By Sen. Brenda Gilmore “The coronavirus does not discriminate.” I’ve heard some variation of that assertion made many times since the first case of COVID-19 appeared in Tennessee early March. Even so, we are seeing a new, but all too familiar trend unfold again: People of color, specifically black Americans, are getting infected and dying at disproportionately higher rates than white people. Of the novel coronavirus cases in the U.S. in which person’s race was identified, 30 percent of those people were black or African American, according to statistics released by the CDC. That’s despite black Americans accounting for only…
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By Dana Givens The spread of COVID-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus, has caused massive panic and has thousands of people sick or economically impacted in its wake. The public health crisis has caused many scientists around the world to begin work on finding a vaccine and cure to alleviate patients and flatten the curve to keep the virus from spreading any further. This black woman is taking charge and her team is on its way to finding a solution that can help. Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett, a viral immunologist working with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,…
By Laura Faith Kebede MEMPHIS, TN — Getting all Shelby County Schools students learning online could initially cost anywhere from $21 million to $77 million based on three options in a proposal that Superintendent Joris Ray released Thursday. The most expensive option is a “multiyear strategy” that would provide every student with a new device and internet access if they need it. The other two options would use the district’s existing inventory of about 35,000 laptops and tablets plus new devices distributed first to students from low-income families. One of those plans would have district-paid internet, the other would not.…
By Dr. Ron Daniels There is one indisputable fact about the 2020 Democratic presidential primary: former Vice-President Joe Biden’s bid for the nomination was reeling and on the ropes before he was rescued by Black voters, beginning with the decisive endorsement of veteran Congressman James Clyburn, the widely respected custodian of the “fire wall” in South Carolina. Senator Bernie Sanders was on a roll as the frontrunner, with considerable support from younger Black voters, until he crashed into a “wall” of mostly older, pragmatic Black voters in South Carolina. While some of these voters may have shared Senator Sander’s progressive…
NASHVILLE, TN — Ascension Saint Thomas is transforming healthcare and expanding access in Middle Tennessee with the proposed construction of the State of Tennessee’s first neighborhood hospital, located in Murfreesboro, near the Westlawn community by Veteran’s Parkway and Shores Road. If approved by the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency (HSDA), the neighborhood hospital, to be known as Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford at Westlawn, will be a satellite hospital of Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford. It is being developed to complement the services offered at the main hospital’s campus. Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford at Westlawn will be located in one of…
By Roger Caldwell NNPA Newswire Contributor NNPA NEWSWIRE — In the African American community, the coronavirus is exposing systemic racism with frightening numbers. In Chicago, the Black population is 29% but 70% of the people dying from the virus are Black. In Louisiana, the Black population is 32% but 70% of the people dying from the virus are Black. “History is bound to repeat itself. Look at what went wrong in 1918 (Spanish Flu). Then do the opposite,” says the History Channel. President Woodrow Wilson was the American President in 1918, when 675,000 Americans died as a result of the Spanish…
NASHVILLE, TN – We were warned but stuck our heads in the sand and didn’t see the pandemic coming. Suddenly we found ourselves at war against an invisible enemy. The first casualty was the truth. It will all be over by Easter. We have plenty of PPEs. African Americans are immune. The virus only hits old people. It won’t tank the economy. And so on. The amount of bull that’s been shoveled for public consumption is greater the higher up the chain of command you go. Nobody can beat the President for tripe and outright chicanery. Governor Bill Lee followed close…
RIYADH — Foreign expats living in Saudi Arabia have been resisting the temptation to head home in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, opting instead to stay put in the Kingdom. Since the start of the deadly virus outbreak, Saudi authorities have acted quickly to introduce measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring the safety of citizens. And the government’s moves have reassured many residents from abroad to remain in the Kingdom rather than return to their home countries. Alexis DeBerry, an events and delegations specialist at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, told…
Former President Obama endorsed Joe Biden for president on Tuesday, giving the former vice president a powerful surrogate and fundraiser as he heads into the general election against President Trump. In a video recorded from his home in Washington, D.C., Obama made the case that Biden represents the nation’s best hope of emerging from the coronavirus pandemic as a united and prosperous country. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned as a country from moments of great crisis, it’s that the spirit of looking out for one another can’t be restricted to our homes or our work places or our neighborhoods…
FLORENCE, MA — Pressured by Americans who want to vote safely, we are down to the “Late Eight” states that have so far refused to expand Vote by Mail amidst the coronavirus pandemic. New Hampshire and New York increased vote-by-mail options last week, leaving us with eight states, including Kentucky, that have failed to act. Here is a list of the Late Eight: Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas While some states are quickly expanding vote-by-mail options, the “Late Eight” states are stalling. Last week voters in Wisconsin were forced into long lines at limited polling locations, sparking outrage across the country and showing how…