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,…
Author: Wiley Henry
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,…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Not since the 1985 release of “We Are the World,” the chart-topping single benefiting USA for Africa, has there been a constellation of superstars collaborating for a charitable cause — famine relief. But then there was Elvis Presley’s “If I Can Dream,” which he recorded after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. Written by Walter Earl Brown, it’s an ode to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. And in Memphis, an eclectic group of singers and musicians were assembled to remake Bobby Darin’s 1969 protest song, “Simple Song of Freedom,” to call attention…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — When Keilah Jones learned that families with limited resources could shop for pennies on the dollar, she took her two children to Legacy Impact Community Resource Center in the Frayser community on Dec. 16 to take part in “Christmas With a Cause.” From noon to 4 pm, parents and their children made their way to the resource center, where thousands of items were available for their choosing and to help make the holiday season a little brighter – particularly for the children. Hosted by Shelby County Commissioner Charlie Caswell Jr. and radio and TV…
By Wiley Henry EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final installment of a two-part series about a woman who was able to harness her addiction and begin life anew. MEMPHIS, TN — In all her 62 years, Meishal Berniece Henry had never owned anything with her name on it, such as a driver’s license, automobile, insurance, and a home. The one she once lived in bore her ex-husband’s name. That’s because Henry was battling alcohol and drug addiction for 35 years and succumbed to the powerful lure. She couldn’t shake it, nor could she eradicate it. Not on her own. Then…
By Wiley Henry EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first installment of a two-part series about a woman who turned her life around after a tumultuous battle with alcohol and drug addiction. MEMPHIS, TN — Meishal Berniece Henry is deliriously happy. She earned a college degree in phlebotomy, makes a decent wage on her “dream job,” and purchased a new home in the Alcy Ball community. “I’m doing awesome,” she said. But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, Henry’s journey to happiness didn’t come so easily. It was hampered by destructive behavior – a kind of self-inflicted wound that festered…