By Sandra Long Weaver NASHVILLE, TN — A celebration of life for Tennessean business reporter Getahn Ward will be on Friday, Jan. 5 at Born Again Church from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, Jam. 6 beginning at 10 a.m. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Ward, who was a Tennessee State University alumni and adjunct professor, died Saturday, Dec. 16 at his home after a brief illness. He was also an active member of the Nashville chapter of the Nashville Association of Black Journalists. He was 45. The Tennessean…
Author: Sandra Long Weaver
By Sandra Long Weaver Tennessee Tribune Editorial Director NASHVILLE, TN — Mr. Getahn Ward’s passion and love for journalism didn’t start when he enrolled in Tennessee State University in the early 1990s. His talent was evident when he was a teenager in his native Liberia and began writing for the local newspaper about government corruption. He continued to hone his skills at TSU where he became editor of The Meter, the student publication and went on to became an award-winning business reporter for the now shuttered Banner and The Tennessean. He was a very active member of the local chapter…
By Sandra Long Weaver Nashville resident Helen Westbrook’s entire family takes pride in the inspiring story of her Aunt Katherine currently being told on the big screen. “Hidden Figures,” has been the number one box office hit bringing in millions of viewers to see the story of the African American women who were an integral part of the space industry in Virginia during the 1950s and 1960s. They worked behind the scenes at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) making the critical calculations needed to launch rockets. She said her cousins were able to attend the red carpet premiere…
By Sandra Long Weaver NASHVILLE, TN — Writing a book about President Barack Obama’s legacy was not really something Philadelphia Daily News Editor Michael I. Days had considered as the president’s second term in office was coming to a close. Every day Days was making decisions about the many stories going into the pages of the Pulitzer-Prize winning Philadelphia tabloid as well as those concerning the accomplishments of the country’s first African American president. But putting it all together hadn’t been a priority until his wife and editor, Angela Dodson, encouraged him. “My wife has been working with Hatchett publishing.…