By Curtis Bunn Black churches have certainly not been spared from the incalculable loss from the coronavirus pandemic. Churches have long been a haven for Black communities, as places for spiritual nourishment, social connection, community organizing. But with the pandemic hitting Black populations disproportionately, communities are reeling from the loss of pastors and other faith leaders. The deaths have tested churches’ resolve while expanding their imagination about how to function during and, eventually, after the pandemic. “Covid-19 for the Black church has been devastating,” said the Rev. Eric George Vickers, lead pastor of the historic Beulah Baptist Church in Atlanta.…
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Dear Editor, This is the first time in American history that a terrorist bombing happened on U.S. soil, and the sitting President said absolutely nothing about it. Unlike Trump, when President Biden addressed the American people, his FIRST comments were about the terrorist bombing in Nashville, Tennessee because that’s what Presidents do. Trump’s silence on Nashville bombing is his APPROVAL. Mahmoud El-Yousseph. USAF Retired Veteran Westerville, Ohio December 29, 2020
Washington D.C.– Vice President Pence asked a judge late Thursday to reject a lawsuit that aims to expand his power to use a congressional ceremony to overturn the presidential election, arguing that he is not the right person to sue over the issue. The filing will come as a disappointment to supporters of President Trump, who hoped that Pence would attempt to reject some of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college votes and recognize votes for Trump instead when Congress meets next week to certify the November election. The filing came in response to a lawsuit from Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.)…
By JOHN RABY Associated Press Tennessee has updated its scheduled rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, including moving teachers into a higher priority category. Dr. Lisa Piercey, Tennessee’s health commissioner, said in releasing the updated plan Wednesday that it’s important for residents and workers to pay attention to the phases because of limited supplies and delays in receiving the vaccine. Piercey said counties could end up being at different phases of the rollout at the same time. She said the plan is focused on reducing the risk of exposure to the virus. The current rollout is focused on health care workers, including…
By Kehinde Andrews In 1966, the African American Maulana Karenga created the holiday of Kwanzaa to give black people an “opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history” rather than indulge in the customary traditions of a white Christmas. The celebration starts on Boxing Day and runs for seven days, each marking one of the “principles of African heritage”, which include umoja (Swahili for unity), kujichagulia (self-determination) and ujaama (cooperative work and economics). I have a complicated relationship with the holiday. I have always been suspicious of Karenga, the self-styled “master teacher” who seems more cult leader than black revolutionary, peddling…
NASHVILLE, TN (December 31, 2020) – The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville (401 Korean Veterans Boulevard) has announced a special gesture for first responders and hospitality industry employees in the wake of the tragic events in downtown Nashville on Christmas Day. On New Year’s Day, January 1, 2021, The Joseph will provide 150 complimentary meals to Nashville’s courageous first responders, whose quick action and unparalleled dedication before, during, and after the explosion have kept the city and its residents safe. The recently opened hotel also extends the invitation to distressed hospitality workers facing unforeseen hardship as a result of…
A Black physician died of Covid-19 weeks after she described a White doctor dismissing her pain and concerns about her treatment as she lay in an Indiana hospital. Dr. Susan Moore passed away on Sunday due to complications from Covid-19, her son told the New York Times. The internist died about two weeks after she shared a video in which she accused a doctor at Indiana University Health North Hospital (IU North) of ignoring her complaints of pain and requests for medication because she was Black, even though she was both a patient and a doctor herself. The video she…
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The biggest New Year’s Eve celebration in Memphis was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Any other year, Beale Street would be packed with people preparing for the annual guitar drop, the street filled with life and energy. But this year, there’s a cloud hanging over Beale. “I think it’s just where everybody has to shift their focus on what to do this year, because normally this would be the go-to thing to do in the city,” said musician Eddie Gatewood. “It’s just kind of gloomy to see even the Christmas lights and everything that normally would be…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than a year before Anthony Warner detonated a Christmas Day bomb in downtown Nashville, officers visited his home after his girlfriend told police he was building bombs in a recreational vehicle at his residence, according to documents. But they did not make contact with him, or see inside his RV. Those revelations, contained in a newly disclosed 2019 incident report, put Nashville’s police chief on the defensive Wednesday as he said his officers did nothing wrong and that they had handled the situation properly. He added that other than a 1970s marijuana-related arrest, Warner was…
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Memphis-based health care system won’t acquire two area hospitals after the Federal Trade Commission opposed the $350 million deal. In a statement Wednesday, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare CEO Michael Ugwueke says his organization and Tenet Healthcare Corporation decided to cancel Methodist’s acquisition of Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis and Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett. Ugwueke said “we would prefer to focus on continuing our commitment to provide compassionate and high quality care to patients rather than costly and protracted litigation that would have lasted at least 18 months and distracted from our core mission.” Attorney General Herbert Slatery joined…