Toni Vaz, actress and activist who will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025, has died at the age of 101. Vaz died at the Motion Picture Fund campus in Woodland Hills, Calif on Oct. 4, per Deadline. Vaz grew up in New York City with her four siblings and her parents, who immigrated from Barbados, Variety reported. As she grew older and decided to pursue her acting career, Vaz moved to Hollywood and landed a gig as an extra in the 1959 film Tarzan, the Ape Man. The New York native continued to find more roles in the following years,…
Author: Kermit Williams
(Black PR Wire) The pandemic has severely impacted Black-owned businesses, with 41%shutting down, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. These businesses arecrucial to our communities, offering jobs and preserving culture. They need our support nowmore than ever. Entrepreneur Nehemiah Davis is leading an initiative to support these businesses. Known forhis business expertise and online presence with 632K Instagram followers, Davis has organizedflash mobs to rescue struggling Black-owned enterprises. His latest focus is The Sistah Shop, aBlack women-owned retail destination in Atlanta’s Atlantic Station featuring over 100 Blackwomen-owned brands. Owner Aisha Taylor Issah was ready to close the doors.…
Vice President Kamala Harris’s dramatic entry into the presidential race in July—including selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate—put a new twist on the already gendered nature of the election. A woman was now at the top of the ticket. Instead of Donald Trump’s and JD Vance’s misogynous manhood solely driving the media narrative, there was now a new story line: not only was a Black, south Asian woman the nominee, there also was a counternarrative: the egalitarian expression of manhood embodied by Walz and Doug Emhoff. From the GOP convention theme song, “It’s a Man’s World,” to…
This essay is a Cover Story selection, a weekly feature highlighting the top picks from the editors of America Media. Last June, I invited some young adult Catholics to my residence one evening for a discussion about the future of our parishes, our diocese and our church. They were in their 20s and 30s. Some were married, some still single. A few had young children at their homes here in Jefferson City, Mo., where they belonged to our cathedral parish. At the time, we were beginning a small group discernment process created by our chancery staff. The process was designed…
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NASHVILLE, Tenn., August 18, 2020 – The local Advance Financial at 800 Jefferson Street in Nashville gave away 125 backpacks to area school students. The initiative was part of Advance Financial’s deep-rooted commitment to education. The backpacks were loaded with supplies ranging from pencils to hand sanitizer. Generous donations for the packs were made by Cigna, Greenbrier Distillery, Excalibur Group and the Advance Financial Foundation. The packs were safely distributed through the drive-thru window. “I love being part of the Advance Financial family. It’s so important to us to give back to the communities we serve,” said Martin McCollum, Operations…
NASHVILLE, TN – Nearly $5 billion in economic relief have been paid to counteract the economic impact from the novel coronavirus pandemic in Davidson, Dickson, and Cheatham counties. “It was critical to keeping Middle Tennesseans afloat and avoiding another Depression,” U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper said Monday. The largest share of that $5 billion — $1.2 billion — was paid directly to Metro-area residents in $1,200 checks, or as extra federal unemployment benefits at $600 per week in addition to state unemployment benefits. The entire $2.5 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of Congress became law on March…
The Nashville District Attorney’s office will no longer prosecute individuals for possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana. Marijuana charges do little to promote public health, and even less to promote public safety. For individuals, this policy will eliminate the negative effects of a criminal charge which include potential jail time and collateral consequences on employment and housing. For the justice system, elimination of minor marijuana charges will decrease costs as jail housing expenses for these cases will now be totally eliminated. Similarly, courts and the clerk’s office will see savings from docketing fewer cases. Finally, and of great…
Dr. Hildreth, infectious disease expert and President & CEO of Nashville’s Meharry Medical, was speaking during a Power Poll panel on COVID-19 and Racial Health Disparities in Tennessee when he expressed support for the removal of the Bust of Nathan Bedford Bust displayed at the State House. According to Dr. Hildreth, he shared his personal sentiments. “Nathan Bedford Forrest should not be so prominently displayed in the capitol of the State of Tennessee. When I see him, what I see is the lifeless bodies of Black folks hanging from trees. I smell burning flesh and I hear the moans and wails…