By William J. Barber, II I first met Archbishop Desmond Tutu when I was a seminarian at Duke University in the 1980s, and I will never forget the question he asked us when he preached in the chapel that day: ‘Will you join God?’ Bishop Tutu knew the power of God to bring justice in this world, but he also knew that we must choose to join God in that work. Neutrality in the face of evil, he always insisted, is a choice to stand against God’s love and justice. During my first pastorate in Virginia, Nelson Mandela was freed…
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NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Board of Regents has appointed Dr. Jothany L. Blackwood as vice chancellor for academic affairs for The College System of Tennessee, the state’s public community and technical colleges. Blackwood previously served as vice president for academic success at San Antonio College in Texas, winner of The Aspen Institute’s 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, which recognizes high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. The vice chancellor leads the Office of Academic Affairs at the TBR system office and is the system’s chief academic officer, working with the presidents, faculty, and academic officers of…
By Rev. Shakira Sanchez-Collins Twin sisters, the Rev. Alethea Scott-Winston and the Rev. Dr. Alesia S. Ford Burse, are both pastors focused on the ministry of the gospel and service to their local communities. The twin pastors made history when Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson appointed them to churches with the same name: St. James. The Rev. Dr. Ford Burse is the Senior Pastor of St. James AME Church in Orange Park, and the Rev. Scott Winston is the Senior Pastor of St. James AME Church in Clearwater, Florida. These appointments mark the first time in the history of the AME…
NASHVILLE, TN — Due to increasing COVID-19 cases, Neighborhood Health is encouraging all Middle Tennesseans to get vaccinated or boosted right away to have protection from the spike that is coming. The CDC reported that the Omicron variant now accounts for more than 95% of COVID cases in the Southeast, which is up from 37% in the previous week. Nationally, COVID cases have increased roughly 30% in the past two weeks, and Metro Public Health is already seeing an increase in the number of new cases when compared to just 5 days ago. Neighborhood Health and its community partners are…
Shawn Rochester, who authored the spellbinding book “The Black Tax: The Cost of Being Black in America,” and Robin Watkins, a highly regarded financial and operations accountant, have made Wall Street history. And the two are poised to break through more barriers in the financial world. Their latest venture, Minority Equality Opportunities Acquisitions Inc. (MEOA), has raised $126.5 million they’ve earmarked to help minority businesses and enterprises grow and prosper through mergers and acquisitions. “It’s amazing to be a part of this,” Watkins, a Drexel University graduate, stated. While Rochester serves as CEO of MEOA, Watkins counts as the company’s…
By Rivera Sun It snowed, finally. We’ve been waiting for months, restless and agitated. Have you ever seen your child settle more deeply into slumber after you tuck them under the blanket? That’s how it feels here. I live in the high-altitude desert of Northern New Mexico. Deserts often invoke images of Saharan sands, but this desert sprawls atop black, volcanic basalt. Perched at 7,000 feet, it snows here in the winter. Or, it used to. Because of the human-wrought climate crisis, it rained on Christmas Eve. This is a fierce and fragile region, rugged and imperiled all at once.…
By Lance Izumi Student enrollment in public schools has nosedived as parent disgust with school COVID-19 policies, student learning losses, and controversial education policies has gone through the roof. In the wake of this enrollment implosion, homeschooling has boomed across the country. At the beginning of the current school year, the U.S. Department of Education estimated that 1.5 million students had left the public schools since the COVID-19 pandemic began. If students are not enrolling in public schools, where are they going? The numbers show that many former public school students are now being homeschooled. The U.S. Census Bureau found…
By ANDREW OPPMANN Nashville, TN (TN Tribune)–Middle Tennessee State University’s senior administrators used its time in this island commonwealth leading up to the Bahamas Bowl to recruit potential study-abroad students and meet with the nation’s top leaders. MTSU took full opportunity of the visibility afforded to its football team’s invitation to play the University of Toledo to brag that The Bahamas is its third-largest provider of international students. About 50 from here attended MTSU this fall. MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee hosted about 30 high school counselors from The Bahamas for an informational luncheon Tuesday, Dec. 14. (MTSU photo by Andrew Oppmann) Provost…
The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the life span of Black males by an average of three years and has robbed Hispanic men of about 2.5 years, according to the latest information from health officials. Black females have seen a more than a 2-year reduction in their average lifespan because of the pandemic. In contrast, Hispanic females fared better by losing slightly less than their African American peers. The life expectancy for white males and females decreased by just over one year. The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) noted that its Vaccine Monitor found that more than seven in ten U.S. adults (72 percent)…
After the largest confederate statue in the U.S. came down on September 8, 2021 in Richmond, two time capsules were discovered underneath the structure. Underneath the large statue of confederate General Robert E. Lee on a horse were two time capsules. The first box didn’t contain anything earth shattering, but a second larger time capsule was opened on December 28. The Lee statue was dedicated in Richmond in 1887, 23 years after the end of the Civil War. Activists in Richmond protested in 2020 until local politicians bent to political inevitability. Confederate statues have been coming down across the U.S.…