The New Tri-State Defender - September 15-19, 2022 by The Tri-State Defender

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September 15 - 21, 2022

VOL. 71, No. 37

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A view of Ezekiel Kelly as ‘unloved, unhelped, unseen’ Arun Gandhi, grandson of India’s iconic leader of nonviolent resistance, will share effective principles in dialing back gun violence and other aggressions during talks in Memphis. (Courtesy photo)

Arun Gandhi: why is nonviolence so difﬁcult to accept Gandhi’s grandson to give Memphis talks by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library will be the setting for a provocative discussion on promoting nonviolence and civility on Thursday, Sept. 15. The grandson of India’s iconic leader of nonviolent resistance, Mahatma Gandhi, is the featured speaker in two sessions, scheduled at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., which are free and open to the public. Arun Gandhi, founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute in Rochester, New York, will share effective principles in dialing back gun violence and other aggressions, according to the prominent activist. In a telephone interview Tuesday (Sept. 13), Gandhi said, “Peace is not the absence of war. ‘It is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice,’ Spinoza, the philosopher said centuries ago. “Nonviolence is shaped by principles that guide our action while we work for change. Our challenge is how do we begin to effectively implement those principles.” Gandhi’s appearance comes after Memphis experiences one of the deadliest periods of 2022 with the kidnapping and murder of Eliza Fletcher, the slaying of Rev. Autura Eason-Williams during a carjacking, the random deadly shooting rampage that left three dead and three wounded, and scores of other homicides and shootings in Memphis this year. Gandhi said both activists and ordinary citizens who want to see Memphis take on a new direction in reducing the level of violence and lawlessness are invited to attend. Community leaders and groups come to the institute for workshops and other activities on how to achieve and sustain nonviolence in their communities.

SEE GANDHI ON PAGE 2

Torrey Bates, executive director of For the Kingdom conference center and retreat, has been helping Destine Christian process the murderous rampage for which Ezekiel Kelly, an ex-boyfriend she has known for years, is being held accountable. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The New Tri-State Defender)

Ex-girlfriend, youth advocate add to picture of accused mass murderer by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Was there any way to know that a dam was about to break and that Ezekiel Kelly was about to implode? “Yes,” says an ex-girlfriend and a youth advocate, who is helping her process the resulting shooting and carjacking rampage that left three dead, three others injured, and much of Memphis reeling for several hours on Sept. 7 as police tried to capture the shooter.

“Zeek felt like he had no one,” said ex-girlfriend Destine Christian, who met Kelly at Coleman Elementary School in Raleigh when they were in the fifth grade. They have been romantically linked “on and off” over the years, she said. “He was close to his mother, but other than that, there was no one. Three years of drugs, loneliness, and depression made him feel unloved, unhelped, unseen. “I understand why it happened, but it still made me very sad.” Christian’s voice trailed off into a low,

unsteady whisper. She swallowed as tears streaked her face. Torrey Bates, executive director of For the Kingdom conference center and retreat, said, “Children in Raleigh are raised in a culture of death. …. There was a shootout across from Coleman Elementary School last week, and nobody even called the cops. “I see young boys 13-14, running out the house with AKs almost as big as they are, jumping into cars. It is a culture of death.” Bates slowly shook his head. “I was shot in December 2019, myself,” said Bates. “I was hit in the face, and there is still a bullet in my neck. A total of 16 bullets struck my vehicle.

SEE KELLY ON PAGE 2

Crime concerns weigh heavy on Council’s law enforcement committee agenda by James Coleman

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Capping off a brainstorming session for solutions to violent crime, Memphis City Council members adopted a resolution asking the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to direct additional state troopers to supplement the city’s police force. The request, which came during the council’s Tuesday (Sept. 13)

meeting, calls for at least 50 officers for six weeks or more. The additional officers would supplement the local force by taking over intersection patrols, which would allow for increased neighborhood surveillance. It follows a week of violence that left the city searching for answers to a growing violent crime problem, especially youth offenders. The resolution was sponsored by Rhonda Logan, who chairs the council’s Public Safety and Homeland

Security Committee. Council members were joined by Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, who delivered an update on the city’s crime problem and police force staffing numbers. Council members were told the overall crime rate saw the biggest increases in auto thefts, thefts from autos, aggravated assaults, burglaries, and shoplifting, with many of the vehicle thefts/burglaries committed by teens 15-19 years old.

However, it was the recent spree of killings and unrelated kidnapping and murder that held members’ focus. “Wednesday night (Sept. 7) was nothing short of a terrorist attack and, as I am fond of saying, only the police were chasing this guy, because we’re not professionally trained. “It was you guys (police officers)

SEE CRIME ON PAGE 9

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The New Tri-State Defender

KELLY

CONTINUED FROM FRONT “But I have learned how to love Raleigh. I love this community, these children.” Bates linked Kelly’s actions to four generations of the forgotten. “Decades ago, Raleigh was a white community,” Bates said. “When they left, a community of renters took their place. Raleigh is a transient, forgotten community – no ownership, impoverished. “Four generations of the forgotten is what we are seeing. Zeek, who grew up in Raleigh, is in the lineage of the forgotten, raised by one of the forgotten.” The New Tri-State Defender’s Sept. 10 interview with the pair was an attempt to get at who Kelly is, and why the rampage. The “unofficial mayor of Raleigh” and newly-elected Shelby County Commissioner Charlie Caswell Jr. suggested a talk with Bates as someone with his finger on the pulse of the community. Bates described Raleigh as grieving, saddened, and very distraught about what Kelly did. “The video (posted on Facebook Live showing the suspect shooting a man inside a store in the 4000 block of Jackson Avenue) was sent to my phone, but I didn’t know what I was opening,” said Bates. “So, when I opened it and saw what was happening in real-time, it just broke me down. It broke me all the way down.” Because of his advocacy, Bates is known as a “father” to hundreds of youngsters, who participate in daily mentoring programs at For the Kingdom, a 100-acre scenic rustic oasis of cabins and trees, a pond, and acres of stunning greenery in the heart of Raleigh. “In the summer, it’s a camp retreat and conference center for

groups,” said Bates. “But I realized four years ago when I came that we could do so much more to help young people in this community. More than 1,000 children and teens are here each week. They are our children.” Neither Christian nor Bates handed Kelly a pass for the murder spree. They were simply stating the “reasons why” and the “answers to.” “I work here at For the Kingdom as a youth engagement specialist,” said Christian. “I graduated from Craigmont High School at age 16, and I am now 19, a junior at the University of Memphis, majoring in exercise, sports and movement sciences. “I have wanted to be a sports medicine doctor since eighth grade. My mother is a single mom, but we were raised in a loving home. Many kids are not.” Kelly was released from prison earlier this year following about 11 months behind bars after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to three years. Initially, he had been charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, employing a firearm with intent to commit a felony, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. Christian said after his release there was hope that things could turn around for him. Kelly stopped by the family home to see his mother before the shooting rampage started, Christian said, apparently while still intent on committing violence. Christian said she has witnessed it firsthand – Kelly can appear in every way to be two very different people. “He wrote me all the time in prison, and we would talk on the phone every day,” said Christian. “Zeek is really a nice guy. If I needed something, or his mother needed something, he would make sure we got it while he was

September 15 - 21, 2022

NEWS

GANDHI

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Destine Christian (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/ GSW Enterprises/The New Tri-State Defender) locked up. “He took care of us. But the drugs and alcohol made him a different person. It was just like you were dealing with two different people.” Christian recalled Kelly’s release from prison on March 16. His mother, alone, picked him, she said. “I wrote him just before he got out. He didn’t trust anyone. His mother was trying to get him out of Raleigh, out of Frayser, out of North Memphis, and send him to East Memphis. But it just didn’t work out.” Was Kelly part of a gang? Definitely, Christian said. “When Zeek got out of jail, he returned to the streets. He was a member of the Spring Valley gang. On the live stream, you hear him say Spring Valley military. “His older brother was in that gang, and Zeek started running the streets in middle school. Most kids don’t have fathers, so the street is their father.” When kids don’t have their father, their guidance comes from the street, Christian said. “Zeek lost his brother while he was locked up,” said Christian. “And, he has lost so many friends, who were murdered. When you’re in the life, that’s just how it is.” Bates envisions adding more programs, drawing in more children to help change

Top MSCS administrator suspended pending complaint investigation by Samantha West Chalkbeat Tennessee

A top Memphis-Shelby County Schools administrator has been put on paid administrative pending an investigation into an employee complaint. The nature of the complaint against John Barker, deputy superintendent for strategic operations and finance, is unclear. In a statement shared with district employees and the media on Monday, interim Superintendent Toni Williams said the district investigates all complaints lodged against employees and would not comment further. It is also unclear how long the inquiry will take. Until the

investigation is resolved, Patrice Williams Thomas, the district’s chief of staff, will fill in for Barker. John B o a r d Barker Chair Michelle McKissack said Monday that Barker’s suspension was typical district protocol, and denied media reports that he was escorted off district property. “This is not anything out of the ordinary or unusual,” McKissack said. “He acted accordingly when he was informed of it. There was no dramatic

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escorting out of the building. None of that.” Barker could not be reached for comment. Barker’s suspension comes nearly three weeks after Joris Ray agreed to resign as superintendent of MSCS. Ray was on paid administrative leave over claims that he abused his power and violated district policies. During the investigation, Barker and fellow Deputy Superintendent Angela Whitelaw were serving as acting co-superintendents. (Samantha West is a reporter for Chalkbeat Tennessee, where she covers K-12 education in Memphis. Connect with Samantha at swest@chalkbeat.org.)

Ezekiel Kelly the course of more young lives in Raleigh. “What happened just makes me want to do more,” said Bates. “It should make us all want to do more. I worry that for every Zeek, there is an army of Zeeks across our city, across our country, just waiting to happen. “They don’t have the life skills to deal with anxiety and sadness, and depression. Zeek does not have the life skills to deal with those things, or even ask for help. “We are saddened because we don’t want the world to label all young, Black men as angry and violent. I grieve because we have failed them. We all have failed them.” Kelly’s younger brother participates in For the Kingdom activities. “He’s in the eighth grade. (Recently) Zeek’s younger brother just wanted to talk. And that’s just what he did. He is grieving, and he is very sad. “But, I have so much hope for these children. We mean to break this cycle with love. God’s love has the power to break generational curses.” Kelly is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the slaying of one of the three victims. He is being held without bond.

Gandhi also travels to communities across the United States that are struggling daily to contain multiple forms of violence. Thursday marks a return to Memphis by Gandhi. He started the institute on the campus of Christian Brothers University in 1991. The Institute was moved to Rochester in 2007. Gandhi is a highly respected elder and thought leader in the peace movement. “The reason that America continues to grow more and more violent is because there is a culture of violence,” Gandhi said. “The more materialistic we grow, more violence is necessary to preserve that lifestyle. “Every aspect of our lives is violent — sports, relationships, religion, economics — everything involves violence and aggression.” Gandhi continues the work started by his grandfather as a nonviolent resistance activist. The Nobel laureate Gandhi lived in South Africa and worked as an attorney until age 45. Gandhi returned to India in 1921, taking control of the Indian National Congress in 1921. Nationwide campaigns pushed back against poverty, restricted women’s rights, and colonization by Britain. Gandhi identified with the poor by eating simple food and going on long fasts as a means of introspection and political protest. He led marches and other forms of resistance against British colonialism. He was imprisoned many times in both South Africa and India. Britain granted independence in 1947. He was assassinated by

Arun Gandhi, the founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute in Rochester, New York, moved the institute from Memphis in 2007. (Courtesy photo) a militant Hindu nationalist at an interfaith prayer meeting in Delhi on Jan. 30, 1948. The grandson said he felt the weight of being Gandhi’s grandson and the awesome responsibility to continue his work. “When I was a boy, I told my mother how I felt the burden of my grandfather’s legacy getting heavier and heavier as time passed,” said Gandhi. “My mother told me that I must make the decision to become a light and inspiration just as my grandfather did. The burden lifted when I committed myself to continuing the work.” Gandhi says the Institute participates in outreach and service to impoverished, underserved areas and several prison locations, where thousands of inmates are housed. Gandhi, 89, said four pillars define what life-changing nonviolent action looks like — restorative practices, sustainability, racial justice, and nonviolent education. Question-and-answer sessions will follow each of the scheduled talks. The Hooks Library is located at 3030 Poplar Ave. More information on the Institute is available at: gandhiinstitute.org.

The New Tri-State Defender

September 15 - 21, 2022

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We’re right here to do more. To help support both your physical and mental health while giving back to our communities is to go beyond what is expected from a health insurance company. And that’s exactly why we do it.

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PERSPECTIVE The New Tri-State Defender, September 15 - 21, 2022, Page 4

‘Penny’ proves, again, that he’s worth his weight in gold UofM head coach keynoted the Southern Heritage Classic Coaches Luncheon by Karanja A. Ajanaku kajanaku@tsdmemphis.com

In what he acknowledged as “a great environment of Black excellence,” Penny Hardaway delivered a keynote message threaded with his God-embracing belief that getting involved in young people’s lives at the deepest level possible is a reward in and of itself. It was, he said, his first keynote address. The venue was the Southern Heritage Classic Coaches Luncheon at the Renasant Center in Downtown Memphis on Friday (Sept. 9). The giants in the house notably included Tennessee State University football coach Eddie George and Jackson State University’s Deion Sanders. “At the end of the day, we can’t forget about our youth,” said Hardaway, a Memphis favorite son and head coach of the University of Memphis men’s basketball program. “I love my city, that’s why I came back. I’m in the neighborhoods, I’m in the city. I came back for that reason because they need us. …” In a passing, contextual reference to the “young man” whose recent killing spree stunned Greater Memphis, Hardaway said, ‘I’m partnering with people in this city to try to help understand and get these kids into whatever we need to do to try to grab our cities back. “We (his generation and others before) had the pastors, we had the neighbors that could give us a whipping and then take us to our mom or grandma and we’d get another one. We don’t have that no more. We need that. We need the men to step up.” Honored to keynote the Classic’s Coaches Luncheon, Hardaway, who starred at Treadwell High School and Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) before becoming a household name in the NBA, said SHC founder Fred Jones Jr. essentially told him to “Do you.” To Hardaway, that boiled down to sharing “the blessings that have happened in my life.” So, he respectfully asked the audience if he could share his story. Receiving a collective, go-for-it response, Hardaway engagingly wove a narrative that underscored his message. Some parts were familiar to many who have followed Hardaway’s journey from Binghamton to stardom. On this day, however, the totality of his story and the timeline he shared stirred many to leave the banquet hall with an enhanced sense of inspiration. “My momma had me when she was 19 years old, senior in high

school. I’m saying this to show you where I come from to where I am right now. … So, my dad was gone before I was born. At five years old, I was dropped off at my grandmother’s house and my mom took off on her journey (pursuing a singing career). She stayed gone nine years. … “When I moved in with my grandmother, two things I knew right away about my grandmother. She loved God and she was all about respect. And that got instilled in me very early.” His grandmother was 55 and about ready to retire when she took in her five-year-old grandson. “She was by herself, so she had to be tough. She raised me tough. She was … a woman that would sit on the front porch in the summertime, have a blanket over her lap and have a gun next to her. That’s the way I was raised, so y’all know I’m from Memphis.” Much of his nearly 30-minute address was told that way: simple, direct and heartfelt with the intentional sharing of learned lessons. As a whole, it reflected that things often don’t unfold as one had dreamed, hoped and desired. Hardaway desired to have spent more time playing with Shaquille O’Neal in Orlando, where he still believes they would have won multiple championships. He hadn’t wanted his NBA career to end when it did, but injuries and team circumstances dictated otherwise. Baffled in an unwanted retirement, Hardaway returned to Memphis to be with a friend, Desmond Merriweather, who coached basketball at Lester Middle School and had been given 48 hours to live in a battle against colon cancer. “When I started talking to him, it was nothing about his condition. He talked about these kids in our neighborhood, that he was trying to give pride back to them about being from where they were from and he was trying to get some help from somebody that he knew had the same heart as him. “He knew I had the resources and the funds to give them an avenue to try to make it out … because we made it out. …” After a visit by “a bunch of prayer warriors from our neighborhood,” Merriweather moved from ICU to a regular room to his own home. “Come on now. Thank you, God,” said Hardaway, recounting the call he got soon after. “You know what we have to do,” he heard Merriweather say. “We got to get to them kids in our neighborhood. And most of the kids that were on that team were from people that we grew up with

“At the end of the day, we can’t forget about our youth,” UofM head basketball coach Penny Hardaway told the crowd at the Southern Heritage Classic Coaches Luncheon at the Renasant Center. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender)

JSU football coach Deion Sanders lauded TSU coach Eddie George, his good friend, for the love and compassion he continued to show for the young men on the TSU team. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/The New TriState Defender) in the neighborhood.” Hardaway started going to practices. As Merriweather, who was receiving chemotherapy, weakened, Hardaway took on the head coaching duties. “He didn’t miss one game while he was going through chemo. You couldn’t make him stay at home, because he was like, ‘I have a bigger purpose in me for what we’re doing. We’re trying to get these kids out of here. We don’t want them to be stuck.” The middle-school team won the state title on a buzzer-beater. “I looked at the bench and ran to him and he couldn’t get up he

Referencing recent crime tragedies, TSU coach Eddie George talked about the need for healing and to experience something positive. The Classic, he said, was about “fun, family and football.” (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender) was crying so hard. And then I started crying because I knew what that meant. It wasn’t about his cancer. He was like, ‘Man, we did it for them. We did it for them.’” From that point, said Hardaway, “I knew what the mission was. We have got to get these kids from trying to think about the streets and think about being on Wall Street.” More titles followed. Merriweather followed the players onto the high school level as head coach at East. Hardaway decided to take the break he had put on hold after retirement. Several months later as he was leaving

Desmond “Dez” Merriweather and Penny Hardaway. (Photo: Facebook)

church, he got an unnerving call. “So I race over. … We knew it was close because Desmond himself started saying, ‘I’m ready. … I’m ready now. The pain is so unbearable. … I feel like we’ve done what we needed to do. I’m ready.’ … “(H)e’s gasping for air. I’m witnessing this, and he says to me, ‘I love you, dog.’” Hardaway paused in the telling of his story to compose himself. “It’s all right. Take your time,” several called out from the audience. Gathering himself, Hardaway fast-forwarded, detailing how he subsequently took over the East coaching duties, the state titles that followed and his ascension to head basketball coach at the University of Memphis, where, he said, “I’m getting into trouble for doing what I just told y’all I do.” The trouble, of course, is the pending NCAA probe, which, in part, involves Hardaway having paid the moving expenses from Nashville to Memphis for the family of an AAU team member, who helped Hardaway and East High School make state title runs. “We got a group of people, who are judging me as if I did that for monetary purposes,” said Hardaway, “not from the heart. I did all that from the heart.” He recalled a sermon in which his pastor at the time “put like 10,000 sheets, it was a bunch of sheets of copy paper on the stage one Sunday. And he said this is my life story in all these sheets of paper, but y’all want to grab one sheet and judge me from (one) sheet instead of understanding what the story is.” Whether the NCAA will get the full story and whether that will affect the outcome is pending. Thanks to the Classic and its founder, Hardaway has had the chance to tell it from his vantage point and to do so as part of honoring two gridiron legends – George and Sanders. “I love those brothers, man. It means a lot to me, as another Black man to see y’all take steps, strong and professional … To be having these kids dream through you guys, to be a father, to be a counselor, to be a friend, to be whatever. … You got to really invest in these kids. “So, I’m here now, and I’m doing the same thing, and all this noise is going on. But the reason why I told that story is because nobody believed that any of that could happen. And, I’m on my knees saying, ‘Look what God did. God did it.’” Concluding, Hardaway said, “We all need to step up.” “That’s right,” came the chorus-like response. “And that’s why I commend these guys (George and Sanders),” he said. “At the end of the day, I look at it like this, it’s not how they see us, it’s how we see us. … Thank you for listening to my story. I love y’all.”

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

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The New Tri-State Defender

September 15 - 21, 2022

RELIGION

Legendary musician Charles Hodges honored by Mt. Pisgah classmates

For Maia Jaribu Ajanaku Locke, learning was fundamental Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Internationally recognized, award-winning musician Charles E. Hodges Sr. recently was honored by his old classmates from Mt. Pisgah School. “The Mt. Pisgah class of 1966 invited everyone to come out and celebrate Charles Hodges,” said Dorothy Rhodes, one of the event’s organizers. “Even when he was in school, we knew he was gifted. Charles Hodges has won awards all over the world, and we just wanted to give him his flowers while he was still living.” For Hodges, the Sept. 3 tribute at Germantown’s historic New Bethel Baptist Church was a time to reflect and appreciate the past. “I was playing in clubs with my father’s band, ‘The Germantown Blue Dots,’” said Hodges. “My father started bringing me to the clubs with him when I was 14, and I learned to play piano by watching him and listening to the radio. I was also our youth choir musician. My classmates supported me back then, and they support me now. It is such a great feeling.” A keynote tribute by Hodges’ long-time friend, Dr. L. LaSimba Gray, noted that Hodges’ parents deserve credit for their son’s “strong foundation.” “Hodges had a strong foundation for life,” said Gray. “His father introduced him to music and coached him along the way. His mother provided the nurturing support a young African American needed in a segregated society. Then, Rev. Hodges knew God at an early age. What he does on the organ is a gift from God.” Jackie Roberts, a 1965 Mt. Pisgah graduate, came from New York to show her appreciation. “Black students attended Mt. Pisgah from all over the county — Eads, Collierville, Germantown — all that was the country back then,” said Roberts. “Although we lived right across

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Pictured (l-r): Delchon Price, the Rev. Dr. L. LaSimba M. Gray Jr., the Rev. Evelyn King Jones, Delores Hodges, and the Rev. Charles E. Hodges Sr. (Photos: George Tillman Jr./The New Tri-State Defender)

Royal Studios co-owner Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell signals that the Rev. Charles E. Hodges Sr. is the “one.” the street from Germantown High School, we were bused over to Mt. Pisgah. “But our teachers pushed and encouraged us. Charles has gone around the world with his music. We are proud of him, and this tribute by his classmates was right to do.” Hodges remembers being in schools where his principal and teachers supported his rising music career. “I had a teacher at Neshoba, Mrs. Freddie Mae Jones, who opened the geography book and showed me all the places around the world God was going to take me because of my music. She always encouraged me.

“At Mt. Pisgah, I would fall asleep in class because I played at the club all night. They let me go in the sick room to catch up on my sleep. I never forgot how they encouraged and helped me,” Hodges said. Hodges is widely recognized, both nationally and internationally, for his contributions to the music industry, but said the tribute from his classmates is something he will always cherish. “This tribute from my classmates was such a wonderful occasion for me,” said Hodges. In a way, it is more special than the music awards I’ve won over the years. I will never forget all the kind words of appreciation and all the love they showed.” Hodges became an ordained minister in 1998 and takes his faith with him in the studio and on the road. “As a minister, I understand that people everywhere need the Lord,” said Hodges. “God needs Christians to be witnesses wherever they go. “When I am in the studio, everyone listens to what I have to say. They respect me because I tell them to always put God first.” Hodges won the Best Soul Blues Album Award at the 2018 Blues Music Awards in Memphis, with Robert Cray and Hi Rhythm. The same album won Best 2018 International Blues Album at the JAZZ FM Awards in London, England. He has won many other accolades during his 60 years in music. Hodges is the organist at Unity Baptist Church in Collierville.

Up and away for a good cause... Something to sing about... The Rev. Dr. Melvin Charles Smith (left) and Mt. Moriah-East Missionary Baptist Church were the guests last Sunday (Sept. 11) as Antioch Missionary Baptist Church-New Chicago, Inc., 4715 New Allen Road, observed Pastor Carl E. Shields and Mrs. Frankie J. Shields’ 40th Church Anniversary Celebration. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender)

Rev. Herbert Davenport Memorial Scholarship Sunday was observed on Sept. 11 at Shiloh Baptist Church (1670 Gaither), where the Rev. Dr. Jordan Taylor is pastor. During the celebratory balloon release, Virginia Davenport, widow of the Rev. Davenport, was in the mix. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender)

Maia Jaribu Ajanaku Locke touched Memphis in myriad ways and with a deep-rooted passion to make it better. A teacher, licensed barber, and early childhood education entrepreneur, she died at Methodist University Hospital on Aug. 5, 2022. She was 84. The only child of Frankie Cox Rodgers and Elliot McKinney, she was named Bobbie J. McKinney at birth (August 23, 1938) and grew up in Memphis’ Truse Road community, which was a settlement of African-American homeowners before it gave way to a Maia Jaribu bustling commercial area of Ajanaku Locke east Memphis. Bobbie McKinney attended historic Melrose High School, where she graduated in 1957. Determined to be a teacher, she enrolled in Tennessee State University, receiving her B.S. degree on May 29, 1961. As the nation grappled with desegregation, she settled into Memphis classrooms, including teaching at Southside and White Station in the legacy Memphis City Schools system. Long before many accepted it as part of the curriculum, she found ways to introduce students to their African and African-American heritage. An avid reader, her tools included books. She challenged students to read for understanding and labored to teach them to appreciate the value in every word. Teaching was a way of life for her, whether it was in a classroom, at Gandy’s Barber Shop in South Memphis, a service position at Memphis International Airport, or at the local child services office, where she was a caseworker Undaunted by change, she subsequently decided to become an entrepreneur in early childhood education and opened the Village Childcare Daycare Center on Airways Blvd. Later, she relocated the center to her home in the Cherokee Heights Subdivision. Bobbie McKinney married Jother Locke, a military retiree, and they became the parents of a son, Marty Jay Locke. A burgeoning interest in African American history and culture led her to embark on the self-study of all things African, American, and African-American. The course culminated in her legally changing her name to Maia Jaribu Ajanaku, as well as becoming a member of the Ajanaku Family and its grassroots, community-based research into slavery as an ongoing cultural phenomenon. Maia Ajanaku opened her home to several African students, who came to Memphis to work and study. She also traveled to the Motherland to broaden her horizon of African culture. The onset of health challenges eventually led to a change in her active lifestyle. Her then former husband, Jother Locke, continued caring for her until he died on August 11, 2020. Admirers recall that her endearing traits included a passion for spending quality time with family and friends; and her generosity. Her final expression of generosity was to donate her body to Genesis Legacy Whole Body Donation Foundation and Meharry Medical College. Along with her son, she also leaves her grandchildren: Ayanna Locke, Adisa Locke, Imani Morgan, Ojo Ajanaku, Nkechi Ajanaku, and Kennedy Lee. A gathering in her memory has been scheduled on Friday, September 16, at 1 p.m. at the Cherokee Library, 3300 Sharpe Ave.

The New Tri-State Defender, September 15 - 21, 2022, Page 6

(Photo: Terry Davis/The New Tri-State Defender)

‘CLASSIC’ REVIEW – 2022

The 33rd Southern Heritage Classic Cultural Celebration was a three-day, multi-event affair that – according to many of the thousands that attended – once again deliv-

(Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The New TriState Defender)

ered some much-needed fun. Here’s a glimpse of several of the elements in this year’s version of the annual affair.

(Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The New TriState Defender)

(Photo: Desmond Roseborough/The New Tri-State Defender)

(Photo: Warren Roseborough/The New Tri-State Defender)

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

(Photo: Warren Roseborough/The New Tri-State Defender)

The New Tri-State Defender

September 15 - 21, 2022

Page 7

NEWS

NNPA Set to Honor Four African American Trailblazers with Leadership Awards by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

The Rev. Dr. William Barber II, Dr. Glenda Glover, James Winston, and Keith Ellison are set to receive NNPA National Leadership Awards on Sept. 29. Ellison emerged as more than just a figurehead during his first term as Attorney General in Minnesota. The “People’s lawyer” displayed a firm and steady hand guiding the state through COVID restrictions, settling multi-billion-dollar drug cases with opioid distributors and Johnson & Johnson, and protecting tenants’ rights in landlord disputes. Winston, president of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), has earned the distinction as the voice representing Black-owned broadcasters. Together with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Winston and NABOB are working to encourage the media and advertising industries to become more proactive and committed to diversity from the C-suites to the decision-making managers. Winston believes more is needed to increase and enhance the ownership of media businesses by African Americans and other minorities. President of the historically Black Tennessee State University since 2013 and the international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Dr. Glover has already carved an indelible imprint on Black students at her school and across the nation. Recently, President Joe Biden appointed Glover vicechair of the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs. Meanwhile, Dr. Barber, the architect of the Moral Movement, has remained vigilant in the fight for social justice. Declaring that “we won’t be silent anymore,” Barber led the Mass Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls in June. Barber and his large following demanded that policymakers fight poverty, not the poor. The awards ceremony will feature a guest performance by Grammy winner Chrisette Michele. It honors individ-

Rev. Dr. William Barber II, Dr. Glenda Glover, James Winston, and Keith Ellison will receive NNPA National Leadership Awards on Sept. 29. uals who show continuous support of the Black Press and the Black Community. This year’s NNPA Leadership Awards Reception theme is “Saluting Transformational Leaders and Ensuring Black Voter Turnout.” The NNPA’s social media hashtag, #10MillionNewVoters, continues to trend. “I am truly honored to receive this award on behalf of the work we do at NABOB,” Winston told NNPA Newswire. “I am especially honored to join the highly distinguished list of former honorees, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Olympic Gold Medalist Allyson Felix,” he remarked. “It has been my pleasure to work closely with Dr. Ben Chavis to further the mutual interests of our organizations.

I humbly accept this award with a pledge to continue the work of NABOB and NNPA to amplify and enhance the voices of the African American community.” Ellison, seeking re-election in Minnesota, also expressed gratitude for the award. “I am honored to receive the National Leadership Award from the NNPA/Black Press of America,” Ellison said. “The Black Press has served as a trusted source of information for 195 years. Black media provides an invaluable service by centering Black voices, engaging the community, and pushing for a more just society.” The in-person event free. Register for tickets (tickets are required) at nnpa-events.com. (Follow Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent, @StacyBrownMedia.)

COMMUNITY The New Tri-State Defender, September 15 - 21, 2022, Page 8

COMMENTARY

We need an update on Tennessee’s private school voucher program by Curtis Weathers

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Teeing off for youth… Charles L. Ewing Sr., president/CEO of Ewing Moving & Storage, Inc. and president of the Memphis District Laymen, sets the tone at the Early Bird Reception held last Thursday at the Halloran Centre in advance of the newly-minted Penny Hardaway Memphis District Golf Classic, an official SHC event. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley/The New Tri-State Defender) Quentin Clark was the recipient of the $10,000 Deacon R. B. Cole Scholarship awarded last Thursday evening by the Penny Hardaway Memphis District Golf Classic.

Tennessee’s list of lowest-performing schools is out. Is yours on it? by Marta W. Aldrich Chalkbeat Tennessee

Memphis-Shelby County Schools more than doubled its number of schools on Tennessee’s list of bottom-performing schools, while schools from several rural districts made the list for the first time. The state education department on Monday flagged 101 schools in 12 districts as so-called priority schools, meaning they were deemed academically in the bottom 5 percent in the 2021-22 school year. The priority list is the state’s highest-stakes designation for holding low-performing schools accountable. But this year’s roster will be used only to identify schools eligible for additional federal funding and state support – not for takeover by Tennessee’s Achievement School District. Last month, after telling district leaders that Tennessee won’t grade its schools A-F this fall as planned, education department officials said the state also will pause from moving any schools into the ASD, which has logged mostly disappointing results at improving the schools it took over beginning in 2012. The accountability reprieve comes amid challenges in gathering reliable student achievement and growth data during the pandemic, begin-

“I think it’s going to take some time as we recover from the pandemic and transition the schools that are coming back from the ASD.” — Michelle McKissack

ning in 2020 when state tests were canceled nationwide. In an Aug. 24 letter to superintendents, Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said test participation in 2021 was inconsistent across Tennessee, making it difficult to compare results year to year. And in the most recent school year, school leaders grappled with chronic student absenteeism, COVID-related quarantines, and challenges with online learning. But the accountability pause is coming to a close, Schwinn has promised. The state is scheduled to issue a new priority school list in the fall of 2023, likely making 2024 the earliest that new schools could enter the ASD. Tennessee’s school accountability system relies on achievement and growth results from state tests under the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP. “Priority” status denotes a school that’s con-

sistently low-performing over multiple years, or a high school that has less than a 67 percent graduation rate during the most recent school year. For 2022, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the state’s largest district, had 36 priority schools, including seven charter schools, up from a total of 16 in 2021. Nashville’s school district went from 16 to 19 priority schools; Hamilton County from seven to eight; and Knox County had four schools. Districts in Cumberland, Fayette, Haywood, Henry, and Sevier counties had one priority school each, while Madison County had three and Maury County had two. Tennessee’s school turnaround district, the ASD, had 24 schools on the list. Meanwhile, 19 schools came off the state’s list of priority schools, according to the department’s latest reports. The rosters were among several reports released Monday by the state showing school and district designations for last school year, some of which are federally required. Those included high-performing “reward” schools, district ratings based on six performance indicators, and a list of schools needing targeted support to close disparities in student achievement based on race, poverty, disabilities, and lan-

guage. Districts in Memphis and Nashville were designated as “advancing” school districts – the second-highest achievement – although the state’s two largest districts also had double-digit numbers of priority schools. “The district will be working with these schools to ensure that evidence-based turnaround and success strategies are being implemented to support their students and faculty,” said a statement from Nashville school leaders. In Memphis, district officials said they will target their priority schools by incentivizing attendance, providing extra coaching for school leaders, reviewing data regularly to provide targeted support, and helping families understand and track their child’s performance. “I think it’s going to take some time as we recover from the pandemic and transition the schools that are coming back from the ASD,” said Michelle McKissack, who chairs the school board there. “We have to absorb all that – the good, the bad – and move forward.” (Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org. Chalkbeat reporter Samantha West contributed to this report.)

I have been following our state’s private school voucher debate for some time. It has been a frustrating journey to get to where we are today. The courts finally opened the doors for Shelby County and Metro Nashville private schools to enroll students and get this initiative off the ground. The Chancery Court of Davidson County lifted the injunction on the program in mid-July, and it has been in implementation mode ever since. If you have not been keeping up, Tennessee’s Education Savings Account (ESA) Pilot Program, a state-funded private school voucher program, available to students from low- and middle-income households in Memphis and Nashville, is now moving forward. Once the courts gave Gov. Bill Lee and his team the green light, they wasted no time putting the wheels in motion to implement the new legislation. A few weeks ago, there were reports that more than two thousand families in Memphis and Nashville had formally expressed an interest in receiving private school vouchers. We have been waiting for Tennessee’s Department of Education to update the public on its progress, but we have heard little since the start of school. While my perspective or opinion about this initiative has shifted from time to time, I think overall, it is a pretty good opportunity for students and families, especially students of color. Here’s why. First, I am a staunch advocate for school choice. Therefore, I fully support responsible policies that allow families to take their children’s education dollars to an approved education provider of their choosing – whether it is traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, home schooling, or virtual learning. Private school vouchers are state- or school-district-funded scholarships. They allow students to attend a private school of the family’s choice rather than a public school. The objective of the program is to extend the financial support from the government to other education providers and thus give all parents, regardless of income, the opportunity to choose the school that best suits their preferences. ESA is a state-funded private school voucher program available to students from low- and middle-income households in Memphis and Nashville who are switching from a public school district or charter school to a private school. According to the ESA website, the voucher program allows eligible students zoned to attend a Memphis-Shelby County school, a Metro Nashville public school, or a school that was in the Achievement School

Curtis Weathers

District (ASD), to use state and local funds toward education expenses, including tuition and/ or fees at approved private

schools. At this point, however, the public still does not know how many of the 2,000-plus families who applied this year met the qualifications for the voucher program, nor how many of those students are in Memphis or Nashville. This might be because the program was rushed into operation just after approval. This year’s cap is set at 5,000 total students. The Tennessee Department of Education will conduct an enrollment lottery if qualifying applications exceed that number. With the continued growth of charter schools and now the expanded availability of private school vouchers, parents have a growing menu of high-quality schools to choose from for their children’s education. This kind of choice opportunity has not always been available to families in the past. School vouchers can help improve education by making public schools compete with private schools for students in a free market environment. As a charter school principal, I always felt the tug and pressure of free market competition for students in our school system. Each year we competed vigorously with both private and public-school sectors for students to fill our seats. Public schools will have to offer better educational services and safer spaces for learning and be more accountable to parents to compete with publicly funded private schools. Yeah, right, I know, it sounds weird: “Publicly funded private schools.” However, as a parent, I like the idea of being able to use my tax dollars to send my child to whatever school I choose, whether it is a public school, a public charter school, or a private school. The combination of charter schools and private school vouchers to support broader school choice is a huge plus for public school parents. Is the system perfect? No. Safeguards are needed to monitor how these students and families are being supported and strengthen accountability to ensure funds are being utilized appropriately. But as I said earlier, I am a staunch advocate for the expansion of school choice in our state. The broader the menu of quality choices, the greater the benefits for our children. (Follow me, TSD’s education columnist, on Twitter @curtisweathers. Email me at curtislweathers@gmail.com.)

The New Tri-State Defender

September 15 - 21, 2022

NEWS

CRIME

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

R. Kelly, center, leaves the Daley Center after a hearing in his child support case on May 8, 2019, in Chicago. (AP photo: Matt Marton)

R. Kelly convicted on many counts, acquitted of trial ﬁxing by Michael Tarm and Joey Cappelletti CHICAGO (AP) — A federal jury on Wednesday convicted R. Kelly of several child pornography and sex abuse charges in his hometown of Chicago, delivering another legal blow to a singer who used to be one of the biggest R&B stars in the world. Kelly, 55, was found guilty on three counts of child pornography and three counts of child enticement. But the jury acquitted him on a fourth pornography count as well as a conspiracy to obstruct justice charge accusing him fixing his state child pornography trial in 2008. He was found not guilty on all three counts of conspiring to receive child pornography and for two further enticement charges. His two co-defendants were found not guilty on all charges. Jurors, who deliberated for 11 hours over two days, wrote several questions to the judge on Wednesday, at least one indicating the panelists were grappling with some of the case’s legal complexities. At trial, prosecutors sought to paint a picture of Kelly as a master manipulator who used his fame and wealth to reel in star-stuck fans, some of them minors, to sexually abuse then discard them. Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was desperate to recover child pornographic videos he made and lugged around in a gym bag, witnesses said. They said he offered up to $1 million to recover missing videos before his 2008 trial, knowing

they would land him in legal peril. The conspiracy to hide his abuse ran from 2000 to 2020, prosecutors said. Kelly associates Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown were co-defendants at the Chicago trial. Jurors acquitted McDavid, a longtime Kelly business manager, who was accused of conspiring with Kelly to rig the 2008 trial. Brown, a Kelly associate for years, was acquitted of receiving child pornography. Kelly has already been convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking in New York and sentenced to 30 years in prison. In Chicago, a conviction of just one count of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, while receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum of five years. Judges can order that defendants sentenced earlier in separate cases serve their new sentence simultaneously with or only after the first term is fully served. Federal inmates must serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. During closing arguments Tuesday, Kelly attorney Jennifer Bonjean likened the government’s testimony and evidence to a cockroach and its case to a bowl of soup. If a cockroach falls into soup, she said, “you don’t just pull out the cockroach and eat the rest of the soup. You throw out the whole soup,” said told jurors. “There are just too many cockroaches,” she said of the prosecution’s case. The three defendants called

Page 9

only a handful of witnesses over four days. Co-defendant McDavid, who was on the stand for three days, may have damaged Kelly’s hopes for acquittal by saying that he now doubts Kelly was truthful when he denied abusing anyone after hearing the superstar’s accusers testify. In her closing rebuttal, prosecutor Jeannice Appenteng cited testimony that Kelly’s inner circle increasingly focused on doing what Kelly wanted as his fame boomed in the mid-1990s. “And ladies and gentlemen, what R. Kelly wanted was to have sex with young girls,” she said. Four Kelly accusers testified, all referred to by pseudonyms or their first names: Jane, Nia, Pauline and Tracy. Some cried when describing the abuse but otherwise spoke calmly and with confidence. A fifth accuser, Brittany, did not testify. Sitting nearby in a suit and face mask, Kelly often averted his eyes and looked down as his accusers spoke. Some dozen die-hard Kelly fans regularly attended the trial. On at least one occasion during a break, several made hand signs of a heart at Kelly. He smiled back. Defense attorneys suggested a desire for money and fame drove some government witnesses to accuse Kelly, and they accused several people of trying to blackmail him. They also suggested that at least one of his accusers was 17 — the age of consent in Illinois — when Kelly began pursing her for sex.

that chased him down, got him into custody, did the right thing. So, for what it’s worth, thank you,” said council member Frank Colvett Jr. Colvett’s comments were references to the shooting and carjacking rampage that left three people dead and three people injured while terrorizing most of the city. Ezekiel Kelly, 19, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with one of the slayings. More charges are anticipated. On Tuesday (Sept. 13), General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Karen Massey issued a gag order on the case during an appearance by Kelly. The shooting spree was preceded by the kidnapping and murder of Eliza “Liza” Fletcher. A security camera captured footage of the 34-year-old mother of two being forcefully kidnapped during a pre-dawn run on Central Avenue on Sept. 2. The member of a prominent Memphis family, her body was later found in tall grass near a vacant home in South Memphis on Sept. 5. Cleotha Henderson has been charged with first-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping. He was released from state prison in 2020 after serving more than two decades for kidnapping Memphis attorney Kemper Durand. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Memphis Police Department, DNA collected from Fletcher has connect-

“I think it’s really important that we really look at what we are doing with our young people before they get to the age where they’re vulnerable to all of these various elements that seem to pull them into the criminal justice system.” — Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis ed Henderson, 38, regarding a Sept. 21, 2021 kidnapping and rape. For council members, the call for additional officers was a last-minute stop-gap solution. Several avenues for attacking the issue were also pondered and proposed. “Memphis, when you think of it in terms of an ecosystem, to say that we need more police officers is only part of the solution. We have many social issues, I think, that are also driving this,” said Colvett. To provide a comprehensive review, he proposed an ad hoc committee. It would be like one under consideration by the Shelby County Commission, which is up for vote later in the month. That item’s sponsor, Commissioner Mick Wright, tweeted his receptiveness to a partnership between the bodies. “I think it’s really important that we really look at what we are doing with our young people before they get to the age where they’re vulnerable to all of these various elements that seem to pull them into the criminal justice system,” said Chief Davis. According to statistics provided by the MPD, most of the crimes driving the numbers upward are also being committed by youthful of-

fenders, with some as young as 11 years old. “It’s a very complex situation, because you’re still talking about children. But, when they become 13,14, 15, the activity escalates … It becomes a carjacking, or an aggravated assault, or something of that nature,” said Davis. Gang membership is also contributing to the increase in violent crime. Its connections to the recent horror were not lost on the council. “Half, or more, of them are juveniles (offenders) because they’re treated like child soldiers. You look at Ezekial Kelly and Cleotha Abston (Henderson). Both of them were in contact with the gang system at 11, 12, 13,” said councilmember Chase Carlisle. Council member Ford Canale proffered a “group or committee” that would track a case from the arrest to bail or eventual release from prison. More details would come later in a proposal. He also recommended more work programs for offenders transitioning into society. During the update, Davis said the police force currently stands at 1,900 officers, with 96 recruits currently halfway through training. Last year, a committee led by Logan set a goal of 2,500 officers.

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LEGAL NOTICE Request for Statement of Qualifications MSCAA Project Number 221462-00 Airport Planner & Landside Program Manager Statements of Qualifications for Airport Planner & Landside Program Manager will be received by the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (Authority), Procurement Department, 4150 Louis Carruthers Road, Memphis, TN 38118, until 2:00 PM local time on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. The Information Package, including a description of the scope of services, the selection criteria, the required response format, and additional instructions may be obtained on the Authority’s website at www.flymemphis.com on or after September 12, 2022. All Respondents are responsible for checking the Authority’s website up to the submission deadline for any updates, addenda or additional information. The successful Respondent must meet the DBE participation goal for this project, which is 20%, and sign a contract with the Authority that includes Federal Aviation Administration provisions, if applicable, regarding Buy American Preference, Foreign Trade Restriction, Davis-Bacon, Affirmative Action, Debarment and Suspension, and Drug-Free Workplace, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this request in whole or in part; to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions related to this request; and to reject responses on any other basis authorized by the Authority’s purchasing policies. The Authority is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination based on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, disability, marital status, military service, or sexual orientation in its hiring and employment practices and in the admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, and activities. By order of: Scott A. Brockman, A.A.E. President and CEO Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority Seeking title for a 2016 Toyota Camry. 4dr, gold Vin: 4T1BF1FK8GU213881 Anyone with an interest in this vehicle contact: Ranoldo Parnell, 8074 S. Regis PL., Cordova, TN 38018, within 10 business days of

September 15 - 21, 2022

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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: Glen Lloyd Tax Parcel #: 02201600000020 Tax Sale #: 1601 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 2:00 p.m. on October 7, 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

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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:

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 1:00 p.m. on October 7, 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: ABT REI, LLC Tax Parcel #: 02507200000460 Tax Sale #: 1802 Price Offered: $$10,100.00 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 7, 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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Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

Judy A. Landers Tax Parcel #: 03506400000120 Tax Sale #: 1303 Price Offered: $$975.00 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 October 7, 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:

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

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SPORTS

The New Tri-State Defender, September 15 - 21, 2022, Page 11

What will ‘Classic’ No. 33 look like in retrospect? by Terry Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Years from now when the 33rd Southern Heritage Classic is looked at in retrospect, the 16-3 final score – Jackson State over Tennessee State – will tell so little of the story. It won’t reveal whether the 2022 matchup was the last in the Memphis-based “Classic.” That will be worked out in the days ahead, perhaps in court given JSU’s expressed interest in pulling out. Terry With TSU secDavis ond-year head coach Eddie George in mind, the final score will only hint at what George acknowledged: “Our boys fought hard.” The 13-point margin – way short of the domination that Sanders sought – will be no more than a point of reference for his post-game observation of this year’s Classic confrontation: “We had a wonderful experience, although we did not play our best football.” Played out at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, the game mostly was a defensive struggle despite a high-powered JSU (2-0) offense that scored 52 points on the way to five touchdowns and 500 yards passing the week before. “We are thankful we got out of here with a W,” said Sanders. “They are not the same team we played last year. Coach George has done a phenomenal job with his team.” Under Sanders, JSU’s Tigers “have an expectation. People come to the game and expect us to be dominant. Opposing teams expect us to be dominant. We have to fulfill those obligations. To our teammates and ourselves, we didn’t. … “They had to score two touchdowns to beat us, and we are upset right now. That is the level that we are. We are going to work and get it together.” It was the second lowest-scoring game in SHC history. On August 31, 1991, TSU defeated Mississippi Valley State 10-7. “I told the team we did not lose, we ran out of time,” said George. “If you don’t know how to lose, you will never learn how to win. They (JSU) are the hottest team. We were one play, one drive away from possibly going up one point most of the game. We never got discouraged. We didn’t give up.” JSU’s defense held former University of Memphis running back Devon Starling to 70 rushing yards. The defensive-minded Tigers also sacked former Memphis Kirby High School quarterback Draylen Ellis eight times. Ellis had 138 passing yards. “We had two very big games. Two tough losses,” said Ellis, accounting for TSU’s 36-29 setback against Eastern Washington to open the season. “We have to go back and correct what we did wrong. We have to finish games. We fight hard from the first quarter through the fourth quarter. These two losses are going to help us.” A Memphis product on the JSU roster was linebacker and former Whitehaven player Aubrey Miller. “He is the vital part of the team, especially the defense,” said Sanders. “He is tough and physical. He plays with an attitude and a chip on his shoulder. He practices the same way. He is a pro. I feel like he is a professional football player.” Sanders – like George – starred in the NFL. His son, JSU quarterback Shedeur Sanders, was a pre-season All-American selection. “We have to execute better. It starts up front,” said Shedeur Sanders. “We have to be more physical. We have to make plays. We will watch the film and see what we

TSU quarterback Draylen Ellis, who played for Memphis Kirby High School, was sacked eight times in the 16-3 loss to Jackson State in the 33rd Annual Southern Heritage Classic. (Photo: Warren Roseborough/The New Tri-State Defender)

Deion Sanders, coach of JSU, speaks to the press on the field after the game. (Photo: Warren Roseborough/ The New Tri-State Defender)

TSU head coach Eddie George reflects on the 16-3 loss to JSU in the 2022 Southern Heritage Classic. (Photo: Warren Roseborough/The New Tri-State Defender)

Fred Jones Jr. founded the Southern Heritage Classic in 1990.

Founder of the Classic bound for Memphis Sports Hall of Fame

JSU quarterback Shedeur Sanders of JSU runs for a first down. (Photo: Warren Roseborough/The New Tri-State Defender) did wrong.” Sanders found Willie Gaines with 2:20 left for the only touchdown in the game. Sanders finished with 276 passing yards. Sy’veon Wilkerson led the way on the ground with 85 rushing yards. Next week, the No. 12-ranked Jackson

State will play its first home game of the season when they host Grambling State (11). Tennessee State (0-2) will also be at home for their first home game and host Middle Tennessee State University (1-1) from nearby Murfreesboro.

Fred Jones Jr., the founder of the Southern Heritage Classic, has been selected as a 2022 inductee into the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be on October 20th at the Cannon Center for Performing Arts. The selection was announced last Sunday (September 11) by the Memphis Sports Council after a vote by an 18-member advisory committee.

The New Tri-State Defender

September 15 - 21, 2022

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