By Sandra Long Weaver Tribune Editorial Director The National Association of Black Journalists will celebrate its 45th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. during a live Zoom broadcast to which the public is invited. The organization was founded by 44 women and men in a Washington, D.C. hotel in 1975. Its mission then as well as now continues to be advocacy for Black journalists. NABJ provides innovative and quality services for its membership. The organization has grown to over 4,000 members and is the largest journalism organization for journalists of color in the country. In addition, John C.…
Author: Sandra Long Weaver
By Sandra Long Weaver Tribune Editorial Director NASHVILLE, TN — While election officials were able to call the race for president in the state shortly after the polls closed, there were a few races in Tennessee where results show African American candidates had mixed results. The state’s 11 electoral votes were awarded to President Trump. However, on Wednesday there were still nine states where a winner had not been declared. Those states had a total of 101 electoral college votes to be awarded. Tennessee Democratic candidate Torrey Harris beat incumbent Rep. John DeBerry who ran as an Independent after he…
By Sandra Long Weaver Tribune Editorial Director How are you voting? When are you voting? What’s your plan? If you haven’t made a plan, there’s even more urgency with the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her death at age 87 has created a vacancy on the nine-member court. The opening on the nine-member Supreme Court should be filled by the person who will be elected president on Nov. 3 and not rushed through a Senate confirmation before the election. Two appointments have already been made by the current administration. A third appointment is unprecedented. My husband and…
By Sandra Long Weaver Tribune Editorial Director Alan LeQuire has been sculpting women for more than 40 years, but his current body of work has never been more important or timely. His gallery in the 4300 block of Charlotte Street in Nashville is exhibiting “Monumental Women,” a tribute to the Tennessee women suffragists who fought for the passage of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote a century ago. The exhibit does more than pay tribute to the women suffragists. It also honors Black women who are rarely included in public art. “From the beginning of my career…
By Sandra Dawson Long Weaver I am traumatized. I am outraged. I am sick and tired of seeing Black Americans stretched out on city pavements in handcuffs. The most recent televised image of Black children _ young girls_ lying on their stomachs with handcuffs behind their backs brought tears to my eyes and anger to my soul. My granddaughters are their ages and are sweet and innocent just as they are. Lord, have mercy. One 6-year-old girl called out for her father. Another girl asked if her sister could be close to her. They had been on their way to…
By Sandra Long Weaver Girl Scout Troop Leader Paulette Allen has loved girl scouting most of her life. She enjoyed it as girl, as a parent of Girl Scouts, as an assistant troop leader and as the founding Troop Leader for Troop 539 at Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church. Now she’s retiring and celebrating her 20th year in scouting. “I began my Girl Scout career as a parent volunteer in 1999,” she said. “I chose to become a leader in 2000 and to work with my youngest daughter’s Junior Girl Scout troop. In September 2003, I volunteered to work with…
By Sandra Long Weaver Tribune Editorial Director NASHVILLE, TN — After a century of activism, the Nashville Branch of the NAACP renewed its call for people to take action against the oppression of others during its Centennial Freedom Fund Banquet on August 24. In a rousing sermon – not speech – to a sold-out audience of more than 1,000 people, Rev. John Faison Sr. said “we cannot remain silent about the oppression of others. Your silence could lead to you being treated the same way.“ Another highlight of the evening was the donation of $100,000 by Titans owner Amy Adams…
By Sandra Long Weaver Tribune Editorial Director NASHVILLE, TN — The YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee will host the first-ever national conference on violence against women and healthy masculinity next month in Nashville. SHIFT: an AMEND Together Conference will be held on Sept.9 and 10 and features actor, activist and Time Magazine Person of the Year Terry Crews, actor and former NFL star Eddie George, survivor and activist Brenda Tracy, and Alejandra Castillo, CEO of YWCA USA. The event is designed to confront the crisis of violence against women. AMEND Together, a program of YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee is…
By Sandra Long Weaver Tribune Editorial Director Access to health care remains elusive for many people of color in Middle Tennessee, a panel of health care providers discussed at a YWCA-sponsored forum on July 11. The disparity in access could be through lack of insurance, inadequate transportation, poor housing or even racial or sexual profiling in a conversation with a health care provider. “Being healthy is a civil rights issue,” said Sharon Roberson, President and CEO of the YWCA, who moderated the panel during a 90-minute discussion. “If you lift those up who need health care most, then everyone could…
By Sandra Long Weaver, Tribune Editorial Director A survivor of the 2018 Antioch Waffle House shooting was among those honored June 8 during the annual Healthy Family Day Celebration sponsored by the Minerva Foundation in partnership with the Nashville Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In addition, the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center launched its new mobile unit and provided free dental screenings during the event. Sharita Henderson, who was seriously injured during the shooting in which four lives were lost, was named an Overcomer Awardee. She has made remarkable strides and continues to recover. Christion Abercrombie, a…