The New Tri-State Defender - September 2-8, 2021

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September 2 - 8, 2021

VOL. 70, No. 35

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FREEDOM AWARD HONOREES

New Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis participated in both weekend community events targeting gun violence, this one the community walk through a segment of Binghampton. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Deadly violence prompts streetlevel response

Marches reflect need, ongoing concern

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Some had personal connections with victims of gun violence; others did not. All involved, however, were fed up with such crime, deciding to take advantage of an opportunity to let their feet do much of the talking during a message that could be summed up with “enough is enough.”

Actually, there were two events, both of which unfolded last Saturday (Aug. 28).

One was dubbed the Combating Crime in our Community Block Party, presented by the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association and

the Memphis Branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

The other was the latest installment of the Community Walk Against Gun Violence, this one through the Binghampton community. Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives founder, Stevie Moore, called it “one of the most invigorating” ones to date.

“With each new walk in a different community, I realize that these events are not in vain,” said Moore.

“With each new one, the community is getting more involved. And these walks remind all of us that

SEE MARCH ON PAGE 2

COVID-19 spike derails Holy Convocation’s Memphis return COGIC shifts to virtual format

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The return of the Church of God in Christ Holy Convocation to Memphis, the city of its beginnings, will not happen this year because of COVID-19 safety concerns.

The 2021 event was to be a special celebration, not only honoring newly installed Presiding Bishop J. Drew Sheard, but also to mark the long-awaited return to Memphis after a decade.

For nine years, the annual meeting convened in St. Louis. Last year, the entire event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The National Civil Rights Museum’s 30th anniversary celebration will have the star power of Michelle Obama, whose popularity continues to soar well past her eight years as the nation’s first lady. (Photo via the National Civil Rights Museum)

Michelle Obama and The Poor People’s Campaign

Bishop David Hall

Earlier this year, when the virus-case numbers were steadily decreasing as more and more Americans received the vaccination, Bishop plans for an Brandon Porter in-person week of scheduled gatherings were being laid for the convocation’s normally allotted slot during the first week of November.

Sheard and the General Board of Bishops decided just last week that the resurging numbers of the virus’ Delta variant across the nation would make

NCRM’s 30th Anniversary set for October 14

by Florence M. Howard

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Former first lady Michelle Obama and The Poor People’s Campaign will receive the National Civil Rights Museum’s 30th annual Freedom Awards.

Dr. Russell Wigginton, who celebrates his first month as president of the renowned museum, announced the recipients Wednesday (Sept. 1) during a virtual news conference.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 14 at the Orpheum Theatre.

The ceremony will include a special tribute to Darnella Frazier, the Minneapolis teenager who recorded the death of George Floyd during a police stop there on Memorial Day 2020.

The first African-American first lady, Michelle Obama is a lawyer, writer, public speaker and the wife of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, as well as and the mother of Malia and Sasha.

Being honored collectively is The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival.

The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis in Memphis during an event in conjunction with the MLK50 celebration. (Screen capture/TSD Archives) “This anti-poverty effort, launched in 2018 by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis is being recognized for reviving Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s original 1968 Poor Peo-

SEE AWARDS ON PAGE 2

SEE COGIC ON PAGE 2

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The New Tri-State Defender

September 2 - 8, 2021

Page 2

NEWS MARCH

CONTINUED FROM FRONT Black lives matter also when it’s black-on-black gun violence.”

The block party hub was St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church at 940 S. Lauderdale.

As was the case at the community walk, community leaders and elected officials were among those who answered what was deemed a call to duty. SCLC President the Rev. Walter Womack said it was “one of the most important marches of SCLC.” “It was important because we had other ministers join in and commit their resources to a continued fight against gun violence,” said Womack.

“We had the police chief out and some of our elected officials. We are tired of young lives being snuffed out at an early age. We put boots on the ground. So, we’re not just talking, but walking the walk.”

The gathering point for the community walk was First Baptist Church, Broad Street. University of Memphis head basketball coach Penny Hardaway added his star power.

“Not only did Coach Hardaway come out, but there were so many men that came

Pictured from left at Saturday’s block party to combat violence are: Pastor Rickey Dugger, Norris Avenue Baptist Church; Pastor Marvin Mims, St. Mark Baptist Church; Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, and SCLC President Walter Womack. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Stevie Moore, left, Shelby County District Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. were in support mode for children during the Community Walk Against Gun Violence. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley) out to support us today,” said Moore.

“People keep asking me if I think these community walks are doing any good. I just remind them that 53 years ago Dr. King marched for injus-

tice. And he kept marching until something happened. And that’s what we have to do.”

Reflecting on the block party, Womack said, “ I believe the community was galvanized. … This was an

opportunity to show the community that we care about what’s happening outside the church walls. The Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association is committed to our ongoing effort to stand against gun

COGIC

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

A plaza-level view on Wednesday (Sept. 1) of the balcony where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

AWARDS

CONTINUED FROM FRONT ple’s Campaign.”

The revived campaign was launched to (http://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org) “to confront the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism.”

During the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Mrs. Obama issued her famous catchphrase, “When they go low, we go high” while discussing how to “handle bullies.”

As part of media mogul Oprah Winfrey’s 2020 Vision: Your Life In Focus tour, Mrs. Obama explained her belief about “going high” on Jan. 8, 2020 in Brooklyn, New York.

“Going low is easy, which is why people go to it. It’s easy to go low,” Mrs. Obama said.

“It’s easy to lead by fear. It’s easy to be divisive. It’s easy to make people feel afraid.

That’s the easy thing and it’s also the short-term thing.”

She continued, “For me, what I learned from my husband, what I learned from eight years in the White House, this life, this world, our responsibility in it is so much bigger than us. When I want to go low, it’s all about my own ego. It’s not about solving anything. ... It’s about seeking revenge on the thing that happened to you.”

Mrs. Obama said that her

purpose in life isn’t revolved around taking care of her “own little ego,” but instead to ensure Lamman that she is Rucker a positive role model for the next generation and is creating positive change.

“There is a bigger purpose for me out there. So, when I respond to something, I have to think about that,” she said.

If her words are not fixing a problem or at least moving the needle in the right direction, she knows that she’s not going high enough, she said.

Begun in 1991, the National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award honors individuals for their significant and outstanding contributions in civil and human rights, and their dedication to creating opportunities for others in America and throughout the world.

On Oct. 14, a pre-show gala and red carpet at the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the main event at the Orpheum Theatre starting at 7:30 p.m.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 event format will be a “hybrid of a live show, with the audience on-site and or joining virtually.

This year’s Freedom Award ceremony honors the 30th an-

Darnella Frazier niversary of the award’s – and museum’s – launch in 1991,” said Faith Morris, NCRM’s chief marketing and external affairs officer and Freedom Awards managing director and producer.

“Having the ability to include a virtual audience has allowed the attraction to increase its footprint,” Morris said.

Actor/activist Lamman Rucker will serve as emcee for the event for the third time. A graduate of Hampton University, he is known for his most recent role as “Jacob Greenleaf” in the Memphis-based “Greenleaf” TV series (OWN) and for former roles on daytime soap operas – “As the World Turns” and “All My Children” – in addition to Tyler Perry’s films “Why Did I Get Married?,” “Why Did I Get Married Too?,” and the “Meet the Browns” TV series.

Wigginton took over as the president of the National Civil Rights Museum on Aug. 1, 2021. He is a graduate of Rhodes College, where he served as a history professor and senior administrator for nearly 25 years.

an in-person meeting of that magnitude unsafe.

“The tremendous level of loss we experienced last year was staggering,” said Bishop David Hall, a member of the General Board. “Just on the General Board, we lost four bishops – four out of 12 bishops.

“It was devastating. We decided last week that it would not be safe for our senior leaders and pastors to be under one roof with these rising numbers of new cases. And we all agreed.”

COGIC Bishop Brandon Porter added, “It was a long, hard thought-out decision. Many of our leaders are seniors. With the Delta variant and so many still needing to be vaccinated, our presiding bishop, our general board, and other leaders engaged felt that it would be the right decision since safety is a primary concern.”

Porter said, initially, plans reflected a hybrid format, partially in-person for some events, and virtual broadcasts of others. However, a fully virtual format will be implemented.

“While we would love to gather in Memphis,” said Porter, “we don’t want to create a super-spreader for COVID-19.

This was the right decision at the right time.”

In a short video posted to the

violence.

“You can talk all day about how much you care, but it’s a whole different thing to show people that you really care.”

Womack said he and the coalition of ministers are committed to taking action and joining others who are taking action until there is real change.

Moore, whose soon was a victim of gun violence several years ago, shared anew that he once was wayward and ended up in jail, pointing out something that he said “we don’t really have any more,” a reference to watchful neighbors.

“It was the lady down the street testifying that I was the one selling those drugs,” said

Moore. “We can’t be afraid to take our community back.

Many of these unsolved shootings can be solved because someone knows what happened and who was involved.

“We have to start speaking up. Black lives matter, not only when someone white kills a Black person, but also when we gun down each other.”

Referencing “all the killing in our communities,” Moore said, “I am tired of us celebrating death. … Every time you look around people are lining up candles on the ground or sending balloons up.

“We must celebrate graduations and events that give life to our children. It’s time we celebrate life.”

COGIC website, Sheard explained that COGIC leaders have had a change of mind, given the turn Bishop of events J. Drew Sheard w i t h steadily increasing new pandemic cases. “…After much prayer and contemplation, coupled with the recommendation of our Global Health & Wellness Committee – an advisory council charged with monitoring the course of the Covid-19 pandemic and its possible impact on in-person gatherings – this year’s Convocation has been changed from an in-person to a virtual event…,” Sheard said.

In past meetings, the Convocation brought in an estimated 40,000 to the city. The Memphis Cook Convention Center and FedExForum were venues used in more recent gatherings to accommodate the larger crowds.

Mason Temple near Downtown Memphis is the historic, international headquarters of the denomination.

Hall, who is also pastor of Temple COGIC in Memphis, said it was initially determined that only 6,000 delegates would be designated to attend in Memphis.

“We started at 6,000, and then, if the numbers had continued to decrease, we were going to increase the delegates to 10,000,” said Hall. “We tried to hold out, but last week, a decision had to be made.

“This resurgence is topping some of last year’s highest numbers. Bishop Sheard felt strongly that we had to go to a totally virtual format. And we fully agree.”

Bishop Porter, also a member of the General Board, is credited with brokering the agreement that brought the Convocation back to Memphis. He pastors Greater Community Temple COGIC in the Hickory Hill community.

Sheard praised the value of in-person fellowship at the annual meetings of the church.

“There is nothing better than fellowship with the Saints, and I anticipated a great time of sharing in Memphis,” Sheard said, in his video message.

“However, your safety is of paramount importance, and we must continue to operate with care and wisdom amid this pandemic.”

COGIC was established and nurtured in Memphis. Its founder and first presiding bishop, Charles Harrison Mason, was born in Shelby County to former slaves in 1864. Mason began the Church of God in Christ in 1907, and in 1945, he dedicated Mason Temple as the denomination’s world headquarters.

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The New Tri-State Defender

September 2 - 8, 2021

Page 3

NEWS

March on Washington 2021 focuses on voting rights

by Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire

On the 58th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, marchers focused on voting rights.

Voting rights have reemerged as a somewhat unexpected political battlefield as Republicans across the country pass new laws placing barriers in front of the ballot box.

Last week, the U.S. House passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore pre-clear-

ance, a 1965 Voting Rights Act provision requiring states with a history of restricting voting rights to receive pre-approval for changes in election laws.

“January 6 you saw an insurrection against people’s right to vote,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, a primary organizer of the March on Washington 2021. Today, Sharpton said, represents “Dr. King’s resurrection of the right to vote.”

In Washington, D.C. and several other cities, marchers focused on voting rights, along with the minimum wage, evictions and justice reform issues.

Marchers at the Washington, D.C. event featured members of Congress and voting rights

activists.

“Fifty-eight years ago today, a preacher from Georgia stood on these steps and declared, in the face of racism and economic justice, a nightmare – a nightmare that was lengthened by congressional and state filibustering,” said the Rev. Dr. William Barber, president of Repairers of the Breach.

Marchers in Washington, D.C. wore “good trouble” t-shirts and face masks and held signs on voting rights and ending the filibuster.

Voting rights activists have been putting pressure on Congress to end the filibuster and make it harder for state legislators to change voting laws that place barriers in front of

At the Washington, D.C. commemoration of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, marchers included members of Congress and voting rights activists. the ballot box.

“Fifty-eight years after the #MarchOnWashington, Americans are marching again today for our democracy. With state laws disenfranchising voters and making it harder to vote, we need the Senate to pass the For the People Act and the House-

passed John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act!” wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on social media.

The Senate is expected to return to session in September and deal with a close vote that will include the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

(Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. Contact her at LBurke007@gmail.com; Follow @LVBurke.)

Voting rights and abolishing the filibuster A conversation with Martin Luther King III and his wife, Arndrea King

by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

In 1963, more than 250,000 people marched on Washington, D.C., for jobs and freedom with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Nearly 60 years later, Martin Luther King III helped lead a massive march on the nation’s capital. This time the objective focused on voting rights.

“John Lewis told us that the most powerful nonviolent tool we have is voting rights,” King told the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) during an exclusive interview broadcast over the social media channels of the Black Press of America.

The NNPA is the trade association that represents the Black Press of America.

“We are in a battle to protect our most sacred right,” King continued.

The oldest son of the late civil rights leader called the more

than 400 voter suppression bills in GOP-led states a reaction to the massive voter turnout in Georgia and other places that helped Democrats gain control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.

King and his wife, Arndrea, said part of their mission is to register new voters and fight suppression laws.

“The 400 pieces of legislation introduced since January are a reaction to the massive voter turnout, we saw last year and is a preparation for 2022,” said Arndrea King, a national merit scholar who studied psychology at Emory University.

“If people come out and make themselves heard and press for federal protection, for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, we can stop this,” Arndrea King insisted.

In addition to the August 28 march, the King family set a goal of registering 2 million new voters ahead of 2022.

The couple insisted that the Black Press of America remains the most prominent and trusted vehicle.

The King family and other civil rights activists have gotten out vital messaging using the Black Press.

“All of us greatly appreciate the Black Press because none of what we are doing, none of what my father did, and so many others would be known without the Black Press,” Martin Luther King III asserted.

NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who worked with Dr. King and Coretta Scott King, said he remains impressed by the King family and their staunch activism for freedom, justice, and equality.

The couple said passage by the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would provide federal protections to voters that suppression laws have removed.

They called the current push

Opportunity 901 unveiled to help improve education for area students

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

With nearly $800 million in state and federal funds targeted for local use to address learning loss and COVID-19 challenges, a public awareness campaign dubbed Opportunity 901 was rolled out on Wednesday.

The Memphis Education Fund is spearheading the effort, along with local business, community and nonprofit leaders.

“A major opportunity now exists for our students,” said Terence Patterson, president of the Memphis Education Fund.

“Our school districts have an unprecedented opportunity to properly invest in our children, thanks to the unprecedented federal and state funding.”

The campaign’s introduction came during a press conference at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library.

Patterson said Opportunity 901 is designed to engage all the stakeholders – including parents, students, faith leaders, non-profits and businesses in determining effective investments on behalf of students.

Whole Child Strategies Executive Director Natalie McKinney said the funding can insure that children in low-income communities are “pre-

pared for college, for careers, and for generational achievement.”

The global pandemic exacerbated external pressures, which threaten student achievement, such as “housing instability, food apartheid and community blight, among a host of others,” McKinney said.

“Whole Child Strategies is dedicated to the success of kids disproportionately affected by poverty. What happens outside the classroom has a direct impact on what happens inside the classroom, especially when the classroom is located in a community disproportionately affected by poverty.

Greater Memphis Chamber Chief Public Policy Officer Bobby White said the funding “is very impactful for the business community. … We have more projects in our economic pipeline than we have had in the last 15 to 18 years. Every one of those projects come down to workforce.”

Businesses, said White, are having “the time of their lives” trying to identify skilled, reliable workers in positions that are open right now.

Regarding the available funding, White said, “We are no longer cash-strapped when it comes to initiatives for our students. … As the federal gov-

ernment has invested this money in our district, please let us invest our time and our attention to what is happening in our school district at this moment.

“Unprecedented challenges have led to historic opportunity. Let’s join Opportunity 901.”

Dianechia Fields, representing SCS parent organization Memphis Lift, said everyone should work together to make sure the dollars are spent on a creating a “sustainable future” for public school students.

Opportunity 901 partners include: • Brown Missionary Baptist Church • Center for Transforming Communities • First Baptist Church, Broad Street • Greater Memphis Chamber • Las Americas • Memphis Education Fund • Memphis Empowerment Initiative • Memphis LIFT • MICAH • Stand for Children • TennesseeCAN • Tennessee Charter School Center • Teach for America • Whole Child Strategies (For more information, visit Opportunity901.org.)

urgent and said Democratic lawmakers should strongly consider abolishing or setting aside the filibuster that maintains most laws need 60 votes – or at least 10 Republican supporters – to pass in the Senate.

“The vast majority of Americans support voting rights legislation, and we know the voter suppression laws target the Black and Brown community, but this is a problem for all of us,” Arndrea King stated.

“In a lot of ways [Dr. King]

“Martin Luther King III and Mrs. Arndrea King together exemplify the loving, transformative freedom-fighting husband and wife team that America and the world surely admire,” said NNPA President/CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. (Photo: NNPA screen capture) saw this. Before his assassination, he said the first phase of the movement was civil rights, and the second phase would be genuine equality. We see mass mobilization across the U.S., and

people are saying it is time for genuine equality, and that starts with access to the ballot box.”

Martin Luther King III called the filibuster a relic of the past.

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PERSPECTIVE The New Tri-State Defender, September 2 - 8, 2021, Page 4

Winfred Rembert

‘… Just learning about historical events can be an eye-opening thing’

SCS Supt. Dr. Joris M. Ray welcomes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson’s support of the district’s push to “REIMAGINE a HEALTHIER 901!” (Photo: SCS Twitter)

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

For our children’s sake…

We need to reject COVID-19 lies and come together as a community

by Curtis Weathers

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Many of you I’m sure were like me when the corona virus vaccines started to come online.

I remember thinking how fortunate we were as a nation and how wonderful it will be when our schools return to some semblance of normalcy.

I never for Curtis Weathers once, however, thought we would have the kind of pushback and resistance from the anti-vaccine crowd that we have now.

It would be nice if we could focus our time and energies on celebrating a return to the classroom with in-person learning, and a greater sense of normalcy. But instead, we have the coronavirus and its deadly offspring, the Delta variant, raging across our city, state and nation, and we, the adults in the room, are again fighting each other more vigorously than we are the virus.

Our children seem to be in greater danger now than they were before the vaccines became available.

Despite the uptick in cases, our governor and the [mostly Republican] members of the Tennessee General Assembly continue to display their outright incompetence in leading the fight against this pandemic.

They show a complete lack of concern for what is actually happening on the ground and the devastation that is occurring in our state and across the nation.

They are working feverishly to prevent school systems in our state from implementing the two most effective methods for keeping our educators and children safe — the wearing of masks and returning to virtual learning.

The Gov. Lee’s executive order allowing parents to opt-out of mask mandates in schools is both shortsighted and reckless.

We know that in-person learning is more effective than virtual learning

Clint Smith

when it comes to educating our children. But we also know that during this current surge of the virus, in-person learning poses more risk to our children’s health and safety than does virtual learning.

Our children are our most precious possessions. Yet, while there have been some 657,000 COVID-19-related deaths recorded in this country alone, we somehow still want to debate the importance of doing all we can to protect them from this deadly disease.

Every day we hear about another school or school system closing down because so many of its children and teachers are getting sick with the COVID-19 virus.

Tennessee is ranked sixth in the country in new cases per capita, and one-third (36 percent) of COVID-19 cases in our state are children.

Things are so bad that the Shelby County Health Department is now calling for universal masking in all K-12 schools, preschools and daycare centers, for teachers, staff, students, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.

The governor’s executive order, however, makes that pronouncement somewhat null and void.

Dr. James Downing, resident and CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in a letter to Lee, urged him to rethink his position on mask mandates, which the governor continues to steadfastly oppose.

Downing made it clear “that the debate over wearing masks is not a political issue — it’s about protecting people in a pandemic.”

In addition, he said the governor’s executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of masks mandates in schools “is a bad idea that will hurt the community.”

Downing went on to say that “if we continue to let unmasked children go to school, the outcome is predictable. Children and teachers, and then their family members and more, will get sick. Schools will be forced to close. Parents will need to stay home. The economy will suffer.

Most heartbreaking, we will see an increase in the number of deaths from COVID-19.”

The Shelby County government has filed one of the two lawsuits,

the other by parents, in federal court against the governor over his stance on mask mandates via his executive order and there is mounting resistance over the state’s restrictions on districtwide virtual learning.

Right now, thousands of parents have opted their children out of mask mandates in their schools, and those children are sitting in classrooms, walking the halls of their schools, and socializing with other students without the protection of a mask.

The results, of course, are predictable, as we are now seeing.

Make no mistake about it, the governor’s position is not about the safety and well-being of the citizens of Tennessee and certainly not the children in our schools, but about servicing his own selfish political agendas.

Nothing else.

I want to continue to encourage the adults out there to take responsibility and do the right thing for our children. If your child is 12 years or older, they are eligible to get vaccinated and should do so as soon as possible.

They also should wear their masks as instructed. Unfortunately, for the time being, there is no vaccine for children under 12.

If you have children in your home and you, the parent or guardian, are not vaccinated, and you are opposed to mask mandates, you are putting your children’s lives at risk (unnecessarily) and the lives of all whom they come in contact with.

Keep in mind, the Labor Day weekend will surely introduce a new wave of infections in our schools and community. We need to reject all of the lies out there, pay attention to the truth, and come together as a community.

I will leave you with yet again the profound words of St. Jude’s CEO, Dr. James Downing who in his letter to Governor Lee reminded us all that, “Too many of our kids still die from cancer and other diseases we’ve yet to fully understand despite decades of incredible progress. But, as a caring community, we have the power to keep them from dying simply because they went to school.”

Stay safe, people!

(Curtis Weathers is the education columnist for The New Tri-State Defender.)

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

History, they say, repeats itself.

Look back a few hundred years, and you can see corresponding events, world-wide and through time. Parallels are interesting to spot; some people might even take them as a warning, so that atrocities, inhumanities, and just plain wrong things don’t happen again.

And sometimes, as in these two books, just learning about historical events can be an eye-opening thing...

The history of America cannot be told without slavery in every cranny of the tale. In “How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith (Little, Brown, $29), readers travel with the author to several places around the country where slavery still lays open and waiting for its part to be included.

When the subject of slavery comes up, it’s often rarely mentioned that transatlantic slavery was outlawed nearly six decades before the end of the Civil War. Of course, that never stopped the import of human beings, but it did change the way that slaves were acquired.

The city of New Orleans had a big hand in slave-owners’ acquisition, and when Smith traveled there, he found that the city is working on a reckoning with its past.

That’s just one place that Smith visited, in an effort to offer readers a wide-reaching look at how slavery sits within our collective story, in places that history books don’t always mention. There’s irony in the story of slavery at Monticello, where Thomas Jefferson wrote at

“Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South”

by Winfred Rembert, as told to Erin I. Kelly, foreword by Bryan Stevenson c. 2021, Bloomsbury $30 285 pages

length about liberty while he kept slaves. Smith writes of the Whitney Plantation, where visitors can today see what slavery was like two centuries ago. He writes about slavery in our cities, our prisons, and even in death. This trip around the country and through time gives this book a quiet appeal that’s especially relevant for today.

Understanding may come faster when the story is told first-person, as it is in “Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South” by Winfred Rembert, as told to Erin I. Kelly (Bloomsbury, $30 He didn’t remember exactly why he’d been arrested that first time.

Winfred Rembert was “only eight or nine years old” but it might have been about a fight. That once, the Sheriff made it all into a game but by the time Rembert was a teenager, being arrested for no reason but Black was a common thing.

After that, it seemed the police were always after him for something. He grew up in Georgia and picked cotton almost as soon as he was old enough to walk. As soon as he was old enough to run, he ran away from home and the police were looking for him. He joined the civil rights movement and the police caught up with him...

Filled with a personal story told casually and colorfully-reproduced artwork, you may find this book to be a keepsake.

And if you want more books like it, or the Smith book, be sure to ask your favorite bookseller or librarian. They’ve got ideas for Black history books you’ll want to page through, repeatedly.

“How the Word is Passed”

by Clint Smith c. 2021, Little, Brown $29 352 pages

Information • Inspiration • Elevation Published by Best Media Properties, Inc.

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The New Tri-State Defender

September 2 - 8, 2021

Page 5

RELIGION Celebration time …

Norris Avenue Missionary Baptist Church, 1437 Norris Rd., saluted the Rev. Dr. Rickey L. Dugger and his wife, Patsy Dugger, during the Pastor & Wife 28th Anniversary Celebration last Sunday (Aug. 29).

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

‘In the beginning’ …

The Rev. Dr. Frank E. Ray Sr., pastor of New Salem Baptist Church, took as his topic “In the beginning,” drawing upon Mark: 1-1 during a sermon at the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association service last week (Aug. 24).

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

LEGACY: Services set for Dr. Erma L. Clanton TSD Newsroom The celebration of Dr. Erma L. Clanton’s life and legacy has been set, with the homegoing service set for New Sardis Baptist Church at noon Saturday (Sept. 4).

A playwright, stage director, songwriter and educator, Dr. Clanton died Aug. 24.

She was 98.

Visitation will be held Friday (Sept. 3) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at New Sardis, which is located at 7739 E. Holmes Rd. Viewing

also is available from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers, any donations are requested to the Erma Clanton U of M Commemoration Fund, with checks payable to New Sardis Baptist Church.

M.J. Edwards Funeral Home has charge.

A Booker T. Washington High School graduate, Dr. Clanton – one of eight children – was a Memphis native born on Feb. 5, 1923. At Alabama State University, she earned a bachelor of science degree (1945). For two-plus decades, Melrose

High School, where she made her English class embraceable and memorable, was her home away home.

Later at the University of Memphis, she added a master’s degree in theater and communication to her professional tool box. As an associate professor there, she gave birth to a production called “An Evening of Soul,” which evolved into an enduring part of her legacy.

The Rev. Darell Harrington is the host pastor.

Dr. Erma L. Clanton (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/TSD Archives)

The New Tri-State Defender, September 2 - 8, 2021, Page 6

Dedication of historical marker adds to legacy of Hattye Thomas Yarbrough “I would think that if we did this unveiling at the FedExForum we still wouldn’t have enough seating for everyone who wanted to be here today.”

— Jane Venson-Talford

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

A

lpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Beta Epsilon Omega Chapter honored Mrs. Hattye Thomas Yarbrough with a historical marker dedication last Saturday (Aug. 28) in her hometown of Covington.

The dedication was at the Tipton County seat’s Frazier Park, where Yarbrough was honored for her service and sisterhood through her extraordinary historic accomplishments.

The icing on the cake is that it also was the celebration of her 100th birthday.

Yarbrough has earned a reputation as a pioneer in her family, community and sorority.

The retired librarian, teacher and archivist spent nearly her entire life collecting and documenting the history and artifacts of African Americans, so she could share those with others.

She was lauded with a beautiful pink and green celebration and unveiling ceremony that included family, friends, community and political leaders, past students and her sorority.

“I would think that if we did this unveiling at the FedExForum we still wouldn’t have enough seating for everyone who wanted to be here today,” said Jane Venson-Talford, president of Beta Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Yarbrough received resolutions and proclamations from the mayors of Bolivar, Tennessee and Covington.

“When they asked me where I wanted the marker placed, (with no hesitation) I said on the Frazier campus,” said Yarbrough.

“This is where the beginning of my contributions to Tipton County began.”

Frazier Park is where Yarbrough had her first teaching assignment. She taught fourth grade and coached the boys and girls high school basketball teams.

Her passion and interests for the history of her people started as a young girl in the home of her aunt, Annie Sybil Thomas Jarrett, in Paris, Tennessee.

There, she discovered books by African-American authors such as Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois and James Weldon Johnson, and publications such as the Negro Digest and the Chicago Defender.

For Yarbrough, exposure to these periodicals helped her learn about the scholarship and achievements of great African Americans, something she was not learning in her school in Tennessee’s rural Hardeman County.

She vowed, “Never ever would there be a Black child growing up around me that would not know African Americans have contributed to every piece of history in

A retired librarian, teacher and archivist, Hattye Thomas Yarbrough spent nearly her entire life collecting and documenting the history and artifacts of African Americans so she could share them with others. (Courtesy photos)

The historical marker noting the contributions of Hattye Thomas Yarbrough was dedicated at Covington’s Frazier Park, the site of her first teaching assignment.

America.”

After graduating second in her high school class, she attended Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, where she also graduated with honors.

She continued to build an educational resume that would present even more opportunities for her to meet African Americans who made great contributions to African-American history.

At Fisk University, Yarbrough earned her Tennessee library teacher certification and studied with Arna Bontemps, a noted poet and member of the Harlem Renaissance.

She went on to summer courses at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College in 1964, where she earned a master’s of Library Science degree.

As an aspiring artist, Yarbrough worked at the Waynesville Junction USO near Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where she had an opportunity to help celebrated painter Samuel Countee create a backdrop for a play by one of the soldiers stationed there – Ossie Davis, who went on to great fame as an actor, director and playwright.

During the summer of 1943, Yarbrough worked the soda fountain at the Army’s Camp Tyson just outside Paris, near the Tennessee-Kentucky border. It’s there that she began to build a collection of items given to her by the African-American soldiers she met.

“I collected pictures, insignias and patches from military men on the troop trains, those who came into our town for recreation or church, and those who came to our house or to Lane College, where I was a student,” Yarbrough said.

“Wherever soldiers were traveling, I would ask their names, hometowns and branches of service. It’s all written in the scrapbook.”

One particular soldier sent her rocks from the Normandy beaches Today, Yarbrough’s scrapbooks and the memorabilia she diligently collected from the African-American soldiers, who served during World War II, are on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Yarbrough dedicated her life to documenting the stories of African Americans and ensuring those stories were told in the right venues.

Her efforts garnered several honors, including, receiving the George H.W. Bush Points of Light award in 1989 and being named one of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated’s Pioneering Sorors in 2014.

The ‘grandmother of Juneteenth’

Author Opal Lee signed copies of her book – “Juneteenth: A Children’s Story” – at the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum, where Elaine Turner is the museum director. In 2016, Lee made a 1,400-mile trek from her home in Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C., gaining more than 1.6 million signatures on a petition in support of making Juneteenth a federal holiday, which it became this year.

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway and State Rep. Karen Camper presented Opal Lee, 94, with a proclamation during her visit to Memphis last weekend. Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” raised public awareness ahead of June 19th becoming the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States and has been an African-American tradition since the late 19th century.

(Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

The New Tri-State Defender

September 2 - 8, 2021

Page 7

NEWS

The #11 has several unique features, including an illustration of HBCU college graduates, “Shaping Black Futures” on the quarter panel, and four HBCU school logos – Jackson State University, Tennessee State University, Mississippi Valley State University and LeMoyneOwen College – on the rear bumper. (Courtesy photo)

‘Shaping Black Futures’ initiative puts HBCUs in the race at Daytona’s Speedway TSD Newsroom As the #11 FedEx Toyota raced around Daytona International Speedway at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 last Saturday, four historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were on board.

FedEx and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin unveiled the car’s special paint scheme on the Wednesday ahead of the race The #11 has several unique features, including an illustration of HBCU college graduates, “Shaping Black Futures” on the quarter panel, and four HBCU school logos – Jackson State University, Tennessee State University, Mississippi Valley State University and LeMoyne- Owen College – on the rear bumper.

LeMoyne-Owen is Memphis’ only HBCU. “We are very excited about having the opportunity to have our HBCU recognized as of one of the four HBCUS

to be on that car … in Daytona,” said William B. Anderson, LeMoyne-Owen’s athletic director. “It’s tremendous.”

The Shaping Black Futures initiative delivered by FedEx is a collective of experiential concepts that support the Black community, specifically highlighting education and career readiness. FedEx has supported HBCUs to help cultivate the next generation of leaders since the early 2000s.

In February, FedEx announced a new $5 million HBCU initiative.

“We are so appreciative to FedEx leadership for this innovative program to address some of the long-standing issues faced by HBCU students,” said TSU President Dr. Glenda Glover.

“It is no secret that many of the challenges faced by students at TSU relate to limited funds. This partnership is a great example of public and private entities collaborating to enhance the higher education experience for African-American students.”

TSU senior Ammria Carter, a political science major from Cleveland, Ohio, said, “FedEx prioritizing HBCUs during the current climate of our economy means so much to so many people. …

“I hope that this act of generosity will spark other companies to consider donating and partnering with HBCUs, especially our beloved Tennessee State University.”

FedEx’s longstanding support of HBCUs includes: * Endowed scholarships at Jackson State University, Tennessee State University and LeMoyne-Owen College; * A customized career readiness program established at Mississippi Valley State University; and * Leadership summits in support of the Southern Heritage Classic for students at both Tennessee State University and Jackson State University.

(TSD sports columnist Terry Davis contributed to this story.)

COMMUNITY The New Tri-State Defender, September 2 - 8, 2021, Page 8

Parents demand SCS create more virtual learning options

by Cathryn Stout Chalkbeat

Awards for the Tennessee Press Association’s 2021 newspaper contests were announced during a hybrid event livestreamed from Franklin, Tennessee last Friday (Aug. 27).

The TSD finishes strong in 2021 TPA state press contests TSD newsroom The New Tri-State Defender netted two firstplace prizes and placed in the top five of four other categories during the Tennessee Press Association’s 2021 newspaper contests cosponsored by the University of Tennessee System, which has been a part of the annual event since 1940.

The awards were announced during a hybrid event livestreamed from Franklin, Tennessee last Friday (Aug. 27). Associate Publisher/Executive Editor Karanja A. Ajanaku represented The New Tri-State Defender (TSD) at the awards luncheon.

“The bottom line is that the TSD is in business to serve its community of readers,” said Ajanaku. “As the head of the editorial operation, I greatly appreciate the efforts and the overall quality of work of all of TSD’s contributors. Of course, none of this is possible without the ongoing support of the board of directors of Best Media Properties, the TSD’s parent company.”

News organizations are grouped by size, with the TSD competing in Group 2.

This year’s annual contest featured special recognition of coverage related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The TSD place first for Coronavirus News Coverage with an entry entitled “‘From nothing is normal’ to vaccine.” With top entrants all very close, the judges noted this: “In general, those who stood out in this category were the ones who covered both the basic news of the day but also found creative enterprise & individual stories to convey the pandemic’s impact. … This entry was full of well-written, informative and fresh takes on the pandemic. The reporters utilized a variety of sources from a diversity of backgrounds.”

First place in Group II Editorials also went to the TSD, with the entry entitled “An acute need for multiple expressions of deep-seated love.”

The editorials included a focus on the pandemic and social unrest. The judges’ observation: “On point, and not afraid to be in the reader’s face regarding issues of the day.”

Second place for the Best Single Editorial was awarded to the TSD for “Time to accelerate toward change!” The judges noted that, “This editorial hit all the right notes at a moment when there were demonstrations in the street.

It is neither hysterical or critical but issues a rallying cry to change the orbit (in terms of) police-community relations and the conversations about them.”

TSD freelance photographer Gary S. Whitlow was awarded third place for Best News Photograph with an entry under the title “When time runs out!” Judges: “A local moment of protest joining the groundswell of support internationally for political action to confront the chasm of inequality in our nation in a well-composed action photo.”

Plaques were given for first-place finishes, with certificates for second and third.

In addition, the TSD placed fourth in Coronavirus Features Coverage, doing so on the strength of a periodic series – Living through COVID-19 – by Deputy Editor Jerome Wright.

Fifth place for Make-Up and Appearance went to the TSD, with design duties handled by Brian Ramoly.

Members of the New Jersey Press Association judged the State Press Contests this year.

The awards luncheon also featured the installation of TPA’s new president, Rick Thomason, Kingsport Times-News.

Four weeks into the school year, a growing chorus of Memphis parents are pressing Shelby County Schools to be more aggressive in creating a virtual learning option as safety concerns mount amid a surge in community COVID cases.

But district officials made clear at an emotional school board meeting Tuesday night that it’s not likely to happen, citing the strict requirements Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn has set for to the state’s virtual learning restrictions.

Last Friday, Schwinn said that she would allow school districts to shift severely affected schools or classrooms to virtual or hybrid learning as outlined in each district’s continuous learning plan. But Schwinn maintained her stance that the switch could not happen districtwide.

SCS Deputy Supt. John Barker said during Tuesday’s board meeting Schwinn’s announcement will most likely benefit smaller school districts because she will only grant the waivers if there aren’t enough adults to cover the classroom.

With its robust staff of central office employees, many of whom have teaching licenses, it is unlikely that Shelby County Schools would have the same teacher shortage that some smaller districts might face, said Barker.

“What people heard about virtual learning is not really a viable opportunity for a district like us, like Metro Nashville, like Hamilton County that actually has the ability to go and keep the school open,” said Barker.

SCS Supt. Dr. Joris Ray said that school officials have received threats warning them that if the entire district switches to virtual learning or hybrid learning that funding, the board, and the superintendent could be removed. He did not specify the source of those threats.

Shelby County Schools Supt. Dr. Joris Ray listens intently at a meeting in the board auditorium earlier this year. During Tuesday’s school board meeting, speakers urged Ray to take a bolder stance against a state policy that restricts local officials from switching an entire district to virtual learning. (Photo: Shelby County Schools via Chalkbeat) “It’s been a number of threats to this particular issue. I’m unsure of what ramifications may occur,” he said to an overflow crowd that gathered Tuesday night in the board auditorium to share frustrations with the district’s management of its third school year in a pandemic.

During the public comment section at the beginning of the meeting, speakers denounced what they view as unsafe schools. Many urged Ray to take a bolder stance against Gov. Lee and officials in the state capital who oppose widespread remote education.

“There needs to be a consciousness above the law. A consciousness above what Nashville might be telling you to do. A consciousness that requires us to act and to behave differently because there is a global pandemic going on, and we have to ask, Dr. Ray, at what cost is my

mother’s life worth?” said Justin Pearson, a Memphis activist and son of a Shelby County Schools educator.

Pearson mentioned local students and teachers who have died of complications from COVID this school year and asked the board and the superintendent if they would “rather carry caskets” than “draw the ire of Bill Lee.” “This is the injustice that we’re fighting,” said Pearson.

As of Aug. 26, there have been 987 staff members diagnosed with COVID-19 and 155 students, according to district records.

The district does not have a vaccine mandate for teachers, but has continued to require masks in school despite the governor’s executive order that states that families can request

SEE SCS ON PAGE 9

Release of shooting video on hold as Motley family, supporters denounce delay

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

A Shelby County judge has delayed until Tuesday (Sept. 7) a decision on whether to allow the public release of videos showing an altercation that led to the fatal shooting of Alvin Motley Jr. by a security guard at an East Memphis service station Aug. 7.

General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Louis J. Montesi Jr. granted defense attorney Leslie Ballin’s request for a temporary restraining order, preventing the release of the videos.

Montesi’s order predictably turned elation over the expected release of the videos into disappointment for Motley’s family and their supporters and attorneys.

Carl Adams, a cousin of Motley’s and a prominent figure in local protests at Kroger Stores over the Gregory shooting, said, “We are obLivingston viously very disappointed that the video will not be released on Friday. At the moment, my understanding is that we will wait and see what happens on Tuesday.”

Motley, 48, was fatally shot at the Kroger Fuel Center at 6660 Poplar Ave. near the Memphis-Germantown city limits.

The security guard Gregory Livingston, 54, is charged with second-degree murder. He allegedly shot Motley over loud music coming from the car in which Motley was a passenger.

Livingston remains in Shelby County Jail on a $1.8 million bond.

Livingston did not have a license to work as an armed security guard in Tennessee, officials said.

Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich requested a special prosecutor to handle the case because a criminal investigator in her office worked for the same security office as Livingston.

That prosecutor, Davidson County District Attorney General Glenn Funk, said his office had planned to release the video Friday (Sept. 3) to Motley’s family and the public.

During an Aug. 17 hearing, Ballin (Livingston’s attorney) opposed releasAlvin ing videos of the shooting Motley Jr. and sought a protective order asking the court to deny release.

There are at least three videos: the Kroger surveillance video and two that private citizens turned over to police.

National civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is representing the Motley family.

“In the interest of transparency and truth, we are saying that the video should be released,” said Crump said during an Aug. 26 event. “They are going to argue that if the video is released, it will be hard to get an impartial jury. But we see videos of Black people committing crimes every day on the news, making us look like we’re all criminals. Nobody says anything about that.”

After Montesi’s temporary restraining order was announced, Crump issued a brief statement: “The judge’s decision to delay the release of the video in this case is deeply upsetting to the family and the community. This video shows the cold, hard truth in this case: Another Black man was killed unjustifiably by a white man with too much power.

“Alvin wasn’t a threat and he wasn’t breaking a single law by sitting in the passenger seat of the car, listening to hip hop music. The facts of this case are clear as day. So, why is there so much effort being made to hide them? We demand justice and transparency for Alvin Motley and his family. We won’t rest until they’ve received the justice they deserve.”

Memphis Branch NAACP President Van Turner Jr. said the organization “remains committed to the fight for justice and transparency in this case. … We plan on seeing this case through until the end and will not stop until

Carl Adams, a cousin of Motley’s and a prominent figure in local protests at Kroger Stores over the shooting, said, “We are obviously very disappointed that the video will not be released on Friday.” the video is released and the Motley family receives justice.”

According to documents filed Monday, Funk said the state “takes the position that it is appropriate to release the video to the public.”

The filing also said the move is “consistent with Funk’s belief that transparency helps to instill faith in our criminal justice system,” especially in cases “of great public interest.”

Funk arranged a private showing of the video to the Motley family prior to last week’s memorial service.

Adams, Motley’s cousin, said, “The family will be there on Tuesday in court. We will be coming down to show our support for releasing the video so everyone can see what happened. It is important to maintain transparency in the case.”

The New Tri-State Defender

September 2 - 8, 2021

NEWS SCS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 to opt out of that policy for any reason. Shelby County government and the parents of immunocompromised students have filed lawsuits attempting to bar the executive order.

SCS currently operates one online academy, Memphis Virtual School, but it is only available to students in grades four through 12 and has an enrollment capacity of 1,500 students. A district spokesperson said Wednesday that 900 students are currently enrolled in the virtual school – more than triple a typical school year – and that administrators are reviewing hundreds of pending applications.

Without more options to learn virtually or telework, teachers and students who don’t want to return in person because of preexisting conditions face a precarious situation in the classroom, said Raquel Williams, a teacher and officer with the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association.

Williams also voiced concern over the new Shelby County Schools online dashboard of districtwide COVID cases. She feels it does not go far enough, and said that teachers and parents should receive daily, not weekly, updates of coronavirus cases in their schools and classrooms.

And she challenged the district to change its policy on staff absences due to quarantine.

“Teachers should not be forced to utilize sick days while quarantining,” she said to applause.

Recently, Adrienne Battle, head of Metro Nashville Public Schools, announced that vaccinated teachers would get extra paid sick days. Memphis board member Kevin Woods supported considering a similar policy in Memphis.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Woods also joined his fellow board members in praising the superintendent and his “amazing team” for their management during the pandemic. The superintendent’s annual board evaluation was shared Tuesday night, and he received high marks in every category.

Woods gave the superintendent kudos for his “impressive” efforts to raise awareness about vaccinations and increase access to COVID testing, including mobile testing units that rotate to each school.

Woods pushed back on the sentiment that the district hasn’t taken bold and necessary actions to keep students and staff safe.

“This board stood up. Your general counsel stood up. Our kids stood up; they are wearing masks,” said Woods. “So this whole conversation about the recoil of going back to where we were, that’s a non-starter.

My daughter wants to be back at school, and as long as we’re doing everything possible to keep our kids, our adults safe, let’s keep them in the classroom.”

But parent and pastor Sara Corum, who watched the entire meeting online, shared one of the lesser discussed consequences of the virtual learning controversy.

“My two just came off a 10day quarantine from exposure.

During the quarantine they received work to do but no instruction because their teachers are not permitted to teach them from home,” she said.

With hesitation and concern, she sent them back to school after the quarantine ended.

“We don’t have a lot of viable options,” she said. “And yet, it feels like we’re playing Russian roulette with our children. No parent should ever be in the position we’re in. Ever.”

Page 9

CLASSIFIEDS NOTICE OF PROPOSED CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT Shelby County Jail Suit Class Action Settlement If you were arrested and detained at the Shelby County, Tennessee Jail at some point between November 1, 2016 and March 21, 2021 for longer than you should have been, you may be eligible to receive a cash payment from a Class Action Settlement.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE LAWSUIT There is a proposed Class Action Settlement of the lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee entitled Turnage, et al. v. Oldham, et al., case no: 2:16-cv-2907. This lawsuit involves persons who were allegedly over detained at the Shelby County, Tennessee Jail as a result of the November 2016 implementation of a computer system. The Action alleged that Defendants violated state and federal laws by detaining persons arrested between November 1, 2016 and March 21, 2021 for a period of time longer than the law provides. Defendants deny any and all wrongdoing of any kind whatsoever and deny any liability to Plaintiffs and to the Settlement Class. The Court has not decided who is right. Both sides have agreed to settle the dispute. The Settlement provides an opportunity for payments and other benefits to Settlement Class Members.

WHO IS INCLUDED IN THE SETTLEMENT? The Settlement Class includes: All persons who, between November 1, 2016 and March 21, 2021 were arrested and then detained in the Shelby County Jail after legal authority for the detention ceased.

More information is available at the Settlement Website, www. shelbycountyjailclasssettlement. com, or by calling (901) 425-4828.

WHAT DOES THE SETTLEMENT PROVIDE? The Settlement provides a Gross Settlement Amount of $4,900,000.00 to pay (1) Claims of eligible Settlement Class Members; (2) the costs of administration; (3) Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses; and (4) any Incentive Awards made by the Court to Plaintiffs. Settlement Class Members who timely submit valid Claim Forms are entitled to receive a cash payment from the Settlement. The actual amount recovered by each Settlement Class Member is based on the amount of time the Class Member was allegedly over detained and will not be determined until after the Claim Period has ended and all claims have been calculated.

WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS? 1. Participate in the Settlement

by Submitting a Claim. If you wish to participate in the Settlement and be eligible to receive a cash benefit under the Settlement, you MUST fill out and submit a Claim Form by December 30, 2021. You can obtain a Claim Form by (1) Visiting the Settlement Website www.shelbycountyjailclasssettlement.com, where you can request a Claim Form to submit by mail; (2) Mailing a written request for a Claim Form to: Shelby County Jail Suit Class Action, Settlement Administrator, P.O Box 341316 Bartlett, TN 38184; (3) Emailing a request for a Claim Form to: info@ cmmsettlementsolutions.com; or (4) Calling (901) 425-4828 and requesting a Claim Form. If you do not timely submit a valid Claim Form and do not opt out from the Settlement, you will be bound by the Settlement but will not receive any cash benefit of the Settlement.

2. You Can Object to the Settlement. If you do not agree with the Settlement or any part of it, you may submit a written objection to the Court. The deadline for submitting an objection is October 11, 2021. You may not object if you opt out of the Class. Details about how to object are available at www.shelbycountyjailclasssettlement.com.

3. You Can “Opt Out” of the Settlement. If you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement, you must elect to opt out and exclude yourself by submitting a written notice of opt out to the Administrator by September 10, 2021. If you opt out, you cannot get money from this Settlement.

Details about opt-out or exclusion are available at www.shelbycountyjailclasssettlement.com, which explains how to exclude yourself from this settlement.

4. If You Do Nothing: If you fail to timely submit a complete Claim Form or notice of opt out, you will be bound by the Court’s decisions and precluded from pursuing any claims or matters covered by the Settlement in any pending or future lawsuits or other proceedings.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION INCLUDING RELEASE OF CLAIMS If the proposed Settlement is given final approval by the Court, Class Members who have not excluded themselves from the settlement will release any and all claims they may have against Defendants related to the claims asserted in the lawsuit regarding alleged over detention at the Shelby County Jail.

Please see the Settlement at www. shelbycountyjailclasssettlement. com for more information.

The Court has appointed Class Counsel as follows: WATSON BURNS, LLC 253 Adams Ave Memphis, TN 38103 Phone: (901) 529-7996 BLACK McLAREN JONES RYLAND & GRIFFEE PC 530 Oak Court Drive, Suite 360 Memphis, TN 38117 Phone: (901) 762-0535 Brice Timmons Donati Law, PLLC 1545 Union Ave. Memphis, TN 38104 Phone: (901) 209-5500 Class Counsel will be compensated from the proceeds of the Set-

tlement and you will not otherwise be charged for their services in representing the Class.

The Court will hold a hearing on November 10, 2021 at 1:30 to consider whether to give final approval to the Settlement, including a request for Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses up to $2,400,000.00 and Incentive Awards for the named Plaintiffs totaling up to $140,000.00 from the Gross Settlement Amount. You or your own lawyer may appear and speak at the hearing at your own expense.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.shelbycountyjailclasssettlement.com or Call (901) 425-4828 PLEASE DO NOT CALL OR WRITE THE COURT OR THE CLERK’S OFFICE NOTICE TO BIDDERS SEALED BID DUE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021 AT 2:30PM “Process Officers Uniforms” SB-I000659A (MC644) In order to participate in the bid listed below for Shelby County Government, you must be registered with our electronic bidding system with Mercury Commerce.

County bids are not available by mail or downloaded directly from the County website, unless otherwise indicated in the solicitation invitation. All vendors who wish to bid are required to register with Mercury Commerce Solutions in order to be notified of on-line bids. There is no charge for registration, and it is easy to use. To register: • Go to www.esmsolutions.com • Go to “Sign In” at top of page • Click “Supplier Login” • Under “Mercury Version”, click ‘Not Registered’ • Complete Vendor Registration process • Submit If you have any questions about the registration process, contact ESM Solutions at (877) 969-7246.

If you have any questions about information contained in the bid documents, contact the Purchasing Department at (901) 222-2250 and ask to speak to the Buyer listed for the bid.

SEALED BID DUE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021 AT 2:30 PM (CST) PROCESS OFFICERS UNIFORMS FOR SHELBY COUNTY JUVENILE COURT CLERK’S OFFICE SB-I000659A (MC 644) By order of LEE HARRIS, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

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: JRI, LLC Tax Parcel #: 7514500000440 Tax Sale #: 1701 Price Offered: $700.00 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 October 4, 2021, 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 to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Summer Avenue Enterprise, Inc. Tax Parcel #: 06906700000290 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $45,000.00 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 2:00 p.m. on October 1, 2021, 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: Tiffany L. Holley Tax Parcel #: 02500500000150 Tax Sale #: 1701 Price Offered: $200.00 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 September 1, 2021, 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

an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Jason Panter Tax Parcel #: 04507700000160 Tax Sale #: 1603 Price Offered: $600.00 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 October 1, 2021, 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: JRI, LLC Tax Parcel #: 07608600000350 Tax Sale #: 1701 Price Offered: $500.00 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 October 1, 2021, 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: Robert L. Hale, Sr. Tax Parcel #: 08200800000060 Tax Sale #: 1304 Price Offered: $3500.00 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 October 1, 2021, 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: Salvador Rodriguez and Jocabeth B.De Rodriguez Tax Parcel #: 07517200000180 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $4000.00 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 October 1, 2021, 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 to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Moody Community Development Corporation Tax Parcel #: 07704800000650 Tax Sale #: 1702 Price Offered: $13000.00 Terms: Cash

SALES PERSON

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 October 1, 2021, 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.

The New Tri-State Defender is looking for a few sales consultants to sell print ads, digital ads and event sponsorships for the organization. The candidate should have some sales experience. This is a commission based opportunity.

For serious inquiries email your resume to administration@ tsdmemphis.com.

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

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:

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Special purchases with unbeatable low prices.

JRI, LLC Tax Parcel #: 07508300000100 Tax Sale #: 1002 Price Offered: $1875.00 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 2:30 p.m. on October 1, 2021, 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

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SPORTS

The New Tri-State Defender, September 2 - 8, 2021, Page 10

Going up: Grizzlies to hang jerseys of Tony Allen, Z-Bo at FedExForum

by Terry Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Everyone loved the Core Four of the Memphis Grizzlies – Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Tony Allen and Zach Randolph.

They were the heart and soul of the “Grit and Grind” teams that caused legitimate consternation to their NBA opponents.

Two pillars of that core, Allen and Randolph, saw a Grizzlies’ promise fulfilled Wednesday (Sept. 1) when the team announced the players’ jersey numbers will be retired.

Allen’s No. 9 and Randolph’s No. 50 will hang from the FedExForum’s rafters as a tribute the pair’s role during the “Grit and Grind” era.

Team officials said both will be the first retired jerseys in franchise history.

Randolph’s jersey will be retired Dec. 11 during a game against the

Houston Rockets and Allen’s on Jan. 28 during game against the Utah Jazz, on which Conley is a member. Both games will be at the FedExForum.

Allen and Randolph (aka Z-Bo) have finished their NBA playing days and have been named ambassadors for the Grizzlies. Easily recognizable at games, they continue to warm the hearts of the team’s faithful.

Allen, who played for the Grizzlies from 2010-17, is credited with coining the terms “Grindhouse” and “Grit and Grind,” and proudly bears the nickname “Grindfather.”

He played 15 seasons, making the NBA All-Defense team six times, including first-team three times. He won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 2008.

Randolph’s classic smile and blue-collar work ethic resonated throughout all quarters of Memphis.

His community service included helping those in need with utility

bills.

On the court, he was known to step up for his teammates when opponents pushed the limits of physicality. He became endeared to Memphis fans when he uttered the phrase “I don’t bluff” in association with an altercation with then-NBA big man Kendrick Perkins.

Later, that utterance became the fan mantra “We don’t bluff.”

The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Michigan State Spartans before being drafted in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.

He played in Memphis from 2009-17 and for five teams over the course of his career, making the All-NBA Third Team in 2011 with the Grizzlies.

With Miami’s then-superstar Dwayne Wade in the mix, Zack Randolph (left) and Tony Allen take care of business during a 2014 preseason game against the Heat at FedExForum. (Photo: Warren Roseborough)

PREP FOOTBALL

Pictured (l-r): Joe Green, Penny Hardaway, Andre Turner and Derrick Burroughs. (Courtesy photo)

Hardaway’s Lane College donation advances push to upgrade athletics

by Terry Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Whitehaven head football coach Rodney Saulsberry gives Ricky Wilson some defensive instructions.

Whitehaven continues domination of Ridgeway

by Terry Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The second week of high school football has gone as well as expected for most coaches when it comes to handling the covid-19 issues and very few games have had to be canceled. The Whitehaven Tigers faced off against an opponent they schedule every year out of conference in the Ridgeway Roadrunners.

Whitehaven has dominated the series over the course of the years. Ridgeway wants to win the game, but the are playing a team that is plays in Class 6A and they play in Class 4A. This year was more of the same. The Tigers defeated the Roadrunners 41-21.

There were room for improvement and encouragement for both teams. For the Tigers, they were able to gain more confidence on offense and development a more balance attack. That how they attacked the Roadrunners.

Sophomore quarterback William Carver complete touchdown passes to Joe Williams

and Mikkal Stewart.

Carver added a rushing touchdown. Derrius Boddie would control the ground.

Boddie broke away for a 65yard touchdown. This was one of two touchdowns for Boddie.

Ridgeway would not Terry give up. They scored a Davis touchdown as the first half was ending to make it score before going into the first half (28-7). Ridgeway played very hard in the first half but were not able to match up with the Tigers.

“We are down on numbers and we did not play well enough to win today,” said Ridgeway head coach Durron Sutton, “I think we will have a good team going forward.”

Whitehaven head coach Rodney Saulsberry said, “Great game as far the results, but we have things we need to work on. Offensively we snapped on today. We have to learn to sustain success and how to deal with pros-

Ridgeway senior running back Quintarrius Ayers looks for space against Whitehaven. (Photos: Terry Davis) perity.”

On the improved play of Carver at quarterback Saulsberry said, “He has done a great job of honing in and just learning. I am excited about the growth potential he has. He does a great job of lifting other guys up.”

Next up for Ridgeway (0-2) will look to get their first win of the season with they host Warren County (0-1). Whitehaven will stay on the road and travel to play the Germantown Red Devils (1-1) in both teams District game opener.

The Lane College athletic program is the recipient of a $50,000 donation from University of Memphis men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway.

Hardaway made the donation to the Dragon Club, the athletic funding raising group for Lane College, Lane Head Basketball Coach Andre Turner, Athletic Director Derrick Burroughs and Joe Green, Dragon Club president.

Lane is an HBCU institution in Jackson, Tennessee.

Burroughs is a former Tiger football great and NFL star. Burroughs hired former Tigers’ basketball great Andre Turner as Lane’s new head basketball coach.

Turner, known as “the little general” during his playing days at Memphis, is the former head coach at Memphis’ Mitchell High School. He led Mitchell to multiple appearances in the state tournament, including a championship run.

Turner, a first-year coach for the Dragons, gave Hardaway a tour of the campus a couple months ago. After the tour, Hardaway made a commitment to support the college, which was founded in 1882 by the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and has an enrollment of about 1,300 students.

Hardaway told Turner it would not be a one-time commitment.

An exhibition game between the Tigers and the Dragons is pending for late October, depending upon how Memphis’ final schedule is structured.

As for his plans as the Lane coach, Turner said he is going to “take a holistic approach … I want it to be more than about basketball.”

The plans include getting more supporters from all walks to contribute to the betterment of the program.

Most donations made to the Dragon Club are tax deductible.