The New Tri-State Defender - October 28-November 3, 2021

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October 28 - November 3, 2021

VOL. 70, No. 43

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HOMICIDE AND HEARTBREAK!

After funeral-procession shooting witness says, ‘I’m out of here’

Two mothers speak out after losing loved ones to gun violence

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The harrowing statistics of gun violence are more than numbers.

Each stat is an entry point into the story of someone violently taken from their family. Every story is one of grief, loss and survival.

One mother, who only recently lost her son, is Terry Wakefield.

Usually before midnight, her son, Tavegas Wakefield, 21, is already at home. Recently when he had not returned after he and some friends went to get haircuts, she thought he was just hanging out.

After falling asleep in bed, the intrusive ring of the telephone jarred her awake. Wakefield looked at the clock – 11:59 p.m. She picked up the phone. On the other end was the mother of one of her older son’s baby.

“She’s screaming into the phone,” said Wakefield. “I couldn’t understand what she was saying. She was screaming, ‘they shot him, and he’s dead.’ And now, I am fully awake. It takes a while, but I now understand her to say that my baby boy, Tavegas, was shot; and he’s dead.”

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Terry Wakefield with her son, Tavegas Wakefield, who was killed on the interstate Monday night. (Courtesy photo) That Monday, Oct. 25, Wakefield’s life changed forever. From what police reports tell her, Tavegas and three others were riding in Tavegas’ silver Infiniti. His best friend was driving.

As they drove along Interstate 385, near the Ridgeway exit, another vehicle pulled up alongside and opened fire. The Infiniti was riddled with bullets – about 100 rounds –

SEE MOTHERS ON PAGE 2

Two teens are in custody for gunning down a 16-year-old boy during a funeral procession through the Hyde Park community on Saturday afternoon.

But for one family living on Hunter Avenue, the arrests amount too little too late.

“Saturday evening was a wake-up call for me,” said Joe Joe Elliott, a witness Elliott to the shooting and resident of the North Memphis neighborhood.

“One minute, we were watching a beautiful funeral procession with a horse-drawn carriage. There was music and children were singing.

When the procession turned onto another street, the back of the parade erupted in gunfire. People were screaming and running. We have to move.”

I chose the J&J booster despite CDC’s ‘mix and match’ option

According to Elliott, the Oct. 23 shooting unfolded when gunmen emerged from bushes and out of an apartment complex with assault rifles. They were gunning for the shooter who killed “PSO Emmitt,” a

young rapper named Emmitt Beasley, a Southwind High School student who had turned out for the funeral.

“It was like something right out

SEE SHOOTING ON PAGE 2

Bishop W.A. Sesley ‘loved the Lord, his family and Morning Star’

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

All three approved COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. – Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – are now safe for booster shots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

So, on Oct. 21, I took the Johnson & Johnson booster. Nearly 24 hours later, I felt sensational.

I mean it. Not only did I escape any possible side effects, I can clearly see an end to this deadly pandemic just up the road.

I have peace and optimism abounds, despite the on-going fight between vaccine proponents and vaccine opponents, and masking supporters and masking critics.

On the morning of Oct. 21, I was back in the office of St. Jude’s experimental annex, waiting to take a second J&J shot — my booster.

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine

Emmitt Beasley was fatally shot and another teen wounded when gunfire erupted during a funeral procession on Saturday in North Memphis. (Photo: Facebook)

Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell, a participant in the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine trials, gets her J&J booster shot. (Courtesy photo) was highly sought initially by many because it only required one shot, unlike Pfizer and Moderna, which required two shots for full vaccination.

As a subject participating in the J&J vaccine study at St. Jude, I was given the option of taking a J&J booster, or a booster of one of the other two. I could mix and match, a doctor explained to me.

The CDC had deemed the practice as being safe.

Every vaccine does, primarily, the same thing. Remarkable, I thought.

Approval of mix and match boosters had literally happened overnight.

I opted to stay with the J&J booster. But first, I had to sign additional consent forms and give more blood for testing the vaccine.

Also, the side effects of taking the J&J booster had to be discussed and I was required to acknowledge that I fully understood the risks.

I did understand the risks because I had read updated data of J&J. Adults 60 and older who took the J&J booster experienced one main side effect, pain and soreness at the injection site.

About 29 percent reported head-

SEE BOOSTER ON PAGE 2

Long an inspiring fixture in the Orange Mound community, Bishop W.A. Sesley, founding pastor of Morning Star Church Worldwide Ministries, a non-denominational Christian church, died last Thursday (Oct. 21) after a brief illness.

He was 82.

“My father was always involved in community projects and organizations to make life better for so many others,” said Tonja Sesley-Baymon, Sesley’s daughter and president of the Memphis Urban League. “He loved the Lord, his family and Morning Star. But he always made time for his family.”

Sesley-Baymon said her father had suffered a stroke in September.

“While he was in rehab, and actually doing well, Dad suffered another stroke last Monday; not the past Monday, but that Monday before,” she said. “The doctors said he had suffered some TIAs (transient ischaemic attacks or “mini strokes”) as well. There were just too many hits to the brain.”

Sesley grew up in Orange Mound and graduated from Melrose High School in 1956. He was an em-

ployee at Hunt Wesson when he acknowledged a call to the ministry.

His first sermon – “God Is Able” was preached on the fourth SunBishop W.A. day in March, Sesley 1964. In January, 1965, he established Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. The name was changed to Morning Star Holiness Church in 1973, with the last name change in 2000.

Pastor Andrew Jackson, founder of Faith Temple Ministries, said Sesley had been a close friend for five-plus decades.

“Our families took vacations together,” said Jackson. “We did mission work in Haiti together for several years. We were a part of the PCCNA, Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America. … We fed 3,000-5,000 people at the Fairgrounds or the Cook Convention Center each year.”

Pastor Melvin Charles Smith

SEE SESLEY ON PAGE 2

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The New Tri-State Defender

October 28 - November 3, 2021

Page 2

NEWS SHOOTING

CONTINUED FROM FRONT of the Wild, Wild West,” said Elliott. “That was my wake-up call. That’s it for me. With the things I am trying to do in the community and me talking to law enforcement, we just don’t feel safe anymore. We’ve been here four years, but we are leaving. There is shooting every night. Last night, we hit the floor twice. The police were called, and it took them 45 minutes to get here.”

In addition to the killing of Beasley, another teen was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

According to Memphis Police Department Sgt. Louis Brownlee, the public information officer, police responded to the shooting in front of 2153 Hunter Ave. Beasley died at the scene, and the second victim, also a 16-year-old male, was transported to Regional One in critical condition.

On Tuesday (Oct. 25), two males were arrested, ages 15 and 16. Both are being charged with first-degree murder. The suspects were known to the victims.

“I can just see that child laying on the ground with his brains coming out of his head,” said Elliott. “He hadn’t died yet. He was still

MOTHERS

CONTINUED FROM FRONT on the passenger’s side, according to police.

“Only my son was killed, and the passenger in the back is critically wounded,” said Wakefield. “With 100 rounds of ammunition, it sounds like they were trying to kill everybody in the car. Whether they cut this person off, or it was a random shooting, no one really knows.”

According to Wakefield, Tavegas had gotten in some trouble when he was younger, and was locked up. Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives (FFUN) Founder Stevie Moore helped him bond out and get back on the right track.

“That boy was like my own son,” said Moore. “Tavegas had paid the bond back, he had a job and was doing real well.

That really hurt me when I got a call from his mother. This is really bothering me that he was killed just riding along on the interstate.”

Wakefield said Tavegas played the drums at church.

“Tavegas was working and doing what he was supposed to do,” said Wakefield. “I have worked since I was 12 years old. I put my three boys in private school, and all three

breathing, and I watched him gasp and take his last breath.

It’s just not safe here.”

Stevie Moore, founder of Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives (FFUN), said gun violence has taken over the streets, but people remain complacent.

“This really bothers me,” said Moore. “Where is the outrage? Where is the anger?

I don’t see the same reaction as when a white police officer kills one of our children.

Everybody is ready to march and protest about the brutality against Blacks. But when our children are killing each other, nobody’s saying anything. This was a funeral procession.”

Moore has staged community walks through neighborhoods with high crime rates and gun violence.

“Can you imagine if we could get three, four, 5,000 folks united against this evil?

Moore asked. “Criminals are consistent, but good, lawabiding people are not. It’s not enough just to call for change.

We have to stand against all this gun violence that has taken over our streets. Our seniors are too afraid to go down to the corner store for fear of all the shooting.”

MPD Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said “gun crime and violent crimes” are among the highest priority, adding that graduated. I don’t know why people are so angry. We need more God-fearing parents raising these children.”

Wakefield said whoever killed her son has to know God will deal with them.

“I am terrified of being on the interstate. There have been other shootings on the interstate. The police said there are cameras, and I hope the shooting was captured on video.

We’ll see. I don’t want retaliation. ‘Vengeance is mine’, said the Lord. ‘I will repay.’ I’m just giving it all to God.” Another mother, Melissa Malone, has her own story of grief. Sherrina Cunningham Malone, the wife of her son, Jesse Malone, was killed in January. Three children mourn her death.

“Sherrina was at the laundrymat at Hickory Hill and Winchester when some guys drove up. One came in and spoke with Sherrina briefly, and she walked outside with him. She was buying drugs, but my son begged her not to do it,” said Malone.

“When Sherrina walked outside with the guy, they were talking and suddenly, one of them shot her. They rifled through her car, stealing whatever they could get their hands on.”

The case has grown cold.

the solution is going to involve everyone playing their part.

Despite the arrest of 3,000 people for possession of illegal guns, and the seizure of more than 4,000 weapons, the city’s record-breaking murder rate last year will be exceeded in 2021, if the present pace continues.

On Monday, 225 murders had been recorded this year; more than 10 percent of the victims have been under 18.

Elliott said a candlelight vigil is planned this weekend at the site where Beasley was shot down.

“It’s not over,” said Elliott.

“The streets are talking, and there will probably be more shooting. These kids are not receiving any guidance at home because there are no fathers in the home. Boys are raising themselves, and these little girls, too. You have 13- and 14-yearolds just walking down the street with assault rifles.

“We have just stopped going to the store. We feel unsafe here. I’ve got my wife and daughter to think about. We have to go.”

Elliott recalled a bullet coming through the back wall of their house.

“A bullet came through the back wall, hit the mirror, went through my wife’s coat, and ended up in her purse,” Elliott said. “There’s a big hole in my dresser.”

Bishop W.A. Sesley with his daughter and Memphis Urban League President Tonja SesleyBaymon.

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

SESLEY

CONTINUED FROM FRONT of Mt. Moriah East Baptist Church in Orange Mound said he and Sesley would have celebrated 50 years of friendship next year.

“We had both heard of each other and had seen each other in passing, but we had not met. But we finally did meet on Nov. 20, 1972, and we have been friends since that time,” said Smith. “Sesley was always very serious about his ministry, very serious about his call.”

Smith and Sesley were among a group of pastors that would meet routinely on the last Wednesday of each month.

Learning that Sesley was in the hospital, Smith said, I went to the hospital to visit with my friend and encourage him,

BOOSTER

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Sherrina Cunningham Malone was killed in January and the shooter remains at large. (Courtesy photo) “We are a close-knit family, not really a lot of us, but we are very close,” said Malone. “I have four children, 17 grandchildren, and two step-children. My son is raising two girls, 14 and 11, and his 12-year-old son. My son is broken. I am broken. But we are going to hang together.

“We are doing Thanksgiving. We will miss Sherrina.

She wasn’t just my daughterin-law, she was my friend. We continue to pray that the case gets solved.”

Anyone with information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the murder of Tavegas Wakefield, Sherrina Malone, or any other homicide case, should call CrimeStoppers at: 901-528-CASH (2274).

ache and fatigue; 26 percent complained of muscle pain.

Smaller percentages of over60 participants reported nausea and fever.

Essentially, anyone taking the J&J booster could expect more of the same side effects that followed after the initial injection.

Giving blood is always a kind of ordeal for me, but getting the booster wasn’t so bad.

I waited the customary 15 minutes for the staff to observe and monitor any changes that might be dangerous.

On Friday (Oct. 22) morning, the soreness in my arm was gone. There was no aching or discomfort, and I felt optimistic that enough people will finally get vaccinated, as well, take the booster, as step toward eradicating COVID-19 in the foreseeable future.

It is unbelievable that nearly two years in, a war still rages between vaxers and anti-vaxers.

Great effort has been invested into stressing the impor-

something he has done for so many others.”

Sesley’s family stayed by his side.

My father was a man of faith,” said Sesley-Baymon.

“So many times he had prayed for others and they were healed. I remember when I had a cyst and was going in the next day for a procedure to remove it. Dad prayed for me, and I went in to the hospital the next day. They could find no cyst anywhere. He was not only my pastor, but he was my friend, as well. I thank the Lord for that.”

Local event and news photographer, Tyrone P. Easley, said, “Bishop Sesley was always a great friend to me. …

When he and I were in the same place, he would smile.

And that smile let me know that he thought very highly of me. That was precious. I will

miss seeing him so much.”

U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen released a statement after learning of Bishop Sesley’s death.

“He was a golden-throated warrior of the gospel and a pastor whose grace extended beyond his church family,” Cohen said. “His was a life well lived in service to others.”

Sesley leaves six children, five grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Bishop Sesley will lie in state Oct. 29 from noon to 6 p.m. at Morning Star Worldwide Ministry, 3161 Park Ave., with a memorial service at 6:30 p.m. The celebration service is set for Oct. 30 at 11 a.m., with visitation from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Entombment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Harrison’s Memorial Chapel, Inc. has charge.

tance of African Americans and other communities of color taking a vaccine.

Because of the historic, systemic health disparities, outcomes for these communities have been disproportionately deadlier.

They have suffered more severe illness and death than other demographic groups.

That trend remains relatively consistent.

The most vulnerable among us who face greater risk can get the booster shot. That’s worth celebrating.

According to the CDC, over 400 million vaccine doses have already been administered.

Although scientists continue to test the vaccines, they are all highly effective in reducing severe illness, hospitalization, and death against COVID-19, if it is contracted.

Not even the more potent Delta variant can stand up to the vaccines in healthy persons. For persons with chronic underlying medical conditions, vaccines and boosters are the best defense available.

In cases of immuno-compro-

mised conditions, a booster is essential in raising the level of protection to ward off complications of COVID-19.

The time has long passed for political debates around vaccines and additional precautions, such as masking.

So many are no longer with us, having succumbed without the benefit of an available vaccine. So many are still dying because, among other reasons, vaccine opponents claim vaccines are “experimental,” or, “no one really knows what effect the shots will have in the long run.”

Oh, and one I heard more recently is especially rich: Taking the vaccine is taking the mark of the beast.

According to the Shelby County Health Department, more than 90 percent of severe illness and death from COVID-19 and its variants are individuals who were unvaccinated.

That is sobering.

I hope everyone chooses to take the vaccine. Follow-up with a booster when the allotted time period has passed.

Choose to live.

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The New Tri-State Defender

October 28 - November 3, 2021

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Page 3

PERSPECTIVE The New Tri-State Defender, October 28 - November 3, 2021, Page 4

‘Printing Hate’

An examination of how white-owned newspapers aided lynchings, massacres

by DeNeen L. Brown

Headlines at a glance

The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

For decades, hundreds of white-owned newspapers across the country incited the racist terror lynchings and massacres of thousands of Black Americans. In their headlines, these newspapers often promoted the brutality of white lynch mobs and chronicled the gruesome details of the lynchings. …

Lynchings took different forms. Some Black people were bombed, as four little girls were in a church in Birmingham, Alabama. Black men were whipped by mobs to silence them. (In Mississippi) Emmett Till was kidnapped, tortured, beaten and thrown into the Tallahatchie River with a cotton-gin fan tied around his neck with barbed wire.

“Printing Hate,” a yearlong investigation by students working with the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland, examines the scope, depth and breadth of newspaper coverage of hundreds of those public-spectacle lynchings and massacres.

The investigation was inspired by DeNeen L. Brown’s reporting on the Red Summer of 1919 and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which was sparked by the sensational coverage of The Tulsa Tribune, specifically a May 31, 1921, front-page story: “Nab Negro for Attacking Girl In an Elevator.” …

The series uncovers the widespread practice of publishing headlines that accelerated lynchings and massacres. That included newspapers announcing “Negro uprisings,” publishing uncorroborated stories of Black men accused of “assaulting” white women, and printing false allegations of arson and vagrancy — all in an attempt to justify racist terror inflicted on Black people.

Many of the newspapers examined in this project ran racist headlines, calling Black people “brutes,” “fiends” and “bad Negroes.” Newspapers across the South greeted readers with “Hambone’s Meditations,” a racist caricature created by The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tennessee. (The Commercial Appeal was owned

by Scripps-Howard from 1936 to 2015, when the company spun off its newspapers. The Scripps Howard Foundation supports the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland.)

Some of the newspapers advertised upcoming lynchings, often printing the time, date and place where mobs would gather.

Some white reporters watched, took notes and wrote riveting accounts of the barbarity of mobs, documenting the horror of the wounds inflicted, with blow-by-blow descriptions of the attacks, as though they were writing about a sporting event.

But those reporters, as skilled as they were as writers, often failed to practice good journalism, by undertaking the basic job of reporters — pursue and tell the truth.

Many of those reporters failed to identify white people in the mob. They also failed to hold government officials accountable by asking hard questions of the sheriffs, judges and other local law enforcement officials who stepped aside while white mobs attacked Black people.

This series found that the collective impact of those accounts was devastating. Triggered by front-page headlines, Black people were often dragged from their homes, ridiculed, tormented and

whipped with straps so sharp their flesh was shredded. …

The fact that lynchings took place is generally known, and the fact that some newspapers incited lynchings is generally known. But the Howard Center’s reporting shows how widespread this incendiary coverage was. …

to examine their past lynching coverage.

“I was shocked by the role so many papers played in promoting a culture of racial terror.” … This investigation of newspaper coverage of lynchings comes at a time of “racial reckoning” in newsrooms. The stories dive into the country’s racist history, at a time when states are passing laws to prevent that truth from being told, under the guise of banning the teaching of critical race theory – designed to be taught in law schools. The series begins at a time when several major newspapers have issued statements, acknowledging and apologizing for racist coverage.

“FRIED OVER SLOW FIRE: Negro Commits the Unspeakable Crime and Is Put to Death With Horrible Torture; MOB GLOATS OVER FIENDISH BARBARITY” – Herald Democrat, Sherman, Texas, aMay 23, 1902 “LYNCHING CAUSED BY BRUTAL MURDER” – The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, S.C., July 14, 1914 “NEGRO UNDER SENTENCE TO HANG LYNCHED AT TALLAHASSEE” – The Pensacola Journal, Pensacola, Fla., June 8, 1909 “BLOODY WORK OF MOB” -The Choctaw Plaindealer, Ackerman, Miss., Aug. 12, 1910 “Gov. Brough Fired Upon by Negroes at Elaine; NEGROES HAD PLOT TO RISE AGAINST WHITES, CHARGED” – Arkansas Democrat, Little Rock, Ark., Oct. 2, 1919 “THE ASSAULT ON WOMAN AVENGED–DAVIS DRAGGED FROM JAIL AND LYNCHED–MOB RIDDLED NEGRO RAVISHER WITH BULLETS; HUNG TO TREE ON BRICKYARD HILL AT EARLY HOUR THIS MORNING; BRUTE CONFESSED BEFORE THE CROWD–SAID HE INTENDED TO MURDER HER AS WELL” – Evening Capital, Annapolis, Md., Dec. 21, 1906 “3,000 WILL BURN NEGRO” – The New Orleans States, New Orleans, La., June 26, 1919

A flag announcing “A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY” is flown from the window of the NAACP headquarters on 69 Fifth Ave., New York City in 1936.

(Photo: Everett Collection/Shutterstock) Not all white-owned newspapers were guilty, and there were degrees of guilt. In some instances, editors looked the other way. In other instances, they not only covered the fire; they lit the fuse.

“Printing Hate” examines white-owned newspaper coverage of lynchings and massacres from the end of the Civil War in 1865 to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. During those 100 years, thousands of Black people were murdered in massacres and lynchings. …

A multifaceted investigation The series of stories in “Printing Hate” resulted from a multifaceted investigation by 58 student journalists from the University of Maryland, the University of Arkansas and five historically Black colleges and universities: Hampton University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. …

“As someone who has worked in the industry for a long time, I understood newspapers to be imperfect institutions that nonetheless served as guardians of truth who righted wrongs and exposed corrupt officials,” said Sean Mussenden, data editor at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, who worked with student journalists who built a database to allow many papers

“Printing Hate” attempts to add to this discourse by providing a more comprehensive review of that racist historical newspaper coverage that incited the deaths of thousands of Black people.

Rollout “Printing Hate” will roll out over the next three months, publishing to the University of Maryland’s Capital News Service and Howard Center website. It is set to be published by Word In Black, a “groundbreaking collaboration of the nation’s leading Black news publishers,” and is scheduled to appear on the National Association of Black Journalists’ website. …

“Printing Hate” contains interviews with current newspaper editors who have issued apologies and with those who have not. The project examines how the U.S. government failed to enact anti-lynching legislation to prevent the murder of Black people. …

Victoria A. Ifatusin, a graduate student at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, said working on the project was a profound experience.

“We talk about social injustices today and how Black people were treated back then quite often,” Ifatusin said. “But I don’t think that people, including me before this project, really understood how Black people were horrifically mistreated, to the

“Nab Negro for Attacking Girl In an Elevator” – The Tulsa Tribune, Tulsa, Okla., May 31, 1921 “JOHN HARTFIELD WILL BE LYNCHED BY ELLISVILLE MOB AT 5 O’CLOCK THIS AFTERNOON” – Jackson Daily News, Jackson, Miss., June 26, 1919 “FIXED FOR A BARBECUE; Preparations to Roast Jim Buchanan, Negro Murderer. Had the Mob Secured Him at Nacogdoches This was to Have Been the Programme” – The Southern Mercury, Dallas, Texas, Oct. 16, 1902

point that their lives were taken just for their skin color. And newspapers, a medium of truth, aided in that mistreatment.

“As a young reporter, it deeply hurts to know that reporters of this time who were meant to seek truth, deliberately printed false information that harmed Black people.

This only contributes to the passion I have for journalism in efforts to tell stories truthfully without creating harm to anyone.”

The package of stories is unflinching. But it is required reading because the role some white-owned newspapers played in inciting racist terror lynchings and massacres against Black people in America is undeniable.

(Vanessa Sanchez and Brittany Gaddy contributed to this report. DeNeen L. Brown is an associate professor of journalism at the University of Maryland. Read a fuller version at https://bit.ly/3BiDR5O)

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The New Tri-State Defender

October 28 - November 3, 2021

Page 5

PERSPECTIVE

Drivers in Memphis Need a Brake: MPD should end pretextual traffic stops

by Kelsey Jirikils

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Do you know for sure that both your taillights work? That your windows are tinted an acceptable shade? That you signal every time you make a lane change? The reality is that, when you’re driving, you’re probably breaking some traffic law.

However, your chances of getting pulled over vary widely depending on your race. And if you do get pulled over, it is up to the cop’s discreKelsey tion to decide Jirikils whether you get a ticket or just a warning; if your car gets searched or if it doesn’t.

Traffic stops are one of the most common ways citizens have contact with police, but many traffic stops don’t need to happen. Many people, particularly young Black men, get pulled over for petty traffic or equipment violations (broken taillights, failure to signal, tinted windows, etc.).

These stops are commonly referred to as “pretextual traffic stops” because they give officers a pretext to further investigate. Pretextual traffic stops are harmful because they unfairly target people of color, result in fines and potential loss of life, and don’t reduce crime.

Multiple studies have found that there are racial disparities in traffic stops. A 2020 New York University study analyzing traffic stops from across the country found that black drivers are 20 percent more likely than their white counterparts to be stopped, relative to their share of the population.

Additionally, they are 1.5 to 2 times as likely to be searched once they are stopped even though they are less likely to be carrying drugs or guns. A recent study from The Policing Project assessed traffic stops by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and found that there were notable racial disparities; particularly, there were higher disparities for pretextual traffic stops.

The data shows that when cops are making decisions about who to pull over for minor infractions, they are letting more white people go and making more Black people stop. However, we can do something to change this.

As a community, we can decide to stop having police engage in pretextual traffic stops. By making that decision, we decrease the amount of choices individual cops have to make, we decrease the chances for their biases to come into play, and we decrease unnecessary policing on historically targeted communities.

Other communities are already realizing how important of a decision this is.

The Oregon Supreme Court decided in 2019 that officers can only ask relevant questions during a traffic stop, meaning they cannot pull someone over for a broken taillight and then ask about drugs. Within the past year, the Virginia General Assembly passed several laws to increase police accountability which included ending pretextual traffic stops.

Free Brake Light Clinics: Getting pulled over for a busted brake light can result in costly fees and fines, additional charges, or police violence.

Join DeCarcerate Memphis at one of their free upcoming Brake Light Clinics: • Nov 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. – Orange Mound Tower, 2205 Lamar Ave. • Dec 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. – First Congo Church, 1000 S. Cooper St. Just a month ago, Philadelphia City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas introduced a bill to prevent pretextual traffic stops. This is a national conversation that Memphis needs to be a part of.

Moreover, not only would ending pretextual traffic stops promote justice and equity, it would also help the police.

A recent analysis of the Memphis Police Department found that the department is overworked and understaffed. Police spend over 111,000 hours a year on average on traffic stops.

As a community, we have the opportunity to solve two issues at once. By ending pretextual traffic stops, we begin the process of long-needed police reform to ensure the safety of communities of color while being more strategic about how we ask our overworked police to engage with the community.

Some people resist the idea of ending pretextual traffic stops because they believe these kinds of stops keep people safe. However, the same study by The Policing Project found that making large numbers of traffic stops in highcrime neighborhoods does not appear to have any effect on crime.

Additionally, pretextual traffic stops can result in drivers losing their lives. In 2020, 121 people were killed during traffic stops nationwide. Expired tags, tinted windows, and broken taillights should not be death sentences. If our current practice of pretextual traffic stops is resulting in people dying, it’s time for something to change.

Pretextual traffic stops are bad for everyone. They systematically target people of color, they drain time from the overworked police force, they don’t reduce crime, and they can result in death.

We need to join the forward-thinking communities of Oregon, Virginia, and Philadelphia and end pretextual traffic stops. If you agree, contact your City Councilmember, County Commissioner and Police Chief to let them know this issue matters to you.

We have the power to shape our society to be more just and fair; that starts with ending pretextual traffic stops.

(Kelsey Jirikils is a member of DeCarcerate Memphis, a coalition of community leaders, activists, attorneys, strategists, clergy and concerned citizens who believe in a system of justice that is equitable and restorative for all, independent of police intervention. Weekly meetings are held every Thursday at 6 p.m. on Zoom. Email decarceratememphis@gmail.com for more information or go to DecarcerateMemphis.com.)

Philadelphia Councilmember Isaiah Thomas: “I am humbled by every person who told my office of the humiliation and trauma experienced in some of these traffic stops.” (Photo: phlcouncil.com)

Philadelphia City Council passes driver equity bills TSD Newsroom The City Council in Philadelphia has approved Councilmember Isaiah Thomas’ Driving Equality bills, which seek to address the tension between police and community members by removing negative interaction through minor traffic stops.

The bills end the traffic stops that promote discrimination while keeping the traffic stops that promote public safety. The approach involves redirecting police time and resources towards keeping Philadelphians safe while removing negative interactions that widen the divide and perpetuate mistrust.

“I am grateful to my colleagues for voting to pass my Driving Equality bills,” said Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, “but moreso, I am humbled by every person who told my office of the humiliation and trauma experienced in some of these traffic stops.

“To many people who look like me, a traffic stop is a rite of passage – we pick out cars, we determine routes, we plan our social interactions around the fact that it is likely that we will be pulled over by police.”

Thomas said by removing the traffic stops that promote discrimination rather than public safety, “City Coun-

“To many people who look like me, a traffic stop is a rite of passage – we pick out cars, we determine routes, we plan our social interactions around the fact that it is likely that we will be pulled over by police.”

— Philadelphia Councilmember Isaiah Thomas cil has made our streets safer and more equitable. With this vote, I breathe a sigh of relief that my sons and my friends’ children will grow up in a city where being pulled over is not a rite of passage but a measure of the safety of your driving and vehicle, regardless of the skin color of the driver.”

The bill, which passed on a 14-2 vote, has been sent to Mayor Jim Kenney for his awaited signature into law.

During a recent Council session, Thomas amended his bill to allow the Philadelphia Police Department 120 days for training and education before the resulting law was implemented. being implemented.

In addition to the bill, which reclassifies motor vehicle code violations, City Council passed Thomas’ data companion bill, which mandates a public, searchable database of traffic

MPD Chief Davis weighs in on traffic stops TSD Newsroom Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis addressed the prospect of a reduction of traffic stops for minor infractions in a recent question-and-answer with the media: “We’re mostly concerned about erratic driving, reckless driving, and really, that’s all over the city.

It’s not all over just Memphis, but it bleeds over into some of the other counties as well. The drag racing Chief Cerelyn and the various types of maneuvers “CJ” Davis – wheelies, and all of that, we see on our streets is extremely dangerous for the individuals who are in the cars and also, other innocent by-standers.

“I will say that Memphis has a serious problem with counterfeit tags. And what we are finding about counterfeit tags is that many of the counterfeit tags are on stolen vehicles. And it is a way to hide the stolen vehicles. But, at the same time, what we’re trying to do is train our officers … to identify what a counterfeit tag looks like and what a real drive out tag looks like.

“And we get all kinds of complaints about speeding, not just on our freeways, but on our city streets. So, there will be increased enforcement as it relates to the erratic driving on our city streets. But it won’t be targeted toward broken tail lights.

“There is no inspection process on vehicles in the city of Memphis. So, we have no concern at this point for individual vehicles that don’t pass inspection.…We don’t plan to target individuals for minor infractions. We have some very, very serious traffic issues in the city of Memphis, and that is where our focus will be.”

stops (driver and officer information, reason for conducting traffic stop as well as demographic and geographic information).

Data was a main component in illustrating the problem and will be a major factor in analyzing the success or need for alterations to the Driving Equality bill.

“Data and lived experiences showed us the problem and data will be key to making sure this is done right,” said Thomas. “Data will tell us if we should end more traffic stops or amend how this is enforced. Data will also tell other cities that Philadelphia is leading on this civil rights issue and it can be replicated.”

The Data Bill passed on a 15-1 vote.

(This story reflects information from phlcouncil.com)

Mike Williams, former Memphis Police Association Union president, makes his case “I don’t know what the crime rate landscape is in Philadelphia, whether or not young, African-American males are committing much of the crime there, but here in Memphis, when we stop a vehicle for probable cause – tags, taillight, tint – we catch a whole lot of illegal stuff.

“I’ve been stopped by the police.

I don’t know if African Americans Mike were being victimized in PhiladelWilliams phia with excessive traffic stops.

But here in Memphis, crime is going up. The homicides, violent crimes, car-jacking are all on the rise and criminals are being emboldened. Each year, we are in one of the top four spots on the list of most violent cities in America.

“A law like that in Memphis would handcuff the police. We have a serious problem with bogus tags, guns, drugs, and runaways. When we make these stops, we get a whole lot of illegal stuff off the street. Already, the police cannot give chase in the city of Memphis. …

“We’ve got to take dangerous people off the streets.

Taxpayers, law-abiding people, our seniors are being affected. They are afraid to go outside because of all the gun violence and crime. If we do traffic stops on some people, we have to do it for everybody. More and more of our law-abiding people are being negatively affected by all this crime, and we have to address that issue.”

The New Tri-State Defender

October 28 - November 3, 2021

Page 6

RELIGION

Unearthed: Remnants of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches Associated Press WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The brick foundation of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches has been unearthed at Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum in Virginia that continues to reckon with its past storytelling about the country’s origins and the role of Black Americans.

The First Baptist Church was formed in 1776 by free and enslaved Black people. They initially met secretly in fields and under trees in defiance of laws that prevented African Americans from congregating.

By 1818, the church had its first building in the former colonial capital. The 16-foot by 20-foot (5-meter by 6-meter) structure was destroyed by a tornado in 1834.

First Baptist’s second structure, built in 1856, stood there for a century. But an expanding Colonial Williamsburg bought the property in 1956 and turned it into a parking lot.

First Baptist Pastor Reginald F. Davis, whose church now stands elsewhere in Williamsburg, said the uncovering of the church’s first home is “a rediscovery of the humanity of a people.”

“This helps to erase the historical and social amnesia that has afflicted this country for so many years,” he said.

Colonial Williamsburg announced Oct. 7 that it had located the foundation after analyzing layers of soil and artifacts such as a one-cent coin.

For decades, Colonial Williamsburg had ignored the stories of colonial Black Americans. But in recent years, the museum has placed a growing emphasis on African-American history, while trying to attract more Black visitors.

The museum tells the story of Virginia’s 18th century capital and includes more than 400 restored or reconstructed buildings. More than half of the 2,000 people who lived in Williamsburg in the late 18th century were Black – and many were enslaved.

Sharing stories of residents of color is a relatively new phenomenon at Colonial Williamsburg. It wasn’t until 1979 when the museum began telling Black stories, and not until 2002 that it launched its American Indian Initiative.

First Baptist has been at the center of an initiative to reintroduce African Americans to the museum.

For instance, Colonial Williamsburg’s historic conservation experts repaired the church’s long-silenced bell several years ago.

Congregants and museum archeologists are now plotting a way forward together on how best to excavate the site and to tell First Baptist’s story. The relationship is

Shared interests...

The Baptist Minister’s Wives Guild, whose president is Deborah Womack, held its October monthly meeting last Friday (Oct. 22).

(Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

Reginald F. Davis (from left), pastor of First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Connie Matthews Harshaw, a member of First Baptist, and Jack Gary, Colonial Williamsburg’s director of archaeology, stand at the brick-and-mortar foundation of one the oldest Black churches in the U.S. on Oct. 6, 2021, in Williamsburg, Va. (Photo: Ben Finley/AP)

“It’s not that all of a sudden, magically, these primary sources are appearing. They’ve been in the archives or in people’s basements or attics. But they weren’t seen as valuable.”

— Jody Lynn Allen starkly different from the one in the mid-20th Century.

“Imagine being a child going to this church, and riding by and seeing a parking lot ... where possibly people you knew and loved are buried,” said Connie Matthews Harshaw, a member of First Baptist. She is also board president of the Let Freedom Ring Foundation, which is aimed at preserving the church’s history.

Colonial Williamsburg had paid for the property where the church had sat until the mid-1950s, and covered the costs of First Baptist building a new church. But the museum failed to tell its story despite its rich colonial history.

“It’s a healing process ... to see it being uncovered,” Harshaw said.

“And the community has really come together around this. And I’m talking Black and white.”

The excavation began last year.

So far, 25 graves have been located based on the discoloration of the soil in areas where a plot was dug, according to Jack Gary, Colonial Williamsburg’s director of archaeology.

Gary said some congregants have already expressed an interest in analyzing bones to get a better idea of the lives of the deceased and to discover familial connections. He said some graves appear to predate the

building of the second church.

It’s unclear exactly when First Baptist’s first church was built.

Some researchers have said it may already have been standing when it was offered to the congregation by Jesse Cole, a white man who owned the property at the time.

First Baptist is mentioned in tax records from 1818 for an adjacent property.

Gary said the original foundation was confirmed by analyzing layers of soil and artifacts found in them.

They included an one-cent coin from 1817 and copper pins that held together clothing in the early 18th century.

Colonial Williamsburg and the congregation want to eventually reconstruct the church.

“We want to make sure that we’re telling the story in a way that’s appropriate and accurate – and that they approve of the way we’re telling that history,” Gary said.

Jody Lynn Allen, a history professor at the nearby College of William & Mary, said the excavation is part of a larger reckoning on race and slavery at historic sites across the world.

“It’s not that all of a sudden, magically, these primary sources are appearing,” Allen said. “They’ve been in the archives or in people’s basements or attics. But they weren’t seen as valuable.”

Allen, who is on the board of First Baptist’s Let Freedom Ring Foundation, said physical evidence like a church foundation can help people connect more strongly to the past.

“The fact that the church still exists – that it’s still thriving – that story needs to be told,” Allen said.

“People need to understand that there was a great resilience in the African American community.”

St. Mark’s pastor installation…

St. Mark Baptist Church, 940 Rev. J.C. Bachus Blvd., embraced the Rev. Marvin Mims Sr. (left) as its senior pastor during an installation service last Sunday (Oct. 24). Pastor Vernon Horner, president of the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association, prays for the Rev. Sims. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley) The Rev. Marvin Mims Sr. has the attention of these young church-goers.

The New Tri-State Defender

October 28 - November 3, 2021

Page 7

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Until I Am Free’ raises the profile of Fannie Lou Hamer

R&B sensation J. Howell is ready to treat his hometown fans with the ‘RedRoom Experience’ concert.

(Courtesy photos)

J. Howell’s ‘RedRoom Experience’ set for The Orpheum’s Halloran Center

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

After a number of requests, J. Howell is finally bringing the full “RedRoom” experience to his hometown on Friday, October 29th at 7pm. The R&B sensation will paint downtown Memphis red with his “RedRoom Experience” concert at The Halloran Center beside the historic Orpheum Theatre.

He’s also brought R&B songstress Dondria to be the opening act. So you can best believe that this will be a concert with some amazing singing!

This concert will be R&B at its finest; including all of J.Howell’s hit songs — “Talk”, “Something About Ya”, “Faithful” and many more.

The Memphis native has been taking the music industry by storm with his soulful, raw and powerhouse vocals. His debut album, RedRoom, came out August of 2019 and it is still in heavy rotation on playlists and DJ sets. His songs are also in constant rotation on Mainstream Urban Radio Stations across the nation, with his single “Something About Ya” expected to break into the Top 30 this month. https://youtu.be/eddoBXVL8yg J. Howell has a classic R&B sound that is unlike what is being heard today and definitely a different sound coming from Memphis.

As a music lover during the beginning phases of quarantine I spent a lot of time surfing youtube and lis-

tening to music and I came across J.Howell’s video ‘My Everything’.

It was my first time hearing of him, but the video was him in a room with J. Howell one mic, sitting on the floor as the sun shined through and for those 4 minutes I was in awe; I had totally forgotten about the dreadful pandemic at that moment because his voice was so calming.

I instantly fell in love with J. Howell’s artistry. Recently, I found out he was a product of Memphis and wasn’t surprised but extremely excited to know such talent came from this city.

Not only has he built a following with his peers here in Memphis; J. Howell also has quite the social media presence. With over 80 thousand followers on Instagram, and growing; he definitely knows how to draw his audience in.

Terlynn Lucas, a supporter of J.Howell says, “No matter how many times he sings live, he always gives the deepest and rawest of emotions with it.”

Stay tuned for the review of the ‘Red Room Experience’.

You can find out more about J. Howell and his music on Instagram @jhowellmusic1 and all other music media platforms.

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Tis the season of giving.

A few coins in a bucket, folded dollars in an envelope, an extra donation to the church, you don’t mind. Wrap a small gift for a child in need, give to someone who has nothing, it’s the holidays. Or read “Until I Am Free” by Keisha N. Blain, and give of yourself.

From the day she was born in Mississippi in the fall of 1917, Fannie Lou Townsend knew only poverty. She was the youngest of twenty children, and her parents were mostly sharecroppers; because they needed every pair of hands to keep ahead, Fannie Lou often stayed home from school to help, beginning right at age six.

As a younger woman, Fannie Lou stayed on the same plantation where she was born and though she seemed to live a quiet life, there were hints of mid-twentieth-century scandal: documents show that she may’ve been wedded to a man named Gray before marrying Percy “Pap” Hamer in 1944. She never birthed any children; it’s said that she tried to, but was sterilized without her permission in 1961, a fact that she learned fourth-hand.

The following year, says Blain, Hamer “found her calling” when she attended a meeting through her church, with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Keisha N. It was an important event: instantly, Blain Hamer saw how voting could give Black citizens better opportunities and better lives through their ballots. For the rest of her days, Hamer worked for civil rights, teaching and speaking with an emphasis on the Constitution.

She was a big proponent of letting people decide their own political futures locally, without interference. She promoted leadership within the Black community, working for the future of all, and especially Mississippi. Hamer was not a feminist but she was fierce about empowering women. Almost right up to the day she died of breast cancer in 1977, she was an activist and advocate...

In her introduction to this biography, author Keisha N. Blain wonders why the name of Fannie Lou Hamer doesn’t often stand in the company of Dr. King, Rosa Parks, John Lewis, and Angela Davis. In “Until I Am Free,” Blain fixes that omission.

Though it’s often repetitious, Blain’s account of Black life in the Jim Crow South is important – maybe more so

“Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America”

by Keisha N. Blain c.2021, Beacon Press $25.95 / $34.95 Canada 200 pages because she leaves none of Hamer’s personal stones unturned. This makes for a very good portrait of Hamer, but biography is only half the story.

Using today’s headlines as a frame for Hamer’s life, Blain shows readers how events from the past still resonate today. She also lets us imagine what Hamer’s outrage might be like over Philandro Castile, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, and George Floyd by tying their deaths to the mistreatment that Hamer endured through her childhood, during her rise in activism, and beyond.

For younger readers, that could be an important part of their education. “Until I Am Free” will be a great inspiration for you, if you’ve never heard it before. This time of year, it’s also a good book to give.

COMMUNITY The New Tri-State Defender, October 28 - November 3, 2021, Page 8

MICAH ‘asks’ presented at fourth annual meeting

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH) proposed systemic ‘asks’ of elected officials and other leaders, during their fourth annual public forum last Sunday (Oct. 24) at Cordova’s Memphis Islamic Center.

MICAH, a coalition launched in 2017, is made up of more than 70 community and faith-based organizations. It examines and addresses issues of equity and justice in Memphis.

During the annual meeting, three main areas of concern were discussed: Economic Equity, Education Equity, and R.A.C.E. (Race and Class Equity).

Co-chair of R.A.C.E., Ernie Hilliard, said he is happy with the direction his ask is taking.

“Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner was invited, but he apologized because a personal, family matter prevented him from attending,” said Hilliard. “But, he said ‘yes’ to our asks, regarding our issues with the justice system. Police Chief CJ Davis, was out of town, but she sent a representative to attend, hear the information, and report back for future discussions.

We were pleased about the direction of these future discussions.”

Bonner and Davis were asked to:

• Support and facilitate the diversion of mental/behavioral health crisis incidents to civilian-led teams of trained professionals to free up law enforcement to engage in more community policing.

• Agree to meet with MICAH quarterly on this mental/behavioral health crisis issue, with the option to connect more regularly, on pressing policing concerns of the community.

Bonner answered both requests in the affirmative, as long as the safety of the trained, mental health professionals is secure, according to Hilliard. Bonner communicated with the R.A.C.E. Justice System Task Force through email.

Davis’ representative, Col. Dennis McNeil, did not formally speak, but instead promised on the police chief’s behalf to ongoing discussions about the requests from MICAH. Hilliard said changes in the justice system are especially important for individuals who have been incarcerated to re-assimilate back into society.

“The system is not broken,” said Hilliard. “Unfortunately, it is doing exactly what it has been designed to do: stifle Black people and make it hard for them to thrive after incarceration. They need jobs, but then there is the matter of expungement.”

Sending police officers to calls in-

Dr. Rosalyn Nichols (right) and Ruth Abigail Smith were the emcees at MICAH’s public meeting held at the Memphis Islamic Center in Cordova. (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

The Rev. Ayanna Watkins, MICAH’s lead organizer and executive director, talks about the importance of investing in the group. volving mentally ill persons has been an ongoing concern for years.

The Memphis Police Department has a Crisis Intervention Team, or CIT, that has officers trained to respond to mental health calls. MPD’s CIT was the first of its kind in the country when it started in 1987.

During Chief Davis’ meeting last week with local media, she voiced support for the CIT program and said that MPD is looking to include the training as part of basic training at the police academy.

In addition to policing equity, MICAH also asked for equity within the court system. The group is asking Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich to reduce mass incar-

ceration and pursue more just, restorative justice practices in three ways: • Stop requesting the transfer to adult court of youths who are not accused of being directly responsible for serious bodily injury or death.

• To help limit the use of pretrial detention by creating a money bail policy within her office that prioritizes release and the least-restrictive means of release.

• To create and implement a Conviction Review Unit within the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office

by May, 2022 and to have it fully implemented by Jan. 1, 2023.

Weirich did not attend Sunday’s meeting, citing a prior commitment.

No one attended to representative the D.A.’s office.

According to MICAH Vice-President Janiece Lee, Weirich said she had no interest in forming a Conviction Review Unit, telling Lee – during a meeting of the two – that her office is a conviction review unit.

William Arnold, 49, of Memphis, was convicted in Nashville in 2013 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Arnold told meeting attendees that the Davidson County Attorney General’s Conviction Review Unit helped get his conviction overturned and that he was released last year from prison after serving six years.

Memphis needs a Conviction Review Unit, he said.

MICAH members also promoted education equity from State Sen. Raumesh Akbari, Shelby County School board members Michelle McKissack and Stephanie Love and State Rep. Mark White, by asking them to allocate more social and emotional support to students through more school counselors and nurses.

The group also asked for economic equity from Dexter Washington, the director of the Memphis Housing Authority. The ask involved assistance with housing issues for former Foote Home residents.

Celebrity Chef to open first Black-owned full-service vegan restaurant in Memphis

by Najee El-Amin

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Memphis’ first Black-owned full-service vegan restaurant, Guru’s City Vegan, is set to be the newest addition to the Highland strip in late November.

If that’s too long to wait, however, the restaurant will be hosting a number of pop-up shops during the fall. The next pop-up will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 30) at Grind City Brewing Co., 76 Waterworks Ave. Guru’s City Vegan is the brainchild of celebrity chef Daudi “Da Vegan Guru” McLean. Although he now fights unhealthy eating habits with innovative and delicious food, he once fought fires for a living.

Born and reared in the concrete jungle of New York City, McLean seemed destined to serve his community. His father, George F. McLean, was the first Black officer in the history of The New Rochelle, New York Fire Department, which made the decision easy for McLean and his brothers to follow in his footsteps.

McLean, 56, is the youngest of seven children. Both my parents are “92 years young,” he said.

Despite his attempt to stay active as a fire fighter, McLean began to slip into a dark place when the tragic death of his young nephew shook him to the core. He began to rapidly gain weight, nearing almost 300 pounds.

Fearing his obesity could eventually cost him his life, McLean shifted gears towards his love of music and moved to the West Coast.

In Los Angeles, he gained notoriety as a producer and landed a publishing deal.

The change in environment gave McLean a new outlook on life and more opportunities to get his health back on track. With encouragement

from his vegetarian manager and an inspiring Dr. Sebi pamphlet, McLean began to phase meat out of his diet.

He also began to jog in the mountains for exercise and meditated often.

With his mind, body and spirit now in a better place, McLean watched the fat melt off, losing 115 pounds in less than a year.

As a result of his years in the fire department, McLean already had a background in cooking.

With these new options at his disposal, he began perfecting his craft so he not only could enjoy the food he ate, but also to convince meat eaters to try another diet. McLean says that when he returned to New York, his family barely recognized him.

“It was a shock to them, but they understood when they tasted my food,” said McLean. “I had to start making the right foods with the right ingredients that tasted the right way for me in order to change all the way over without missing anything. I became a flavor-ologist.”

McLean eventually would take his talents to the next level and open his first restaurant. Thirty years later, he now aims to change Memphis’ mindset on alternative food sources when the city needs it most.

“Here (Memphis), there are limited options but there’s a lot of obesity and diabetes amongst our people,” said McLean. “So, it was most important to be somewhere it’s needed. Memphis has cultured, amazing, electric energy so to bring that plantbased food and to heal from the inside out will only make that vibration greater.”

In 2019, Memphis was ranked the second fattest city in America (by Wallethub.com) due to its high numbers of health-related illnesses and lack of healthy lifestyle accessibility.

The concern only grows when considering the impact it has on those

Brandi Lynn McKinney

WLOK radio names new program director TSD Newsroom Celebrity Chef Daudi “Da Vegan Guru” Mclean is on a mission to serve a healthier lifestyle to the residents of the Bluff City. (Courtesty photo) affected by COVID-19.

McLean believes that education is the first step to solving America’s diet problem. He advises people to take their daily water intake seriously and then work to find healthier food choices that also taste good.

“When they find out that they can eat a bacon double cheeseburger and it’s not all grass and sawdust that encourages them to start,” says McLean “Listen to your body, and your life will change” Da Vegan Guru takes great pride in knowing his food is a healthier option, but he also wants the residents of Shelby County to know that they won’t be missing a beat when it comes to flavor.

McLean has a star-studded track record when it comes to clientele. He has been across the country and has served the likes of Cedric the Entertainer, Magic Johnson, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Hart. Even the late great Tupac Shakur was the recipient of McLean’s mouthwatering vegan spa-

ghetti.

While McLean’s cooking has given him the opportunity to serve many great figures, he said his favorite always will be his mother Obelia J. McLean.

“Showed up at her (his mother’s) door. She was like ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re here. I just asked the Lord how can I eat to make myself healthy,” said Mrs. McLean.

“I came in and got rid of all the bad food and cooked for her every day and she lost 70 pounds. She put her cane down, went back to the doctor and the doctor said you do not have diabetes anymore. She said my son cured me, he turned me vegan.”

The pop ups are designed to give Memphians a taste of what the full restaurant will offer in the near future. Da Vegan Guru himself will be present and wants the community to come to try the cuisine whether vegan or not. He believes after just one bite you’ll be ready to shout his signature line.

“It’s DA GURU!”

Brandi Lynn McKinney has been named WLOK’s program director.

A Memphis native, McKinney, whose on-air name is B. Lynn, continues to host WLOK’s popular talk show, “Let’s Talk About It,’’ which is aired at 10 a.m.-11 a.m., Monday through Friday. She also serves as the station’s social media and website coordinator.

McKinney is a graduate of Whitehaven High School and a 2015 graduate of Jackson State University, where she enjoyed a double major in Journalism and English. Prior to joining the WLOK family, she worked with ABC24 in Memphis, and later at Punch TV in Los Angeles.

Founded 46 years ago, WLOK is Memphis’ first Black-owned radio station and the city’s only Black-owned FM radio station and broadcasts a gospel format on both AM and FM channels, AM 1340 and FM105.

(For more information, Art Gilliam, 901-527-9565, or wlokradio@aol.com.)

The New Tri-State Defender

October 28 - November 3, 2021

Page 9

CLASSIFIEDS NOTICE TO BIDDERS Shelby County Government has issued Sealed Bid number I000700, Purchase of New and Unused 2022 Harley Davidson “Or Equal” Police Motorcycles for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Information regarding this Bid is located on the County’s website at www.shelbycountytn.gov . At the top of the home page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, Click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate the name of the above described Sealed Bid. SEALED BID I000700 DUE DATE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD, 2021 AT 2:30 P.M. (CST) (SB-I000700) Purchase of New and Unused 2022 Harley Davidson “Or Equal” Police Motorcycles for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service.

By order of LEE HARRIS, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT NOTICE 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: Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: 07105200000330 Tax Sale #: 1302 Price Offered: $2250.00 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 November 30, 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: Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: 07102800000070 Tax Sale #: 1701 Price Offered: $8500.00 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 30, 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: Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: 07106100000250 Tax Sale #: 505 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 10:30 a.m. on November 30, 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

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

DEADLINES: Display ads Friday 5 p.m.

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County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: 07106400000300 Tax Sale #: 1102 Price Offered: $1,500.00 Terms: Cash

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on November 30, 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: Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: 07106600000240 Tax Sale #: 504 Price Offered: $1406.25 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 30, 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: Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: 07106500000080 Tax Sale #: 1302 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 30, 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: Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: D013400G000330 Tax Sale #: 1204 Price Offered: $1725.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 2:30 p.m. on November 29, 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

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:

all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:30 a.m. on November 29, 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: Southside Church of Christ Tax Parcel #: 03403000000300 Tax Sale #: 1601 Price Offered: $300.00

Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: 07106500000290 Tax Sale #: 903 Price Offered: $1012.50 Terms: Cash

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: Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: 07105200000220 Tax Sale #: 1102 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 1:30 p.m. on November 29, 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: Bryce & Brown Home Builders LLC Tax Parcel #: 07106400000130 Tax Sale #: 703 Price Offered: $843.75 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 29, 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: Mark Mitchell Tax Parcel #: 05007800000070 Tax Sale #: 1603 Price Offered: $3500.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period,

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on November 29, 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: Built By Her Design & Construction, LLC Tax Parcel #: 04005000000060 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 (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 29, 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

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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 29, 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

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The New Tri-State Defender

October 28 - November 3, 2021

Page 10 Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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SPORTS

The New Tri-State Defender, October 28 - November 3, 2021, Page 11

Fifth-year players Frierson and Davis determined to help make Tigers winners

by Liaudwin Seaberry Jr. Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Alana Davis knew immediately after the conclusion of the 2020-2021 season that she would be returning for her senior season at the University of Memphis.

The longtime Tigers center was determined to be a part of a winning team, an experience unfamiliar to her during the last four seasons. With the arrival of new head coach Katrina Merriweather, however, Davis understood that this opportunity served as her best chance to achieve her goal-playing in the postseason.

“I already had decided to come back, but when I heard that Coach Merriweather was coming, and I saw all the winning teams she’s been a part of, that only made it clearer that I would come back.”

After being hired in March, Merriweather brought her entire coaching staff with her from Wright State, while also convincing the team’s starting center, Tyler Frierson, to make the transition as well.

With Frierson and Davis both being natural centers, it would be logical to wonder how or if the pair could play together.

So far, there have been no issues, Merriweather said. The both players bring unique skill sets that complement each other well.

Merriweather thinks the pair will be a nightmare for opposing front lines.

“I can definitely envision them both playing together,” she said.

“I think that Alana is more than able to play the 4 (power forward) and that it would be in our best interest to play them together instead of apart.”

Frierson and Davis compete against one another at a high lev-

el during practice. While they are close off the court, they make sure their bond does not interfere with the main goal of getting better every day.

“Playing with Tyler has actually improved my game in terms of my all-around skills,” Davis said.

“I’m used to playing with post players around my size, but she’s a little bigger. I’ve actually gotten better in terms of being able to hit shots from the outside since she’s been here.”

While Davis performed at a high level for an underwhelming Tigers squad last season, Frierson participated in the NCAA tournament last season and gained valuable experience in the process.

She, along coaching staff, brings a winning mentality and culture to the team, and she’s determined for Davis and the rest of the Tigers squad to embrace the high standards and expectations Merriweather brings to the table.

“Coach Merriweather and the staff, hopefully, will have a trickle (down) effect on my teammates and help change the culture here.

We have a talented team from one through16, but it’s about putting it all together.”

With Frierson and Davis being the team leaders, they have the biggest influence as players.

Fellow post players, freshmen Aliyah Green and Lauren Randolph, look to them for advice in dealing with various scenarios and situations on the court. Beyond that, the two centers embrace the expectations heading into the regular season, which kicks off early next month.

“Winning is the main goal, and the pieces are there for us to do that,” Davis said. “The depth is much better than past years and I am excited to see what this year brings.”

Memphis Madness 2021 provided this high-profile moment for Alana Davis during introductions at FedExForum.

(Photos: Warren Roseborough) Tyler Frierson, who transferred to Memphis after playing for Katrina Merriweather at Wright State, drives toward the hoop during the Memphis Madness scrimmage at FedExForum.

PREP FOOTBALL

Middle College High captures back-to-back district crowns

by Terry Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The Middle College High School Bulldogs are champs of Class A Region 8 after a convincing 30-8 win over Booker T. Washington High School Oct. 21 at Crump Stadium.

With each team carrying unblemished records into their matchup, the Bulldogs (8-0 overall, 4-0 district) emerged Terry victors with their Davis sights on advancing deeper into the playoffs than last season. The Warriors were 3-0 in district, but 3-4 overall entering game, The Bulldogs scored all of their points in the first half. The groundand-pound style of the Bulldogs was led by Keevon Ransfer with 65 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Michael Mason had 43 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

Middle College rushed for 127 total rushing yards, with most coming in the first half. Sophomore quarterback Matthew Keller threw for a touchdown.

Unable to get going in the first half,

Brandon Mitchell tries to pull loose from a determined BTW defender. the Warriors held the opening possession for nearly six minutes, but they were unable to capitalize, fumbling on the six-yard line.

The Warriors (now 3-5, 3-1) were led by senior running back Jimal Oliver with 66 rushing yards. The Warriors only had 96 rushing yards and 91 passing yards in the game.

“I thought our boys fought hard for the most part,” said Warriors head coach Aubrey Phillips. “There were a couple of questionable calls against us. I am proud of them win or lose.

They left it all on the field.”

One of the key plays in the game was a missed called by the referees. A punt by BTW was touched by a Bulldog player, who fumbled the ball. It was recovered by BTW, but the ball

Michael Mason had 43 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown for Middle College High School against BTW. (Photos: Terry Davis) was awarded to Middle College.

Middle College head coach LeNorris Staples said, “I am very proud of our guys. I have an amazing coaching staff. They set the goal of winning back-to-back Regional Championships this year and went out and did it.”

Now comes the task of keeping the team sharp for the playoffs.

“I have to keep them focused day to day and week to week,” said Staples. “We are trying to get some guys back to being healthy. Our star running back Antonyous Moore did not play this game. Hopefully, we will get him back next week.”

According to Staples, getting healthy and staying focused is what it will take for the Bulldogs to make it

to the state championship.

What’s next • Middle College will close out the regular season on the road against Middleton (0-7) on Friday (Oct. 29).

• BTW will host Westwood (1-6) on Thursday (Oct 28) before starting the playoffs.

The New Tri-State Defender

October 28 - November 3, 2021

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