By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — It was a listening tour that flowed both ways. The Tennessee Black Caucus arrived in Knoxville for the second stop on their annual state-wide town hall meetings held every year at the end of the legislative session. The evening began with the caucus members viewing a short documentary about the Black communities destroyed by urban removal in the early 60s after which they boarded one of the cities electric buses to tour the areas shown in the film. Longtime leaders and history makers rode the bus with them; Rev. Middlebrook who marched with Dr.…
Author: Vivian Underwood Shipe
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — There are those like the firefighters and police officers who run into danger, then there are those who run into the danger and stay through the storm. Two groups, medical personnel and reporters have been running into the storm called COVID-19 for the last three years. As the pandemic ends, the work they did and continue to do was acknowledged and honored at a reception held at the Public Works Center. Media representatives from all local organizations were invited to come and leave their cameras in the car and relax and be recognized. During…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — Health and education fields in Knoxville are experiencing a shakeup as three of the leading change agents move to new positions. Martha Buchanan led Knox County through the pandemic years as the Director of the Knox County Health Department. During the pandemic in a strong showing of ethical and moral leadership, Dr. Buchanan held daily updates on the status of the county as the pandemic soared. In an effort to quell the rise of deaths and help stop the spread of covid in the height of the storm, she issued mask mandates and created…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — Last Saturday morning the Jacob’s Building in East Knoxville was filled with music, the sound of drums, dancing, and laughter at the Knoxville Urban Family Festval sponsored by Real Talk Mentoring. Real Talk Inc. was founded by Clarence Swearengen and seeks to enrich, encourage and empower youth through shared-life experiences. Founded in 2008 and starting with four students at Vine Middle School, the program now serves over 200 students in eleven Knox County schools For over 15 years, the program has provided a safe place for youth to share their stories and get the…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — Five hours. That’s how long it took to get a “yes” vote allowing the Freedom Schools program to get a “yes” vote by the Knox County Board of Education. The ask by the Freedom School Director Denise Dean was to data share the test scores from end of year testing so the school would know how to best help the children, and the children be allowed to ride the buses during the summer months to the three schools where the program was being held. The program, which began in 1995, is a part of…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — When the call comes across the intercom, the students know what do. The doors are already locked from the inside; now the children pull down all the blinds and turn off the lights. Moving to a wall wherethey can’t be seen by a shooter looking through the door, they sit in a line on the floor, their backs to the wall, being as quiet as they can, waiting. The lockdown is in full-effect. “Enough…We are fed up.” This message spread across the internet between the high schools of Knoxville. The message was clear and…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — The sun had barely broken over the horizon on the last Saturday of April before the foot soldiers of the Knoxville Area Urban League and New Directions Healthcare Solutions were pulling up and unloading vans and trunks filled with vaccine and resource materials. They were on a mission at not just one location; they were holding two mega clinics in opposite ends of the inner city. It is the beginning of a big push, a push to vaccinate as many as possible before the pandemic emergency mandate ends by the government and the CDC…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — Teach them and send them out. This describes the program developed in 2014 to train Knoxville high school youth in key leadership skills to inspire them to become involved and committed to serve others. The students, all juniors from area high schools, spend ten months together learning about each other and the Knoxville community as they develop their skills. The 53 graduates of the 2023 class received their graduation medallions before their parents and peers during a celebration held at the Change Center on Sunday, April 23rd. “And don’t let anyone put you…
KNOXVILLE, TN — The 2023 Project Grad Celebration of Stars Scholars Dinner was held at the Knoxville Convention Center on Sunday April 16. Over 100 seniors from Fulton and Austin-East High School were recognized by Project Grad and the Knoxville Education Foundation. During the ceremony, two gentlemen who play a great part in the success of Project Grad were also recognized and honored for their dedication to the next generation of leaders. Dr. Dorian McCoy is the director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. During the…
By Vivian Shipe KNOXVILLE, TN — FIRST is an international robotics community that uses a team-based learning approach to prepare young people ages 4 -18 for the future. Each letter has a meaning: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Austin- East High School is an official team of this prestigious robotics program and the only African American team from the Knoxville district. The FIRST program uses a mentoring based model designed to inspire young people to be leaders in science and technology through engagement and inspiration. The students develop “out of the box thinking skills” and their confidence…