NASHVILLE, TN – Affordable housing leader, Matt Wiltshire, announced that his campaign raised more than $504,000 in the 2nd quarter (April 1 – June 30). Wiltshire has already set the record for the most money raised in a Nashville Mayor’s race (excluding self funding). The 2nd quarter fundraising haul brings his total fundraising to $2.25m, and did not include any additional loans from the candidate. The campaign has now received nearly 3,500 contributions from more than 2,300 unique donors. The Wiltshire campaign continues to build momentum. In June, Wiltshire earned the endorsements of the Fraternal Order of Police and a…
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National–Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson announced plans to step down as president of the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the international human and civil rights organization he founded. Jackson, a protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., formed Operation People United to Save Humanity (PUSH) in 1971. It was later renamed after merging in 1996 with another of his organizations – the National Rainbow Coalition. He discussed his upcoming retirement from the role during a recent YouTube live stream broadcast. “I’m going to make a transition pretty soon,” said Jackson, 81, during a Rainbow PUSH Coalition live stream on…
Dear Editor, We lost a good man this week. When Roy Herron died Sunday from injuries suffered in a Jet Ski accident, part of West Tennessee died with him. The Dresden, Tennessee, lawyer touched many lives in many ways serving the public in many capacities through the years: Author, ordained minister, folk humorist, state senator, member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, and former chair of the state Democratic Party. But it was Herron’s advocacy for the “least among us’’ for which he will best be remembered. That advocacy was critical to crusading journalists like me. When I revealed in a series of…
Martin, Tenn. (TN Tribune)-The University of Tennessee at Martin has a new chancellor after a special meeting of the UT Board of Trustees held Friday morning. Trustees approved UT System President Randy Boyd’s recommendation that Yancy Freeman be appointed as the next chancellor of UT Martin. Freeman’s appointment is effective Aug. 9, 2023, and he will replace Keith Carver, who moved to senior vice chancellor/senior vice president of the UT Institute of Agriculture earlier in the year. Freeman’s compensation and terms were also approved. “Dr. Freeman is the right person at the right time to lead UT Martin. His student-centric…
NASHVILLE, TN — President Joe Biden’s remarks in saluting the Black Press of America during the NNPA’s annual convention in Nashville, made it clear how important African American-owned newspapers remain and underscored the gathering’s theme. Afterall, the theme of the conference and for this 196th anniversary of the Black Press is: The Black Press of America: Amplifying Progress, Excellence, & Voices of Black America. “Congratulations to the Black Press of America for celebrating 196 years of serving communities across our nation,” Biden stated in the address which aired on July 1. “Ida B. Wells once said, the way to right…
NASHVILLE, TN — The Clear Blue Company, a Nashville-based private equity real estate firm focused on addressing the affordable housing crisis, announced recently it is beginning construction on its first ground-up affordable housing community, which is expected to open be for occupancy in 24 months. Located at 301 Ben Allen Road in East Nashville near Ellington Parkway, the 238-unit development that Bacar Construction is building on 11 acres in Inglewood is made possible through a large, diverse partnership that brings together public, private and non-profit entities to address the city’s pressing need for affordable housing. “We are proud and excited…
By Jon Styf Tennessee’s law blocking health care providers from performing gender-affirming surgeries on minors or administering hormones or puberty blockers to minors is allowed to become law after the Sixth District U.S. Court of Appeals overruled a lower courts injunction. The law has exceptions for treating congenital defects, precocious puberty, disease or physical injury. The law went to court after three transgender minors, their parents and a doctor sued several state officials saying the law violates the United States Constitution’s due process and equal protection. “Tennessee’s interests in applying the law to its residents and in being permitted to…
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire , Senior Correspondent WASHINGTON, DC — The internal migration patterns of African Americans in the United States have contributed to “black-majority cities.” These urban areas, where African Americans constitute a significant portion of the population, have become magnets for individuals seeking more substantial opportunities and sustainable living. According to Insider Monkey, despite a mere 1.5 percent growth in their overall share since 1970, the African American community’s strategic relocation has paved the way for their rising influence in critical regions nationwide. Experts project that the United States will transform into a minority-white country by 2045,…
By Michael Mills WEAKLEY COUNTY — A long-time Tennessee lawmaker and former Democratic Party Chairperson has died, leaving an empty void in the hearts of many. Herron, 69, passed away on Sunday at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. He had been hospitalized since a jet ski collision that took place at Kentucky Lake on July 1. Dresden Mayor Mark Maddox, who was very close to Herron, said that he is deeply saddened by his passing. Maddox said that he first met Herron when he was 11 years old at a Boy Scout camp. “Roy was a people person who…
Ronald Columbus Crawford was born December 31, 1935, in Charlotte, NC to the late Rev. Columbus Crawford and Margaret Adams Crawford. He was the eldest of eight children. He attended West Charlotte High School, played in the marching band and was voted “Most Dependable” by his senior classmates. Upon graduation from high school, he worked in the insurance industry and traveled as a photographer. In 1963, he married his sweetheart Shirley Gaffney. On June 15, 2023, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. He continued his education studying culinary arts at Central Michigan University, and Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. He…