By Monique Gooch CORRECTION The July 21 Tribune article about the National Association of Black Military Women incorrectly stated that Retired Chief Warrant Officer Three Doris “Lucki” Allen had been given intelligence about an upcoming large-scale attack during the Vietnam war. Allen was was the person that gave the intel to her command. NABMW spokeswoman Latia Suttle said about Allen, “Three months after arriving in Long Binh, Allen began advising supervisors of a potential large-scale attack planned for January 31, 1968. Her report “50,000 Chinese,” which referred to the amassing troops as Chinese instead of Viet Cong, fell on deaf…
Author: Monique Gooch
By Monique Gooch-Brown Natisha Brooks, who is running for Congress on the Republican ticket from the newly revamped District Five, was recently part of a forum that included Gov. Lee and was hosted by Lipscomb University. Brooks introduced herself as the owner of private school. “We have emphasis on autism and learning disability and this needs to be a national discussion yesterday. Our teachers are suffering curriculum wise. Our teachers and parents and I will defend our governor, governor lee. I am pro-choice educator for parents that they have the right to choose how they want to educate their children,” she told…
By Monique Gooch-Brown NASHVILLE, TN — A straw poll taken at the Wilson County Republican Dinner on April 7 showed Natisha Brooks, a congressional candidate for the 5th District, placed second among the five Republicans seeking the nomination. The dinner was attended by the Wilson County Republican Executive Committee, sponsors, family and friends. In attendance with Brooks was her assistant, her campaign manager and her son, Miles Brooks, Jr., an attorney for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Each candidate got five minutes to share why they were the right person to send to Washington, D.C as Tennessee’s next congressperson. After the straw…
By Monique Gooch-Brown NASHVILLE, TN — A Step Ahead of Middle Tennessee (ASA) is hosting a fundraising event, “Brunch and Bubbly” on April 9, 2022 at Millennium Maxwell House from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The fundraising event allows ASA to place Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) devices in women who request the service. It costs A Step Ahead about $350 to serve one client with an implant or IUD (lasting 3-10 years). Out of pocket, the procedure would cost upwards of $1,500. It is estimated that for every $1 spent on preventing unplanned pregnancies, that taxpayers are saved $7. Jenny…
By Monique Gooch-Brown NASHVILLE, TN — Clips of Connecticut cartoonist Joe Young’s animated short film of Smokey Robinson’s poem, “Black American” were shown recently on ABC’s Emmy award-winning show “The View.” As a teaching artist, writer, cartoonist and producer, Young was able to animate Robinson’s poem to convey his personal opinion and stance on the term Black American. This poem has sparked conversations about racial identity, and was animated in collaboration between the producer, Joe Young and the artist, Smokey Robinson. “Joe Young’s depiction through animation of my ‘Black American’ poem is outstanding. It truly reflects my sentiments on the…
By Monique Gooch-Brown NASHVILLE, TN — Natisha Brooks is running on the Republican ticket to represent the 5th Congressional District from Tennessee. One of the few African-American women to run, Brooks is humbly asking for the opportunity to represent Tennesseans as the next Congresswoman of the 5th Congressional District. Brooks attended Prairie View A&M University and is an educational consultant. More information is available at Brooks Home School Academy. “We have 319 families across the state, nation and we have five international families. I have officially resigned since I’m running for Congress. I don’t want people to think I’m running…
By Monique Gooch American historian, writer, lawyer, activist and professor. Nashville native Dr. Mary Frances Berry, 83, next week is releasing her latest book, “History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times.” Berry will be signing copies of her book at Belmont University on Sept. 19, and speaking about how to make diversity more effective. And the way to make it more effective is to engage in resistant movements. The event is titled, “Making Diversity and Inclusion More Effective.” Berry said of the upcoming lecture, “I am going to tell them how diversity came into existence. Is there an effective way to end white supremacy? Yes! The major…
By Monique Gooch GALLATIN, TN — The first African American volunteers to fight in the Civil War in Tennessee enlisted in Gallatin, TN in 1863. Tennessee was one of the last states to join the Confederacy. and this group of soldiers marked the first occurrence of an organized fighting force of African-Americans raised in Tennessee. There is a marker in downtown Gallatin dedicated to those soldiers. The text on marker reads: “1863: Among the first ex-slaves in the Union Army were 200 local volunteers who enlisted here on the Public Square in July 1863. They became a part of the…
By Monique Gooch NASHVILLE, TN — In 1896, the former slave Rev. Dr. Richard Henry Boyd founded the National Baptist Publishing Board now known as R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation in Nashville. Dr. Boyd was given the name of Dick Gray when he was born in 1843 in Mississippi in 1843. But he changed his name after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. Surprisingly, the small Black-owned company he founded is not very well known. But while the company is small, the mission is mighty. So much rich history lies inside the building located off Centennial Boulevard. Guests are allowed to…
By Monique Gooch CHATTANOOGA, TN — For the past 120 years, the Beck Knob cemetery has been a repository of centuries worth of history and culture. In 1888, the land was deeded to the Hurst United Methodist Church. The cemetery is the home of many formerly enslaved African Americans. And from 1888 to the 1940s, Beck Knob cemetery was very frequently used. The only thing that remains now is a very small piece of land that looks like an empty, abandoned field. It could be missed in a blink of an eye. And unfortunately, many graves are covered by…