The New Tri-State Defender - October 14-20, 2021

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October 14 - 20, 2021

VOL. 70, No. 41

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Union members settle in as days mount in Kellogg strike

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

For the second time in seven years, workers at the Memphis Kellogg plant are on the picket line, striking over cuts in wage and benefits.

“We are back here because what the company is proposing now is to cut peoples’ wages, insurance benefits, retirement and pension,” said Kevin Bradshaw, vice president Local 252G of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), which represents Kellogg’s employees in Memphis.

“So, this is just a direct effect of corporate greed. We’re fighting corporate greed right now.”

The strike is part of a multi-state walkout by BCTGM members following unsuccessful negotiations over a new national contract. Workers also are striking in Battle Creek, Michigan; Omaha, Nebraska and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Union officials said a key point of disagreement is Kellogg wanting to start a two-tiered pay and benefit system, with new workers permanently receiving reduced benefits and lower pay than longtime employees.

“We are disappointed by the union’s decision to strike,” officials for Kellogg posted on the company’s website.

“Kellogg provides compensation and benefits for our U.S. RTEC (Ready to eat cereal) employees that are among the industry’s best.

Our offer includes increases to pay and benefits for our employees, while helping us meet the challenges of the changing cereal business.”

Bradshaw, who has been with Kellogg for 20 years, recalled a time when someone would be hard pressed to find a company with better benefits.

“Our pension and retirement benefits were better than almost anyone in town,” said Bradshaw. “That was when the people who ran Kellogg would actually come off the floor and work their way up. But now, you have people who’ve been appointed to positions from all over the world. Making a profit is all they are concerned about. …

“This won’t even affect us,” he said. “It’s going to affect anyone who is hired after us.

Federal investigators work the scene of a reported double murder-suicide at the USPS East Lamar Carrier Annex at 2801 Park Ave. on Tuesday afternoon. (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

Double-murder, suicide at postal annex adds to gun-violence woe

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

A day after three U.S. Postal Service workers died of gunshot wounds at a carrier annex in Orange Mound, the weight of the tragedy still was being processed in multiple quarters by Memphis-area residents weary of gun violence.

U.S. Postal Service employees, James Wilson and Demetria Dortch, came in Tuesday, Oct. 12 for a typical day at work at the East Lamar Carrier Annex near the corner of Park Ave. and Pendleton St. It would be their last day.

Wilson and Dortch, a manager and a supervisor respectively, were gunned down before the shooter, a fellow employee, turned the gun on himself.

Shri Green, area vice president for the National Association of Postal Supervisors, told The Associated Press that a letter carrier shot a manager and a super-

visor. Green said she did not know the motive, but “obviously, something was going on, in the carrier’s mind.”

The FBI and U.S. Postal Service didn’t immediately name those involved or disclose a motive for the shooting.

On Wednesday, postal workers returned to their jobs at the sorting facility. Red, white and blue mail trucks were seen streaming out of the driveway.

The tragedy of the day before unfolded like an all-too-real television drama. Residents near the East Lamar Carrier Annex at 2801 Park Ave. in historic Orange Mound came out to watch the procession of police cars as news spread that there was an “active shooter” situation.

Terror-filled, screaming employees fled the facility onto the parking lot while others hid inside after gunshots suddenly rang out about 2 p.m.

“We are used to hearing sirens, but I

SEE POSTAL ON PAGE 2

The street leading to the carrier annex was blocked by police following the shooting.

SEE KELLOGG ON PAGE 9

Confident, committed JB Smiley Jr. shakes off naysayers in governor’s bid

by Erica Williams

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

When Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. sees a problem, he’s often prompted to solve it.

It’s the reason the Memphis native said he’s now running for governor of Tennessee, and it’s in part the motivation behind his political career.

At 34 years old, with less than two years as an elected official, Smiley moves with the ease and assuredness of a veteran politician.

This confidence has helped him garner a growing list of local supporters as he seeks to win the Democratic gubernatorial primary Aug. 4, 2022. The general election is Nov. 8, 2022.

Others have criticized the freshman councilman for seeking a gubernatorial run without a “seasoned” political resume.

Smiley has ignored the naysayers, announcing his candidacy for governor on his 34th birthday, Sept 8. He noted that he’s running because “we have too many gun shots, not enough COVID shots given and too few shots for our young people to reach their potential.”

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Currently, Tennessee is considered one of the states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases and the death rate has recently increased, making the state No. 11 in the nation in deaths caused by the virus.

SEE SMILEY ON PAGE 2 Pro-vaccination and pro-mask mandates, JB Smiley Jr., who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination for governor, said the role of government is to do what’s best for the general welfare of all Tennesseans, even if some disagree. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

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The New Tri-State Defender

October 14 - 20, 2021

Page 2

NEWS “Councilman Smiley POSTAL is smart, energetic CONTINUED FROM FRONT and in touch came outside because there were so many,” said Hazell with the needs of Glover Jones. “When I looked working people. down Park Avenue, there were Having a governor so many unmarked police cars turning onto Pendleton. That’s who understands when I knew something bad the needs and was happening over there.”

The double murder-suicide importance of the unfolded in real time on the cities as well as phone of former Memphis the towns is of City Councilwoman Tajuan Stout Mitchell. importance for “…Around 2 p.m., I got a text benefits to be from a good friend: ‘Please help extended equitably.” me. Someone is shooting, and two people are dead,’ Mitchell — Steve Cohen shared in a Facebook post Tues-

SMILEY

CONTINUED FROM FRONT Smiley, who is pro-vaccination and pro-mask mandates, said the role of government is to do what’s best for the general welfare of all Tennesseans, even if some disagree.

“These things should not be political,” Smiley asserted. “We should listen to the experts and do what’s best for the greater good; and be sure we give the municipalities all of the resources they need to be productive.”

COVID-19 isn’t the only issue high on the state’s list of problems.

Tennessee has the third-highest violent crime rate and the ninth-highest property crime rate in the nation. Many of the communities in Memphis, where Smiley serves, have seen increasingly high numbers of crime.

These are all matters Smiley said he’s ready to tackle – because in the words of his father, JB Smiley Sr. who he often credits – “if you have a problem, put on your working boots and do something about it.”

Smiley said he’s accepted his father’s charge since being elected to the City Council, putting on his “boots” to address the concerns of his constituents.

“I remember one of my colleagues telling me when I was elected that the wheels of government move slowly,” he recalled.

Despite the well-intended counsel, Smiley said he knew he had to work on implementing change swiftly.

So, he got to work.

During his first month in office, he assisted in the passing of an ordinance, adding an amendment that allowed a slight increase to customers’ monthly Memphis, Light, Gas and Water Division bill.

His reasoning was that a small surge would allow MLGW to update its infrastructure, providing better service for residents, especially those in marginalized communities.

A stark champion for racial equity, Smiley also fought for transparency in the Memphis Police Department, calling for a portal that highlighted complaints against police, including excessive force and the misuse or lack of dash cams.

Subsequently, the city launched “Reimagining Policing in Memphis” Inspections Services Bureau portal, where the public easily can now access the findings.

Smiley’s work in a succinct period of time has caught the attention of local and national leaders. Less than two months since announcing his candidacy for the state’s highest office,

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Reflection Park in Downtown Memphis was the setting as first-term Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. helped paint a picture of his run for governor of Tennessee. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises) he has an endorsement from one of Tennessee’s most reputable politicians, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis).

“Councilman Smiley is smart, energetic and in touch with the needs of working people. Having a governor who understands the needs and importance of the cities as well as the towns is of importance for benefits to be extended equitably,” Cohen wrote in an official endorsement statement.

Smiley and his team plan to announce more endorsements in coming days.

“We’re getting a lot of support,” he said. “I’m feeling really good about it.”

His optimism is not clouded with naivete. He acknowledged that the odds will be stacked against him if he receives the Democratic nomination and faces incumbent Republican Gov. Bill Lee. Smiley has other competitors in the Democratic primary, including Nashville physician Dr. Jason Martin, North Memphis activist Carnita Atwater and Casey Nicholson, a Presbyterian minister from Greeneville.

Tennessee has been a solid Republican stronghold in statewide federal elections.

Lee won the Tennessee gubernatorial seat in 2018 and Republicans have held the office since 2012.

Not easily deterred, Smiley is hopeful that Tennesseans are ready for a change.

“Tennessee has the opportunity to do something it’s never done,” Smiley said. “This state has never had someone who

looks like me be nominated as a major party nominee for governor.”

In U.S. history, there have only been two Blacks elected as governors – Douglas Wilder in Virginia and Deval Patrick in Massachusetts.

Smiley noted that he’s keenly aware that he’s a Black man and understands the issues affecting Black Tennesseans, but he pointed out that the issues aren’t limited to race, and are often mirrored in other marginalized communities.

“If we figure out how to raise the bar for marginalized communities, we are speaking to not only Black people but also to a lot of rural Tennesseans,” he said. “The issues in Black communities will be the issues in other marginalized communities or rural communities that have been forgotten about.”

Smiley sees the same level of disinvestment in rural communities that is pervasive in some of the poorest ZIP codes he currently represents in his super district that includes the areas of Frayser and North Memphis.

“We have an agenda to put Tennesseans in a better position and it’s for folks that have often be overlooked.”

Smiley considers himself more of a public servant than a politician. He said his connection to the issues of Tennesseans is what makes him stand apart from other candidates vying for the governor’s seat.

The son of a father born on a Mississippi plantation and a mother who grew up in a

violent home in a Memphis public housing development, Smiley said he’s experienced his fair share of struggle.

“I know what it’s like to go without or have to go to the store and use food stamps, but my parents sacrificed so that I would be in a better position than they were.”

A former semi-professional athlete, Smiley received his J.D. from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock Will H. Bowen School of Law. He returned to Memphis and opened his law practice, Smiley and Associates, that he still manages.

“My folks were really poor and they sacrificed for me, so the least I can do to uphold their legacy is give it all I got and do the same for other people.”

Smiley hopes his story resonates with the diverse residents he meets during the “A Better Tennessee” tour that he kicked off this month.

“I want people to see that not only am I competent, but I’m also compassionate,” Smiley said.

day. “I was nervous, but found Sheriff Floyd Bonner’s number, but he was at a funeral…911 assured me that police were on the scene and en route.”

Mitchell continued engaging her friend by text.

“She was safe but an emotional and broken human being. There is nothing you can say to make everything normal. I just tried saying things to help her adjust to the situation. Stay calm. Take deep breaths. Pray every time you want to fall apart.”

Asked about some official update from Memphis Police Department, Lt. William Kaiser in the Public Information Office, simply replied in an email: “All info will come from the USPS.” Lisa-Anne Culp, an FBI spokesperson, declined to release any details of the shootings on Tuesday, except to confirm that three postal employees were dead. She did confirm that the Memphis Police Department, FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,

Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were conducting a joint investigation. The ATF reportedly is tracing the weapon to see if it turns up in any other shootings.

In her social media post, Mitchell asked for prayer for the grieving employees and their families and then wrote what others have voiced in varying ways since then: “Soon, we need a community conversation on emotional and mental illness. How do we recognize signs to help people? What resources are available? What public policies need changing to assist us in getting better access to professionals? We have a problem y’all, and the stress of this pandemic didn’t help.”

Green said high work absences and the hiring of new employees because of the COVID-19 pandemic was creating a stressful working environment. Postal employees are typically working six or seven days each week, with extended daily work hours.

Post Office officials said counseling would be made available for those employees who need it.

The violence follows other high-profile shootings in the Memphis area in recent weeks. The franchise owner of a sushi counter inside a Kroger grocery store in Collierville fatally shot one person and wounded 14 others before killing himself on Sept. 23.

A week later, a teenage boy was shot and critically wounded inside Cummings K-8 Optional School. A hearing for the 13-year-old shooter was set for Oct. 12 but was reset this week for November 16.

(This story reflects a report by the Associated Press.)

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The New Tri-State Defender

October 14 - 20, 2021

Page 3 Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

TALK TO HIS DOCTOR ABOUT COVID VACCINES. BECAUSE HE’S IRREPLACEABLE. COVID hospitalizations of young people have tripled since the start of summer. However, vaccines are highly effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, even from the Delta variant.

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PERSPECTIVE The New Tri-State Defender, October 14 - 20, 2021, Page 4 “We’re grateful. Those dollars enabled HBCUs to continue their long and stony world towards equitable funding. But what we don’t have now is an understanding about what HBCUs are. HBCUs are not minority-serving institutions…

There is no race or ethnicity criterion.”

— Dr. Lezli Baskerville, president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education

Congressional hearing digs into the roots, contributions of HBCUs

by Najee El-Amin

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Dawning one of her signature western hats, U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Florida) recently presided over the latest House Education and Labor Committee’s Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee hearing, regarding continued congressional support for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The Oct. 6 hearing, titled “Homecoming: The Historical Roots and Continued Contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs.),” was streamed live on YouTube.

Committee members listened as witnesses — including Memphis-raised Dr. Glenda Glover, president of Tennessee State University — stressed the importance of HBCUs and the economic necessity for continued financial support for HBCUs. “HBCUs have been at the very heart of addressing our nation’s long-standing education and racial equity failures. For nearly 200 years, they have provided ladders of economic and social mobility and safe havens for generations of Black students,” said Wilson.

Wilson, a graduate of Fisk University, a Nashville HBCU, added, “HBCUs remain integral to promoting the academic social and economic success of the descendants of enslaved Americans…”

Dr. Glover also advocated for the continued funding of historically Black colleges and the Build Back Better Act, “HBCUs have changed the college landscape and have achieved in spite of the continuous challenges and limited resources,” said Glover, who also is international president and CEO of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. “HBCUs have consistently had to do more with less…The Build Back Better Act is a game-changer.

It reflects the (President Joe) Biden administration’s understanding of investing in HBCUs.” Glover thanked lawmakers for legislation that provided financial support amid the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly to HBCUs, but she said more is needed.

“The emergency funding was significant because it assisted students as they faced this sudden crisis. Today we ask you to continue that financial support of HBCUs, not just on the emergency basis as the CARES Act and other emergency funding has done in the past. We ask you to assist HBCUs as they seek to grow, develop, become more competitive and sus-

TSU President Dr. Glenda Glover talks with Vice President Kamala Harris during her trip to D.C. to testify about the value of HBCUs and the need for adequate funding. (Courtesy photo)

“HBCUs have changed the college landscape and have achieved in spite of the continuous challenges and limited resources.”

— Dr. Glenda Glover, president of Tennessee State University tainable for years to come.”

She outlined three specific areas that HBCUs need funding: infrastructure and deferred maintenance, technology, new academic programs and research.

The hearing was held in midst of intense congressional negotiations, regarding whether Congress will approve or reject the 2021 budget reconciliation bill (Build

“HBCUs have been at the very heart of addressing our nation’s long-standing education and racial equity failures. For nearly 200 years, they have provided ladders of economic and social mobility and safe havens for generations of Black students.”

— U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson Back Better Act), which would provide some $31 billion to HBCUs and other minority serving institutions (MSIs).

While these schools finally are receiving the recognition they have earned, HBCUs have produced some of America’s top Black talent for more than a century.

By graduating 80 percent of Black judges, 70 percent of Black doctors and 50 percent of Black teachers, HBCUs already have backed up the claim that they are a cornerstone of minority education.

Dr. Andre Perry, senior fellow with the Brookings Institute, testified on what he believed to be a matter of national importance. Perry stressed the beneficial impact of government investments in other aspects of American society and the results would be no different when applied to HBCUs. He pointed out the endowment disparities between HBCUs and predominantly white institutions.

“Less than one percent of federal Research and Development expenditures went to Historically Black colleges and Universities in 2019,” said Perry. “We cut our noses to spite our face when we don’t

“The lack of investment in HBCUs flies in the face of research that shows these institutions punch above their weight when it comes to developing the talent society needs.”

— Dr. Andre Perry invest in the assets that spur economic and social mobility.

“The lack of investment in HBCUs flies in the face of research that shows these institutions punch above their weight when it comes to developing the talent society needs.”

Another witness, Dr. Lezli Baskerville, president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, expressed her gratitude for what has been done. She believes, however, that the lack of equitable funding might be caused by a fundamental misinterpretation.

“We’re grateful. Those dollars enabled HBCUs to continue their long and stony world towards equitable funding,” said Baskerville. “But what we don’t have now is an understanding about what HBCUs are. HBCUs are not minority-serving institutions… There is no race or ethnicity criterion.”

While the witnesses and Rep. Wilson spelled out the bleak reality HBCUs currently face, the Wilson made it clear that they will keep up the fight until their goal is met.

“In light of the unique mission and history of HBCUs, I firmly believe that investing in these institutions and their students is one of the most significant actions we can take to right the wrongs of the past,” said Wilson.

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The New Tri-State Defender

October 14 - 20, 2021

Page 5

RELIGION

Supporting Evangelist Missionaries …

The Guatemala Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ and the Tennessee United Association of Churches Department of Women presented the Holy Convocation & Licensing Ceremony for Evangelist Missionaries at Pentecostal Temple COGIC, 229 South Danny Thomas Blvd., last Sunday (Oct. 10). Evangelist Dr. Catherine Saulsberry spoke last Friday (Oct. 8) on Women’s Night. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

Bishop Charles Harrison Mason Patterson Sr., jurisdictional prelate of the Guatemala Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and president of the Tennessee United Association of Churches, was the host pastor for the Holy Convocation & Licensing Ceremony for Evangelist Missionaries. Pictured (l-r): Missionary Ruthie Eubanks, Missionary Mischelle Best, Bishop Patterson, first lady LaShaundra Cox Patterson, Joy Howard and Mother Caron Watkins, supervisor of women for the Guatemala Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and director of women, Tennessee United Association of Churches.

The Holy Convocation & Licensing Ceremony for Evangelist Missionaries yielded spiritfilled moment such as this.

‘Prayer in the Park’ …

After inclement weather forced a reboot of her Prayer in the Park outing, VEthel Patterson did last Saturday (Oct. 9) what she had in mind for the week before – lead a public prayer at Blue Cross Healthy Place Park in David Carnes Park on Fairfield in Whitehaven. It was the continuation of a weekly practice started a year ago to pray for the “homeless, the violence in the community to cease, our families and friends.”

(Photos: Shirley Jackson)

Minister Kevin Coleman was part of a gathering downtown along the river that led to the ongoing Prayer in the Park outreach ministry in David Carnes Park.

Elaine Mims prayed for her daughter, who she said was being bullied on the job.

The New Tri-State Defender, October 14 - 20, 2021, Page 6

Meet the Memphis school nurse who helped a shooting victim survive

by Samantha West Chalkbeat

With more than 50 years of nursing behind her, including as a trauma nurse, Karen Taylor has encountered countless life-and-death situations.

All those decades of experience weren’t really needed after Taylor became a Shelby County Schools nurse in March because her days were spent dealing with belly aches and scraped knees — that is, until the morning of Sept. 30, when an urgent announcement blasted over the intercom: “Nurse Taylor, we need you in the counselor’s office right now.”

Instinct set in. The 73-year-old Taylor bolted out of her office and ran to the opposite end of the school, putting on two layers of gloves on the way. When Taylor arrived, she learned a 13-year-old boy had been shot in a stairwell by another student just minutes earlier.

As the nation faces a school nursing shortage, Taylor is part of an expanded pool of nurses inside of Shelby County Schools this year thanks to a COVID-relief grant. When she got the call that a student was in crisis, her years of training set in. She rushed to the student’s side, comforted him, and called his father. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder to comfort him, and used her other hand to put pressure on his wound until paramedics arrived.

As the students and staff at Cummings K-8 Optional School continue to heal after the pain and chaos of the school shooting last week, Taylor has been heralded as a hero for leaping into action that morning, and for her quick, selfless efforts to soothe the injured student and keep him alive.

The boy is recovering from his injuries and has since returned to school.

To Taylor, she was just doing her job.

“It’s kind of like adrenaline and what I’ve been doing for more than 50 years — nursing — took over,” Taylor said. “I knew I had to keep a level head. I’ve had to learn how to do that over my nursing career. I can’t afford to panic. I can’t afford to not think rationally. I can’t afford to just start crying and blubbering all over the place.”

“It’s kind of like adrenaline and what I’ve been doing for more than 50 years — nursing — took over.

I knew I had to keep a level head. I’ve had to learn how to do that over my nursing career. I can’t afford to panic. I can’t afford to not think rationally.

I can’t afford to just start crying and blubbering all over the place.”

— Karen Taylor Calling Taylor a “shero,” Shante Avant, a Shelby County Schools board member who represents Cummings school, said she’s grateful for Taylor’s selflessness, and her calm, reassuring presence.

Taylor’s actions are especially impressive, Avant said, considering how little information she had about the situation at that time.

“She had to, in the back of her mind, be thinking, you know, someone just got shot in the school. Are we all safe? Am I safe? But she was focused on making sure that student was OK,” she said.

“I’m a firm believer that these things don’t happen by happenstance,” Avant added. “I’m so thankful to God that he put the right people there on the right day.”

Taylor’s notoriety comes as school nurses play an outsized role in keeping schools across the U.S. open amid the ongoing pandemic. In August, an influential Tennessee panel urged Gov. Bill Lee to prioritize more funding for school nurses to allow the state to fund 1 nurse for every 750 students next year, as recommended

Karen Taylor has been heralded as a hero after her quick action to care for and comfort an injured child during a school shooting at Cummings K-8 Optional School on Sept. 30.

(Photo: Courtesy of Shelby County Schools) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state’s current ratio is 1 nurse to 3,000 students.

And yet, while discussions of nurses’ importance have grown in recent months, schools are grappling with a nationwide shortage. A September study of the nursing workforce estimates that about a quarter of schools lack a nurse, despite their heightened importance in fighting COVID in schools and helping students address mental health issues.

This year, Shelby County Schools officials announced they would have a nurse in every school, thanks to a nearly $30 million grant funded by COVID federal relief funds and distributed by the Tennessee Department of Education. The district has yet to tell Chalkbeat if it had met that goal yet, or how many total nurses it employs or contracts.

For “Nurse Taylor,” as students at Cummings affectionately call her, COVID is the reason she became a school nurse in the first place.

Since Taylor became a nurse some 54 years ago, she’s worked at almost every hospital in Memphis — often multiples at once, splitting her time between two or three on weekdays and weekends.

“It’s just been a journey,” Taylor recalled. “There’s never not a job for a nurse. If you want

to work, you can find work. So that’s what I’ve always done.”

Her last RN job was working for Lakeside Behavioral Health System. A minor fender bender changed everything.

After her accident, Taylor saw her doctor for a precautionary check-up, and asked her to write a letter explaining her absence from work. The pandemic was in full swing, and her doctor turned to her and said, “Ms. Taylor, you don’t have any business working right now,” Taylor remembered with a laugh.

Instead, Taylor, a 20-year breast cancer survivor with asthma and other pre-existing conditions that made her more vulnerable to serious illness if she contracted COVID, returned to work with a letter saying she could be a nurse until the pandemic eases.

About a year later, Taylor grew restless. She had always worked.

She’d gotten vaccinated. Her doctor suggested a less risky job, like school nursing, and with some hesitation, her husband agreed.

Starting in March through the end of the school year, Taylor split her time between Whitehaven High School, Whitehaven Elementary, and Holmes Road Elementary. In August, she was moved to Cummings.

Until last week, Taylor spent her school days helping children who had fallen ill and calling

their parents to take them home, assisting students with diabetes, and making sure everyone keeps their masks in place.

Without a doubt, the best parts of Taylor’s job are the children and the overall camaraderie in the school community, she said.

Quickly, she’s bonded with many of the students, teachers and other staff at Cummings.

“I go in the hallways when they change classrooms or go to the restrooms and they always show me they got their masks on, and I give them high fives and pats on the back,” Taylor said. “There’s definitely a bond there.”

Although Taylor wouldn’t call herself a hero, she agrees with Avant that she happened to be in the right place at the right time.

When Taylor was undergoing chemotherapy and “all that other ugly stuff” while fighting breast cancer, she remembers asking God to take her away quietly amid all that pain. When she survived, it felt like “he slapped me on my head and said, ‘I’m not through with you, girl,’ ” she said.

Now, Taylor counts her role in last week’s school shooting as one of the reasons she’s still here today.

“I’m in good health and I’m grateful for that,” she said. “And I’m grateful to be here at this school and help in this situation.”

BOOK REVIEW

A lot of pleasant surprises inside ‘Things We Couldn’t Say’

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

You’d like an explanation, please.

Why something is done or not, why permission is denied, you’d like to hear a simple reason. You’ve been asking “Why?” since you were two years old but now the older you get, the more urgent is the need to know – although, in the new book “Things We Couldn’t Say” by Jay Coles, there could be a dozen becauses.

Sometimes, mostly when he didn’t need it to happen, Giovanni Zucker’s birth mother took over his thoughts.

It wasn’t as though she was the only thing he had to think about. Gio was an important part of the basketball team at Ben Davis High School; in fact, when he thought about college, he hoped for a basketball scholarship. He had classes to study for,

two best friends he wanted to hang out with, a little brother who was his reason to get up in the morning, and a father who was always pushing for help at the Jay church he ran.

Coles As for his romantic life, there wasn’t much to report: Gio dated girls and he’d dated guys and he was kinda feeling like he liked guys more.

So no, he didn’t want to think about his birth mother. The woman who walked out on the family when Gio was a little kid didn’t deserve his consideration at all. There was just no time for the first woman who broke his heart.

It was nice to have distractions from his thoughts. Gio’s best friends had his back. He knew pretty much everybody in his Indianapolis neighborhood. And the guy who moved across the street, a fellow b-baller named David, was becoming a good friend.

A very good friend.

David was bi-sexual, too.

But just as their relationship was beginning, the unthinkable happened: Gio’s birth mother reached out, emailed him, wanted to meet with him, and he was torn. She said she had “reasons” for abandoning him all those years ago, and her truth was not what he’d imagined...

There are a lot of pleasant surprises inside “Things We Couldn’t Say.” From the start, author Jay coles gives his main character a great support system, and that’s an uniquely good thing. Gio enjoys the

company of people who want the best for him, and it’s refreshing that even the ones who are villains do heroic things.

Everyone in this book, in fact, has heart, and that softens the drama that Coles adds – which leads to another nice surprise: there’s no overload of screeching drama here. Overwrought teen conflict is all but absent; even potential angsts that Gio might notice in his urban neighborhood are mentioned but not belabored. This helps keep readers focused on a fine, relatable, and very realistic comingof-age story line.

This book is aimed at readers ages 12-and-up, but beware that there are a few gently explicit, but responsibly written, pages that might not be appropriate for kids in the lower target range. For older kids and adults, though, “Things We Couldn’t Say” offers plenty of reasons to love it.

“Things We Couldn’t Say”

by Jay Coles c.2021, Scholastic $18.99 320 pages

The New Tri-State Defender

October 14 - 20, 2021

Page 7

ENTERTAINMENT

The Rise of 100 Moral Leaders Inductees Ceremony featured these inductees. (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

Stone ‘Eben’ Awards 2021 TSD Newsroom

Setting straight the history of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street Pictured (l-r): Gala hosts Drew McCraven III and Tina Tilton; songstress and presenter Toni Green, and Cam Mtenzi.

TSD Associate Publisher/ Executive Editor Karanja A. Ajanaku, most outstanding publisher/editor.

Chuck O’Bannon

The 26th Annual Stone “EBEN” Awards gala was held at the Bartlett Performing Arts Center last Saturday (Oct. 9).

Hosted by Stanley “Cam Mtenzi” Campbell and the House of Mtenzi Museum (1289 Madison Ave.), the red-carpet affair honors “the leaders, pioneers, trailblazers, heroes, sheros, inventors, government officials, businesses and organizations pro-actively paving the way throughout the community and building, stone × stone/leader by stone, a greater and stronger Mid-South and a stronger America.”

The annual awards are anchored in the Ma’&9 Mustard Seeds legacy, with an emphasis this year on commemorating Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, which was burned down during a massacre in 1921. A program performer linked the Memphis Massacre of 1866 to Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, with a reference to Memphians relocating in Tulsa after the Memphis tragedy.

Special tribute was paid to “The Matriarch Mother of Memphis” – the late MA’ Thelma

John B. Smith, co-founder of The Invaders.

Ann Hines, Earl Forest Blues Hall of Fame Award Brownlee; the late and legendary former WDIA radio personality Fred “Hollywood” Moore and the late George Hunt, the world-renowned artist many recognize for his Memphis in May festival posters.

COMMUNITY The New Tri-State Defender, October 7 - 13, 2021, Page 8

First of two redistricting virtual meetings is Oct. 14 TSD Newsroom The Shelby County Commission is launching a new website to share with Shelby County residents proposed redistricting maps for consideration.

The website – www.myshelbytndistricts.com – is available now for residents to review and comment on the maps and participate in virtual meetings to learn more.

The first virtual meeting is Thursday, October 14 and registration is required.

Every decade following the U.S. Census, Shelby County updates its maps for County Commission and School Board districts. The Shelby County Commission formed an ad hoc committee to work on the task.

Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner Jr. chairs the ad hoc committee.

“We are inviting Shelby County residents to review the website and attend the virtual community meetings on October 14 and 23,” said Turner. “Your input is critical to the success of this redistricting process.”

The new boundaries must be roughly equal in populations and observe established redistricting guidelines that conform to federal, state, and local directives.

Visit the website to register for the virtual meetings or the Facebook page My Shelby TN Districts.

On the website, residents can sign-up to receive regular updates on the redistricting process, which will conclude in November of this year.

(For more information, contact the Shelby County Commission at 901-222-1000.)

Alpha men push for ‘registering as many new voters as possible’

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Betty Miles ended up getting much more than she expected during a recent trip to Southland Mall. Asked if she would like to register to vote, Miles replied, “Yes, I’ve been meaning to register to vote. I might as well go on and do it now.”

One year out from the political races of 2022, the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. recently braved showers to make voter registration convenient for those who are yet unregistered.

An Alpha-branded table was set up on the main corridor of the mall, giving shoppers and browsers the opportunity to register for the vote on the spot. Their four-hour, voter registration drive (on Oct. 2) was the Alpha Delta Lambda graduate chapter’s participation in the fraternity’s national campaign, “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People.”

“We want to start now getting as many people as we possibly can registered to vote,” said chapter President Vearnon Woods. “We don’t want to wait until two months before the elections to start voter registration.

Interest in making sure people register to vote and actually go to the polls, especially people of color, has been ratcheting up in light of Republican-dominated state legislatures pushing through new voting restrictions in the name of election security since the party lost the White House.

Those GOP efforts have been spurred in part by former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen from him.

As the Alphas push forward with their voter registration and engagement effort, the fraternity is not endorsing or supporting any particular political party said Derek Brassel Sr., a chapter member.

“We want everyone to have the opportunity to vote for whoever they choose, based on the issues that matter to them. Every vote counts.”

Education, said Woods, will be at the top of the list of issues on next year’s ballot.

Betty Miles registers to vote, taking advantage of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.’s national campaign – “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People.” (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

Helping to man the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. voter-registration effort at Southland Mall were (seated, l-r) Derek Brassel Sr., Darin Patterson and Oscar Sueing; standing (l-r): Vearnon Woods and Oscar Thompson Jr. “I am a teacher, and we need to make sure public education is adequately funded. We put money toward those things that are most important to us. Funds are allocated toward what is seen as valuable.”

Chapter Second-Vice President Daron Patterson said Alphas always

have believed in the power of the vote and the need for young people to be engaged in the political process.

“I believe young people have felt disconnected, that they are not a part of the process,” said Patterson. “But we want to encourage our young people to register to vote because their

vote counts. We all have one vote, and we must all use the power of our vote to bring about a change.”

Chapter member Oscar Sueing said the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer was an awakening for many, particularly young people who discovered the power of their voices.

“The Black Lives Matter movement was instrumental in driving a global conscience about social injustice,” said Sueing. “Issues having to do with social justice and police reform are important to young people.

“Without a vote, you have no voice. I believe many young people who have not been a part of the political process will register to vote.”

Party primaries for county elections are May 3. The County general election is Aug. 4. State and federal party primaries also are Aug. 4.

As of Oct. 1, there were some 564,272 active voters in Shelby County, according Shelby County Election Commission data.

Ralph Thompson Jr., a senior member of the local Alpha chapter, talked about the 2022 local elections in the context of what he views as multifaceted issues that are not easy to sort out.

“I’m a grandfather, and so many of the problems we have with our children, our schools and other things have to do with the breakdown of the family,” said Thompson “These problems are complex. It’s not just the absence of fathers in the home. But there are some mothers absent as well, parentless homes. We have to vote candidates in office who represent our values. Every person’s vote counts.…”

“A Voteless People is a Hopeless People” was initiated as a national program of Alpha during the 1930s when many African-Americans had the right to vote, but were prevented from voting because of poll taxes, threats of reprisal and lack of education about the voting process.

In the 1990s, the focus shifted to include political awareness and empowerment, delivered most frequently through town meetings and candidate forums.

State Sen. Katrina Robinson seeks acquittal, new trial

Service of celebration …

Greater Community Temple Church of God in Christ was the setting for the Service of Celebration for evangelist and former Memphis City Councilwoman Barbara Swearengen Ware last Friday (Oct. 8). Ware, 82, died Sept. 30. Bishop Brandon B. Porter, the host pastor, delivered the eulogy. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

Evangelist Barbara Swearengen Ware’s husband, Pastor Emeritus Albert W. Ware of Faith Fellowship Church, is comforted during the service for his wife and former Memphis City Councilwoman.

Memphis City Councilwoman Jamita Swearengen (right) was among family members who celebrated the legacy of former City Councilwoman Barbara Swearengen Ware.

(AP) – Attorneys for Tennessee state Sen. Katrina Robinson are seeking an acquittal or new trial after the Memphis Democrat was convicted of four counts of wire fraud last month.

The motion, filed Oct. 8 on behalf of Robinson, argues that “the government created a mess in this case Sen. Katrina when they Robinson over-reached and charged Ms. Robinson with crimes, which they simply could not prove.”

Robinson already had been acquitted by a judge on 15 of 20 charges sought by federal prosecutors in Memphis, where Robinson’s school for health care workers is located. On Sept. 30, a jury convicted her of four of five counts of wire fraud.

Elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 2018, Robinson has maintained that she is innocent but has declined to say whether she will resign from her elected position.

Robinson is currently scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 5.

The New Tri-State Defender

October 14 - 20, 2021

Page 9

NEWS COMMENTARY

Who gets flexibility?

by Julianne Malveaux NNPA Newswire

I had not planned to have a policy conversation when I boarded my connecting flight from Detroit to DC. But the young white woman, totally professionally dressed, seemed to want my ear. She was coming to Washington to do “advocacy,” she said, around workplace flexibility and “reimagining work.” I thought girlie just wanted to hear herself talk, so my responses were minimal – um hum, OK. But I was more interested when she wove her policy thoughts into her own story – a young mom who COVID challenged to ensure that her children didn’t fall behind.

The exchange sustained us for the scant hour or so of the flight, but I went another perspective as we began to exit the plane. We were in row 15, just five rows out of first class.

As we left, I observed several women, mostly Black and Latina, and one African man, frantically cleaning the plane’s first-class cabin. It was clear that they were also waiting for the rest of us to get off the plane so they could go to the back and continue to clean.

The airlines promise cleaning between flights, and these folks were doing their jobs.

Watching them, though, made it clear that the flexibility my seatmate was advocating for is not flexibility that trickles down. Those who write, talk, think and compute for a living have the privilege of flexibility. Those of us who clean, sit behind a cash register, pick up garbage, or more, don’t have the same benefit of flexibility. Too much of the policy conversation centers around

Tennessee leaders to review education funding formula

by Kimberlee Kruesi Associated Press

NASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Lee and Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn have announced plans to review how the state funds its multibillion dollar K-12 education system.

Lee and Schwinn say they hope school leaders, families and other members of the public will provide feedback on how the system can be improved over the next few months. State officials say they want to present suggestions to the General Assembly by next year.

The state will hold public meetings, surveys and other events to gather input to help shape the recommendations.

Known as the Basic Education Program, Tennessee’s school funding formula includes 45 components that are all used to determine how much funding each school should receive for teacher salaries and other expenses.

It’s long been criticized for being complicated and outdated since it was first adopted nearly 30 years ago. It’s even faced lawsuits led by school boards for falling short of Tennessee’s constitutional obligation to provide students with a “free, adequate, and equitable education.”

Democratic lawmakers on Friday quickly responded that the state needed more investment in the public education system.

“This review has an opportunity to make a meaningful update to the distribution formula, but tackling the bigger problem of underfunding is key to making sure these reforms are successful,” said Democratic Sen. Raumesh Akbari, who sits on the Senate Education Committee.

providing flexibility for some.

What accommodations are we prepared to offer others?

Julianne For exMalveaux ample, at hotels t h e s e days, guests are told that we should sleep on the same sheets and use the same towels for days, only asking for housekeeping services when we need them. But when we do not have housekeeping services, there’s a sister who has less work. She can’t clean our rooms from home, so her work week, once 40 hours or more, is now shortened. Her paycheck is smaller.

Her benefits may disappear.

Where is flexibility for her?

Our policy lens is distorted by our privilege and class situation. Desk jockeys advocate for desk jockeys, folks who can easily do their jobs from their desk or the office. Folks who can’t desk jock or advocate are left on their own. Too many of those who don’t’ have the luxury of flexible work are Black or Brown. A conversation about flexible work reeks of privilege and sidelines too many in the labor force.

According to the Brookings Institute’s Dr. Kristin Broady, about 13.4 percent of the workforce teleworked. Nearly a third of Asian American workers teleworked, compared to 12.4 percent of whites, 11.2 percent of Black people, and a scant 7.9 percent of Chicano/Latinx people. I’m not casting any shade on Asian American workers.

Still, I’m wondering about other

workers and how we reimagine work for those who aren’t sitting at the policy table.

Simple arithmetic suggests that when we pay people more, we get more effort, that many won’t mind the three-day workweek if they can be paid for it. Some of the workers, most of whom are women, won’t mind spending more time engaged in their children’s education, perhaps volunteering at their schools.

Others might like the time to upgrade their skills, possibly enrolling in classes that augment their already proven skills with management possibilities. Or they might choose to chill, work less complicated, and embrace the notion that their lives should only be dictated by work and survival.

Predatory capitalism extracts surplus value from workers, exploiting them because they have no choice but to work at substandard conditions for the capitalists to maximize their profits. Covid reminded us of our interdependence, of the many ways we must rely on each other. For many privileged workers, it has meant that the terms and conditions of their work can be reexamined. What about the workers we rely on for our health care, transportation services, grocery shelving, and more.

It will be a classist tragedy if the few folks at the top only enjoy workplace flexibility. Workplace flexibility, and the pay that goes with it, must also be a privilege of those at the bottom.

(Dr. Julianne Malveaux – a NNPA contributor – is an economist, author and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State, LA. Reach her at juliannemalveaux.com.)

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Publication Title: The New Tri-State Defender Publication Number: 0780-0220 Filing Date: October 11, 2021 Issue Frequency: Weekly Number of Issues published annually: 52 Annual Subscription Price: $35 Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: P.O. Box 1875, Memphis, TN 38101 a.

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Telephone: 901-523-1818 Complete Mailing Address of headquarters or General Business of Publisher: P.O. Box 1875, Memphis, TN 38101 Full Names of Complete Mailing Address of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: a.

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Publication Title: The New Tri-State Defender Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: 10/11/2021 Extent and Nature of Circulation a.

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Striking workers outside the Memphis Kellogg Plant. (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)

KELLOGG

CONTINUED FROM FRONT We are fighting for fairness in dealing with future employees. They have families, too.”

Memphis employees work seven days a week, 12-15 hours a day, said Bradshaw, because “we are here and dedicated to this company. …

“We worked around the clock in this pandemic. … The company made $380 billion the first nine months of the pandemic. They gave us two $500 bonuses. They gave their top salaried employees a 158 percent bonus. They have 25 top executives right now who make more than all 1,500 employees in a year.”

Under the proposed changes, new employees would not be eligible for a pension, retirement or health insurance after they have retired. Union negotiators and Kellogg have

been haggling over these proposed new cuts for more than a year.

Dave Coleman said strikers are “out here for the long haul.

“The last time we went on strike (2013-14), we were out for 275 days,” said Coleman.

“And we’re determined this time. We’re in it to see this through.”

The 2013-14 labor disagreement involved Kellogg locking out workers when the company and the union could not reach an agreement on wages and benefits. The work stoppage ended when a federal judge in Memphis ruled Kellogg had to end the lockout.

Bradshaw said there are 300 Kellogg employees at the Memphis plant and that talks between Kellogg and the union are ongoing.

In an online statement, Kellogg asserted that the average 2020 earnings for the major-

ity of RTEC employees was $120,000.

“Most employees under this contract have unparalleled, nocost comprehensive health insurance, while less senior employees have the same health insurance as our salaried employees, but with much lower employee contributions,” the statement read.

“Our proposals not only maintain these industry-leading level of pay and benefits, but offer significant increases in wages, benefits and retirement. …

“We remain committed to achieving a fair and competitive contract that recognizes the important work of our employees and helps ensure the long-term success of our plants and the Company. We remain ready, willing and able to continue negotiations and hope we can reach an agreement soon.”

The New Tri-State Defender

October 14 - 20, 2021

Page 10

CLASSIFIEDS Gestalt Community Schools (GCS) is accepting bids for Instructional Materials/Tools and all technology related equipment to include laptops, iPads, and protective coverings that support virtual and in-person learning for students in grades K-12. GCS is a public charter school organization that serves students in Shelby County, TN. Proposals must be received by COB Monday, October 18, 2021. To request an RFP, please email us at bids@ gestaltcs.org.

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: Danielle Dawkins Tax Parcel #: 07504600000160 Tax Sale #: 1603 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 2:00 p.m. on November 15, 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: 4D Marketing Business Solutions Corp.

Tax Parcel #: 05006600000170 Tax Sale #: 1701 Price Offered: $15,200.00 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 ad-

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ditional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 1:30 p.m. on November 15, 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: Scarlett Mone't Hunter Tax Parcel #: 07008600000070 Tax Sale #: 703 Price Offered: $1125.00 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 1:00 p.m. on November 15, 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.

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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: Belizario Felix Matias Tax Parcel #: 04306200000200 Tax Sale #: 1702 Price Offered: $4500.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:30 a.m. on November 15, 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:

(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 November 15, 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: Britney Thornton Tax Parcel #: 02905900000270

Tax Sale #: 1401 Price Offered: $1275.00 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 November 15, 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

to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Kaya Jefferson Tax Parcel #: 06906800000090 Tax Sale #: 1102 Price Offered: $1500.00 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 November 15, 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

Democrat or Republican Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is how we protect ourselves and our loved ones

MODIFICATION: Britney Thornton Tax Parcel #: 0290470000006C Tax Sale #: 1701 Price Offered: $2500.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten

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The New Tri-State Defender, October 14 - 20, 2021, Page 11

Tracking the Tigers: Pro Day, Memphis Madness, a lingering probe and more

by Terry Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Representatives of all 30 NBA teams were in attendance at Pro Day for the University of Memphis men’s basketball team on Oct. 6.

And, rightly so.

The Tigers have added two of the more notable faces of the Class of 2022 to this year’s team in fivestar center Jalen Duren and five-star signee Emoni Bates, who is projected to go No. Terry 1 overall in the 2023 Davis NBA draft.

The first day of the two-day event was used for determining the players’ measurables and displaying skills tested during the NBA regular combine.

Day two featured an open practice in front of NBA scouts and the Memphis Rebounders Club.

Head coach Penny Hardaway geared the 90-minute session into two-on-two and five-on-five drills to demonstrate how players perform in certain situations.

“It means a lot having all of these scouts here,” said Hardaway. “When you come to the University of Memphis, you will get this opportunity to get in front of scouts before the season starts. This is like Disney World for these kids to see all these teams with their logos on their chests.”

Asked if he was nervous in front of the scouts, Duren said, “I was not nervous, but I was excited. Just for them to see my growth since the last time they saw me and to show them how much I have been working on. It was just another day at practice for me.”

Bates, who already has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, said, “I was trying to treat it just like just another day at the gym. I was telling my teammates just come here, and work hard and try to make each other better.”

Memphis Madness Pro Day unfolded one week to the day before Memphis Madness (Oct. 13), considered the kickoff of the Tiger’s basketball season.

Emoni Bates, who already has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, took Pro Day in stride.

(Photos: Terry Davis) Visit www.TSDMemphis.com for coverage of the ‘Madness,’ which Hardaway uses to rev up fans and usher in recruits.

It will be the first Memphis Madness for Katrina Merriweather, the new head coach of the University of Memphis women’s basketball team.

IARP – update The James Wiseman issue from two years ago continues to linger over the men’s basketball program.

The Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) has yet to yield a ruling on the Memphis case.

Memphis is accused of playing an ineligible play in Wiseman for three games.

Wiseman was issued a 12-game ban by the NCAA. However, when he was set to return to the program, he decided to leave the team and concentrate on preparing for the NBA draft.

For many of the Tigers’ faithful, some type of punishment short of being barred from the NCAA tournament this season would be a best-case scenario.

Preseason honors • Memphis has been ranked as high as seventh in the nation in most preseason college basketball polls, including ESPN’s way-too-early basketball rankings. The first official polls will not be released for another month.

• The Tigers are projected to finish second in the preseason American Athletic Conference coaches’ poll behind Houston.

• Preseason Rookie of the Year – Jalen Duren.

• Preseason All-Conference First Team – Duren and Landers Nolley II. • Preseason All-Conference Second Team – Emoni Bates and DeAndre Williams.

Five-star center Jalen Duren stays focused amid the attention of the representatives of all 30 NBA teams at Pro Day.

Fairley tops Mitchell in a big-time district battle with neighborhood feel

by Terry Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Twice this season, the title-hungry Fairley Bulldogs had a chance to rack up a win by way of forfeit and each time they decided to reschedule a game with a team that had an open week.

The Bulldogs went 1-1 in those games, losing 29-22 last week to Trinity Christian Academy of Jackson, Tennessee.

In a game of great importance to both teams, Fairley hosted their neighborhood rival – the Mitchell Tigers – at JP Freeman Stadium last Friday (October 8), holding on for a 18-12 victory. The win in the Class 2A Region 8 District battle secured a playoffs spot for the Bulldogs (8-1,60 District).

Mitchell will have to finish in the top four to qualify for postseason play.

Fairley is ranked No. 13 in the state in Max Prep Class 2A rankings. Head coach Fred Copeland is in his second year at Fairley and his first coaching after COVID forced last season’s cancellation.

The difference in the game literally came down to one play, the first play of the game. Sophomore Malik Mason returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. That six-point score was the margin of victory.

Mitchell (5-2, 3-2 District) scored on a 6-yard run touchdown by Jalen Vardaman.

In control of the line of scrimmage, Fairley scored 12 unanswered points, taking a commanding lead into the fourth quarter.

The Tigers were determined. They mounted a drive – keyed by a 46-yard run by quarterback Antonio Jenkins – that yielded a touchdown with 4:35 left in the game. The Bulldogs did not allow the Tigers to mount another drive in the time remaining.

The Bulldogs had 175 rushing yards, with Mason gaining the bulk (104). Nelly Price made essential plays as quarterback and on defense, where he played defense and intercepted a pass.

Mitchell’s Jenkins had 93 rushing yards and 118 passing yards but had two interceptions. Penalty yards (65) hurt the Tigers.

Fairley will have the week off be-

Mitchell head coach Nathan Cole week,” said Copeland. “We are going to come back on Monday and we will move on to our next opponent.”

Mitchell head coach Nathan Cole

Fairley head coach Fred Copeland has the look – albeit a wet one – of a winning coach in a big game. (Photos: Terry Davis) fore playing at Freedom Prep on Oct. 22. Mitchell will host Oakhaven on Friday (Oct. 15).

Fairley head coach Fred Copeland “Good game played by Mitchell, but our kids came out and executed.

I feel good to continue the win that coach Robinson (Gene) had on those

guys. This is the fourth straight year we have won.”

He called Mason, who scored the opening touchdown, “one of the best guys in the state. He is one of the best guys around. He is our rock. We live and depend on Malik.”

Staying grounded is paramount for Fairley.

“We are just keeping it week to

“They just wanted it more than we did. The little things are what hurt us.

That’s where the ninth graders come in at and a first-year quarterback,” said Cole.

“This season is not over. We can still make the playoffs. The seniors are upset, but this is their last game.

They will never play Fairley again.

They have to understand the rules and regulations in different situations. Be upset in a positive way.”

Reflecting on the meaning of the game, Cole said, “All the players are friends. They are neighborhood friends. We have got to learn to come together when things go wrong.”

The New Tri-State Defender

October 14 - 20, 2021

Page 12

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