By Rosetta Miller Perry In an accomplished and progressive school system, such as the Metro Nashville Public School System (MNPS) and others, the top priority of the person who runs a city’s school department should be achieving academic excellence. Whether they like to listen to rap, jazz or classical music, their personal hairstyles, attire, choice of cuisine, or even where they choose to live, should not be the primary focus upon which their success is evaluated or measured. Instead, what the people who put them in the spotlight should be examining most closely is whether students are being served and…
Author: Rosetta Miller Perry
By Rosetta Miller Perry, Tribune Publisher School Board Members Amy Frogge and Jill Speering like to play to the cameras each week during Board of Education meetings. They constantly spout out policy to hide behind their nastiness and justify their unprofessional behavior and ridiculous attempts to discredit the Director of Schools, Dr. Shawn Joseph. But the irony is that when it comes to adhering to board policies, the two have failed to practice what they preach. Many people may be unaware that the School Board has quite a few policies of its own that dictates how school business is…
By Rosetta Miller Perry Sometimes it really seems elected officials just recycle the same rhetoric from year to year and administration to administration. It doesn’t take much vision to look around Nashville and see Black owned firms aren’t getting remotely close to their fair share of opportunities to participate in Nashville’s building boom. Neither are companies owned by women, or for that matter by anyone who isn’t a white male, and in most cases an older white male. The Briley administration wants everyone to be encouraged by his rhetoric this week following the presentation of yet ANOTHER disparity study. This…
By Rosetta Miller Perry It has been clear from his first day in office that Donald Trump’s primary agenda was to undo all the progress that was made during Barack Obama’s two presidential terms. The latest example of that occurred at the end of July with the announcement that the Trump administration’s latest move would be rescinding the affirmative action policies that were among the cornerstones of President Obama’s tenure. These policies encouraged colleges and universities to consider race during their admissions decisions. They were NOT quotas or set-asides, no matter how much right-wing commentators claimed they were. Instead, they…
By Rosetta Miller Perry Even before the tragic shooting of Daniel Hambrick July 26 by Andrew Delke it was time for the Nashville Police Department to thoroughly examine how it was doing business. The Jacques Clemmons incident left a very bad taste in the mouths of many citizens, especially the Nashville Black community, and indeed in the mouth of all persons who cares about justice and fairness. There were many of us upset that no charges were ever made in that case, but the amount of outrage evident after that is mild compared to reactions people have had since the…
By Rosetta Miller Perry Few mid-term elections have been more crucial than the one coming this November. It should be apparent to everyone with any degree of intelligence that the current person in the White House is totally and completely unfit to serve as President, and may well need mental health counseling. While nothing can be done about the latter, there is something that can be done about the former. If the Democrats can regain control of the legislature, they can stop the total unraveling of every good thing that occurred during the Obama administration. Trump’s already done major damage…
By Rosetta Miller-Perry MEMPHIS, TN — Memphis is making strides towards diversity and economic inclusion that should be noticed statewide, and particularly in Nashville. This is the main observation of Ashford Hughes, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office, Office of the Mayor. Hughes made a fact-finding trip last week to Memphis which included several discussions with West Tennessee colleagues and observers regarding the implementation and improved opportunities for MWBE’s (Minority and Women Business Enterprises). Memphis City Mayor Jim Strickland and his team were extremely hospitable. They opened City Hall’s doors, and provided specific insight into his agenda in this…
By Rosetta Miller Perry Nashville has a growing and severe problem with violence and crime, something that is reflected by the 107 criminal homicides that occurred in the city last year, the most since 1997. It is an issue that requires serious attention and leadership from those in positions of power and leadership who were elected and are supposed to be dealing with it. Given the seriousness of the problem, one would think Metro council members would be particularly careful to say exactly what they mean whenever discussing anything around these problems. But that certainly wasn’t the case with At-large…
By Rosetta Miller Perry — The Declaration of Independence asserts, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Despite that idealistic statement, slavery was legal, and 20 percent of this nation’s population was held in brutal bondage without liberty or happiness or a real life. NASHVILLE, TN, June 28, 2018 — Nashville General Hospital has been held in brutal bondage by the city without liberty or happiness since 1890. Nashville General Hospital at…
By Rosetta Miller Perry I spent my entire professional career fighting for equality and economic justice while employed by the United State Commission on Civil Rights in Washington, D.C. and then as director of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Memphis and Nashville, where I retired. I understand equality and economic justice better than some of those hooked on Jungle Juice. I am also supportive yet, I am carefully studying the effect of having an Equity Alliance and a proposed Black Women’s Political Pac. Equity Alliance is a group that has united to advance an agenda that certainly…