Updates to federal contracts will support America’s Black-owned businesses WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC) is pleased to support President Biden’s announcement to increase the Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) contracting goal from 5 percent to 15 percent (approximately $100B over five years), which will increase the share of federal contracts for small minority businesses. “For over a decade, USBC has been tirelessly advocating for the inclusion of Black-owned businesses in our country’s economic infrastructure, which includes opportunities to receive federal contracts,” said Ron Busby, President and CEO of USBC. “As the Black community moves forward past the painful history and…
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Two years ago the Tennessee Tribune looked at gentrification in North Nashville. This is the 4th in The Tennessee Tribune’s series on Affordable Housing. What are city leaders doing to address the critical lack of affordable housing? What changes have we seen since 2019? What is the current stock of affordable single-family homes and apartments? What is the stock of market rate homes and apartments in Nashville and surrounding cities? NASHVILLE, TN – Daryl Duffy, 36, has spent his entire life in Nashville. He, his wife, and four kids have been living in a 1200-sq ft. two-bedroom house. They are pulling up roots…
Nashville, TN (TN Tribune)-Metro Councilwoman at Large Zulfat Suara is hosting a series of Budget Conversations on Facebook to help community members understand the proposed budget. Topics covered in the weekly series include Metro Nashville public schools and public safety. “Last week’s budget conversation was focused on an issue of great importance to me: our children. For the first time ever, Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has a proposed budget that exceeds the $1 billion mark. That’s right, $1 billion. I was excited when the mayor announced at the state of metro that his proposed budget fully funds our schools.…
By Special to The Florida Star | The Georgia Star Marijuana has long been a target of condemnation in Black churches. And for good reason: Pastors have seen how the racially biased enforcement of marijuana laws has impacted their communities and congregations. But three Black pastors in Florida reflect a national trend in changing attitudes toward cannabis, particularly its legal use for medicinal purposes. Dr. Erta C. Livingston Jr., Pastor Leo Stoney and Dr. Lonnie Davis Wesley III, all support medical marijuana as a physician-authorized treatment, saying its use is no different than taking any prescribed drug. Dr. Livingston is…
Dominisha Black and Timothy Johnson were proud graduates and made extraordinary remarks during the graduation ceremony on Tuesday, May 25, 2021. As They Go…Let Others Come! Both students are ordained ministers and are doing great work in the ministry. We know this class and the 2020 class, recognized in this year’s ceremony, will go into the world and make a positive difference, as agents of social change. They will continue to learn, preach, teach, guide, support, and live the creed of social justice, equity, advocacy and leadership. Congratulations to the American Baptist College graduates!
By Betsy Ragland There’s so much being written about the filibuster these days, but in all the articles I read I feel like this important point gets lost: The filibuster isn’t mentioned in our Constitution. Not even one time. Despite what some in the Senate might imply, the filibuster is just a procedural measure that can be changed at any point, like when Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump put Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. That’s why it’s so ridiculous that the filibuster still stands in the way of almost every single progressive priority on Democrats’…
After a 2020 Vanderbilt University Medical Center study showed women have a difficult time accessing treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), investigators analyzed comments received from the study’s participants to further shed light on barriers to care, which included everything from long on-hold times to difficult interactions with clinic receptionists during phone calls seeking appointments. A “secret shopper” study published in JAMA Network Open in 2020 used trained actors trying to get into treatment for opioid use disorder in 10 U.S. states. More than 10,000 unique “patients” were randomly assigned to be pregnant or non-pregnant and have private or Medicaid-based insurance to…
Tulsa, OK (June 4, 2021) – – Darryn Zewalk announces the release of his newest song, “Impatient,” the first single from his upcoming EP, “Eclectic Praise.” Written by Darryn Zewalk and produced by Andrew Bair, this inspirational single marks the return to the Gospel music scene for Darryn after a long hiatus from the studio. Darryn Zewalk is an award-winning Christian singer-songwriter, author, podcast host and motivational speaker. He has received multiple awards and honors for his work in Contemporary Christian music, including a Tulsa Music Award in 2017 for Best Overall Artist and Christian/Gospel Artist in 2018. He has ranked #1 Globally on the ReverbNation Christian/Gospel…
Nashville, TN — Scarritt Bennett Center, Nashville’s premiere urban conference and retreat center, will be hosting a series of concerts featuring music, spoken word, and prayer every 2nd Wednesday through November. The next event will take place on June 9, 2021, starting at 7:00 pm inside Wightman Chapel.June’s event marks the third concert in the series; the first program took place in April of this year. As COVID-19 restrictions have continued to be lifted, it has allowed featured artists to perform in front of a live audience. Scarritt Bennett’s Director of Soul Work Programming Reverend Dr. Donna Patterson believes that…
Facebook said it is suspending former President Donald Trump’s accounts for two years following its finding that he stoked violence ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. “At the end of this period, we will look to experts to assess whether the risk to public safety has receded. We will evaluate external factors, including instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest,” Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, wrote in a blog post Friday. The two-year suspension is effective from Jan. 7, so Trump has 19 months to go. In a press release,…