By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia A White House photo featuring dozens of African American members of the Biden-Harris administration circulated the internet during the opening days of Black History Month, and one would be hard-pressed to find anyone as proud as Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. The first Black woman to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Brooks-LaSure offered the brightest smile when mentioning the historic photo that featured Vice President Kamala Harris and a host of Black staffers who help push the administration’s work forward. “I’m so proud and really moved,” the Philadelphia-born Brooks-LaSure asserted.…
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Nashville, TN – Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG) has promoted EJ Gaines to SVP Marketing/Co-Executive Director of Motown Gospel. Gaines has served as Co-Executive Director of Motown Gospel and Vice President of Marketing at CCMG since 2018, prior to his position as Motown Gospel’s Vice President of Marketing. Gaines reports to Capitol Christian Music Group Co-President Hudson Plachy. “I’m thrilled for EJ and this well-deserved promotion,” commented Plachy. “EJ is an important part of the senior leadership team at CCMG and he has taken on increased responsibility to serve our artists across the company. He brings unique experience and energy…
Wage disparities could widen for women and women of color in particular if either of two “Equal Pay” bills in the Mississippi Legislature become law, leading activists and experts on the issue are warning. The Mississippi House passed an equal-pay bill last month, and another one is currently under consideration in the Mississippi Senate, but Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable State Lead Cassandra Welchlin says both contain provisions that would cause more harm than good when it comes to the gender wage gap. House Bill 770’s text says that it would prohibit employers from paying “an employee a wage at a rate less…
NASHVILLE, TN – A federal indictment unsealed today, charges Gregory Michael Vogel, aka Gregory Michael Schneider, 49, formerly of Hendersonville, Tenn. and Gallatin, Tenn., with eight counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in relation to an investment scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee. Vogel was arrested this morning by federal agents and will make an appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge later today. According to the indictment, between April 2015 and May 2019, Vogel devised a scheme to defraud investors by soliciting individuals to make investments with his company…
By Forrest E. Harris, Sr., President of American Baptist College Nashville, TN (TN Tribune)-The Reverend Melvina Blanch, an associate minister at Nashville’s Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church preached a sermon admonishes the church to “Remember Your Identity.” There is nothing I can imagine today more urgent as this for Black people in America. We remember Martin Luther King, Jr.’s infamous words spoken in Memphis at Mason Temple the night before his murder. “I may not get there with you, but one day we will get to the Promised Land.” King’s words came like a sudden epiphany, rushing in upon the crowd…
Nashville, TN – Two religious communication education assistance opportunities are being offered by United Methodist Communications, the denomination’s global communication agency. Eligible parties have until March 15th to submit their applications for 2022 scholarship and fellowship consideration. “We believe that communication is key to community. Diversity among these professionals is essential and one of the great gifts of our global church,” shares Gary Henderson, Chief Relationship Officer at United Methodist Communications. “Our fellowship and scholarship, named after communicators who exemplified excellence in communication ministry, provide critical training and experience for people interested in serving the church in such a time as this.”…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Fisk University is launching the first women’s gymnastics program at a historically Black college and university. The school based in Nashville, Tennessee, made the announcement Friday. Fisk competes at the NAIA level, and is hoping to begin the gymnastics program during the 2022-23 season. The school said it will award athletic and merit scholarships. There has been an uptick in participation among gymnasts of color at all levels of the sport. Black women account for nearly 10% of the scholarship athletes at the NCAA Division I level, an increase from 7% in 2012. More than 10% of…
NASHVILLE (TN Tribune) – It’s been nearly 50 years since the “Tuskegee Experiment” ended, but Wendelyn Inman is constantly haunted by the thought of what it did to her “Uncle Gus.” “He was in that study and didn’t realize it was a study,” says Inman, sobbing, as she recounts her family’s trauma that resulted from the study, arguably the most infamous biomedical research study in U.S. history. “They gave him syphilis and he didn’t realize he had been given syphilis,” adds Dr. Inman, a professor and director of the public health programs in the College of Health Professions at Tennessee…
NASHVILLE, TN –Buying a new vehicle or a good used one is a big deal because cars are one of the most expensive things people buy. Consumers can lose thousands if they’re not careful. And whether you buy or lease, it’s a complicated transaction. “Think of car buying as if it was a research project that starts well before you set foot on a dealership lot. Dealers will test once you get there and just like in school, you will perform better if you study for the test,” said Daniel Dwyer, an attorney with the Division of Financial Practices at…
NASHVILLE, TN – Families who came to testify before the House Children & Family Affairs Subcommittee on Wednesday February 9, 2022 were not allowed to address lawmakers. Committee Chairwoman Mary Littleton had a list of speakers two days before the meeting, as required, but Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton did not approve them. So they sat in the audience waiting for a chance to speak that never came. DCS Commissioner Jennifer Nichols showed a video presentation to lawmakers highlighting DCS operations and she outlined future plans for the department that keeps asking for more money every year while it…