LOS ANGELES, CA — The NAACP announced on March 18, 2019 that mass media icon Tom Joyner will be honored with the Vanguard Award at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. The Vanguard Award is presented to a person whose groundbreaking work increases our understanding and awareness of racial and social issues. To date, the special award has been presented to Aretha Franklin, Clive Davis, surviving Memphis Sanitation Workers, Prince, Russell Simmons, Stanley Kramer, Steven Spielberg and Wyclef Jean. The 50th NAACP Image Awards will air during a LIVE TV special on TV One on Saturday, March 30, 2019 from the…
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NASHVILLE, TN – The City Council voted Tuesday to pay Amazon up to $17.5m to create 5,000 jobs at the Nashville Yards in the next seven years. That’s $500/job. The incentive package is not one big deal but seven smaller ones with a $2.5m cap each year. If Amazon creates more than 5000 jobs, the city council would have to approve any additional job incentive payments. Also, the arrangement allows Metro to skip a year. In other words, the seven years don’t necessarily have be in a row. An amendment by At-Large Councilman John Cooper draws Amazon payments from the…
Washington D.C. – In a rare display of bi-partisanship last week, 12 Republicans joined 45 Senate Democrats by voting to end President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border. Republicans who voted against the President were concerned with his abuse of presidential power. Trump promptly vetoed the measure, his first, and plans to use $4.3 billion Congress has allocated to other federal agencies to pay for his border wall. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would schedule another vote next week but she is 45 votes short of a 2/3 majority needed to override Trump’s veto.…
NASHVILLE, TN — The Morris building and property is the ideal location for Nashville to construct its own Civil Rights Museum, something that has long been needed to highlight and celebrate a vital part of our city’s heritage. Though many may not realize it, Nashville was one of the key locales in the Movement from its inception. While Greensboro was the site of the first sit-ins, Nashville students were soon active participants as well. The distinguished Rev. James Lawson, then a Vanderbilt Divinity student, sacrificed his early education to play a major role, and Fisk University’s Race Relations Institute served as a…
NASHVILLE, TN — American Baptist College (ABC) honors 103-years old Dr. Susie McClure, philanthropist and global missionary, with the 2019 Nannie Helen Burroughs Legacy Award. Additionally retired State Senator Thelma Harper, Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway, HCA Healthcare Vice President Sherri L. Neal, Rev. Dr. Judy Cummings, and Rev. Cora Alston will receive the 2019 Women of Distinction Award. Rev. Dr. Racquel Lettsome will deliver the keynote address and Mrs.Joyce Searcy, Director of Community Relations at Belmont University, will serve as the mistress of ceremonies. This signature event of the 62nd Annual Garnett-Nabrit Lecture Series sponsored by American Baptist…
NASHVILLE, TN — I have chosen not to run in the election for Mayor of Nashville, and it has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. In many ways, I feel that this time in Nashville’s history is the singular point where I could have made a positive impact on the direction of our city. I’ve arrived at this difficult decision for personal reasons, and I am so grateful to the many people who encouraged me to consider running for this office. So many people have told me that they felt I was the right person at the…
WASHINGTON, DC — The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Free Press Action release model legislation for Congress this week to consider in its ongoing online privacy debates. This bill prioritizes combating civil rights harms from the invasive privacy practices of tech and big data companies. “Congress needs to prohibit the use of personal data to discriminate in employment, housing, lending, education, insurance, and the right to vote,” said Kristen Clarke, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee. “Civil rights laws previously addressed these issues in brick-and-mortar commerce. These laws were never intended to omit the digital public square.…
NASHVILLE, TN — The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum has launched Teen Team, a volunteer program created for teens, by teens ages 13 – 17. Teen Team is specifically designed to provide Middle Tennessee students with the opportunity to volunteer their time while developing professional skills including leadership, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and customer service. Teen Team volunteers will move through a multi-level volunteer program in which they will assume more duties, and gain experience, responsibility and training. Teen Team members should be willing to commit to two assignments or four hours a month. Middle Tennessee teens…
NASHVILLE, TN — Deann Bullock, MD, FAAEM, was appointed Chief Medical Officer for Nashville General Hospital effective March 1, 2019 and became the first female Chief Medical Officer and the second Meharry graduate to lead the medical staff initiatives at the Hospital. A native of Nashville, Dr. Bullock received her medical degree from Meharry Medical College and Chief Resident from the Medical College of Georgia in Emergency Medicine. She was previously affiliated at the Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune which is a United States Navy-run facility that is located on Marine Corps Base Camp in North Carolina and in…
By Ken Jobe House Constitutional Protections and Sentencing Subcommittee HB1415 by Representative Joe Towns — prohibits a law enforcement officer from seizing or destroying a person’s photograph or recording of an event or person if it is not illegal and the person is in a place the person has a right to be when photographed or recorded; allows law enforcement to petition court for a copy of certain photographic or recorded material. HB141 by Representative Joe Towns — prohibits a court from removing a person’s constitutional rights for failure to pay court costs, fines, or any other monetary amount in a…