By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — It happened all over Knoxville on Sunday afternoon. It was intentional. It was planned. Taking a proactive approach, the faith leaders of Knoxville took up positions in front of schools all across the city to pray as students prepared to return on Monday. As schools prepare with plans to safeguard classrooms, mandatory mask wearing, separate desk areas and other plans after schools were delayed a week to prepare; the churches and community called on a higher power. Singing, touching the buildings, annointing entrance ways and praying; all while social distancing and wearing masks; prayers…
Author: Vivian Underwood Shipe
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — Gloria Garner worked with one mission: “keeping the community in mind.” On Saturday, Aug. 22, the city of Knoxville and her beloved community remembered the dedication of Garner by naming a street in the community in her memory. Garner, who was 80 when she passed away in 2019, was a long-time community activist and was one of the first employees hired when the Knoxville Area Urban League started in the 60s. A strong community activist for Lonsdale, she served as a case manager and worked tirelessly to solve social problems. Garner worked to make…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — When John Shanahan, President/CEO of Ionogen heard of a national survey that mentioned 80 percent of the African American churches feared returning to their church buildings as covid-19 began to rage across the United States; he did not know he was on the same trajectory as the Faith Leaders Initiative in Knoxville. The concern for the churches reopening too soon without proper planning, preparation and prayer, was also on the minds of Vice Mayor Gwen McKenzie, New Directions CEO Cynthia Finch and CONNECT Ministries Director Keira Wyatt. Thus was born one of many partnerships.…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — The continuing wave of women rising to leadership in Knoxville and the unseating of an incumbent set the tone of the elections in Knoxville last Thursday night. The election did not end until the next day as one winner had to wait for the count of the provisional votes. The wave of change continues. Dr. Dasha Lundy will join the Knox County Commission representing District One, Courtney Roberts Durrett will also join County Commission as District Two representative, and Michele McCray Carringer, a strong supporter of the 2020 Census, heads to Nashville to represent…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — The trees and poles along Martin Luther King Avenue had been lined with Blue ribbons in honor of Congressman John Lewis and Rev. C.T.Vivian. The 70-plus ministers of the Faith Leaders Initiative who usually meet on Thursday afternoon from 5 to 6 gathered on July 31st to socially distance and honor the memory of the the two icons who passed away on the same day. The event was set up outside on the lawn on Greater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church. The brothers of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, of which Lewis was a member,…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — “We are saving over 500 lives.” Those were the words of C.O.N.N.E.C.T Ministries Program Director Cynthia Finch as she looked down Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue at the long line of cars, full of people, many of whom waited over two hours to get their free COVID-19 test. The test was an oral swab with results promised in five days. No one needed insurance, an appointment or even identification; all they had to do was come. And come they did. There had been an outcry for more testing to be done in the inner…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — The call came in late Friday afternoon at 4 pm, after many meetings and phone calls/ Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon gave a written permit to Black Coffee Justice; the organization that has been trying to complete the Black Lives Matter Mural on Martin Luther King Avenue for the last three weeks. The battle has not been easy and the war is apparently not over. Last Thursday, when the confusion came at the tenth hour when the message was given to the media that the project was off, a demand came on Friday from School…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — LaKenya Middlebrook was chosen by Mayor Indya Kincannon as the new Executive Director of the Police Advisory and Review Committee for Knoxville. The purpose of PARC is to strengthen the relationships between the members of the police department and the citizens they serve through an independent review of police actions. PARC, created in 1998, reviews incidents following the conclusion of investigations by the internal affairs department. Citizens then can register formal or anonymous complaints through PARCs executive director. Middlebrook is an attorney and community leader in Knoxville and the daughter of civil rights icon…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — It happened. Despite the late night announcement by Mayor Indya Kincannon to the 10 pm News that it was a no go…Despite the”mysterious’’ water main break at 6:15 am, when the project was supposed to start at 6:30 am….the people showed up. After all, everything was in order right up to the night before. Approval had been given during a zoom meeting held between Vice Mayor Gwen McKenzie, Diversity Director Charles Lomax, the police department and other city departments with the project coordinators, Black Coffee Justice and Black Lives Matter pending the signatures of…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Caswell Park was filled with babies in strollers, young, old, black and white from Knoxville and surrounding areas filled the place. The rally, held from 6 pm – 8 pm with a march to follow was unlike anything Knoxville had ever seen before. Everything was donated and freely given to the people. Food from Black restaurants, water, and snacks were available for the asking. All around the sidewalk were places to register to vote and resources of all kinds. Many of the booths ran out of…