By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — All over the nation, Seniors are preparing for the last few months of high school, all eyes are on them as they prepare for the rituals of prom, and graduation and in the Fall, many will begin their college journey. What happens to that student when they step on that campus all alone, cameras gone, trying to understand the process and procedures, financial aids, classes needed, or where to find help needed to ensure they reach that goal of graduation. If that student is a first generation student from an inner city school, the…
Author: Vivian Underwood Shipe
KNOXVILLE, TN — Hubert realized that in Knoxville lived some of the greatest civil rights advocates of the sixties and he reached out to them with the intent just to get to know them. His first lunch guest was the great Avon Rollins, civil rights pioneer with whom he would meet twice a month at the Knoxville Hilton. As their friendship grew, they would each invite a friend or two to join them for food and fellowship. Soon their numbers grew to 12. When Avon passed away, the Motley Crew, as they had begun to call themselves, moved to the…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — There were over 1100 in attendance at the previous celebration of the historic two schools, Austin and the emergence of the new school after a merger in 1964, Austin East. The year 2019 will celebrate 140 years of the resilience of African American history and the education of the children. Celebrated since 1979, the 2019 reunion ,which will be held on July 6th in Knoxville, will see a new changing of the guard as the vice president. George Underwood, President of the Class of 1977, takes the helm of this massive undertaking under the…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — “We serve God by serving the community”. That has been the vision statement of Creekside Dental for over a decade. Located directly off the Interstate in the 640 North building, the Knoxville dental office has a divine directive to live up to their vision statement. Creekside Dental is one of the few African American Dental Services in Knoxville. To speak to the husband and wife team who own the business, is to hear a story of testimonies, passions, and dedication that flows all thru the office. The building space set empty until Doctor Kent…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — The temperatures were more suited for Alaska than the southern state of Tennessee. Nightly temperatures below ten degrees created a crisis and a life threatening situation, the likes of which had not been seen in Knoxville in decades. The White flag, a signal for the homeless to come in out of the cold was hung by the local shelter. Despite this all call, several hundred still remained outside under the bridge. As the crisis grew, a plea went out around the city by council woman Seema Singh Perez for churches and other organizations to…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — When the call went out throughout the city of Knoxville to help the homeless during below freeing temperatures, many businesses did what they could to help. As the crisis lifted; realizing going forward, more must be done, Pastors Evan and Ashley Kariuki from Eternal Life Harvest Center have answered the call by creating the first “Warming Center” in the city of Knoxville. The church will work in Partnership with Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries (KARM), whose resources were strained in trying to help the over 1200 known homeless sleeping under the bridge during the polar…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — They were obviously not discouraged by Clinton’s loss. Quite the contrary. The women of EMERGE Tennessee class of 2017, along with women across the country, seem to be energized and determined to run for office in the coming election period. The 2018 mid election has seen a growing number democratic women running for office. Emily’s List, The Pew Research Center, even PBS, are predicting 2018 could be the year of the woman. Their studies show more women are paying attention to politics in record numbers and are following the issues very closely. Tennessee is…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — Of the 207 women trained by EMERGE America, 151 won their races this past week. The nation has seen an upsurge in the number of women running for office. The Volunteer State has joined the building storm of change. In Tennessee, the EMERGE Tennessee, an affiliate of this program; dedicated to recruiting, training and providing a strong network for democratic women running for office on all levels inaugural class has seen many of the initial 24 graduates throw their hat into the political ring. Several of the alumnae are serving on campaigns as managers and committee members. Several are…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — Then there were five…When the hands are raised to be sworn in as the newest city council members in Knoxville Tn next month, four of those hands will belong to women. In the 226 year history of Knoxville, never has there been this number of women elected to serve. Even more historic, the voters elected the first Black Female and the first Indian American, creating the most diverse council to date. Both women received more than 57% of the votes cast. These four women will join another historic trailblazer at the leadership table. Mayor…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE- In the next twenty years, robots will replace many of the duties that humans perform today. Those who are able to build and program this new technology will be the ones who can demand high salaries, have high paying careers and start their own businesses. For the last four years, in the heart of East Knoxville, students at Austin East Magnet High School have been preparing to step into this future of technology and innovation. Robotics, the creation of mechanical devices you can program to follow specific instructions, is also the way to teach science, technology,…