By Rosetta Miller Perry NASHVILLE, TN — April 19, 2018. Throughout its long and distinguished history the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), not only its national but also its state and local branches, has been very cautious and careful in regards to involvement in partisan politics. In fact, as a tax-exempt entity, the organization always has to make certain it operates in the highest ethical manner. It wasn’t all that long ago (2004) that the NAACP was under fire from the Internal Revenue Service. They announced an investigation was underway of the organization’s tax-exempt status because…
Author: Rosetta Miller Perry
By Rosetta Miller Perry NASHVILLE, TN — Any good public servant has a healthy ego. But when it only serves their personal goals rather than the community’s best interests, it becomes something toxic and negative. In the case of the ‘Gilmore Girls,’ both Erica and Brenda, their raging egos have reached the point to where both are much more the problem rather than the solution for Nashville. First, there’s the specter of Erica Gilmore being the first African American to announce she was running to be the next Mayor of Nashville. That set off a wave of calls to the…
By Rosetta Miller Perry NASHVILLE, TN — Whenever a citizen runs for office they have an obligation to be accurate and factual when they cite who their supporters are, as well as their background, and their past and current positions on the issues. This is NOT the case when it comes to Karen Johnson’s current campaign for the office of Register of Deeds. So that you are aware, the primary responsibility of the Register of Deeds is to accurately maintain public records and documents mostly pertaining to the owning of real estate. Most importantly the “integrity of these records are…
By Rosetta Miller Perry This week as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and the incredible sacrifices he made in the fight for justice and equality, our society also must take another look at the disgrace that is in the White House. Last week President Donald Trump brought public and political discourse to a new low with his comments regarding Haiti, Latin American and African nations. Trump was being briefed by Democratic Senator Dick Durban and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on the specifics of a bipartisan bill on immigration. It is one of the few…
By Rosetta Miller Perry The findings are still being evaluated and final determinations have yet to be made, but early reports indicate there’s a good possibility, even a probability, that there are Blacks among the remains, bodies that weren’t moved or buried. If that proves the case, it’s another in a history of negative things done to the city’s African-American community. Here are some things about the Fort Negley situation that ARE known. The United States Army went into several Black neighborhoods and forced people to work building establishments like Fort Negley. Supposedly they were going to be paid, but…
By Rosetta Miller Perry The story of Cyntoia Brown is one of horrible mistreatment, so much so that everyone from celebrities to major magazines and filmmakers have become her champions. Over 13 years ago Brown was a victim of something too many like to celebrate and mythologize in our community: a sordid pimp. As a 16-year-old she became part of “Kutthroat’s” sex trafficking network. She was abused in multiple ways, verbally and physically as well as sexually, before being sold to a disgusting 43-year-old Nashville realtor, Johnny Allen. Allen took Brown to his home and began using her for sex…
By Rosetta Miller Perry There are a lot of people now upset over Mayor Megan Barry’s plan to roll back services at Nashville General Hospital. Last week she said Metro would provide the hospital funding through the end of fiscal year 2017, then eliminate in-patient care, despite the fact this is the city’s only indigent care hospital. Her office feels an outpatient-only model better serves the hospital’s patients, and she pointed out in her statement only 40 of the hospital’s 120 beds on average are filled daily. Now there are things about the way this statement was made and this…
By Rosetta Miller Perry NASHVILLE, TN — Many have questioned the appropriateness that the winning bidder is a significant campaign supporter who won the bid despite other plans that would have provided the city with plans that provided more open space and payments to Metro. Winning developer Bert Mathews has put Mayor Megan Barry in a difficult position. Nashvillians are unlikely to support Mayor Megan Barry’s plan for Fort Negley Park and the former Greer Stadium site, according to a telephone survey commissioned by The Tennessee Tribune. The Tribune survey contradicts the results of an “internal poll” released by the…
By Rosetta Miller-Perry Among the many myths that are constantly being perpetrated by the mainstream media, few are worse than the notion that electing ANY woman, regardless of their views or qualifications, to high political office represents progress. Certainly there is a long track record in this nation of sexism in politics, and the Tribune has always supported the concept of full equality for women in this society, particularly when it comes to issues of representation and pay equity. But what we do NOT and never will support is electing reactionary, backward and racist thinking women to positions of power…
By Rosetta Miller Perry There are a lot of people who claim to be Christians and/or religious, but whose deeds seldom match their words. Rev. Bill Barnes, who passed away two weeks ago at 86, went far beyond dogmatic zeal in his desire to truly help those in need. He also didn’t limit his service or involvement to preaching and being in the pulpit. He spent the bulk of his career out in the streets ministering to the needs of people, and being both a moral compass and active participant in making things better. Though affordable housing was a primary…