Author: Wiley Henry

By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN – “If Memphis is going to survive, black businesses must survive,” said Carolyn Hardy, founder and CEO of Henderson Trans-loading Services, a company that stores and transports grain products – wheat, soybeans, corn and milo – by rail and boat. Hardy drew this conclusion based on the virtually nil percentage of gross receipts from black businesses in Memphis and Shelby County after she served on Mayor Jim Strickland’s transition team. “We’re over 52 percent of the population and enjoying only 1 percent of receipts,” Hardy pointed out. “It’s less than 1 percent, to be quite…

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By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — It would be difficult to mistake the unmistakable voice of Michel’le Toussant in casual conversation. That’s because her seriously high-pitched, squeaky voice rings with familiarity. Now if you’ve only heard Michel’le (pronounced MEESH-uh-lay) sing soul-stirring rhythm and blues songs, you wouldn’t believe she is the owner of that spirited, child-like voice. The duality of Michel’le’s voice is her claim to fame. However, those who know the two sides of the Grammy-nominated vocalist and actress would also find it difficult to believe that she is a domestic violence survivor. Michel’le will share her story when…

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By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Intermittent applauses are par for the course whenever Angela Davis orates on hot button issues. No matter the venue, one can expect straight talk from her and a rousing response. That was precisely the case on Jan. 14 when the noted activist talked about Donald Trump, capitalism, feminism, communism, and mass incarceration at First Congregational Church in Midtown. Davis’s 40-minute address was ripe for the mixed audience of hundreds that swelled the church’s sanctuary, including the balcony, to celebrate the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s 35th anniversary and annual fundraising banquet. “We thought who…

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By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Tears streamed down Terrika Gray’s cheeks as she recounted the predicament that haunts her at every turn. The arrival of the New Year didn’t make it any better. A single mother with four children, Gray is losing hope trying to find permanent housing, food for them to eat, and daycare to send the youngest two so she can work to earn a living. Gray’s efforts to overcome her misfortunes fell short during the past year. If good fortune doesn’t smile on her this year, a grim reality awaits and the prospect of losing it…

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MEMPHIS, TN — Her early childhood and years thereafter were painful, depraving and angst-filled, to say the least. But Sheila Raye Charles didn’t have much to look forward to without having much of her father in her life, the legendary Ray Charles. Deprived of the doting relationship Charles sought with her father was enough to send her cascading down a seemingly never-ending slope into drug dependency and deviant behavior, which mirrored, in a way, her father’s 17-year heroin addiction. Charles’ drug of choice was crack cocaine. She grappled with it for 20 years, served three prison terms, and, as a…

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