The New Tri-State Defender - February 25-March 3, 2021

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

Born into a publishing empire, Whittier Sengstacke Jr., who died on Saturday (Feb. 20), became editor of the TriState Defender in the late 1960s. (Courtesy photo)

Former Tri-State Defender Editor Whittier Sengstacke Jr. dies at 76

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Whittier Sengstacke Jr., former editor of the Tri-State Defender and the dedicated newsman credited with helping the newspaper continue rolling as it encountered turbulence in response to coverage of lynchings in the South, has died at 76.

Mr. Sengstacke died early Saturday morning. His uncle, John Herman Henry Sengstacke Jr., founded the Tri-State Defender in November 1951.

Born in Chicago on June 22, 1944, he was the second of Mattie and Whittier Sengstacke Sr.’s four children. His father came to Memphis as the publisher and editor in the early 1950’s.

The publishing empire he was born into was built upon the pioneering work of John Sengstacke’s uncle, Robert Abbott. Once John Sengstacke assumed leadership, he built the largest Black-owned newspaper chain in American history.

As publishers of Black newspapers across the nation provided extensive and detailed coverage of 14-year-old Till’s lynching (Aug. 28, 1955) and the ensuing trial, the Tri-State Defender did like-

Water worries!

Keep on boiling water, for now

by Jim Coleman

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Faced with an extended boil-water advisory following a pair of winter storms, the Memphis City Council voted unanimously to require car washes to cease operation until the city’s water system is back to full.

The measure, which was voted on during the council’s regular meeting on Tuesday (Feb. 23), calls for code enforcement to ensure businesses abide by the edict.

“Hopefully, that is in a couple of days. All we want them to do is stop until we get our water under control,” said co-sponsor Patrice J. Robinson, while reading the language of the resolution.

TSD Newsroom

Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter, during a news conference Wednesday (Feb. 24) afternoon, gave an explanation to why 2,400 COVID vaccine doses were allowed to expire

Haushalter also pushed back on reports about how and why 51,000 doses have gone unused.

The situation resulted in the Tennessee State Health Department criticizing the county for the high number of wasted doses and general mismanagement that

Although he never has played in a professional tournament in Memphis, Tiger Woods made a visit to the Links of Pine Hill in South Memphis in 1997, putting on a golf clinic and a display of power and accuracy that has become lore. (Tyrone P. Easley)

led to a reported 51,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines sitting in cold stores.

Some 30,000 of those doses are set to expire March 6.

Haushalter said a number circumstances can lead to doses being lost, including that they were thawed and expired before they were used, that they were left over after clinic sessions, or they were returned after a clinic but had to be destroyed due to changes in temperature.

She added the closing of vaccination sites, resulting from the snow storm, did not help the sit-

by Stefanie Dazio and Doug Ferguson

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a career filled with remarkable comebacks, Tiger Woods faces perhaps his toughest recovery of all.

Woods was driving alone through a sweeping, downhill stretch of road through coastal suburbs of Los Angeles when his SUV struck a sign, crossed over a raised median and two oncoming lanes flipped several times before coming to rest on its side. Its

uation. The county Health Department has yielded administration of the vaccine to the City of Memphis, hospitals and pharmacies.

Haushalter disputed the numbers the Tennessee Department of Health provided, explaining that the county counts five doses per vial, while the state counts six.

Haushalter also said the county inventoried 10,000 to14,000 doses to vaccinate teachers. That, along with the inclement weather

airbags

Councilwoman Cheyenne Johnson was the other sponsor. Voting in favor were council members J. Ford Canale, Chase Carlisle, Michalyn Easter-Thomas, Martavious Jones, Rhonda Logan, Worth Morgan, Robinson, J.B. Smiley, Jamita Swearengen, Dr. Jeff Warren and Frank Colvett, Jr.

Successive winter storms led to the worst cold snap in recent memory. The first rolled through, leaving a layer of ice and 42,000 MLGW customers without power last Thursday (Feb. 18). It was followed by a blanket of snow.

Water main and pipe failures

meaning

The

A

No

The

Shelby County Schools on Wednesday began full-scale distribution of vaccinations for all employees at the Board of Education, 160 S. Hollywood. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

The boil-order advisory put in place by MLGW still was in place on Wednesday. (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku)

TSD

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

wise, with notable photos from renowned civil rights photographer Ernest C. Withers.

Following Mamie Till’s vow to let America see what the lynching had done to her son, African-American newspapers ran photos of the bloated, disfigured body. After becoming editor of the TSD in the late 1960s, Mr. Sengstacke continued writing about Till’s lynching, along with others, in the Mid-South.

The White printer, who produced the Tri-State Defender for distribution at that time, refused to print the newspaper because Till’s murder and other lynchings consistently received prominent coverage.

During that critical period, after each edition had been laid out, Mr. Sengstacke flew to Chicago to get the newspaper printed at the Chicago Defender.

Mr. Sengstacke’s sister, Ethel Sengstacke, “was barely a teenager.”

“… I remember going to the big Chicago Defender building. … There was a massive printing machine down on the lower level. I don’t know if it was considered the basement or not. But it was exactly like the big printer at The Commercial Appeal I saw years later.”

She remembers her brother being “most proud to have been born into a family of great writers.” She also recalled that he considered one of his greatest achievements to have been earning two degrees simultaneously when equal access to higher education was not readily available to African Americans.

Widely praised as a stage actor in Chicago, Mr. Sengstacke earned dual bachelor’s degrees in speech and journalism.

“Whit graduated from Tennessee State University and had went back to Chicago to work on his masters at the University of Chicago,” said Ethel Sengstacke. “My dad decided at that time to make Whittier the new Tri-State Defender editor, and he moved back to Memphis.”

After retirement, Mr. Whittier moved into the family’s Park Avenue home in Orange Mound. As his health began to fail, he moved into a skilled nursing facility.

“At the Signature St. Francis Hospital facility, Whit was named ‘Senior of the Year,’” said Ethel Sengstacke. “I came over to see him receive his award, but I couldn’t get over there to him for all the ladies sitting around the table.”

Mr. Sengstacke leaves two sisters: Ethel Sengstacke of Memphis and Astrid Sengstacke Jones of Sugar Land, Texas; his brother, Fred Sengstacke of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and a host of other relatives and friends.

A public memorial service is planned for March, with details pending.

Serenity Funeral Home has charge.

WATER CONTINUED FROM FRONT

came next, leading to a boil-water advisory that has been extended to Friday (Feb. 26). People running faucets and spigots to keep them from freezing also contributed to low water levels.

So far, nearly 4,000 breaks in homes have been identified. There were 89 water main breaks.

“We are rounding the corner and the patient is out of ICU and is in progressive care and in a room before being discharged, but there is still a lot of work to do on repairing the broken mains,” said MLGW President/ CEO J.T. Young in a virtual meeting with the council on Tuesday.

While under advisory, MLGW has routinely tested the water for bacteria and found none so far. The tests are required by the state until pressure levels return to normal.

“That’s a great sign and we will continue to test throughout the week,” said Nick Newman, vice president of Engineering and Operations for.

As of Wednesday, the pressure had not returned to a place of comfort for MLGW, although several pumping stations are operating normally. Since last Friday (Feb. 19(, contractors have been testing the water system for leaks. As of late as Tuesday, the Shelby Forest area and the area along the Tipton County border had no water. Schools can remain open as long as they abide by the advisory.

In addition to boiling water, citizens are encouraged to limit water use. MLGW has requested custom-

VAX CONTINUED FROM FRONT

and the arrival of more vaccine, led to a surplus, she said.

She said Marilyn Bruce, director of pharmacy for the Health Department, a contract employee to the Health Department from Regional One Health, was let go.

Also, Dr. Judy Martin, head of immunization at the Health Department, retired as a result of situation.

“As we get toward the end of the week,” Haushalter said, “what we’ll have in place is an agreed upon plan that allows us to work together to address any deficiencies we have in processes internally so we can receive vaccine in the future and distribute that in an effective manner to this community.”

She said the department’s goal is to again receive and distribute vaccine.

Meanwhile, the Health Department confirmed that vaccinations would begin for individuals in the “1.b” category on Wednesday (Feb. 24). Phase “1.b” of the state’s vaccination plan includes county residents 65 years and older, as well as teachers and childcare staff.

Nationally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday that the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine meets requirements for emergency use authorization. A committee will meet Friday

ers take shorter showers and not use washing machines or dishwashers until the advisory is lifted.

The utility also suspended disconnections for non-payment until further notice for customers affected by soaring heating bills during the weather event. It will offer an extended payment plan to customers until March 31. The plan allows those eligible to pay their past due balance over a 12-month period.

Last Sunday (Feb. 21) the City of Memphis and the Memphis City Council distributed water to citizens at the New Raleigh Civic Center and at the Bert Ferguson Community Center. One case was given per car.

Over 100,000 bottles were handed out. There are still sites distributing water to people in need.

The storms brought a mixture of ice, snow and sub-freezing temperatures that cut a swath of infrastructure failures across the south Texas bore the worst of what the storm had to offer. Including water system failures, its energy system suffered a catastrophic failure due to a lack of winterization. That led to numerous weather-related deaths, property damage, soaring power bills. As a result there have been calls for investigations, bill forgiveness and reforms to its free-market system.

The council also voted 13-0 to ap-

(Feb. 26) on the next steps in the final approval process.

The J&J vaccine only requires one dose to be effective. The Moderna and Pfizer require two vaccinations.

Locally, the reproductive rate of the virus is well below one percent.

On Wednesday morning (Feb. 24), the Health Department, reported 110,546 doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Shelby County – 77,832 were first doses and 32,724 were second doses.

Still, health officials are con-

cerned about the infection rate after COVID-19 variants – South African and Brazilian – were detected in Shelby County. Health officials worry that the variants, while not necessarily more deadly, may be more transmissible and that the approved vaccines could be less effective again them.

Regarding new virus cases, the county reported 141 new cases Wednesday and no new deaths. There have been 1,460 virus-related deaths in the county.

prove a new PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) between MLGW and the city.

Originally hammered out in 2014, after the state regulatory agency required the utility to charge the city for water, the agreement allowed MLGW to return the money to the city, essentially negating the transaction. It lapsed in 2017, during the Wharton administration.

Since then, the city has been stuck with an annual $2 million bill that it hasn’t paid.

Voting in favor of the resolution were Canale, Carlisle, Easter-Thomas, Ford, Jones, Logan, Morgan, Robinson, Smiley, Swearengen, Warren, Morgan and Colvett.

Officials cautioned that the new case count could have been impacted by the lack of testing because of the inclement weather.

Phase “1.b” in Shelby County will mean that 6,000 teachers in Shelby County Schools will be vaccinated at two sites over a three-day period, Wednesday (Feb. 24) through Friday (Feb 26).

Teachers in Lakeland, Arlington, and Millington will receive the vaccine on Friday Feb. 26. Germantown teachers will receive the vaccine on March. 5.

Health partners also providing vaccines are:

• Veteran’s Administration, 1030 Jefferson Ave.; now vaccinating all veterans 65 and older at the city’s VA Medical Center. Veterans must be enrolled at the VA at: www.va.gov., to receive the vaccination.

• Walmart Pharmacies at eleven locations across the county are providing vaccine. To schedule an appointment at the closest store, go to: https://www.walmart.com/ cp/1228302.

Shelby County residents may still register on VaxQueue, a standby list for those who would like to be notified when the COVID-19 vaccine may become available. Visit: Shelby. community/covid-19-vaccine/.

(Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell contributed to this story.)

Some area residents received bottled water distributed by the City of Memphis at Fire Station 22 on Lamar Ave. this past weekend. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

SCS district leaders and employees lined up Wednesday morning to receive vaccinations against COVID-19. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

WOODS CONTINUED FROM FRONT

news.

“As if his body hasn’t endured enough,” Jon Rahm, the No. 2 player in the world, said from the Workday Championship in Florida. “I just hope he can get out of the hospital after recovery and he can still play with his kids and have a normal life.”

Dr. Joseph Patterson, an orthopedic trauma surgeon at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, said injuries like those sustained by Woods are among the most common seen in hospital emergency rooms.

Patterson didn’t treat Woods and wouldn’t comment specifically about the golfer’s injuries but said the risk of infection is extremely high for patients with open fractures.

“Tissue can be exposed to bacteria, dirt and clothing. The outcomes can be a lot worse if that tissue gets infected,” Patterson said. Open fractures can require multiple surgeries to repair.

Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith suffered an open fracture to his lower leg while being tackled. He nearly lost the leg due to infection but made a remarkable recovery and played last season.

The crash was the latest setback for Woods, who at times has looked unstoppable on the golf course with his 15 major championships and record-tying 82 victories on the PGA Tour. He is among the most recognizable sports figures in the world, and at 45 with a reduced schedule from nine previous surgeries, remains golf’s biggest draw.

He won the 2008 U.S. Open with shredded knee ligaments and two stress fractures in his left leg. His personal life imploded on Thanksgiving weekend in 2009 when he was caught having multiple extramarital affairs and crashed his vehicle near his Flor-

ida home. He returned to win his 11th award as PGA Tour player of the year and reach No. 1.

And then after four back surgeries that kept him out of golf for the better part of two years, he won the Masters in April 2019 for the fifth time, a victory that ranks among the great comebacks in the sport.

Now it’s no longer a matter of when he plays again — the Masters is seven weeks away — but if he plays again.

Woods was in Los Angeles over the weekend as the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Monday and Tuesday had been set aside for Discovery-owned GOLFTV for Woods to give playing tips to celebrities. A tweet Monday showed him in a cart at Rolling Hills Country Club with comedian David Spade. He also worked with NBA great Dwyane Wade, who posted a video to his Instagram account.

“It was a great day,” Wade said Tuesday night on Turner Sports, where he is a studio analyst. “And I woke up today so proud to be able to post that moment for the world, like a little snippet of our moment together. And I took a nap, and I woke up to the news. So, you know, just like everybody out there, my thoughts and prayers are all to his loved ones.”

Thoughts and prayers have come from everywhere — Jack Nicklaus and Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, and former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Woods played golf with both of them, and Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019 after perhaps his greatest triumph — the Masters after he had gone through four back surgeries.

Woods had a fifth back surgery, a microdiscectomy, on Dec. 23, just three days after he played the PNC Championship with his son Charlie, who now is 12. Woods also has a 13-year-old daughter, Samantha.

An aerial view of the wrecked vehicle that Tiger Woods was pulled from Tuesday morning. (Screen capture)

“I just hope he can get out of the hospital after recovery and he can still play with his kids and have a normal life.”

— Jon Rahm, the No. 2 player in the world

The crash happened about 7:15 a.m. as Woods drove his courtesy vehicle from the Genesis Invitational through the upscale suburbs. Gonzalez does traffic enforcement on the road Woods was traveling and says in the area of the crash he sometimes catches people topping 80 mph (129 kph) in the downhill, 45-mph zone. Crashes are common.

Police said Woods was alert as fire-

fighters pried open the front windshield to get him out. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the airbags deployed and the inside of the SUV stayed mostly intact, which “gave him a cushion to survive the crash.”

Authorities said they checked for any odor of alcohol or other signs he was under the influence of a substance and found none. They didn’t say how fast he was driving.

This is the third time Woods has been involved in a car investigation. Eight years after the 2009 incident, Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car parked awkwardly on the side of the road. He was arrested on a DUI charge and said he had an unexpected reaction to prescription medicine for his back pain. Woods later

pleaded guilty to reckless driving and checked into a clinic to get help with prescription medication and a sleep disorder.

Woods hasn’t won since the Zozo Championship in Japan in fall 2019, and he’s reduced his playing schedule in recent years because of injuries. Besides his five back surgeries, he’s had four surgeries on his left knee.

He was asked during the CBS broadcast Sunday at Riviera about recovering from his back surgery in time to play the Masters and Woods replied, “God, I hope so. I’ve got to get there first.”

(Ferguson reported from Jacksonville, Florida. AP writer Christopher Weber in Los Angeles and AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed.)

History makers…

During a 1991 visit to the National Civil Rights Museum, Rosa Parks, whose defiance in response to a bus driver’s demand that she move to the back of a Montgomery, Alabama bus fueled the civil rights movement in 1955, has a conversation with the late Memphis attorney and judge D’Army Bailey, the namesake for Judge D’Army Bailey Courthouse in Downtown Memphis. (Photo:

McDonald’s troubled racial history in Tennessee

by James F. Byrd Jr. and Darrell Byrd

Black History Month reminds us that we all must do our best to address lingering racial inequities. One organization that has a lot of soul searching to do is the McDonald’s Corporation. The burger giant has a checkered history with its Black restaurant operators and nowhere is the problem more pronounced than throughout Tennessee.

The company loves to position itself as an advocate of the Black entrepreneur, but as longtime McDonald’s franchisees, we know it operates a two-tiered system: one for Whites, one for Blacks.

McDonald’s is now paying the price in the form of several major lawsuits filed by Black employees, senior executives and current and former franchisees. We are the lead plaintiffs for the current franchisees having filed a federal class action discrimination lawsuit on October 29, 2020.

Together, as brothers, we own and operate four restaurants throughout the state, down from a high of more than a dozen (14). The McDonald’s Nashville Region has the unfortunate distinction of having the nation’s highest cash flow disparity ($134,000 per store) between White and Black franchisees. I, James F. Byrd Jr., am the only one remaining Black franchisee in all of Memphis, a town nearly 65 percent Black.

In 1998, there were nearly four hundred Black franchisees in the United States. Now only 186 remain.

Although we risk retaliation and perhaps any chance of saving our remaining restaurants by bringing forth this lawsuit, we believe we cannot remain on the sidelines while McDonald’s continues to marginalize its remaining Black operators.

To outsiders, owning a McDonald’s might seem like a ticket to the upper class. For the White operators, this is generally true, but for most Black current and former franchisees the lure of the Golden Arches was – and is – an illusion.

For years, we believed that each owner, Black and White, succeeded or failed according to their effort and commitment. We were disabused of this pollyannish notion in January 2020 when two McDonald’s senior executives came forward with troubling details about how McDonald’s routinely pushes Black franchisees out of the system.

All of this occurred as McDonald’s did its best to position itself as a friend of the Black consumer, signing on rappers to endorse specialty meals and cutting checks to Black charitable organizations.

By forcing us in predominantly Black neighborhoods, low volume suburban, gas-station-alliances and Walmarts, McDonald’s increased its footprint through the acquisition of real estate in areas with lower prices and boosted sales to Black consumers resulting in higher company profits. These are locations where White franchisees refused to do business.

At no time did the company consider our profit margin. If we were paying our rent, fees and were current with our vendors, McDonald’s could care less if we were making a dollar profit.

We don’t own the stores, but we are responsible for all related occupancy costs including renovations, real estate taxes and/or rebuilds despite the fact these locations historically underperformed. And when Black franchisees are inevitably unable to pay McDonald’s exorbitant rent and fees, they lose all power.

If McDonald’s decides it wants them out, the company retains the property with all improvements paid for by the franchisee.

America is once again facing a moment of racial reckoning and perhaps the current environment will inspire McDonald’s to look in the mirror and make things right. This may be too much to ask because the company has refused to change. Twenty-plus years ago, a top McDonald’s executive admitted the “company has placed many Black Franchisees in restaurants that have not allowed them to achieve the same level of economic success as their peers.”

The two of us know this to be true. Black History Month is the right time for McDonald’s to join the rest of the nation in reconciling its racist past.

(James Byrd has been a McDonald’s franchisee for 31 years and currently operates two stores from a high of ten. His brother, Darrell Byrd, has been a McDonald’s franchisee for 22 years and currently operates two stores, down from a high of four.)

“Sanitation Workers’ Prayer”

Spoken to the cadence of “The 23rd Psalm,” the “Sanitation Workers’ Prayer” was recited by the Rev. Malcolm Blackburn, with Community On the Move for Equality (C.O.M.E.), on February 26, 1968. The setting was historic Clayborn Temple – a rallying point for Memphis sanitation workers during the pivotal strike that drew Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis to help get past the hard-headiness of Mayor Henry Loeb and others. On April 4, 1968 (about five weeks later), Dr. King was assassinated on the balcony of the old Lorraine Motel (now the centerpiece of the National Civil Rights Museum.

Our Henry, who art in City Hall, Hard-headed be thy name.

Thy kingdom C.O.M.E.

Our will be done,

In Memphis, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our Dues Checkoff, And forgive us our boycott, As we forgive those who spray MACE against us. And lead us not into shame, But deliver us from LOEB!

For OURS is justice, jobs, and dignity, Forever and ever. Amen. FREEDOM!

(This item was made available to The New Tri-State Defender by Jimmy Ogle, former historian for Shelby County.)

Standing on the side of love, Part II

Linda S. Wallace

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

We are living during a time when we often can’t hug the people we love. On many days, it is a struggle to stay connected to friends at work and in our community.

Messages of love and hope are fading from public spaces because they can’t find any fertile ground.

Please don’t give up hope. Know that freedom does not require conformity; rather, it requires the skills to disagree in productive ways and the faith that, in the end, it will turn out all right.

America’s liberal and conservative political lenses potentially are its greatest strength, yet, right now, they are tearing the nation apart.

We stand at an important crossroads. Conservatives are looking to the right, and liberals are looking to the left. Each time we reach an intersection, we can’t help but wonder if the other side is blind. That’s not what we see.

Only when we cross the street together can we observe the dangers on all sides. Conservatives see mounting debt and scarce resources: liberals see an opportunity gap for women and minorities and climate change. The broader our cultural spectrum, the more likely we are to find the truth.

Our greater challenge is to understand why our cultural filters differ and to teach students and workers how to view situations using a multitude of cultural and class lenses. That way, they don’t get blindsided.

I’ve gone through many stages of grief as I addressed racism, sexism and classism. I’ve become angry and screamed at people. I’ve ended friendships and relationships with those who can’t grasp diversity or my experience. I’ve tried love, understanding and tolerance.

Through it all, I’ve encountered allies who have helped by reminding me I can be right, or I can be effective. It’s a choice I must make. They have coached me and taught me valuable lessons along the way including:

• When having a dialogue across the political spectrum, never try to convert someone to your side. Rather, ask questions that lead to new discoveries. If you are willing to learn, others may do the same. Ask: Where did you get your info from? Who is your source? What do you stand for? Who has most influenced your thinking?

Why? What does your religion teach you about loving your neighbor? In 10 years, what type of community do you want to live in? What is

your role in creating that community?

• Share a personal story rather than your own points of view. It is difficult to argue with someone else’s life story. Rather than convince someone racism is a problem, share a time when you faced gender, sex, religious or racial discrimination. Provide specific examples.

I like to tell the story of the time I applied for a home mortgage while I was self-employed. In the final stage of the application process, my mortgage company requested that I ask my business clients for a letter verifying how much each of them had paid me. I told the mortgage company I would be happy to do so as long as they could document that they routinely ask White applicants to provide similar verifications.

The day after the mortgage company received my letter raising the question of discrimination, my home loan was approved without any further action on my part. I later read that some minority loan applicants making large deposits in their checking accounts were more likely to be suspected by mortgage companies of being drug dealers. When discussing discrimination, tell stories and explain the impact it has had on your life.

• Listen for clues as other speakers share their personal stories. Avoid focusing solely on other speakers’ points of view. A few years ago, I rode the subway with a man who announced that immigrants were the source of many American problems. I immediately stopped him by telling him that I was a diversity enthusiast.

Sensing a debate, I switched gears by asking him why he was heading downtown. He explained that he had cancer; he was beating it and that day he was headed to work for the first time in months. Fortified by a strong connection, we ventured back to politics in a polite, respectful way. As he left the train he turned and said: “‘Wouldn’t it be great if our elected officials could find a way to discuss our disagreements as we just did?’”

Before you go on the attack, rely upon open-ended questions to guide the dialogue.

Remember, this: You are not likely to change anyone’s mind.

So rather than argue, create an opening that allows others to think about the conversation with you again and again. Stand on the side of love.

Try this approach and write to me at theculturalcoach@aol.com to share your stories. I will publish them in future columns.

(Linda S. Wallace is a freelance journalist and communication specialist who helps clients develop cross-cultural messages for the workplace and the media. Readers are invited to submit questions on work or personal problems related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or physical differences. Address your questions to theculturalcoach@aol.com.)

James F. Byrd Jr. and Darrell Byrd

Tyrone P. Easley)

Linda S.

Wallace

RELIGION

Pastor leaves loving legacy to family, church, and community

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Walter Lee Peggs Sr., pastor of Fullview Missionary Baptist Church, died Friday, Feb. 12, following a brief bout with pancreatic cancer. He was 74.

Peggs left the Fullview Church family some things that many grieving churches are not left with after the pastor dies — a blueprint and a vision.

“Pastor Peggs has been our pastor for 36 years,” said interim pastor Rev. Warrie Williams. “Many who today hold leadership positions were toddlers back then. He raised a generation of strong, Godly women who serve as deacons, trustees and ordained ministers, who are addressed as ‘Rev.’ We have always respected the important role of women in the church.”

Rev. Peggs was born July 15, 1946. On Saturday (Feb. 20) his wife of 53 years, Rev. Wilma Peggs, delivered his eulogy. She called her husband “a man of love, service, humility, and forgiveness.”

Rev. Walter Peggs made an early confession of faith in Christ at the age of 10 Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church on Pillow Street in the Dixie Heights neighborhood in South Memphis.

He accepted the Fullview pastorate in the fall of 1984 and guided the congregation through its largest land acquisition to build a family-life center and expansive worship center to accommodate membership growth during his tenure.

Rev. Williams said the church is grieving after the loss of Peggs, but they were left a “blueprint.”

“Pastor Peggs was a man of great character, and everything he did had to line up with the gospel of Jesus,” said Rev. Williams. “He put down in writing every thing. We have a blueprint for victory, if we stay the course and we don’t go on our

own pathway. There is even a plan of succession for us to follow after his death. We are prepared for this moment.”

Rev. Peggs was widely known in the Bartlett community as a diligent advocate of home missions, community outreach across Memphis and Shelby County, as well as foreign mission work in Uganda and the Dominican Republic.

“Pastor Peggs was the embodiment of Jeremiah 3:15, ‘a shepherd and pastor after God’s own heart,’” said longtime friend, Pastor Bartholomew Orr of Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven.

“He had a heart for his people, a humility like none other, and a holiness which characterized him as a man of integrity.”

Rev. Peggs served four years in the United States Air Force and retired from the United States Postal Service after 35 years. He holds the historic distinction of becoming the first African American post-

Giving voice …

al employee in the city of Germantown. His experiences strengthened his belief in reaching across racial and social barriers to build alliances with other Bartlett churches.

Pastor Danny Sinquefield of Faith Baptist Church in Bartlett, has been associated with Rev. Peggs and Fullview for 26 years.

Revs. Peggs and Sinquefield recently created the Bartlett Community Celebration. The annual gathering of eight Bartlett churches brings a diversity of worshippers together for one huge night of worship.

“Pastor Peggs was always the favorite,” said Rev. Sinquefield. “We never wanted anyone to preach after Brother Walter, so we were sure to put him at the elite position of preaching last.”

The night of fellowship has become a highly anticipated event in Bartlett. “It was one of the great celebrations of our town. You can imagine the beauty of that. Broth-

er Walter will be greatly missed,” said Rev. Sinquefield.

Williams recalled how important inclusion and acceptance of all people was in Rev. Peggs ministry.

“Pastor Peggs loved that scripture from Acts 17:26, which says that ‘God from one man made every nation of men,’” said Rev. Williams. “Pastor Peggs truly believed in the connectedness of all men, despite their race and ethnicity. The blueprint he left us directs that we continue this work of reuniting all of God’s people.”

Founded in 1876, Fullview is one of the oldest churches in the city of Bartlett.

Bartlett Mayor A. Keith McDonald said Peggs, a long-standing member of the Bartlett Rotary Club, helped to secure educational scholarships for deserving children. McDonald added that no one served on Bartlett’s Planning Commission with more distinction.

McDonald and Rev. Peggs had been friends for more than two decades. McDonald worshipped sometimes at Fullview, often singing during some visits.

“Pastor Peggs helped guide me through some critical decisions and topics pertaining to race relations and the African-American community in Bartlett,” McDonald said. “He was a great voice of reason.” McDonald reflected on his last conversation with Peggs, “Walter, I love you. You are family, and you’re a great man.”

In recognition of...

“Holding

The Rev. Brian Bartlett, pastor of Lake Grove Baptist Church on Weaver Rd., spoke at the Tuesday meeting of the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association. His sermon – taken from Mark 23:27 – was entitled “An Anonymous Voice (Be A Good Page Turner). Among those there to bear witness with the Rev. Terrick Banks (left), an associate minister at Lake Grove. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

sermon

Willie Ward Jr. delivered at

Pisgah C.M.E. Church last

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

The Rev. Walter L. Peggs Sr. in a familiar place for him – the pulpit of Fullview Baptist church, where he preached the “word.”

The Rev. Wilma Peggs (front row, third from left), the wife of the late Rev. Walter L. Peggs Sr., delivered his eulogy. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

The New Tri-State Defender, February 25 - March 3, 2021, Page 6

Female football coaches? Coach McCray blazed the way

by Dr. Yvonne D. Nelson Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Coach Shirley Yvonne McCray coached all-male football teams for 24 years (1973-1997). Coached by the late Coach Elmer Roane, McCray emerged as the first Black woman to play basketball, volleyball, and track in the 60s. She matriculated with a Master’s Degree in Supervision and Administration from Trevecca Nazarene College in Nashville in 1992. McCray retired from teaching at the Memphis City Schools in 2004.

Memphis’s Coach Shirley Yvonne McCray graduated from Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) with a degree in Health and Physical Education, in 1964. McCray coached secondary school boys in football in the mid-1970s, possibly before some of today’s female coaches were even born.

“I was the nation’s first and only female coach of an allmale football team,” said McCray, 79, who coached junior and high school boys and girls in various sports including, volleyball, track, tennis and basketball.

“Past experiences propelled me into a career as an educator and a coach. In 1973, there wasn’t any record of a woman coaching an all-male football team; therefore, I should be considered the first.”

McCray received the Best Female Athlete designation upon graduating from Hamilton High School in 1959. She taught at Riverview, Chickasaw, Geeter, and Lanier Junior High Schools, at Kingsbury High School, and retired from Booker T. Washington High School in 1997.

Each school was part of the legacy Memphis City Schools and current Shelby County Schools system.

“After I graduated from Hamilton, I worked a job while receiving an Associate of Arts Degree from Wilson Junior College in Chicago,” McCray said.

“I returned to Memphis in 1963 and found a job at the Bruce Box Factory. I was not successful when I first tried to pass the entrance exam for Memphis State University.

“I worked hard and passed the exam the following year. I was the first Black person, male or female, to enroll in and graduate from the university’s Health and Physical Education Department.

“Integration was beginning to make its impact on Memphis as it was all over. I was called ‘Nigger’ so much that I began to loath the place and wanted to drop out forever. I’m glad my family stayed on me and made me go back to school day after day. I do not know where I would be today or what I would be doing without them and their continuous support.”

Thanks to a strong family and religious base, McCray pushed on, excelling in life and at school.

“My (university) studies were not exceptionally difficult,” said McCray, who was awarded the 50-year (1967–2017) Golden Recipient Award from the U of M. She was selected as one of 100 women who made a difference in education at the university during its’ first 100

Shirley Yvonne McCray

“My own experience has taught me that a woman will never be considered as a coach based on her abilities according to most of her male counterparts.”

— Shirley Yvonne McCray

years of existence.

Coach McCray worked with middle/junior and high school students ages 13 and up. Her teams did not win every game they played, but her focus was on her players gaining what they needed to become successful in life.

Dr. Darrell R. Walsh

When he was in the seventh and eighth grades at Chickasaw Junior High School, Darrell R. Walsh, Ph.D., who is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, played basketball and football under McCray, who regularly keeps in touch with co-workers and students from her 30-year tenure teaching.

“She was a wonderful coach who made us work hard,” said Walsh, who began playing for Coach McCray when he was 13.

“She was a firm and tough coach. She believed in the idea of winning but, most importantly, she taught us lessons about the game and also about life off the field. She

demanded a lot out of us and she made the experience a very positive one for everyone involved.

“Several years ago, our class member Kasey Hall held an event in her honor at his home. We all attended to show our love and support for Coach McCray. She was one of the best coaches that I had. She instilled in me that she had high expectations of me, of all of us. My own parents were good parents and because of the way Coach McCray was able to deliver criticism and praise in a way that all of us would take to heart, they were very fond of her too.”

McCray helped many of her students and athletes over the years. She spent a full week over the Thanksgiving holiday with another student, Air Force retiree James Hoskins, who purchased a round trip ticket for her to travel to Delaware to show her his appreciation for being his coach.

She also received instruction and a few tips from one or two male coaches. One, her former church member Deacon Hosea Alexander, invited her to visit him at his home when he first learned she wanted to be a football coach.

“Deacon was the winningest coach in Memphis at the time,” said McCray about former BTW coach. “I wanted to be the best football coach. I wanted to learn about football and Coach Alexander gave me my start. He laid my foundation when he invited me to his home. We spent nearly two hours covering a lot of film materials, what to look for in a player, attitudes, form, and more.”

It was a difficult road for McCray to travel and now that she has completed her journey, she would like to reflect back, especially to other women, on what her experiences taught her.

“My own experience has taught me that a woman will never be considered as a coach based on her abilities according to most of her male counterparts,” said McCray.

“She must look to the end results of the individual lives she coached and base her success on their achievements. Hard-working and successful doctors of philosophy, policemen, firemen, teachers, veterans and more, my hope was for the success of the young men and women on those teams I coached. I wanted for something to come of them, that they would grow up to become somebody.

“My dad, grandmother, and aunt had worked hard for me to become somebody and every day I worked hard to pass that blessing on to the athletes and students I coached and taught. My first team is 59-60 years old now and I want to praise them for listening and succeeding in life.”

McCray said her philosophy is found in the words of this song: “If I can help somebody as I pass along, “If I can cheer somebody with a word or song, “If I can show somebody s/he is going wrong, “Then, my living shall not be in vain.”

McCray heaps thanks on her students and athletes. “Their success proves my dedication was not in vain,” she said.

(Contact Coach McCray at coachmac50@aol.com to order a copy of her biography.)

Coach McCray is the inspiring story of America’s first woman coach of an all-male football team. Chickasaw Jr. High School Chiefs

“Eating local isn’t a trend for us, it’s a lifestyle. We are so grateful to bring a positive light into our community and impact the local food scene here in Memphis, TN.”

— Cristina McCarter

City Tasting Box takes eating local in Memphis nationwide

by Brianna Smith-Herman Special to The New Tri-State Defender

In the wake of COVID-19, the travel and restaurant industries are challenged to redefine hospitality and innovate new experiences. As a longtime Memphis culture and foodie enthusiast, Cristina McCarter of City Tasting Tours accepted this challenge and pivoted to virtual food tours in May 2020.

as the grit-n-grind culture that every entrepreneur in Memphis embodies,” said McCarter.

The City Tasting Boxes celebrate the heritage, tenacity and resilience of our local food scene. They invite everyone to eat locally, support Black-owned businesses and experience Memphis – all in one box.

Brianna Smith-Herman

After a long conversation in June of 2020 with friend and now business partner, Lisa Brown, the two decided to come together and go from local to nationwide, with their new business venture, City Tasting Box.

City Tasting Box is a boutique e-commerce shop that curates a blend of packaged goods from famed Memphis restaurants and chefs, up-and-coming local food artisans and other Memphis-inspired crafts all packaged in a well-designed mailer box.

McCarter and Brown bring years of experience and passion to the industry.

“We are fueled by Black excellence, sisterhood and resilience that we know

“Our first goal with all of our boxes is to create the optimal palatable experience for each consumer by blending the perfect flavor balance of sweet, savory, salty and spicy in each box while keeping our north star in mind –highlight Memphis and tell the artisan’s story,” said McCarter.

Lisa Brown Cristina McCarter

“Specifically for The Majority Box,” said Brown, “Each artisan, chef and business owner featured in The Majority Box has an amazingly triumphant and inspiring story. Most of their recipes used to create these packaged goods go back generations – Makeda’s Cookies, Chef Tam’s, Mae’s Gourmet Jams, Cxffeeblack Guji Mane Ethiopian Coffee. That is history. That is heritage. That is worth telling and sharing with the world. You can taste the passion.”

The Majority Box is a limited-time-on-

ly box that runs through the end of February and features a variety of Black food artisans and artists, such as Pop’s Kernel Gourmet Popcorn, Flying Sobie’s Memphis gold sauce, Makeda’s Cookies World-famous Butter Cookies, Chef Tam’s Black as Midnight blackening seasoning, Cxffeeblack Guji Mane Ethiopian coffee, Mae’s Gourmet Jam, Elle Elixir’s custom tea blend, a curated We Are Memphis soul music playlist by Tonya Renee Dyson, We Are Memphis swag, and an audio Black History tour by A Tour of Possibilities.

You can see all of the boxes and what they include by visiting citytastingbox. com.

McCarter and Brown are continuously

working with local artists to produce custom artwork for their box designs.

“We love art, artists, and artisans,” said Brown. “In Memphis, art is a big part of our culture and heritage. And all chefs and food artisans are artists, so it just makes sense. Plus, we give our loyal customers something to look forward to. Many of them have already become collectors of the boxes.”

City Tasting Box will continue to deliver thoughtfully crafted packaged, even after COVID-19 exits.

“Count on us to raise up the micro-business owners, female chefs, up-and-coming artisans and locally famous restaurant staples,” said McCarter. “Eating local isn’t a trend for us, it’s a lifestyle. We are so grateful to bring a positive light into our community and impact the local food scene here in Memphis, TN.”

(For more information, view https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8kgTIEXyTI.)

COMMUNITY

The New Tri-State Defender, February 25 - March 3, 2021, Page 8

BRIEFS & THINGS

Saluting Atlanta’s first female African-American officer – now a Memphian

by Najee El-Amin

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

As African-American History month winds down, a living embodiment of that history received recognition she deserved in Atlanta on Tuesday (Feb. 23).

The Atlanta Police Department honored its first African-American woman officer, Linnie Hallmon Booker, with a virtual luncheon, where she was joined by friends, family and current personnel of the APD, including Chief Rodney Bryant.

Booker now lives in Memphis. The Lexington, Mississippi native started her journey as a human resources “typer” for the department. Her duties consisted of answering the phone and running to city hall to get the mail (a job she “couldn’t stand”).

Booker knew that her time could be better spent than sitting behind a desk all day. She wanted to be a police officer.

In her spare time, Booler took the entry exam and, after weeks of studying, she passed. In the 1970s, the APD didn’t hire women. When the call came with the message that she had been hired, she could barely hold back her emotions.

“I was just thrilled! I didn’t even know what to do,” said Booker.

“Let me tell you something, other than being in the pastoral ministry, the Atlanta Police Department was the best job I have ever had. I went to work an hour before it was time for me to start.”

Booker had made history, but she was not complacent. She was first assigned to the crime prevention force, where she went into the community and taught kids how to stay safe.

Generally, she was met with positivity; people welcomed a new face on the police force.

She soon was assigned to the narcotics unit, a more dangerous position. Booker would go undercover, dressed in promiscuous clothing, and lure prescription drug dealers. She would make the transaction and give the medication to a nearby uniformed officer, who would make the arrest.

Although she says the job was scary at times, she never backed down from the call to duty.

Just last year, a female officer from the narcotics unit was slain, further amplifying the risk. Booker was shot at on numerous occasions, narrowly escaping getting hit.

The retired police veteran wants even more women to join the fight

Linnie Booker, a trailblazing former police officer in Atlanta, waited for her name to be called as a graduate of the MPD Citizens Police Academy in December 2018. (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku/ TSD Archives)

against crime. One of Booker’s granddaughters is in the police academy in Greenwood, Mississippi.

“I encourage any woman who desires a good and fruitful career in law enforcement to join,” said Booker. “Just be careful for yourself and be careful for other people. Go on and enjoy your job.”

When Booker retired from the force in 1989, it was hard for her to move on. After 23 years of service, the police department was so ingrained that she fell into a depression.

“I had it so bad that if I saw a wreck or an accident on the road, I would pull over and see if anybody was hurt and offer any type of assistance,” she said. “If traffic was hot, I’m out there in civilian uniform directing traffic. Now you know that was a little tight.”

She found satisfaction in raising her children.

Throughout the recognition luncheon, Booker had the panel of officers and staff in good spirits. It was clear that neither her heart for helping others nor her sense of humor had faded.

Towards the end of the program, Booker’s granddaughter, Arshanti Williams, who is an aspiring filmmaker, voiced admiration for her grandmother’s work.

“Grandma, I just wanted to tell you, you created history. You opened doors for me,” said Williams.

“I’m going to make a documentary about you. … We’re going to make sure that everybody in the world knows my grandma was the first Black (woman) police officer in Atlanta.”

Freedom Prep adds in-person option March 8

Freedom Preparatory Academy

Charter Schools will transition back to in-person classes with students in Grades K-1 on March 8 and students in Grades 2-8 on March 15.

School hours will be from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with classes limited to 10 students during the initial reopening. Each campus will follow current COVID-19 protocols and precautions. Full personal protective equipment (PPE) will be available for the safety of staff, faculty and students.

“Our teachers and staff have done an amazing job with our remote learning program and have been innovative in finding ways to mitigate its challenges while still supporting students at the same level of learning that their parents have come to expect,” said Roblin Webb, Freedom Prep’s founder and CEO.

“Our students have also adapted well to virtual learning, and their enthusiasm has played a key role in the positive outcomes that we’ve had. Even with these successes, however, we recognize that remote learning is not a universal solution; it doesn’t work for everyone, especially for the long term. Our return to in-person classes will give families another option for meeting their students’ learning needs.”

Freedom Prep families can choose whether to continue with remote learning. All students, whether on campus or virtual, will continue to have full access to Freedom Prep’s social work team to help alleviate the emotional impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to mandatory face masks, social distancing and increased hand-washing, on-campus preventive measures will include daily screening and temperature checks, regular deep cleaning of facilities and a dedicated nurse space and holding area.

Freedom Prep operates five schools in two neighborhoods –Westwood and Whitehaven – and serves students in pre-k through 12th. Learn more at freedomprep. org

Memphis Urban League Virtual Job Fair

With an emphasis on workforce development, the Memphis Urban League is promoting a Virtual Job Fair featuring the Memphis Area Transit Authority on Friday (Feb. 26).

The hiring event will be from 10 a.m. to noon.

Open job positions are listed in administration, maintenance, operators ($3,000 hiring bonus) and safety and security.

To register (or for more information), email info@memul.org

Black judges panel to feature Bernice Donald

Judge Bernice Donald of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will be among . six African-American judges on a panel featuring some who broke racial barriers in the legal profession.

Judge Donald and the other panelists will discuss the obstacles they overcame in a program on Friday, Feb. 26. The event is sponsored by the American Bar Association Judicial Division.

Donald became the first Black woman in the country to serve as a federal bankruptcy judge in 1988. In 1982, she was elected to the General Sessions Criminal Court in Memphis, where she became the first Black female judge in the state.

The six judges – four from the federal system and two from state Supreme Courts – will be featured in a program titled “Judicial Trailblazers and the Hills They’ve Climbed: A Discussion with Preeminent African-American Judges and Their Challenges and Triumphs.”

The discussion is part of a series of programs sponsored by the ABA in honor of Black History Month.

Other udges featured will be:

• Dennis Archer, former justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

• Judge Roger Gregory, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

• Justice Adrienne Nelson of the Oregon Supreme Court.

• Judge Carl E. Stewart of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

• Ann Claire Williams, former judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

The program will be moderated by Danielle R. Holley-Walker, dean of the Howard University School of Law.

For more information, visit awww.americanbar.org/news; follow@ABANews

Memphis Zoo announces seasonal hiring blitz

Memphis Zoological Society is adding 150-plus new team members.

Seasonal customer service and team lead positions are open in culinary, retail, guest services, rides, education and membership.

“At the Memphis Zoo, we create adventures while saving wildlife. We are seeking energetic, fun, responsible and service-orientated applicants for seasonal employment opportunities,” said Austin Brown, director of Human Resources.

Part-time, full-time positions and internships are also available. Interested applicants MUST apply at memphiszoo.org/careers.

Church at the Well forges partnership to ‘open’ vaccine access to underserved

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

For Pastor Kia Moore, devising a billboard messaging campaign for broader access to the COVID-19 vaccine was not a stretch.

After all, that’s how she founded her non-traditional, pop-up church in October 2018.

One strategically placed billboard read, “For God So Loved Memphis Mane.” “Mane,” of course, is a “hiphop” colloquial for “man.”

Moore was reaching for the unchurched, the masses of people who couldn’t “see themselves in the scriptures.”

Fast forward to this month. The Shelby County Health Department is reaching out to community partners and corporate citizens to help spread the positive, beneficial message that getting vaccinated will halt the dev-

astating effects of COVID-19 on the hardest hit – communities of color.

Health Department Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph favored untraditional messaging among African-Americans to build trust in the vaccination process.

“We have to get the majority of Shelby County residents to take the vaccine,” said Randolph. “Herd immunity is achieved at 70-75 percent of the population being vaccinated. The process is safe and highly effective against the coronavirus. We need the help of our community partners.

Nothing is off the table.”

Moore has been working with Director of Nursing Dr. Judy Martin at the Health Department to come up with a plan. The two devised an old strategy that has been effective for centuries: Mobilize the “Black Church” to galvanize the Black community.”

“I was inspired last month when

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett visited our church,” said Moore. “She is the research scientist at the National Institute of Health, who had an essential role in devising the Moderna vaccine.

“This vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in fighting the coronavirus. This is significant because Dr. Corbett looks like us.”

Moore knew she had to do something about the lack of trust for the vaccine in the African-American community.

“I was told that for every nine White Memphians receiving the vaccine, only one African American is getting it,” said Moore. “That was very troubling for me. That’s when I reached out to the Health Department with a proposal to make the vaccine more accessible.”

The Rev. Kia Moore has crafted a campaign to use key African-American churches in underserved communities to broaden access to COVID-19 vaccination. (Courtesy photo)

For

Martin and other Health Department staff will begin preparing selected church sites to become vaccination centers within the next two weeks.

“This is important because this strategy provides more equitable access for those most effected by healthcare disparity,” said Randolph. “That is what we are striving for. We want to make vaccinations available to those who are more vulnerable with very little mobility.”

Those interested may register for the vaccine at the Health Department website. But the actual vaccination will take place at one of the designated church sites.

A team of prominent pastors in Memphis also is being assembled to work with the Health Department in building trust in the vaccination process.

More information will be shared as Moore’s plan goes into effect.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH:

During the MPD Citizens Police Academy graduation in Dec. 2018, MPD Director Michael Rallings learned of Linnie Booker’s historic past. (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku/TSD Archives)

Questions arise about public disclosure of wasted vaccines

by Adrian Sainz and Kimberlee Kruesi

The health department director in Tennessee’s most populous county said Wednesday that she found out about wasted coronavirus vaccines days before she publicly disclosed any doses had expired.

Dr. Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department in Memphis, said during a news conference that wasted vaccine doses were discovered during preparations for winter storms that struck Memphis starting Feb. 11. Haushalter said she found out about expired vaccine doses on Feb. 13.

Sub-freezing temperatures and accumulations of snow and ice on roads led to the closure of vaccination sites during the following week as severe winter storms continued, causing existing i Haushalter did not publicly disclose that any vaccine doses had been wasted until Feb. 19. That day, she said about 1,315 vaccine doses had expired and were thrown out amid the bad weather. But she made no mention of doses that expired before the winter storm struck.

In all, more than 2,400 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Shelby County went to waste over the past month while local officials sat on tens of thousands of shots that state officials thought had already gone into arms, the state’s health commissioner announced Tuesday.

The finding came after the Tennessee Department of Health launched an investigation over the weekend into Haushalter’s initial report that the winter storms caused the 1,315 doses to be tossed.

Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey revealed Tuesday that the problems were far more widespread. She said issues dating back to Feb. 3 ranged

Room to spare...

Tough winter storms sent grocery shoppers to stores in droves, leaving the emptiness apparent at this Kroger store.

from multiple incidents of spoiled doses, an excessive vaccine inventory, insufficient record-keeping and a lack of a formal process for managing soon-to-expire vaccines.

State investigators came to Memphis to look into the wasted vaccines, and Gov. Bill Lee told reporters Wednesday that officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to be on the ground soon to launch their own investigation.

Piercey said the 2,400 wasted doses occurred over seven incidents. Roughly two-thirds of that amount occurred before last week’s storms, which caused several states to face delays in giving out vaccinations.

Piercey also said she was unsure how the county built up nearly 30,000 excessive vaccine doses in their inventory. Shelby County’s health department plans to use tens of thousands of viable surplus doses this week.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, Piercey said she had learned that some vaccines were withheld over the course of several weeks, which she called a “significant violation.”

“Stockpiling for a later phase is not authorized, and this action unnecessarily prohibited high-risk elderly individuals from receiving their fair share of this limited and life-saving resource,” she said. Problems with vaccine distribution had already arisen in Shelby County before disclosure of the wasted doses.

On at least one instance, people with appointments were turned away from vaccination sites after delays forced them to wait for hours for their shot. Those who missed their appointments were allowed to reschedule.

Complaints about appointment availability also have emerged.

Haushalter said she called a state health official to discuss the wasted

vaccines on Feb. 13, but she was unable to speak with anyone and left a message. Haushalter said she did not hear back from the state until Feb. 19, when the state began its investigation after her public statements about the wasted vaccines.

Dr. Bruce Randolph, the Shelby County Health Department’s chief health officer, said officials “regret deeply” that vaccines were wasted. Haushalter did not rule out resigning.

“I have made it my responsibility, and it is my responsibility, to be accountable for what has occurred,” she said during Wednesday’s news conference.

As a result of the wasted vaccines, Shelby County’s local health department will no longer be allowed to allocate the vaccine — a rare move by the state that has stressed the importance of local involvement in the vaccine rollout.

Instead, Memphis city officials, hospitals, clinics and other pharmacies throughout the county will handle the distribution. Meanwhile, the physical management of the vaccine will now be handled by hospital partners.

Gov. Lee demurred when asked when or if Shelby County would get authority to oversee the vaccine distribution. Instead, the Republican stressed that the state’s goal currently is to give out shots as fast as possible.

“What happens in the future will change with regards to the amount of vaccines we have and what the distribution process looks like moving forward,” Lee said. “Our job right now is to get the vaccine in the arms of Shelby County residents effectively.”

It’s unknown how many total vaccines have gone to waste in Tennessee since it first started distributing them to residents. The Health Department has not responded to multiple emails asking for an updated amount.

Delta Dental releases new children’s health educational materials

TSD Newsroom

In celebration of Children’s Dental Health Month, recognized annually in February, Delta Dental of Tennessee (Delta Dental) has released new educational materials for elementary schools through its “Water’s Cool @ School” initiative.

“Water’s Cool @ School” aims to encourage students to drink more water; Delta Dental recently awarded grants to 55 elementary schools across Tennessee to replace an existing water fountain with a contactless bottle filling station.

“Children’s Dental Health Month is an especially timely reminder this year of the importance of establishing good oral hygiene habits at a young age,” said Dr. Phil Wenk, CEO and president of Delta Dental of Tennessee.

“Since the start of the pandemic nearly a year ago, many schoolbased oral hygiene programs have

been limited or shut down altogether, and 40 percent of parents have not tried to get dental care for their child. This is very worrisome, as children with oral health problems are more likely to miss school and suffer academically.”

The educational materials, which are available online and at no cost to any elementary school, include activity sheets, sugar demonstrations, games, posters, and a video series developed in partnership with the Nashville Zoo. In the videos, Zoo animals Ube the kangaroo and Jake Quyllenhall, a porcupine, model their own good dental hygiene habits to encourage kids to take care of their own teeth.

The videos are each two minutes long to serve as a guide for how long children should be brushing their teeth, twice each day. Keeping up good habits at home, including brushing and flossing twice a day and limiting sugary beverages, is espe-

Biden taps Meharry Medical College president for COVID-19 task force

by Stacy M. Brown

Newswire

NNPA

Meharry Medical College President and CEO Dr. James Hildreth has been named by President Joe Biden as a member of his COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force.

Dr. Hildreth, the renowned immunologist and academic administrator and Meharry’s 12th president, sat on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration board that approved the first U.S. coronavirus vaccines.

“I am honored to be chosen by President Biden as a member of the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. We are facing one of the largest challenges in the history of our nation,” Dr. Hildreth wrote in a statement.

“COVID-19 has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, and if adequate steps are not taken, this number will continue to grow. As we have seen, COVID-19 does not discriminate, it does not respect borders, and it does not behave according to our timelines,” Dr. Hildreth added.

The COVID-19 death toll in the United States surpassed a staggering 500,000 on Monday — higher than any country’s total in the world.

Immediately following his Jan. 21 swearing-in, President Biden issued a national strategy for the COVID-19 response and pandemic preparedness.

“For the past year, we could not turn to the federal government for a national plan to answer prayers with action – until today,” President Biden stated.

He then issued a 200-page report outlining a national strategy to beat the pandemic. The President called it a comprehensive plan that starts with restoring public trust and mounting an aggressive, safe, and effective vaccination campaign.

“It continues with the steps we know that stop the spread like expanded masking, testing, and social distancing. It’s a plan where the federal government works with states, cities, Tribal communities, and private industry to increase supply and administer testing and the vaccines that will help reopen schools and businesses safely,” President Biden

remarked.

“Equity will also be central to our strategy so that the communities and people being disproportionately infected and killed by the pandemic receive the care they need and deserve.”

The President further noted that defeating the pandemic would take Congress providing the necessary funding, and families and neighbors continuing to look out for one another.

He said the country would need health care providers, businesses, civic, religious and civil rights organizations, and unions all rallying together in common purpose and with urgency, purpose, and resolve.

“We will need to reassert America’s leadership in the world in the fight against this and future public health threats,” President Biden asserted.

Dr. Hildreth noted that the virus has had the largest impact on communities of color, among Black and brown Americans with underlying health conditions.

“Without our immediate attention and a national, organized effort to fight this virus, we will be dealing with its impact for years to come,” Dr. Hildreth remarked.

“As the President of a historically Black medical school that was founded to eradicate health disparities between majority and minority communities, this work is a focus for me and my institution. I am committed to working with our national leadership to develop cohesive plans that will address these silent killers – illnesses like COVID-19 that impact our most vulnerable populations at alarming rates,” Dr. Hildreth stated further.

“We must address the pandemic together. I am confident that President Biden’s heightened focus on the pandemic will accelerate testing, treatment and vaccinations nationwide – proven strategies that will work to mitigate the virus and protect our people.

“I look forward to working with my esteemed colleagues on the Task Force to restore health, wellbeing and stability to all of America.”

(Follow Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent, @StacyBrownMedia. #NNPA BLACKPRESS)

cially important during longer gaps between visits to the dentist.

Over 50,000 toothbrushes will go home with Tennessee students this month through Delta Dental’s longstanding support for food banks and BackPack programs that provide weekend meals for children in food-insecure households.

Food banks have experienced unprecedented demand since the start of the pandemic.

While Marshall Molar, Delta Dental of Tennessee’s official Ambassador of Smiles, has largely been in quarantine during the pandemic, kids can visit with him anytime online via the Marshall Molar Kid’s Corner, home to additional children’s health activities and videos.

(To access the Water’s Cool @ School educational materials, visit https://bit.ly/3aOo0lp. For more information, go to DeltaDentalTN. com.)

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Dr. James E. K. Hildreth, president/CEO of Meharry Medical College in Nashville. (Courtesy photo)

Justise Winslow opens the book – finally – to his on-court career for the Grizzlies

by Najee El-Amin Special to The New Tri-State Defender

There is no definitive study on how many days an NBA player must go without playing before performance rust settles in.

However, conventional wisdom would suggest that the 380 days that passed from the time Memphis acquired Justise Winslow to his first real-game appearance would meet most any measurement for a rust alert.

After being acquired from the Miami Heat, a game-ready Winslow on Saturday night stepped onto the FedExForum court for the first time in a Memphis uniform. For the record, it was an evening on which

the Phoenix Suns crushed the Grizzlies 128-97.

Notwithstanding the disappointment of losing, the wide margin and the absence of fans because of COVID-19 safety protocols, Winslow’s return delivered get-yourfeet-wet satisfaction.

“It was a great day. I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time. … Just being out there competing was fun,” said Winslow.

“It’s been a hell of a journey. Tonight was just a glimpse of the iceberg, just getting my feet wet.”

After being on the shelf for so long, Winslow had noticeable rust to shake off. He missed nine straight shots before connecting on a three-pointer. His 21 minutes

of playing time yielded nine points (threeof-14 shooting) and seven rebounds.

And, the defensive-minded Winslow was able to slow down the Suns’ All-Star-caliber Devin Booker, who finished with a game-high 23 points and five assists.

A Houston native, Winslow was drafted in 2015 by Miami Heat and has been shaped into the ideal defensive stopper. At 6’6”, 222 pounds, he’s been able to keep up with many of the league’s best scorers.

That is when he has been able to compete. Winslow has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. He’s only gone under the knife once (to get a torn labrum repaired in 2017) but smaller injuries have taken a toll: sore left wrist (out 16 games),

knee strain in 2017 (14 games), a back injury in 2019, and most recently, a hip injury in 2020.

The Grizzlies (13-13) of late have shown the need for help on defense. Last week (Feb. 16), New Orleans blew out Memphis by 31 points (144-113).

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins says he will be patient as guard/forward Winslow works his way back into the lineup.

“I said before the game, I just want him to attack, go out there and compete and he just found his groove,” said Jenkins.

“He’s the ultimate pro, he’ll find his way. He’s just gotta work his way back into NBA shape. He will be back to normal Justise very, very soon.”

Tigers on track for return to action against Tulane

by Terry Davis Special to The New Tri-State

(Feb.

Memphis had won six of seven games and were trending in the right direction to make the NCAA tournament before they had to stop playing.

The Tigers missed five games, but more important, among the canceled games were road meetings at Wichita State and Houston, both considered quality opponents. The Tigers need to get more quality wins to boost their tournament chances.

Jayden Hardaway and Malcolm Dandridge were among the last two players to return to practice.

Head Coach Penny Hardaway said all players and coaches will be available when the team returns to the court on Wednesday (Feb. 24) to face the Tulane Green Wave at 7 p.m. at the FedExForum.

Because of announced postponed games this week, the door may be opened for the Tigers to play a game Friday (Feb. 26) against Wichita State.

If the Tigers were to schedule the game and win, it would be a great win for the program. First, it would

give the team a quality road win. Second, a win would put the Tigers in a position to capture the American regular-season championship.

This is the second pause the Tigers have had this season. The first break in their schedule was a 17-day hiatus because of issues at other teams’ programs in the conference. The difference there was the Tigers were able to practice and make improvements to their team.

“We are going to do it by numbers.

That is our strength, our numbers. We don’t have to play a lot of guys, a lot of minutes. We are going to have to do it by committee,” Hardaway said, regarding his team’s return.

“Before we went out, we were beginning to hit a grove,” Hardaway added. “All the guys were disappointed when COVID issues hit. They stayed close with Zoom, group texts and other things to stay engaged to what was going on.

“When they came back to practice. They were locked in and they are hungry.”

Memphis defeated Tulane (80-74) Dec. 16 in New Orleans. Since then, the Tigers have been playing better and the Green Wave has slipped a notch.

A limited number of tickets are available for home games, with social distancing safety guidelines in place.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.GoTigersGoTix.com or by calling 901-678-2331. Fans with existing season tickets or ticket packages can use their current tickets for upcoming games.

More information can be found at www.GoTigersGo.com

Memphis’ 66-59 victory over East Carolina on Feb. 6 was the last time Moussa Cisse and the Tigers’ tipped off before Wednesday’ night’s scheduled game against Tulane. Memphis won 61-46. (Photo: Terry Davis/TSD Archives)

Terry Davis