The New Tri-State Defender (July 9-15, 2020)

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VOL. 69, No. 28

July 9 - 15, 2020

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2020 – What a year to graduate!

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COVID-19: Restrictions tightened TSD Newsroom “What time is it?” was the question implied and directly answered on Tuesday as Shelby County’s Health Department director outlined the most immediate path forward for dealing with the rising tide of COVID-19 cases in Memphis and Shelby County.

“We have an opportunity at this time for all of us to step up and do what we can as individuals to reduce transmission,” Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter said at the City of Memphis / Shelby County Joint COVID Task Force briefing.

“And if we do that, then we can get back to school, back to work just as we plan as a larger community.”

The briefing yielded a new health directive. Set to be effective at midnight Wednesday (July 8), the emergency measure mandated that bars providing “entertainment only” be closed until further notice. Bars serving food must close at 10 p.m., which also was the time reset for restaurants.

As of Tuesday morning, Memphis/Shelby County had 12,165 confirmed cases of the

SEE COVID ON PAGE 2

With matching 4.42 grade point averages, Camille “Cami” Taylor and Tarrell Charles emerged as co-valedictorians at Melrose High School. (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)

SCS’s ‘best and brightest’ embrace words of wisdom

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

INSIDE

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The rite of passage known as high school graduation signals success, with each year’s observation embraced with a sense of survival. For all of the Class of 2020 high school graduates, the global pandemic that turned much of the academic year into a life-threatening obstacle course added an unforeseen element of realism.

Among the graduates are those lauded as standouts and earners of the coveted title of valedictorian by virtue of achieving the highest grade point average among their peers.

Shelby County Schools (SCS) honored 31 valedictorians in the just completed school year. None got to deliver the customary address in a graduation ceremony packed with fellow graduates, family, friends and supporters.

Seeking to provide a platform for the best of the best to extend words of inspiration, SCS afforded each an opportunity to share a message from an influencer, inspiring personality.

From that valedictorian platform, The New Tri-State Defender culled these words of inspiration: Elaine Moore Craigmont High School “It will be over soon.” – Unknown Destinee Taylor Kirby High School “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jaeda Taylor Kingsbury High School

Pages 5–9 • Melrose High ‘doubles up’ on valedictorians in 2020 • Shelby County Schools 2020 Salutatorians also have their say • ‘Principal of the Year’ mans the house at Whitehaven H.S • A 2020 message from a 2010 valedictorian • Kaitlyn Williams got to ‘march’ in her graduation’ after all

“It’s just a bad day, not a bad life.” – Mary Engelbreit

“Don’t fear failure. Fear the absence of progress. – Unknown

Damia Lewis Douglass High School “Opportunity isn’t given, it’s created.” – Samuel L. Jackson

Chloe Baker Germantown High School “Nothing comes of nothing.” – William Shakespeare

Chantz Foster Ridgeway High School “Nothing is impossible. The word, itself, says ‘I’m possible.” – Audrey Hepburn Autumn Jamison Overton High School

Alexis Pelliccioti Central High School “My wish for you is that you continue.

Continue to be who and how you are, to as-

SEE QUOTES ON PAGE 5

At issue: must police, firefighters live in county Council gives first OK to removing ballot measure on residency

by Erica R. Williams Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The seemingly never-ending debate about where Memphis police officers and firefighters can live began a new chapter Tuesday (June 7) when the Memphis City Council voted to remove a police residency referendum from the Nov. 3 ballot.

It was the first of three readings on a consent agenda and must be approved twice more before the referendum can be removed.

Since the vote was part of a consent agenda containing other matters, there was not much debate on the issue. That is expected to change as the referendum moves closer to a final passage.

The issue of where Memphis police officers and firefighters should live has been a reoccurring debate in Memphis and Shelby County.

Police officers and firefighters have to live within the county, but if allowed on the ballot, voters could decide if they can live up to 50 miles outside of the county.

Although council members voted in favor of removing the question off of the ballot, Tuesday, this wasn’t always the body’s con-

SEE CITY ON PAGE 2

The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

Page 2

NEWS CITY CONTINUED FROM FRONT

COVID CONTINUED FROM FRONT coronavirus, a one-day uptick of 146 cases. Numbers have trended upward since Memorial Day. The past week’s positivity rate exceeded 12, with the goal to be below 10.

On Wednesday, 302 new cases were registered on one additional death overnight.

The number of confirmed cases totaled 12,467, with 201 deaths.

“We know we are at a pivotal point,” Haushalter. “We can continue to try and flatten the curve or we can continue to trend upward. We’ve had to revisit what restrictions we’ve had to put in place to reduce transmission.’’

The road ahead includes looking at what additional restrictions are necessary, said Haushalter. “If we look at the guidance provided by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) during their site visit, we next will look at capacity of restaurants and likely look at whether or not gyms can continue stay open…or have to reduce capacity.”

The updated restrictions on bars and restaurants came as Haushalter, Dr. Pedro A. Velasquez-Mieyer and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris gave a fresh push to wearing masks to help curb the virus’ spread.

“Masking is the law of the land here in our community, but, more importantly, it is one of the best ways to protect yourself from transmission, protect your family and your neighbors,” said Harris.

In Memphis-Shelby County, the wearing of mask is required by anyone over the age of 12 in public places where they cannot social distance.

Pitching the importance of wearing masks, Dr. Velasquez-Mieyer detailed that Hispanics make up about 8 percent of the local community and about 20 percent of the confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Acknowledging that the virus is not likely to go away soon, Harris talked about taking long-term approaches, with a focus on “protecting

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris takes off his mask as he prepares to share information at the COVID-19 briefing. (Screen capture)

Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter: “We know we are at a pivotal point. ...We can continue to try and flatten the curve or we can continue to trend upward.” {Screen capture) those communities that are vulnerable. Those are the nursing home communities, prison communities and some of our minority communities.”

Harris said the last data he had seen indicated that, “We were doing a relatively good job with respect to the African-American community and African Americans were not that vastly overrepresented in the number of confirmed cases. That is very different from the Latinx community, which is very much overrepresented based on the most recent data that I have seen.”

Harris noted that he had signed a lease on property at 2655 Dividend Dr. in Whitehaven for Health Department expansion, including about 141 new employees “exclusively devoted to confronting COVID and slowing the spread.…”

Referencing the Shelby County Penal Farm (the Shelby County Correctional Center), Harris said data-driven

steps had been taken with the results released to the public.

“Today we plan to add even further protections at that site, including setting up weekly testing for staff.”

At the outset of the briefing, Haushalter said there are “some significant issues” that point to ongoing community transmission.

Shrinking hospital capacity is a growing concern for local health officials,” she said.

“As of this morning, we have our highest number of people hospitalized with COVID. That’s very concerning to us. It does let us know we have an uptick in hospitalizations that is moving toward a surge. That is being monitored closely and strategies are being put in place to make sure that individuals who need hospital beds have access to them.”

(This story was reported by Karanja A. Ajanaku and Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell.)

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should be looking at more police reform and not more police officers.

“Data shows that we decrease crime by decreasing poverty,” the Rev. Earle Fisher of Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church said during the press conference.

Fisher sees that as “investing more in public education than we invest in public incarceration. By making it easier to get a job with a livable wage than it is to get guns and drugs.

So, to this end, we implore every City Council member to do the right thing in the vote to remove this referendum.

“We will be watching this vote closely because the vote signifies our broader longterm commitment to police reform.”

Tuesday, the council also approved a resolution declaring race a pandemic in Memphis. This comes just weeks after the Shelby County Commission made the same declaration during a June meeting.

“This is the right thing for us to do to be more conscious about it, and make sure that, as we move forward and consider the legislation, that we remember that this is a pandemic as well,” said Council Chair Patrice Robinson.

The resolution passed in the City Council unanimously.

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Board of Commissioners and the City Council have discussed reform in their recent meetings.

Although some council members have changed their position on the issue of police residency requirements, Police Director Michael Rallings has stood by his claim. He said that relaxing the requirements and allowing officers to live in neighboring counties is needed to recruit additional officers.

“Let’s remember, we’re 444 officers short of our 2,500 goal,” Rallings told the council on Tuesday.

Rallings has also said that voters should have a say on the issue.

“I’m disturbed that there are some members of council that don’t want the voters to vote on this,” he said during a February council meeting. “If the council does not allow them to vote, then shame on them.”

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has agreed with Rallings, saying that “dropping the residency requirement is necessary to fill the shortage of MPD officers.”

The council’s decision Tuesday also came hours after a coalition of black pastors held a virtual press conference calling for the referendum’s removal.

The clergymen said the city

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sensus.

Last year, the council voted against its removal after Councilmember Martavius Jones tried multiple times to get it taken off.

Jones told The New TriState Defender in January that the city’s tax base is at stake if officers are allowed to live in other counties.

“An eroding tax base means that there is less money to fix Memphis roads, infrastructure and to pay the salaries of the needed public service jobs in Memphis,” he said.

He also worried that police officers coming in from other counties could result in a disconnection between law enforcement and the communities they would be serving.

It’s one of the reasons Michalyn Easter-Thomas, a new council member, wanted to revisit the issue. In June, she introduced a resolution seeking to once again remove the question from the ballot.

“This referendum has the looming power to undo everything this city is fighting for in accountability and reform in local policing,” Easter-Thomas has said about allowing police officers to live outside of Shelby County.

Police reform has escalated as a topic of discussion across the country after the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. Both were killed by police officers.

Locally, the Shelby County

“I’m disturbed that there are some members of council that don’t want the voters to vote on this,. If the council does not allow them to vote, then shame on them.”

— Police Director Michael Rallings

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PERSPECTIVE The New Tri-State Defender, July 9 - 15, 2020, Page 3

Grace above all things A message from SCS Supt. Ray

by Dr. Joris Ray Special to The New Tri-State Defender

While it is my honor to serve as the superintendent for Shelby County Schools, my greatest role is father – to be more precise – the father of a college student and the husband, brother, uncle and cousin of teachers. These hats are not unique to just me – my entire leadership team includes wives, husbands, mothers and fathers.

In planning to re-open schools this fall, these personal roles are as cherished as our professional responsibilities. We are not just planning for the safety of the district’s 100k students during these unprecedented times, but also our own children, grandchildren and spouses.

This is why I can assure you that while there is no manual for how we hold onto the tradition and excitement of back to school while mitigating the spread of a highly contagious virus, we have explored, vetted, planned and replanned for every aspect of our opening procedures.

Yet…(after announcing final decisions

I need your grace in understanding that the government did not and cannot provide us with finite resources to bring students back to school. and protocols this past Monday), I cannot assure you that it will not change again, because that is how quickly the virus impacts the information we use to make decisions.

This is why, in these next few weeks, I am asking that we all demonstrate an extra measure of grace and patience as we explain and answer your questions about how students will learn next year.

I need your grace in understanding that the government did not and cannot provide us with finite resources to bring students back to school. We’ve allocated resources to keep students as safe as possible from a virus that has no vaccine, and to ensure they have a device to continue their learning if we have to close schools. The district cannot afford one teacher for every ten students and it does not have space in buildings to spread students six feet apart.

Working parents need grace from their extended family, churches and the com-

munity to help with their child’s education.

Schools are going to experience rolling closures this year and probably more than once. Parents have got to be thinking about how they will ensure their children will keep up with their schoolwork and they probably won’t be able to do it alone. If you don’t personally need help, please help someone else.

Students need grace as they grow another year in a changing world. Birthdays, field trips, recess, sports, dance, and more are going to be different, but not necessarily over. In regards to our students, let’s not confuse grace with low expectations. It is because we love students that we will not lower expectations. Grading, attendance, and homework will all be a part of the school year, no matter where learning is occurring. We cannot rob students of their future by allowing a virus to lower the bar for expectations.

Teachers need grace as they return to school and adjust to routines that will be heavily modified to keep them and their students healthy. They will also need grace as they convert all of their materials and translate their creativity and passion to online teaching for students they may have never yet met in person.

Dr. Joris Ray Principals will need grace as they modify buildings, courses, classloads, lunch schedules, and more to support a school community that will now spread between the building, living rooms and kitchen tables.

We all need to practice a little bit of grace before we recoil, rebuke and rebuff on social media and other public spaces.

Leaders – all of whom go to sleep each night as husband, wife, father, mother and Memphian – are working together, seeking wise counsel, and diligently serving our community. We can achieve, with grace, together. Coronavirus will not defeat us.

We are 901!

THE CULTURAL COACH

Looking at the White way of life

by Linda S. Wallace Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Reader question: If African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans have cultures, then why don’t White Americans?

If there is a European-American culture, what is it exactly?

Linda S. Answer: Yes, there Wallace is an Italian culture, an Irish culture, an English culture and now, according to some, a European-American culture. Jeff Hitchcock, founder of The Center for The Study of White American Culture (http://www.euroamerican.org/), is one who believes European-Americans have a distinctive culture. Many, but not all, of today’s diversity experts, agree with him.

Hitchcock, a European-American with a master’s degree in social psychology and a master’s degree in business administration, founded the Roselle, N.J.-based multiracial institute in pursuit of improving race relations and cultural understanding.

He says research suggests that whites view race through one of three prisms: White racist prism: European Americans, who consciously identify themselves as White, recognize that Whites have a dis-

tinct culture, and believe that Whites are superior to people of color.

The colorblind prism: People who argue race shouldn’t make a difference in life and that – since it shouldn’t – we should act as if race does not matter. People in this group see no need to talk about race at all.

“The irony of colorblindness is that by not seeing whiteness, it keeps whiteness centered,” Hitchcock says.

White consciousness or race savvy prism: People who consciously identify themselves as white but do not think any racial or ethnic group is superior. Those with “White consciousness” believe American Whites hold an unjust privilege and dominant position in a racial hierarchy, Hitchcock says. This model is only about 40 years old, compared to 100 years for colorblindness and 400 years for racism.

Race-savvy European-Americans argue whiteness forms the center of our society and, as long as it does, America cannot have a society centered on multiracial values. They do not subscribe to the belief that just because we have equal opportu-

nity laws on the book, we now have equal opportunity. Why not? Bias and culture are two key factors.

To truly understand the White racial prisms, we must first define the term culture. Surface culture, which includes, food, dress and customs, is visible and easy to recognize.

However, the culture that shapes how we interact with others, interpret actions and place meaning on behaviors – which is referred to as deep culture – is invisible to most of us. We can’t see it, and we can’t tell when it is at work or is shut down.

“Generally, we don’t think about our cultural framework at all,” Hitchcock says.

In other words, when we watch the news or new TV dramas and see and hear people speaking Spanish, we don’t stop to think, “Am I looking at this through my White perspective or I am viewing it as a member of a multiethnic America?”

Within the White culture, there are individual differences that span the prisms, Hitchcock says. For example, Whites can be Democrats, Republicans, conservatives or liberals.

“But there is a commonality we develop from growing up in a particular culture,” Hitchcock asserts. “Individualism is a very strong value in the White culture, much more so than in other cultures. (Whites) tend to see people as the product of what they have done.”

If a person has accomplished something great, Whites tend to attribute it to the

person’s talents and intellectual or artistic gifts. If a person has not accomplished much, then that individual tends to be seen as unworthy or unfit.

Hitchcock says this type of worldview tends to cover up structural weaknesses that might exist in society and discounts factors racism, sexism and discrimination due to one’s sexual orientation.

Black leaders often are quoted as discussing a need for direction and action plans. What about Whites?

In Hitchcock’s book, “Lifting the White Veil: An Exploration of White American Culture in A Multiracial Context,” he sees two strong forces at work that are pulling the community in opposing directions.

Race-savvy whites seek to create an inclusive community that embraces a range of cultures and perspectives. But Hitchcock says others have a “sense that I am the original American and you (people of color) are the person who came around later. They feel if anyone is to say who and what is American, I am the person to make that decision.”

(Linda S. Wallace is a free-lance journalist and communication specialist, who helps clients develop cross-cultural messages for the workplace and the media.

Readers are invited to submit questions on work or personal problems related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or physical differences to Theculturalcoach@aol. com.)

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The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

Page 4

RELIGION LEGACY:

‘Black lives matter’ versus ‘Go Father Ted!’ Protesters back Indiana pastor who called activists maggots CARMEL, Ind. (AP) – Supporters of an Indiana minister who was suspended for calling organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement “maggots and parasites” walked out of a service and shouted at a bishop who ended his remarks with the words, “Black lives matter.”

The counterprotesters Sunday at St. Elizabeth Seton church in Carmel, Ind., were opposing the suspension of the Rev. Theodore Rothrock. After Bishop Timothy Doherty said “Black lives matter” at the end of his opening

comments, one woman shouted “You’re a coward!,” before she was escorted out.

“Black lives matter!” chants were met with chants of “Go Father Ted!” during the demonstration called the “Gathering for Equality, Justice and Healing.”

Counterprotesters argued that Rothrock was speaking the truth, according to The Indianapolis Star.

Rothrock was suspended from public ministry by Doherty for comparing the Black Lives Matter movement and its organizers to “maggots and parasites” in a re-

Rev. Theodore Rothrock (l); Bishop Timothy Doherty. cent church bulletin.

By 11 a.m. on Sunday, protesters and counterprotesters went from church grounds to the sidewalk, communicating their respective messages to passing cars and church attendees.

A group in support of Rothrock said their goal was not to engage with other groups but to have a presence on the church campus throughout the day.

“We feel that Father Ted spoke out in truth, and we’re to peaceably pray in support of all lives,”

Jill Metz, who organized the group said. “This should not be about Black lives. All lives matter. All lives.”

Kathy Cohenour, an Indianapolis resident, said she was horrified

by Rothrock’s remarks. She held a sign during the demonstration that read, “Racism is not a Catholic teaching.”

Cohenour said she’s been taking part in social justice movements since the 1960s and is thankful that the next generation continues to fight.

Farewell to Edgar Tyrone Miller

Notables such as former Congressman Harold Ford Sr. (left) and Memphis Police Department Director Michael Rallings were among the many from varied walks of life at the homegoing for Edgar T. Miller, the chief of operations at N.J. Ford & Sons Funeral Home. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

This custom-made face mask was part of paying respect to Edgar T. Miller, who died last week at 68.

Trish Taylor and Willie Miller, Edgar T. Miller’s godson and brother, joined in the celebration of his life at Serenity Columbarium and Memorial Garden.

Edgar T. Miller

Karen Lynne Chandler – a ‘happy, loving free spirit’

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Karen Lynne Chandler, 68, was a woman of many talents – a great organizer, gifted calligrapher and artist, among other skills.

Ms. Chandler died June 29, according to her daughter, Rai Chandler Bolden.

Scores of Facebook tributes and expressions of sympathy filled Chandler’s account.

“Karen Lynne Chandler quietly and unassumingly closed her eyes for the last time after a champion-worthy battle,” posted Bolden. “…While we are all so very heartbroken and we will miss her…We will speak her name, tell funny stories, marvel at the lives she touched, and keep her memory alive…”

Ms. Chandler was born in Memphis on Dec. 28, 1951, the second of seven children born to Howard Bonner and Louise Bernard Chandler.

She was a 1969 graduate Hamilton High School, where she was a majorette with the marching band and was voted “Miss Celebrity” by her senior class.

After high school, Ms. Chandler attended the University of Albuquerque in New Karen Lynne Chandler Mexico, where she (Courtesy majored in sociology. photo) Extensive travels took her all over the West Coast. Lifelong friendships were made throughout the region.

When she returned home, Ms. Chandler worked at Memphis Housing Authority, helping to secure housing for displaced families.

She was instrumental in the opening of the Firehouse Community Arts Center, working tirelessly alongside Executive Director Bennie West. Chandler was the nonprofit’s first full-time employee, leading the charge to renovate and transform the neglected 1910 City of Memphis fire station.

She later worked at Universal Life Insurance Company, working with her father, an executive who was related to co-founder Mark Bonner.

Chandler eventually came to work for the City of Memphis under the administration of former mayor Dr. Willie W. Herenton. She coordinated logistical needs for many divisions of city government.

She often was the first face visitors saw when entering City Hall. Ms. Chandler had recently retired after working under three city administrations.

A gifted calligrapher and artist, she often designed creations for friends and colleagues for special events. She was an avid reader and an excellent cook.

“Mother was cremated, but she didn’t want a funeral service,” Bolden said. “She requested that we have a party, and we’re going to do that in December on her birthday.”

Chandler maintained friendships from childhood and high school until her death, Bolden said. This online message is from one of those friends, Matoiri Spencer: “This is a tough one…K touched my life in so many ways…I will truly miss her…life lessons and unsolicited advice. That was my girl! We were Hamilton High School majorettes during our time…My sincere condolences…”

2020 – What a year to graduate!

The New Tri-State Defender, July 9 - 15, 2020, Page 5

2020 VALEDICTORIANS (left-right from top) Alexis Pelliccioti, Central Allen Wu, White Station Amelia Simpson, Bolton Angelique Hamilton, Trezevant Ashley Elizonda, Wooddale Autumn Jamison, Overton Camille Taylor, Melrose Carly Robinson, Middle College High Chantz Foster, Ridgeway Chloe Baker, Germantown Cornelius Meeks, Mitchell

Gifts of learning...

Thanks to the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, Booker T. Washington High School 2020 graduates (l-r) Ladazier Mathis and Karshala Hill have new computers to help with the next leg of their learning journeys. So do the other graduates. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

QUOTES CONTINUED FROM FRONT tonish a mean world with your acts of kindness.” – Maya Angelou Steven Go Cordova High School “There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison Quantia Anderson Avon Lenox High School “Empower yourself with a good education. Then, get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise.” – Michelle Obama

“My whole life, I’ve been looking to be a part of something special, to feel special, but the truth is that I am special.” – Rachel Barry Kayla Chavis Memphis Virtual School “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” – Malcolm X Ashley Elizonda Wooddale High School “It doesn’t matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going.” – Brian Tracy

Allen Wu White Station High School “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” – Steve Jobs

Juan Espino Sheffield High School “I have not special talent. I am passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein

Marissa Ingram Whitehaven High School “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting: in the trying, not the triumph.”

– Zig Zigler

Jhoana Hernandez Southwind High School “Every day when I wake up, the goal is to be better than I was yesterday. Whether it’s a better daughter, sister, friend, student, I will strive to be better.” – Ms. Ivy

Quinton Ray II Raleigh Egypt High School “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” – Angela Davis

Irone Winsley Westwood High School “No matter how brilliant you think you are, you can never make a difference alone.” – L. Lawliet

Amelia Simpson Bolton High School “Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” – Malcolm X

Joseph Zeron Oakhaven High School “Don’t be ashamed of failing; be ashamed of giving up.” – Ramadan Kareem

Angelique Hamilton Trezevant High School “Work hard in silence. Let the success be your noise.” – Frank Ocean

Le’Jerria Richardson Manassas High School “Pain is temporary. It may last for a minute, or an hour, or a day, or even a year. But eventually, it will subside. And something else takes its place. If I quit, however, it will last forever.” – Eric Thomas

Cornelius Meeks Mitchell High School “You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, and expect to win.” – Hilary Hinton (Zig Ziglar) Nyeisha Jordan Northwest Prep Academy “Challenges are what make life interesting, and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joseph J. Marine Natalya Johnson Hollis F. Price High School “Look closely at the present you are constructing; it should look like the future you are building.” – Alice Walker Carly Robinson Middle College High School “There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.” – Oprah Winfrey Tyler Finley East High School

Torian Carwell Booker T. Washington High School “So many of our dreams first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then we summon the will.” – Christopher Reeves Myah Anderson Hamilton High School “Focus on the possibility for success, not on the potential for failure.” – Napolean Hill Camille Taylor Melrose High School “You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.” – Maya Angelou Tarrell Charles Melrose High School “Man’s greatness comes in his ability to do and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done.” – Frederick Douglass

Damia Lewis, Douglass Destinee Taylor, Kirby Elaina Moore, Craigmont Irone Winsley, Westwood Jaeda Taylor, Kingsbury Jhoana Hernandez, Southwind Joseph Zeron, Oakhaven Juan Espino, Sheffield Kayla Chavis, Memphis Virtual School Le’Jerria Richardson, Manassas Marissa Ingram, Whitehaven Myah Anderson, Hamilton

Natalya Johnson, Hollis F. Price Middle College High Nyeisha Jordan, Northwest Prep Academy Quantia Anderson, Avon Lenox Quinton Ray II, Raleigh-Egypt Steven Go, Cordova Tarrell Charles, Melrose Torian Carwell, Booker T. Washington Tyler Finley, East

The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

Page 6

CLASS OF 2020

Melrose doubles up on valedictorians

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

To say Camille “Cami” Taylor and Tarrell Charles were fierce, academic rivals at Melrose High School would be inaccurate.

As a matter of fact, Taylor and Charles are “best buds.”

Not only were they school mates, they both work in FedEx hub.

Both were eyeing that valedictorian spot well before senior year. Both were determined to succeed. Both did.

Two parallel lives, leading to the same destination. In the Orange Mound “village,” their paths were bound to cross.

Camille Taylor Taylor is the “baby” in her family. From the time she was born, the Taylor family has lived in the same housing community in Orange Mound.

Although there wasn’t much money, Taylor and her four siblings enjoyed the love and care of two parents in the household – Thomas and Marilyn Taylor.

Thomas Taylor remembers when “Orange Mound, TN” was in its heyday and the time before he attended Melrose.

Since then, blight, crime and widespread business closings have seriously challenged the community and many other African-American neighborhoods.

One constant has been Melrose High School. It closed briefly for renovations, but the school has educated generations of the same families for decades.

Cami Taylor, a product of Melrose’s continuing legacy, would be a child of promise.

No one in the family had ever made it to college.

But she would. When she graduated eighth-grade as class salutatorian, Cami decided that second place just wasn’t good enough. By the 10th-grade, she was number one.

Cami was determined to stay there.

“Science has always been my favorite subject,” she said. “I also had an interest in aviation, but flying a plane does not appeal to me as much as becoming an OB/GYN “In college, I plan to keep up the great academic work and graduate with honors. I want my parents to continue to be proud of me.”

Melrose has remained the center of the village. It continues to be the place where

staff and faculty encourage and empower students to become their best.

Parents, who no longer have school-aged children at Melrose, still come to volunteer.

Tarrell Charles Held back in kindergarten, Charles never forgot the humiliation. When he finally got to the first grade, he was seven. Most of his time was spent alone, a latch-key kid.

“My mother had to work every day, except weekends to support me,” Tarrell said.

“Unfortunately, after I finished first grade, I had to say ‘goodbye’ to all my school friends because we had to move.”

That traumatic move was the first of many, Tarrell said. From one low-income apartment complex to another, Tarrell and his mother tried to make a home.

He rides by some of those same apartments today. Many of them have since been partially torn down and abandoned.

“I had to transfer four times to different elementary schools,” he said. “That made me angry inside. As soon as I got settled into a new school, we had to move again. I was always the new kid.”

In the seventh grade, a STEM class opened up new worlds and possibilities.

“I knew right away I wanted to be a game developer,” said Tarrell.

By the ninth grade, he had locked onto a serious attitude toward his studies.

“I decided that I was going into this school, and I will do the best I can do,” Tarrell said. “I knew high school really mattered, and I was determined to do every thing I could to succeed. I came in with the number one spot, and I held on to it all the way to my senior year.”

Tarrell immersed himself in school life, becoming involved in the Student Council, Student Congress and the Memphis Youth City Council.

Now he’s on his way to Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla. “It is my dream college,” he said. “I am on my way to my dream job.”

And so, Melrose boasts two standouts, both with a GPA of 4.22. On a four-point system, extra points are acquired with AP and Honors courses.

Do they mind sharing the top spot? Not really. They both have the same response: “It’s cool.”

M EM PH IS

We’re posi+ive you’ll find the real you here.

This is the one time in your life when you should find the place that speaks to you. Not to your friends. Not to anyone else. There are so many pluses, so many ways that Memphis will have a positive

impact on your life. It will change you instantly and be with you forever. When you add Memphis to your life, it stays with you and gives you an education to use for the greater good.

Driven by Doing.

The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

Page 7

CLASS OF 2020 iMOM

A 2020 message from a 2010 valedictorian

by Brittany Holst Special to The New Tri-State Defender

I graduated as valedictorian of Middle College High School, Class of 2010.

It was one of the biggest milestones in my life. Loved ones gathered at the Orpheum Theatre to watch my fellow classmates and I walk across the stage to receive our diplomas.

Fast forward to 2020. Graduations are much different. When students began their senior year in August 2019, they were looking forward to a traditional graduation ceremony. They Brittany dreamed of sitting with their fellow Holst classmates and hearing their loved ones celebrating as they walk across stage to receive their diploma.

No one could have fathomed that, when the time came, things would not be as imagined. The world and graduating classes of 2020 were devastated by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Yes, a virus that basically shut down the whole world continues to have an effect on the nation.

Due to COVID-19 and social distancing, Shelby County Schools officials and administrators came up with a creative way of making this milestone a memorable occasion for the graduating high school students.

Schools throughout the city held drive-through graduations.

Students in cap-and-gown attire lined up in decorated cars, filled with their screaming loved ones, waited their turn to drive up to receive their diploma, which represents the official end of their high school lives.

Sparkle Jordan, mother of Brandon Eulls, a graduate of White Station High School, said, “As soon as they called my baby’s name the tears just started falling for one reason: I’m so proud of this baby.”

Jordan feels secure with her son moving into adulthood.

He has the necessary tools to make it in life.

“The first tool being God fearing, the second being understanding the importance of education and the third tool being (the) responsibility and understanding that a man who doesn’t work doesn’t eat. Lastly, the reminder that this world doesn’t owe you anything. You got this,” she said.

Michele Harrison, grandmother of Shadiamond Armstrong, a graduate of Melrose High School, was filled with excitement.

“My first grand baby has graduated. Wow! I’m a proud grandmother and thank God for his Grace and Mercy,” Harrison said.

April Jackson extended words of wisdom to her daughter Ebonye, a graduate of Memphis Academy of Health Sciences High School.

Jackson advised, “Always remember that the sky is the limit, so reach for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will be among the stars.”

Ebonye plans to attend Southwest Tennessee Community College as a music major before attending the University of Memphis. She dreams of becoming a singer and songwriter.

I had the pleasure of witnessing Hamilton High School’s Class of 2020 drive-through graduation celebration. I could feel the excitement as cars, some decorated, lined the streets to be greeted by faculty and friends as they received their diplomas.

Nadjah Dixon said, “Graduating feels great. I’m going to trade school to become a cosmetologist and will eventually have my own business as a salon owner.”

Hamilton High School Principal James Q. Bacchus I and Assistant Principal Nancy Harrison greeted each student with congratulatory wishes as they distributed diplomas.

Bacchus’ message to his graduating students was to re-

Nadjah Dixon is looking forward to attending trade school for cosmetology and starting her own business. (Photos: Brittany Holst)

With his parents in support mode, Brandon Eulls shows his sign of success.

Hamilton High School Principal James Bacchus greeting students. member what matters the most: faith, family and service.

He said, “If they commit themselves to service, everything else will be fine.”

About the first ever drive-through graduation, Bacchus said, “It was a new experience that met the goal. Everyone seemed to be happy about it.

The kids were happy and that was the main goal.”

Ebonye As a former valedictorian, I salute Jackson all 2020 graduates and leave a few words of encouragement as they transition to their next phase of life.

You are strong and can accomplish any goal you desire.

With so much going on in the world, understand that you have a voice and the ability to make a change.

Whether you’d like to be a teacher, attorney, doctor, cosmetologist, entrepreneur, politician, or whatever your goal, you will have the power to touch the lives of so many individuals.

As you enter the life of adulthood, there will be many trials and tribulations, but always stay true to yourself and your goals.

Never give up!

As you make your journey through life, remember to value connections and network as much as you can!

Shadiamond Armstrong is a proud Melrose High School graduate.

Celebrate your successes and learn from your mistakes as they should never be looked at as defeat, but as learned lessons.

Above all, be conscious of your finances, have fun and enjoy life. Congratulations and show the world all the greatness you are made of.

(Brittany Jackson was part of the first corps of iTeen reporters for The New Tri-State Defender. Now as Brittany Holst, her iMom column is a periodic look at motherhood through millennial eyes.)

Myah Anderson models what Hamilton is going for

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

“I had the highest grade-point-average in the 10th grade,” said Myah Anderson, Hamilton High School’s 2020 valedictorian. “I knew I had to just maintain my grades to stay in the top spot.”

Soft-spoken and just a little shy, Anderson is described by Principal James Bacchus as “a model student.

“Myah has always been a

well-rounded student, really focused and highly engaged in school. She worked as an office assistant and was always dependable and responsible. Myah could have gone to any school in the city and would have accomplished the same. She will do well, regardless of where she goes from here,” Bacchus said.

Myah is proud of her accomplishment. She will be the first to say, however, there

were some very difficult times – discouraging events in her life that could have thrown her off course.

“I am a middle child. There are four girls. I have one sister older, and two sisters younger than I am. My mother is a caregiver for elderly and sick people. My father died when I was seven. He was shot,” Anderson said.

Pointing to alumni donations, establishing honors classes and other academ-

ic upgrades, Bacchus said, “Great things are going on at Hamilton High and Myah represents the best of what we are working for.”

Anderson is employed at the Memphis Zoo. This fall, she will attend Southwestern Community College and is the first in her family to go on to a higher learning institution.

She will pursue studies in business administration and aspires to be an entrepreneur.

“I am taking basic business

Myah Anderson, Hamilton High School’s valedictorian, is headed to Southwest Tennessee Community College. (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell) courses because I’m not quite sure what business I want,”

she said. “I just know I want to work for myself.”

The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

Page 8

CLASS OF 2020

Kaitlyn Williams got to ‘march’ in her graduation’ after all

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

White Station High School senior Kaitlyn Williams was looking forward to marching with her class at graduation, walking across stage when her name was called and shaking her principal’s hand as she received her diploma.

“I had played out the scene in my mind many times. It was perfect. People were cheering, I waved at family and friends, and everyone kept telling me how proud they were of my accomplishments,” Kaitlyn said.

That was the way it was supposed to play out, but the COVID 19 global pandemic came to the U.S. and spread like wildfire. What started out as an extended spring break marked the end of in-school classes for the 2019-20 academic year.

Stunned seniors all over the

country sought to adjust as schools tried to figure out creative ways to celebrate their graduates.

School chums turned to Zoom, Facebook, Instagram, and FaceTime to stay connected.

Kaitlyn, like students all over the globe, was trying to navigate the effects of coronavirus in this unprecedented time.

But Kaitlyn’s parents and aunts had a surprise for her.

They orchestrated a public graduation bash in their Cordova community. Their culde-sac was filled with signs and balloons as the surprise parade of family, friends, church members and neighbors drove past a booth honking, dropping off gifts, holding signs, and shouting encouragement from their vehicles.

There were balloons everywhere, grey and green – White Station colors. And “Congrat-

Kaitlyn Williams’ parents and aunts collaborated on a public graduation bash in their Cordova community.

(Courtesy photos) Kaitlyn Williams: “Instead of 2020 being the year of vision, it is for us the year of strength.” ulations Kaitlyn” banners galore.

All that planning, and the savvy graduate had no idea.

“First, I guess I was numb when the school year abruptly ended, but I came to realize that we could not have a normal graduation,” she said.

“Also, I wasn’t going to prom, and I was looking forward to it because I didn’t go last year.

“I waited my whole school life for my senior prom. As that reality set in, that neither of those events would be happening, I was very sad.”

Kaitlyn’s mom, Dr. Priscilla Williams, a family psychologist, recognized the emotional devastation she saw in her

daughter.

“Children were struggling to understand what was happening,” said Dr. Williams.

“Many adults grappled with the sudden change in life as we had known it. The early ending of the school year brought on high anxiety and some depression in children, even very young children.”

White Station planned a motorcade graduation of sorts.

That was on June 9, when the graduating class wore their cap and gown, their name was called, and teachers and family lined the grounds of the school to cheer and hold up signs.

Kaitlyn stood up through the sunroof of the car and reveled

in the adulation.

Actually, it was her second “graduation.”

The first one was May 30 with the community parade that caught her completely by surprise. Kaitlyn was overwhelmed by the show of love from her family and community. She ran into the street and did a happy dance as the cars kept coming.

“I felt so much joy because I was totally surprised. My mom and Aunt Marlene and Aunt Stephania pulled this all together, and I never had a clue. No, I didn’t have a traditional graduation, but I had two celebrations and memories that will always be with me,” Kaitlyn said.

Melvin Williams, Kaitlyn’s father, couldn’t believe

his baby was graduating high school.

“I felt older than I have in a while,” he said.

“But I felt such joy and happiness watching Kaitlyn take in all the love and seeing so many people who were rooting for her. It not only lifted her spirits, but her mother and I were just so happy and grateful.”

Kaitlyn feels thankful and blessed. Looking forward to her next step, she is preparing for college at the University of Tennessee, Martin.

“I think the COVID 19 experience for seniors has changed us,” she said.

“Instead of 2020 being the year of vision, it is for us the year of strength. We are strong.

We are survivors. We are SCS senior nation.”

Shelby County Schools 2020 Salutatorians also have their say

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Shelby County Schools Salutatorians have achieved a commendable accomplishment: they earned a place of honor in their senior classes with the second highest grade point average.

Wise quotes by famous individuals have inspired these scholastic achievers.

They share some profound favorites: Joel Speer Craigmont High School “You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”

– Louise Hay

Allen Anthony Henderson, who graduated from the Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville, was saluted at Southbrook Mall thanks to Raines Rd. Police Precinct Officer Bennett. (Courtesy photo)

Viktoria Paul Kirby High School “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill Olivia Torres Kingsbury High School “Doubt kills more dreams than failure.” – Suzy Kassem Whitney Yacob Douglass High School “To the misfits, the rebels the trouble-makers, the round heads in square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things.” – Rob Siltinen

In grand style, Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood saluted the high school seniors that attend the church.

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley

Anthony Miles Ridgeway High School “Don’t downgrade your dreams just to fit your reality. Upgrade your conviction to match your destiny.” – John Assaraf Vivica King Overton High School “If you want a happy life, tie it to goals, not to people or things.” – Albert Einstein Charlotte Cordero Germantown High School “We understand so much. But the sky behind those lights, mostly void, partially stars, that sky reminds us: We don’t understand even more.” – Joseph Fink Jackson Danley Central High School “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” – John Muir Christopher Warner Cordova High School

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own.” – Jesus Christ Tenisha Ryan Avon Lenox High School “I can’t change the direction of the winds, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean Srikrishna Dasari White Station High School “As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.” – Albert Einstein Keondra Kirkendoll Whitehaven High School “Success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” – Vincent Lombardi Zaphoria Webb Raleigh Egypt High School “No matter how hard it get, stick your chest our, keep your head up, and handle it.” – Tupac Shakur Kathryn Cooper Memphis Virtual School “Being a hero isn’t about letting others know you did the right thing. It’s about you knowing you did the right thing.” – Max Tennyson Kerissa Rufus Mitchell High School “Do not fear failure. But please be terrified of regret. Giving up is the birth of regret.” – Deshauna Barbar Andrew Jerome Franklin Northwest Prep Academy “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” – John C. Maxwell Millenia Calvin Hollis F. Price High School “God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.” – Habeeb Akande Kevin Malone Jr. Middle College High School “It’s the one thing you can control.

You are responsible for how people remember you—or don’t. So don’t take it lightly.” – Kobe Bryant Asia Wade Hamilton High School “Treat others how you want to be treated.” – Luke: 6:31 Alana Jacobs East High School “I don’t give any person that much

power over my path…Not one person can make or break what I’m doing except for me or God.” – Nipsey Hussle Kacy Brandon Wooddale High School “You can’t go bac and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis Karen Orona Sheffield High School “You may not understand what I am doing now, but someday you will.” John 13:17 – Jesus Christ Victoria Hall Southwind High School “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill Amber Smith Trezevant High School “Her resiliency to rise gracefully from the ashes, after being broken and burned.

This is the true beauty of a woman.” – Melanie Fiona Matthew Thomas Westwood High School “Death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.” – Rev. 21:4 Kya Cathey Oakhaven High School “Follow your heart and achieve your dreams.” – Unknown Kayla Hawkins Manassas High School “I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in midair with no landing in sight that we force our wings to unravel and, alas, begin our flight.” – C. Joybell C Jessie Wymore Bolton High School “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford Khadajah Kimbrough Melrose High School “Make up your mind that no matter what comes your way, no matter how difficult, no matter how unfair, you will do more than simply survive. You will thrive, in spite of it all.” – Joel Osteen Quaila Brown Booker T. Washington High School “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell

The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

Page 9

CLASS OF 2020

‘Principal of the Year’ mans the house at Whitehaven H.S.

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Dr. Vincent Hunter has had a few days for the news to sink in.

The Whitehaven High School Principal has been named Shelby County Schools “Principal of the Year” for the 2019-20 school year.

“I have been a finalist several times,” said Hunter. “This year when I learned that I was in the running again, I felt happy just to be recognized for my work.

“But you can’t get too excited about these things. When I found out I had won, I guess they said, ‘Let’s go on and give it to the old man.’”

Hunter’s laughter is hearty, but his “Principal of the Year” title, he said, is “a humbling tribute and a great honor.” Teaching children and shaping their lives is “the most important work there is.”

Shelby County Schools Supt. Dr. Joris Ray commended Hunter for this latest achievement.

“Strong leadership is crucial during these times and we are honored to have an inspirational leader like Dr. Vincent Hunter in our District,” Ray said.

Hunter said Whitehaven High School is the cornerstone of the Whitehaven community. His students are his children, and he tells them he loves them every day.

“They hang around the office because I keep snacks in here, and they email me over the course of the school day,” Hunter said. “But it’s OK.” Each year, Whitehaven has produced an impressive number of seniors who are offered more than $1 million in scholarships.

“Strong leadership is crucial during these times and we are honored to have an inspirational leader like Dr. Vincent Hunter in our District,” — Dr. Joris Ray Even in a school year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the school still touts that distinction.

“This year, we had 50 students to be awarded $1 million in scholarship money,” Hunter said. “We would have had more, but the school year ended early. In the past five years, our scholarships have totaled half a billion dollars.”

For this jovial administrator, there really is no big secret to his success.

When children know that they are loved and they are being genuinely nurtured, they will excel, not only meeting expectations, but often exceeding them, he said.

Hunter is a Whitehaven graduate and there are 32 former graduates on his staff.

“I’ve been in the Whitehaven community since 1975,” he said. “I started teaching because that is what I wanted to do. I was a math teacher and a coach. I taught Algebra I, Algebra II and Honors Geometry. I’ve always believed this is the most important work there is. Becoming a principal was a need, not an aspiration.”

Hunter’s wife had just lost her job at Sharp because the plant moved part of its operation to Mexico. The Hunters were expecting a baby and one income was not going to be enough.

“James Bacchus was principal here at Whitehaven, and he called me in to

Dr. Vincent Hunter says teaching children and shaping their lives is “the most important work there is.” (Courtesy photos)

Pre-pandemic, Whitehaven High School Principal Dr. Vincent Hunter celebrates with students. the office,” Hunter said. “He asked if I wanted to be an assistant principal.

The position brought my salary up to

$56,000. That made up for the loss of my wife’s salary, so I took the job.

I was assistant principal, but I still

taught some classes.”

Bacchus is in his third year as principal of Hamilton High. Hunter says he will always be indebted to Bacchus for giving him a chance.

The other two finalists for “Principal of the Year” were Robert Davis of Levi Elementary and Veda Turner of Craigmont Middle School.

Hunter will now compete for the statewide “Principal of the Year” award. Candidates will be judged on the following: • Managing and motivating students and faculties.

• Evoking high standards.

• Demonstrating a commitment to excellence.

• Implementing innovative programs.

• Having a track record of exceptional gains in student learning.

State finalists will be announced by the Tennessee Department of Education in the fall.

SOUTHWEST SALUTES THE CLASS OF 2020

Reimagine your future.

Reimagine Southwest.

ENROLL TODAY

Tuition-free programs and laptops for eligible students.

Mericle B. Hall Class of 2020 Associate of Science General Studies

southwest.tn.edu

The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

Page 10

NEWS

Gov: Tennessee Capitol Confederate bust should go in museum

by Jonathan Mattise Associated Press

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday that the bust of a Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader should be removed from the state Capitol and put in the state museum.

The Republican governor announced his position on the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust at a news conference the day before the state Capitol Commission takes the first of two votes required to remove it.

Lee said the museum is a better place to display the bust of Forrest, a location “where the very purpose is to see and understand our history in full.”

The bust was unveiled in 1978 and has sparked multiple protests demanding its removal over the years.

The Capitol Commission in 2017 voted against moving it to the state museum. Former Republican Gov. Bill Haslam similarly advocated for its removal.

Forrest was a Confederate cavalry general who amassed a fortune as a

plantation owner and slave trader in Memphis before the Civil War. His involvement with the Klan came after the war.

Lee said Forrest was a “renowned military tactician,” and the bust sits opposite of one of a Union admiral, David Farragut — the two representing the “push and pull” of Tennessee’s history, the governor added.

But Forrest “significantly contributed to one of the most regretful and painful chapters in our nation’s history,” Lee said.

“Forrest represents pain and suffering and brutal crimes committed against African Americans, and that pain is very real for many of our fellow Tennesseans, as they walk the halls of our statehouse and evaluate how he can be one of the just nine busts that are elevated to a place of honor and reverence in the Capitol,” Lee said.

The bust’s removal would also need approval from the state’s Historical Commission. Some Republican officials have instead suggested adding context to the bust and leaving it where it is.

The national outcry over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died when a White Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes, has sparked a new push to remove Confederate symbols, including the Forrest bust.

The Republican-controlled Legislature in Tennessee refused to advance legislation calling for the bust’s removal before adjourning last month despite impassioned pleas from Black lawmakers.

Lee was quick to point out that the fight over the Forrest bust predated the current tearing down of monuments by protesters nationwide.

“This issue of the Forrest bust in this state that’s been going on for 40 years is very different than the destructive tide that swept the nation in recent weeks that’s been about the defacing of property and denying history,” Lee said. “That is a mob rule or mob mentality that’s confused for activism, but it represents the worst possible way I believe to address questions of history and symbolism and context.”

The call for moving the bust out of

The bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest is displayed in the state capitol Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee announced Wednesday that a state panel that has the authority to help remove the bust of the former Confederate general and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan will take up the issue next week. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) of the Capitol is the latest step in the governor’s changing position.

In December 2018, just before taking office, Lee told The Tennessean that “the Ku Klux Klan is a part of our history that we’re not proud of in Tennessee, and we need to be reminded of that and make certain that we don’t forget it. So I wouldn’t advocate to remove” the bust.

Early last year, he said he wouldn’t be opposed to adding context to the Forrest bust.

Lee said Wednesday the opportunity for “full context” on Forrest is available only in the state museum.

Additionally, this year Lee proposed eliminating a day commemorating Forrest in Tennessee, though Republican lawmakers voted last month to keep the day in place but remove the governor’s responsibility to sign the annual proclamation for it.

Lee said lawmakers made a step in the right direction.

Facebook civil rights audit: ‘Serious setbacks’ mar progress

by Barbara Ortutay Associated Press

A two-year audit of Facebook’s civil rights record found “serious setbacks” that have marred the social network’s progress on matters such as hate speech, misinformation and bias.

Facebook hired the audit’s leader, former American Civil Liberties Union executive Laura Murphy, in May 2018 to assess its performance on vital social issues. Its 100-page report released Wednesday outlines a “seesaw of progress and setbacks” at the company on everything from bias in Facebook’s algorithms to its content moderation, advertising practices and treatment of voter suppression.

The audit recommends that Face-

book build a “civil rights infrastructure” into every aspect of the company, as well as a “stronger interpretation” of existing voter suppression policies and more concrete action on algorithmic bias. Those suggestions are not binding, and there is no formal system in place to hold Facebook accountable for any of the audit’s findings.

“While the audit process has been meaningful, and has led to some significant improvements in the platform, we have also watched the company make painful decisions over the last nine months with real world consequences that are serious setbacks for civil rights,” the audit report states.

Those include Facebook’s decision to exempt politicians from fact-checking, even when President

Donald Trump posted false information about voting by mail. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has cited a commitment to free speech as a reason for allowing such posts to remain on the platform, even though the company has rules in place against voter suppression it could have used to take down — or at least add warning labels to — Trump’s posts.

Last month, Facebook announced it would begin labeling rule-breaking posts — even from politicians — going forward. But it is not clear if Trump’s previous controversial posts would have gotten the alert. The problem, critics have long said, is not so much about Facebook’s rules as how it enforces them.

“When you elevate free expression as your highest value, other values take a back seat,” Murphy told The

Associated Press. The politician exemption, she said, “elevates the speech of people who are already powerful and disadvantages people who are not.”

More than 900 companies have joined an advertising boycott of Facebook to protest its handling of hate speech and misinformation.

Civil rights leaders who met virtually with Zuckerberg and other Facebook leaders Tuesday expressed skepticism that recommendations from the audit would ever be implemented, noting that past suggestions in previous reports had gone overlooked.

“What we get is recommendations that they end up not implementing,” said Rashad Robinson, the president of Color for Change, one of several civil rights nonprofits leading an or-

ganized boycott of Facebook advertising.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said in a Facebook newsroom post that the company has a long way to go, but is making progress.

“This audit has been a deep analysis of how we can strengthen and advance civil rights at every level of our company – but it is the beginning of the journey, not the end,” she wrote. “What has become increasingly clear is that we have a long way to go. As hard as it has been to have our shortcomings exposed by experts, it has undoubtedly been a really important process for our company.”

(Associated Press Writer Amanda Seitz contributed to this story.)

COMMUNITY The New Tri-State Defender, July 9 - 15, 2020, Page 11

Temperature checks, face masks among requirements in back-to-school plan

by Jacinthia Jones Chalkbeat Tennessee

Shelby County Schools officials released a plan Monday for how they intend to safely educate students returning to campuses during the pandemic next school year.

The plan addresses every aspect of the school day starting with bus rides and before-school care and ending with after-school care and extracurricular activities. Temperature checks, scheduled hand-washing and sanitizing, and social distancing practices will take place during the day.

School districts statewide and across the country are developing plans for returning to school after months of building closures due to the coronavirus.

“No plan is flawless, but we’re going to do and continue to do what’s best for the students,” Supt. Joris Ray said during a press conference.

Parents are being told to add face masks to their back-to-school supply list “as it will be the responsibility of the parent to ensure students arrive at school each day with the necessary face mask,” according to the report.

Wearing face masks has been controversial in Tennessee, although a

growing number of cities and counties, including Memphis and Nashville, require they be worn in public.

The Memphis plan comes a week after officials directed parents to choose whether to send their children back to classrooms next year or use online learning at home with teachers and students interacting virtually during the day. Elementary school students staying home will require daily support from someone in the home to maintain the school learning schedule.

Parents are asked to commit to an option for the entire first semester so that schools can balance teacher workloads. Parents have until July 18 to decide which option they’ll take.

For those who choose in-person learning, school officials say parents should be prepared for unplanned school closures deemed necessary by health professionals that could range from two to 10 days. That’s when they’ll switch to online learning.

Other changes in the 36-page reentry plan include: • Face masks will be required for students, staff, and visitors in all buildings and on buses.

• Social distancing will be practiced with as much caution as possible with schools utilizing all avail-

TVA proposal draws skepticism as fight for power contract continues

by Dena Owens Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Four climate and community activist groups rallied with 25-plus citizens outside Memphis City Hall on Tuesday (July 7) to respond to a community development plan proposed by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the city’s electricity supplier.

The activists are advocating for Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division (MLGW), TVA’s largest customer, to cut ties with the federally-run energy supplier as a way to reduce the energy financial burden on the city’s residents, especially those who are financially challenged.

TVA wants a 20-year contract with MLGW, which includes $2 billion in economic development benefits to Memphis.

The proposal is drawing mixed reactions as MLGW considers switching to a new power provider.

“The fact is, the timing is questionable,” said Pearl Walker of Memphis has the Power, a campaign to ensure affordable, clean energy that’s backed by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE).

“Why haven’t they been offering this type of community support all along? It comes across as disingenuous if it’s at all dependent on a 20year contract,” Walker said.

TVA CEO Jeff Lyash presented the community development component of the proposal during the Memphis City Council’s MLGW Committee meeting on Tuesday.

Memphis has the Power/SACE was joined outside City Hall by Freedom Community Development Corporation, a new nonprofit in North

Memphis; 3-C Memphis Coalition for Concerned Citizens and the Sierra Club.

Lyash’s proposal basically matches the amount estimated if MLGW switches to Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) as its electricity provider.

TVA’s proposal includes: • $712 million in current economic benefits.

• $535 million in added value through urban neighborhood revitalization, reduced energy burden, further solar development and other perks.

• $750 million in paybacks is involving a 3.1 percent rate cut and MLGW’s freedom to produce some of its own solar power (capped at 5.0 percent).

Over the last decade, according to the SACE, TVA increased its rates by more than 10 percent.

TVA also proposes buying MLGW’s electric transmission system for approximately $400 million and adding about 100 jobs to its Memphis office site.

“That sounds pretty, but like my grandmother would say, ‘It’s a day late and a dollar short,’” said Dr. Kevin Brooks, a minister at Providence A.M.E. Church, 384 Decatur St., and executive director for Freedom CDC. He continued, “In respect to the ideas, it makes sense to focus on economic development, environmental stewardship and energy efficiency for your largest customer base.

“But with customers taken for granted for more than 25 years and sucking the life out of them knowing their income levels, more discussion is definitely needed.

able classroom and learning spaces.

• Social distancing signs and floor markings will be displayed prominently throughout all schools and buildings.

• Group gatherings will be discouraged and school visitors will be limited.

• Elementary and middle schools will limit student movement and exposure by assigning a cohort of students to a classroom for the majority of the school day.

• Instead of students traveling from classroom to classroom for special activities or other classes, teachers will rotate.

• Extra furniture will be removed from classrooms to allow for social distancing.

• Classes may convene outside, in the cafeteria, gym or other large areas.

• There will be scheduled hand-washing and hand sanitizer stations in high-traffic areas.

• Classrooms and other areas will be thoroughly cleaned nightly.

• Common areas such as hallways, libraries, and cafeterias will be cleaned at least twice a day.

• Restrooms will be cleaned and disinfected a minimum of four times a day.

• Students cannot linger on campus after school unless involved in an after-school activity.

• All field trips are canceled for the first semester.

• Recess will be scheduled with classroom cohorts, but playground equipment will be inaccessible until further notice.

• Buses will be cleaned and disinfected between routes and at the end of the day.

• Students riding the bus will undergo temperature checks at the school. Because body temperatures may naturally elevate during the summer months at bus stops and on the bus, students found to have an elevated temperature upon first reading will undergo a second reading before being sent to an isolation room.

• Students with temperatures must be picked up from school.

• All students will be provided a digital device with internet supports, starting with students who choose full virtual learning.

The district will not administer or require COVID-19 tests for teachers or students. However, there will be regular temperature checks and sick students and staff will be strongly encouraged to stay at home.

“We know this year will be unlike any we’ve ever experienced, so we ask your patience as we do everything with the best interest of our students and employees in mind,” the plan concludes. “We will make decisions using the best data and direction we have available to us, and we are committed to keep our families, staff, and community informed along the way.”

Ray also has proposed pushing the school start date from Aug. 10 to to Aug. 31, pending approval from the Shelby County Schools board. Officials said the decision was made because the governor extended the state of emergency through Aug. 29 due to rising cases of COVID-19.

NAACP Freedom Fund event to feature national President/CEO Derrick Johnson Special Guest: Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro TSD Newsroom Pearl Walker

Dr. Kevin Brooks

“The proposal makes you want to stay in the relationship, but I want to see the proposal from MISO. They (TVA and MISO) both need to say what they can do for shared prosperity. We have to drill down and ask more questions like, ‘How will you do certain things?’”

Brooks agreed with Lyash, who acknowledged that TVA has not always addressed Memphis’ “energy burden,” the term given to Memphians who pay relatively high utility bills because many live in older, less-energy-efficient structures and have lower incomes.

“I appreciate the fact that Lyash refers to the ‘energy burden.’ I’m not accustomed to him or anyone at TVA using that language, which speaks to a raised level of awareness about the real circumstances here in Memphis,” said Walker.

“I think the main takeaway is still that TVA doesn’t offer any real reason why MLGW shouldn’t issue an RFP (request for proposals).”

Siemens consulting firm recommended that TVA issue RFPs to test their savings estimates.

Lyash noted that the RFP process may take months, perhaps 24 to 36 in total, and that in that time, Memphians won’t be benefitting from the additional investment or discount that they could be receiving.

“MLGW and the City of Memphis have some significant work still to do,” said Dennis Lynch of the Sierra Club about the possibility of switching power suppliers.

“Making the decisions about what path to take will be difficult and will require significant thoughtfulness and introspection.”

National NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson will be the keynote speaker as the NAACP Memphis Branch holds its annual Freedom Fund fundraiser virtually via ZOOM on Saturday (July 11), beginning at 11:30 a.m.

This is the first in a series of Freedom Fund events the NAACP Memphis Branch will host this year under the theme “Say Less, Do More, Vote!”

“During this time of civil unrest in this country, it is more important than ever that we hear from the national leader of the NAACP President Johnson who has been one of the most visible advocates for change and accountability in this country,” said Van Turner, Jr. President, NAACP Memphis Branch.

“President Johnson will update us on NAACP activities and give us a charge for the future.”

Julian Castro, a former 2020 Candidate for President and former U. S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, will be a special guest. He also has served as mayor of San Antonio, Texas “With an escalating assault on Black and Brown people in this country, Secretary Castro will bring a voice to the social and economic challenges we face during the current administration,” said Gale Jones Carson, the local branch’s 1st vice president.

Johnson was appointed the NAACP’s national president in 2017 after serving as vice chairman of the National NAACP Board of Directors, and NAACP Mississippi State Conference President. An attorney, Johnson has been on the frontlines fighting for civil and human rights most of his adult life.

Tickets and sponsorships are still available at Eventbrite (https://bit.

ly/38PZGgx).

Or call NAACP M e m p h i s Branch Executive Director Vickie Terry at 901-521-1343.

The event supplies funds for the NAACP Derrick M e m p h i s Johnson Branch.

The cochairs for the NAACP Memphis Branch Freedom Fund series are: Tish Townes, CAO, Regional One Health; Mauricio Calvo, executive diJulian rector, Latino Castro Memphis; and Melvin Burgess Jr., Shelby County Assessor. This year’s mistress of ceremony is WREG-TV Channel 3 Anchor Stephanie Scurlock.

Freedom Fund Series sponsors include: Presenting Sponsor FedEx, Kroger, Methodist Healthcare, Tennessee Valley Authority, First Choice Sales and Marketing, First Horizon, AT&T, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Teamsters Local 667 and The Carter Malone Group LLC. The National Advancement for the Association for Colored People is the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. The NAACP Memphis Branch is one of the largest branches in the United States and is 103 years old. Its mission is to “ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights for all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.”

The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

NEWS

Memphis Branch NAACP partnership names 10 Community Lift Grant recipients for 2020

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Ten Memphis-area nonprofits have netted a Community Lift Grant through the partnership connecting the Memphis Branch NAACP, Kroger and The New Tri-State Defender.

The award recipients were announced during a virtual ZOOM meeting on July1.

Among the groups tapped to receive the $3,000 grants was the Heal The Hood Foundation, founded by LaDell Beamon, the CEO. The nonprofit provides positive outlets for youth of all ages and young adults through singing, dancing, art, acting, motivational speaking, screen writing and modeling.

Beamon said without such grant support Heal The Hood could not do what it does. Going forward, he said, involved “doing the work…rolling up our sleeves… I am excited.”

NAACP Executive Director Vickie Terry said 100-plus nonprofits submitted applications for the third year of grants.

“Each year we have awarded grants to organizations working to reduce crime, eliminate blight or improve our communities in some way,” said Terry. “This year, we chose 10. And these nonprofits are all over the city: South Memphis, Whitehaven, Hickory Hill, Frayser, North Memphis. We care about all our communities.”

Teresa Dickerson, corporate affairs manager for the Kroger Delta District, referenced the special challenges that have come in 2020.

“It was more important to help this year, particularly,” she said. “We wanted to help the community. Please continue to uplift the community.

Memphis is a special place, and we all want Memphis to do well.”

Van Turner Jr., president of the Memphis Branch NAACP, noted Kroger’s trust in the local branch being able to funnel the grant aid to groups that have shown their commitment to uplifting the community.

“All of the non-profits that have been awarded these grants are commendable in their various fields,” he said.

“Personally, I can verify and attest to the fact that they are doing great work.

“It’s not all the time something we see in the spotlight, in the media. But they do the work when the cameras are off and the lights are off. And (the work) is still out helping the community…they are honest and transparent about what they are doing.”

Karanja A. Ajanaku, Associate Publisher/Executive Editor of The New Tri-State Defender, put the grant awards in a historical context, noting that the 69-yearold newspaper was created to serve the African-American community and was familiar with the community’s challenges.

“In that history of challenges, these are challenging times, particularly so. People are stepping up to meet those challenges. Some people are

“Each year we have awarded grants to organizations working to reduce crime, eliminate blight or improve our communities in some way.”

— Vickie Terry new to the battlefield; others have been there for a while.

The people we are acknowledging toLaDell day have Beamon been on the battlefield for a while,” he said.

“And we know this about t h e s e groups… t h e y k n o w Vickie how to Terry take a little and do a whole lot with.

We are glad to be able to extend this ‘little’ with the idea of making it Van grow. We Turner Jr., expect hundreds and perhaps even thousands of people by extension will be affected in a positive way by this.”

Grateful for the grant support, Stevie Moore, founder of Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives, pitched for keeping an eye on the challenge of crime amid the coronavirus pandemic and other challenges.

“We gave to continue this fight,” he said. “We cannot turn a blind eye to crime.”

The Community Lift Grant recipients: • A Fresh Start to a New Beginning • African Heritage Trail of Memphis • Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives • Greater Whitehaven Economic Revitalization • Heal The Hood Foundation • Hyde Park Homeland Community Development Organization • Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South • Pathway to Dignity Re-Entry Program • Rock Development Corporation • Vance Avenue Youth Development Center The application window for next year’s grants will open in a few weeks, Terry said.

(For more information, call: 901-521-1343.)

Page 12

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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: Iceberg Properties, LLC Tax Parcel #: 07206900000270 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $5000.00 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 August 7, 2020, 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 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

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: Jaime Bynum Tax Parcel #: 04702600000070 Tax Sale #: 1102 Price Offered: $300.00 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 2:30 p.m. on August 7, 2020, 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 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

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: Angela Mitchell Tax Parcel #: 06100200000330 Tax Sale #: 1203 Price Offered: $500.00 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 1:00 p.m. on July 24, 2020, 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 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

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: Angela Mitchell Tax Parcel #: 06100200000180 Tax Sale #: 1101 Price Offered: $300.00 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 2:00 p.m. on July 24, 2020, 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 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

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: Justin Owens Tax Parcel #: 06009900000010 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $500.00 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 2:30 p.m. on July 30, 2020, 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 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

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: Anthony Terrance Stafford Tax Parcel #: 06011000000010 Tax Sale #: 1503 Price Offered: $4400.00 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 August 5, 2020, 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 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

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: Terrance Davis Tax Parcel #: 0953170I000430 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $12000.00 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 1:30 p.m. on August 5, 2020, 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 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

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: Martinez-Gonzalez Family Trust

Tax Parcel #: 05206900000180 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $5000.00 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 2:00 p.m. on August 5, 2020, 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 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

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: Martinez-Gonzalez Family Trust Tax Parcel #: 04706100000400 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $5000.00 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 3:00 p.m. on August 5, 2020, 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 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

Page 13

SPORTS

GRIZZ TRACK: Sights set on Orlando; roster moves The season is set to resume as coronavirus cases continue to rise, spiking significantly in several cities and states.

“It is hard not to notice some of the positive tests, but for the most part guys are committed to playing the game,” Tolliver said, “as long as we are in a position of control. Con-

by Terry Davis Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The Memphis Grizzlies headed to Orlando on Wednesday (July 8) for the restart of the pandemic-shortened NBA season and a full-speed run at the playoffs.

All NBA players have the option to opt out of the restart for various reasons. None of the Grizzlies players has indicated they would not be a part of the restart.

The plan to resume the season with playoff-contention teams playing all games in Orlando gave players the option of traveling there with their teams and all of the players on the Grizzlies roster indicated they planned to do so.

Memphis will scrimmage against three other NBA teams: the Philadelphia 76’ers on July 24 (2:30 p.m.), the Houston Rockets on July 26 (7 p.m.) and the Miami Heat on July 28 (1 p.m.)

The multi-month suspension of the season has given the ailing members of the Grizzlies to get more healthy.

Team chemistry, which has been a strength for the team, is being embraced as a pivotal priority for the playoffs push. And when Memphis hits the practice courts, the team’s on-court mix will include the veteran presence of Anthony Tolliver, who also serves on the executive committee of the

trolling the spread of the virus, that is the biggest thing.”

Memphis is the third team that Tolliver has played on this season. The other teams, Portland and Sacramento, are trailing the Grizzlies in the hunt for the last playoff spot.

In addition to Tolliver, an X-factor for the Grizzlies

could be Justice Winslow, hasn’t played a minute with the team this season after being traded to Memphis from Miami in a trade-deadline deal. Head coach Taylor Jenkins wants to use him in various positions during the makeshift training-camp games

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“The culture here is great,” said Tolliver during a recent media session. “The guys just are great human beings… quality people. Sometimes it doesn’t take much negativity to ruin an entire locker room.

I’ve seen one guy be a cancer and destroy an entire locker room.”

The Grizzlies signed Tolliver to a 10-day contract in March because of injuries to Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. As the contract was set to expire the NBA froze all transactions. The transactions restriction was lifted recently

and the Grizzlies moved swiftly to sign Tolliver for the rest of the season.

Tolliver only played five games with the team before the season was halted, providing consistent scoring from outside.

As a member of NBAPA Executive Committee, Tolliver took part in meetings designed to get input on how to restructure the start of the season. During his media session, he talked of the need for a pool of free agent players to be available as the season resumes in the Orlando bubble.

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NFL will play ‘Black National Anthem’ at games

by Stacy M. Brown NNPA News Service

When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the playing of the national anthem to bring awareness to social and other injustices faced regularly by Black and Brown individuals in America, the National Football League, President Donald Trump, and others wrongly associated the quarterback’s actions as a protest against the U.S. flag and the nation’s military.

In the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd, protests and demonstrations have awakened America and most of the world to the plight of African Americans who long have suffered injustice, inequality, and an overall lack of understanding.

The NFL remains at the forefront of the new understanding, and now they’ve taken that knowledge, and, in an unprecedented decision, the league announced it would play “Lift Every Voice and Sing” – the Black National Anthem – before every opening day game this year.

The performance of the song will occur before “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the NFL said. The league’s season opener is scheduled for September 10, with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans.

“The league taking the opportunity to play “Lift every voice and sing” (the Black national anthem) is sweet. It’s a great way to honor those who started this movement year and years ago,” tweeted Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Chris Conley.

“For those who aren’t familiar with it, this song seeks to remind us of our past as a country and to strive to be better. It speaks to all of us, not just Black people, even tho

it became a rallying cry for Blacks in the Jim Crow era. It is a beautiful message birthed from pain,” Conley added.

“To those claiming the song is derisive, I ask which part?

Much like America the Beautiful is played to honor, this song is the same. It’s isn’t for “just Black people” it’s for all who acknowledge the past and press toward a better future.”

As noted in Sports Illustrated, Lift Every Voice and Sing has an extensive history since its first inception as a poem in 1899. According to the NAACP, its lyrics were penned by writer and NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson (a Jacksonville native). It was eventually adopted for music by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson. Years later, it was adopted by the NAACP as the organization’s official song.

According to the NAACP, the song was first performed in Jacksonville at a school where James Weldon Johnson was the principal. As part of a celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12, 1900, Lift Every Voice and Sing was publicly performed by 500 school children at the Stanton School.

The NFL has recently acknowledged it was wrong in how it handled Kaepernick, who has mostly been black balled from the game. Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he now would encourage teams to sign the former Super Bowl quarterback.

Because Goodell has reversed course and said he would allow kneeling, the league came under enormous criticism from President Donald Trump, who now is calling for a boycott of the NFL. Sen. Ted Cruz called the decision to play the Black National Anthem “asinine,” further fueling racial tensions that have already boiled over since the Floyd killing.

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

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The New Tri-State Defender

July 9 - 15, 2020

Page 14

SUBSCRIBE. DONATE. ADVERTISE. During times of crisis, crucial information about your community comes from local reporters.

Access to high quality information is essential. Especially local information.

And especially now. What’s happening in our communities? What’s the impact? How are our local leaders responding? For answers to these questions, we rely on the hard work of our local reporters. As a result, readership of local news outlets has reached record highs.

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Advertising has plummeted during the crisis and readers aren’t subscribing fast enough to fill the void. This has led to thousands of local reporters being laid off. Just as our society faces numerous, urgent challenges.

Millions of people are in danger of losing access to the authoritative local

information they need to stay informed.

That’s why the Local Media Association and the Local Media Consortium are working with local news providers to build a strong future for local journalism.

And that’s why our long-time partner Google is purchasing ads like this in local publications across the country, as well as providing a Relief Fund to help struggling local news outlets. But those actions alone aren’t enough.

Please consider supporting the local news organizations you rely on. Subscribe to them. Donate to them. And if you have a business that’s able to, advertise with them.

Your support is critical to sustaining the dedicated journalists serving your communities.

Our local news outlets help keep us safer. Let’s help keep them open.

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