Sawyer announced her candidacy on Wednesday. The Democratic Primary may also include Rheunte Benson. Records indicate the clerk office’s criminal administrator has also pulled a petition.

“I recognize that people are politically exhausted, but this election comes at a pivot-

al time where it is likely to be the only race for Democrats to vote for on March 5, 2024,” Sawyer said via her announcement release.

“If my time as Shelby County Commissioner showed me anything, it is that local elections Joe matter more than one Brown may know. I will spend the next three months working to inspire our community to actively vote for visible and experienced leadership in our largest court system.”

Brown, a former Memphis City Council

member, had not been reached for comment at the TSD’s print deadline.

The filing deadline to be on the March 5 ballot for the primaries is Dec. 14 at noon.

Sawyer served a single term (September 2018 – August 2022) repreTami senting District 7 on the Sawyer Shelby County Board of Commissioners. She did not seek reelection. She is renowned for the leadership role she took in helping secure the removal of Confederate-era monuments for what then was city-owned parks.

Citing experience as senior human resources professional, Sawyer committed to fostering efficiency, transparency and accessibility within the court system. She also referenced her goal to enhance innovation through technology, improve customer service for judges, attorneys, and civilians, and engage with members of the Shelby County community to ensure citizens are informed and committed to the justice work of the courts.

“Let’s be honest, we are at a dangerous crossroad in Shelby County at the intersection of crime and poverty. I assume this responsibility because the General Sessions Court Clerk’s Office holds a pivotal role in safeguarding our community from harm, ensuring that citizens can access court services seamlessly in a hassle-free manner.”

Thomas Burrell, president of the Black Farmers & Agriculturalists Association, is leading the effort to bring awareness to federal funds available for farmers, ranchers, and forest owners who experienced discrimination in the farm loan process before January 2021. (Photo courtesy of Patricia A. Rogers Public Relations)

Black Farmers to gather in Memphis on a mission TSD Newsroom (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)

Heal the Hood’s annual event gets a boost from Hollywood star TSD Newsroom Heal the Hood Foundation of Memphis representatives said they were elated to have Terrence Howard, Mira Howard and Jon Sklaroff at its annual Hoops for the Holidays Basketball game, which raises funds for the12 Days of Christmas to provide families with gifts for the holidays.

The Howards and Sklaroff were presented The Hero plaque from Heal the Hood for ministering to the youth.

“Those awards that we give are pieces out of our hearts and gratitude,” Miriam Graham of Heal the Hood said. “It’s like a badge of honor for those who dare to help us (at the) Heal the Hood Foundation of Memphis.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris presented Terrence Howard with a Key to the County.

Howard made numerous stops in Memphis last week and weekend as his latest movie, “Showdown at the Grand” had its world premiere in Memphis.

Thomas Burrell, president of the 20,000-member Black Farmers & Agriculturalists Association (BFFA), is scheduled to meet in Memphis on Monday (Nov. 20) with Black farmers and landowners about financial assistance set aside as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2021.

The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis Conference Center, 3700 Central Ave., and set to run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The aim is to bring awareness to the $2.2 billion dollars Congress set aside in for farmers, ranchers, and forest owners who experienced discrimination in the farm loan process before January 2021.

Burrell said the process to apply for the funding is complicated, noting that the application is 40-pages long.

“We believe this 40-page application is going to succeed in denying the African-American community justice and what other money is left over will be given to other farming communities, Burrell said.

“Why does it take 40-pages to decide whether or not the person who you admit you have discriminated against would have to use to qualify.”

Burrell filed a motion in federal court asking a judge to determine that the application is “arbitrary.” No decision has been rendered.

Burrell also filed a lawsuit in August to extend the application deadline from Oct. 31st to January of 2024. The day before the trial was to take place, the USDA extended it to January of 2024.

The Black BFFA also takes issue with the fact that farmers can’t receive money for deceased family members,who also were discriminated against by the department.

“This is un-American,” Burrell said about not being able to apply for deceased family members. “That’s what generational wealth is all about, leaving something for your children’s children, even if it’s the proceeds of the lawsuit.”

Burrell has been hosting awareness meetings with Black farmers in Mississippi, Arkansas, South Carolina, Alabama and other states. According to BFFA, most of the people attending the gatherings were looking to get financial assistance for relatives who had passed away before 2021.

The Tri-State Defender

NEWS

November 16 - 22, 2023

CLASSIFIEDS

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Scott Lockyear & Cynthia Lockyear Tax Parcel #: 02405500000410 Tax Sale #: 505 Price Offered: $1,400 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on January 9, 2024, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Deja Taylor arrives to the United States Courthouse in Newport News, Va., on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, with her lawyer James Ellenson. Taylor, the mother of a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Virginia was sentenced Wednesday, Nov. 15, for using marijuana while owning a gun, which is illegal under U.S. law. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, File)

Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot teacher gets 21 months for marijuana use while owning a gun

by Ben Finley

The Associated Press

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison for using marijuana while owning a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law.

Deja Taylor’s son took her handgun to school and shot Abby Zwerner in her firstgrade classroom in January, seriously wounding the educator. Investigators later found nearly an ounce of marijuana in Taylor’s bedroom and evidence of frequent drug use in her text messages and paraphernalia.

Taylor’s sentencing in a U.S. District Court offered the first measure of accountability for January’s shooting, which revived a national dialogue about gun violence and roiled the military shipbuilding city of Newport News.

Taylor, 26, still faces a separate sentencing in December on the state level for felony child neglect. And Zwerner is suing the school system for $40 million, alleging that administrators ignored multiple warnings the boy had a gun.

U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis handed down the exact punishment that federal prosecutors had requested.

“This case cries out for a sentence of imprisonment,” the judge said, citing Taylor’s “dereliction of duty and responsibility” as a parent.

Davis said there was a “direct line” between the physical, emotional and psychological wounds that Zwerner has endured and Taylor’s decision to mix heavy marijuana use with owning a gun. The judge said Taylor’s son would never have obtained the weapon if his mother had obeyed the law.

“It’s just a travesty that (Zwerner) has had to suffer in that way,” Davis said.

Davis added that the classroom shooting has had lifelong impacts on the other students who were in Zwerner’s classroom: “Those are children that are going to grow up in this community … dealing with that for the rest of their lives.”

Zwerner read aloud an impact statement at Taylor’s sentencing hearing, describing the shooting’s ongoing impact on her life. The bullet had struck her left hand and chest, sending her to the hospital for nearly two weeks.

Zwerner said she has endured five surgeries just to try to return motion to her left

hand. She said wounds and stitches prevented her from showering and going to the gym.

The psychological cost has been steep and includes post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.

“I have nightmares of gore, blood and death — always involving a firearm,” she said.

Zwerner, who no longer works for the school system, said she’s lost herself mentally and suffered “massive financial loss.”

“I feel as if I’ve lost my purpose – I loved children,” she said, adding, “I contend daily with deep emotional scars.”

Gene Rossi, one of Taylor’s attorneys, read aloud a brief statement from Taylor: “I am extremely sorry and very remorseful for my actions.” Taylor also said she would feel that remorse “for the rest of my life.”

The federal case against Taylor comes at a time when marijuana is legal in many states, including Virginia, while many Americans own firearms.

Some U.S. courts in other parts of the country have ruled against the federal law that bans drug users from having guns. But the law remains in effect in many states and has been used to charge others including Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son.

Federal prosecutors in Virginia argued in court filings that Taylor’s “chronic, persistent and ... life-affecting abuse extends this case far beyond any occasional and/or recreational use.”

“This case is not a marijuana case,” they wrote. “It is a case that underscores the inherently dangerous nature and circumstances that arise from the caustic cocktail of mixing consistent and prolonged controlled substance use with a lethal firearm.”

Taylor agreed in June to a negotiated guilty plea. She was convicted of using marijuana while owning a gun as well as lying about her drug use on a federal form when she bought the gun.

Taylor’s attorneys had asked the judge for probation and home confinement. They argued Taylor needs counseling for issues that include schizoaffective disorder, a condition that shares symptoms with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

They also said she needs treatment for marijuana addiction.

“Addiction is a disease and

incarceration is not the cure,” her attorneys wrote.

Taylor’s attorneys also argued that the U.S. Supreme Court could eventually strike down the federal ban on drug users owning guns. For example, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled in August that drug users should not automatically be banned from having guns.

Other lower courts have upheld the ban and the Justice Department has appealed the 5th Circuit ruling to the Supreme Court. The high court has not yet decided whether to take up the case.

Federal law generally prohibits people from possessing firearms if they have been convicted of a felony, been committed to a mental institution or are an unlawful user of a controlled substance, among other things.

The United States Sentencing Commission reported that nearly 8,700 people were convicted under the law last year. The commission did not provide a detailed breakdown of how many were charged because of their drug use. But it said nearly 88 percent of them were convicted because of a prior felony conviction.

Taylor’s grandfather has had full custody of her son, now age 7, since the shooting, according to court documents.

Taylor’s son told authorities he obtained the gun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the firearm was in his mom’s purse.

Taylor initially told investigators she had secured her gun with a trigger lock, but investigators never found one.

Immediately after the shooting, the child told a reading specialist who restrained him: “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to search warrants.

It was not the first time Taylor’s gun was fired in public, prosecutors wrote. Taylor shot at her son’s father in December after seeing him with his girlfriend. “u kouldve killed me,” the father said to Taylor in a text message, according to a brief from prosecutors.

Sometime after her son shot his teacher, Taylor smoked two blunts, prosecutors added. She also failed drug tests while awaiting sentencing on the federal charges.

(Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report.)

Shelby County Land Bank 1075 MULLINS STATION, BLDG. E-1 MEMPHIS, TN 38134 (901) 222-1150 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Scott Lockyear & Cynthia Lockyear Tax Parcel #: 02405500000440 Tax Sale #: 601 Price Offered: $1,700 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on January 9, 2024, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 1075 MULLINS STATION, BLDG. E-1 MEMPHIS, TN 38134 (901) 222-1150 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Scott Lockyear & Cynthia Lockyear Tax Parcel #: 02405500000450 Tax Sale #: 1301 Price Offered: $1,900 Terms: Cash

Page 9

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

Scott Lockyear & Cynthia Lockyear Tax Parcel #: 02405500000370 Tax Sale #: 1801 Price Offered: $1,900 Terms: Cash

Mario Bradley Tax Parcel #: 07106100000040 Tax Sale #: 1803 Price Offered: $39,800 Terms: Cash

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:30 a.m. on January 9, 2024, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 1075 MULLINS STATION, BLDG. E-1 MEMPHIS, TN 38134 (901) 222-1150 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Scott Lockyear & Cynthia Lockyear Tax Parcel #: 02405500000210 Tax Sale #: 1304 Price Offered: $2,000 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 11:00 a.m. on January 9, 2024, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 1075 MULLINS STATION, BLDG. E-1 MEMPHIS, TN 38134 (901) 222-1150 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Tonya Baysmore Tax Parcel #: 08500200000660 Tax Sale #: 1902 Price Offered: $1,500 Terms: Cash

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on January 9, 2024, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 11:30 a.m. on January 9, 2024, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 1075 MULLINS STATION, BLDG. E-1 MEMPHIS, TN 38134 (901) 222-1150

Shelby County Land Bank 1075 MULLINS STATION, BLDG. E-1 MEMPHIS, TN 38134 (901) 222-1150

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on January 10, 2024, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 1075 MULLINS STATION, BLDG. E-1 MEMPHIS, TN 38134 (901) 222-1150 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: GMG Real Estate LLC Tax Parcel #: 03802000000100 Tax Sale #: 1902 Price Offered: $4,500 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on January 10, 2024, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 1075 MULLINS STATION, BLDG. E-1 MEMPHIS, TN 38134 (901) 222-1150 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Scott Lockyear & Cynthia Lockyear Tax Parcel #: 02405500000410 Tax Sale #: 505 Price Offered: $1,400 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on January 10, 2024, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 1075 MULLINS STATION, BLDG. E-1 MEMPHIS, TN 38134 (901) 222-1150

SPORTS The Tri-State Defender, November 16 - 22, 2023, Page 10

Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield leads the Tigers onto the field for the homecoming scrap against the South Florida Bulls. (Photo: Terry Davis/The Tri-State Defender)

Memphis to host SMU on Senior Day with championship aspirations on the line

by Terry Davis

Special to The Tri-State Defender

The University of Memphis Tigers sport an 8-2 record and are looking to reach the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship game for the first time since 2018. That was the year the team went to the Cotton Bowl.

During that 2018 season, the Tigers earned the right to host the SMU Mustangs as part of ESPN College Game Day. On Saturday the Tigers host the Mustangs and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

If Memphis can get past Smut and defeat the Temple Owls the next week, that will open the door for the team to either host or travel on the first week of December to play for a potential spot in a New Year’s Six Bowl game.

The Tigers are sitting in fourth place in the conference standings. Tulane, SMU and the University of Texas at San Antonio are currently undefeated in conference play.

“There is a long list of what SMU is,” said Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield.

“They are in the top 10 in the country in scoring. They’re in the top 10 in scoring defense.

They are playing at an extremely high level.

Terry They have a very talentDavis ed team, but so do we.”

This will be the last year that the Tigers and the Mustangs will play as conference opponents. SMU will be leaving the AAC to go the Atlantic Coast Conference next season. The Mustangs made their plans known just a few months ago when all the conference members were playing musical chairs and switching conferences.

Saturday’s game will kick off at 11 a.m. at the Simmons Bank Liberty Bowl Stadium. The Tigers have only one home loss this season.

The defense was expected to be the backbone of this team to start the season.

The defense has shown flashes of greatness and have been able to get critical stops at the right time in games.

On his defense Silverfield said, “We have great defensive coaches. We have great defensive players,” said Silverfield. “The defensive coaches and players know we have to be better. Anytime you go into a game and get four takeaways, you are going to win most games. They are making the plays when it matters most.”

This will be the last game for 17 seniors, who will participate in the Senior Day ceremony. Those seniors are: Jaylon Allen, Simeon Blair, Reid Bauer, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, Tauskie Dove, Koby Drake, Josh Ellison, Cincir Evans, Malik Feaster, Andres Fox, Jaylen Joyner, Jacob Likes, Terrance McClain, Joe Norwood, Hank Pearson, Joseph Scates and Blake Watson.

All the seniors have had a major impact on the team. Watson is on pace to be the first 1,000-yard rusher since 2019. He has

rushed for 909 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He has 393 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. He made the AAC weekly Honor Roll three times this season.

Allen has been one of the most vocal and active leaders on defense for the past several years. He is the heart and soul of the unit. This season Allen has 15 quarterback sacks, 1 forced fumble and 35 total tackles.

Quarterback Seth Henigan did not practice last week until Friday. This week he was a full participant all week. If the Tigers want to keep their championship hopes alive, Henigan will need to have yet another great game.

“I have been saying it all year. You have to look at your next game as the most important game of the year,” Henigan said.

“This game has a lot of magnitude for the Conference Championship. Two really good teams going at it.”

Memphis has a career 10-5 record over the history of their meetings with SMU. The home team has won each of the last three meetings. The game can be seen on ESPN2.

Tigers take No. 15 Tennessee to OT but come up short KNOXVILLE – The University of Memphis women’s basketball team put up the ultimate fight tagainst No. 15 Tennessee. The Tigers battled from behind multiple times before forcing overtime in Knoxville.

Late free throws from the Lady Vols proved costly as Memphis suffered the 84-74 overtime loss.

Memphis moved to 1-2 for the season.

Tennessee got out to an 8-2 lead going into the first media timeout. Kai Carter got the Tigers on the board at the 7:43 mark with a jumper at the free throw line. Just a minute later, Layken Cox knocked down a shot from the same spot to cut Memphis› deficit to 8-4.

Memphis got three-pointers from Madison Griggs and Ki›Ari Cain, along with an and-one from Alasia Smith, to finish the quarter on a 14-5 run and take the 20-20

score into the second half.

The Tigers took their first lead of the night after Cain sank her second three-pointer of the game for the 2723 lead and forced Tennessee to call a timeout. Memphis would hold the Lady Vols scoreless for nearly five minutes to extend its lead out to 3223.

UT made a late first half run to cut into the Tigers lead. But the Memphis defense held steady to take the 36-32 lead into the break.

Memphis’ defense forced the Lady Vols into 15 turnovers in the opening half while the offense drained six three-pointers and shot just over 44 percent from the field.

Tennessee regained the lead midway through the third quarter after eight consecutive points made it a 42-42 game and forced the Tigers to call a timeout.

With less than four minutes left

in the third quarter, Memphis strung together a four-point possession after Griggs sank two free throws and Raven Sims hit a running floater in the lane to make it a 48-46 Lady Vol lead. The Tigers held Tennessee to 0-5 from the field to finish out the third quarter and faced a 54-51 deficit heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

After a back-and-forth game, Tennessee started to pull away from Memphis with a 66-57 lead with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Tigers manufactured an 11-3 run to close out the quarter – including a game-tying bucket from Sims to send the game into overtime at 69-69.

Memphis tied the game back up with 2:51 to play in overtime following consecutive layups from Smith. Hannah Riddick added a free throw with 1:28 remaining, but

After battling Tennessee into OT, Tigers head to Bahamas for ‘Battle 4 Atlantis. (Photo: University of Memphis Athletics) the Lady Vols sank seven from the charity stripe in the final 60 seconds to take the 84-74 win.

Kai Carter led the team with 18 points while Madison Griggs added 16 while sinking four from long range. Ki›Ari Cain and Alasia Smith both reached double-figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Cain, Smith and Shelbee Brown all pulled down five rebounds.

As a team, Memphis forced Tennessee into 24 turnovers and shot just over 36 percent from the field.

The Tigers will jet to the Bahamas

this weekend to take part in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Memphis first game is scheduled for Saturday (Nov. 18) against Arizona. Tip-off is slated for 1:30 p.m. CT. Coverage of the game can be found on FloHoops.

(Source: University of Memphis Athletics.)

(For more information on Memphis Tigers Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team›s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.)