By Clare Bratten SMYRNA, TN — A tour of the B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber plane that played an important role in the World War II air battles in over Nazi Germany landed at the Smyrna airport for tours last weekend. The public was invited to come see the airplane and inspect the interior at no charge until sunset. More fearless folk who had $450 to contribute to the (tax deductible) maintenance of the flying museum took a ride in the Flying Fortress earlier in the day. During the flight, riders experienced what it was like to operate various gunner positions in…
Author: Clare Bratten
By Clare Bratten NASHVILLE, TN — Being taunted for wearing the hijab, having their children targeted at school by bullies, their mosques defaced, and being called a terrorist – these are some of the experiences described by five Muslim women from backgrounds as diverse as the US, Somalia, and Kurdistan described to an audience on Saturday. The panel discussion was led by Zulfat Suara, who works as a CPA at Meharry and is the chair of the American Muslim Advisory Committee and President Elect of the Tennessee Women Political Caucus. The meeting was sponsored by the L-Club and held at…
By Clare Bratten HUNTSVILLE, AL. – Fifth and sixth-grade teacher Allison Booten of Memphis and sixth-grade science teacher Nicole Lyke of Leipers Fork won two spots in the two-week long Honeywell Educators at Space Academy — a space camp for middle school science, technology and math (S.T.E.M.) teachers at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Allison Booten and Nicole Lyke joined 200 other S.T.E.M. teachers from around the world and experienced what it is like to walk on the moon, or escape from a lunar hatch in a water landing. They also conducted experiments, ran a mission…
By Clare Bratten NASHVILLE, TN — If you are an 18-24 year old and don’t have a job – there is a job and job training internship program that can help you enter the job market. Metro’s Opportunity Now Program also offers a number of other summer and school year job programs for young adults and teens. The “Employment Connections” program is for 18-24 year-olds who are out of school and who are finding it hard to look for jobs. The program offers 650 ongoing spots and provides a mentor who works intensively with each individual to develop a career…
By Clare Bratten NASHVILLE, TN — People who have attended a historically black college or university (HBCU) are invited to become a part of an online digital yearbook documenting their experience as a part of a project linked to Stanley Nelson’s latest documentary “Tell Them We are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities.” The award winning and acclaimed filmmaker and producer came to Nashville’s Belcourt Theater last week to screen his riveting portrayal of 170-year history and impact of HBCUs like Fisk, Tennessee State University, Howard University and others. Nelson’s film was screened to a group of black…
By Clare Bratten NASHVILLE, TN — Membership in a faith community can protect the health of congregation members, community activists and church leaders learned on Saturday. Health service providers and church leaders at the Faith and Health Summit met at Lee Chapel to discuss “The Role of Congregations in Health.” Representative Reverend Harold M. Love, Jr. of the Tennessee General Assembly and pastor of Lee Chapel AME Church hosted the event. Not having a religious faith has effects on health. “The lack of religiosity is equivalent to 40 years of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day,” according to Dr.…
By Clare Bratten NASHVILLE, TN.–What becomes of immigrants and refugees in Nashville following recent executive orders by the Trump administration was the concern of a crowd of more than 150 at a recent forum sponsored by the West End Synagogue and introduced by Vice Mayor David Briley. Asked about what would happen if refugees are sent back to their country, Kadijo Jana, a woman from Sudan, answered: “There are terrorists and violence there. That is why we left and stayed in a refugee camp for three years. The same thing is still going on. I don’t feel safe going back.”…
By Clare Bratten BELLEVUE, TN — Nearly 150 people gathered at dusk recently at Sri Ganesh Temple for a candlelight vigil for Srinivas Kuchibhotla, the engineer from India, who died from a gunshot by a Kansas man who was later charged with the killing. Representatives from the India Association of Nashville and partner organizations spoke briefly to a crowd assembled to pay homage to the slain engineer Kuchibohotla and his family. The organizers emphasized on their web page that this was not a protest but a way to “peacefully express our grief, support, and solidarity in light of what…
By Clare Bratten NASHVILLE, TN — Contradicting fears and myths about kidney transplants is critical for Dr. Clarence Foster, Surgical Director of Organ Transplant for TriStar Centennial Medical Center. “Moving here gives me a chance to educate and give back to the African American community and encourage organ donation so my transplant patients get the best possible match.” Because of complications of hypertension and diabetes, African Americans suffer a higher rate of kidney disease which requires dialysis or a transplant. In the past, recipients for a donor kidney were ranked by six criteria that made it harder for African Americans…