CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Yancy Villa, the 2022-23 recipient of the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) Tennessee Artist Fellowship, will present a free public artist lecture on May 18 at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville. Villa is an interdisciplinary artist and civic design consultant from Memphis, Tennessee whose work focuses on creating social engagement. Her work has appeared in mediums ranging from visual art and activism to performance art and urban planning. The CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship celebrates contemporary art to support the continued creative work of exceptional Tennessee artists. Unlike other fellowships, nominations and applications from artists are not solicited. A…
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NASHVILLE, TN — Dr. André L. Churchwell, a renowned cardiologist and health care leader who has advanced equity, diversity and inclusion at both Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, will step down as vice chancellor for outreach, inclusion and belonging and chief diversity officer at the university effective June 30, 2023, and transition to a new role within the Office of the Chancellor as senior advisor on inclusion and community outreach. In this new role, Churchwell will draw on his deep experience and personal commitment to diversity and inclusion to advise the chancellor and engage on a range of…
NASHVILLE, TN — Senate minority leader Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, and Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, issued statements calling for common sense gun reform to feature prominently in Gov. Bill Lee’s August special session of the legislature. Sen. Raumesh Akbari: “The General Assembly should embrace this opportunity to pass sensible gun laws that stop future gun violence. The people demanding action have brought us to this moment and now we need every Tennessean who cares about this issue to tell their elected leaders to show up in August and support legislation that truly addresses gun violence. “Once we see the official…
SAN FRANSICO, CA — In response to advocacy by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) California Attorney General Rob Bonta sent warning letters to RJ Reynolds and Imperial Tobacco Group Brands (ITG) that their new tobacco products marketed to the Black community violate the state’s law prohibiting sales of flavored tobacco. This is an important step to protect the health of Black residents of California who have been targeted for decades by the tobacco industry. As a result of decades of predatory targeting of menthol-flavored tobacco products, 45,000 Black Americans die because of tobacco-induced illnesses. After this past…
After 15 public hearings and testimony from more than 100 expert witnesses and the public, the California Reparations Task Force approved calculations on Saturday that estimate as much as hundreds of millions of dollars owed to eligible Black residents. Describing the emotional meeting as “one of the more rowdy hearings by the task force,” Wendy Fry from CalMatters’ California Divide team reports that its recommendations don’t include a final price tag for reparations. Rather, they model ways the state could calculate how much money eligible African Americans in California have lost since the state was established to when the panel was created — from 1850 through 2020. Calculations…
NASHVILLE, TN — Music City Center, in partnership with Nashville Business Incubation Center and Tennessee APEX Accelerator (formerly Procurement Technical Assistance Center), will host a Construction Opportunities Conference this fall on October 26th from 9 am to 4 pm at the Music City Center. The cost is $35 and includes parking, lunch, conference, and workshops. This is the second year for the one-day conference. As part of the facility’s Diversity Business Enterprise Program, the event is designed to bring small businesses and engineering firms face-to-face with large prime contractors and government agencies. This year, a series of masterclasses will also…
By JC Bowman I have some advice for Tennessee’s new Commissioner of Education, Lizzette Gonzales-Reynolds. Please know that you will never be everyone’s cup of tea. And that statement of fact is true for all of us. However, everyone is worthy of respect. In an Age of Irreverence, it is worth remembering that simple truth. We are all created in the image of God. It doesn’t mean you have to accept others’ beliefs, or even agree with them. However, it is a good starting point for human interaction. Penny Schwinn, who directed the Tennessee Department of Education for Tennessee (TDOE)…
Sponsored content from JPMorgan Chase & Co. Almost half of all U.S. employees work for small businesses, defined as companies with fewer than 500 employees, and a staggering 99 percent of all U.S. companies fall under the “small business” designation, according to the Small Business Association. Entrepreneurship can be a stepping stone to wealth generation. In recent years, however, small business owners have faced many challenges, and that’s particularly true for those in majority Black, Hispanic and Latino communities. Fortunately, data is showing a strong trend toward improvement and normalization. Many small businesses have more cash than they did before…
Soraya Mejia Rosales, who is a first generation college student, was selected to be in the KIPP Ruth and Norman Rales Scholars Program. In addition to financial support, Rosales will receive 1:1 mentorship, training around financial literacy and budget planning, and networking opportunities. Rosales is a senior at KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School, and is one of 62 students selected nationwide to become a Rales Scholar. Soraya is a Legacy Leader for the first Hispanic Organization Promoting Education (HoPe) high school chapter in Tennessee. After receiving extensive leadership development training, she became the President of her HoPe chapter. As…
NASHVILLE, TN — American Baptist College, one of Nashville’s four Historically Black Colleges/Universities, will celebrate the Class of 2023 during Baccalaureate and Commencement exercises May 17 and 18. Both events are free and open to the public and will be held at Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, 2708 Jefferson Street, Nashville. The Baccalaureate service will be held Wednesday, May 17, at 6 pm. The speaker will be Dr. B. Lamont Monford Sr., pastor of Philippian Missionary Baptist Church in Lima, Ohio, and president of the American Baptist College Alumni Association. The members of the Class of 2023 will take their…