By Aaron Gilchrist and Nnamdi Egwuonwu WASHINGTON, D.C. — A senior White House official met with a small group of students and faculty at Morehouse College on Friday, amid some objections on campus to having President Joe Biden deliver the commencement address there this weekend, according to a White House official and a Morehouse administration official. During the meeting with Steve Benjamin, who heads the White House Office of Public Engagement, some of the students expressed concerns about Biden overshadowing their graduation, the White House official said. The official added that some students were worried in particular about the controversy surrounding…
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By Helena Oliviero and Shelia Poole ATLANTA, GA — Despite major improvements in cancer prevention and treatment over the past few decades, a stark reality remains: Black women have the lowest survival rate of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. for most cancers. The disparity is particularly stark for breast cancer which kills Black women at a 40 percent higher rate than white women. Black women are also about 60 percent more likely than white women to die of cervical cancer and more than twice as likely to die of stomach cancer. To better understand these racial differences and…
NASHVILLE, TN — Cookeville attorney Laura Dykes will be honored next month with the Tennessee Bar Association’s Fifth Annual Claudia Jack Award. Named for the late Claudia Jack, a long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged and a public defender in Maury County, the award is presented to an outstanding public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who serves the legal community and clients in an exemplary fashion. Dykes has served as an assistant public defender for the past 35 years, working first in the Metro Davidson County office, then joining the 13th Judicial District office in Cookeville after her retirement…
By Zenobia Reed Louisiana native and former LSU chair Ruth Ray Jackson, Ph.D, has been named the 17th president of Langston University, Oklahoma’s only historically Black university. Jackson’s selection comes after a comprehensive eight-month national search that attracted numerous qualified candidates. A graduate of Southern University and A&M College, Jackson has a strong background in academia. At Langston, she served as vice president for academic affairs, interim president, associate vice president for student success, and dean and professor for the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Before Langston, she spent 11 years at Louisiana State University in Shreveport as a…
NASHVILLE, TN — A team of dedicated volunteers at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church: A City of Grace kicked off Mother’s Day weekend by partnering with “But God” Ministry to help make community change. Members of the local congregation, led by Senior Pastor Frank D. Stevenson, hosted a community food drive on Friday, May 10, to help those in need. It was in conjunction with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. Nearly 14,000 pounds of food items were sorted, boxed and loaded into vehicles throughout the day during the drive-thru event. Those who donated their time and resources in support…
NASHVILLE, TN — The beautiful campus of Scarritt-Bennett Conference Center is the setting for all Church Women United members and future members in the state of Tennessee to meet and network for an inspiring 2 days, May 24-25, 2024. We welcome all Christian women to attend. Our National President, Mira J. Washington, will be presenting “CWU’s Got a New Attitude.” As a servant leader, motivational speaker, and social justice advocate, President Washington brings a wealth of inspiration and wisdom to our gathering. The CWU Assembly will be a transformative gathering designed to ignite and empower communities across the state. This…
NASHVILLE, TN — The funeral service for Rev. Dr. Julius R. Scruggs will be Friday, May 17, 2024, at noon at Oakwood University Church, 5500 Adventist Blvd. NW, Huntsville, AL. Rev. Scruggs passed away peacefully in his home on Wednesday, May 8. “This great leader in religion and education was a loyal supporter to American Baptist College and will be greatly missed,” said Dennie Marshall, chair of the American Baptist College Board of Trustees. Rev. Scruggs was the pastor emeritus of First Missionary Baptist Church, retiring in 2019 after 42 years as the leader of the congregation. He also was…
Simeon Michelson of Nashville, Tennessee, won the Outstanding Senior Award from the Westmont College History Department during a special convocation April 22. His professors said: “Simeon Michelson of Nashville, Tennessee, will finish Westmont this semester with a major in history. Hailing from Tennessee, Simeon brought Southern charm to Westmont, with a winsomeness and warmth to match his intelligence. He worked very hard, setting a bar which his peers have often only been able to admire. He has done so in the face of a series of health challenges, which make his accomplishments even more remarkable. This summer, he will travel…
Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune)-More than 500 Nashvillians joined Mayor Freddie O’Connell at the Nashville Fairgrounds for his first State of Metro speech in which O’Connell detailed a path toward a more connected, affordable city with a local government that feels like a partner to residents. “We have a great opportunity to restore your faith in local government as a resource, a partner, a listener, and a responder,” Mayor O’Connell said. “We have a great opportunity to reach for the future instead of only lamenting the past. We have a great opportunity to preserve so much of what we love about…
Montgomery, AL — A coalition of civil rights, voting rights, and disability rights organizations filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in Alabama State Conference of the NAACP et al. v. Marshall et al. With this motion, Plaintiffs ask the court to pause the state of Alabama from criminalizing the assistance of voters with their absentee ballot applications, which now may result in felony penalties of up to 20 years in prison. If timely granted, the requested injunction would prevent the state from implementing the recently enacted Senate Bill 1 (SB1) prior to October 29, 2024, the last day to apply for…