By Ashley Benkarski NASHVILLE, TN — You may remember him from his time on the Boston Celtics and later as coach for the Houston Rockets, but Don Chaney has traded his court strategy for ATTR-CM awareness advocacy. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), in a joint effort with Pfizer and the Voices of the Heart program, held a virtual informational event to raise awareness of hereditary heart failure. Hereditary transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a serious and often overlooked cause of heart failure among Black/African Americans and AfroCaribbeans. The event was hosted by Pastor Cornelius Hill of the Second Missionary…
Author: Ashley Benkarski
By Ashley Benkarski NASHVILLE, TN — Justin Jones, 26, has joined the District 52 State House of Representatives race. The office represents East and Southeast Nashville, which for the first time is a majority minority area. Media sensationalism has, in many ways, cast Jones as an activist; some have branded him a troublemaker. But Jones is quick to point out that he’s more than the youthful agitator he’s been typecast to be. “I’m a whole person,” he stated, noting his ministry service and community work with Nashville Civil Rights legends Diane Nash and the late Rip Patton, among others. “I…
By Ashley Benkarski NASHVILLE, TN— You may be familiar with the phrase “with great power comes great responsibility.” In so many words, Division II General Sessions Court Judge Melissa Blackburn agrees. She said she hopes voters see “the genuine approach I bring to this work and the empathy I have for the clients we serve.” Elected in 2014, Blackburn is a Nashville native and Lipscomb graduate. “We don’t get the attention other courts do, but General Sessions is the most diverse court in Nashville,” Blackburn said. “I am very proud of the fact that we are leading the way when…
By Ashley Benkarski WASHINGTON, DC — Ray Smith, Jr. turns obstacles into opportunities to help others. When diabetes left him blind he was devastated yet steadfast in his faith, though he’d lost his job and house. “In losing sight I gained a lot of other things,” Smith remarked. “I asked the Lord standing in my home … how I could serve Him as a blind man. The Lord asked, “‘Do you trust me?’” Resolving his commitment, he moved to Blind Industries of Maryland for a year, learning to adapt to a world shaped for people with sight. “‘You’ve lost your…
By Ashley Benkarski NASHVILLE, TN — District Attorney General Glenn Funk will be defending his seat in the upcoming Democratic primaries. Funk, who’s held the seat since 2014, has two challengers in the primary — U.S. Attorney Sara Beth Myers and former Assistant DA P. Danielle Nellis. He has faced criticism due to striking a plea deal with former police officer Andrew Delke, who shot and killed Daniel Hambrick, a young Black man, in 2018. Delke shot Hambrick in the back. It was never proven that Hambrick discharged his weapon. Funk’s challengers have criticized that decision, namely, they say, because…
By Ashley Benkarski FRANKLIN, TN — Dino enthusiasts of all ages took a trip back in time last weekend as Jurassic Quest took over the Williamson County Expo Center. Attendees walked the winding dirt path along massive, realistic dinosaurs, learning about the towering titans along the way and taking selfies, part of an interactive scavenger hunt-styled Quest. Many children were thrilled to interact with an adorable baby Tyrannosaurus Rex while learning about the different fossils on display, including a detailed replica of Stan, the famous T-Rex fossil discovered in South Dakota in 1987. Participants also enjoyed dino-themed rides and attractions…
By Ashley Benkarski The three Fellowships are focused on policy, arts, and S.T.E.M. and were made possible with the support of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Founded in 2019, the Center’s mission is “to foster and advance social justice across every sphere of contemporary society by engendering rigorous research, applying scholarship, artistic production, and community engagement locally as well as globally,” the institution’s press release explained. “Fisk University has always been synonymous with a global concern for equality, inclusion, and prosperity. From W.E.B DuBois to Ida B. Wells, John R. Lewis and Diane Nash, Fisk has helped shape a better world…
By Ashley Benkarski The Home Depot has announced it will contribute $1 million in grants to support campus improvements at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through its 13th annual Retool Your School program, representatives said. Locally, Fisk University and Meharry Medical College are officially in the running to receive one of 30 grants ranging from $20,000 to $75,000 per school. Lane College, located in Jackson, TN, is also participating. The top ten schools in each of three clusters will win an improvement grant. Currently, Fisk is in the #2 position (146,639) for votes in its cluster behind Texas College.…
By Ashley Benkarski STATEN ISLAND, NY– 90-year-old Elizabeth Meaders has spent much of her life amassing an impressive collection of African American items now up for auction. Meaders said the 20,000 items represent the deep and varied history of Black Americans,foreign and domestic, and that she prays her collection will find a home at a university orbecome an instant museum. Further, Meaders has offered to accompany the collection, assisting its new owner in navigating through the items. The Collection was diligently divided into 14 categories by Meaders, including the Scourge of Slavery, the Struggle for Civil Rights, Blacks in the…
By Ashley Benkarski NASHVILLE, TN — Attendees of the American Association of School Administrators’ (AASA) National Conference on Education were greeted with various exhibitors at the Music City Center Feb. 17-19, including UBTECH, an L.A.-based robotics firm. The company showcased its ADIBOT UV-C sanitizing robot it deemed as “the long-term solution for clean schools during and after COVID-19.” With nearly one-fifth of the nation’s population in a school setting every day, and with many absences being due to illnesses such as the flu, UBTECH Senior Vice President John Rhee said the ADIBOT technology was a hit at the conference. …