By Michael Collins WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden will mark the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol by evoking a pivotal moment from the Revolutionary War to make the case that democracy is on the line in this year’s presidential election. Biden’s campaign said he will lay out the stakes for the election in a campaign speech Saturday near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where nearly 250 years ago the nation’s forefathers transformed a disorganized alliance of colonial militias into a cohesive coalition in the fight for democracy and independence from England. Comparisons between Valley…
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By Veleka Finch and Jeremy King NASHVILLE, TN — There are times when words simply fail. They cannot adequately convey our sorrow. They cannot fully grasp our grief. When we learned on Dec. 28, 2023, that our beloved colleague, Latrisha Jemison, had passed away, the Regions Bank family was stunned. Whether in-person, or on the other end of a phone line, or through messages of comfort and support to friends and colleagues, our own words failed us. There was just no way to truly reflect how much she means to us. That’s when we looked back on Jemison’s own words –…
NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Public Library Board’s recent decision-making process in appointing a new director has drawn severe criticism and sparked allegations of systemic racism within the board’s proceedings even including a Black woman, Joyce Searcy, Library board chair. Joyce Searcy grew up in segregated Yazoo City, Mississippi, where going to the public library would have meant entering through its back door. Today, Joyce Searcy is the first Black person to serve as chair of the Nashville Public Library board. The opportunity to appoint a highly qualified candidate, Linda Harrison, an extremely qualified and well-respected individual with over…
By Daniel Arkin and Adam Reiss CAMBRIDGE, MA — Harvard University President Claudine Gay, who has been under intense scrutiny for testimony she gave at a congressional hearing on campus anti-Semitism, as well as allegations of plagiarism in her academic work, will resign. “It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president,” Gay said in a letter to the Harvard community. “This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working…
By Xavier Smith WILSON COUNTY, TN — Wilson County state legislators Sen. Mark Pody and Rep. Susan Lynn announced plans to introduce the school safety legislation. “I look at this bill as an important update to classroom safety technology. It’s high time that technology reaches the classroom when it comes to school safety items like this,” Lynn said. The technology would mirror body-worn cameras frequently used by law enforcement personnel, but would include three buttons for an alert system. Pody said one button would be used for disciplinary issues, the second one would be used for medical emergencies and the…
WASHINGTON, DC — Rev. Al Sharpton, founder/president of the National Action Network (NAN), will convene MLK Day celebrations on Monday, January 15 in Washington, D.C., New York City, and New Jersey to continue the impact, legacy, and mission of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his 95th birthday. This year’s celebration is equally significant as the nation prepares to mark 60 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “We are not simply celebrating Dr. King’s legacy this year but coming together to publicly vow to protect it from those who wish to…
By Erin McCullough NASHVILLE, TN (WKRN) — As we begin 2024, a number of laws passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in the last few years now take effect. Generally speaking, laws in Tennessee have effective dates of January 1 or July 1, depending on when they’re passed and what they affect in the Volunteer State. Here are some of the laws that are now in effect in Tennessee. SB 105. This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Safety to waive the knowledge test and accept alternative requirements for certain service members applying for temporary commercial learner’s permits. The bill…
NASHVILLE, TN — Sherry Deutschmann, CEO and founder of Braintrust, will be the keynote speaker at the 2024 Changemakers Summit presented by CRE615 on January 25, 2024, at The Factory in Franklin. Deutschmann is a serial entrepreneur, author, and passionate advocate for entrepreneurship. In 2019, she founded BrainTrust, a company dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses. Prior to founding BrainTrust, she was the founder and CEO of LetterLogic, Inc., a company she grew to $40 million and sold in 2016. LetterLogic was named an INC 5000 company (fastest growing privately held businesses in the US) for…
By Angie Mayes MURFREESBORO, TN — When the play “The Glass Menagerie” opens on Friday, Jan. 5 at Oaklands Mansion in Murfreesboro, it will feature a two-time director who just happens to be autistic. Murfreesboro Little Theatre show director Catherine Buford said she was diagnosed as autistic when she was just 3 but wasn’t told about the diagnosis until she was 17. She said that until then, “I felt like I was always doing and saying the wrong things. I had a hard time making friends because I didn’t know the neurotypical social rules. I was just expected to blend…
By Kathryn Post The Rev. William Barber is no stranger to being escorted by police away from scenes of protest. The Disciples of Christ pastor and civil rights organizer has been arrested multiple times at nonviolent demonstrations on behalf of voting rights, a federal minimum wage and other social justice issues. But even Barber was surprised to find himself being escorted by police out of a showing of “The Color Purple” at Greenville, North Carolina’s AMC Fire Tower 12 movie theater on Tuesday (Dec. 26) after employees barred the minister from using his own chair to watch the movie with…