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w w w . t h e c o n t r i b u t o r. o r g

ILLUSTRATION BY ALE X MAYER

Volu m e 14

| Number 19 | September 2 - 16, 2020

2020

L a N ticia www.hispanicpaper.com

“DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”

Año 18 - No. 313

Nashville, Tennessee

25 Gigantes Tech de EE.UU. Fundados por Inmigrantes

Si nos basamos en los intentos de tocar y solucionar el tema, historicamente, desde la Casa Blanca hasta el Capitolio, existe un amplio consenso entre los demócratas y republicanos por igual, de que una reforma significativa ya no puede esperar más.

inteligentemente y con sentido común puede ayudar a impulsar la innovación y estimular el crecimiento del empleo. Durante demasiado tiempo, nuestro quebrantado sistema migratorio ha privado a nuestro país de aquellos mismos inmigrantes que han ayudado a hacernos grandes.

Por Yuri Cunza Editor in Chief

IN THE ISSUE Todo esto ahora acentuado por la temporada electoral obviamente. Una parte considerable del debate se ha centrado en la seguridad fronteriza y a un camino hacia la ciudadanía para los más de 12 millones de inmigrantes indocumentados que viven actualmente en los EE.UU. Sin embargo, mientras que la fijación en los problemas del pasado es sin duda, importante, también hay que mirar hacia adelante, creando un sistema de inmigración que puede impulsar nuestra economía, crear empleos en los Estados Unidos y ayudar a atraer y retener el talento que necesitamos para seguir siendo competitivos en el escenario mundial. Aunque en lo que estemos adelante ahora sea nada más que el liderar en casos de COVID-19.

Para empezar, podríamos ofrecer tarjetas de residencia a los mejores graduados extranjeros en universidades estadounidenses que obtengan grados avanzados en ciencia, campos de tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas (STEM). En todo el país y aquí en Tennessee, a menudo capacitamos e invertimos recursos en una gran cantidad de estos estudiantes que asisten a algunas de las mejores escuelas en nuestra región, como Vanderbilt y la Universidad de Tennessee.

Y mientras estos estudiantes están aquí, están ayudando a impulsar la innovación en nuestros laboratorios y aulas universitarias. De las patentes

No es ningún secreto que la innovación impulsa la economía estadounidense, y sin buenas ideas y sin trabajadores calificados, nuestro país no será capaz de transformar las industrias o conducir la economía global tan efectivamente como lo ha hecho durante décadas.

Una reforma integral a nuestras leyes de inmigración es necesaria ya desde hace tiempo. Se pondrá en peligro la prosperidad de nuestra nación, si no se toman medidas ahora. Será bueno para los negocios, ya que facilitará una vía para que se pongan en regla, y creará nuevas oportunidades para trabajadores inmigrantes.

Los inmigrantes traen nuevas ideas, iniciativa, y sobre todo, una fuerte ética de trabajo y el deseo de tener éxito. La inmigración es un componente integral de nuestra política económica, lo que afecta directamente a la competitividad de la fuerza laboral de nuestro país.

Si esto no fuese suficiente, una reforma migratoria integral promete acabar con el "mercado negro" laboral de inmigrantes indocumentados en los Estados Unidos, permitiendo a las empresas cumplir sus demandas laborales con seguridad y fiabilidad.

Ya sea que se trate de una importante corporación estadounidense o una tienda de barrio, los inmigrantes tienen más del doble de probabilidades de lanzar un negocio que los ciudadanos nativos.

A medida que el debate sobre la inmigración se desarrolla en los próximos meses, la más alta prioridad de nuestros líderes en Washington debe ser la aprobación de leyes que impulsen el crecimiento económico para la próxima generación. Si piensa que todo esto tiene sentido, unete a mí y a los millones de estadounidenses en todo el país y pidamos a nuestros líderes y candidatos que actuen en el nombre de mantener nuestra economía fuerte.

Did you know? 25 U.S.’s biggest tech companies founded by first and second generation immigrants

generadas en el año 2011 en las 10 universidades de generación de patentes del país, el 76 por ciento tenía un inventor extranjero.

Después de que estos futuros creadores de empleo se graduan, a menudo los enviamos de vuelta a sus países para competir contra nosotros en el mercado global, simplemente porque no hay visas para que se queden. Sería un sistema lógico, ayudarlos a que permanezcan aquí, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que, en promedio, estos graduados STEM crean 2,62 empleos.

Los inmigrantes siempre han sido una fuerza impulsora detrás de la promoción del sueño americano. Un estudio realizado por la "Asociación para una Nueva Economía Americana" (Partnership For A New American Economy) encontró que más del 40 por ciento de las compañías Fortune 500 se iniciaron por inmigrantes o sus hijos. Google, AT&T, eBay, Intel y Kohl se encuentran entre las empresas ini-ciadas por inmigrantes o primera generación de estadounidenses -hijos de immigrantes.

Si no hacemos nada para arreglar nuestras leyes, el resultado podría ser un golpe devastador al bienestar económico de los Estados Unidos. Sin las reformas necesarias, vamos a seguir perdiendo el talento humano y las ideas críticas que ayudan a que nuestra nación prospere.

Empresas que son propiedad de inmigrantes generan un estimado de 775 mil millones de dólares en ingresos anuales y emplean a 1 de cada 10 trabajadores estadounidenses.

Una reforma migratoria pensada

1. Mantenerse callado 2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido 3. No mentir 4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos 5. No revelar su situación migratoria 6. No llevar documentación de otro país 7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)

Basados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.

w w w . j u a n e s e . c o m

Tom Wills, Chair Cathy Jennings, Bruce Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Ann Bourland, Kerry Graham, Peter Macdonald, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Erik Flynn

Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper.com

Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada?

por

Contributor Board

Vendor Spotlight

Nonprofit Spotlight

Vendor Writing

La Noticia + The Contributor

“Positivity plays a big part. I don’t want somebody to feel sad for me. I want to take The Contributor and polish it.”

Family farming in Latin America and the Caribbean has been hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions.

In this issue, vendors write about walking with God, making changes, and the historic nomination for vice president.

La Noticia, one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers in the nation, brings Spanish content to The Contributor.

Contributors This Issue

Amanda Haggard • Linda Bailey Hannah Herner • Yuri Cunza • Jim Patterson • Alex Mayer • Samira Sadeque • Mario Osava • Joe Nolan • Mr. Mysterio • Tyrone M. • Vicky B. • John H. • Cynthia P. • Maurice B. • Angela H.

Contributor Volunteers Joe First • Andy Shapiro • Michael Reilly • Ann Bourland • Patti George • John Jennings • Janet Kerwood • Logan Ebel • Christine Doeg • Laura Birdsall • Nancy Kirkland • Mary Smith • Andrew Smith • Ellen Fletcher • Richard Aberdeen • Shayna Harder Wiggins • Pete MacDonald • Robert Thompson

Cathy Jennings Executive Director Tom Wills Director of Vendor Operations

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Hannah Herner Staff Writer Jesse Call Housing Navigator Raven Lintu Housing Navigator Barbara Womack Advertising Manager

The Contributor now accepts Venmo! Scan the QR Code to the left , or find us: @The-Contributor! Make sure to include your vendor’s badge name and number in the description. If you bought this version digitally, you can still leave your regular vendor a tip or donate to the vendor relief fund to help vendors affected by COVID-19. Email Cathy@thecontributor.org for more information or with questions!

Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors Andrew Krinks Editor Emeritus Will Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom WIlls Contributor Co-Founders

Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed. The Contributor reserves the right to edit any submissions. The Contributor cannot and will not endorse any political candidate. Submissions may be emailed to: editorial@thecontributor.org Requests to volunteer, donate, or purchase subscriptions can be emailed to: info@thecontributor.org Please email advertising requests to: advertising@thecontributor.org

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V E N D O R S P O T L I G H T : C A R L J.

Vendor Spotlight: Carl J. shares sales and spiritual strategies IMAGES AND STORY BY HANNAH HERNER Carl J. has the business mindset down. A Nashville native, he’s been honing his sales skills since he was a tween. Carl typically gets a permit to sell water to tourists in downtown Nashville in the summers, but has decided to sit the year out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He really wants his customers to know that he has an “abundance of grace from the Lord” in his heart, and loves to pull from his mental index of bible verses and sayings to inspire. You can find Carl selling The Contributor in the afternoons at the corner of Abbott Martin Road and Hillsboro Boulevard. Did you always want to have your own business? I remember when I was a kid coming up in Nashville we had Vanderbilt University, selling drinks and popcorns and stuff at the football games and basketball games. I used to be a vendor up there. I was probably like 12, 13 years old. I got pretty good at that as a kid. Did I have a

vision of trying to have my own business? Yes! I used to shine shoes and everything down on Broadway, before Broadway became real popular. What other jobs do you do? My priorities change when the seasons change. I sell the water in summer times. There’s opportunity everywhere, you just gotta be positive about the situation. It takes money to make money, but it don’t take much money. Just have common sense and be courteous. Anybody that’s in business knows that the customer comes first. My slogan was ‘don’t let dehydration spoil your vacation.’ I did well with that. I like doing the holidays with the paper. People are generous during the holidays. It’s the season for giving.

One woman was like ‘I like your attitude. You take your resource and spend it on yourself and improve your appearance.’ I went and got a haircut the other day. Trying to upgrade. I have nice attire and everything — a closet full of it. Coats, sweaters, hard-bottom shoes, scarves, everything. I wanna see guys selling papers with suits on! I just can’t go over the top with it. I’ll try to wear an overcoat, scarf or something, and I don’t think they’ll buy the paper. They’re like, ‘you not in need.’ You don’t have to be homeless or in need to sell the paper. It’s a career for me. Positivity plays a big part. I don’t want somebody to feel sad for me. I want to take The Contributor and polish it. Whether you buy the paper or not I still got a smile for you.

What are some of your goals for The Contributor? I was thinking about it. Sometimes I put on a nice shirt and sell out there.

Sharing your faith with others seems to be important to you. Can you tell me more about that? It’s like Philippians 4:4, rejoice in the

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Lord all the days of your life. Because the same things that will make you laugh will make you cry. Find a sanctuary in him. Whenever you watch a movie or read a book and it touches your heart and almost makes you cry, it moved you spiritually -that’s the Lord for you. Trust in the Lord and he will reveal to you, like turning the page in a book. You may not see it then, but later on down the line he will turn the page in the book and reveal to you why you had that pain, that joy. The best time to catch the Lord is in the morning in the midst of the cool while the grass is still wet outside. He’s out there. Anything you got to say to him, that’s the best time to say it. You ain’t gotta say a word, just step out there on the porch and he’s right there with you. I be trying to teach. I be trying to help people spiritually. If you get it together spiritually, everything will come together. I tell people when they buy a paper from me, I say ‘the Lord will bless you tenfold.’

NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS Governor extends COVID-19 State of Emergency Gov. Bill Lee has extended the COVID-19 State of Emergency executive order through Sept. 30. An addendum to the order adds that counties can “facilitate the continued treatment and containment of COVID-19 through regulatory flexibility, promoting social distancing and wearing face coverings in public places, and protecting vulnerable populations.” The order does the following: • Urge persons to wear a cloth face covering in places where in close proximity to others, while facilitating local decision-making concerning face covering requirements; • Urge social distancing and limit social and recreational gatherings of 50 or more persons, unless adequate social distancing can be maintained; • Limit nursing home and long-term care facility visitation, while providing a framework for safe, limited visitation, and continue the closure of senior centers; • Provide that employers and businesses are expected to comply with the Governor’s Economic Recovery Group Guidelines (e.g., Tennessee Pledge) for operating safely (the six counties with locally run county health departments have authority to issue different directives on businesses/venues); • Provide that bars may only serve customers seated at appropriately spaced tables and must follow the Economic Recovery Group Guidelines (e.g., Tennessee Pledge) for restaurants (the six counties with locally run county health departments have authority to issue different directives on businesses/ venues); • Continue access to take-out alcohol sales to encourage carryout and delivery orders; • Allow broad access to telehealth services; • Increase opportunities for people to easily join the healthcare workforce; • Facilitate increased testing and health care capacity; • Extend deadlines and suspend certain in-person continuing education, gathering, or inspection requirements to avoid unnecessary person-to-person contact; and • Increase opportunities to work remotely where appropriate. Community Oversight Board and MHRC to host townhalls on community safety The Community Oversight Board and the Metro Human Relations Commission have partnered together to conduct several virtual community safety townhall meetings

Why Johnny STILL can't read? 3 out of 4 children in Tennessee cannot read at grade level. Find out why at N2Reading. com over the next few weeks. The purpose of these meetings is to hear from Nashville residents what they would like to see in a chief of police and public safety in their communities. “At our first community townhall, we had several members of the community from across Nashville and Davidson County offer sincere thoughts and concerns,” shares MHRC Chair Dr. Marisa Richmond. “This feedback is quite useful, and we encourage more to take advantage of this unique opportunity to share about your desire for the future of public safety.” The first townhall meeting was held on Monday, Aug. 24 and included public comment from residents who live in Donelson, Sylvan Park, Goodlettsville, Old Hickory and the Bellevue area – to name a few. A second was held on Aug. 31. “The intentional inclusion of voices from the marginalized communities of Nashville during this search process is the only way for the next leader of the MNPD to be successful,” says COB Past Chairperson Ashlee Davis. “These forums exist so that the diverse perspectives of Nashville residents will be heard with no filter or script. People need to believe in their elected and appointed leaders and that doesn’t happen

unless they feel valued and heard and that’s exactly why these forums are being held.” Judge says TN election officials must make mail-in rules clear A judge says Tennessee election officials must communicate clearly on absentee ballot applications that people can vote by mail if they have health concerns due to COVID-19. Election officials told the Tennessee Supreme Court this month that they would inform voters about that eligibility, asserting for the first time that underlying health conditions could qualify someone to vote absentee under their plan. “A prospective voter looking at the Form has absolutely no way of knowing that the Tennessee Supreme Court has held that if the voter determines for himself/herself that he/she has a ‘special vulnerability to COVID-19’ or is a ‘caretaker’ of such a person, he/she is eligible to vote via absentee ballot during the November election,” the judge ruled in late August. The order says the state had until Aug. 31 to change the form, and until Sept. 1 to pass information along to county election officials.

September 2 - 16, 2020, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 5

or check out N2Reading on Facebook.

The New Christian Year Selected by Charles Williams

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis—but he was arguably the most precocious and well-read of this eminent and intellectually fertile group. He was also known to have influenced Dorothy Sayers, T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden. Lacking a proper degree unlike his fellow Inklings, this genius Cockney-speaking author, editor, critic, and playwright was eminently well-versed in both philosophical and theological writings of the remote past as of the present day (the mid-20th century) and used this familiarity to good effect in his poetry, supernatural fiction and his lesser-known devotional selections designed for the spiritual benefit of the faithful in the Church of England. This series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year, beginning with Advent (i.e., December) and ending in November, and reaches far beyond the pale of the philosophical and theological discussions of his day. It was under his hand, for instance, that some of the first translations of Kierkegaard were made available to the wider public. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver

13th Wednesday after Trinity

14th Monday after Trinity

WONDERFUL is the depth of thy words, whose surface, see, is before us, gently leading on the little ones: and yet a wonderful deepness, O my God, a wonderful deepness. It is awe to look into it; even an awfulness of honour, and a trembling of love. St Augustine: Confessions.

WITH this sight of the blessed Passion, with the Godhead that I saw in mine understanding, I knew well that it was strength enough for me, yea, and for all creatures living, against all the fiends of hell and ghostly temptation. Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love.

IT is imperfection in Religion to drudge in it, and every man drudges in Religion if he takes it up as a task and carries it as a burden. Benjamin Whichcote: Discourses.

SHE cried again, "O Love, no more sins! no more sins!" And her hatred of herself was more than she could endure. St Catherine of Genoa: Life.

14th Tuesday after Trinity

13th Thursday after Trinity THE things of God are not made ours, by a mere notion and speculation; but when they become in us a vital principle, when they establish in us a state or temper, when the things of God are grounds and principles of suitable operations. Benjamin Whichcote: Works. RELIGION makes us live like men. Benjamin Whichcote: Aphorisms.

13th Friday after Trinity

THINK no further of thyself than I bid thee do of thy God, so that thou be one with him in spirit as thus, without any separating and scattering of mind. For he is thy being, and in him thou art what thou art, not only by cause and by being, but also he is in thee both thy cause and thy being. And therefore think of God in thy work as thou dost on thyself, and on thyself as thou dost on God: that he is as he is and thou art as thou art; so that thy though be not scattered nor separated, oned in him that is all, evermore saving this difference betwixt thee and him, that he is thy being and thy not his. The Epistle of Privy Counsel.

LET us, at all times, take each the burden of the other, and let us suffer for each other even as our Lord suffered for us; but let us examine our souls unceasingly. The Paradise of the Fathers.

OUR spirits are comfortable (praised be the Lord!), though our present condition is as it is. Oliver Cromwell: Letters.

AS a man raises himself towards Heaven, so his view of the spiritual world becomes simplified and his words fewer. Dionysius the Areopagite: Mystical Theology.

14th Wednesday after Trinity

THOU, O God, canst never forsake me so long as I am capable of Thee. Nicholas de Susa: The Vision of God.

13th Saturday after Trinity NEITHER Creator nor creature can be without love, but if this love is turned aside to evil, then the creature goes against the creator . . . A man may love evil by willing evil to his neighbors in three ways: For first, he may hope to be prosperous through his neighbor's degradation; and again, he may himself fear to lose power, grace, honour, or reputation because of his neighbour's advancement, and may therefore be miserable at that advancement; and again, he may feel himself injured by his neighbour, and wish to be revenged, so that he sets himself to seek out the other's hurt. Dante: Purgatory.

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity SILENCE is not God, nor speaking is not God: fasting is not God nor eating is not God; onliness is not God nor company is not God; nor yet any of all the other two such quantities. He is hid between them, and may not be bound by any work of thy soul, but all only by love of thine heart. He may not be known by reason, He may not be gotten by thought, nor concluded by understanding; but he may be loved and chosen with the true lovely will of thine heart. An Epistle of Discretion. SAY with Christ "Cross, cross," and there is no cross. For the cross is no more a cross once you say joyously: "Blessed cross, there is no tree like thee." Luther: Letters.

ASK ye for the greater things, and the small shall be added unto you: and ask for the heavenly things, and the earthly shall be added unto you. Quoted by Origen as a traditional saying by our Lord. ON the same day, seeing one work on the sabbath, he said unto him: Man, if indeed thou knowest what thou doest, thou art blessed: but if thou knowest not, thou art cursed, and a transgressor of the law. Apocryphal New Testament.

14th Thursday after Trinity WHEN the loving kindness of God calls a soul from the world, He finds it full of vices and sins; and first He gives it an instinct for virtue, and then urges it to perfection, and then by infused grace leads it to true selfnaughting, and at last to true transformation. And this noteworthy order serves God to lead the soul along the Way: but when the soul is naughted and transformed, then of herself she neither works nor speaks nor wills, nor feels nor hears nor understands, neither has she of herself the feeling of outward or inward, where she may move. And in all things it is God Who rules and guides her, without the meditation of any creature. St Catherine of Genoa: Life.

14th Friday after Trinity THIS restful travail is full far from fleshly idleness and from blind security. It is full of ghostly work, but it is called rest, for grace looseth the heavy yoke of fleshly love from the soul and maketh it mighty and free through the gift of the holy ghostly love for to work gladly, softly, and delectably . . . Therefore it is called an holy idle-

ness and a rest most busy; and so it is in stillness from the great crying and the beastly noise of fleshly desires. Walter Hylton: The Scale of Perfection.

THE Way is God. Boethius: Consolation of Philosophy, translated by King Alfred.

14th Saturday after Trinity GOD hath created nothing simply for itself: but each thing in all things, and of every thing each part in order hath such interest, that in the whole world nothing is found whereunto any thing created can say, "I need thee not." Hooker: Sermons.

THE Will of God is the necessity of things. Calvin: Institutes.

Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity THE one supreme, unchangeable rule of love, which is a law to all intelligent beings of all worlds and will be a law to all eternity, is this, viz., that God alone is to be loved for Himself, and that all other beings only in Him and for Him. Whatever intelligent creature lives not under this rule of love is so far fallen from the order of his creation, and is, till he returns to this eternal law of love, an apostate from God and incapable of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, if God alone is to be loved for Himself, then no creature is to be loved for itself; and so all self-love in every creature is absolutely condemned. And if all created beings are only to be loved in and for God, then my neighbour is to be loved as I love myself, and I am only to love myself as I love my neighbour or any other created being, that is, only in and for God. William Law: The Spirit of Prayer.

15th Monday after Trinity THERE is always some advantage in making men love us. Human life is thus only a perpetual illusion; men deceive and flatter each other. No one speaks of us in our presence as he does of us in our absence. Human society is founded on mutual deceit. Pascal: Pensées. WE have done nothing . . . if we have not purified the will in the order of charity. St. John of the Cross: Ascent of Mount Carmel.

15th Tuesday after Trinity LOVE is careful of little things, of circumstances and measures, and little accidents; not allowing to itself any infirmity which it strives not to master, aiming at what it cannot yet reach, desiring to be of an angelical purity, and of a perfect innocence, and a seraphical fervour, and fears of every image of offence; is as much afflicted at an idle word as some at an act of adultery, and will not allow itself so much anger as will disturb a child, nor endure the impurity of a dream. And this is the curiosity and niceness of divine love: this is the fear of God, and is the daughter and production of love. Jeremy Taylor: Holy Living. GREAT love is also pliant and inquisitive in the instances of its expression. Jeremy Taylor: Holy Living.

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NEWS

Keith’s foster mother Leahbelle Mangiaracina, sister, Sheila Nash, and her daughter Arabella Laboy came to visit him in Nashville. In the Aug. 5 issue of The Contributor, vendor Keith D. shared about his foster family, whom he credits for teaching him about giving to others. Since the issue was published, Keith was able to connect with that family again after 30 years. “I’m just glad that I’m the kind of person that I want them to meet. I’m glad they met me now instead of a few years ago,” Keith says. “I’d

have been happy just to know where they all were, call them up. I figured they’d be like ‘oh we’re glad we know where you are, and have a good life’ but no, it’s like instant family again.” He plans to spend New Years with the family in Michigan. Go back and read Keith’s story digitally at thecontributor.org/ content and click on the Aug. 5 issue.

Michael and Nell write about homelessness, gentrification, other issues in new album BY HANNAH HERNER

At the 2019 Annual Homeless Memorial, Nell Levin and Michael August chose a special song to play. “Welcome Home” pays tribute to people experiencing homelessness, as well as anyone who may feel like they aren’t welcome in Nashville. Evicted now you’re sleeping in the park Rain and cops and no rest in the dark You’re body’s feeling old but you’re left out in the cold You need a place to live, Welcome Home “Welcome Home” is the title track of Michael and Nell’s recently released 12-song album, which covers issues from gentrification to non-violent resistance to peace in the Middle East, to the plight of young immigrants. Levin has worked on affordable housing for decades. She was the leader of the Ten-

nessee Alliance for Progress for 14 years and more recently was part of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope’s (NOAH) task force. This nonprofit work has inspired the pair’s songwriting. “It’s really a recognition that it’s not just homeless people who have trouble staying in their homes and maintaining,” August said. “There’s a broad spectrum of the population that is having some real issues with just maintaining their residence with prices that just keep going up and up and wages just keep stagnating or going down. You can’t maintain under those circumstances.” August and Levin both moved to Nashville in the late ’80s and met at a songwriter’s event. They’ve seen the gentrification of their own neighborhood of East Nashville since they moved in in 1996. Another track on the album, “Displacement Blues” was inspired by looking down their own block.

“We moved into this working class mixed-race neighborhood and now there’s a house across the street from us that’s for sale for $1.85 million dollars,” Levin says. August and Levin say they are past the days of trying to be involved in the more corporate music business.The country in-

PAGE 8 | September 2 - 16, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

dustry is quite conservative and not open to “issue” songs like the ones they write, they say. They find more love on folk radio. “I just think we’re at the phase of our life, we’re old, we don’t give a shit anymore,” Levin says. “We’re not trying to make the charts of country music or anything like that. We’re just at the point where we’re going to write what we want to write and say what we want to say.” The pair has played a number of protests and nonprofit benefits over their careers. They’ve supported environmental groups, protests against President Donald Trump and played the Annual Homeless Memorial twice. Next will be an upcoming Black Lives Matter rally. Michael and Nell want their music to be socially significant. “That’s part of our mission,” Levin says. We want to offer our music where it can be heard and it will support a cause that we believe in.”

TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR COMMUNITY. THE COMMUNITY CARE FUND CAN HELP YOU PAY OVERDUE BALANCES ON YOUR POWER BILL.

Devastating storms, a pandemic and an economic downturn have made it difficult for some of our customers to pay their bills. Thankfully, in Nashville, we look after our own. NES and TVA have teamed up to create the Community Care Fund, matching contributions worth $350,000 to help pay down bills for customers financially affected by COVID-19. The Community Care Fund is managed by NeedLink Nashville. You can apply online at NeedLink.org; or, if you’re 75 or older and have no way to apply online, call (615) 269-6835. This is a tough season, but we’re in a resilient city— helping each other every step of the way.

A PPLY AT N E E D LI N K .O RG O R CA LL (615) 736 - 69 0 0 FO R M O R E D E TA I L S .

COMMUNITY IS OUR TRUE POWER

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8/20/20 9:48 AM

COVER STORY

The business of eradicating racism How Chakita Patterson is amplifying Black history in Nashville By Jim Patterson

Chakita Patterson is way too vivacious and upbeat for a businesswoman during the coronavirus pandemic who is dependent on tourists for a big part of her customer base. “Oh yeah, we’re fine,” Patterson says, sounding cheerful and optimistic. Her company, United Street Tours, founded in 2018, offers walking tours of Nashville focusing on the Black experience. She temporarily halted all tours in March because of COVID-19. Eight months of bookings had to be refunded. “As a small business, we were impacted by it,” she says. “But it’s more important for us to make sure our customers are OK.” While she waits for the virus to subside, Patterson is keeping busy with the Rise Higher Institute, a virtual community she has created to bring people together to talk about racial issues, and a racial sensitivity program, The 7-Day Antiracism Challenge. The first question on the 7-Day Challenge is about how the participant identifies racially. “We prett y much go through the Black experience in America,” Patterson said. “Just to wake people up to the reality that everybody has different experiences, and not to discount it because it’s different than the one you’ve experienced.” Patterson said thousands of people worldwide have taken the challenge. “It’s been a really awesome experience to see people open

PAGE 10 | September 2 - 16, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

up and be honest about times that they have participated in racism, either by standing silently aside while a racist act was taking place, or just by not being an ally to people experiencing it.” The latest addition to Rise High Institute is a six-week course called Race & Civil Rights in American Life. Patterson will also use the break from tours to get married in September to entrepreneur Ogden Rattliff. “What Chakita has done and is doing is mobilizing thousands of people who want to get started on the antiracism journey,” says Ann Gillespie, a founding partner at Culture Shift Team, a Nashville-based public relations and consulting firm that helps organizations create culture-driven strategies. “She creates safe but brave spaces for the challenging work of addressing societal and internalized racism, unlearning white-washed history and centering on racial justice and equity.” Patterson, a native of Memphis, earned her bachelor’s degree at Middle Tennessee State University and went on to receive a master’s in social work from Radford University. Her journey to starting United Street Tours began at the charter KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School, where she was dean of students. When Black History Month approached, she asked high school students what they wanted to study about African-American history.

COVER STORY

“Basically, they didn’t know much,” Patterson says. “They gave the basics — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. … At some point we have to introduce students to a well-rounded view of our history so that they have a well-rounded view of the world.” Patterson went home and complained to her fiancé, Ratliff, about how little students knew about Black history. “Eventually he was like, ‘You need to stop complaining and do something about it. You’re the dean of students at that school. If anybody can do anything about this, you can.’” “So I was inspired to teach students about Black history.” She began to research the subject. “So you begin to uncover the legacy of Congressman John Lewis and the Civil Rights movement in Nashville,” she says. “You see yourself go down this rabbit hole of history and information. “It was amazing to me.” That led to school field trips to visit important landmarks of the history of Black Nashville. Branching out, she promoted the tour on Facebook. “We sold out tours for the first six months,” Patterson says. “That’s when I was like, ‘Oh, we have something here.’” Starting with a basic Black Nashville history tour, United Street Tours soon expanded with tours about Civil Rights, food and music. Walking tours range from one to three hours and cost from $27 to $80. One site included on Nashville Black History Walking Tour is Woolworth’s at 221 5th Ave. North, the site of the first lunch counter sit-ins during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in Nashville. The Slavery to Freedom Walking Tour includes a visit to Riverfront Park, where slaves traveled via the Cumberland River into a life of bondage and later freedom and to Fort Nashborough, an outdoor museum, and replica of the original Nashville settlement of the 1700s. Learotha Williams Jr., assistant professor of African American and public history at Tennessee State University, met Patterson for coffee when she was seeking guidance before launching her company. “She had a lot of questions and I answered them as best I could,” Williams says. “She inquired about a lot of the stuff that was not being taught or might not be as known as it probably

should be. She asked about how I taught it.” Williams tagged along on a tour one cold day, and came away impressed. “Chakita has one of those personalities that is immediately welcoming,” Williams says. “She has a smile that will light up a room. She has a certain charisma about her that makes you want to listen to what she has to say.” Williams teaches an African American history class two semesters a year at TSU. He notes that only 200 students out of the university’s 9,000 can take the course over any four-year period because class sizes are capped at 25 students. “Over the course of one day she can speak to as many people that I speak to in two semesters,” Williams says. Nashvillians should take advantage of what Patterson is offering, both online and when tours begin again, Gillespie says. That’s true even if they’re a little bit uneasy about what they may learn. “Reflecting on racism is way uncomfortable — it’s humbling and requires sustained vulnerability,” Gillespie says. “But it is not on par with what those experiencing racism have endured for centuries. There’s no comparison. “So, if we haven’t all learned yet, ending racism is no longer optional.” Patterson hopes to offer tours again in February 2021, Black History Month. But it’s not a certainty yet. “Because things have been a little bit unpredictable with moving from (COVID-19) phase to phase, we just don’t want to make a huge announcement.” Nashville “can’t yet say we are an antiracist city,” Gillespie says. But it’s possible to make a move in that direction. “Nashville, as nice and as friendly as it is known to be, has yet to fully acknowledge and account for its racist past and the legacy of disparities that persist today,” Gillespie says. “United Street Tours is one of the organizations that keeps the history of Nashville alive. “That’s a precious gift.”

Jim Patterson is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tennessee. He is not related to Chakita Patterson. For more information, visit https://unitedstreettours.com/ website.

September 2 - 16, 2020, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 11

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF STREET PAPERS

Family farming in Latin America and the Caribbean hard hit by COVID-19 restrictions BY SAMIRA SADEQUE With limited transport options to carry their goods to the market, lack of protective gear, and limited financial resources, family farmers across Latin America are facing grave consequences as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a survey carried out by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture with 118 family farming specialists — defined as professionals with high levels of knowledge in the agricultural sector in general and family agriculture in particular — across 29 countries, many of the respondents said they were already facing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Family farming is a “critical sector” for Latin American and the Caribbean, according to the IICA report, with approximately 16.5 million farm holdings across the region. Mario Léon, manager of IICA’s Territorial Development and Family Agriculture Programme, at the headquarters in San José, Costa Rica, said that 80 per cent of LAC’s production units are family farming units, with 56 per cent of them being in South America and 35 per cent in Mexico and Central America. These holdings account for between 30 to 40 per cent of the agricultural GDP of the region. Given the pervasive fear among customers of contracting the coronavirus, it’s farmers who are suffering: with difficulty in selling their products and being able to carry them to the market. “However, it is possible that the most dangerous food shortages may occur in those regions and countries that are net food importers, particularly among the most vulnerable sectors of the population (the poor and indigent),” Léon said. Inter Press Service: Throughout the survey, it consistently appears that “restrictions on travel and movement” is a key factor affecting the family farmers. What role does travelling and commuting play in business for them? Mario Léon: Many LAC regions with FF communities are far removed from urban centres and have an inadequate road network, which creates logistical costs and increases the prices at which goods are ultimately sold. When transportation is restricted, they cannot receive production inputs or even those food products that may not

Family farming is a “critical sector” for Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC), with approximately 16.5 million farm holdings across the region. CREDIT: MARIO OSAVA/IPS always be produced or available in rural communities, such as noodles, sugar, oils, cleaning or personal care items, medicine, etc. If production inputs do not reach communities, agricultural activities cannot continue. Similarly, during the harvest, if transportation is restricted, products cannot be distributed and since storage, silos and refrigeration facilities are not always available, the produce is wasted. This is partially due to a lack of organisation and the inability to access proper transportation for distribution. How has the restriction of movement affected family farming? Measures taken to curtail the pandemic, such as restricted movement, have affected family farming in various ways. On the demand side, it has caused the temporary closure of outlets and services, including food stores, which has led to a contraction in the food demand, which in turn has forced prices downward and has made it difficult for some producers to place their products on the market. Consumers have also reduced their visits to traditional markets, out of fear of contracting the virus. On the supply side, given that family farming production activities are not usually labor intensive

and that most of its production processes have always been done without the need for close physical contact, the effect of the pandemic on this aspect is thought to have been minimal, for now. The limitations it faces, therefore, relate more to services to transport agricultural products to markets and the restrictions on vehicular movement in the countries. Is the current crisis affecting any marginalized groups within family farming differently: such as women or indigenous communities? Yes. Women play a leading role not only in the home but also in the production and selling of food. They are the ones normally involved in short circuit trade and in the selling of products, allowing the family to generate an income. They manage the household and complement the efforts of the production unit. In many countries, women are responsible for horticulture production, the growing of medicinal plants and the rearing of small animals. Women are also involved in processing family farming production, via small scale agro-industry. When sales outlets are temporarily closed or restricted, this limits their options and affects them directly. The situation is more complex in

indigenous communities. Distance, the lack of communication media or outlets to sell their craftwork is aggravated by social confinement and makes their situation worse. In what ways do you believe these groups have been affected? Although the survey did not conduct an in-depth assessment of how these marginalized groups have been affected, one would expect that they have and perhaps more, given that the demand for food has been decreasing, creating increased competition among producers to access markets. Producers who are more equipped and have more linkages to trade channels have been able to access markets, causing marginalized groups to be displaced and their income to be reduced. Social distancing measures have also exacerbated the effects of the pandemic on mmarginalized groups that, even before the crisis, had limited access to production services and markets, which is a situation that has now been further aggravated by their limited digital education. This has affected their capacity to promote their business undertakings during the pandemic. The survey report says, “There has also been a decline in available drivers and transport operators,

PAGE 12 | September 2 - 16, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

arising from restrictions imposed as preventive measures or through fear of the risks associated with transmitting and contracting the virus.” Do family farmers often rely on outsourced drivers and transport operators to take their produce to markets? ML: Local markets, including collection and supply centers as well as retail markets, are the primary destination for family farming products in Latin America. Most producer organizations are of an informal nature and lack any kind of legal status; therefore, they are unable to enter into commitments relating, among other things, to the purchase of vehicles to transport their products to markets. As a result, their market access is dependent on intermediaries, namely transporters who collect products and then transport them to sales centres, reducing profit margins for producers. Some family farmers do have their own transport services, either because they form part of an association or, in just a few cases, because they are able to generate enough income to purchase their own vehicles; however, the vast majority of farmers rely on intermediaries. Quarantine measures have reduced the availability of transport services. Additionally, due to a lack of sanitary protocols, entire crews of truckers at several companies have fallen ill with the virus, which has hindered the transportation of products. The survey says, “this relationship between producers and intermediaries was most affected in zones in which associative enterprises had been weakened the most, thereby limiting the negotiating power of family farmers.” What factors lead to this reduced negotiating power for them? Because marketing processes via producer organizations have come to a standstill, farmers have undertaken individual efforts to sell their products at the prices offered by intermediaries. Collective marketing has been affected by reduced product volumes and the absence of contracts and/or agreements that foster social cohesion within producer organizations, which were already weak. Courtesy of Inter Press Service / INSP.ngo

Our global network is made up of: Over

100

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Our network in numbers

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20,500

1,850

vendors earn an income by selling street papers each year

volunteers support our global movement

19.4 Million

4.6 Million

Every month, vendors collectively earn

$2.7 Million

street papers were sold across the world in the past year

readers worldwide

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a grand total of

$32.4 Million

in the pockets of vendors every year

insp.ngo

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September 2 - 16, 2020, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 13

/inspstreetpapers

MOVING PICTURES

Ghosts Are Us: CHARLIE KAUFMAN’S NEW FILM IS DIFFICULT AND UNIQUE, BUT IS IT ANY GOOD? BY JOE NOLAN, FILM CRITIC Charlie Kaufman’s having a busy summer: his debut novel, Antkind was released in July and his latest directorial effort comes to Netf lix this Friday. Kaufman adapted I’m Thinking of Ending Things from Iian Reid’s novel of the same name. Kaufman is best known for his surreal screenplays for films like Being John Malkovich (1999), Adaptation (2002) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Kaufman’s directorial debut came with Synecdoche, New York (2008), a film that the late great Roger Ebert called “the best movie of the decade.” I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an emblematic of Kaufmanesque filmmaking: meta contextualizing of stories-within-stories; characters breaking the fourth wall; characters aware of their ow n na rratives; non-linea r storylines, to say the least. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a difficult, complex movie, but is it any good? I was taken aback when I saw that Kaufman’s new movie was being released as a “psychological horror” film. The movie is ultra-weird and often creepy, but I wouldn’t call it scary. You could say that I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a haunted house film, but the house is time itself and the ghosts are us. The whole plot of this film revolves around a Young Woman (Jessie Buckley) on a road trip with her newish, almost-boyfriend, Jake (Jesse Plemons). They’re on their way to a remote Oklahoma farmhouse where the Young Woman will meet Jake’s parents

(Toni Collette, David Thewlis) for the first time. Here’s the problem: the Young Woman is already thinking of ending things with Jake. A horror film, after all. Of course, this is a Charlie Kaufman movie, where simple ideas are given free reign to spin into ever more complex webs of philosophical questions and cultural allusions — everyday reality is undermined, and travelers stop for milkshakes in the middle of a blizzard. Viewers watch Kaufman’s film through the lens of the Young Woman’s ennui over her own lack of self-determination. But before we’re even through the first act, character identities begin to shift, circumstances begin to repeat themselves, and the Young Woman looks directly into the camera to recite a poem to the audience. She’s a poet. Or she was a poet. Or she will be. I’m T hink ing of Ending Things is a Kaufmanesque film from Charlie Kaufman, and what I was hoping to see. That said, this movie’s value only equals the sum of its sometimes outstanding parts: Lukasz Zal captures an otherworldly lensing of the bleak Oklahoma winter-scape that perfectly frames the characters’ dislocated experiences. Collette’s performance alone is worth streaming this film for, and I’ve grown to appreciate Thewlis’ recent roles having never enjoyed his earlier work. Plemons does a lot with a little to bring the brooding Jake to life, making him relatable despite his awkwardness

and angry outbursts. Buckley, not so much. She’s a game actor, but she’s in the unenviable position of playing an unsympathetic character in a lead role. The Young Woman’s decision to meet Jake’s family even though she knows she’s leaving him creates the whole plot of the film. But how can a viewer connect to such a weak, unmotivated character? To make matters worse, Kaufman gives the Young Woman reams of pretentious

dialogue and a torrent of internal narration which spools out in endless droning voice-over. Many people have made the bad decision to take a step forward in a relationship they knew they were ending. And almost everybody was smart enough not to base a movie on it.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things streams on Netf lix beginning Friday, Sept. 4

PAGE 14 | September 2 - 16, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.

FUN

HOBOSCOPES VIRGO

Today feels like an end of something, Virgo. Do you know what I mean? Like, summer was here and now it’s going away. It’s just ending. Usually fall would come next, but things have been so strange. What if we just pass from summer into...the absence of summer? What if it ends and nothing else begins? But something else always does, Virgo. Still, you don’t have to rush into that new beginning if there are endings you aren’t done with yet.

CAPRICORN

My social media app is trying to help me out by showing me “people you may know.” Usually it’s just a list of “people I’m convinced don’t remember me” or “people I’ve met a bunch of times but have never really connected with.” It reminds me, Capricorn, of all the people I actually know. I scroll the list of people I may know instead of reaching out to somebody I’m already connected to–somebody who I could act in a caring way toward right now.

LIBRA

Some people make decisions in a very systematic way. Lay out all the options. List the pros and cons. Weigh each against another until the answer is clear. Sometimes though, Libra, it’s better to just go with your gut. There’s so much you can’t know about the future and so much that you know that can’t fit on a list. Make the choice you already know is right. Then see what happens.

SCORPIO

The human body is 60% water, and yet when the tornado sirens go off, I run to my basement and nervously wait for the storm to pass. What does water have to fear from wind, Scorpio? Still, it’s what we do. Even when we can’t specifically say why, we work to keep our mostly-liquid selves intact. We want to remain, both liquid and solid, in the right proportions, in these clusters that we think of as “myself.” Someday we’ll join the earth and the wind and the larger bodies of water. Until then, come up out of your basement and do the things you can only do right now.

SAGITTA R IUS

An “extirpation” is a localized extinction. For instance, there are still jaguars in Mexico and South America, but jaguars are largely extirpated from the United States. Occasionally a jaguar is seen in Arizona or New Mexico, but their numbers are so low that they’re statistically zero. Rarer still, is the sighting of a black jaguar which, like it’s cousin the melanistic leopard, is referred to as a “panther.” These are beautiful, rare, and precious lives, Sagittarius. If you get to see one be grateful. And be grateful for your own.

AQUA RIUS

Does history really repeat itself, Aquarius? Has all of this happened before? Will all of this happen again? I’m starting to think there is no such thing as unprecedented times. There’s just the times we happen to be in at the moment. So all we can really do, Aquarius, is stop standing around with our mouths hanging open and start doing what we can with the time we’ve been given.

PISCES

We all love a good story about time travel, Pisces. But it’s challenging to make one that makes sense. Because, even if you built a time machine and went back and fixed all your problems in the past, would a person without problems go on to build a time machine? Seems unlikely. We learn from our past. We change our future. Don’t get stuck on the first part.

ARIES

So what do we do with all this anger, Aries? I’ve got it. You’ve got it, too. Sure we can ignore it, but that just leads to repression. Or we can lash out with it, but that just leads to aggression. Thich Nhat Hanh says we should learn to hold it, not with restraint, but like one holds a baby. Turn toward your anger. Care for it. Find out what it wants. Look it in the face with love. Give it affection and attention. It has something to give you, too.

TAURUS

Every language has some way of talking about the future, Taurus. In English, when we talk about the future, we say “will.” For instance “Yesterday, I ate a hot fudge sundae. Tomorrow I *will* have a salad.” But it’s like we’re admitting that we don’t really know. I want to have a salad. That is my “will.” But who knows? I mean, there’s still half a tub of ice cream in the freezer and it’s not going to eat itself. (“going to” is another phrase we use when we talk about the future.) This week, Taurus, let your will be known, but also try to accept that the future won’t be known until we get there.

GEMINI

There can be a wisdom to tradition, Gemini. The people that came before us knew some things. Of course they did. They passed it on. You learned it. And you may have heard that the best way to honor those that came before is to do things the same way they did them. I don’t think that’s how it works. You get to take the stuff they learned and add it to the stuff you learned. Then you can act in a way that honors all that knowledge together. And it might not look much like tradition.

CANCER

A good record is an experience, Cancer. Like Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” The first two tracks are like a “hello.” They welcome you to the album and let you know what to expect. Then you have the meat of the record; songs that deal with death and time and greed and mind. And then a big finish and a grand farewell. It’s perfect! But sometimes, Cancer, sometimes perfection is exhausting. Look, if you just want to listen to “Savage” 11 times and call it a day, I think that’s totally valid.

LEO

I heard they put a computer chip in a pig’s brain so they could record it’s experiences. I think they’ll learn a lot. Pigs sleep about 7 hours every night and then 2-4 hours during the day. When they’re awake they look for food and when they find food they eat it. This is starting to sound a little too familiar, Leo. I mean, I don’t have a chip in my brain yet, but when I get one I hope my daily activities are a little more interesting than they’ve been lately. You might want to polish up your routines a little bit too, Leo. Even if it’s just for science.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained panda , or a registered loan officer. Mr. Mysterio is, however, a budding intermediate podcaster! Check out The Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Season 2 is now playing at mrmysterio.com. Got a question, just give Mr. M a call at 707-VHS-TAN1

September 2 - 16, 2020, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 15

VENDOR WRITING

Kamala BY T YRONE M., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR OK first of all, congratulations are in order. Kamala Harris is the first Afro-American woman nominated for vice president on a major ticket. Joe Biden picked a good one, born to an Indian mom and a Jamaican dad, Kamala came into this world Oct. 20, 1964. Her full name is Kamala Devi Harris. Her father’s name is Don Harris. Her mother’s name is Shyamala Harris. Her husband’s name is Douglas. He has two children by a previous marriage. Her mother and her father met at a rally in Oakland, Calif. As soon as Joe Biden picked her, this fake ass president Trump started name-calling, calling her nasty. He can’t talk about nobody nasty, because everybody know about the peepee tapes. We are now seeing a broad range of stupid ass junk coming out of the this racist ass president’s mouth. I’m not going to let this racist president talk about an Afro-American female nominee like this, because she’s smart and intelligent and she’s the first female vice president nominee. But only small-minded racist

ass people with feeble minds would even think to say something this stupid. Donald Trump, we already know who you are. David Duke said it, and he’s the leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Donald Trump, we know what you do. You stoke fires. You create all of this chaos because you know you can benefit from it. We seen what you done at the convention. You showed a picture of the riots in Spain and tried to play like it was in America. You’re a deceiver, a liar and you’re demonic. Kamala Harris would make a very good vice president, unlike Mikey Pence, who can’t say Black Lives Matter. We know you have trouble with strong women. That’s why you always try to lash out at them. What you need to do, Donald Trump, is get on your knees and pray to God that he will forgive you for the things you said and done in the past. And maybe only then, after you repent heavily, will God forgive you. Congratulations Kamala Harris. We love you, America loves you, and so does the entire Democratic Party.

Mind Your Own Business? BY VICK Y B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

THEME: 1980S LY R ICS ACROSS 1. Lascaux and Mammoth, e.g. 6. At the stern 9. Eyeball rudely 13. Inuit boat 14. And not 15. Sing like Sinatra 16. Manicurist’s file 17. Old-fashioned “before” 18. *”If you ____, I won’t cry. I won’t waste one single day” 19. *”Steve walks warily down the street with the brim pulled way ____ ____” 21. *”She’s just a girl who claims I am ____ ____” 23. “Play it, ____,” from “Casablanca” 24. Boris Godunov, e.g. 25. *”All right stop collaborate and listen, ____ is back...” 28. Between Phi and Kappa 30. Restriction limiting use of lights during air raid 35. J.D. Power awards competitors 37. *”Oh, back on the chain ____” 39. Ann Patchett’s novel “Bel ____”

40. Slightly 41. Algorithmic language 43. French “place” 44. Kind of potato masher 46. Brickowski’s brick 47. Cleopatra’s necklace 48. Canine’s coat 50. Sol or fa 52. National Institutes of Health 53. *”____ Christmas, I gave you my heart” 55. Trinitrotoluene 57. *”You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I ____ ____” 60. *”I wanna dance with somebody, with somebody who ____ ____” 64. Lithograph, for short 65. Holstein sound 67. Radio sign 68. Killed, like dragon 69. Commotion 70. Yiddish shrew 71. Sleep in rough accommodations 72. Gourmet mushroom 73. Cancel an edit, pl. DOWN 1. Whispered from a prompting booth 2. Shells and such

3. *”Meeting you with a ____ to a kill” 4. Brings home the bacon 5. First U.S. space station 6. Again 7. *”Hello, is it me you’re looking ____?” 8. Weight of refuse and chaff, pl. 9. Black and white cookie 10. One from Goa 11. *”And I’m never gonna make it like you do, making ____ out of nothing at all” 12. Compass reading 15. One of religious orders 20. Last letter of Greek alphabet 22. Experienced 24. Sine over cosine 25. *”I long to see the sunlight in your hair and tell you time and time again how much ____ ____” 26. Northwoods dwelling? 27. The Goldbergs sibling 29. *”Cuase I’m your ____ cool one, and I’m built to please” 31. Scotch ingredient 32. Kitchen tear-jerker 33. Wombs 34. *”Ooh, what’s the matter with the crowd I’m seeing? Don’t you know that they’re out of ____?” 36. Petals holder 38. *”Wake me up before you ____” 42. It creates instant millionaires 45. Count on, two words 49. One from Laos 51. Emissaries 54. Poison ivy or Poison oak 56. Religious doctrine 57. Venus de ____ 58. Greek Hs 59. Not that 60. Pilot’s stunt 61. Not loony 62. Catcher’s gear 63. Geological time periods 64. Psychedelic acronym 66. Lyric poem

My neighbor Curly and myself had our dogs out by the basement door talking while the dogs played. Another resident from our building came by, from what I guessed was the quick mart next door by the looks of his bag, and made a comment about what Curly and I were talking about. He spouted out, “the key is to mind your own business when you live here.” He went on to say, “I’ve been living here 20 years so; I have seniority and can do as I please.” The downstairs security guard feels that no one respects her, and I can now understand why. If everyone turned a blind eye life would never change. I’m told for years residents would ignore the happenings in the back of the building: illegal acts, drugs, etc. I also think a very influential friend had something to do with that also. Thank you, Linda. The Black Lives Matter movement has made an impact in my life. I used to be the one sitting on the couch watching the news clips where officers shot a black man the whole time thinking, “There has to

be more to the story.” After all the investigations the officers would receive a reprimand and that’s it. Because of the BLM movements more of these officers are brought to justice. It’s in the headlines and more and more people are becoming aware of the bad officers, the rotten apples. Unfortunately, the good officers are having to pay for the rotten ones. The same for businesses destroyed and looted because of a few bad apples. Recently we saw yet another case of injustice when a police officer shot a black man in the back seven times in Wisconsin. The man survived, but is paralyzed from the waist down. A long time ago while I was living in Florida, a cop shouted STOP to me and I kept on going. No shots fired. Was it because my skin color was white? We all have to continue the conversation and pick our battles. Choose the issues that mean the most to you homelessness, BLM, injustice. Stand up, carry a sign or simply keep the faith.

Take a walk with God JOHN H., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR One thing I enjoy, being a Christian, is that close walk I take with God each day. There’s nothing better than getting up in the morning having a conversation with your creator. You talking to him through the day, and surely he’s speaking to your heart throughout the day, too. If you’re one of them who shares his word every day, he speaks to your heart about the events that are in the making, but not yet hit the surface. Ya see, just the other day I had a lady come to me in tears about the murder of George Floyd. And at the moment of her mourning, she had just picked up a paper from me and the article, “Love ‘em Anyway” just made her go into tears. At a time when you need God to help you cope with something, God has already beat you to the point, to comfort you in mourning. That’s why we

PAGE 16 | September 2 - 16, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

walk with him each and every day. Amazing how all those young people stand on the front line protesting. Knowing and risking their life, (no telling what a racist president’s orders will be). A president who takes a walk across the park to a church, who before turning on American citizens holds up a Bible when no words in that bible are in his heart. Upsetting! More upsetting when I see people here in Nashville (racist and prejudiced) come from God’s house on Sunday — display the exact same attitude. I encourage people of this nature to take a walk with God each day. He will heal you. He’ll take that hate away from your heart. But first you’ll have to ask, and put forth an effort to change. Trust and believe God will do this for you. (Done deal.) Start taking a walk today.

VENDOR WRITING

SURVIVOR ANGELA H.

There so many things in this world that God could let me have, yet I’m dumb and can’t see what the Lord has laid out for me. I’ve chosen all the wrong paths in life, now I’m trying to do them over. I hurt the ones I loved and can’t stand to see them hurt, but to get what I wanted I walked on them like dirt. They’ve been there for me through whatever went wrong. God has never let me down and neither has my mom. Amen.

In What Perspective. MAURICE B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR When many individual’s eyes are focused deeply on a new individual there is a question that’s curiously pondering in their mind and the feeling of unease settles over them while they wonder if they are doing or living in the right way(s). That individual only seems to know that they are striving to do their best and most of the time it seems that it’s not the best to the eyes of others. Expectations of actions vary from person to person in the universities or “schools of thought” in this world and leaves an individual full of hectic chaos in the mindset. For instance, as an adolescent most are taught to treat the next adolescent nice and kind and also to respect all adult figures. Unfortunately, sometimes when the adolescent grows up and begins to make their own decisions they rely on their taught feelings, which leads them into some sort of uncomfortable stage in life where their perspectives have been picked up from watching and hearing adults laugh with one another as they watch others. See, as there are actions being played in the eyes of every youth they await their time to approach the stage of life

and add their performance because they feel their performance in situations is better. Because it’s always been taught to them that they can do better and that is the only understanding they hear instead of being guided into better ways that they can see. Another example is to realize that a lot of the teachings to the youth are to fight, and most of the time fight without a factor. To them it’s being brave instead of educating themselves on who fears them or who they can prey upon because they feel that they are or have been preyed upon from fear themselves even by adults and or the authorities. This seems to be the repetitive cycle in life from era to era. How does this cycle ever end? Will individuals in this world ever get off the treacherous merry-go-round of hatred? Or is that a concept which will stand forever? One that will bring incarceration and the deaths to many? Those choices are mainly forced, because of the lack of embracement from all nations. The refusal comes from the fear in feelings of domination whereas one or the next race has the acceptance

that their race is supremacy over the next by false allegations and literature passed down by incomplete research. That teaching shuts the youth down from expanding their minds and their true understandings. To understand themselves, as well to know about the next individual or race is a marvelous concept to be a part of. These are the teachings that are needed to regulate the misunderstandings that go on behind the many perspectives of how an individual is to live their life. What is “right” is instilled in a minor’s mind, but they find out through their trials in life that many things get hard at times. That means there are different perspectives to evaluate, and when they choose that different route will their teachers support their ways? Or will that minor even care? Will their teacher stand firm in their corner and back them up and congratulate them for their prosperous attempts of accomplishments, even when it takes them many harsh attempts? When some of their attempts cause shame not only to themselves but on the family’s name will their teacher give them that

pat on the back? Or will they say, “I didn’t teach them that?” Will they reach out and still strive to reteach the youth a way to better themselves in this new life not accepting the path in which was chosen by that youth. When multiple adults own up to wrong teachings and are willing to come to the realization that it actually takes a nation to firmly raise a child then the fact of causes like Black Lives Matter will be totally understood because the full acceptance of reaching out and the full acceptance of giving back shall come into all ethnicities. People should be open to the various standpoints of all nationalities whereas if there was an acceptance of a little teaching of each race in everyone’s life then the wide-range of perspectives just might lessen. Until that possibility comes forward and is presented as divine reality over all, the problems or deep concerns of believing that each individual race is the “true or right” way just might be observed that it isn’t about just a certain race nor just a certain gender being in “charge”. The notions of being in charge

September 2 - 16, 2020, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 17

is what the overall outcome of many predicaments are. The mind frame of who is or what is right, is the true problem of this planet. The right or wrong is according to what perspective one chooses. Laws change periodically according to the standards that are sufficient for the “mass” of individuals on this earth, instead of common courtesy and respect where people were working together to produce productive life. Many individuals chose to act as the judge, jury, and executor all at once in any and all circumstances they cross paths with, and when laws state that one can become registered to bare arms, in short, that gives any individual to become the judge, jury and executor once again all in a matter of minutes. The changes in the laws are to bring about a peace only in a certain rim of an individual’s perspective. How is it that one finds the right way in everyone’s eyes? Or does one choose to not be bothered and find the easiest way/perspective to live by? Is it possible to take a piece of every nationality’s concept of perspective and combine them together to live? Hum?

LA NOTICIA “The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluyaLOCALES contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad. - POLÍTICA - INMIGRACIÓN - TRABAJOS

“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publiinclude-content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community. -cation SALUD ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS...

L a N ticia 2020

GRATIS Septiembre

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www.hispanicpaper.com

“DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”

Año 18 - No. 313

Nashville, Tennessee

25 Gigantes Tech de EE.UU. Fundados por Inmigrantes

Por Yuri Cunza Editor in Chief

Todo esto ahora acentuado por la temporada electoral obviamente. Una parte considerable del debate se ha centrado en la seguridad fronteriza y a un camino hacia la ciudadanía para los más de 12 millones de inmigrantes indocumentados que viven actualmente en los EE.UU. Sin embargo, mientras que la fijación en los problemas del pasado es sin duda, importante, también hay que mirar hacia adelante, creando un sistema de inmigración que puede impulsar nuestra economía, crear empleos en los Estados Unidos y ayudar a atraer y retener el talento que necesitamos para seguir siendo competitivos en el escenario mundial. Aunque en lo que estemos adelante ahora sea nada más que el liderar en casos de COVID-19. Para empezar, podríamos ofrecer tarjetas de residencia a los mejores graduados extranjeros en universidades estadounidenses que obtengan grados avanzados en ciencia, campos de tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas (STEM). En todo el país y aquí en Tennessee, a menudo capacitamos e invertimos recursos en una gran cantidad de estos estudiantes que asisten a algunas de las mejores escuelas en nuestra región, como Vanderbilt y la Universidad de Tennessee. Y mientras estos estudiantes están aquí, están ayudando a impulsar la innovación en nuestros laboratorios y aulas universitarias. De las patentes

Ya sea que se trate de una importante corporación estadounidense o una tienda de barrio, los inmigrantes tienen más del doble de probabilidades de lanzar un negocio que los ciudadanos nativos.

Did you know? 25 U.S.’s biggest tech companies founded by first and second generation immigrants

generadas en el año 2011 en las 10 universidades de generación de patentes del país, el 76 por ciento tenía un inventor extranjero. Después de que estos futuros creadores de empleo se graduan, a menudo los enviamos de vuelta a sus países para competir contra nosotros en el mercado global, simplemente porque no hay visas para que se queden. Sería un sistema lógico, ayudarlos a que permanezcan aquí, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que, en promedio, estos graduados STEM crean 2,62 empleos. Los inmigrantes siempre han sido una fuerza impulsora detrás de la promoción del sueño americano. Un estudio realizado por la "Asociación para una Nueva Economía Americana" (Partnership For A New American Economy) encontró que más del 40 por ciento de las compañías Fortune 500 se iniciaron por inmigrantes o sus hijos. Google, AT&T, eBay, Intel y Kohl se encuentran entre las empresas ini-ciadas por inmigrantes o primera generación de estadounidenses -hijos de immigrantes.

Empresas que son propiedad de inmigrantes generan un estimado de 775 mil millones de dólares en ingresos anuales y emplean a 1 de cada 10 trabajadores estadounidenses. Una reforma migratoria pensada

Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada? 1. Mantenerse callado 2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido 3. No mentir 4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos 5. No revelar su situación migratoria 6. No llevar documentación de otro país 7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)

por

w w w . j u a n e s e . c o m PAGE 18 | September 2 - 16, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

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September 2 - 16, 2020, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 19

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