Author: Kermit Williams

Op-ed by Marshall Crawford, Jr. CEO and President of The Housing Fund The term preservation is defined as “the activity or process of keeping something valued alive, intact, or free from damage or decay.” This word and definition have been used more frequently in recent months to ensure that property construction and rehabilitation are not undertaken at the expense of community destruction. Rebuilding efforts must center the interests and goals of the community. To create equitable and sustainable change we must ensure the “activities or processes” being utilized and/or implemented are in the best interest of the community and homeowners…

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Reavis L. Mitchell, Jr. passed away quietly on June 17, 2020. He was a native Nashvillian graduating from Fisk University in 1969, held a Master of Science from TSU and a Doctorate from MTSU, with post-doctoral studies from Harvard University. Dr. Mitchell was a member of Fisk’s history faculty since 1980 and served as Professor of History and Dean of the School of Humanities and Behavioral Social Sciences. Dr. Mitchell was one of the historians who organized Nashville’s Local Conference on Afro-American History and Culture. Over the past 20 years, he wrote several profiles in the conference proceedings, “Leaders of…

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Smoke billowed high over Minneapolis on Wednesday night as anti-police protesters vented their anger over a black man’s death with looting and arson. Video by Chris Juhn/Zenger The previous night had seen mostly peaceful protests that drew an estimated 4,000 people to the streets. Looters emptied a liquor store, and tear gas canisters flew as demonstrators broke squad car windows. Twenty-four hours later furious orange flames pockmarked the city blocks surrounding the Third Police Precinct where Officer Derek Chauvin was based. The white patrolman killed George Floyd, a black man, during an arrest Monday night over an accusation of retail forgery.…

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Masked vandals smashed windows, slashed police car tires and threw bricks in a standoff that lasted until 5:00 a.m. The Minneapolis Police Department fired four police officers who arrested Floyd. The 46-year-old died after anofficer pinned him down by the neck with one knee. By Chris Juhn May 27 , 2020 MINNEAPOLIS—Protests turned violent on Tuesday as anti-police activists smashed windows and vandalized police cars in response to the death of an African American man at the hands of four law enforcement officers. George Floyd died Monday after his arrest outside Cup Foods, a Minneapolis restaurant that reported a customer who paid for a…

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COVID-19 has left no community untouched. Infecting more than 1 million Americans and resulting in the deaths of more than 75,000 people as of May 8, the coronavirus has taken an especially dramatic toll on African Americans and other communities of color. While the nation still lacks complete racial data on COVID-19 patients, according to the latest data where race was provided, African Americans accounted for more than one-third (33%) of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., yet make up only around 13 percent of the population. This disproportionate impact is seen here in Tennessee, too. Despite comprising only 17 percent…

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