By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN – Coming to grips with the death of a loved one could be described as an emotional rollercoaster ride that will eventually subside. Then you will smile again, Dr. Marcia Demarjé Adair Smith promises. In fact, Smith writes about the stages of grief in “You Will Smile Again, I Promise,” a 38-page book that was published in February by Predestined Productions and illustrated by Rhonda Shaw. Written under Demarjé Adair, a variant of her name, the book was written specifically for five-to 12-year-olds who grapple with death and can’t express themselves without some form of…
Author: Wiley Henry
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN – Dr. Jane Abraham grew up in the late 1950s and ‘60s when animus towards Black people was as American as apple pie. “It was horrific,” she said. “I’m 72 years old and I grew up in the middle of all that mess.” It may come as a surprise, but Abraham is not Black. Her father was full-blooded Lebanese and her mother had come from the oil fields in Louisiana, she said, adding they were very poor. “We’re brown skins,” Abraham, a licensed clinical social worker specializing in addictions, noted. “The Middle-Easterners have no designation.…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — There is some irony in relocating the Memphis Juneteenth Festival from the historic Robert R. Church Park on “World Famous” Beale Street to Health Sciences Park, where Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife, Mary Ann Montgomery Forrest, are entombed. The move is official after Telisa Franklin, Juneteenth’s president, announced April 30 that the festival has partnered with Memphis Greenspace, Inc., the non-profit organization that maintains the park. The new location is deemed a fitting move for the annual festival in Memphis, Franklin pointed out, which is a national holiday in the United…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN – On April 27, 1991, a group of young Black political strategists and activists convened the African American People’s Convention at The Mid-South Coliseum and changed the paradigm of Memphis politics forever. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the People’s Convention, noted documentarian Chuck O’Bannon was tapped to produce a 60-minute documentary to preserve that moment in history. Entitled “Reflection and Reconnection,” the documentary chronicles the grass roots strategy and the successful outcome of the People’s Convention as told by the pioneers who convened it. One of those pioneers is Anniece Robinson, project manager for…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN – Thelma Robinson has had some good days and she’s had some bad days, according to her granddaughter, Joycelyn Simpson. But what do you expect from someone who recently celebrated her 105th birthday? Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Robinson celebrated her birthday on April 10th via Zoom with her family: children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. At her advanced age, everything may not be as clear as, let’s say, when she was 100 years old. Nevertheless, she is a trooper whose longevity no doubt is factored into her DNA. “She is declining a little,”…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — During the turbulent 1960s, Whittier Alexander Sengstacke Jr. wrote cutting-edge news stories for the Memphis Tri-State Defender. If the surname sounds familiar, it’s because the name speaks volumes. Sengstacke was the eldest son of the late venerable newspaper publisher Whittier Sengstacke Sr., and the nephew of the late publishing magnate John H. Sengstacke, who founded the Defender in 1951. Sengstacke had been ill for a while and died the morning of Feb. 20 at Midtown Center for Health and Rehabilitation. He was 76. In the late 1960s and early ‘70s, the respected journalist held…
Editor’s Note: This is the final installment of a two-part series about John Burl Smith and the Invaders. By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — John Burl Smith, Charles Cabbage, Coby Smith and others identifying themselves as the Invaders were embroiled in a conflict with local Black leaders working to end the Memphis sanitation strike in 1968. The strike was called after sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker were crushed to death in the back of a garbage compactor Feb. 1, 1968. They were seeking shelter from that day’s downpour when the compactor malfunctioned. “On inclement days, they would let…
Editor’s Note: The Invaders, a militant group from Memphis, dared to make a difference during the tumultuous Civil Rights Movement. They’re now an integral part of history. This is the first installment of a two-part series. By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN – There have been countless stories written about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from various perspectives that differ in scope from one author to another. But could the truth about the iconic civil rights leader be mired down in inaccuracies? John Burl Smith has a rare perspective on Dr. King’s final hours that he believes, unequivocally, to be the…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — For Memphis artist George Hunt, his use of bold and vivacious acrylic colors, which he juxtaposed with broad brush strokes on canvas, contrasted with his meek and mild-mannered personality. Hunt was a visual storyteller who applied swatches of color to his subjects and collaged them with various material on occasion for a low relief effect. You might say his artwork spoke for him. On Dec. 4, his own voice went silent. He was 85. The body of work that Hunt produced and the themes that drew his interest – blues musicians, civil rights, historical…
By Wiley Henry MEMPHIS, TN — The church has long been an anchor in the Black community. But can the church provide respite from stress, tension and difficult situations, including mental and emotional distress? There’s more to the church than worshiping and praying, a local clergyman explained, particularly when the current problem is a virus that has infected millions, killed tens of thousands, separated loved ones, and now triggering widespread depression. The novel coronavirus is ravaging this country and shattering lives. “Praying is not enough,” said Dr. William M. Young, senior pastor of The Healing Center Full Gospel Baptist Church…