She was well respected in the community. Thanks to her upbringing, the affable Marzie Gates Thomas often paid homage to the grandmother who raised her to be humble, compassionate, and to treat people with dignity and respect. In addition to her own inherent attributes, Thomas trusted God and never forgot the values that her grandmother, Marzie Simpson, instilled. On June 12, Thomas died at Methodist University Hospital following a short illness. She was 72 and left behind a legacy of service that can be attributed to her faith in God, her church, her family, and her grandmother’s guidance. “She was…
Author: Wiley Henry
MEMPHIS, TN – The last days of John Amos’s life were fraught with discord and conflict, a far cry from his early days on the set of “Good Times” portraying James Evans Sr., who struggled to helm a poor Black family living on the fringes in a Chicago housing project. While Amos’s portrayal of a hardworking patriarch was admirable, his children, on the other hand, have embroiled themselves in legal wrangling before and after the death of their father on Aug. 21, 2024. The ongoing flap between Shannon Amos and Kelly Christopher “KC” Amos has been played out in some…
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A man’s body was contorted in a way that you wouldn’t think was humanly possible. It was a heap of mangled flesh. On the other side of the street, a man was bleeding from his head as panic ensued all around. Though he was talking, he was laid out flat. A woman lay on the pavement, not moving—either unconscious or dead. Others were motionless and strewn along Bourbon Street. It was a scene of human wreckage. Pandemonium erupted in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. Revelers moved as quickly as possible to avoid the threat of death,…
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A historical marker commemorating the “massacre” of hundreds of U.S. Colored Troops who fought in the American Civil War at the Battle of Fort Pillow in Henning, Tenn., was vandalized on Aug. 7, 2024, at Memphis National Cemetery, 3568 Townes Ave. Dr. Callie Herd was livid when she was notified by the director of the cemetery that vandals had decapitated the marker. But then she couldn’t believe that someone would be so brazen that they would seek to destroy history. The historical marker was erected to call attention to the colored troops who were “killed or mortally…
MEMPHIS, TN – Sandy Cheekz was in rare form Saturday (Dec. 14, 2024) morning when she belted out one of her popular songs before a bevy of listeners who braved the inclement weather and amassed along both sides of Austin Peay Highway to watch the Bluff City Christmas Parade in Raleigh. Donning rain gear, in some cases, with a few umbrellas hoisted over their heads, men, women and children assembling near the grandstand waited patiently for the procession of parade participants to file past them in their snazzy outfits — but not before Cheekz finished singing “Booty Club.” Lil’ Rounds,…
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A two-hour stage play depicting the life of a once troubled woman conjured up memories that seemed all too real to Wanda Faye Taylor-Wilson, who watched herself being played by actors with grit and emotional fervor. Written and directed by Taylor-Wilson, the play, titled “Lord! Heal My Brokenness,” premiered Oct. 5 at Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center on the University of Memphis campus. The stage play is a kind of biopic or an honest interpretation of Taylor-Wilson’s life — from dysfunction to topsy-turvy to a drug-laden world of dope pushing and promiscuity. Some scenes invoked painful memories,…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — A local women’s facility recently received a generous donation of household items from Amazon and electronics worth more than $100,000 — thanks to BossGiving, a philanthropic organization. Delivered by an 18-wheeler in early April, the sizable haul was unloaded at the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) of Memphis, where survivors of domestic violence are given a safe place to stay unbeknown to their abusers. The donation also includes support for a Women Crisis Transportation Assistance program. “All that I tried to do and wanted to do was help victims of domestic violence,” said…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Nearly 50 children in Memphis will get an opportunity to attend the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo on Saturday, April 13, at the Agricenter ShowPlace Arena, 105 S. Germantown Parkway in Cordova, TN. Thanks in part to a generous donation to Abundant Earth Global, a community development corporation seeking to end poverty in the Frayser community through education, the children will attend the rodeo for free. “One of our associates that supports our Abundant Earth Success Academy, Mr. George Summers, wanted to work with us to see if some of our students wanted to go…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN – When Dr. Callie Herd learned that a “massacre” had taken place on April 12, 1864, at Fort Pillow, a Union garrison in Henning, TN, she and her son, Ronald C. Herd II, sprang into action. They have honored the Union’s Black soldiers since 2016 – those who fought and died at Fort Pillow, whom they discovered buried in 109 unnamed graves in Section B at the Memphis National Cemetery, 3568 Townes Ave. This year marks the 160th anniversary of what is known as the “Fort Pillow Massacre.” It begins with a commemorative art exhibit…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Sean Roberts lost his landscaping job more than a week ago. Now he and his friend, Tiffany Smith, are experiencing homelessness. “My boss moved and gave up the job; he moved on,” said Roberts, 33. On Saturday (March 9), nearly two dozen homeless and hungry men and women — Roberts and Smith among them — were treated to a tasty meal that Daughters of Zion, a 501(c)3 organization fighting poverty and homelessness, served from a food truck. They had a choice of roast beef, turkey, or chicken salad sandwiches, with bow tie pasta salad,…