By Tony Jones MEMPHIS, TN — Memphis cosmetologist and entrepreneur Anita Williams got the perfect Thanksgiving tweet this week when OWN TV star Kimmi Grant said that she was featured Williams’ invention the Wig Pal™ on the popular nationally televised show. Now in it’s 9th season, “Love and Marriage: Huntsville” featured the Wig Pal™ as a backdrop on a segment shown Saturday night. Though brief, the three clear camera shots of the Wig Pal™ are an invaluable plug that happened to come at the right time. Her shoutout can be seen on Instagram. The owner of Attitudes Hair & Nails…
Author: Tony Jones
By Tony Jones District 87 Representative and House Minority Leader Karen Camper went back to her roots with a press conference staged Friday (Nov. 11) on the front porch where her grandmother lived in the Longview Heights neighborhood in south Memphis. Themed “I Am Ready!”, Camper’s announcement confirmed long held speculation that she would enter the race, now up to 5 officially declared candidates: Floyd Bonner, Shelby County Sheriff; Joe Brown, former Shelby County Criminal Court Judge; Van Turner, former chair of the Shelby County Commission; and Paul Young, president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission. Memphis and Shelby…
By Tony Jones MEMPHIS, TN — Chester Allen has a life tale for the ages. The 55-year-old supply chain manager had a debilitating stroke last year that left him totally crippled and with quadruple vision. His best friend Preston Gibson passed away from Covid and his doctors told him he had no hope for recovery. But the worse part about it all was that he would have to put “BKing” to the side. The rapper styled nickname stands for “Bank Fishing King,” laid on him because since the age of 6, he’s spent every moment he could beside or on…
By Tony Jones MEMPHIS, TN — In just its name alone, the “community terrorism” legislation proposed this spring by D-93 Rep. G.A. Hardaway seems to hit the nail on the head in bringing attention to the level of violent crime in Memphis. Numbered HB 1320 and HB 1321, an amended version of the bi-partisan bill will be reintroduced in the 2023 General Assembly. Though aimed at the “cowards that murder innocent bystanders,” the legislator cautions the bills were never crafted to provide another “lock ‘em up, throw away the key” type policy such as the recent bi-partisan “truth in sentencing”…
By Tony Jones MEMPHIS, TN — People that believe in God often say that one of the positives their faith provides them is the strength to fight back against any calamity. The rise of the Covid-19 pandemic has proven that mantra for many, as churches throughout the city have stepped forward in a big way to support the Memphis Food Bank’s mission to feed more people as the virus gripped the nation. Many are still at it, and last month we just happened to run into two of the city’s best known media personalities, Stan Bell and Joe Birch, as…
By Tony Jones Newly re-elected District 87 State Rep. Karen Camper said she became more excited each hour as the August 4th election results came in. Unopposed, her race was a foregone conclusion. Recorded in a brief lunchtime interview at the black owned Smooth Living restaurant in the Whitehaven part of her seat, the interview keyed upon her role as the House Minority Leader. She is the first African American woman and Democrat in the position. It began with her reaction noting Judge Tarik Sugramon’s 12,000 vote win to become Juvenile Court Judge (See our website). “I think there was…
By Tony Jones A frightening fact emerged from the 3rd Annual Moms (Moms of Murdered Sons) and POYA (Parents of Young Angels) Memorial Brunch at the Piccadilly Cafeteria on Poplar, Saturday, July 30th. Co-sponsored by state representatives Barbara Cooper (D-86) and G.A. Hardaway (D-93), timed perfectly to mark the last day of early voting, concluding at 4 p.m. that afternoon, the personal stories of the attendees created a point-by-point breakdown of what is wrong with Shelby County’s legal system and the importance of the 2022 election which could potentially bring real change to it. A key factor that made…
By Tony Jones MEMPHIS, TN — The 97th Annual Convention of the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association kicked off Sunday, July 24 in Memphis, bringing together 1,100 Black attorneys right ahead of an election dominated by law-and-order issues. Totaling 136 races and 344 candidates, the hottest contest is the District Attorney’s race between incumbent Republican Amy Weirich and Democrat challenger Steve Mulroy. Among the 37 choices for judicial seats is the Juvenile Court Judge rematch between sitting Judge Dan Michaels and Judge Tarik Sugarmon. Also on the ballot are Shelby County Sheriff and County Mayor, as…
By Tony Jones MEMPHIS, TN — An extra-long ballot awaits Memphis, Shelby County, Arlington and more voters for the Thursday, August 4th, 2022 election, potentially increasing early voting participation as the word gets out about the long list of decisions at hand. Early voting begins Friday, July 15th, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the commission’s downtown office. On Saturday, July 16th and 23rd , voters can cast their ballots from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at all locations. The final day will be Saturday, July 30th , from 8 a.m to 4…
By Tony Jones The Washington, DC based Chronicle of Higher Education (September 24, 2021) has released an in-depth article about the funding discrepancy between the State of Tennessee and Tennessee State University. Entitled The Betrayal of Historically Black Colleges, Chronicle staffer Katherine Mangan details several personal stories behind the unraveling trail of deceit TSU faculty and students faced to advance their education goals, reaching back to a protest in 1990 staged by then TSU student jeff obafemi carr. “I hear students talking about the same issues we complained about 31 years ago,” said carr, now a spiritual leader and community…