By Cillea Houghton Educators at TSU, Meharry Medical College and MTSU are sharing their reactions to the final presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, held at Belmont University. Dr. Sekou Franklin, associate professor of political science and international relations at MTSU, said that the candidates were mainly focused on driving their respective audiences to the polls while trying to gain favorability with the small percentage of undecided voters. “The debate was about whether or not you could turn out your base, and it looks like both sides are probably going to turn…
Author: Cillea Houghton
By Cillea Houghton CLARKSVILLE, TN — “What is your truth?” That’s the question Treva Gordon has been asking since her husband, Robert Gordon, passed away from cancer in June, a loss that left her grief-stricken and seeking comfort. Unable to find a support group for widows, Gordon discovered that sharing her story whether to an acquaintance or a stranger on a plane forged a bond that helped with the healing process. That’s when she created L.O.S.S., Lending Our Shared Stories, a nonprofit under the Mile High Church in Clarksville where her husband was a pastor, that invites those experiencing loss…
By Cillea Houghton NASHVILLE, TN — Though he grew up surrounded by the arts, Nashville-based writer and filmmaker Alan Nettles spent his childhood believing that filmmaking was an out of reach dream, due to the lack of black filmmakers other than his role models Tyler Perry and Spike Lee. “Little did I know there are tons of black directors, even in Hollywood, but their names don’t ring as loudly as a Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg,” Nettles said. But with his new short film, Wear the Crown, Nettles is giving a voice to African American artists in the south. During…
By Cillea Houghton NASHVILLE, TN — Tennessee Tribune Publisher Rosetta Miller Perry has been honored by the Tennessee Human Rights Commission with the 2019 Jocelyn D. Wurzburg Civil Rights Legacy Award. The award is named after devoted civil rights activist Jocelyn D. Wurzburg of Memphis. Initially appointed to the Tennessee Human Rights Commission in 1971, Wurzburg authored the first anti-discrimination law in the state, known as the Tennessee Human Rights Act, which protects citizens from being discriminated against by employers due to race, color, sex, nationality, disability, age, religion and creed. She also co-founded the Memphis Panel of American Women…
By Cillea Houghton NASHVILLE, TN — Since its founding in 1946, The Links, Incorporated has operated with the mentality of empowering women and making a difference in communities around the world. The nonprofit, volunteer organization has since grown from its two founders, Margaret Roselle Hawkins and Sarah Strickland Scott, into a network of 15,000 professional women of color in 289 chapters across 41 states, the Bahamas and the United Kingdom, collectively logging more than one million hours of community service each year. The goal of supporting communities is at the center of The Links’ 45th Central Area Conference A Change…
By Cillea Houghton NASHVILLE, TN — The energy was electrifying as Michelle Obama took the stage at the Ryman Auditorium for the final stop on her Becoming book tour. In a conversation moderated by Late Show host Stephen Colbert, Obama discussed topics including growing up in Chicago, her journey to the White House and experience as first lady. As a self-described “box checker” who was constantly working toward academic success, Obama revealed how the death of her father, Fraser Robinson, and her friend Suzanne Alele, inspired her to pursue her passion for giving back and mentoring young people. “I owe…
By Cillea Houghton NASHVILLE, TN — Warner Arts Magnet Elementary School has received $10,000 worth of school supplies from Amazon. The donation came as a surprise to students and teachers, who gathered on the front lawn of the school as three Amazon Prime trucks pulled up carrying boxes filled with iPads, Kindles, Lego sets, art supplies, bean bag chairs and more. Warner Arts Principal Ricki Gibbs II received an email from a representative at Amazon a week before the supplies arrived informing him that the school had been selected for the $10,000 donation. The email instructed Gibbs to “dream big,”…
By Cillea Houghton NASHVILLE, TN — For former NFL player Troy Vincent, the 2019 NFL Draft was about more than the major league teams, it was an opportunity to inspire youth. That’s exactly what he and his wife Tommi Vincent accomplished through their organization Vincent Country by hosting a mock draft for Waverly Belmont Bulldogs Youth Football. “At each one of our events, my wife and I try to sew a seed back into local neighborhoods,” Troy said. Wanting to bring the Draft to a community of people that may not have had the chance to attend, the Vincents…
By Cillea Houghton NASHVILLE, TN — Women and minority-owned businesses have an ally with the Small Business Administration (SBA), particularly through its 8(a) Business Development program that helps disadvantaged businesses, or companies that have a maximum networth of $250,000, gain access to contract jobs with the federal government. “The 8(a) program is special. It has been a catalyst for economic empowerment for communities of color for decades,” described SBA Regional IV Administrator Ashley D. Bell. “The 8(a) program is built to get you going, but by the time you graduate and we recruit these firms, we want them to also…
By Cillea Houghton MEMPHIS, TN — For Madeline Lyles and Dana Taylor, being a mortician isn’t merely a profession, it’s an art form. Co-owners of After Life Mortuary Services in Memphis, Lyles and Taylor met while working as forensic technicians at the medical examiner’s office in Shelby County. After moving on to different jobs, they reconnected while working at Joe Ford Funeral Home. Though both discovered their passion for the mortuary business as teens, the idea for After Life came to Lyles when she was 19 and began plotting the vision of one day opening her own funeral home. After…