The New Tri-State Defender - January 30-February 5, 2020

KOBE BRYANT 1978 - 2020

“Stepping Up!” is the theme for the eighth annual rendition of the Best In Black Awards hosted by the parent company of The New TriState Defender and set for Feb. 6 at Central Station Hotel, located at 545 S. Main St.

The Best Media Properties, LLC presentation is set for 7 p.m., with the V.I.P. Reception unfolding at 6 p.m.

“For 2020, we decided to move this event to February to commemorate the excellence in African American achievement,” said Calvin Anderson, president of the Best Media Properties, LLC Board of Directors.

Tickets are on sale now for what has become a much-anticipated event among black-owned businesses in Greater Memphis. Established in 2012 by Bernal E. Smith II, the late president of Best Media Properties, the Best in Black Awards (BIBA) event is a vehicle for hundreds of individuals and businesses to receive recognition for their hard work while advertising their products, services, and talents before thousands.

Smith passed away in October 2017. The Best In Black Awards continue his legacy of fostering growth and development of the African-American community. The mission of the Best In Black Awards is four-fold:

1) To celebrate African-American owned and operated businesses and professionals in the Mid-South,

2) To identify those businesses most supported by the African American community,

3) To serve as a marketing and recognition platform and

4) Encourage aspiring business leaders.

“The term ‘stepping up’ means to increase, augment or advance, espe-

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

As graduations go, the one held last Saturday morning at LeMoyne-Owen College’s Little Theatre had an element of redemption. Centerstage were graduates of the 2020 Shelby County Office of Re-Entry program.

“We are just so proud of these graduates, 91 in total, and two-thirds of which have already secured a ‘good job,’” said Harold Collins, the former Memphis City Council member who now serves as the executive director of the re-entry office. “And we define a good job as one paying a good hourly wage with benefits. Today is a good day in Shelby County.”

The Shelby County Office of Reentry responds to the needs of returning citizens with the support of the State of Tennessee Department of Corrections and Shelby County Government. Essential reentry resources are concentrated in one place.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris told graduates not to give up.

“I would encourage all participants to keep at it

and stay focused. We know that nothing important or transformative happens overnight. You have to stay at it and stay at it for the long haul. It can get hard.”

Lots of people give up on their God-given purpose,” said Lee. “Somewhere along the way, they say it’s too tough, it takes too long, it costs too much, and nobody will help me. But don’t look at how things have been. Stay focused on what could be. Work on your goals, and little by little, if you don’t give up, it will all work out, and you will be successful.”

Monique Neeley spoke for the 2020 graduates, sharing that she first learned about the Shelby County Office of Reentry while serving time at the Shelby County Division of Corrections

“As I transitioned, each time I had an issue my case manager always seemed to have a solution. … The staff encouraged me, made me accountable and assisted me with whatever was needed to succeed,” she said. “Today, I am the clinical manager with a local medical provider’s

Residency for police, firefighters headed back to Council County Commission mulls similar issue

by Erica R. Williams

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

“Do you want Memphis tax dollars benefiting another county?”

Memphis City Councilman Martavius Jones, who posed the question, said he doesn’t. That’s why the Super District 8-3 representative will seek to remove the ballot question on expanding residency requirements for police and firefighters from the November ballot, despite the City Council’s recent approval.

The outgoing council approved the referendum question on a 10-2 vote during its last meeting (Dec. 17). The approved referendum measure sets out that during the next November election residents would get to vote on allowing the Memphis Police Department and Memphis Fire Department to hire applicants who live in nearby counties or within a 50-mile radius of Memphis.

The city’s current residency requirement requires all city employees to live within Shelby County.

Meanwhile, the issue of residency also is percolating on the Shelby County Board of Commissioners agenda. A proposed ordinance, rejected on the first of three readings

Jan. 27, would allow voters to decide if county employees should be required to live in Shelby County. Currently, the charter requires employees to live in the county.

Jones said he would seek to remove the City-Council-approved referendum at the next council meeting, Feb. 4. He said the city’s tax base is at stake.

“An eroding tax base means that there is less money to fix Memphis roads, infrastructure and to pay the salaries of the needed public service jobs in Memphis,” he said. Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings said the efforts to extend the residency requirements are needed to address a “recruitment crisis.”

There are 2,075 commissioned officers in the city and Rallings said the city administration has a goal of a police force of 2,300 by the end of this year.

“If we don’t do something about it now, I just don’t know where this is going to go,” Rallings said, reiterating that he and his team have done all that they can to recruit police officers.

Monique Neeley (right) and other 2020 Shelby County Office of

clients stand as they are acknowledged as graduates. (below, l-r)

Martavius Jones

MATA board welcomes support from county officials

by Erica R. Williams

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted to support the Shelby County Board of Commissioners’ action to provide funding to the public transportation provider.

The vote occurred during MATA’s scheduled monthly meeting and followed on the heels of the Shelby County commissioners’ approval on Jan. 27 of a resolution to allocate $1.5 million to MATA. The funds would come from the county’s capital improvement budget.

Also, MATA officials said they would attempt to secure additional funding by using the allocation as local matching funds – something that’s necessary to attract federal grant money.

As a result of the funding, MATA also has plans to replace the current buses with electronic powered buses.

Initially the Board of Commissioners’ resolution was set to end in 2025, but County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. amended it to end in 2023.

“The resolution further indicates that the MATA board welcomes the addition of up to two additional board members when sustained funding exceeds $8 million annually,” MATA officials said in an official statement.

“I feel like I’ve come full circle after riding MATA buses as a student to and from school to now serving on the Board to make the public transit system stronger.”

— Michelle Robinson McKissack

Meanwhile, MATA welcomed Michelle Robinson McKissack as the newest MATA board commissioner.

The Memphis City Council approved her appointment at its January 7 meeting. McKissack, who serves on the Shelby County Schools board, succeeds John Vergos.

“I am honored to be appointed by Mayor Strickland to serve on the MATA Board of Commissioners,” McKissack said. “I feel like I’ve come full circle after riding MATA buses as a student to and from school to now serving on the Board to make the public transit system stronger.

“Public transit is at a critical crossroads in our community,” she said. “I am looking forward to helping advocate for more funding in order to help enhance transportation access for everyone in our community.”

Winter presented the re-entry program graduates with these four ‘Cs’ to help shatter all expectations of failure while propelling each toward success:

Because officers in Arkansas and Mississippi make substantially less than those in Memphis, Rallings and his team should be able to “lure them with higher paying jobs,” Jones said.

At the Dec. 17 meeting when the referendum was approved, six outgoing council members cast their votes. Jones contends that the newest members who took office in January should be allowed to weigh in.

“These elected officials, who will serve for four, possibly eight years should have a say in this matter.”

Rhonda Logan and J.B. Smiley Jr. are two of the incoming council members.

“I believe it’s up to the voters to decide, but it’s up to us as elected representatives to do our due diligence to inform and empower our constituents,” said Logan (District 1). “We have between now and the November election to have healthy conversations around it.”

Smiley (Super District 8-1) said he agreed with Jones’ stance on the erosion of the city’s tax dollars, but still believes that the voters should decide.

“I don’t think the council should speak for the constituents. We will be taking it out of the hands of the people; and I think when we have an opportunity to let the people decide, we should take it.”

Jones said that in the United States there are some decisions that the residents have entrusted their representative to make for them.

“I feel this is one of them,” he said.

Reception, visit www.bestinblackawardsmemphis.com.

Now on sale, tickets are $45 and include entrance into the V.I.P. Reception.

office, and I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary there. … “It’s important to me to continue to better myself so I can be the best for my family, for my job and co-workers and for myself. … I want to always use all that I have learned to help others just as the Office of Reentry has helped me.”

Featured guest speaker Chris Winton made reference to his position as FedEx’s vicepresident of Human Resources as he rhetorically posed this question: ‘How in the world did that happen?’

“I was born in the inner-city of Memphis and (was) a ‘C’ student,” said Winton, who joined FedEx as an IT intern in 1997, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis, and was recognized in 2014 by the Memphis Business Journal as a Top 40 Leader Under 40.

“I worked two jobs while I was in school, and my grades suffered. I worked two jobs because I was tired of seeing my mother working two jobs. My father worked two jobs, but he was just doing what he had to do. I didn’t want to see my mother working so hard.…”

cially by one or more steps. It involves stepping up production,” said Karanja A. Ajanaku, associate publisher/executive editor of The New Tri-State Defender

“There is evidence aplenty that speaks to the need for each us individually and in conjunction with others to step up, move forward and assume more responsibility for what it’s going to take to accelerate the growth and development of wealth in the African-American community.”

Stepping Up also is the theme guiding the TSD’s editorial production team in 2020.

To see the complete list of BIBA finalists, view past winners and/or gain more information about the awards ceremony and V.I.P.

As the parent company of The New Tri-State Defender, Best Media Properties, LLC continues the legacy of one of the longest continuously published African-American newspapers in the South. Under the leadership of its Board of Directors, the company has evolved into a progressive multi-media business with a distribution that includes print newspaper, digital publications, website/social media pages and events.

TSD’s mission is to inform, inspire and elevate the quality of life of its growing audience while serving as the primary vehicle for reaching African Americans in the Greater Memphis market. The New Tri-State Defender multi-media platform reaches 85,000 people weekly. Visit us at www.tsdmemphis.com.

1) Consumer of information: be intentional about the information you consume;

2) Connect with people: networking and making yourself available to meet people will be invaluable to you;

3) Communicate: be ready to share your story, your aspirations, the obstacles you have already overcome, and

4) Care: help others when the opportunities present themselves; don’t be afraid to lose sight of yourself by caring.

Interim LeMoyne-Owen College President Dr. Carol Johnson-Dean invoked the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and told graduates, “You more than anybody else knows that the struggle continues, and no one knows all your story or the strength it has taken to persevere.”

A former superintendent of the old Memphis City Schools system, Johnson-Dean said, “I ask myself what I could have done better to support you. …We must all ask what we could have done better. …We are committed to helping you get to the place God has planned for you to be.”

(For additional information or to register for the next program, call (901) 222-4550.)

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

When Carol Jackson first envisioned programs to teach young boys and African-American men how to build character, develop a morally centered lifestyle and make responsible life decisions, she thought everyone would be on board.

Families Matter was founded in 2004. With Jackson as director, the non-profit secured critical initial funding via a three-year grant from Urban Child Institute of Memphis.

Following those early days, very little grant money was available. But to her surprise, community support was even less forthcoming “As far as many were concerned, young black men were the cause many of the problems being experienced by black women and children,” said Jackson, reflecting on what she called “a rude awakening.”

Fifteen years later, the doors of Families Matter are still open and a $7,500 Uplift the Community Grant for its “Principles of Manhood” outreach was welcomed support. The grant was one of four awarded in 2019 during the initial year of the partnership linking Kroger’s Delta Division, the Memphis Branch NAACP and The New Tri-State Defender. Hundreds of African-American boys and young men have been transformed through Jackson’s programs. Public schools, the

child support office, churches, and community centers – anywhere troubled young men could be found, there she was.

Life-changing counseling and mentoring have made the difference in many men and their families. Cazell Black is among them. He met Jackson at the child support office where Jackson’s efforts helped turn Black from a bitter man to a better man.

“I was angry at the world, so angry for so long. I had a serious attitude problem. But I needed help,” said Black, 39. “I was down there to see if somebody could help me. I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have anything. I was willing to try anything.”

Black was introduced to Jackson that day, but it was hard for him to accept help, he said.

“She was the first person to ever embrace me, but I was just so angry,” he said. “Ms. Carol was trying to help me. I wouldn’t let anybody help me.

“So she told me, ‘Hey, I am trying to help you. And if you don’t want my help, there’s the door,’” Black continued. “That program changed my life. While I was in the program, she invited me to church. The fellowship with other Christians increased my value as a father, a brother, and as a neighbor.”

Black was missing father figures in his life – and the lessons they teach. “I didn’t have a father. My grandfather was my father, but he died when I was 15. Families Matter was something I needed,” he said.

“I learned how I should treat my daughter, my mother, my sister, my grandmother,” he added. “I need to continue working on my character, but when the time comes, I will know how to treat my wife.”

Dr. Sam Shaw, principal of Berclair Elementary School, penned a letter of appreciation for Jackson’s premiere mentoring program, “The 12 Principles of Manhood,” writing: “I am grateful because our curriculum can’t fully teach values and it is impossible to mix religion within a public school during school hours. I am grateful that someone is teaching the boys what it means to take responsibility for oneself and develop into an responsible

and productive adult.

“Any male can grow up to be a man, but it takes more to be an adult,” Shaw said. “Presbyterian Day School, a private religious elementary school, actually has a curriculum built on one of their former headmaster’s published book about how to be an adult. We have no such instrument in public schools. So who will teach the boys? One answer to the above rhetorical question is Families Matter.”

The 12 Principles of Manhood focuses on early intervention with young boys to begin teaching them how to conduct themselves with “honor and dignity” as they grow older.

“Most of our boys don’t have a father in the household,” Jackson said. “So we want to nurture them through caring father figures who can not only teach them the prin-

ciples of manhood, but who can also show them by example how a man conducts himself.

“These principles involve self-respect, respect for women, being thankful to our Creator, compassion for others, keeping your word, making responsible decisions and building strong character through positive, respectful interaction with both peers and authority figures. We want to begin early making them good, future fathers and loving,

(For more information about Families Matter/Principles of Manhood, call 901- 260-8520. The application for 2020

RELIGION

CHURCH PROFILE

‘Young’ church doing big things in Orange Mound community

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Monument of Love Baptist Church sits like a red, brick, well, monument recessed on the grounds of its well-manicured setting on Lamar Ave. in the Orange Mound community.

Outreach ministries from the relatively young church continue to impact Bethel Grove, Orange Mound and other surrounding communities.

“We are actually only 35 years old,” said the Rev. Derrick Joyce, senior pastor. “The church was organized in Whitehaven on Fitzgerald St. It was called Fitzgerald Community Baptist Church, and the pastor was Rev. Lawrence Hudson. That was a few years before this church.”

The original church was the casualty of an internal rift.

“After a while, the remnant

of those members reopened in our present location in 1984,” Joyce said. “The church was connected with the National Baptist Convention, initially. But when it was reopened, ties were established to the Southern Baptist Convention because of their strong commitment to missions.”

Monument of Love hosts nearly 500 missionaries over a five-month period. From March to July, their presence is felt assisting in middle schools and high schools, praying with people in parks, on Beale Street and in some apartment communities.

They also work on maintaining urban farms, tutoring children at Knowledge Quest and helping out at Calvary Missions, according to Joyce. “During the month of April around spring break, the missionaries sponsor training

50 golden years...

Memphis City Council Chairperson Patrice Robinson congratulates the Rev. Dr. J. L. Payne during a recent celebration of his 50 years of pastoring at Greater Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, 1072 J.L. Payne Ave. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

The joy of good company…

The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast held at the Hilton Hotel East and presented by the LeMoyne-Owen College Alumni Association-Memphis Chapter was a labor of love for those involved, particularly for co-chairwoman Ellen Edge (center), who is shown here with members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

sessions for our people. Our people then go out into the community with the missionaries to work with various projects. The missionaries are 90 percent Caucasian. So our outreach is multi-racial and looks more like Christ-centered work.”

A food pantry opens from 10 a.m. to noon each Thursday, and a clothes closet opens every other week during those hours. About 12 to 15 families are helped each week.

Joyce believes that any church, even faced with dwindling membership numbers, can effect great change in its community.

“People can follow a podcast on their phone. So, alternative modes of worship are being accessed in place of a brick-and-mortar setting. But I believe any church can thrive, using four basic practices. The first is aggressive and persistent missions outreach. Maintaining a relevant pres-

ence in the community is key.

“Secondly, there must be dynamic preaching and teaching to build an army active believers,” he said. “We must leave the four walls of the church and take off our dresses and suits for overalls, so to speak. The real work of the church is impacting the lives of people outside the church. Developing good relationships is important.”

The third practice is that a church must provide supernat-

Super Sunday plus...

urally uplifting worship, Joyce said.

“We brought Marvin Sapp here in October of 2018. No podcast or television broadcast can take the place of a dynamic worship experience in real time.”

And finally, said Joyce, “there must be vibrant and creative ministry for children and teens. Sleepovers and skating – these and other activities not only provide spiritual support for young people, but joyful and happy memories connected with the church are being created.” Joyce also serves as director of Administrative Operations for the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences, both the middle and high schools.

(To donate food or clothing to Monument of Love, call 901-744-1643. The church is located at 2639 Lamar Ave.)

Super Sunday 2020 was a two-day affair celebrated Jan. 2526 and presented by Dr. Melvin Charles Smith and Mt. Moriah-East Baptist Church. (left) With backup from the Mt. Moriah-East Baptist Church Music Ministry, gospel soloist Lemmie Battles delivered in engaging fashion. (bottom left) Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood Pastor Rev. Melvin Watkins greets Mt. Vernon’s Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. James L. Netters Sr. and his wife, Nedia Netters. (bottom right) Pastor Smith (right) coordinates with emcee Brother James Chambers. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

(Courtesy photo)

Rev. Derrick Joyce

COMMUNITY

Unanimous votes save charter schools from chopping block

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Preliminary hearings with school officials sounded the alarm that Frayser’s charter school, Memphis Business Academy (MBA) may be facing closure, along with two other charter schools.

But parents, students, staff and community supporters packed out Tuesday’s school board meeting. And when the board unanimously voted to keep all three schools open, the crowd erupted with deafening cheers and applause.

“Although we faced a real possibility of closure, I knew our total body of work,” said Rev. Anthony Anderson, CEO of MBA. “This is a very volatile season of accountability, and we are in a space where everyone is trying to find amazing answers to moving students forward.

“We were the first charter school in Frayser because no one wanted to come to Frayser,” Anderson continued. “There were inconsistencies coming out of the Office of Strategy and Performance Management. Comparatively speaking, I knew we had made great strides and deserved the opportunity to retain our charter.”

The other two charter schools being threatened with closure were Veritas College Prep and Memphis College Prep. Had the three schools been closed, more than 2,800 elementary and middle schools students would have been displaced next fall.

Administrators disputed their schools being designated as “troubled.”

“We were measured against other middle schools,” Anderson said of the label. “But everyone expects charter schools to be leaps and bounds ahead of the rest. While

‘Aspire’

we are not where we want to be, significant progress is evident.”

Charter operators made the case that academic improvement didn’t tell the full story of how the schools are improving the lives of their students and families.

“While meeting with the board, we evaluated our data in a different way,” Anderson said. “We applied another lens to student performance numbers, and MBA was not deficient as first assessed.

“Academics is critical, certainly, but we are molding students to be young people of character and integrity,” he said. “We address the need for building up young people to be creative, well-rounded individuals. Our school is a complete K-12 charter program. We are excited about our future prospects.”

Charter renewals were approved for 10 years. However, state law empowers the school district to intervene sooner if improvement is not deemed satisfactory. The board’s decision for the three charters was historic since renewal votes are the first under the negotiated new charter school policy.

“School board members agreed with us that other factors should be considered when evaluating the charter schools in question,” said Dr. Menthia Bradley, MBA’s COO. “State test scores over the last 10 years were the only criteria for closure recommendations.”

And having a raucous, fired up room of parents and supporters certainly helped. About a dozen parents, staff, and students from the schools addressed the board. “I believe the total show of support from all the schools proved very effective,” Bradley said.

If it’s confidence that MBA is trying to build in its students, it’s working with Brandon Robinson.

is now ‘Journey,’ and reveal is spectacular!

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Defender

Special to The New Tri-State

Hundreds of Aspire Public School students erupted in deafening cheers and applause as education officials announced the school’s new name –complete with cheering squads, DJs, and lots of confetti.

Journey Community Schools came in with a bang.

The pep rally-styled party featured special song presentations, cheers, chants, dances and skillful DJs on the music. Youngsters, parents and community supporters from all four schools in the former Aspire network – Hanley Elementary, Hanley Middle, Coleman Elementary and East Academy – all joined in on the fun.

Catina Jennings, a teacher at Coleman Elementary, helped to generate a spirit of unity among all members of the former Aspire family.

“I am honored to have played a major role in the development of our organization,” she said. “We are here because families have entrusted us with the education of their beloved

children in our care. Our charge is to cultivate them and facilitate their grasping of information and experiences so that when their purposes are made clear to them, they are prepared.”

Dr. Nicholaus Manning, executive director of Journey Community Schools, brought the excitement for reveal of new name to a fever pitch.

“Our organization has made deep investments in building great relationships and has prepared to take it further with dynamic local leadership,” he said.

After the non-stop spectacle of dancing, cheering, and electrifying revelry, a short video of interviews culminated with the final screenshot announcing the new “Journey Community Schools.”

Following the event, Manning explained to media in practical terms what the new name branding really means. He contends that the new name carries substantive meaning.

“The new slogan for Journey Community Schools is ‘Paving Pathways to Success,’” he said. “Gener-

With the prospect of closure a definite possibility, supporters of Memphis Business Academy and two other charters showed up focused and alert.

Students

“We heard people talking about the middle school possibly closing,” the 9th-grader said after the vote.

“They were talking about it in Ms. Wilson’s choir class, but I knew we weren’t going to be closed.

“And I wasn’t surprised about the unanimous vote,” he said, “because when you talk about schools, we’re that school.”

In a separate vote, the board of Shelby County Schools stuck with staff recommendations in approving 10-year renewals for four other charters: Southern Avenue Elementary, Promise Academy Hollywood, Soulsville Charter School, and Memphis School of Excellence. These charters had no threat of closure.

ally, the education model for success is that all roads lead to higher education. What we want to focus on is developing a community of life-long learners who are prepared to take various other avenues for success.”

Manning cited such other roads leading to success as apprenticeships for skilled trades, entrepreneurships, finding a good fit in the new “gig” economy and parlaying unique talents and gifts into a successful and fulfilling career.

Every scholar, in effect, is on his or her own journey to success, Manning said.

“It was important that a number of perspectives were heard as we modeled a new vision and purpose in ed-

BRIEFS & THINGS

Rhodes series presents ‘How To Be an Antiracist’ author

Renowned historian and author Ibram X. Kendi will discuss his book, “How to Be an Antiracist,” as part of the Rhodes College Communities in Conversation lecture series on Feb. 13.

The free event will be held in the McCallum Ballroom of the Bryan Campus Life Center and will feature a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed at 6 p.m. by Kendi’s presentation and a Q&A.

Kendi is the founding director of The Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. “How to Be an Antiracist” debuted at No. 2 on The New York Times Bestseller List. It describes an approach to understanding and uprooting racism in society and in ourselves.

A media pitch for the event asserts that “antiracism reorients perspectives on racism and opens new ways of thinking about injustice and inequality as well as those who are different from us. Kendi effectively weaves a combination of ethics, law, history, science, and his own awakening to the concept of ‘antiracism.’

For more information on Kendi, visit www.prhspeakers.com. For specific inquiries about Communities in Conversation, contact Dr. Jonathan Judaken, the Spence L. Wilson Chair in Humanities at Rhodes, at judakenj@rhodes.edu or 901-843-3292.)

MLGW warns about automated scam calls

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division customers are receiving automated scam calls from a 1-800 telephone number requesting customers to call back and make a payment to avoid services being cut off.

MLGW never calls to demand money. While the utility mails cutoff notices to customers and uses auto-dialers alerting them that payment must be made by a certain date to avoid cutoff, customers never are asked to call a 1-800 number or buy a pre-paid debit card.

Customers who get such a call are urged to:

*Hang up;

* Never give out personal information;

* Call 901-544-6549 (residential concerns); Call 901-528-4270 (business concerns);

* Report to the police, if you have been scammed;

* Make use of Better Business Bureau online tool for reporter scams at bbb.org/scamtracker/Memphis;

* Visit any of the five MLGW community offices to speak to a credit counselor if you have problems paying your bill.

(For more information, visit mlgw. come/home/scamalerts.)

ucation,” he said. “For the very best outcomes for our students and their families, strong relationships between schools, communities, staff, corporate citizens, and external partners must be encouraged and continually developed.

“We are cultivating a positive, happy, and productive learning environment,” he added. “Also, our teachers and administrators are being empowered to create innovative, rigorous, and effective learning models in the classroom.” Journey Community Schools is a locally operated charter organization.

(For more information, visit www. myjourneycs.org.)

BRIEFLY: Shelby County Schools’ (SCS) Division of College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) will recognize January 30 as Information Technology (IT) Day. Students at SCS high schools with IT programs will tour different companies to learn about career opportunities. As part of IT Day, MLGW will host a site visit at its IT campus (Netters Business Center) at 1665 Whitten Rd.

BRIEFLY: To help residents learn more about the proposed Byhalia Connection pipeline project, Byhalia Connection is hosting open houses along the proposed route. Interested individuals are encouraged to attend and learn more about route selection, local tax benefits, safety, environmental considerations, pipeline inspections and expectations before, during and after construction. Sessions are set for Feb. 8 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church Westwood; and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Landers Center in Southaven.

Dr. Nicholaus Manning explains the appropriateness of embracing the brand name Journey Community Schools. (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)

got a hands-on experience with community engagement. (Photos: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)

THE MUSICAL

1/17/20 – 2/8/20 STARTS: 8:00:PM WHERE: 66 South Cooper Street, Memphis, TN 38104 DESCRIPTION: Performances will run Thursday through Saturday with an 8:00 pm curtain. Sunday Matinees have a 2:00 pm curtain. Matinee performances for school groups are also available select days during the week. For tickets, call the Box Office at (901) 726-4656 or visit our website www.playhouseonthesquare.org. Group rates available. INDECENT

1/24/20 – 2/16/20 STARTS: 8:00:PM WHERE: 51 S. Cooper St. Memphis, TN DESCRIPTION: Performances will run Thursday - Saturday 8:00 p.m. curtain and with 2:00 pm curtain on Sunday. For tickets, call the Box Office at (901) 726-4656 or visit our website www.playhouseonthesquare.org. Group rates are also available. Special ticket pricing for opening weekend $27. Pay What You Can performance, sponsored by Arts First and the First Tennessee Foundation is January 30th.

1/27/20 – 2/1/20 STARTS: 1:00:PM WHERE: 182 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103

hosting the 36th Annual International Blues Challenge to find the best undiscovered blues talent on the planet as blues fans and blues artists from around the world descend on Beale Street in Memphis to compete. Will-call passes will be available beginning Mon, Jan 27th and the 2020 International Blues Challenge officially kicks off Tues, Jan 28th with the International Showcase. Quarterfinals and Semifinals will take place WedFri, Jan 29-30-31. IBC Finals will be held Saturday, Feb 1st at The Orpheum Theatre-Memphis. For more information visit: www.blues.

org. PIZZA WITH PLANNERS: MEMPHIS HISTORY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

DATE: 1/28/20 STARTS: 5:30:PM WHERE: 2234 Lamar Avenue Memphis, TN 38114

DESCRIPTION: Join BLDG Memphis as they feature speakers who are on the front lines of unearthing, lifting up, and sharing the past. The evening will include conversations on the role that Memphis history plays in our daily lives, exploration of local projects and initiatives that draw inspiration from the past, and consideration of how a deeper understanding of the past will be vital to a more just, more peaceful, more vibrant future. Come out, have some pizza, engage with our speakers, test your knowledge in a history trivia challenge, and enjoy a live

from the Blues City Cultural Center. Guest Presenters:

EVENTS

and women in the community on the signs of human trafficking, ways to protect yourself against it, and how to heal or be empowered to help others. Hear from service providers, law enforcement, and other professionals in Tennessee and join the conversation to stop trafficking. Registration includes free entrance to three (3) workshop sessions and luncheon (on us!). This event is exclusively for girls and women only. Children under age 15 are recommended to be accompanied by a parent/guardian or group chaperone(s).

THE POWER OF BLACK LOVE

DATE: 2/8/20

STARTS: 4:00:PM

WHERE: 1036 Firestone St. Memphis, TN

DESCRIPTION:

Men-Nefer Project proudly presents ‘The Power of Black Love.’ Keynote Speakers: Nuri Muhammad and from the number one movie on Amazon ‘Hidden Colors’ - Sister Shahrazad Ali. Saturday, February 8th @ The Kukutana African American Museum. Doors open at 4p.m.

Limited seating. Purchase tickets now. For more info contact 901-3642160

FOUNDATIONS TO THE ENNEAGRAM WORKSHOP

DATE: 2/8/20

STARTS: 9:00:AM

WHERE: 3473 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38111

DESCRIPTION:

This workshop accurately teaches the foundation of the Enneagram, bringing clarity

Ceremonial soil turn…

Gov. Bill Lee, Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris were among the guests who joined Amazon Regional Director of Operations Robert Packett in Raleigh for the ceremonial groundbreaking of Amazon’s newest operations site in Memphis. The new, 855,000 square foot facility is projected to open by the 2020 holiday shopping season. More than 1,000 full-time employees will work alongside robotics technology to pick, pack and ship smaller-sized customer items, such as books, electronics and consumer goods. (Courtesy photo)

Trafficking - it’s happenning in Memphis, too. While Tennessee ranks #1 in the nation for its response to the threat of human trafficking, unfortunately, instances of this global issue continue to happen in our own backyard. But, it doesn’t have to. Join the Memphis Chapter of The Links, Incorporated for a *FREE* educational awareness and empowerment forum to educate girls

act, and

invites us to deeper self-awareness as a doorway to inner and outer personal growth. THIS OLD HOUSE 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION EVENT

DATE: 2/10/20

STARTS: 7:00:PM

WHERE: 7151 Cherry Farms Rd. Cordova, TN 38016

DESCRIPTION: Meet Richard Trethewey, Plumbing and Heating Expert and Ross Trethewey, Home Technology Expert. At 7:00 PM, enjoy a presentation by Richard and Ross Followed by a meet and greet. Light refreshments will be served.

Cost: A onetime WKNO membership donation of $120 or $10 per month (donations can be made at: https://afg.secureallegiance.com/ wkno/Load/WknoTV.aspx)

Turning 90!

The 90th birthday celebration for Ezekiel Owens was held (Jan. 19) at the home of Dr. Inetta F. Rogers and his family support was evident and strong. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Law student honorees own the night at 40th banquet of women attorneys

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The historic South Main event venue, “409,” was the setting last Thursday evening for the 40th Annual Banquet hosted by the Association for Women Attorneys (AWA).

Several program highlights made the evening memorable. The highly coveted Marion Griffin-Frances Loring Award was presented and newly elected 2020 officers were officially sworn in.

But perhaps the most impressive segment of the night was the parade of eight accomplished law students who were awarded scholarships by the organization.

The program’s centerpiece was the presentation of the AWA’s most prestigious award, the 2020 Marion Griffin-Frances Loring Award, to the Honorable Diane K. Vescovo, the first female federal magistrate in the district. She was named Chief Magistrate Judge in 2014.

Nic Vescovo presented the award to his sister and amused the audience with an online review of Judge Vescovo written by an attorney. It read in part, “I lost my case, but boy, what a looker.”

Outgoing AWA President Laura Deakins passed the gavel to incoming 2020 President Megan Lane, who took an oath of office as a group. They were: President Lane, Vice-President Abbey Hall, Treasurer Anita Lotz, Secretary Holly Stanford, and Historian, The Honorable Karen Williams.

But it was the eight bright young legal minds who took the spotlight as this year’s recipients of the widely sought scholarship awards for outstanding female law students.

One award recipient, Jalesa N.

“It is recommended that we don’t work while attending law school. As you might imagine, it’s difficult financially to stay in law school without working to help pay the bills. So not only is this AWA Scholarship an honor to receive, it is so helpful to our finances.”

— Jalesa N. Webster

Webster, was Miss Black Tennessee 2017. She expressed the importance of winning scholarship funds while in law school.

“It is recommended that we don’t work while attending law school,” she said. “As you might imagine, it’s difficult financially to stay in law school without working to help pay the bills. So not only is this AWA Scholarship an honor to receive, it is so helpful to our finances.”

The other seven 2020 scholarship recipients are all students at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. They are: Amber Campbell, a third-year law student and in-school liaison of the AWA Student Chapter. Responsible for AWA’s mentoring program, Campbell was awarded the Judge Rita Stotts Memorial Scholarship.

Haley Cambron is a second-year law student who graduated with honors from the University of Memphis. Awards include: Judge Ken Turner Scholarship, HOPE Scholarship, and the Dean’s List Scholarship. She received an AWA Scholarship.

No strike, but…

City of Memphis Sanitation Division worker Maurice Spivey dispels talk of a strike while saying the compulsory holiday-week work plan is not fair nor needed. He and others held a press conference last Friday (Jan. 24) amid word of a “potential unsanctioned strike.” (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku)

Sierra Knight is a second-year law student who received an AWA Scholarship. She is president of the Health Law Society and hopes to positively affect the health care needs

of low-income children in Memphis after graduation.

Nattaly Perryman is a third-year law student and president of the AWA Student Chapter. She hopes to

be an advocate for education reform, as well as gender and racial parity. Perryman received an AWA Scholarship Award.

Melissa Tribue is a third-year law student who currently serves as president of the Christian Legal Society. The AWA Scholarship recipient earned her bachelors degree in English with a minor in African-American Studies from the University of Kentucky.

Kenya A. Adams, a second-year law student was awarded the Dorothy Osradker Scholarship. The Greenwood, Miss. native has worked as a higher education professional for more than five years. The award was named for “Miss Dorothy” who served 14 city mayors, only taking one sick day during her entire career.

Rose M. Logan, a second-year law student, received the Susan Clark Scholarship. She taught grades 3-5 at Cornerstone Prep in Binghampton and presently coaches volleyball at Lester Prep, also in the Binghampton community.

Logan’s award is named for Susan Clark, who was president of the AWA, past recipient of the Marion Griffin-Frances Loring Award and president of the Memphis Bar Association. Loring died in 2014 of cancer and was honored posthumously with the creation of this scholarship award.

chairperson. Also pictured (l-r) from the

are: Brismayda Sellars, Michelle Archer, Terrance Fluker and Faye Anderson.

(Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

Pausing for a pose are (l-r): The Honorable Holly M. Kirby, appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2013; The Honorable John T. Fowlkes, U.S. District Judge for the Tennessee Western District, and the Honorable Diane K. Vescovo, chief magistrate judge and recipient of the 2020 Marion Griffin-Frances Loring Award.

Student scholarship awardees are (l-r): Rose M. Logan, Melissa A. Tribue, Jalesa N. Webster, Haley Cambron, Amber Campbell, Sierra B. Knight, Nattaly Perryman and Kenya A. Adams. (Courtesy photos)

Tennessee lawmakers debate Confederate bust removal

by Kimberlee Kruesi Associated Press

NASHVILLE – Tennessee lawmakers appear divided over a proposal supporting the removal of a bust honoring a former Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader from the state’s Capitol.

If approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature, the measure would encourage replacing the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest with an “appropriate tribute to a deserving Tennessean.”

The non-binding resolution sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Rick Staples would not

result in the bust’s immediate removal, but Democrats hope to signal that the Legislature no longer approves of its prominent location between Tennessee’s House and Senate chambers.

“A descendant of slaves has come to you today to speak and move past the rhetoric that has been controversial and even divisive,” Staples told an all-white committee during Tuesday’s hearing. Forrest was a Confederate cavalry general who amassed a fortune before the Civil War as a plantation owner and slave trader in Memphis. After the war, he was a leader of the

Klan, which terrorized black people as it sought to reverse Reconstruction efforts and restore white supremacy.

His bust at the Capitol was unveiled in 1978 and has stirred opposition ever since. Some have called for adding more historical context to the bust, while others have suggested moving it to the state’s history museum.

Two members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans testified Tuesday against the resolution, arguing that Tennessee’s history should not be hidden and warned that it could set a precedent for other historical artifacts getting taken down.

US appeals court rejects Tenn. election security lawsuit

Associated Press

A federal appeals court has sided with a lower court in rejecting a lawsuit that challenges the security of voting machines in Shelby County.

A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a September district court ruling against the Shelby Advocates for Valid Elections lawsuit.

Appellate judges wrote that the plaintiffs failed to show that there’s an imminent risk that people will hack voting machines in the county. The court rejected the lawsuit’s citing of a separate case that required a county in Georgia to replace its identical voting machines after they were hacked twice.

“But even if we agreed with the court that examples of hackers disrupting those particular voting machines showed an imminent harm

somewhere in Georgia – or for that matter anywhere in the United States – that does not translate into an imminent risk that individuals will hack the voting machines in Shelby County, Tennessee,” the ruling states.

The Shelby advocacy group had sued for a switch to handwritten ballots and a voter-verifiable paper trail, arguing that outdated touchscreen voting machines used in the Memphis area aren’t secure, and more safeguards are needed to shield the system from outside manipulation.

The Shelby County Election Commission is considering new machines that have a touchscreen component and also produce a paper trail. The Shelby Advocates for Valid Elections have pushed for officials to instead move toward hand-marked paper ballots that are then scanned.

Democratic lawmakers countered that Forrest’s actions today would be considered war crimes. Removing the bust would require approval from the Capitol Commission and then the state’s Historical Com-

mission, as laid out by the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act. The Capitol Commission, whose members include Tennessee’s secretary of state, state treasurer and state comptroller, is scheduled to meet in February to

discuss the bust.

After getting a tepid response from Republican members, Staples asked for more time to draft an amendment that could appease the committee.

KOBE

last game in Memphis

hadn’t escaped me – I’d already written them, but in a far different context.

With minor edits for space, here is that column. Context always changes things, and reading it now . . . well, see for yourself: ••••••

zlies were a perennial playoff team, one of the main reasons to come to games was to watch the star teams and their star players come to lil ol’ Memphis. no team was more popular than the Los Angeles Lakers. And most of them would show up wearing their purple and gold

of Kobe Bryant. Some Grizz fans would complain about there being more Laker jerseys in the stands than Grizz jerseys. They’d grouse over how Kobe got more cheers than the Grizzlies did.

So, last night’s game – Kobe’s final game in Memphis – was a delightful throwback. It was a night when everyone was a Kobe fan, and everyone was OK with that.

The Black Mamba gave the sellout crowd what they wanted too. He started off hot, nailing his first three-pointer en route to seven points in the first quarter. He played for 29 minutes and finished with 13 points on 5-14 shooting.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that the Grizzlies jumped on the Lakers early, riding Matt Barnes’ hot shooting to an early 15-point lead that they were never in danger of losing. The Lakers are awful this year, so it was the best of all worlds: You could be a Grizzlies fan and a Kobe fan without betraying any loyalties.

No. 8 jersey, in honor lead already

Several times, fans were chanting “Ko-Be! Ko-Be!” Sometimes, the refs even heard about it when Kobe didn’t get the benefit of a call. Some of that chanting came in the fourth quarter, with the game already decided, as an attempt to get Coach Byron Scott to put Kobe back in for one more run. It actually worked too – Kobe came back in with under five minutes to go.

The whole night was about the Mamba. Before Memphis had its own NBA franchise, many Memphians adopted the Magic/Kareem Lakers as their “home team.” It’s taken some time and thrilling moments for the Grizzlies to claim their own arena when the Lakers come to town. I doubt the team will have to worry about that for a while. It’s going to take some time for the Lakers to become relevant again.

And Memphis won the game 128-119. But for one more glorious night, FedExForum became StaplesCenter Mid-South, awash in purple and gold, people cheering for No. 24 like it’s the last time.

Because it was.

THE CORE FOUR

“Words are tough to find right now. Truly heart broken and praying for each family involved. It was an honor to compete against you.” — Mike Conley

“You’re not thinking about work, or points or anything like that. You’re thinking about and what’s really important... and how fragile and how all that can be gone in a split second.” — Marc Gasol

“We

Kobe Bryant (right) made sure to get to Memphis to see his namesake during one of his final games in Memphis. “I can’t be a fan of nobody else,” Kobe Alexander Bryant laughed. “I can’t be a LeBron fan with the name Kobe Bryant, so I had to watch Kobe.”

(Photos: Lee Eric Smith)

Lee Eric Smith GritGrindGrizz

Kobe called former Grizz Tony Allen “by far” the best defender he ever faced. “He was the only one who wasn’t crying for help...Tony Allen

Are the Tigers starting to feel the loss of James Wiseman?

by Liaudwin Seaberry Special to The New Tri-State Defender

When James Wiseman, the number one recruit in the nation, was declared eligible by the NCAA on November 8, 2019, he continued to play. However, after dropping his lawsuit against the NCAA 5 days later, he left the University of Memphis and stated that he would prepare for the 2020 NBA Draft. With Wiseman presumed by many to be selected within the top-four picks, it would be safe to say that the Tigers would go through a slump.

“Of course, losing a talent like James causes us to switch around our rotations,” head coach Penny Hardaway stated after defeating Little Rock on November 20.

Wiseman’s suspension after three games dealt a blow to the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. The 7-foot self-described “Unicorn” averaged nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, including 28 points and 11 rebounds in the season opener.

Along with Precious Achiuwa, now averaging 15 points and 10 boards for the Tigers, the duo was imagined to be a lethal big man combo that would force opposing teams to choose between interior domination or leaving Tiger wing players wide open for threes.

But on Dec. 27, while serving his NCAA imposed suspension, Wiseman withdrew from the university to prepare for the draft.

What was supposed to be a temporary 12-game adjustment suddenly became the permanent new normal. The effects did not strike the young Tigers right away.

Memphis was eight games into a 10-game win streak when Wiseman left the team for good, beating New Orleans and Tulane to end 2019. Fans began to believe that perhaps Memphis could thrive without the services of their best player for a long period of time.

Achiuwa took the leadership role in Wiseman’s absence, sophomore guard Tyler Harris shot the ball well from deep, and freshmen Boogie Ellis and Lester Quinones provided big shots during their streak.

During that span, Memphis forced 10 steals a game and clamped down on defense. However, over the last six games, the Tigers have forced

only eight steals per contest.

Before abruptly withdrawing from the University of Memphis, James Wiseman had shown himselt to be an elite rim protector and rebounder on defense and a dynamic big man on offense. No surprise that a team built around Wiseman is trying to reinvent itself in his absence.

However, the Tigers have fallen off from their previous pace. The Tigers had gone 2-4 in their past six games (The Tigers were playing Central Florida in Orlando at TSD presstime).

During this stretch, the Tigers have defeated the likes of the University of South Florida and Cincinnati, yet fell to Georgia, Wichita State, Tulsa and SMU.

“A lot of these guys have been put in situations to where they have to create shots for themselves,” Hardaway said after the loss to Georgia on January 4th that snapped the win streak. However, the Georgia game was the “easiest” loss to bear.

Two of those losses in particular stand out in the eyes of many fans.

First, the Tulsa fiasco. Memphis was completely run off the court, going into the half down 1740 before losing 80-40. Tulsa used a zone defense to disrupt the Tigers, who shot just 16-56 from the field (29 percent).

Rebounding and turnovers, which have plagued the Tigers all season, did not go in favor of them either. Memphis turned the ball over 20 times against Tulsa while also being out-rebounded 3735 on the glass as well.

But the Tulsa game revealed the Tigers struggles against a zone – one other teams will certainly try to exploit.

Fast-forward to the SMU meltdown.

Up by 12 points in the final seven minutes of last Saturday’s contest, the Tigers went the rest of the game scoring only one field goal: a dunk by

D.J. Jeffries. Despite the Tigers shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from the three pointline, they were not able to get stops or baskets late in the game when it counted. Tigers lose, 74-70. Boogie Ellis has struggled in January. Before his 14 point night against SMU, Ellis scored just three points over four games, including two games he attempted zero three-pointers. His slump has elevated the savvy but undersized Alex Lomax into the starting lineup. Ellis must find his confidence and his shot again. Achiuwa’s reliable 20-10 production has carried the team, but one must wonder if nearly 30 minutes of physical play is taking a toll.

This isn’t the team any Tiger fan expected this season – Wiseman’s departure made sure of that.

But this is the team Hardaway has, and they must get back on track in conference play – or else the the promise coming into the season will be lost for good.

(Photo illustration: Warren Roseborough, Lee Eric Smith)

Above: Precious Achiuwa has anchored the team, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers. (Photo: Terry Davis)

Helping Our Communities Thrive: A Shared Responsibility

As we enter a new decade, it’s appropriate to reflect on how blessed we are to call this place home with its unique culture and remarkable spirit. To be sure, we face social, economic and community health challenges, but we face them together, as a community, with focused determination.

As the second-largest private employer in our community, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare embraces its responsibility to uplift the physical as well as economic well-being of Greater Memphis. Founded more than a century ago and guided by our faith-based roots, we have become a healthcare system of 13,000 dedicated Associates and 2,500 provider partners supporting six hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices and outpatient facilities. We are privileged to serve our most economically and socially distressed communities.

In the last year, with your help, Methodist Le Bonheur reached some important milestones:

• Opened Shorb Tower, a state-of-the-art, 450,000-square-foot facility that delivers advanced care for transplant, cardiology and oncology patients.

• For the third consecutive year, earned a spot on FORTUNE magazine’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.

• U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked Methodist’s Memphis hospitals number one in the area while Le Bonheur has made the list of Best Children’s Hospitals nationally for eight consecutive years.

• Earned all A’s and B’s for safety from industry watchdog the Leapfrog Group.

• Methodist North became the first adult hospital in West Tennessee to earn Magnet designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the gold standard for commitment to excellence in healthcare.

• Contributed more than $225 million in Community Benefit.

• Over the last five years, spent more than $156 million with minority- and womenowned businesses in our community.

• Erased millions of dollars in medical debt and changed our policies so that more than 50 percent of Memphians are now eligible for financial assistance for healthcare after recognizing we could do more to improve our collection practices for the benefit of our community.

• Launched a free, higher-education program to help our Associates advance their careers. We also raised our minimum wage to $13.50 per hour and will move to $15 per hour in January 2021.

Now, in 2020, we begin a critical new phase in our history with an agreement to purchase Saint Francis Hospital – Bartlett and Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis, as well as their related physician practices and urgent care centers. We expect the transaction to be completed this year, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

We look forward to welcoming Saint Francis to our organization upon completion of the transaction and expanding the services offered at Saint Francis facilities, as we did after adding Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and Methodist Germantown to our family a generation ago.

Our commitment to investing in the community we proudly serve has never wavered. In 2002, when many businesses were moving to the suburbs for economic reasons, Methodist remained committed to offering easily accessible sites of care in all corners of our community, including economically distressed areas. In 2010, we doubled down and built a new Le Bonheur in the medical district where it has been since 1952, and last year we opened Shorb Tower on the campus of our downtown University hospital.

As we look to the future, we are committed to tackling the region’s pressing health challenges. One of every three adults in Shelby County has diabetes, well above the national average. Low birth weight remains a chronic problem. Rates for heart disease are too high. And overdose deaths involving opioids, such as fentanyl and heroin, have increased in recent years. Together, as a community, we must reverse these health markers.

We must also confront the undeniable truth of disparities in health and well-being. In Shelby County, black residents are three times more likely to die from HIV/AIDS, nearly three times more likely to die from diabetes and have twice the infant mortality rate as their white counterparts. Confronting these complex issues has been the driving purpose of my professional life. The solutions lie beyond any hospital’s walls. They require a collaborative community effort with health providers, social service agencies, public sector entities, educators and legislators, all moving in step to provide at-risk communities the support they need to tackle these challenges.

We can build on successful community outreach initiatives already producing positive results. For example, our Community HIV Network connects patients to the right care and, as a result, 98 percent of babies of HIV-positive mothers in this program were born HIV negative. Our CHAMP (Changing High-risk Asthma in Memphis through Partnership) program has reduced pediatric asthma-related deaths and lessened the need for Emergency Department visits and hospitalizations, leading to a better quality of life for program participants. Specially-trained Le Bonheur nurses visit at-risk moms in their homes during pregnancy and for the first two years of a baby’s life as part of our Nurse Family Partnership program to identify at-risk infants and connect them to needed services. An amazing 89 percent of these babies are born at full term, giving them a much better start in life.

Now, with the announcement of our agreement to acquire Saint Francis, we renew our commitment to the well-being of the community we love. But we know we do not work alone. Through trust and partnership, goodwill and dedication, we can ensure our community becomes the best version of itself. We look forward to the shared work ahead.

Michael Ugwueke President and CEO