By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Securing the Democratic nomination for governor of Tennessee was a long shot for Dr. Carnita Atwater. But to her surprise, she amassed 56,061 votes in the Aug. 4 gubernatorial primary. Her vote count was impressive but not enough to overtake Memphis City Councilman J.B. Smiley’s 99,753 votes and Nashville’s Dr. Jason Martin’s 101,221 votes. Martin, the Democratic nominee, will face Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Nov. 8 in the general election. The loss, however, fueled Atwater’s desire to step back into the political arena. On Aug. 5, a day after the election, Atwater formally…
Author: Wiley Henry
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee ishoused in the federal building that now bears the name of the late Judge Odell Horton,who presided until his death in 2006.A renaming ceremony took place July 25 amid a cadre of jurists, attorneys, andelected officials, who gathered at the foot of the federal building in Downtown Memphisto witness the unfolding of a new era.Once named after Clifford Davis, a U.S. congressman with ties to the Ku Klux Klan,U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen’s first bill in congress in 2007 added Judge Horton’s name to thebuilding.“One…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Dead people from the 1870s yellow fever epidemic were reportedly buried in unmarked graves on park land that once stood a hospital and a memorial to an infamous Confederate general, Atty. Van D. Turner Jr. discovered during his research. “It’s just been quite interesting learning the full history of the park,” said Turner, referring to the former Forrest Park, now Health Sciences Park. That parcel of land is in the medical district. Once a memorial to Nathan Bedford Forrest, a slave trader and Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, now brims with new life. “The…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Domestic violence is not a respecter of persons, Greg Williamson, a former abuser, believes. “It’s multicultural,” he said. “Abusers come in many forms, different ages.” Likewise for the victims. Many of them are women whom men have battered or degraded. Or both. Men have been victimized too, though only a miniscule number. Women have been known to batter or degrade men as well. “It is a power and control type situation. That’s where it starts,” said Gwendolyn Turner, a survivor of domestic violence. “Whatever the reason for the power and control, it’s always a…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — The Memphis Juneteenth Festival is building momentum in the Bluff City and solidifying its brand as a major freedom and cultural festival for African Americans. The festival was boosted last year after Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of the Juneteenth Movement,” visited Memphis, and after President Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021. Telisa Franklin, Juneteenth’s president, noticed an uptick in interest and participation from supporters and revelers in Memphis now that Juneteenth is being observed as a federal holiday, one of 11 in the U.S., commemorating June…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — More than 30,000 athletes have participated in the Rochelle Stevens Invitational Track Meet in Memphis since 1990, and hundreds of them have earned scholarships, Stevens said. On Saturday, May 28, athletes from two-to-75 years old competed for prizes in track and field at St. George’s Independent School, a private campus at 1880 Wolf River Blvd. in Collierville, Tenn., a suburb outside of Memphis. Stevens, who earned her Ph.D. in Christian Education, kicked off the track meet after COVID-19 protocols sidelined the annual event, which drew 600 to a thousand spectators to the stands at…
Opportunity to Shine By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Jacqueline F. Jordan graduated from Manassas High School in 1973. But when her classmate Kenneth Allen called and asked for an in-kind donation, she responded posthaste. Jordan unloaded a closet-full of dry-cleaned dresses and gowns at the school on April 5 so some of the girls will have an opportunity to attend their high school prom in style on April 29. “I know how it is when it comes to a day like that,” said Jordan, who is passionate about helping young people. “Whether you’re a junior or senior, you want…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Academic achievement was “foundational” and a “focus” in the Jones household, according to Dorothy D. Jones, the youngest of Marvis LaVerne Kneeland-Jones’s four children. “She really led the charge with all of her kids,” Jones said. Kneeland-Jones was an influential educator, musician, businesswoman, civil rights activist, and, most notably, a member of the Memphis State Eight that included Eleanor Gandy, Rose Blakney-Love, Sammie Burnett Johnson, Luther McClellan, Ralph Prater, John Simpson, and Bertha Rogers Looney. Kneeland-Jones and her colleagues drew national attention in the fall of 1959 when they were the first Black students…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Stanley Campbell Sr. has been feeding and clothing the homeless for more than 30 years. But a dream he had in 2011 was confirmation from God that he needed to do more. On Nov. 25 – Thanksgiving Day – Campbell expects to feed, clothe, and dispense hand sanitizer, hygiene products, socks, gloves, hats and scarfs during the 15th annual “Forgotten Souls Fall Festival” from 9 a.m. to noon. More than 300 homeless men, women and children benefit from Campbell’s benevolence and charity four times a year during each spring, summer, fall and winter…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — Northside High School, once the anchor in the Klondike-Smokey City community, was shuttered in 2016 due to minuscule enrollment. But the sounding of the death knell did not fall on death ears. The alumni and community residents wanted to know if plans are afoot to repurpose the beautiful and spacious orange-brick building at 1212 Vollintine Ave. that was built in 1968 for an 1,800-student body. A nonprofit group, Northside Renaissance, Inc., has hosted several meetings over the course of months seeking input from the community prior to hosting a charrette Thursday, Nov. 11, at…