The New Tri-State Defender - June 9-15, 2022

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June 9 - 15, 2022

VOL. 71, No. 23

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On the move – in search of an answer to gun violence

ABOVE: In Westwood, a march against the epidemic of gun violence brought together myriad groups and individuals including a number of elected officials and those seeking office. LEFT: The Rev. Melvin Watkins, pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood, sets the tone with prayer before marchers set out to spotlight the need to stop the killing. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender)

by Karanja Ajanaku kajanaku@tsdmemphis.com

The solution to gun violence is not the march held last Saturday in Westwood. Those who organized it and others who answered their call know that. The march is a means to the end.

The 2nd Annual Love and Peace Unity Walk was powered by The Concerned Citizens of Westwood.

The group was joined by myriad others, notably Stevie Moore Sr. of Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives (F.F.U.N.) “Stop the Killing.”

The Rev. Melvin Watkins, pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood, was centerstage.

“The reason why we did the walk was because there has not been any difference as it relates to gun violence (since last year’s march). So, we are going to keep walking, raising awareness until we see a difference. …

“We have children losing their lives. We don’t have responsible gun laws. We have irresponsible gun owners. We want to raise that awareness.

Not just gun violence, all types of gun violence, but particularly that.”

Talking to The New Tri-State Defender after the walk, Watkins said, “We have a real problem in our com-

munity with conflict resolution. We snap off, a sense of rage. Because all those things still exist, we’re going to keep on walking for love, unity and peace just to get the message out.”

Preaching that message from the pulpit or talking about it on the telephone is not enough, he said, also stressing the need to set the record straight that “our people are not angry and violent people …. This is something that is happening in our neighborhoods …This is an opportunity to come and say we are declaring our communities to be a safe place.

We’re not afraid to walk in our own neighborhoods.”

Watkins noted that the event drew various communities of faith, along with politicians and people who joined in from the neighborhood.

“We all came out under the same banner of love, peace; stop the hate; stop the violence.”

All, said Watkins, “are trying to communicate the same thing.” He noted parenting, the driving force of poverty and learning to set proper priorities.

“We have to talk about a lot of things. … It has to be a planned pro-

“If I say ‘stop the killing’ and one them says ‘stop the killing,’ it means more than [it does coming from] me.”

SEE MARCH ON PAGE 2

— Stevie Moore, FFUN

MSCS custodial workers to get $15/hour as board approves $34.4M contract

by Samantha West Chalkbeat Tennessee

After months of debate, Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members on Monday signed off on a $34.4 million custodial services contract that ensures school janitorial workers an hourly base pay rate of $15, up from the current $10.

The board’s 7-0 vote during Monday’s specially called meeting means ServiceMaster Clean — which has two franchises currently working for MSCS — will be the district’s sole provider of cleaning services over the next four years, starting July 1.

For weeks, administrators have said they believe the $34 million contract — a 30% jump from this year’s nearly $26 million contract — would address longstand-

ing community concerns with the cleanliness of classrooms and school facilities. With higher wages, officials said, the district and ServiceMaster Clean could see happier employees, less turnover, and, in turn, cleaner schools.

Despite their previous hesitations, board members agreed.

Their unanimous vote (board members Billy Orgel and Miska Clay Bibbs were absent) was met with loud applause from the ServiceMaster Clean employees who addressed the board during public comment and the roughly 20 others who attended the meeting, dressed in their work uniforms.

Marshall K. Garmon said she and her fellow ServiceMaster Clean employees work “very, very hard” to ensure all schools are clean — especially during the summer. But amid high inflation,

“I think we saw more youth come out.

Youth can get to our people who are doing the shooting better than we can.

7 fired Starbucks workers celebrate union vote in Memphis after workers plead for raise

by Samantha West Chalkbeat Tennessee

Roughly 20 ServiceMaster Clean employees attended the specially called Memphis-Shelby County Schools board meeting on Monday to demonstrate their support for the contract. (Photo: Courtesy of Memphis-Shelby County Schools) she said, the current hourly wage is “just not enough money for us to live.”

Tasha Rhodes, another ServiceMaster Clean employee, said she and many of her coworkers have had to get second or third jobs just to make ends meet.

“We are the reason why the schools are able to be open for our kids to be able to learn in a clean,

germ-free, COVID-free environment,” Rhodes told the board. “I’m at a point where I feel like I’m being overworked and underpaid.”

“I’m not asking for a pay raise just for me,” she added, “but for all of us.”

Referencing Memphis’ 1968 sanitation strike, Superintendent

SEE RAISES ON PAGE 2

Seven employees of a Tennessee Starbucks who were fired after starting unionization efforts claimed victory Tuesday when their Memphis store voted to join a wave of U.S. locations of the coffee chain that have decided to organize.

The so-called Memphis Seven jumped for joy, hugged one another and wept after a count held by the National Labor Relations Board showed an 11-3 vote in favor of unionization of a Starbucks store near the University of Memphis.

The group pushed for a union for

SEE STARBUCKS ON PAGE 2

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The New Tri-State Defender

June 9 - 15, 2022

Page 2

NEWS Student Minister Anthony Muhammad (second from right) and others with Muhammad Mosque 55 added their presence to the march.

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender)

MARCH

CONTINUED FROM FRONT cess. We won’t organically strategize and come to the table with real solutions. If we are serious about making a difference in this area, then we have to be intentional about coming to the table.”

For Moore, there was a discernible difference between this event and last year’s.

“I think we saw more youth come out. I’m pushing youth. Youth can get to our people who are doing the shooting better than we can. …

“If I say ‘stop the killing’ and one of them says ‘stop the killing’ it means more than me. That’s their generation.”

Moore wants to see more move-

ment before shootings happen and he stresses the critical importance of getting beyond safe-havens and out into the neighborhoods.

While he has been advocating for

such since his son was killed 19 years ago, Moore, a former convict, said, “This year I am pushing let’s go to God more …My late pastor … told me something, she said, “Boy if you

A group of fired Starbucks employees celebrated the result of a vote to unionize one of the coffee company’s locations on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. The so-called “Memphis Seven” jumped for joy, hugged each other and wept after a count held by the National Labor Relations Board showed an 11-3 vote in favor of unionization of a Starbucks in Memphis. Starbucks said they were fired for violating company policies, but the seven say they were let go in retaliation for unionization efforts.

(AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)

STARBUCKS

CONTINUED FROM FRONT months, even after their firing in February on allegations by Starbucks that they violated store security rules. The baristas are pushing for reinstatement and want to help other Memphis stores unionize.

“The reason that I am filled with tears is because Memphis Seven has fought so hard,” said Nikki Taylor, one of the fired workers. “To know that that work didn’t go in vain, that fight didn’t go in vain, that losing sleep didn’t go in vain, it’s amazing to me.”

After the vote Tuesday, Starbucks said it respects the process and will bargain in good faith.

Other U.S. locations planned union votes Tuesday. Two Starbucks in Chicago voted against unionization, while a third voted yes, the labor relations board said. Other votes were scheduled in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Portland, Oregon; Albany, New York; and Lawrence, Kansas.

Seattle-based Starbucks has 9,000 company-run U.S. stores. Nationally, the NLRB has received 280 union petitions for Starbucks locations, board spokeswoman Kayla Blado said.

Of 149 vote counts, 122 locations have voted

worked half as hard for Jesus as you do the devil, you would be one hell of a warrior.’ I’ve been working that since then ….

“Our children ain’t never been in-

for a union and 79 have been certified, Blado said.

A store in Atlanta voted Monday to become the first unionized Starbucks in the city’s metro area, news outlets reported.

The Memphis group announced a campaign to unionize on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday this year. Starbucks then fired them, alleging violations of policies related to maintaining a secure work environment and safety standards. Workers allowed unauthorized people into the store when it was closed, Starbucks said.

But the seven Memphis baristas claimed they were let go because of efforts to join Starbucks Workers United. The NLRB has asked a Memphis federal court to order their reinstatement. A hearing was scheduled for Thursday.

The firings generated national interest as a symbol of workers’ battles to unionize in big corporations. The Rev. Dr. William Barber II of the Poor People’s Campaign led a march in March in support of the Memphis Seven, who watched Tuesday’s online count at the campaign office of Steve Mulroy, a Democrat running for Shelby County district attorney.

One of the workers, Beto Sanchez, said firing seven workers at the same time was a “stupid” decision.

“They tried to use us to scare other unions, to scare other stores, to scare everyone else,”

troduced to Jesus. …the people who are committing the crimes don’t go to church. They get put out of school early.”

Moore said he has come “come to the realization of one thing: I don’t have the answer. ‘’Cause if I had the answer I would have stopped the killing 19 years ago when my son got killed. But I’m saying I can’t stop searching for the answer. That’s why I walk, I rally. … hoping to find the answer.”

Sanchez said, adding that his colleagues were fighting for “respect, for dignity, for workers’ rights.”

Sanchez, a store supervisor before he was fired, claimed his fellow workers had been left at times without hot water or air conditioning. He said Starbucks didn’t always treat his store’s employees well during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday, the company said it was “listening and learning” from workers in stores seeking union support.

“From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed,” the statement said.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, a longtime union foe, said during a corporate earnings call in May that the company respects the rights of Starbucks’ employees and will bargain where it’s required to. But he also insisted that employees don’t need a union to get the best-inclass wages and benefits Starbucks provides.

Schultz then announced $200 million in new investments for non-union stores, including raises for veteran employees and more training time for new baristas. The company even promised one of the union’s priorities — credit card tipping — before the end of this year.

Parties have one week to file objections, the NLRB said. If none are filed, results will be certified June 14.

RAISES

CONTINUED FROM FRONT Joris Ray said Monday that approving the contract would ensure that critical school custodial workers — most of whom are women of color — have the “dignity of making an honest living wage” and are not forced to work multiple jobs in order to provide for their families.

“This is a moment where we can get this right, not only for those families, but for the entire city of Memphis and Shelby County,” Ray said ahead of the vote.

Just days earlier, the board had rejected the contract in a 4-2 vote, with opponents citing unanswered questions. In recent weeks, several board members questioned why administrators would recommend they continue working with any ServiceMaster operation when many in the community have expressed frustration with school buildings not being properly cleaned and employees not being paid a living wage.

Board Vice Chair Althea Greene was among those who switched her vote on Monday. She emphasized that her vote against the contract

last week was not because she didn’t believe ServiceMaster Clean employees deserved a raise but rather because of several unanswered questions that have now been answered.

“My heart is right out there with you, but I wanted my questions to be answered,” Greene said. “I want you to make enough money where you don’t have to work two jobs. I lived that kind of life, working two or three jobs. I want you to be able to buy gas and put food on the table for your families.”

Board member Joyce Dorse-Coleman echoed Greene’s remarks, saying she wanted to ensure ServiceMaster Clean couldn’t cut employees’ hours or give them more work to do after raising the hourly wage.

“I have to make sure that I get it right for you,” she said.

(Samantha West is a reporter for Chalkbeat Tennessee, where she covers K-12 education in Memphis. Connect with Samantha at swest@

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The New Tri-State Defender

June 9 - 15, 2022

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PERSPECTIVE The New Tri-State Defender, June 9 - 15, 2022, Page 4

‘Horrible acts of violence’ against our children is not a ‘one solution kind of issue’

by Curtis Weathers

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The recent mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has brought back the same familiar pain we all experience after every school shooting in America.

The Sandy Hook massacre; Santa Fe High School shooting near Houston; Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida; Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, and of course, the shooting here in our own community at Cummings Elementary School.

And while no one died in the Cummings incident, it clearly shook our community.

Even though I do not live in Uvalde, Texas, and was not there during this massacre, I cannot get these images of the shooter committing these horrific acts against these helpless children out of my head. The imagery of those kids and teachers being murdered in that school is heartbreaking.

The tragedy in Uvalde was one of more than two dozen school shootings in America so far this year.

We’re all searching for answers as to how we stop these horrible acts of violence against our children.

There are so many dimensions to this incident: The response (or lack thereof) of the Uvalde police department.

The disappearance of that town’s chief of police, who is now in hiding.

The mental health of both children and adults who witnessed the carnage in those classrooms.

The despicable comments from some politicians and gun rights lobbyist.

And, of course, the families of the victims as they continue to lay their loved ones to rest and try to make sense of all the chaos that surrounds them.

These kinds of incidents continue to feed ongoing debates across the nation about how best to keep our schools safe.

In my early years as a school principal, I vehemently opposed having police officers in my school. As a charter school, we had that option.

However, situations changed in my latter years, and my attitude towards safety and security changed considerably. I learned to embrace the role of police and security officers in keeping my school safe.

The officers blended well into our environment, and they helped greatly in preventing certain kinds of incidents from escalating both inside and outside of our school campus.

The so-called school-to-prison pipeline, for example, never was a concern because of how we addressed every issue in which our officers were involved.

Our security team was a calming force in our school. They stayed in their lane and helped immensely in creating a safe and orderly environment.

But those who oppose the presence of armed security guards or police officers in our schools must realize that we live in a different world now.

Our children are our most precious possession. Our schools need protection. All of them.

Will having police protection prevent these incidents (mass shootings) from occurring in the future? Maybe not completely, but we must believe that it will Curtis serve as an efWeathers fective deterrent.

This is not a one-solution kind of issue. Gun violence in America is simply out of control.

We need to throw the entire wish list of gun-control measures at this problem, including assault-weapon bans, ammunition magazine restrictions, red-flag laws, universal background checks, higher age restrictions for gun purchases and waiting periods.

Conservative politicians have done the opposite. They have loosened restrictions and expanded access to more and more guns.

The Texas shooter had just turned 18 and was able to walk into a store and legally purchase an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and ammunition to use in killing those children.

The circus of events and the incompetence of law enforcement in Uvalde, Texas, has been mind-boggling and quite disgusting.

The National Rifle Association and Republican politicians like to quote a phrase they’ve coined for situations such as this. They like to say, “The way you stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.”

In this case, Uvalde law enforcement in their handling of this mass shooting disproved that notion in grand fashion.

I’m just afraid this issue will wind up like others we have seen in the past. There will continue to be much public outrage in the short term, but it soon simmers to a slow boil, and then a few years down the road we all will retreat into the routines of our daily lives.

Nothing will have changed.

We will just await the next mass execution of our children and repeat the cycle all over again.

I have no confidence in our political leaders’ ability to adequately address this issue. They are too divided.

More children will die and we, as a society, will morph into a pitiful community of do-nothing citizens who don’t have the backbone to do what is right to protect our children and our community.

No words can ease the pain those parents, students, teachers and that entire community feel right now.

The incompetence and the way this situation is being handled is a total disgrace. Those families deserve better. That community deserves better.

The American people deserve better.

We will continue to pray for the Uvalde community and, in particular, those families who lost loved ones. I am hopeful and prayerful that their losses will not be in vain.

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

Henry Louis Gates Jr.: “If emancipation came in Lincoln’s America, why was it necessary to march in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s America?”

What can America do to ease its fears?

by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has long examined America’s hatred toward African Americans, recently noting a profound new rendering of the struggle by African Americans for equality after the Civil War and the violent counterrevolution that re-subjugated them, as seen through the prism of the war of images and ideas that have left an enduring stain on the American psyche.

“The story of the abolition of slavery in the aftermath of the Civil War is familiar, as is the civil rights revolution that transformed the nation after World War II,” Gates wrote in a white paper.

“But the century in between remains a mystery,” he noted. “If emancipation came in Lincoln’s America, why was it necessary to march in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s America?”

Further, 54 years after King’s assassination, white supremacy remains on the rise with the merciless Tops supermarket murders of 10 African Americans and even the heartless killings of 19 predominantly Latino students at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

HIT Strategies, Washington D.C.’s leading millennial and minority-owned public opinion research company, issued its latest survey of Black Americans, “Reducing Racism and Discrimination.”

The company said reducing racism and discrimination counts as the “number two” issue for Black voters, behind only inflation and, previously, COVID-19.

HIT officials noted that reducing racism consistently ranks among the top three priorities. Black voters want their elected leaders to address this. “(The Topps Supermarket) shooting represented racism in its most violent and craven form,” added Terrance Woodbury, founding partner at HIT Strategies.

“However, Black voters have long recognized how the culture-war politics and its racist rhetoric fuels animus toward Black Americans. Black voters want their elected leaders to respond to racism head-on, not just in reaction to tragedies. This is a political and moral imperative.”

One African American male told HIT researchers that “underneath the insurrection, which was the actu-

al event, it was just white backlash.

This was the same as the burning of Tulsa. This was the same as all the things.”

An unidentified Black woman added: “I think with Donald Trump coming in and leaving, it woke up a lot of things that were buried, like racism, it’s still alive.”

Jeremy Clifford, founder, and CEO of Router CTRL, a fast-growing website in the technology market, insisted that America’s hate problem remains deep-rooted and complex.

“Several factors contribute to it, including our history, culture, and politics,” Clifford stated. “America has a long history of hate. From the days of slavery to the Jim Crow era, from the Civil Rights Movement to today, America has seen its fair share of hate. And while we like to think that we’ve come a long way since then, the truth is that much of our history is still with us today.”

Clifford continued, noting that “we live in a culture that is built on competition and individualism. We are a nation of winners and losers, and we often see others as threats to our success. This can lead to fear and suspicion, which can turn into hate.”

“Finally, our politics also contribute to our hate problem. Our political system is based on a winnertake-all. We are a country divided between red and blue, and we often see those on the other side as our enemies. This division can lead to anger and hate.”

TEDx speaker Milagros Phillips said she believes America repeatedly looks in the wrong areas to solve its hate history.

“Whenever something racially charged happens, everyone turns to people of color to solve it. Racism is a problem for people of color. It is not the problem of people of color,” Phillips asserted.

“Hundreds of years of racial conditioning, through violence, scapegoating, and the dehumanization of Black and Brown people have led to the anger, hatred, and dysfunction we experience today.

“But don’t be fooled. That hatred is not today. It’s hundreds of years in the making and practice. Proof of that is the lynching and burnings that have continued.”

Author and human rights activist Tara Teng suggested that America has not solved its hate problem because the nation hasn’t learned how

to reconnect with humanity.

“We crave power more than we crave connection to our fellow humans, and this same misalignment of priorities is what America was built upon,” Teng determined.

“It is our origin story. From colonization and genocide to slavery, segregation, and Jim Crow, America has taken every opportunity to use the body as justification for oppression and cruelty.”

Teng continued: “In the name of power and supremacy, we look to ‘the good old days,’ an idealized past in which tradition and nostalgia were built on the backs of body-based oppression – legislating racism, ableism, and homophobia against anyone who was not powerful and white.

“These power struggles are why Critical Race Theory is banned in schools, legislation is debated in the halls, and bodies are targeted by gun violence in the streets. Our hate has become embodied within us and because some benefit from it, we refuse to spit the poison out of our mouths.”

What can America do to ease its fears?

Phillips, the TEDx speaker, said treating the trauma would help.

“These horrific things happen to people of color, but no one moves in with the cadre of psychiatrists to treat the trauma,” Phillips remarked.

“We should also treat for justice.

White perpetrators of violence are treated differently than perpetrators of color. A white mass shooter can be captured alive and not even handcuffed. Soon after they are captured, the news quickly announces they have a mental health condition.

“Meanwhile, a perpetrator of color is more likely to end up shot dead in a confrontation, and rarely is their mental health part of their defense.”

Phillips concluded that self-care could help Black Americans in particular.

“Because there is very little treatment for Black people’s continual trauma, we will have to learn to selfcare,” Phillips maintained.

“There are some wonderful exercises to help with anxiety, fear, and coming down from trauma.”

(Source: https://blackpressusa. com/commentary-what-can-america-do-to-ease-its-fears/.

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

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The New Tri-State Defender

June 9 - 15, 2022

Page 5

RELIGION

Faithful Utterances: Accept the unexpected

by Dr. Froswa Booker Drew NNPA Newswire

I hate to rush but according to the GPS, I would only be two minutes late. That wasn’t bad but I wasn’t prepared for an accident to happen. In my haste, I panicked and decided to jump on another freeway thinking I can just loop around and miss the accident all together. To my surprise, there was another accident.

I was irritated that my plans of being just two minutes late became a twenty-minute delay. Had I just remained patient and waited, I probably could have got there just ten minutes late. In that moment, I realized how often we make decisions because what we see ahead doesn’t look like what we planned. We can make choices that delay our progress because we aren’t willing to wait and be inconvenienced.

When life doesn’t work out as planned, instead of waiting on God, we will make decisions out of our limited perspective. At the core of our decisions is an unwillingness to trust God and believe that we know what to do. I was reminded that the delay was in my best interest and that God was possibly protecting me from something.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

How often have we all decided abruptly to do something that later cost us more than it was worth? Instead of trusting God and getting there on a straight route with a brief interruption, I was going in a circle and wasting time.

The Israelites are a prime example of how we can waste time when we allow what we see to stop us from getting to our promised lands. Instead of trusting God, we can spend so much time wondering and wandering when we chose to take our lives into our own hands. The Israelites called out to God for help and God heard them.

“I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt,” (Exodus 3:7).

We, too, cry out to God for help but because we do not receive the answer we want immediately, we can become discouraged and take matters into our own hands.

Moses in his frustration because of what he saw around him killed an Egyptian which he ultimately had to leave because of fear that others knew what he had done. (Exodus 2:11).

“When we don’t trust God’s timing, we can make decisions that cost us and have consequences.” – Dr. Frowsa Booker Drew When we don’t trust God’s timing, we can make decisions that cost us and have consequences. Even as Moses followed God’s instructions and said to the Hebrews that it was time to depart Egypt, they became overwhelmed at what they saw in front of them. Despite God’s reassurance that He would be there with them, when faced with something unexpected, they wanted to go in another direction. They were not prepared to be chased by the Egyptian army and they didn’t expect God to part the Red Sea for their deliverance.

“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation

of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13-14).

Like me, they wanted to move and do something because of they weren’t prepared for the unexpected. Just as God calls us to be still in moments when things don’t go our way, we are losing peace trying to create solutions. Over and over, God proved that He was with them and yet, their limited thinking cost them so much time. A trip that would have taken 11 days resulted in a 40-year journey because they weren’t willing to wait and trust God. I learned a valuable lesson this weekend.

Expect interruptions and detours. It doesn’t mean that God isn’t at work in those moments. And check this out, I got to my destination when I needed to. It was all a part of God’s perfect timing when I accepted the unexpected.

(Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the host of the Tapestry Podcast and the author of three books for women. She is also the Vice President of Community Affairs for the State Fair of Texas. To learn more, visit drfroswa.com.)

Giving thanks!...

The Rev. Jairus Prince Winfrey Sr. gives thanks after being installed as pastor of Greater Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 2070 Chelsea Ave., on May 29. The Rev. Dr. Randolph Mead Walker (seated), the pastor of Castalia Baptist Church, 2180 Airways Blvd., delivered the installation message.

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender)

Shining a light…

“What’s Done in the Dark” – drawn from St. Luke – was the topic of the sermon that the Rev. Evan Collins delivered at a recent meeting of the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association. Collins hails from a family of pastors: his grandfather, the Rev. O.C. Collins; father, the Rev. O.C. Collins Jr., pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church; uncle, the Rev. Dr. James B. Collins, pastor of Progressive Baptist Church; uncle, the Rev. Timothy Collins, a Texas pastor; and his cousin, the Rev. Charles Lee Ewing Jr., pastor of Gospel Temple Baptist Church on Manassas St. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender)

The New Tri-State Defender, June 9 - 15, 2022, Page 6

AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH

10 Blackest Songs: Embracing esoteric Blackness (For Black Music Month, theGrio is featuring a weekly series in which our writers name the songs they believe best represent the Black experience. Matthew Allen offers his list, leaning into more abstract examples of Blackness in connection to regions and generations.)

HONORABLE MENTION: “Blackberry Molasses,” Mista

by Matthew Allen Thegrio.com

For Black Music Month, Panama Jackson, Toure and I were tasked to each come up with a playlist of 10 songs that we each categorized as the 10 Blackest. It’s an intriguing experiment to see what each of us would come up with, not only in terms of choosing songs but our criteria of what Blackness means to us.

For me, I decided to take a different approach.

My criteria for curating my playlist was defined by something I call “esoteric Blackness,” using a more nuanced niche technique. Blackness is not a monolith; however, there are several aspects of Black life that, while they vary in tone & emotion, unite us.

If you don’t recognize some of these songs, don’t worry, because that’s the point. What means something to one group or generation of Black Americans may not mean as much to another.

Songs from this playlist are Black niche because many of them are held dear by a very particular group, region and/or generation of Black people. This means some may not get it, but those who do will get it right away. In other words, this is a playlist of the ultimate “you had to be there” joints.

“Full of Smoke,” Christión For many decades, the depiction of the anti-hero has been glorified throughout Black art. It’s been done in films and music. Christión’s “Full of Smoke” may not be as well known as a song like Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly,” but it’s well known to fans of a Black TV institution, Fox’s New York Undercover. Its atmospheric instrumentation enhances Christión’s sinuous vocal about embracing the mystery of dangerous activity and settings.

HONORABLE MENTION: Knock the Hustle,” Jay-Z Stevie Wonder performs “Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call)” in concert at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on April 14, 2015. (Screen capture)

HONORABLE MENTION: “A Rolling Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’,” De La Soul featuring Q-Tip

“My Boo,” Ghost Town DJs So much of Black music’s innovation leaned heavily on the sound of its region.

“My Boo” is an example of how southern hip-hop infiltrated the mainstream with its scattershot hi-hats and kick drums. There’s also the unique dialect that Black Americans create. The term “boo,” a slang term of endearment for a significant other or love interest, much like the term “beau” is, took hold of the community for years and years.

HONORABLE MENTION: Swing My Way,” KP & Envyi

“Shorty

“Patches,” Clarence Carter Carter’s poignant story of a sharecropper’s son needing to become the man of the house at 13 after his father dies. “Patches, I’m depending on you, son/I’ve tried to do my best/It’s up to you to do the rest.” This speaks to the epidemic of Black children needing to grow up faster to pick up the slack stemming from living in a single-parent household or having impoverished parents. It showed how Patches’ dad’s dying words put pressure on a child, but it served

“Candy Licker,” Marvin Sease Some art can be considered crude, but sometimes the truth is crude. The Black community has often had to buy explicit records from stores that used to be hidden behind the cash register. The brightly bluesy “Candy Licker” is one such record, often played after hours at gatherings where brown liquor is served. It’s a first-person account from a man named Jodie. The legend of Jodie goes back generations in the Black community as a man who pleases another man’s wife when the husband is too busy working to fulfill her needs.

“Living For The Weekend,” The O’Jays This song encapsulates the mindset of the Black everyman and everywoman.

Whether you’re a teacher, a social worker or a customer service rep, many of us are working hard all week just to earn that little slice of heaven known as Friday and Saturday night. The O’Jays, and writers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, were able to communicate what the eye of the storm is like in this vicious circle of the mundane.

“Can’t

HONORABLE MENTION: “F U Symphony,” Millie Jackson From the Goodfellaz’s video of “Sugar Honey Ice Tea.” (Screen capture) as encouragement that got him through tough times.

The selection of his one-hit wonder from the turn of the 21st century is a representation of the exuberance that comes with celebrating life. Since this is the only hit that Koffee Brown had, what makes this song so Black is that it represented a time in Black music that sticks with the listener. There are few phrases more Black than “Ooooh! I almost forgot this jam,” right before the dancing begins.

HONORABLE MENTION: “All That I Got is You,” Ghostface Killah

“Fairy Tales,” Anita Baker Before being “woke” became a weapon for white people to use against us, it was a term used to speak of those who recognize what is real when others cannot. “Fairy Tales” features Baker singing about seeing through the fantasies about life and love that get fed to us as children, only to find out the truth is much more somber.

HONORABLE MENTION: “Compared to What,” Eugene McDaniels

HONORABLE MENTION: “Here We Go Again,” Portrait “Living for the Weekend” was featured on the O’Jays’ “Family Reunion” album.

“Zoom,” The Commodores In the face of insurmountable obstacles and turmoil that Black Americans have endured since being brought to this country, one of the purest elements that contribute to our endurance is hope. “Zoom” is the personification of daring to dream, despite all the pain, to “fly away” to a place where a mind “can be fresh and clear.”

HONORABLE MENTION: “Visions,” Stevie Wonder

“Sugar Honey Ice Tea,” Goodfellaz

One of the hallmarks of Black American life is the formation of coded language.

Since the days of slavery, we’ve used lan-

“The After Party,” Koffee Brown

“Fairy Tales” was featured on “Compositions” by Anita Baker. guage and dialect to deliver messages to one another that the masses wouldn’t understand. What the Goodfellaz did with “Sugar Honey Ice Tea” was an example of that tradition. The title is an acronym for “sh-t,” and with the lyric of “sh-t, I love you,” you see it’s the communication of the youthful expression of love and infatuation.

“Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call),” Stevie Wonder There’s nothing like the power of nostalgia. The act of looking back and reflecting on the events and feelings of your past is something that links all human beings. For the Black community, nostalgia is deeply linked to simpler times of childhood; when you took for granted just how innocent things used to be once. Wonder’s lush harmonica-led instrumental paints a vivid picture of kids playing in the street at dusk, just before your mother sticks her head out of the window to tell you it’s time to come home.

HONORABLE MENTION: “Back in the Day,” Ahmad (Matthew Allen is a Brooklyn-based TV producer, director and award-winning music journalist. His video work can be seen on PBS/All Arts, Brooklyn Free Speech TV and .BRIC TV.)

The New Tri-State Defender

June 9 - 15, 2022

ENTERTAINMENT

A sampling of books that bring Juneteenth forward for children

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

You weren’t born knowing everything.

People had to tell you what you needed to know, and that’s how you learn. You can guess sometimes, or figure other things out on your own but mostly, you’ve been told and then you know.

So why not read these books about a fact that was unknown for years...

When Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and freed the slaves, the word was spread far and wide... except in Texas. For more than two years after the signing, there were still people in bondage there.

In “Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free” by Alice Faye Duncan, art

by Keturah A. Bobo (Tommy Nelson, $17.99), you’ll see what happened when those slaves learned, on Juneteenth 1865, that they were finally free.

In this book, kids will learn about Juneteenth, the woman whose activism ensured that it would be celebrated across the nation, and why that was important. Meant for kids ages 4 to 8, this book also has further information for grown-ups to help a child understand its meanings, along with a recipe for traditional Juneteenth red punch.

For early elementary-aged kids, “Free at Last: A Juneteenth Poem” by Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, illustrated by Alex Bostic (Union Square Kids, $17.99) begins on the day when “The news arrived in Galveston.”

Here, however, only part of the story is told: kids don’t get much backstory; the Emancipation Proclamation is never mentioned. Instead, the story is very simplified, bypassing Emancipation in favor of more personal stories, a wide variety of reactions that former slaves might have felt upon hearing the news, and how Texas’ new-

AT A GLANCE: Juneteenth Books for Kids c.2022, various publishers $5.99-$17.99 various page counts ly-freed Black citizens likely would have celebrated their freedom.

Like the Duncan story, this book has a nice author’s note for parental guidance and gorgeous illustrations that perfectly evoke the poem as it’s told.

Older children – those who are well beyond picture books – will find a wealth of information inside “What Is Juneteenth?”

by Kirsti Jewel, illustrated by Manuel Gutierrez (Penguin Kids, $5.99).

Unlike the above books, this one begins with a quick and basic history lesson that starts with the Middle Passage. Jewel then quickly takes kids through a few pages about Abraham Lincoln and slavery just before and during the Civil War. It’s not until then that she explains where former slaves went once they were freed, what they did to be reunited with their families, and what it must’ve been like for Texas slaves to realize that freedom had been withheld from them for more than two years.

Jewel goes forward to explain more of Black history up through modern times, including the story of Opal Lee and her efforts to place Juneteenth firmly in the nation’s consciousness. Kids also get brief biographies of notable Black Americans along the way, and there’s a handy timeline for reference. This, and the lack of overgeneralizing, make this book perfect for kids ages 7-to-14.

And if these books on Juneteenth aren’t enough, then ask your librarian or bookseller for more. They’ll help you find everything.

Page 7

COMMUNITY The New Tri-State Defender, June 9 - 15, 2022, Page 8

Whitehaven Black Restaurant Week links to Juneteenth celebration TSD Newsroom Whitehaven Black Restaurant Week has been moved to the week leading up to the celebration of Juneteenth, which now is a national holiday.

“We want to be more intentional about our spending and connect that to Juneteenth,” said Pearl Eva Walker the founder of the week, which will be observed for the fourth year.

President Joe B i d e n last year signed a bill establishing J u n e teenth as a federal Pearl Eva h o l i d a y.

Walker J u n e teenth celebrates the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans. The final act of liberation came months after the Confederate army’s surrender ended the Civil War, and more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

“The overall goal (Whitehaven Black Restaurant Week) is to get people to come to Whitehaven and support businesses, specifically Black businesses,” said Walker.

“Many of us are of the mind that Memphis-Shelby County needs a really strong Black economic base and Whitehaven has a lot of what we judge is required and needed already.

So, let’s build upon that. We’re not saying no Black businesses outside of Whitehaven, but something where a lot of our energy and resources are centrally located.”

The effort has evolved beyond Whitehaven to encompass Westwood, Walker Homes and the whole southwestern corner of the city, Walker said.

“The southwestern corner of the city, of Shelby County has the highest voter turnout if its based commission districts.

That’s a portion of Whitehaven going all the way over to the southwest corner. We got a lot of unique things going on.”

Regarding the move of the week from January to coincide with Juneteenth, Walker lamented the new national holiday already is being “commercialized all over the place. There’s nothing we can do about it. But we can be intentional with our dollars and spending …. It’s a great way to be mindful and reflective of Juneteenth. There are many ways to celebrate Juneteenth but we feel this is definitely one of the appropriate ways to celebrate Juneteenth, being mindful of your spending during that week.”

On Thursday (June 16), Smooth Living, at 1263 Winchester, will be the venue from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. as Ujamaa Whitehaven Business Directory presents Jazz & Juneteenth Kickoff, featuring live jazz by Tony XP Ivory on piano.

The following restaurants are

signed up for this year’s Whitehaven Black Restaurant Week.

Walker encourages patronage throughout the week and all year round of these and other eateries in the community.

Bala’s Bistro 4571 Elvis Presley Blvd.

Sun.-Sat., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

901-509-3024 https://www.balasbistro. com/ Chopmasters Kitchen 1709 E. Holmes Tues-Sat, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

901-922-5289 Facebook Fabulous Flavors 2063 E. Brooks Rd. Mon., 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Tues.Fri, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sat., 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

901-425-4274 Facebook Kaye’s Pints & Scoops 2089 Winchester Rd. Fri., 3 p.m.-7 p.m.; Sat., noon- 6 p.m.

901-609-5451 h t t p s : / / w w w. k a y e s i c e cream.com/ Kountry Cookin’ Soul Food 1128 Winchester Rd. Sun.-Fri., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

901.-345-5505 http://www.kountrycookinsoulfoodrestaurant.com/ Lenny’s #45 4103 Elvis Presley Blvd.

Sun., 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Mon.-Sat., 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

901-507-4298 https://www.lennys.com/ Lucky Chow 4412 Elvis Presley Blvd.

Sun, noon-9 p.m.

Mon.-Thurs, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

901-763-8788 https://luckykingchow.com/ Memphis Smokes Cigar Lounge 3241 Elvis Presley Blvd.

Wed.-Mon., 3 p.m.-midnight 901-347-3749 Facebook Smooth Living 1263 Winchester Rd. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

901-308-2994 https://smooth-living.business.site/ Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken 3633 Millbranch Rd. Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.

901-332-2376 https://www.unclelousfriedchicken.com/ The Vineyard 4715 Elvis Presley Blvd.

Tue.-Thurs., 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.

Fri., 11 a.m.-10 p.m (Happy Hour 6 p.m.- 8 p.m.)

901-746-9261 https://vineyardmemphis. com/

Mural artist Tony Hawkins and his mother stand ready to cut the ribbon. (Courtesy photo)

Mural provides snapshot of Whitehaven beyond Graceland

by James Coleman

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

As a world-renowned tourist attraction, Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, has taken on an identity that has grown larger than the city itself, much less the surrounding Whitehaven community.

With the addition of a new mural at the Whitehaven Community Center, and several other pieces, one area artist is working to bring the neighborhood into contrast.

“I thought about how many people come into Whitehaven every day to go to Graceland. People come in, 500,000 people a year on average, are coming into Graceland…

“You just wonder, how many of those people actually know they’re in Whitehaven. Most of them probably think they’re in Graceland,” said visual artist Tony Hawkins.

Done in the loose style of neighborhood artists, the mural provides a snapshot of the community that goes beyond its legendary anchor.

In addition to Graceland, which opened to the public 40 years ago on June 7, 1982, hand-drawn portraits painted in vivid loose brush strokes capture moments of faith, education, athletics, community, entrepreneurship, achievement and joy.

Urban-style hand drawn lettering punctuates the various themes.

“I wanted the design to be bright.

My concern was in an urban area, of course, you have a lot of drab colors. You have a lot of buildings. You have a lot of businesses.

“I wanted something that would pop. Something that would grab your attention. And I wanted to use bright colors to make sure that when you look at it, you feel happy.

“Colors make you feel different ways, so I use a lot of bright tones to create a happy mood … I call it the ‘Trust the Process’ mural,” Hawkins said.

For Hawkins, who grew up in Westwood in Southwest Memphis, the phrase translates into community members looking out for one another as if they were family members.

“There are people in that neighborhood that fed me, that took care of me in my younger years … If we continue to do that, we won’t have to worry about the neighborhood.

We’ll just continue reciprocating and trusting the process,” said Hawkins, who attended Whitehaven High School.

This bus-stop shelter on Elvis Presley Blvd. is rendered in the same style as the mural by Tony Hawkins. (Courtesy photo) The artwork was presented to the public on Friday (June 3). Several community leaders were in attendance.

The presentation is tied to other projects already visible in the neighborhood. A banner and several bus shelters on Elvis Presley Boulevard are rendered in the same style.

“They wanted a graphic artist to come and do the banners and the bus shelters. I did the design graphically on my computer and then I came and did it by hand on the brick. It’s the exact same design,” said Hawkins.

The works were commissioned through Whitehaven 3.0, which is the neighborhood-specific slice of the overall Memphis 3.0 plan to revitalize parts of the city.

The Urban Art Commission oversaw the effort. Entries were submitted to a select committee that included former UAC artists and community leaders.

“Throughout this specific project process, the selection committee expressed an interest in designs that were vibrant and spoke to strong, multigenerational family ties.

“They were looking for images of community with references to the abundance of culture, entrepreneurship, local artists, legacy and education in Whitehaven.

“Tony’s designs spoke to these interests in a way that ultimately resulted in his selection,” said Gabrielle Brooks, UAC communications manager.

After the banner and bus shelters

proved popular, the mural was commissioned.

Originally, it was slated for the Whitehaven Plaza. Logistics, however, proved daunting. So, the city changed locations.

Hawkins adjusted the scope and scale of the project to fit the new canvas and got to work. Soon, curious children gravitated toward the evolving artwork.

“It hit me when I was working on it, ‘Man, these kids, all they have to look at while they are on this playground is a brick wall while they’re at this splashpad.

“Now, they have this big, bright piece of artwork to look at – it’s very intentional – it speaks directly to them. It speaks to a multitude of things.

“They can either see themselves or their family in that mural. Or it’s maybe somebody they want to be one day,” said Hawkins.

In addition to the mural, the UAC has several other projects lined up through Memphis 3.0, including Hawkins’ neighborhood of Westwood.

“We currently have several ongoing projects, as well as a few upcoming events we’d love folks to come out and participate in. Down the road, the community of Westwood will be receiving a new mural to replace the ‘Welcome to Westwood’ mural that currently exists in partnership with Uplift Westwood Community Development Corporation,” said Brooks.

The New Tri-State Defender

NOTICE TO BIDDERS Shelby County Government has issued Sealed Bid number I000753 Automotive Parts and Supplies for the Shelby County Fleet Services Department. Information regarding this Bid is located on the County’s website at www.shelbycountytn.gov . At the top of the home page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, Click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate the name of the above described Sealed Bid. SEALED BID I000753 DUE DATE THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022 @2:30 PM (CST) (SB-I000753) Automotive Parts & Supplies Shelby County Fleet Services Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service.

By order of LEE HARRIS, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Agricenter International will receive sealed bids for the Innovation District project, and can submit to John Butler at the Agricenter International office at 7777 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, Tennessee by 4:00 p.m. on June 10, 2022 for: Agricenter Innovation District – Phase A Roadway and Infrastructure Project includes the construction of public roadway, storm drainage and sewer lines, bike/pedestrian trail improvements, and utility relocation for the proposed roadway of the future R&D Park Phase A. LEGAL NOTICE The Memphis Housing Authority Invitation for Bid [IFB] for the Abatement of Dwelling units at Borda Towers for MHA Memphis, TN Solicitation # CI 22 B 00637 The Memphis Housing Authority (MHA) is soliciting Firm Fixed Price bids from highly qualified contractors to provide Abatement services for abatement of Dwelling units at Borda Towers, Memphis, TN Bid documents for this solicitation

June 9 - 15, 2022

CLASSIFIEDS

THE NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER CLASSIFIEDS

1509 Madison Ave. Memphis, TN 38104 PH (901) 523-1818 HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

DEADLINES: Display ads Friday 5 p.m.

Classifieds ads Monday 5 p.m.

STANDARD RATES: $6.00 per line for 1 column ad.

Rates are non-commissionable and are quoted at the net rate. No refund for early cancellation. For additional information contact Sales Dept. at (901) 746-5201 or email: advertising@tsdmemphis.com.

GENERAL INFORMATION: Some categories require prepayment.

All ads subject to credit approval. The

will be available electronically per request by contacting Kevin Pilate or Kelitia Dickson, at the Memphis Housing Authority at 700 Adams Avenue, Room 107, Memphis, TN, phone: 901-544-1882 or 901-5441134, email: kplaite@memphisha. org or kdickson@memphisha. org beginning at 10 a.m. CST, Tuesday, June 14, 2022.

One Pre-Bid Conference will be held Thursday, June 16, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. CST at the Memphis Housing Authority, 700 Adams Avenue, Boardroom, Room 216. A site visit shall be scheduled after the pre-bid conference. Although, neither the Pre-Bid Conference nor the site visit is a bidding requirement, all offerors are strongly encouraged to attend.

The Memphis Housing Authority solicits and encourages the participation of minorities and small businesses in procurement. For additional information regarding this solicitation, please call Kevin Pilate, Project Manager at (901) 544-1882.

Bids must be submitted to the MHA Capital Improvements Department, 700 Adams Avenue, Room 107, Memphis, TN 381055029, ATTN: Kevin Pilate, by no later than 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on Thursday, July 14, 2022.

CONTRACTING OFFICER MEMPHIS HOUSING AUTHORITY David Walker Dexter D. Washington Contracting Officer Chief Executive Officer NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Page 9

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ADJUSTMENTS: PLEASE check your ad the first day it appears. Call (901) 523-1818 if an error occurs. We can only offer in-house credit and NO REFUNDS are issued.

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 1:00 p.m. on August 11, 2022, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

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Direct any classified billing inquires to (901) 523-1818.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

New Tri-State Defender reserves the right to correctly classify and edit all copy or to reject or cancel any ad at any time. Only standard abbreviations accepted. Copy change during ordered schedule constitutes new ad & new changes. Deadlines for cancellation are identical to placement deadlines. Rates subject to change.

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Tasha Sturkie Tax Parcel #: 03703800000350 Tax Sale #: 1702 Price Offered: $5000.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 1:30 p.m. on August 11, 2022, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Castle Black Properties Tax Parcel #: 07604100000280 Tax Sale #: 1402

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Castle Black Properties Tax Parcel #: 07524300000060 Tax Sale #: 1004 Price Offered: $4500.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:30 a.m. on August 11, 2022, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

Castle Black Properties Tax Parcel #: 07511700001030 Tax Sale #: 704 Price Offered: $2625.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on August 11, 2022, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Castle Black Properties Tax Parcel #: 07514500000080 Tax Sale #: 1702 Price Offered: $8600.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on August 11, 2022, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Castle Black Properties Tax Parcel #: 07514500000080 Tax Sale #: 1702 Price Offered: $8600.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on August 11, 2022, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: RAN Management Tax Parcel #: 0602200000730 Tax Sale #: 1604 Price Offered: $300,000.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on August 11, 2022, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

Notice is hereby given, pursuant

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The New Tri-State Defender

June 9 - 15, 2022

WORLD NEWS ALERT!

Page 10

‘Only God can help’: Hundreds die as Somalia faces famine

by Omar Faruk and Cara Anna MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — No mother should have to lose her child. Owliyo Hassan Salaad has watched four die this year. A drought in the Horn of Africa has taken them, one by one.

Now she cradles her frail and squalling 3-year-old, Ali Osman, whom she carried on a 90-kilometer (55-mile) walk from her village to Somalia’s capital, desperate not to lose him too.

Sitting on the floor of a malnutrition treatment center filled with anxious mothers, she can barely speak about the small bodies buried back home in soil too dry for planting.

Deaths have begun in the region’s most parched drought in four decades.

Previously unreported data shared with The Associated Press show at least 448 deaths this year at malnutrition treatment centers in Somalia alone. Authorities in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are now shifting to the grim task of trying to prevent famine.

Many more people are dying beyond the notice of authorities, like Salaad’s four children, all younger than 10. Some die in remote pastoral communities. Some die on treks in search of help. Some die even after reaching displacement camps, malnourished beyond aid.

“Definitely thousands” have died, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, told reporters on Tuesday, though the data to support that is yet to come.

Drought comes and goes in the Horn of Africa, but this is one like no other. Humanitarian assistance has been sapped by global crises like

the COVID-19 pandemic and now Russia’s war in Ukraine. Prices for staples like wheat and cooking oil are rising quickly, in some places by more than 100%. Millions of the livestock that provide families with milk, meat and wealth have died. Even the therapeutic food to treat hungry people like Salaad’s son is becoming more expensive and, in some places, might run out.

And for the first time, a fifth straight rainy season might fail.

An “explosion of child deaths” is coming to the Horn of Africa if the world focuses only on the war in Ukraine and doesn’t act now, UNICEF said Tuesday.

Famine even threatens Somalia’s capital as displacement camps on Mogadishu’s outskirts swell with exhausted new arrivals. Salaad and her son were turned away from a crowded hospital after arriving a week ago.

They were sent instead to the treatment center for the extremely malnourished where rooms are full, extra beds have been put out and yet some people must sleep on the floor. Mothers wince, and babies wail, as tiny bodies with sores and protruding ribs are gently checked for signs of recovery.

“The center is overwhelmed,” said Dr. Mustaf Yusuf, a physician there.

Admissions more than doubled in May to 122 patients.

At least 30 people have died this year through April at the center and six other facilities run by Action Against Hunger, the humanitarian group said. It is seeing the highest admission rates to its hunger treatment centers since it began working in Somalia in 1992, with the number of severely malnourished children up 55% from last year.

More broadly, at least 448 people died this year at outpatient and in-patient malnutrition treatment centers across Somalia through April, according to data compiled by humanitarian groups and local authorities.

Aid workers warn the data is incomplete and the overall death toll from the drought remains elusive.

“We know from experience that mortality rises suddenly when all the conditions are in place — displacement, disease outbreaks, malnutrition — all of which we are currently seeing in Somalia,” said Biram Ndiaye, UNICEF Somalia’s chief of nutrition.

Mortality surveys conducted in parts of Somalia in December and again in April and May by the U.N.’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit showed a “severe and rapid deterioration within a very short time frame.” Most alarming was the Bay region in the south, where adult mortality nearly tripled, child mortality more than doubled and the rate of the most severe malnutrition tripled.

One notable complication in counting deaths is the extremist group alShabab, whose control over large parts of southern and central Somalia is a barrier to aid. Its harsh response to Somalia’s drought-driven famine from 2010-12 was a factor in more than a quarter-million deaths, half of them children.

Another factor was the international community’s slow response. “A drama without witnesses,” the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia said at the time.

Now the alarms are sounding again.

More than 200,000 people in Somalia face “catastrophic hunger and starvation, a drastic increase from the 81,000 forecast in April,” a joint

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Doctor Mustaf Yusuf treats Ali Osman, 3, who is showing symptoms of Kwashiorkor, a severe protein malnutrition causing swelling and skin lesions, as his mother Owliyo Hassan Salaad, 40, holds him at a malnutrition stabilization center run by Action against Hunger, in Mogadishu, Somalia Sunday, June 5, 2022. Deaths have begun in the region’s most parched drought in decades and previously unreported data show nearly 450 deaths this year at malnutrition treatment centers in Somalia alone. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh) statement by U.N. agencies said Monday, noting that a humanitarian response plan for this year is just 18% funded.

Somalia isn’t alone. In Ethiopia’s drought-affected regions, the number of children treated for the most severe malnutrition — “a tip of the crisis” — jumped 27% in the first quarter of this year compared to last year, according to UNICEF. The increase was 71% in Kenya, where Doctors Without Borders reported at least 11 deaths in a single county’s malnutrition treatment program earlier this year.

At one of the overflowing displacement camps on the outskirts of Mogadishu, recent arrivals were anguished as they described watching family members die.

“I left some of my children behind to care for those suffering,” said Amina Abdi Hassan, who came from a village in southern Somalia with her malnourished baby. They’re still hungry as aid runs dry, even in the capital.

“Many others are on the way,” she said.

Hawa Abdi Osman said she lost

children to the drought. Emaciated, and weakened by another pregnancy, she walked five days to Mogadishu.

“We had to leave some of our relatives behind, and others perished as we watched,” said her cousin, Halima Ali Dhubow.

More people come to the camp every day, using the last wisps of energy to set up makeshift shelters in the dust, lashing together branches with fabric and plastic. Some walked up to 19 days to reach the capital, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.

“Last night alone 120 families came in,” camp manager Nadifa Hussein said. “We are giving them all the little supplies we have, like bread. The number of people is so overwhelming that helping them is beyond our capacity. In the past aid agencies helped, but now aid is very scarce.

“Only God can help them,” she said.

(Cara Anna reported from Nairobi, Kenya. Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.)

The New Tri-State Defender

June 9 - 15, 2022

SPORTS

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Griner’s fate tangled up with other American held in Russia

by Eric Tucker Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Brittney Griner is easily the most prominent American locked up by a foreign country. But the WNBA star’s case is tangled up with that of a lesser-known American also imprisoned in Russia.

Paul Whelan has been held in Russia since his December 2018 arrest on espionage charges he and the U.S. government say are false. He was left out of a prisoner exchange in April that brought home yet another detainee, Marine veteran Trevor Reed. That has escalated pressure on the Biden administration to avoid another onefor-one swap that does not include Whelan — even as it presses for the release of Griner, an Olympic gold medalist whose case has drawn global attention.

For Griner and Whelan, the other’s case injects something of a wild card into their own, for better or worse.

The U.S. government may not agree to a deal in which just one of them is released, potentially complicating negotiations. But Whelan could also benefit from the attention given to Griner, which has cast a spotlight on his case. And though the U.S. may hesitate to give up a high-level Russian prisoner in exchange for Griner, who’s charged with a relatively minor drug offense, it’s possible it would be more inclined to do so if both she and Whelan were part of any deal.

The potential interplay between the cases is not lost on the families and supporters of Whelan and Griner.

“It’s still very raw,” Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, said of her brother being excluded from the Reed deal. “And to think we might have to go through that again if Brittney is brought home first is just terrible.”

But “what’s really bad” about feeling that way, she hastened to add, is that she and her family absolutely want Griner released, too.

“It’s not like we don’t want her home,” she said. “We want everyone out of there, out of

Russia and away from that situation.”

It all adds up to a “sticky wicket,” said Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon, a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in Russia and is advising the WNBA players’ association on Griner’s case.

If Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, were to leapfrog Whelan in coming home, the administration will face scrutiny from Whelan’s supporters. “And if Paul Whelan gets out first, you’re going to have questions about why isn’t Brittney out when Brittney hasn’t even been convicted yet,” she said.

U.S. officials have not said whether swaps are being discussed that could get Griner, Whelan or both home or whether they’d accept a deal that yields the release of one without the other. A spokesman for the State Department office that advocates for wrongfully detained Americans, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, or SPEHA, declined to say how the cases might affect each other but said in a statement that the office remains committed to securing the release of both.

There’s no question that the February arrest of Griner — Russian authorities detained her at an airport after they said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis — has heightened public awareness around the dozens of Americans who, like Reed and Griner, are classified as wrongfully detained by foreign governments.

The seven-time WNBA All-Star is not only one of the most dominant figures in her sport but also a prominent gay, Black woman. That has prompted questions about the role race and sexual identity are playing in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LGBTQ community, and about whether her case would get more attention if it involved a white male athlete.

U.S. officials and Griner’s supporters initially said little publicly about her case, but that changed in May when the State Department designated her as wrongfully detained and transitioned her case to the SPEHA office.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner leaves a courtroom after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, May 13, 2022. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was detained at the Moscow airport in February after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

Griner’s wife, Cherelle, urged the Biden administration in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” to do anything necessary to get Griner home, but also expressed empathy for Whelan. She said that even though there’s no connection between the two besides the fact they’re both in Russia, “I obviously want him back, too.”

Griner’s fame cuts both ways, said St. Julian-Varnon. If ever Russia wants to reestablish itself as a country hospitable to foreign athletes like Griner, the country would have significant incentive to release her. But given Griner’s “political value” to Russia, it may also make a huge demand for her release.

“This is the biggest chip that they have to play,” she said.

Tamryn Spruill, a freelance journalist and author who launched a Change.org petition demanding Griner’s freedom, said in an email that if her “case can be leveraged to simultaneously secure Whelan’s release — or vice versa — then it is my hope that the president will exploit all of those avenues.”

Unlike Griner, who is awaiting trial,

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Whelan has been convicted and sentenced.

A corporate security executive from Michigan who was arrested after traveling to Russia for a wedding, Whelan was found guilty in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.

Reed had also been sentenced well before the swap that freed him. He had been jailed over what Russian authorities say was a drunken physical encounter with police in Moscow and was freed in exchange for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot who was serving a 20-year sentence for drug trafficking conspiracy. U.S. officials cited in part Reed’s ailing health as justification for the trade.

It’s unclear which other Russians, if any, might be part of additional exchanges. Russian state media have for years floated the name of notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, though such a deal risks being seen as lending false equivalency between a Russian the U.S. government regards as properly convicted and Americans it considers unjustly detained.

Jonathan Franks, a consultant who worked on the Reed case, said it was hard to envision a Griner-Bout deal or a Griner deal that didn’t involve Whelan.

“I truly believe Brittney Griner’s fastest path out of Russia is on Air Whelan,” he said.

Elizabeth Whelan said the early morning call she had to make to her aging parents to tell them Reed was coming home but her brother was not is not an experience she wants to repeat. But she said her family does understand the possibility one prisoner could be freed without the other.

“We’re faced with a situation where these hostile foreign nations can assign different values to each person they’re holding, and can work separate deals. Whichever deal comes through first is often who comes home first,” she said, “and it’s not at all a tenable situation.”

(Follow Eric Tucker at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP.)

The New Tri-State Defender

June 9 - 15, 2022

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