Black Enterprise Historically, U.S. postage stamps were in use for nearly a century before Booker T. Washington became the first African American to appear on one. Today, the Black Heritage Stamp issues are the longest-running U.S. stamp series, having always commemorated people rather than organizations or events, including playwright August Wilson and tennis player Althea Gibson. The latest artist to be included in the legacy is Edmonia Lewis, a sculptor of Haitian and Ojibwe descent, who some historians have identified as the first Black artist in her medium to receive international recognition, according to ARTnews. Lewis’s postage stamp is based on a portrait that Augustus Marshall painted sometime between 1864 and…
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By Tracie Powell I am proud to announce the official launch of The Pivot Fund with the Online News Association (ONA), the world’s largest digital journalism association. I am confident that together, we can ensure that more quality, credible, and fact-based news and information is produced for and provided to the increasingly diverse communities in this country. I am thrilled to partner with ONA because it means The Pivot Fund will deepen and scale our impact. This is more than a fiscal sponsor relationship, it’s a mutually beneficial partnership that will produce game-changing investments in BIPOC-led community news through funding, capacity building, training,…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TN Tribune) – The Nashville Fire Department added 26 new firefighters to the department although the graduation ceremony scheduled for Friday, January 7th was postponed due to inclement weather. NFD Director Chief William Swann and Chief Training Officer Commander Scott Lively presented each of the graduates with a certificate of completion and their official badge at the Nashville Fire Training Academy on Thursday, January 6, 2022. Each new firefighter was sworn in and recited the Oath of Office. Battalion 84 completed more than 1,000 hours of an intensive curriculum, including classroom lectures and hands on training. Their hands-on training included live fire…
By Doha Madani (NBC News) The country’s oldest surviving World War II veteran, Lawrence Brooks, died Wednesday at the age of 112, according to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Brooks, a Louisiana native and resident, was drafted in 1940 and served in the Army’s 91st Engineer Battalion. His battalion was a predominately Black group of servicemen, due to the military’s segregation practices at the time. Stephen J. Watson, president and CEO of the National WWII Museum, called Brooks a man of great faith and “gentle spirit.” “As the nation’s oldest known living veteran, he proudly served our country during World…
High school seniors in the West Contra Costa Unified District (WCCUSD) are encouraged to apply for the annual Chevron Richmond Black History Awareness Scholarship program. Applications can be accessed at https://richmond.chevron.com/community/education/scholarships and must be received by email on or before Monday, Jan. 17. First launched in 2003, the scholarship is sponsored by the Chevron Richmond Black Employee Network and provides four deserving students with scholarships in honor of William F. King, a distinguished Chevron chemical engineer of 27-plus years who was active in the community and retired in 2003. To date, the Refinery’s Black Employee Network has awarded over 50 student scholarships.…
NASHVILLE, TN — Judge Allegra Walker served as an Assistant Public Defender and Assistant District Attorney General before she was elected Justice of the General Sessions Court, Division IV, taking the bench in August 2014, where she is currently serving as one of three judges that preside over the court’s domestic violence cases, as well as presiding over Environmental Court. Judge Allegra Walker is the third woman of color elected in Davidson County General Sessions Court and is the third woman to preside over Division IV. Judge Walker is a member of the Napier Looby Bar Association (past president), the…
One year after January 6, corporations are once again filling the campaign coffers of politicians who tried to overthrow the last election. By Kyle Herrig | January 5, 2022 One year ago, the foundation of our democracy was jeopardized in a full-blown coup attempt by seditionists egged on by former president Donald Trump. People died. Confederate flags were waved inside the Capitol. People with zip ties and weapons were ready to do harm or even kill members of Congress and the vice president. These were right-wing extremists who had the encouragement, and even help, from Trump allies in Congress. When…
NASHVILLE, TN — Metro Social Services and Room in the Inn are announced that faith-based groups are returning to the city’s Cold Weather Shelter Plan following the impact of Covid-19. For years, the city and Room In the Inn relied on – at its peak – more than 200 faith centers to help house the homeless during cold and bitter nights. However, Covid-19 forced places of faith to temporarily close their doors as they moved to virtual practices. This resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of people initially being housed when temperatures dropped below 28 degrees, causing…
NASHVILLE, TN — Jefferson Street, the legendary and historic corridor of Black culture, is finally a smooth ride all the way from Rosa L. Parks Blvd. to Dr. DB Todd Jr. Blvd. thanks to the efforts of District 19 Councilman Freddie O’Connell and new leadership at the Nashville Department of Transportation, including Faye DiMassimo. Back in 2015, just after he was first elected, O’Connell worked with Metro Councilwomen Brenda Gilmore and Sharon Hurt to leverage a stormwater project into Jefferson Street’s first Metro Park, now Kossie Gardner, Sr. Park. What was going to be a grassy space over a water…
NASHVILLE, TN — Mayor John Cooper today joined the Metro Planning Department and Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT) to celebrate another step forward for Nashville’s next great neighborhood on the East Bank of the Cumberland River. The Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC) in late December approved a partnership between NDOT and the state’s department of transportation for needed right-of-way acquisition to construct a central, north-south boulevard in the area. The boulevard will be a backbone for additional connector streets that will include all modes of transportation – with an emphasis on pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit options – for an…