The New Tri-State Defender - April 15-21, 2021

COVID-19 UPDATE

New health directive outlines path forward

Buffets, dancing get OK nod

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Despite a significant rise in daily rates this week, the COVID-19 numbers are still encouraging and some restrictions will be eased, according to a Shelby County Health Department official.

“Last week, we enjoyed some pretty great daily case numbers in the 50s,” said Health Department Medical Director Dr. Bruce Randolph. “Monday (April 12), there were 196 new cases, and Tuesday’s (April 13) number was 148.

“When you consider that we just got through spring break and the Easter holiday, we are still in pretty good shape, in my opinion.”

The Health Department reported 148 new cases Wednesday and one new death.

Two other factors made officials appreciate this week’s numbers even more.

“When you consider that we not only are dealing with variants, but that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been placed on hold, these numbers are still very good,” Randolph said.

The B117 European strain is now the dominant strain in Shelby County. Mutation of the original virus occurs because the virus is trying to survive.

Randolph said a loosening of restrictions is in order, as long as “everyone continues to wear a mask in public, and keep hands clean.

“A new health directive will go

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Memphis’ homicide rate in 2020 peaked at a record 332 killings, the dizzying rate of gun violence has continued and three minor children are hospitalized from shootings this past Thursday.

“Too many of these senseless killings involve minors,” Pastor Bill Adkins said at a Friday afternoon press conference. “Little Jordan Washington, the grand-niece of one of my members, was shot and killed in her kitchen while she was helping her mother prepare dinner, struck by a stray bullet.

“Why are we not angry?”

Adkins, pastor of Greater Imani Cathedral of Faith in the Frayser community, spearheaded a press conference in front of the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, surrounded by other ministers of like senti-

into effect on Saturday, April 17.

Dancing will be allowed, both in doors and outside, but people must stay six feet apart from other dancers. Buffets can reopen and diners

may serve themselves, as long as they first use hand sanitizer.”

Festivals are a “go” as well.

Masking still is required with the new directive, as well as social dis-

tancing, and frequent washing or sanitizing of hands.

City of Memphis Chief Operating

ment. He noted that the 76 homicides recorded in 2021 included 63 murders. Isolating for those under 18, the homicide total includes six in that category.

Reading a statement, Adkins called for anger about the city’s murder rate and “righteous indignation” about “all of this killing.”

“Citizens are sleeping on their floors and in their bathtubs because they are afraid of all the gunfire,” Adkins said. “Our seniors can’t even walk to the store for a loaf of bread. People are falling asleep, not to the sound of raindrops hitting the roof, but the sound of gunfire.

“Why aren’t we angry?”

Adkins said people are being struck down by “wild west type shootings” on the streets and on the interstates.

by

Dr.

Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

For the longest time, I had no words. I sat staring at my laptop, a blank page staring back at me.

On Monday (April 12) evening, I was at The Healing Center, watching a smoothly running COVID-vaccination operation. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which only requires one shot – unlike the Moderna and Pfizer that require two shots – was being used.

Nearly 100 people had received their shot.

Tuesday morning (April 13), news broke that six serious cases of blood clotting resulted in women, who had received the J&J vaccine. One died as a result of the clotting complication.

Despite the fact that the J&J vaccine has been delivered to more than 6.8 million Americans without serious side effects, further use of the vaccine was halted by federal authorities “out of an abundance of caution.”

I took the vaccine on Dec. 14 when I entered a trial study of the J&J vaccine because I wanted to help; to be a part of a grand experiment to test a substance Janssen Pharmaceuticals had developed to combat a virus that was hitting the African-American community harder in so many places.

More African Americans were needed for the study. Signing up seemed a good idea at the time.

I still think it was the right decision.

A first-hand, inside look at a trial study would be useful in quelling fears about vaxing, I thought. Sure, there are risks. But serious illness from blood clots and death?

For that, I am sorry. I never imagined that.

The public acknowledgment of an investigation into the clotting cases has sparked fears that more cases of clotting could be forthcoming.

However, prior to that time J&J reported that a quality control process identified one batch of drug substance that did not meet quality standards at Emergent Biosolutions, a site representatives said had not yet been authorized to manufacture drug substance for the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. The

wounded

for aggravated assault.

Karen Rudolph, spokesperson for the Memphis Police Department, sounded an alarm last month, detailing

Decision to put J&J vaccine on hold stunning for trial participant

TSD freelance photographer Tyrone P. Easley gets his shot as Memphis Fire Department personnel administered COVID-19 vaccinations at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood, 620 Parkrose Ave., last Thursday (April 8). (Courtesy photo)

SEE COVID ON PAGE 2 SEE GUNS ON PAGE 2 SEE J&J ON PAGE 2

Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood is one of a number of churches in predominantly African-American communities that have served as a COVID-19 vaccination site. Memphis Fire Department personnel administered vaccines on behalf of the city last Thursday. (Tyrone P. Easley)

COVID

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Officer Doug McGowan said at Tuesday’s news conference that those who have taken the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should not worry.

Federal health officials “paused” the use of the J & J vaccine, following the launch of an investigation into why six women developed serious blot-clotting issues. One of the women died from the complication after receiving the vaccine.

“More than 17,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in Shelby County,” said McGowan. “There have been no reports that anyone experienced severe adverse side effects locally.”

As the new health directive takes effect, Randolph warned that Shelby Countians should not get complacent and stop taking the actions that continues to keep most people safe.

“Although, this new health directive will allow some relaxation of the rules, we must be diligent in wearing masks and using social distancing in public,” said Randolph. “We are encouraged by young people getting vaccinated, but our challenge is to compel more of them to do so.”

The Health Department’s Randolph called young people

GUNS

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

In a 24-hour period, seven people were killed by gun violence only weeks ago. It was the very same weekend that more than 500 people took to the streets to protest against gun violence in a “Stop The Violence” rally and march.

The delegation of pastors are angry, and said the “Black community” should be, too.

“Why aren’t we as angry about the shootings of little children in Memphis as we are about Breonna Taylor in Ken-

between the ages of 18-24 a “crucial demographic” because they tend to socialize more and may put vulnerable populations at risk without the vaccination.

“There is also a remote possibility of still contracting the virus after being vaccinated,” Randolph said. “If the vaccines are 95 percent effective, there is still that five percent which may get infected. We have had a very few cases of that happening.”

tucky,” Adkins said. “We become so angry about police brutality, and we should, but we should also be angry about the senseless murder, the homicides and the stray bullets that fly in our community, striking people down.”

Adkins referenced the Bible to urge “righteous indignation” and a “holy anger against this sin.”

“We must be angry enough to speak out,” Adkins said. “We must be willing to testify, to turn people in. It’s not snitching, it’s saving. We must be willing to rid our commu-

Although the Johnson & Johnson, one-shot vaccine cannot be used at this time, there is still plenty of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses available. Randolph said there is especially a large quantity of the Pfizer substance.

According to the Shelby County Health Department website, overall numbers show that African Americans account for 56 percent of the reported COVID cases, while

nity of the culture of violence that has taken hold.”

The solution is multi-faceted, according to Adkins. He said the “African-American community must first acknowledge that we have a problem.”

“What are we going to do?

Adkins asked. “We have been guilty of silence, we have been guilty of acceptance of the crime that is in our midst. We must take action. We need summer jobs for these young people. We’ve got to help the parents. We’ve got to teach the parents how to be good par-

31 percent are Caucasian. “Other” accounts for the remaining 13 percent.

The number of Shelby Countians who have been fully vaccinated is 149,994. Those who have received their first shot total 266,298.

There have been 92,725 total cases in the county since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 90,000 are now inactive or recovered, and 1,585 people have died.

J&J

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

batch was never advanced to the filling and finishing stages of the manufacturing process.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said the millions already vaccinated without complications attests that the issue is not the vaccine’s efficacy. Also, he said clinical trials prove it is highly efficacious.

“What we’re talking about now has nothing to do with the efficacy of the vaccine,” Fauci said.

Officials are still looking for answers. Is there a bad batch mixed in with the increased production and shipment that went out last week? All six clotting victims were women. Is that significant? But how?

If more cases surface, they are expected to most probably be women between the ages of 18-18, vaccinated between 6-13 days ago.

Fauci called the clotting effect “rare – only one in more than a million.”

But it occurs to me that for the family who lost a loved one, the complication’s rarity is irrelevant. What is the cause? An “aberrant immune response,” officials said.

I am so sorry these precious women suffered. And a fatality…perhaps someone’s moth-

“We must be angry enough to speak out. We must be willing to testify, to turn people in. It’s not snitching, it’s saving. We must be willing to rid our community of the culture of violence that has taken hold.”

— Pastor Bill Adkins

ents and how to be responsible for their children.”

Adkins, who said he is asking churches to get involved, also said, “We need town hall meetings and honest discussion, more community policing, more police substations, and more sub-substations.”

Declaring that he doesn’t have all the answers, Adkins said he is “willing to work with anyone that does.” He called “crazy” recently passed legislation allowing more people to carry guns.

As Memphis works through the process of selecting a new

er or sister.

What a consequence from a medical treatment that is supposed to protect us. Really, hard to speak of it.

It seems that we’re all in the same human family and our choices globally are to not be vaccinated and chance catching COVID-19 with severe illness or death.

Or, we can trust the science, although imperfect, to devise the best solutions for our consumption.

I pray there are no more casualties, no more deaths from a vaccine.

I pray for herd immunity by Labor Day. I pray for hugs from our children and kisses from our elderly parents.

I pray for the joy of some former things, pre-COVID – like trips to a water park, traveling to see sorely missed loved ones and eating freely inside our favorite restaurants.

I pray for businesses that have lost financial footing; that they may find new life.

I pray for our children returning to school and enjoying all the games and activities that make their experiences growing up so memorable.

I pray for families who had to leave a loved one in the cemetery for any reason during this pandemic.

Most of all, I pray for hope and I pray for more love. And, I give thanks every day for a God who hears us.

police chief, Adkins said the choice is going to be critical to reducing gun violence.

“The new police chief is going to have to be half sociologist and half police officer,” said Adkins. “He or she is going to have to be someone who cares, someone who understands, someone who is willing to lead and change police tactics for the 21st century.”

Adkins, who sits on the commission presently screening viable candidates for police chief, said he has seen a “couple of promising candidates,” but declined to elaborate further.

Elizabeth Hardiman received her one-shot, Johnson & Johnson vaccine at The Healing Center Monday evening. Tuesday morning, the vaccine was “paused” as reports of serious blood-clotting was reported in six women. (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)

Plaza Pharmacy representatives administered COVID-19 vaccines last Saturday (April 10) at St. Mark Baptist Church, 940 South Lauderdale, where the Rev. Marvin Mims is pastor. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Minnesota cop will be charged in shooting of Black motorist

by Scott Bauer and Mike Householder

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) – A prosecutor said Wednesday that he will charge a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.

The charge against former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter will be filed Wednesday, three days after Wright was killed during a traffic stop and as the nearby murder trial progresses for the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd last May, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said.

The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said that Potter, a 26-year veteran and training officer, intended to use her Taser on Wright but fired her handgun instead. However, protesters and Wright’s family members say there’s no excuse for the shooting and it shows how the justice system is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for expired car registration and ended up dead.

Intent isn’t a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge – which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison – can be applied in circumstances where a person is suspected of causing a death by “culpable negligence” that creates an unreasonable risk or consciously takes chances to cause the death of a person.

Asked how he arrived at the charging decision, Orput said: “I think it’ll be evident when you read the complaint,” which was not yet available.

Potter, 48, was arrested Wednesday morning at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul. Her attorney did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.

Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned Tuesday.

Concrete barricades and tall metal fencing had been set up around Potter’s home in Champlin, north of Brooklyn Center, with police cars guarding the driveway. After Floyd’s death last year, protesters demonstrated several times at the home of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer now on trial in Floyd’s death.

Police say Wright was pulled over for expired tags on Sunday, but they sought to arrest him after discovering he

had an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Body camera video that

Gannon released Monday shows Potter approaching Wright as he stands outside of his car as another officer is arresting him.

As Wright struggles with police, Potter shouts, “I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” before firing a single shot from her handgun.

Wright family attorney Ben Crump said the family appreciates the criminal case, but he again disputed that the shooting was accidental, arguing that an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun.

“Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant,” he said.

Experts say cases of officers mistakenly firing their gun instead of a Taser are rare, usually less than once a year nationwide.

Transit officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison after responding to a fight at a train station in Oakland, California, killing 22-year-old Oscar Grant in 2009. Mehserle testified at trial that he mistakenly pulled his .40-caliber handgun instead of his stun gun.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a white volunteer sheriff’s deputy, Robert Bates, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter after accidentally firing his handgun when he meant to deploy his stun gun on Eric Harris, a Black man who was being held down by other officers in 2015.

Potter was an instructor with the Brooklyn Center police, according to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. She was training two other officers when they stopped Wright, the association’s leader, Bill Peters, told the Star Tribune

In her one-paragraph letter of resignation, Potter said, “I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best

Expert blames George Floyd’s death on heart rhythm problem

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) –George Floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm problem due to his heart disease while being restrained by police, a retired forensic pathologist testified for the defense Wednesday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, contradicting experts who said Floyd succumbed to a lack of oxygen from the way he was pinned down.

Dr. David Fowler, a former chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland and now a member of a consulting firm, said the fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyd’s system, and possible carbon monoxide poisoning from auto exhaust, were contributing factors.

of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately.”

Brooklyn Center Mayor

Mike Elliott said Tuesday that he hoped Potter’s resignation would “bring some calm to the community,” but that he would keep working toward “full accountability under the law.”

Police and protesters faced off again after nightfall Tuesday, with hundreds of demonstrators once more gathering at Brooklyn Center’s heavily guarded police headquarters, now ringed by concrete barriers and a tall metal fence, and where police in riot gear and National Guard soldiers stood watch.

About 90 minutes before a 10 p.m. curfew, state police announced over a loudspeaker that the gathering had been declared unlawful and ordered the crowds to disperse. That set off confrontations, with protesters launching fireworks toward the station and throwing objects at officers, who launched flashbangs and gas grenades, then marched in a line to force back the crowd.

State police said the dispersal order came before the curfew because protesters were trying to take down the fencing and throwing rocks at police. The number of protesters plummeted over the next hour, until only a few remained. Police also ordered all media to leave.

Brooklyn Center, a suburb just north of Minneapolis, has seen its racial demographics shift dramatically in recent years. In 2000, more than 70 percent of the city was white. Today, a majority of residents are Black, Asian or Hispanic.

Elliott said Tuesday that he didn’t have at hand information on the police force’s racial diversity but that “we have very few people of color in our department.”

Nelson questioned Fowler extensively about carbon monoxide, which displaces oxygen in the bloodstream of people who breathe it in. Fowler said it could have contributed to oxygen depletion in Floyd, noting that he was facing the tailpipe end of a vehicle. But there is no way to know for sure because, he acknowledged, Floyd’s blood was never tested for carbon monoxide.

Nelson similarly tried to introduce another possible explanation on Tuesday when he raised questions about excited delirium, or what a witness described as a potentially lethal condition that can include agitation, incoherent speech and extraordinary strength.

“All of those combined to cause Mr. Floyd’s death,” he said on the second day of the defense case. He also testified that he would classify the manner of death “undetermined,” rather than homicide as the county’s chief medical examiner ruled. Fowler said the death had too many conflicting factors, some of which could be ruled homicide and some that could be considered accidental.

Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson is trying to prove that the 19-year Minneapolis police veteran did what he was trained to do and that Floyd died because of his illegal drug use and underlying health problems.

Prosecutors say Floyd died because Chauvin’s knee was pressed against Floyd’s neck or neck area for 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man lay pinned to the pavement on his stomach last May, his hands cuffed behind his back.

Fowler listed a multitude of factors: Floyd’s narrowed arteries, his enlarged heart, his high blood pressure, his drug use, the stress of his restraint, the vehicle exhaust, and a tumor or growth in his lower abdomen that can sometimes play a role in high blood pressure by releasing “fight-or-flight” hormones.

Fowler said all of those factors could have acted together to cause Floyd’s heart to work harder and suddenly stop.

Previous witnesses have noted that a sudden heart rhythm problem does not necessarily produce visible signs on autopsy but can be inferred from circumstances such as a victim suddenly clutching one’s chest and collapsing.

Several top Minneapolis police officials, including the police chief, have testified that Chauvin used excessive force and violated his training. And a number of medical experts called by prosecutors have said Floyd died from a lack of oxygen because the way he was restrained restricted his breathing.

Fowler said the prone position alone does not affect a person’s ability to breathe -- testimony that contradicts other witnesses who said the position Floyd was in was inherently dangerous. He also testified that Chauvin’s knee was not applied with enough pressure to cause any bruises or scrapes on Floyd’s neck or back. He further said that Chauvin’s knee on Floyd was “nowhere close to his airway” and that Floyd’s speaking and groaning showed that his airway was still open.

And he said that Floyd did not complain of visual changes or other symptoms consistent with hypoxia, or insufficient oxygen to the brain, and that he was coherent until shortly before he suddenly stopped moving.

“The bottom line is, moving air in and out, and speaking and making noise is very good evidence that the airway was not closed,” Fowler said. Fowler handled a case similar to Floyd’s in Maryland in 2018, when a 19-yearold Black man, Anton Black, died after three officers and a civilian pinned him for more than five minutes as they handcuffed him and shackled his legs.

The family brought a federal lawsuit that included Fowler, whose autopsy concluded that the stress of the struggle probably contributed

to Black’s death but found no evidence that restraint directly caused it. It also found no evidence of asphyxia, or a lack of oxygen.

Chauvin, a 45-year-old white man, is on trial on charges of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death after his arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 at a neighborhood market. The video of him as he gasped that he couldn’t breathe touched off worldwide protests, violence and a furious examination of racism and policing in the U.S.

The defense hasn’t said whether Chauvin will take the stand.

Testifying could open him up to devastating cross-examination, with prosecutors replaying the video and forcing Chauvin, one freezeframe moment at a time, to explain why he kept pressing down on Floyd.

But taking the stand could also give the jury the opportunity to see and hear any remorse or sympathy Chauvin might feel. He would be able to take off the COVID-19 mask that he has to wear while seated at the defense table.

The only time Chauvin has been heard publicly defending himself was when the jury listened to body-camera footage from the scene. After an ambulance had taken Floyd away, Chauvin told a bystander: “We gotta control this guy ’cause he’s a sizable guy ... and it looks like he’s probably on something.”

Earlier Wednesday, Judge Peter Cahill turned down a defense request to acquit Chauvin, rejecting claims that prosecutors failed to prove Chauvin’s actions killed Floyd. Requests for an acquittal are routinely made midway through a trial and are usually denied.

The defense began its case on Tuesday with Nelson going straight to the question at the center of the trial –whether Chauvin’s actions were reasonable.

Police officers are allowed certain latitude to use force. Legal experts say a key issue for the jury will be whether the officer’s actions were reasonable in those specific circumstances.

A use-of-force expert for the defense, Barry Brodd, a former Santa Rosa, California, police officer, testified Tuesday that Chauvin was justified in keeping Floyd pinned to the pavement, saying Floyd kept on struggling.

Daunte Wright and his son Daunte Jr., at his first birthday party. (Photo: Ben Crump Law, PLLC. via AP)

Kim Potter

Angie Golson, grandmother of Daunte Wright, cries as she speaks during a news conference outside the Hennepin County Government Center, Tuesday, April 13, 2021, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Revisiting the 1619 Project

by Curtis Weathers

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Something remarkable occurred in American journalism on August 20, 2019.

Civil rights journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, in collaboration with the New York Times, dropped an incredible piece of journalism in the laps of the American public that continues to this very day to enlighten readers and make waves at the same time.

Nikole Hannah-Jones and her colleagues introduced to America, “The 1619 Project.”

The goal of the 1619 Project is to reframe American history by considering what it would mean to establish 1619 as our nation’s birth year as opposed to 1776 and place the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

The inaugural launch of Hannah-Jones’ New York Times publication purposely coincided with the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the Virginia colony in August of 1619.

I must admit, I completely missed the Project’s debut almost two years ago in August of 2019. I am still trying to figure out what exactly I was doing when this story dropped across America.

The New TSD, of course, was on it from the start. But we have found each other, and I am glad of it.

While controversial, the 1619 Project has proven to be a remarkable piece of work.

At the center of the controversy is the assertion by Hanna-Jones that the primary reason the colonists decided to declare their independence from Britain was because they wanted to protect the institution of slavery.

In other words, she implies that the defense of slavery was, in fact, the true impetus of the Revolutionary War.

At the beginning of the New York Times 1619 Project publication, Hanna-Jones’ essay does an excellent job of framing her narrative as to why the institution of chattel slavery had to be preserved and how it conflicts with those iconic words written in our Declaration of Independence.

You remember: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Her essay was recognized and celebrated with a Pulitzer Prize as the top commentary of 2019. Some acknowledged it as one of the most important essays ever.

The 1619 Project was not intended to be some sort of grievance platform by which Black America can use to feel better about themselves. Its purpose, however, is to remind us and provide critical context to the struggles Black Americans face in today’s society so that we can work together to find solutions based on truth, not lies.

If nothing else, the 1619 Project encourages us to examine the nuances and complexities of slavery and how it contributes to this grand experiment called democracy, regardless of how tragic and deplorable that reality is.

Of course, you can imagine the 1619 Project did not sit well with certain people, including the recent former president of the United States.

These people, on cue, immediately framed the Project as an extensive propaganda campaign, a conspiracy no less to deprive “true Americans” of their birthright.

One critic, Ilya Shapiro (right-wing conservative), wrote, “Writing about history is great, but a project intended to delegitimize mankind’s grandest experiment in human liberty and self-governance is divisive.”

For those people (and there are many), the topic of slavery in any context continues to be, as Abraham Lincoln once proclaimed, “…a worrisome presence in our democracy.”

Yep, he said that! There is so much to learn from the material included in this Project. The impact on our economy, our health care system, schools and many other social constructs that continue to be impacted by the remnants of institutional slavery.

As the Atlantic Magazine’s Adam Serwer wrote, “U.S. history is often taught and popularly understood through the eyes of its great men, who are seen as either heroic or tragic figures in a global struggle for human freedom. The 1619 Project… sought to place ‘the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.’ Viewed from the perspective of those historically denied the rights enumerated in America’s founding documents, the story of the country’s great men necessarily looks vastly different.”

In other words, this body of work forces America to confront the contradictions of its own lofty ideals of a democratic society.

I still wonder on occasion why we’re still fighting — so viciously at times — racism in this country.

The 1619 Project reminds me of how racism, in multiple ways, has been baked into our DNA as a nation. But it also makes it abundantly clear that Black people are the forces by which this nation has realized its own lofty ideals about freedom and human dignity.

Someone (a black person) once said, “Black people have seen the worst of America, yet, somehow, we still believe in its best.”

This nation has always been an experiment of various sorts, democracy and diversity included, and as such, it will continue to be fraught with imperfections.

But while 1776 is an important year in our nation’s history, 1619 has significant cachet as well and needs to be woven into the narrative of our nation in a much more substantial way.

It has been almost two years since the 1619 Project was first introduced to the American public.

I encourage everyone to read and listen to this material. It will provide both questions and answers to some of our most perplexing issues about race.

But that is as it should be, isn’t it?

Stay safe everyone!

(Follow TSD education columnist Curtis Weathers on Twitter (@curtisweathers); email: curtislweathers@gmail.com.)

Nikole Hannah-Jones

A 1901 illustration of the landing of the first Africans in Virginia. The White Lion is seen anchored in the background. (Photo: United States Library of Congress)

Curtis Weathers

For Black Memphians to be well, to thrive, and be joyful, we must look to the past and gather knowledge we once had to transform our communities. Looking back we see that even when locked out of participating in the American dream, we used our radical imaginations and cooperation to build co-ops that allowed us to gather resources and benefit our communities.

In This Place, There Is Restoration

Part III

by Anasa Troutman

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Phase 2 of the restoration of Historic Clayborn Temple is underway and we are all excited as this part of our collective visioning comes into being.

Yet, it is so much more than the restoration of a building. It is a reclaiming of this building, this sacred place and of this neighborhood.

Once thriving and bustling with daily life at the turn of the 20th century, this neighborhood was blooming with the promise of being the model of economic restoration for Black Americans after the Civil War.

The South’s first Black millionaire, Robert Reed Church, Sr., born into slavery in 1839, became a wealthy businessman and real estate developer in Memphis.

The bank he founded with his partners provided loans to Black Memphians to buy homes and start their own businesses.

I remember when I learned that the neighborhoods surrounding Historic Clayborn Temple were home to both Black and White residents, small businesses and churches.

I remember when I learned that these properties, then held by Robert Church, Jr., were seized by the city under the direction of Mayor E. H. “Boss” Crump. And Church had no recourse.

This act didn’t just strip one Black man of his wealth and influence, it led to an entire 46-acre neighborhood being stripped of their community.

Properties were seized by the city using federal funds from the New Deal for “slum clearance.” But this neighborhood was far from a slum. This neighborhood was full of middleclass-single-family homes, including the family home of influential Black Memphians such as Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks and Reverend T.O.

AT A GLANCE:

In This Place, There Is... – A threepart series intended to educate and frame our interconnectedness as Memphians and humans and inform the public on the work being done at Historic Clayborn Temple.

Part I: In This Place, There Is Wellness – Why cultural wellness is the cornerstone of the vision and foundation from which Historic Clayborn Temple works to restore the city.

Part II: In This Place, There Is Cooperation – Cooperatives as a business model. Past examples, the resiliency of present-day co-ops and the future.

Part III: In This Place, There is Restoration – Restorative Economics as a model to build a society that works for all of us.

Fuller, who lost his home, the school he was principal of, one of the only schools Black children could attend past grammar school, and his church.

The homes of 16 White and 428 Black families were seized by the Memphis Housing Authority to build public housing. This was an intentional destruction of an economically diverse Black community and a burgeoning racially mixed neighborhood.

The loss of homes, jobs, educational opportunities and community led directly to the living and working conditions that the Memphis sanitation workers were organizing to fight against at Historic Clayborn Temple in 1968.

I choose to see 1968 as the start of a 100- year social change movement. The Memphis sanitation workers were light-bearers. They shone lights on the intolerable and inhumane conditions they were subjected to.

Their fight didn’t end, it continues to this day and the light shining on how inequality wounds individuals, families, communities, entire cities such as Memphis, the nation, and our world is more clearly seen than ever before.

What do we have to do for the next 50 years to make sure that light transforms us?

How do we become more caring, open hearted, and just humans?

How do we restore our communities?

Restoration means to restore something to its former condition. It also means to mend. We cannot measure the amount of harm done since the very first Black person came to Memphis. Everyone in Memphis has wounds from the inhumane, cruel and unjust treatment of Black and brown people on our soil. It is time to tend to and mend our wounds.

How do we mend these wounds?

Our first step is to recognize and acknowledge that there are wounds. Historic Clayborn Temple is calling people in as a safe space for hard conversations. These conversations must be open-hearted truth-telling so that we may tend our wounds together.

We must all make a shared commitment to become a society that loves each other in action.

How does loving each other in action mend these wounds?

Our second step is to have expectations that love is expressed by providing every human more than the bare minimum of resources for survival.

We must provide an opportunity for everyone to experience wellness, to thrive and lead joyful lives.

We must ensure everyone’s participation in our community and benefit from our shared resources.

We must no longer exclude anyone, regardless of race, class, ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, or any characteristic that allows us to see another human as “other.”

We are interconnected and for Memphis to win, everyone must be included, especially those who have been intentionally and catastrophically excluded.

How does expanding our expectations of what a society committed to loving each other heal our wounds?

Our expectations create accountability. At this moment, too many Memphians feel powerless to heal the wounds that we see every day in our city.

This powerlessness allows for no accountability for the few that hold the power to con-

tinue and implement inequitable practices, policies and systems that wound many of us.

For all of us to be well, to thrive, and to be joyful, we must heal the wounds that injustice leaves on us, both the direct impact on Black and brown Memphians, ad on all Memphians’ souls.

The mending of the cultural and societal wounds of Memphis is needed and important. However, waiting for this healing to occur is no longer an option. Black Memphians have been crying out for equality and justice for too long. The time has come for transformation by new means, what Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of PolicyLink, calls radical imagination.

For Black Memphians to be well, to thrive, and be joyful, we must look to the past and gather knowledge we once had to transform our communities.

Looking back, we see that even when locked out of participating in the American dream, we used our radical imaginations and cooperation to build co-ops that allowed us to gather resources and benefit our communities.

Looking forward, we see the model of Restorative Economics, healing our own communities by sharing resources, ideas, and radically reimagining prosperity that benefits all.

Black Memphians’ radical imagination built a well, thriving, and joyful community with economic promise more than 100 years ago, and it is time to do it again.

We look to transform the future of the Historic Clayborn Temple and other disinvested Memphis neighborhoods by launching the Community Leadership Council.

This community led council will learn about and engage in creating cooperatives based on the principles of restorative economics, an economic model that does not take from labor and resources from communities without giving anything back, to one that is led by and for the betterment of the community as decided by those living there.

In This Place There Is Restoration.

Together we learn, share, laugh, play, and build our community so that everyone thrives.

(For more information on In This Place, to nominate someone, or to apply to participate in the Community Leadership Council by visiting In This Place at Historic Clayborn Temple.)

Anasa Troutman

Legacy: The Rev. J.C. Bachus

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Long-time pastor of St. Mark Baptist Church-Lauderdale, the Rev. J.C. Bachus Sr., died surrounded by loved ones and close friends on Tuesday morning. He was 81.

Johnny Clarence Bachus was born in Hernando, Mississippi on Dec. 16, 1939 to Eddie and Leona Bachus. He was one of 14 children.

After graduating from Hernando High School, Bachus moved to Memphis and attended LeMoyne-Owen College. He also attended W. Herbert Brewster Theological Seminary and School of Religion. During his years of ministry, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Tennessee School of Religion.

Having publicly acknowledged a call to the ministry at an early age, Bachus became pastor of St. Mark in 1966. In October of 2019, he appointed his son-in-law, the Rev. Marvin Mims, pastor and went into retirement. He had faithfully served his church for 53 years, said Mims.

“I was discharged from the military in 1983,” said Mims. “That same year I joined the church and have been there since that time. He worked tirelessly for more than 50 years. Pastor Bachus was turning 80 that year, and he felt it was time to retire.”

Bachus was an energetic church

leader who came to St. Mark when the total membership was barely 30. By the time of his retirement, the congregation had grown to more than 600 members.

He felt that the church should be involved in the life of its community. St. Mark established a mentoring program for young African-American boys and girls under-served communities.

Other outreach programs were started to help meet the practical needs of North Memphis residents, including meals and care packages.

In 1976, Bachus began building to fulfill his vision for a new sanctuary to accommodate the growing congregation. In 1986, the mortgage was burned. Bachus had succeeded in stretching the church’s resources, transforming the small building into a million-dollar sanctuary.

In 1988, a multi-purpose building and gymnasium was constructed on the campus to expand the church’s ability to address the needs of families. Sports, recreation, and community service programs were operated in this new structure.

On Nov. 6, 2019, the Memphis City Council honored Bachus with an honorary street name change on South Lauderdale Street. The resolution was sponsored by Councilwomen Patrice Robinson and Janice Fullilove.

Bachus loved running revivals and

RELIGION

conducted numerous ones locally and across the country. In one year, he traveled extensively, preaching a total of 21 revivals.

Bachus is survived by his wife of 60 years, John Ella Bachus.

“My husband was a wonderful man,” said Mrs. Bachus. “I loved his ministry. I loved the way he preached because you could follow his preaching. He was down-to- earth, very inspiring and spiritually uplifting. And boy, when he sang, it would make

Keeping good company...

you get out of your seat and shout ‘Hallelujah!’” Bachus was a prolific songwriter, producing a choir album in 1979. Bachus also leaves five children: Johnnie Ruth Griggs, Patrick Bachus, Anita Mims, the Rev. Rodney Bachus and Timothy Bachus; three siblings: Lucille Huggins Smith of Memphis, Herman Bachus of Decatur, Illinoi, and Pastor C.L. Bachus of Kansas City, Kansas; 12 grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Final services include: visitation on April 22 from noon to 5 p.m., a public memorial service set for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The homegoing service is scheduled for April 23 beginning at 10 a.m.

The location for all services is St. Mark Baptist Church, 940 S. Lauderdale St. Masking and social distancing measures will be strictly enforced.

Joe Ford Funeral Home has charge.

A sign of honor...

Pastor Uliasea Little Jr. is pictured with wife, Minerva Little, after the unveiling of sign indicating the renaming of a portion of Mickey Drive in his honor. Little is pastor of Christ Baptist Church in the Whitehaven community. (Photo by Tyrone Easley)

Pastor Emeritus Ed Parker Jr. celebrated his 83rd birthday in the company of long-time members of Berean Missionary Baptist Church. (Photo by Tyrone Easley)

The Rev. J.C. Bachus and his wife of 60 years, John Ella Bachus, at St. Mark. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

‘Outside the Lorraine’ –a ‘love-letter’ to guests

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

From all over the world, they come to the National Civil Rights Museum in Downtown Memphis – pilgrims in search of truth, confrontation, reconciliation, peace, empowerment and to touch, firsthand, “the Black Experience” in America.

“This particular exhibit is a very special exhibit,” said Chief Marketing & External Affairs Officer Faith Morris. “‘Outside the Lorraine’ is a love letter to all our guests who have visited the museum over the years. I have seen so many people I know in these pictures. We think everyone will enjoy this exhibit.”

A Friday (April 9) morning news conference introduced “Outside the Lorraine: A Photographic Journey to a Sacred Place” to news photographers and reporters on the eve of its official opening. The exhibit is a year-long affair, running from April 10, 2021 to April 4, 2022.

The photographer, David Katzenstein, visited the museum with his family in 2017. After exiting the building, he was struck by the pageantry occurring in the courtyard. Children, seniors, teens, college students. Katzenstein took out his camera and began to capture the drama and artistry of people either preparing to enter or exiting the museum.

Katzenstein is so excited about what story the photos captured that he reached out to exhibit designer and curator, Gay Feldman. They both spoke to the gathering before leading attendees on an actual tour of “Outside the Lorraine.”

“In the context of this present moment, with COVID-19 and the ‘woke’ movement of conscientious rejection of racism, the exhibit tells a collective story of harmonious diversity and humanity,” said Katzenstein. “Visitors will see people just like them. There is a wonderful message of inclusion as people gather in the courtyard.”

In more than 90 photos, Katzenstein captures the spectacle of reflection and emotion of museum visitors in the courtyard.

Some stare in wonder at the balcony of room 306, as if they were reliving the last moments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s chatting with friends before the fatal shots rang out.

People of every hue, women in hijabs, young African-American men sitting down along the curb, groups of school children “cheesing” for the shot, church groups sharing the experience –they all share the sacred space of the museum’s venerate courtyard.

“The exhibit offers the rare opportunity for our visitors to see themselves reflected in the artwork of one of our exhibitions,” said Dr. Noelle Trent, the director of Interpretation. ‘Outside the Lorraine’ is a ‘thank you’ to our visitors who have lovingly supported the museum over the last 30 years and emphasizes the beautiful array of humanity that energizes the courtyard and museum.”

Some of the subjects stare directly into Katzenstein’s lens. Others seem unaware that they are filling a photographer’s frame with a portrait or artistic creation of themselves.

There are many striking images that fuel the imagination and lead observers to wonder what the subject is thinking.

“African-American history is American

history,” said Trent. “A precious moment in time is captured of family reunions, school trips and enrichment. Some look up at room 306, and they are hurt.

“Many are reflective as they walk through the courtyard. Whether they have already been inside the museum, or they have already toured and are just not ready to leave yet, there is a great humanness and color to the photos. They tell a story, and they raise some questions.”

There are striking and extraordinary scenes. One of the most arresting images is a group of elderly Asians. One of the women has a look of amazement with a hand pressed to her cheek. Is she, perhaps, remembering some tragedy of her own as she stands in the courtyard where Dr. King was struck down?

And then, there is the crowning jewel — a photo in the courtyard during the 50th anniversary commemoration of Dr. King’s

April 4, 1968 assassination.

Thousands are packed into the preCOVID event featuring inspirational choirs and memorable speeches. The photo is taken just after the bell tolls at the exact moment the civil rights leader was shot down.

Former soul singer and present-day pastor, Rev. Al Green sings Dr. King’s favorite hymn, “Precious Lord.” That is the program’s appointed end.

Some start to leave, but Green isn’t quite ready to go. Pandemonium ensues when Green leans into the mike and croons the first words to his iconic hit, “Love and happiness, something that’ll make you do wrong, make you do right.”

The stage is rushed by people running back over to the courtyard for a program that is clearly not over, yet.

Morris remembers that the next phase of the commemoration was starting in only two minutes, but the participants were lost in that happy crowd.

Since the museum opened in 1991, millions from around the globe have come. Scores of iconic celebrities, human rights activists, others have been honored. More than 90,000 school groups visit annually.

“The National Civil Rights Museum continues to be a mecca for peacemakers,” said Morris. “This exhibition of visitors photographed in the courtyard makes the museum, all the more, a place of memory, connection, and hope as we mark our 30th anniversary.”

Dr. Noelle Trent, the NCRM’s director of Interpretation, said the “Outside the Lorraine” exhibit “offers the rare opportunity for our visitors to see themselves reflected in the artwork of one of our exhibitions.” (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)

Faith Morris David Katzenstein

“Outside the Lorraine” (Photo: David Katzenstein)

Gay Feldman talks about the “Outside the Lorraine” exhibit during a media debut last Friday (April 9). (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)

“Outside the Lorraine” (Photo: David Katzenstein)

COMMUNITY

The New Tri-State Defender, April 15 - 21, 2021, Page 8

Extensions granted for health services contract for county jails

by James Coleman

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The business relationship between Shelby County and healthcare provider Wellpath remains on life support after the Shelby County Board of Commissioners gave the OK to a pair of extensions to provide services to the county’s jail, correction center and juvenile court detention.

Commissioners approved the extensions during their Monday (April 12) meeting.

Wellpath has contracted with the county since 2013. The most recent agreement expired on June 30, 2018

followed by a series of extensions.

The 12-month extension for the jail and corrections center costs $19.7 million. The six-month extension for juvenile court detention runs $903,808. To date, the county has shelled out to the $161.1 million to the Nashville-based provider.

Commissioner Tami Sawyer bemoaned that “we are into another extension that will take us into December of this year, leading it to last nine months past this body’s tenure. I really urge folks who are in charge of this to figure it out.”

Item sponsor Van Turner Jr. said, “Hopefully, we can hunker down and do what we are charged to do ”

Commitment to Literacy...

As part of its

Memphis Branch NAACP, partners

detail Uplift Our Community grants

TSD Newsroom

For the third consecutive year and amid an enhanced need, Kroger, the Memphis Branch of the NAACP, the Kroger Stores-Delta Division and The New Tri-State Defender are teaming up to provide Uplift Our Community grants for local nonprofits.

“We are so appreciative to once again be giving grants out to the community said,” attorney Van Turner Jr., president of the Memphis BranchNAACP, during a press announcement last Thursday (April 8). “This is an effort that really has been a joy for us partnering with Kroger and partnering with The New Tri-State Defender.

“We’re trying to assist the community in whichever we can. We know this has been a tough year. These grants are really, I think, going to help great organizations in our community.”

Vickie Terry, Memphis BranchNAACP executive director, said almost $100,000 has been distributed through the Uplift Our Community grants.

“We want to continue to be the umbrella here in the community where we are covering our citizens, our organizations. We want to work with them. We want to be here to help them do some of the things that they want to do for the community,” Terry said The grants are designed to help Memphis communities be strengthened and improved by the efforts of nonprofit organizations. They are concentrated on three particular areas: improving the community, decreasing blight and decreasing crime.

Terry said applicants must have 501 C 3 status. Applications are available online at www.naacpmemphis. org. Completed applications can be

dropped off at NAACP headquarters at 588 Vance Ave. (38126) or mailed

Applications are due by May 7, with recipients announced on May 28. The maximum grant amount is $10,000.

“If you have a 501 C 3, please don’t hesitate to apply,” said Terry. “Some have applied two years in row and you still can apply three years in a row.”

The Kroger representative was not available for the grant announcement.

Teresa Dickerson, community affairs manager for Kroger Delta Division, has said partnering with the NAACP and The New Tri-State Defender is an ongoing effort to always be a good corporate citizen.

Karanja A. Ajanaku, associate publisher/executive editor of The New Tri-State Defender, said the community grants are about caring.

“When I think about community grants I think about stimulus, I think about caring, I think of continuity and growth,” Ajanaku said.

“The grants help stimulate activity that already is going on. It’s a reflection that these groups are already caring and that the NAACP is interested in helping them go forth and The New Tri-State Defender also.”

As for continuity, it’s important to keep things going, Ajanaku said.

“During the pandemic it is easy to let go of things that you should be doing. Those groups that have kept it going, these grants will help them keep going. Each group touches so many others. It’s an exponential thing going on here.”

Growth, he said, is possible “even in these difficult times. It’s possible to get better. These grants will go a long way in helping with growth.”

One of the reasons the last round of long-term contract negotiations fell apart in 2018 was the lack of contracts to minority or women-owned businesses (MWOB) awarded locally by Wellpath. Competitor Corizon – the county’s provider prior to Wellpath’s tenure – offered a bid that included $40 million over five years to MWOB.

Wellpath subsequently accused the commission of rescinding an agreed to contract as well as improper negotiations with another entity. A lawsuit asserted bad faith negotiating and alleged that the Brentwood, Tenn.based Corizon listed 16 MWOB awarded contracts with conflict of in-

terests that included ties to members of the commission.

The suit also questioned the qualification status of some of the companies with the Shelby County Equal Opportunity Compliance vendor directory.

MWOB-awarded contracts must belong to the directory to qualify for contracts. The county is awaiting a disparity study due around the end of the extension. It will highlight the need for percentage goals for MWOB contracts. The contract is expected to include mental health services for prisoners that aren’t written into current agreements.

“Wellpath has made strides to

bring lawsuits if they do not receive this contract, accusing not only the county but commissioners of misdeeds in this contract, and I think they shouldn’t be rewarded for that,” said Sawyer.

The final vote on Monday’s extension was 11-1-1. In favor of the extensions were Commissioners Eddie Jones, Brandon Morrison, Amber Mills, David C. Bradford, Mick Wright, Mark Billingsley, Michael Whaley, Willie F. Brooks Jr., Mickell M. Lowery, Edmund Ford Jr. and Reginald Milton. Sawyer was the lone no vote. Turner abstained.

Five things to know as testing begins for Tennessee students

by Marta W. Aldrich Chalkbeat Tennessee

Tennessee kicked off state testing in person this week, even though many students have been learning online during the pandemic.

After a year of unprecedented disruptions to education, the state extended the testing window from April 12 to June 10, several weeks longer than usual.

The change gives districts more flexibility over when to administer the annual standardized assessments. Memphis students will take the tests May 3-26. Other testing dates are April 21-May 14 in Nashville and Knoxville and May 3-14 in Chattanooga.

But some parents aren’t happy about their students testing at all, especially if they’ve chosen online learning.

Here are five things to know heading into testing season.

State officials say this year’s tests are more important than ever

The results will help parents and educators know if their students are on grade level amid the pandemic. The testing data also will inform state and local strategies for how to help lagging students catch up.

Even though districts have been giving their own tests throughout the school year, the state assessments provide an annual snapshot of most of Tennessee’s 1 million public

school students. Those in grades 3-8 take the state tests known as TNReady, while high school students take end-of-course exams in their core subjects. Some districts also opt to test second graders. All are part of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, known as TCAP.

Students must test in person

While about a fifth of Tennessee students opted for online learning this school year — and an even higher percentage in Tennessee’s largest district in Memphis — all students must report to school buildings or other designated sites to test. Onsite testing allows administrators and proctors to make sure students are doing the work themselves. And it alleviates concerns about internet bandwidth at home that could put some students at a disadvantage if tests were given online.

It’s also an all-paper testing year

After a rocky transition to computer-based exams under two previous testing companies, Tennessee ordered a paper-only testing year under its new vendor, Pearson. Those paper tests were supposed to be used last year before the pandemic prompted a nationwide cancelation of tests. The state has paid $11 million for the materials, which Pearson stored for use this school year. Next year, the state plans to

transition back to online testing under Pearson.

This year’s scores won’t count

Because of learning disruptions, Gov. Bill Lee and state lawmakers want to use this year’s test results for diagnostic purposes only. During a special session on education in January, the legislature passed a law that prevents test scores from being used in student report cards and teacher evaluations. The one-year policy also lets districts exclude the scores from their state ratings, as long as at least 80 percent of their students take the tests. In a normal year, the federal government requires 95 percent participation

More families than usual are expected to skip testing

Federal and Tennessee laws require participation in state assessments. But many parents question why their students should take the tests during the pandemic, especially if the results don’t count. Groups critical of standardized tests have called on parents to join the opt-out movement, which has been prevalent in states like Colorado and New York but never had widespread appeal in Tennessee. The most recent guidance from the state education department lists which students can legitimately be exempted, including those who test positive for the coronavirus or are quarantined because of exposure to the virus.

Commitment to Literacy, Shelby County Schools (SCS) touted a new reading garden at Chimneyrock Elementary School, 8601 Chimneyrock Blvd. in Cordova. (right) The SCS Division of Early Childhood team hosted “Books and Breakfast at the Park” for pre-K students at Shelby Farms. (Photos: SCS, Twitter)

Tennessee eyes

2-week tax holiday for restaurants, groceries

by Kimberlee Kruesi and Jonathan Mattise

NASHVILLE (AP) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is proposing a $100 million, two-week sales tax holiday on restaurants, bars and groceries, as his administration looks to divvy up hundreds of millions of dollars in extra spending due to better-than-expected revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, the Republican’s finance team presented a budget amendment to his $42 billion spending plan in front of lawmakers.

The proposal includes several other big-ticket spending additions: $55 million for three yet-to-be-named economic development projects; $79.4 million to add faculty, equipment and building renovations at community and technical colleges; and $35 million for new radios for state troopers and a statewide disaster communications system upgrade.

The state’s positive revenue picture also coincides with a continued infusion of federal money in COVID-19 relief.

“I’m especially proud to provide tax cuts to get money back to Tennesseans to encourage them to frequent industries that have been disproportionately and negatively impacted this year,” Lee said in a statement.

Lee successfully advanced a similar sales tax holiday last year, which included an extra weekend of tax-free back-toschool shopping and a week of tax-free dining at restaurants.

Request for Proposal

Gestalt

Request for Proposal

Gestalt Community Schools (GCS) is accepting bids for technology equipment to include laptops, iPads, and protective coverings that support virtual and in-person learning for students in grades K-12. GCS is a public charter school organization that serves students in Shelby County, TN. Proposals must be received by COB Friday, May 3, 2021. To request an RFP, please email us at bids@gestaltcs.org.

Walter Gipson is looking for the title for this car. Car: Subaru Forester Vin: JF1SG656888707287 His number is 901.268.3191

Notice

SPORTS

The

Sports consultant Newman impacting athletes on and off the court

by Liaudwin Seaberry Jr.

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Typically, an individual overseeing three organizations would be booked and busy all of the time.

Memphian Celia Newman is no exception to that scenario. Despite the everyday grind of being an entrepreneur, Newman finds a way to bring out the best in every situation.

Newman works as a student athlete development consultant at Arlington High School, but that certainly fails to cover the range of people that she affects daily.

In addition, she directs Elite Level Prep, a personal, academics and athletics development program established to benefit student athletes at all levels.

Newman also is the founder of She Got Game League, a semi-pro basketball league for women.

Lastly, Newman co-founded Up Next Sports Consulting, a company that helps athletes with branding, marketing and event planning.

“I call these three my babies,” Newman said. “I put a lot of hard work into them and I am happy everything is paying off now.”

Newman, however, recalls a time when all three of her “babies” experienced a difficult time getting her organizations off the ground. Elite Level Prep, which she established in 2015, took while to gain attention from schools around the city.

The program began to reap success when Newman started to supply her consulting services to summer basketball camps around the Bluff City.

“I knew that the basketball would get the kids in the door and that it was up to me to get their attention from there when it came to academics,” she said. “I even hosted some free camps to get my idea and brand out there.”

Newman’s persistence paid off in a major way when Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering, a charter school, brought her in to help student-athletes with their schoolwork and ACT Prep.

Newman was recruited to Arlington High School in 2020, where she serves as an assistant coach under Lady Tigers head coach and hoops legend Ashley Shields.

In addition, she teaches at Arlington on Wednesdays and takes pride in educating students in the classroom and on the basketball court. Her impact made a huge difference on the ACT scores of several Arlington players.

“Before Coach Newman, the ACT Prep at Arlington High School was not very good,” Carmen Taylor, one of Arlington’s star players, said. “My score increased tremendously and I appreciate the amount of work she’s put in to help us.”

Charmen Taylor, Carmen’s sister and another one of Arlington’s standout players, also raved at Newman’s teaching skills, both on and off the court.

“She helped us out both on and off the court and made sure we knew what we were doing in and out of the classroom,” Charmen Taylor said.

Tennessee Day Academy boy’s basketball head coach Brandon Branch raved on the impact Newman had on his program academically.

“For the players that bought into her program, she was exactly what we needed,” Branch said. “She helped my players improve on their ACT scores and taught them crucial resume-building skills.”

Newman’s second organization,

She Got Game League, sprung to life in February 2019. It is based on her experiences on recreational courts in Memphis and her desire to create a league of her own.

Similar to Elite Prep, it took a while to grow and gain traction around Memphis, known as a hotbed for basketball, but not as much on the women’s hoops scene.

To pitch her new league, Newman scoured different pick-up courts around the city for talent and ran into Shields during the process.

“I was excited about her idea of establishing a new league because there are so many talented women in Memphis who were eager to play,” Shields said.

Newman remembers her league going from having little interest to suddenly being on the radar overnight after her talk with Shields.

“I went from having almost no players at all to signing up to around 50 the next day,” Newman. “I am not sure what message Ashley (Shields) sent out, but it worked and I appreciate her for doing that.”

The league has grown over the last two years, with 10 teams now competing for the chance to be champions at the conclusion of the season.

In addition, She Got Game expanded to Chicago, something Newman certainly did not foresee, but she’s grateful for it all.

“I did not realize the impact that She Got Game would have, but I am happy at the growth of the league and I look forward to it spreading out to even more cities,” Newman said.

Newman’s final organization, Up Next Sports Consulting, took off in 2018. She established the organization with fellow entrepreneur Christian Ross-Francis.

The company focuses on marketing athletes, giving them the ability to magnify their brand. Newman and Ross-Francis built the company from the ground up, gaining the attention of players around the nation.

Kyree Walker, a five-star basketball recruit, signed with Up Next Sports Consulting, which Newman views as a monumental decision.

“I think with Kyree choosing to sign with us shows the hard work that we put into this organization, and I am proud to continue expanding our growth,” Newman said.

Newman’s projects keep her busy, but she’s determined to provide the best that she can for her and her oneyear son, Omari.

“Throughout everything, I have kept working hard and I am happy to say things are falling into place,” Newman said. “It took a lot of work behind the scenes for it all to work, but I am happy and blessed to say it has.”

Grizzlies relocate ‘D’ in time to corral the Bulls

For two straight games, the Memphis Grizzlies defense seemed to be on vacation and the result was losses as the push continued for the best position possible for the NBA’s Western Conference playoffs.

Head coach Taylor Jenkins put the desired road ahead in this context: “We’ve just got to get back to who we’ve been the majority of the season. The last two games are a stark contrast to what we’ve been the first 49 or 50 games of the season.

“So, we’ve just got to get back to our fundamentals, our habits and raise our standards. I know it’s a challenge every single night, regardless of the opponent, the schedule, whatever it is. We know what we’re capable of. We’ve just got to embrace that mentality and go out and do it for 48 minutes.”

With that understood, the Grizzlies halted the twogame losing slide with a 101-90 victory over the Bulls. The win also snapped a six-game losing streak to Chicago. “I thought our defense was pretty good for the majority of the game,” Jenkins said. “We came out with a different tone, (allowing) a 22-point first quarter. Obviously, to finish (allowing) a 16-point fourth quarter is big for us.

“There were some (Chicago) runs. Luckily, we were able to keep the lead from growing too much for the Bulls. We were able to get enough stops, and then we were able to make some runs of our own.”

Memphis started strong on defense, taking an 18-11 lead with 4:32 left in the first quarter. Dillon Brooks had eight first-quarter points. The offense went quiet for the rest of the quarter and Chicago closed on an 11-4 run to tie the game at 22 at the end of the period.

The Bulls rolled to a nine-point lead (41-32) as Thaddeus Young, a former Mitchell High School star, scored 10 points in the half. Back-to-back baskets by the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant and back-to-back-to-back three-pointers by Brooks and Desmond Bane helped the Grizzlies pull back in front (46-43). The half ended with Memphis up 48-47.

Memphis grabbed a four-point lead after the break, but the Bulls tied the game at 51 with 10:13 left in the

Terry Davis

third quarter, which featured yet another spectacular dunk by Morant. Undaunted, the Bulls controlled their way to a 74-70 lead as the quarter ended.

The fourth quarter had the intensity of a playoff game. During the first eight minutes, neither team got a lead more than four points. With 4:35 left in the game, Memphis’ Grayson Allen hit a three-pointer to make it 88-85 Grizzlies.. From there the Grizzlies took off. They went on a 13-4 run to make it 101-89 with 1:39 left in the game. It was their largest lead of the game and one they did not surrender.

Jonas Valanciunas had his 22nd consecutive double-rebound game and a franchise record of 15 straight games with double points and rebounds. Morant finished with 13 points and 10 assists. Brooks had 17 points and seven rebounds.

“We want to be in the playoffs,” Valanciunas said. “We’re a young team. We’re grinding it out, trying to get playoff experience and that’s much needed. And we’ll do everything to get there. It’s a long road. It’s not easy to establish your name, but we’ve got to do everything it takes.”

On being able to bounce with a win after back-to-back losses Morant said, “It shows us what we are capable of and how we were able to bounce back from the lost and move on. Great team win. Jonas is Jonas. He’s a big time player for us. He commands and protects the paint. He’s a walking double-double. We are thankful to have him. We just have to keep him going. He’s playing at a very high level right now.”

Another game another homecoming for a Memphian.

Young got the starting nod for the Bulls and finished with 20 points. Young played basketball at Georgia Tech and attended Mitchell High School and has the prominent AAU team in Memphis Team Thad.

Next up for the Grizzlies will be the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks are currently one spot ahead of the Grizzlies in the eighth position in the Western Conference. The game will tip off at 7 pm on Wednesday April 14.

Ja Morant scored 23 points in Memphis’

to the Knicks in New York. (Photo: Warren Roseborough)

The Bulls’ standout Zach Levine is in the grips of a strong defensive surge by a trio of Grizzlies. (Photos: Warren Roseborough)

Dillon Brooks, who has gained a reputation for tough defense, applies pressure on Tomas Satoransky of the Chicago Bulls.

Celia Newman by Terry Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

to the community

A pipeline is a major investment in the community and we want to share a few

We’re bringing benefits to the community

$14 million

We’ll bring an economic infusion of more than $14 million to the MidSouth area during construction

$500,000

We will pay property taxes ever y year the line is in ser vice –including an estimated $500,000 annually in Shelby County alone.

Dear neighbors:

Suppor ting Local Jobs

Investing in th Community ’s

You’ve told us that communities our route need investmen responded by investing in 30 Mid-South organization address community needs the people who live in pro pipeline. So far, that equat

The Byhalia Connection pipeline is a 49-mile pipeline, connecting people, communities and local businesses to the safe and reliable energy we need. Our team is committed to designing, constructing and operating a safe and reliable pipeline while treating Memphians with care, respect and consideration. We take our responsibility to you very seriously and remain dedicated to listening, gaining and maintaining your trust. If you have questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to us directly – questions@byhaliaconnection.com or 877-442-2448.

Please visit ByhaliaConnection.com to learn more about the project and the benefits we’re bringing to the community.

Sincerely,

The Byhalia Connection Team

A pipeline is a major investment in the community and we want to share a few of the positive benefits you can expect:

$20 million

Before the pipeline is operational, we plan to invest more than $20 million in communities along the route.

$500,000

We will pay property taxes every year the line is in service – including an estimated $500,000 annually in Shelby County alone.

Investing in the Community’s Future

We’ve invested in more than 30 MidSouth organizations in 2020 to address community needs and support the people who live in proximity to our pipeline. So far, that equates to:

• 3,000+ students and 200+ teachers who have received supplies and financial support 170 laptops and 55 hotspots donated to support remote learning

• Over 225,000 meals provided and another 4,200 families supported through area food pantries and food banks

Over $275,000 invested in COVID-19 relief, including childcare for healthcare workers, masks and co-pay support

A new roof for a non-profit that supports Memphis school children

Supporting Local Jobs

This project strengthens the long-term viability of the Memphis refinery and its 500+ employees and contractors, making the refinery more competitive as it produces transportation fuels and other products essential to life. It’s also a $150+ million investment in American infrastructure — buying U.S.-made pumps, pipe material and valves, and employing local companies to support construction.

Questions

The Byhalia Connection team is holding office hours where you can talk directly with our project team and get answers to any questions you may have about the project. Due to safety considerations and CDC guidelines, we’ll work with you to schedule a virtual meeting with our team.

Please RSVP at Questions@ByhaliaConnection.com or call 877-442-2448, and our team will be in touch to schedule a time that works best for you. Follow us:

877-442-2448

questions@byhaliaconnection.com

@ByhaliaConnection