NASHVILLE — Tennessee lawmakers on Wednesday committed to spending nearly $900 million on state incentives, infrastructure upgrades and more as part of a sweeping plan with Ford Motor Co. to build an electric vehicle and battery plant near Memphis. It took the Republican-led General Assembly just three days to sign off on the economic package after Gov. Bill Lee called them back to the Capitol for a special legislative session. About 10 lawmakers voted against or abstained from voting on the Ford bills. Ford and South Korean battery maker SK Innovation announced last month that they would spend $5.6 billion…
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By Black Information Network In the aftermath of former Secretary of State Colin Powell‘s death on Monday, a number of elected officials have taken time to honor the trailblazing Harlem native. “The world lost one of the greatest leaders that we have ever witnessed,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said of Powell, according to The Hill. “General Powell was an exemplary soldier and an exemplary patriot. Everyone who worked with General Powell appreciated his clarity of thought, insistence on seeing all sides, and ability to execute. And although he’d be the first to acknowledge that he didn’t get every call right,…
By Mary Klingler KNOXVILLE, TN — A Knoxville preschool teacher resigned abruptly from his position at Little Oaks Academy. He said he made the decision after he suffered racial harassment by another staff member during the training of a new teacher. Teachers across the board have had a tough go this year, but for teacher Carl Gillette, the emotional strain sinks deeper than just the pandemic. “I’m heartbroken. Who wants to leave like that? No one wants to leave like that,” Gillette said. “Especially not saying goodbye to the children who I truly love.” Gillette said Thursday a new teacher at Little…
NASHVILLE, TN — On the Road to 100, American Baptist College recently celebrated its 97th anniversary, with a focus on Historic Griggs Hall, the first building on the 54-acre campus. The celebration honored those individuals who contributed to the renovation in 2015, including Rev. Dr. Julius Scruggs, former interim chair of the Board of Trustees of American Baptist College and retired president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., who was the Golden Honoree. Other honorees were President and Mrs. Forrest Harris, Rev. Martin Espinosa, Rev. John Tolbert Jr., Dr. Riggins Earl, Rev. James “Tex” Thomas, Rev. Davie Tucker, Dr.…
NASHVILLE, TN — The latest report from The Violence Policy Center ranks Tennessee 10th in the nation for the rate that men kill women. The annual report, released just days before Domestic Violence Awareness Month, found that nearly 1,800 women nationwide were murdered by men in 2019. In Tennessee, the study found that 60 women were murdered by men and 84 percent of these homicides were committed by someone they knew. YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee has spent the last four decades on the frontlines of the domestic violence epidemic, offering shelter, services, and support to victims and their families.…
NASHVILLE, TN — Howard E. Jones, Jr., a pastor, entrepreneurial practioner and educator and community activist, has officially announced his candidacy for Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk. He says he is ready for the position. “I have considered this position with much thought and prayer and ready to lead this department on Day One,” said Jones. Jones says he plans to usher into the office, a new era of leadership. He is dedicated to resolving and recording legal matters while upholding the following values: Fairness. Accessibility. Integrity. Responsiveness. Jones, a community-minded Nashville native has a spirit of service. His goals…
By Gail H.M. Brown, Ph.D. It’s not a cannon but fights just as hard. It’s not a torpedo but knows its target. What is it? It is the huge, pink and green, 3D breast-cancer-fighting machine of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. In kicking off October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the sorority has gone full throttle in providing information on the importance of early detection as well as free screening for this disease which impacts more than 2 million Americans annually. This week, Oct. 4-6, the AKA’s 3D mobile mammography unit returned to the Mississippi Delta on another mission…
CROWN POINT, IN — Diane Boswell was appointed as a judge in the Lake Superior Court Criminal Division in April 2005 by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels. Boswell, a Gary native, served as a Lake County deputy prosecutor from 1994 and was a supervisor in Lake Superior Court County Division for five years before she ascended to the bench. She previously served as a staff attorney for the Lake County Division of Family and Children and worked as a social services director for several hospitals and home care agencies. When Daniels appointed Boswell to the Criminal Court, he said, “Diane brings integrity…
NASHVILLE, TN — The largest Black church in the Southeast has announced that it will more than double the amount of scholarships given to college students across the country. Mount Zion Baptist Church will offer $100,000 in paid scholarships to students attending any accredited college or university in the country. Fifty (50) students will be awarded scholarships of $2,000 each. In recent years, the church awarded $40,000 annually in scholarships to qualifying students. The scholarship program began as an effort to bridge the gap for students who may be on the purge list at their college or university to ensure…
Civil rights activist, retired Chicago professor and historian Timuel Black has died at the age of 102. Black died Wednesday, his widow told the Chicago Sun-Times and WLS-TV. Details of his death were not immediately available. He “left his mark on this city, on his friends who knew him and on those who are trying to make this world a better place, because that’s all he tried to do,” Zenobia Johnson-Black told the Chicago Sun-Times for a story Wednesday. Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson was one of many who expressed sadness over Black’s passing, calling him “a tall tree in the civil rights forest.” “He…