By Dr. Lillian Williams “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” Those are the words of Ida B. Wells, fearless anti-lynching crusader of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. What’s significant for seekers of social justice today are the history lessons her story holds. The daughter of slaves, Wells grew up in Holly Springs, Mississippi, attended Rust College, and taught school for a short time in Memphis, Tennessee, before she lost her job for protesting…
Author: Tn Tribune
NASHVILLE, TN — Students, faculty, and alumni waited patiently outside of the Harris Music Building on Tuesday, Nov. 28 for the arrival of four Steinway Boston upright pianos to be placed in their practice rooms and classroom at Fisk University. “This is only the beginning,” said Philip Autry, D.M.A., music discipline coordinator. “Becoming an All-Steinway School will ensure that Fisk is positioned to recruit the best young musical talent. Our students and faculty will have access to the best instruments to achieve their technical and artistic goals.” According to Autry, generous supporters have financed the replacement of practice pianos in…
NASHVILLE, TN — Hundreds of Tennesseans from across the political spectrum, alarmed by the U.S. government’s announced withdrawal from the Paris agreement on climate and failure to act to protect the climate and advance justice, descended on Sally Beaman Park today to ask Governor Haslam and federal lawmakers to commit to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement and bring clean energy jobs, cleaner air, improved health, and greater justice to Tennessee. December 9 is the two-year anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, which set goals to reduce climate change causing carbon emissions. “Failure to protect the climate puts…
W.K. Kellogg Foundation President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron delivered the following speech for the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum openings on Saturday, December 9, 2017. Judge Anderson, thank you for such a kind introduction. This is a monumental occasion for the State of Mississippi and for all of America. But the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Right Museum occupy a special place in my heart. Years ago my parents, Mary and Herbert Montgomery, left Clarksdale, Mississippi for Detroit. This was not an easy decision for them. They were truly pulling up…
By Stacy M. Brown, The Washington Informer, NNPA Member The only Black daily newscast on television is no more. TV One is canceling Roland Martin’s morning show “NewsOne Now” due to budget cuts. “They called a meeting recently and told the staff they were canceling the show. They’re having significant financial problems and they have to scale back,” a source told The New York Post. “After four years of award-winning programming and distinguished service to our viewers as the only Black daily newscast on television, the network has made the difficult decision to suspend the production of NewsOne Now as a…
NASHVILLE. TN — For nearly 142 years, Meharry Medical College has played a significant role in the building of the state of Tennessee’s economy. Meharry Medical College, a United Methodist Church affiliated school, is the nation’s largest private, independent, historically black academic health science center. Meharry exists to improve the health and healthcare of minority and underserved communities by offering excellent education and training programs in the health sciences; with a primary focus on health disparities issues. The School of Medicine is recognized as a top producer of primary care physicians and is ranked 2nd among 141 academic health science…
NASHVILLE, TN — Retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Tillman W. Payne, III will seek the office of General Sessions Judge – Division X in the 2018 election cycle. Tillman Payne is a former public defender, businessman, and attorney for nearly 20 years. Tillman Payne recently spoke at the Davidson County Democratic Party event, A Better Deal for Nashville Rally: “I’ve been practicing law almost 20 years and during part of that time I was an assistant public defender. The inability to pay fines and court costs should not dictate the quality of justice a person receives. We need to help…
By Phil McCausland and Chelsea Bailey JACKSON, MS — President Donald Trump’s 40-minute visit to the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum concluded a days-long controversy over his presence at an event that commemorated a milestone in the state’s difficult racial history. Civil rights icon John Lewis, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, and Rep. Bennie Thompson, as well as other noteworthy Mississippians, said they would boycott the event after the president accepted the invitation earlier. They claimed the president did not support the spirit of the new institution and would only distract from the ceremony. The growing criticism…
By Clint Confehr NASHVILLE, TN – Among 70 groups joining a bipartisan voter registration drive Monday were Equity Alliance leaders who say they’re taking Project Register to churches. U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper and State Sen. Steve Dickerson launched Project Register at Metro’s main library to raise awareness about online voter registration in Tennessee because the state is 40th in voter registration and 50th in voter turnout. “There was a natural gasp in the room” when employees were told those numbers, Bank of America Nashville Market President Tyson Moore said as he and more than a dozen other community leaders announced…
The Nashville Branch NAACP will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, December 14, 2017, 6 PM at Spruce Street Baptist Church Merry Townsend Center, 504 Spruce Street (Rev. Raymond Bowman, Pastor). Members are invited and urged to attend to receive reports of the standing committees and to help shape the agenda for year 2018. Come out and meet the officers and other young newly appointed leaders. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the oldest and largest civil rights organization. The Association’s Strategic Plan for the 21 Century targets six (6) game changers. Member units throughout the United States and the…