The CrimeSEEN Examiner News -- February 21, 2019
50¢ 620 Old Hickory Blvd. - Jackson, TN 38305 - CrimeSeenExaminerNews@gmail.com - 731-300-5047
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HUMBOLDT BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Frank E. Thomas Dr. Thomas is the son of the late Mr. Eddie B. Thomas and the late Mrs. Gracie Yarbrough Bell of Humboldt, Tennessee. He was the class president of the class of 1967. He played basketball and football at Stigall High School; and he was a part of the Glee Choir under Director Francine Given. Frank excelled academically as well as in Sports. He graduated from Stigall High School and attended Lane College where he graduated Magna Cum-laude. He attended the University of Tennessee at Martin receiving a Master’s Degree+ 65 in Education Administration in 1987..Ê He also enrolled in the University of Memphis. He later received his Doctoral Degree (PH.D) from Walden University in 2004.
Dr. Thomas has taught for a total of 48 years. He has retired twice, but returned back to work. He has served the educational profession as a teacher, assistant principal, instructional coach, and a supervisor. He was the first black to win the Walt Disney Award in Health and Physical Education in 1989. He also taught at the Core Civic Correctional Center in Whiteville, Tennessee from 2016-2017. He has served as a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Board Member (1992-1996), Tennessee Education Board of Directors (1989-1992), President of the Humboldt Education Association (1985-1986), and presently the President of the Tom O. E. Stigall Ethnic History Library Museums (2000present). He has been awarded several citations: People to People Republic of China Delegate (2002), Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Gamma Alpha Omega Hall of Fame Inductee (2001), Health and Physical Education Educator of the Year (1985, 1987, 1989, 2001), Walt Disney Award Salute to the American Teacher (1990), Article published, “The Joys of teaching<” Black Collegiate (1989, Career Ladder 111 Teaching Status (1985, Educator of the Year (1985), Alpha Phi Alpha Brother of The Year (2010). Dr. Frank E. Thomas has funded several grants: Job Training Partnership Act Grant (JTPA), $400,000, Tennessee State Department Drug and Alcohol Grant ($16,000), Tennessee Technical Preparation Grant, Jackson Central Merry High School ($500.00), Michael Jordan and Nike Scholarship, JCM-Latin Grant ($2, 500), the Humboldt Senior Citizen Center Arts and Craft Grant ($1,480), and an annually Stigall Museum grant ($6,000). He is a giant pillar to the community of Humboldt, Jackson, and surrounding communities. He is known for his gentle and kind spirit, his love for his students, his peers, and his family.
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We Salute the Pioneers and the Trailblazers!!
“Building a Better Community Through Entrepreneurship” “Our 4 Pillar Vision” • • • •
Promote and Refocus Entrepreneurial Spirit Drive Financial Literacy Promote Commerce within the Urban Community Promote Capital resources
Florence Howard Executive Director
Charles W. Adams President ÊBOARD OFFICERS Garey Jenkins Vice PresidentÊ Nell Huntspoon SecretaryÊ Grady Carter Treasurer
BOARD MEMBERS Clarence Boone Immediate Past PresidentÊ Duane Cherry president emeritus Katie Brantley Delita Johnson PhD Charles Clark PhD
Camille Jacox Bill Marable Harold Nance JC Shelly April Wilson PhD
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VALERIE JUNE HOCKETT
(born January 10, 1982), known as␣ V alerie June, is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from␣ Memphis,␣ Tennessee, United States. She is the daughter of (the late) Emmerson and Kaye Hockett of Jackson, TN. Her sound encompasses a mixture of folk, blues, gospel, soul, country,␣ Appalachian␣ She is signed to␣ Concord Music Group␣ worldwide.
and␣bluegrass.
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Instruments Guitar,␣ banjo,␣ ukulele Years active Early 2000s–present Labels Fantasy Records Associated acts Bella Sun,␣ The Wandering Website www.valeriejune.com
Valerie June Newsletter valeriejunemailinglist@redlightmanagement.com Valerie is excited to be heading out for two tours in the next few months. She’ll be visiting the south, midwest, and east coast as part of the Astral Plane Solo Tour! Highlights include Charlotte, DC, Chicago, Minneapolis, and many more. She will be joined in February by THAD (https://www.facebook.com/ThadCockrellMusic/) and on the April tour by Parker Gispert (https:// www.parkergispert.com/) Tickets are on sale now, but shows are starting to sell out. See the full list of tour dates below and visit valeriejune.com (http://valeriejune.com/) for tickets. See you at a show!
BLACK GIRLS ROCK Valerie was recently featured in the book Black Girls Rock by Beverly Bond. Her chapter includes some of the great photography of Jacob Blickenstaff. Valerie is honored to be featured along with Venus & Serena Williams, Naomi Campbell, Av DuVernay, Beyonce, Erykah Badu, and many other great women. (https:// www.simonandschuster.com/books/ Black-Girls-Rock!/Beverly-Bond/ 9781501157929)
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“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” –ÊBooker T. Washington
ERNEST BROOKS II Jackson City Council
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By Tyrone Tony Reed, Jr. Angela Nelson Parks doesn’t think she’s in the same league with Black History Month legends like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks or Malcolm X. But, her dedication to helping children develop a love for reading, make new friends, learning life skills and having a vision for their future sits her among many black leaders who worked and are working diligently to help others succeed in life. Parks, who is originally from Fort Wayne, Ind., but has lived in Jackson, Tenn., most of her life, is the founder and CEO of Butterflies and Bookworms, a book club for girls ages 4-12. The book club, which was founded three years ago in 2016, meets at the Jackson-Madison County Public Library, located at 433 E. Lafayette St., once a month.
“I started the book club because it really gives the girls something to do, start to finish. (It gives) them something to stay on task on, whether it’s reading a book from start to finish, or working on a project and finishing it, to see it all the way through.” But the girls aren’t only reading books and discussing them. They are learning everything from etiquette to future careers to how to stand up to bullying and how to stay healthy and active. “We have other community involvements and things that we do like vision boards,” Parks said. “We’ve hadÊcareerÊday for girls. We’ve addressed anti-bullying. We do a plethora of things. We have tea parties. We just do things that get the girls involved and by actually doing these things through play or activities, it stays with the girls longer than just reading the material.” Parks said she’s had fitness expert Elverna Cain come in and teach the girls line-dancing, aerobicsÊandÊother physical activities after the girls read the book “Get Up and Go” by Nancy Carlson. The girls have gone to museums in Memphis and have been taught safety techniques by Jackson Police Lt. Danielle Jones (who commands the Jackson Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit), Inv. Karrie Hart, Sgt. Melanie Mel and Officer Andrea Davis. They’ve also had a table etiquette class taught by Lane College professor Nicole Hewitt Hicks, Jena Verser andÊKristina Maholmes-Robinson. Parks said the idea to go beyond just reading books and incorporate life skills and life lessons was inspired by her time in the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.’s Rhoers Club. Parks said because her mother was a member of the sorority, Parks was able to be a member of the Rhoers Club, which met once a month at Lane College, where they had activities and mentors. “I just wanted to tap into that,” Parks said, “and to offer those types of activities to my grandchildren and girls of the community. A lot of the books that we talk about like “I’m a Pretty Little Brown Girl” (by Betty K. Bynum) talks about ‘Black Girl Magic’ and how to tap into that. Our first little book was “Penny and the Magic Puff Balls” (by Alonda Williams) and it talked about the texture of our hair, the power in your hair, the power in yourÊpuff balls. Just because you look different, we don’t haveÊthe straightÊhair, we still have pretty hair. I just like to touch on things that are good for self-esteem issues for the girls.” The bookÊclub is also a group in which the girls can talk about the things they face and learn how to deal with them. Parks said the club had a meeting about bullying and when asked how many of them had been bullied, many of the girls’ hands went up, which shocked many of the mothers because they knew nothing about it. “I just feel like some things the girls are not going to talk to their moms about,” Parks said. “They’re not going to talk to the pastor about, to their teachers and their advisors about. But, (the club) is a chance to come and have a powwow and talk about current events and whatever’s on their minds.”ÊÊ
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Parks said she frequently receives success stories from parents of the girls in the book club and has been encouraged by the parents to keep the club going.ÊÊ “The mothers tag me (on Facebook) in their report cards and their progress reports and say they are reading better and they are becoming more active in their roles in the school,” Parks said. “That’s amazing when they’re going up and beyond, reading more and being helpful in school.” Because of her success with Butterflies and Bookworms and the urging of parents and friends to do something similar for boys, Parks recently founded a second book club, Books and Bowties, which is for boys ages 5-11. The book club’s first inaugural event, held at the main library last month, featured mentors and guests such as former Jackson Police Chief Deputy and Lane College professor Patrick S. Willis, former Madison County Sheriff David L. Woolfork, South Side High School boys basketball Coach DaMonn Fuller, United Way President and CEO and City of Jackson mayoral candidate Scott Conger and Nathan Pride, who is the former and first black 26th Judicial Circuit Court judge, the Jackson Exchange Club’s 2016 Jackson’s Man of the Year and an attorney. Other mentors and featured guests included Reginald Hobson, owner of Stylz Menswear, who donated a free bow tie to each boy who participated, Pierre DuVentre, owner of D.Top Roofing, Jackson Fire Battalion Chief Brian Bowers and author and playwright and owner of Paschal Hildreth Entertainment Charlton Chuck Hildreth, who donated copies of “Daddy Books.” “It was very successful,” Parks said. “We had some great dignitaries to come in and speak to the boys.”
Parks said the two book clubs will be collaborating on a Black History Month event, which will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27 at the main library. “We’re going to have some honorees from right here in Jackson,” Parks said. “We love to acknowledge Dr. (Martin Luther) King (Jr.), Medgar Evers, Shirley Chisholm, Rosa Parks, Mary McLeod Bethune. But, we have some jewels right here in our community that we need to highlight as well. So, that’s what we’re going to do on the 27th. I’m very excited about that.” Parks said the Books and Bowties will have similar activities and life lesson classes for the boys that Butterflies and BookwormsÊhasÊfor the girls. As if she didn’t already have enough to occupy her time and energy, Parks is also the owner of One and the Same Event Planning. The business began after her daughter told Parks that instead of paying others to plan events, Parks could do the event planning herself. “My daughter said, ‘Momma, you can do this,” Parks said. “I kind of took it as a hobby and it just went from there.” Parks said after her “aha moment,” she began planning for holiday and birthday events. Her events have included one themed in honor of Dr. Seuss’ “The Grinch” and she even celebrates and decorates for St. Patrick’s Day because she loves holidays. Although “it has its days,” Parks said she is thankful to be a business owner and create experiences for others. “It really gives me the time to allocate to different platforms,” Parks said. “I’m very blessed to be able to have a supporting husband and family that allows me to have such a creative side. I know sometimes (my husband is) like, ‘Not one more project.’ But, it just gives me the opportunity to expound on all types of diversities. I love that…I am blessed beyond measure.” Parks’ advice to others who have a vision and are wondering if they should step out on it is to get over their fears. She said fear can be crippling and can cause a person to miss out on his or her destiny, a destiny that could change the course of the entire world. “Don’t be scared to fail,” Parks said. “That’s what my whole thing was. Being scared to fail, being scared of what people are going to say. Everybody’s not going to like you or what you do. And they’re not going to support it. But, that’s okay. Just go on and do what it is that you need to do. What is for you, it is for you and I believe that.”
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Lane College Ask Community to “Dream” Lane College President, Dr. Logan Hampton meet with East Jackson community members last Tuesday night to discuss the future of economic development in East Jackson. During the meeting Dr. Hampton asked to participants to stand and tell what their dreams are for East Jackson. Answers ranged from more voter participation in elections to an increase in health care and cultural awareness. CSENews - Bill Marable
VOTE TO RE-ELECT
HARVEY BUCHANAN City Council District 4 TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019 EARLY VOTING: APRIL 17 - MAY 2, 2019
Your Vote and Support is Appreciated!
They Came For An Education. They Left To Change The World. In the 1950s, few envisioned Nashville becoming a launch pad for future leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. And yet, thanks to the tireless efforts of Nashville Student Movement luminaries like Dr. C. T. Vivian, John Lewis, Bernard Lafayette, Diane Nash and so many more, that’s exactly what it became. Today, The Tennessee Lottery proudly celebrates the indomitable spirits and courage of those who’ve inspired us all.
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Previous winners: Caleb Massey and Jada Peyton
GRIOT COLLECTIVES BLACK HISTORY MONTH POETRY CONTEST: Open to all students throughout West Tennessee Poems may be on any subject, length or style ONE POEM PER STUDENT Poems must be typed or legibly printed All poems MUST include in the upper right hand corner:Ê students name, address, home phone number, school name and teachers name
Poems must be mailed to: The Griot Collective, P.O. Box 1203, Jackson TN., 3830 or emailed to:␣ thegriotcollective@yahoo.com thegriotcollective@yahoo.com.. ␣ ␣ Contest opens February 1st and ends February 28st.Ê All poems must be postmarked or emailed by February 28th 2019.Ê ENTRIES RECEIVED AFTER THE 28TH ARE INELIGIBLE Winners will be contacted the second week in March 2019 Winners will receive their awards at a special ceremony on March 16th 1 p.m. at the Come Unity CafeÊ Contest to be judged by Lauren Smothers, professor of English at Jackson State Community College. Contest guidelines are also available on Facebook at:Ê The Griot Collective of West Tennessee
TELL THEM YOU READ IT IN THE CRIMESEEN ONLINE SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE!
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BY SHARLENE WOOLFORK-ROWLETT
My Daddy, David L. Woolfork, Sr., was the Sheriff of Jackson/Madison County, TN. He was elected to the position of Sheriff in 1994, and again in 1998 with no opposition. In 2002, he was re-elected for a third term and in 2006 for a fourth term, both of which by a wide margin of the votes. He was again re-elected in 2010 to a historic 5th term making him the longest serving Sheriff in Madison County history. He began his career in law enforcement in 1972 with the Humboldt Police Department as a dispatcher and was later transferred to the patrol division. In 1977, he was employed by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy in the Patrol Division. In 1982, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant, and subsequently reassigned to the Criminal Investigations Division. He proved himself quickly to be one of the most thorough and effective investigators in the profession. Sheriff Woolfork has been referred to on numerous occasions as the “People’s Sheriff” due to his immense popularity. ␣ After his election to the office of Sheriff he brought the department in line with several new and innovative changes. He increased the staff of the warrants division to ensure the prompt and proper service of process. He was directly involved in the funding, building, and transition to the new 18 million dollar Madison County Criminal Justice Complex. The personnel staff of court security was increased and training specifically designed for security positions were implemented. Leading 232 outstanding employees, Sheriff Woolfork personally hired 211 of those 232 employees. He remained committed, not only to serve and protect, but to provide employment opportunities for the Madison County Community.␣
HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH DADDY!!!! #365 BLACK!
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Rodney Golden, Sean Kimins Sr., Earl Shaw Jr., Travis Franklin Sr., Wilbert Bond