Vol. 2, Issue 4 April 2020 KEEPING YOU UP-TO-DATE MONTHLY WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN SHELBY COUNTY, TN i LoveShe l byCoun t y . com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR By Yvonne D. Nelson, Ph.D., CNC My March thought of the month was for us to understand the need to spend our time wisely. Boy, what a difference a month can make! A few weeks later, our time is no longer considered to be “our” time. As we sit sequestered in our homes, those of us lucky enough to have a home, we think back on all the freedoms we had become so accustomed to and ask ourselves, “What in the world happened?” Well, that is the million dollar question which leaves me and you only to ponder, what is the answer and how soon will it come? Let’s work that 20/20 vision to stay COVID-19 free. Please remember to follow us and to subscribe online at iLoveShelbyCounty.com. For those of you who prefer hard copies, thanks for your subscriptions. Subscribe to our printed editions online for $84/year, $42/bi-annually, or purchase a single copy for the low cost of $7/month. You can call us at 901-300-0390, subscribe and/or pay online, or make your check made payable to DI’MANS, Inc. We are always looking forward to getting your emails at NEWSCENEShelbyCo@gmail.com. We can also be contacted by mail at DI’MANS, Inc. dba NEWSCENE, I Love Shelby County.com, P.O. Box 9146, Memphis, TN 38190-0146. Back on March 8, 2015 WHEN IT WAS SAFE TO TRAVEL... It seems like it was yesterday when I didn’t hesitate to take a Heritage Tours trip to Birmingham and Selma, AL for the 50th Anniversary March commemorating Bloody Sunday... Fast Forward to March 1, 2020 WHEN IT WAS STILL SAFE TO TRAVEL... … and I didn’t hesitate to do it all over again, this time for the 55th Anniversary March commemorating Bloody Sunday. But there was something different about this trip and it wasn’t just because it took place just two weeks prior to the Coronavirus travel restrictions.
Why I’m Glad I Went to Selma, AL on March 1, 2020 Story and Pictures by Dr. Yvonne D. Nelson At NEWSCENE, every day in the month is Black History Day and Black History Month. Five years ago, on March 1, 2015, I joined a bus full of individuals who participated on a “Heritage Tours, Inc.” Ford Nelson excursion to Selma, Alabama. On that day, former President Barack Obama was planning to attend the 50th year anniversary of Bloody Sunday, one of, if not the first televised accounting of the racial tensions in the south’s nasty pre-Civil Rights Movement days. On March 1st of this year, 2020, I repeated those same steps, traveling south with a different group of Heritage Tours tourists with the same destination of visiting the Edmund Pettus Bridge to walk in the footsteps of those, 80 of whom were severely injured on March 7, 1965, for just trying to express their right to vote. A young black female growing up in the north on that day in history, I was not quite five years old and I have no recollection of any events of the day and time. I’m sure my mother made sure of that because we certainly did have an old tube, black and white television in the house when I was growing up. Lyndon B. Johnson was the President and his picture might have been in our home, but I can clearly remember pictures of the Kennedy’s, John Fitzgerald and Robert Francis, along with one of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and those of my three WWII Veteran uncles adorning the walls of our living room. I can remember those pictures like I was looking at them on yesterday, but in those years, I just cannot believe that I knew who any of them were. Not at that young age. Even today, 55 years later, something is always responsible for sparking the fire that gets things headed in the wrong direction. Way back on February 18, 1965, during a peaceful voting rights march, Alabama African American civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson was brutally beaten and shot by James Bonard Fowler, a Caucasian Alabama State Trooper. In protest of Jackson’s unwarranted and brutal murder, some estimate between 500 and 600 civil rights marchers headed east on Route 80 out of Selma, AL in protest of their right to vote. It was a sunny, but chilly Sunday morning; however, after only traveling a mere six blocks, the group was met by Alabama State Troopers who were assisted by local Alabama lawmen. These fully armored and masked white lawmen viciously attacked and beat the unarmed group of black protesters with night sticks and sprayed the air heavily with tear gas. Those that were still standing were driven back into Selma. They did not make it across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on that day. Due to the invention of the TV, many all over the world watched and the day became known as “Bloody Sunday”. President Lyndon B. Johnson, nor any other nonracist person, could deny the lack of fairness or adequate reasoning for the beatings that ensued. When President Johnson spoke on television regarding the matter he stated that it was “wrong to deny anyone the right to vote,” and he mentioned the need (for whites) to stop practicing “bigotry and injustice” and the need to strive for “full equality” regardless of a person’s skin color saying, “…their cause must be our cause too.” Two weeks later a new march was planned and although he was asked not to attempt the first crossing, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did cross on this second trip where the marchers were protected by Federal troops. I hadn’t turned five yet, but on August 6, 1965, a few weeks before my birthday, the passage of the voting rights bill was signed into law by then President Lyndon B. Johnson. I’ve personally been an Election Commission Poll Worker for the Shelby County Election Commission for a couple of 2
decades now, but in 1965 in Selma, Alabama, a mere “2.1%” of blacks were registered voters and they, according to Congressman John Lewis who thought he would die during the original march, “could only vote on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month.” Lewis said, “…Without television, the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings.” Elaine Lee Turner, Owner of Heritage Tours, Inc. and Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum first encountered PHOTOS By Tony Wright racism as a young person growing up in Memphis, TN, in the 1960s. “There were restrictions for black people to any public facilities that were designated for whites,” said Turner. The libraries were segregated. The museums were segregated, the art galleries, and all of those places where our families paid taxes were segregated. The wheels of justice simply were not turning fast enough for the youth at that time.” Turner, remembers when 40 or so students from LeMoyne and Owen Junior Colleges, one of whom was her oldest sister, Ernestine Lee, went to the white segregated Cossitt and Peabody libraries and sat down to read books in them. The date was March 19, 1960, and the students were hauled out of the library, put in patty wagons, and were taken to jail and promptly arrested. “This black community rallied behind those students,” said Turner who eventually began to sit in at segregated lunch counters and restaurants in Memphis herself. “That was my first arrest in 1960 when I was 16. We were all put in jail that day. There were five of us sisters that were put in jail that day.” There was a lot of excitement in the Lee household that day, but Turner’s parents supported their children's decisions. “Our parents supported us in what we were doing,” said Turner. “We knew that we had to be persistent and if it meant getting arrested then that is what it was going to take. We knew that we had to continue the fight, continue the demonstrations, the sit-ins, and the marches, and whatever we were doing as a form of protest.” The Lee sisters may being arrested 17 or Turner can look back on standing up for what was about being part of the family rights have made history more times in total. those instances of right today and laugh in participated in the march 1965. A Shelby County marks the spot that was Shainberg’s Department downtown Memphis sister Ernestine were for sitting in at a white most arrested civil Memphis. She also in Selma, AL in historical marker now in front of the old Store on Main Street in where Turner and her arrested and taken to jail lunch counter. This happened in August 1960. Three other Lee sisters were also arrested that day while sitting in at lunch counters on Main Street. A plaque was presented to the family in 1965 by NAACP Executive Director Roy Wilkins. An Award of Recognition, it reads, in part, as follows: “Memphis is a better place because the Lees stood up by sitting down in forbidden seats.” 3
Both of my Heritage Tour trips to Selma, AL included stops in other locations with significant historical presence from the civil rights era. My 50th anniversary trip included a stop at the 16th Street Baptist Church, in Birmingham, AL, where, on Sunday, September 15, 1963, when I was merely two years and about two weeks old, a bomb, later discovered as being placed by three Ku Klux Klan members, killed 11-year-old Denise McNair, and 14-year-olds Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, and Carole Robertson. How disgusting. (Pictured from left) Peggy Jayne Lee, Esq., Brittney, Susan Lee, Ekpe Abioto, and Elaine Lee Turner. The group met up with Hertiage Tours participant Jimmie Franklin on the Edmund Pettus Bridge after the 50th anniversary march in memorandum of Bloody Sunday. The event was held in Selma, AL in 2015. This year, we visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum, both in Montgomery, AL. The Legacy Museum is dedicated to the thousands of people who were lynched all over the southern states of America and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which sits directly across the street, is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved black people who were terrorized by lynching, humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence. Located in the middle of an otherwise normal-looking Alabama neighborhood with large antebellum homes, the museum sits on the site of a former auction block where enslaved blacks were once warehoused in the heart of downtown Montgomery, Alabama, just steps away from the very dock and rail station where tens of thousands of them were trafficked during the 19th century. We returned home early Monday morning, the day before Super Tuesday which had me up at 4:30 am for an anticipated arrival at my polling location by 5:45 am. The doors, open at 6 am for poll workers and were opened an hour later at 7 am for voters. This was the first time Election Day voting had taken place at this normally Early Voting location and from the time the doors opened until the time they closed, it seemed as if every third person in line to vote had to be sent to another location to cast their ballot. Why is it that we, as black people, don’t know our history? It wasn’t taught to me in school either, but I took it upon myself to learn about the things that negatively impacted my ancestors and I’m still learning new things every day thanks to Mrs. Elaine Lee Turner and her Heritage Tours and Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum. You didn’t ask, but if you’ve read this far I’m going to give this, my opinion about black people, anyway. We are still slaves and some of us just don’t want to be free. An equally disgusting fact, again, in my opinion even though you didn’t ask me for it. Thanks! 4
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Why I’m Glad I Went to Selma, AL on March 1, 2020 Bloody Sunday has personal childhood memories for me. I was 9 years old when my older brother, a freshman at Tennessee State University participated in the March. My parents were not aware that he was not at school but was in Alabama. I vividly remember the cut on his head, the blood-stained white shirt he wore, and the slightly injured white girl he brought home wanting my mother, who was a nurse, to tend to her injuries. It was on this day that my eyes were opened to the atrocities inflicted upon our people. I did the Selma trip to pay homage to my brother and the many brave individuals who stood for our rights. — Nina Staples, Ed.D. MONTGOMERY, AL I Just Had to Keep My Promise to Myself… I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to go. — Betty Fortson A Message of Concern What would happen if people would sit in churches throughout the world for centuries with the image of a “Black Man” as Savior of the world before them? What would this do to the world’s children? What would happen to the world’s children put under a figure of a particular race presented, pitiable, and in pain “Savior of All Men?” — Herbert A. Shabass 6
SELMA, AL Betty Fortson My Lynching Sites Memphis Trip To Alabama As I reflect on the Lynching Sites Memphis trip, I see a mirror image of all the tragedy from these horrific crimes of lynching in the economic as well as spiritual realms. I then reflect back to the lynching that took place at Calvary against Christ Jesus. I’m not talking about the physical lynching. I’m talking about the spiritual lynching of what is considered the “Crucifixion of Christ.” This is many times more devastating and has had an everlasting perpetual negative effect on blacks as well as the entire world.” — Herbert A. Shabass P i c ture s on Pages 6 and 7 Comp l imen t s Betty Fortson SELMA, AL Continued on Page 8 7
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THE NAT IONAL MEMORIAL FOR PEACE AND JUST I CE PEACE IS NOT MERELY THE ABSENCE OF TENSION IT IS THE PRESENCE OF JUSTICE — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 11
NEWSCENE NONPROFIT CORNER. . . . . .NO MORE SILENCE FOUNDATION (NMSF ) Coping Through the Arts Workshops (HOLD) CTRL DOUBLE CL I CK TO LEARN MORE ! Story and Pictures by Dr. Yvonne D. Nelson March 9, 2020, was a milestone for individuals all across America. For example, the IRS recognized nonprofit “No More Silence Foundation,” accomplished several goals when approx. 20 teenage students from Iowa and five of their Mission Leaders came to Memphis during spring break to practice coping strategies designed to provide therapeutic methods for dealing with unwanted and inappropriate advances during what might be the last large gathering the organization will undertake offline for a while. “Our workshop sessions are going live,” said NMSF Executive Director LaTrossica Wilson speaking of the agencies work to move their Coping Through the Arts sessions online. “We are going online for the first time and we want you and your family to join us!” Wilson knows from experience that as a result of the COVID-19 requirements, boredom that could lead to problems might be brewing unnoticed right under a parent or caregiver’s nose. “If you have or know of a child who is suffering with depression, a Continued on Page 20 12
child who may have been subjected to or could currently be in a position to be subjected to a traumatic experience, or someone who just needs something positive to do while home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our free online workshops are available for you, your family, and your friends.” City leaders from the U.S. House of Representatives in Congressman Steve Cohen’s office, joined forces with city and county representatives from both Mayor’s offices, Amro Music Store, Independent Bank, the Memphis Police Department, and Pound 4 Pound Motorcycle Club to make sure the events held the week of March 9th were a success. Since opening, the sexual violence crime rate in ZIP Code 38118 (where NMSF is located) has decreased by over 20% according to the Juvenile Abuse Bureau. To that end and beyond, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris presented the organization with a proclamation and certificate proclaiming March 9th, 2020, as Coping Through the Arts Day in Shelby County. “The entire week was dedicated strictly to the students of Iowa,” said Wilson who had external activities that included a visit downtown for lunch and a trip to the Memphis Cotton Exchange Museum. “Talk about an amazing time at the No More Silence Foundation!” The Coping Through the Arts Teen Workshop was created to promote coping strategies and enrichment in the arts, leadership development, safer environments, investment for the future, and an over-all sense of well-being in all communities for teens while assisting victims of abuse and otherwise to strengthen their personal self-esteem, develop better financial and literary strategies, build better relationships, and in understanding how to prevent sexual violence before it happens. Including break-out sessions for the students to be in smaller groups, the morning events included “Journal Writing in My Art,” where students were guided on exercising self-love and understanding their unique gifts, developing individual and collaborative strengths, and more; Community Outreach (C.O.P.S.) which exposed them to police officer interactions that provided life scenarios of choices and consequences; and basic violin lessons taught by Violinist Donna Wolf. The afternoon focus turned to events that included basic sewing lessons and the agencies signature Prevention, Education, and Coping (P.E.C.) program. The first day’s events concluded with a financial literacy workshop geared towards students in grades 9 through 12. Sponsored by independent bank, the financial segment, which covered savings and checking accounts and why protecting your pin number is important, was hosted by Timico Cox, NMSF volunteer board member and Independent Bank Officer/Business Development. “One in ten children experience sexual abuse before they turn 18. Over 60% of abuse is not reported. Thirty-five percent of victims are 11 years old or younger. Forty percent are abused by an older or larger child. More than 90% of rapists never spend a day in jail or prison and over half of the victims know their attacker,” says Wilson. “Support NMSF and help us to end the silence today!” PHOTO By Yvonne D. Nelson 13
Pictures on pages 14 - 15 by Lyrikal Jenkins 14
(HOLD) CTRL DOUBLE CL I CK TO DONATE 15
Honoring the Life and Times of Thomas “Tom Cat” Anderson Note: By March 13, 2020, suggestions to refrain from gathering in crowds of 50 or more was in effect. Thomas “Tom Cat” Anderson was born May 15, 1957. On Marc h 13, 2020, the second anniversary of his death, a balloon release was held in his honor at noon in front of 610 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN. A small group of former friends and relatives assembled in front of the a multi-family, 16-unit dormitory and residential group quarters located in the Johnson and Murphy subdivision in downtown Memphis to release blue and silver balloons in Anderson’s remembrance. In 1989, Tom Cat went on a mission for God that forever changed his outlook on life. Anderson’s mission transposed him into a person who would give another the shirt off of his own back, even if he did not have a replacement, to help another remove the demons from their life as he had successfully done. He helped people find housing, food, clothing, and many other necessities of life. “This is a continuous assignment from God,” stated Mother Georgia King, 80, pictured above at the ceremony. “Tom Cat and four or five other young men from Memphis joined me for a trip one of the local ministers had told me about because he knew that I had a walking ministry. People from all over the country were gathering to march to Washington in support of the plight of the homeless. Tom Cat and these other young men were all determined to go. We were dropped off in Roanoke, VA where we met others headed to DC. I helped to lead the walk. We had Veterans and assigned roles of captains. We picked up more people as we traveled through 20 or 21 little cities and towns on our way to Washington.” Tom Cat was best known for his charitable work in the community which focused on helping the lease of these. Those whose paths he touched will be forever grateful for his work and many plan to honor him annually until the end of time. “He’s always on my mind,” said King referencing Anderson, the mission God has put upon her and others, and her desire and determination to attend the event in his remembrance. “He’s always on this journey with me.” 16
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Third Annual (2020) Harriet Tubman Living Legends Awards Story by Dr. Yvonne D. Nelson, Pictures by Iman Zenoria D. Nelson State Representative Barbara Ward Cooper is known by many Memphians for being a politician who gets things done in Memphis. Cooper, a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 86th District, has served as a member of the TN House of Representatives since being elected in 1996 and beginning with the 100th General Assembly (1997-1998). She has sponsored 86 bills, currently serves on 3 House Committees, and has cosponsored 215 bills. Cooper currently serves as the Vice Chair of the House Government Operations Committee. The Manassas High School graduate attended the historically Black land-grant (Nashville, TN) Tennessee State University where she obtained a Bachelor of Science (1950) and a Master’s of Science (1963) degree in Education. Cooper, a community Relations Specialist for Southwest Community College in 1970, married John D. Cooper (2005) in 1972, and taught in the Memphis City Schools system until she retired. She worked as instructor for Southwest Tennessee Community College from 1980 to 1986 and served as a Parent Coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Memphis City Schools in 1986 and from 1988 to 1994. The author of more than two dozen books and 45-Hours Post Graduate University of Tennessee Curriculum and Instruction learner also graduated from the Jacksonville Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, FL, where she obtained a Doctrine of Religious Philosophy in Christian Psychology in 1999. Yes, Rep. Barbara Ward Cooper is a living legend in her own right, receiving many awards including a plaque for Outstanding Civic Work Supported by Contenders awarded by Magnolia Transportation Grant Group in 1996, the Teacher Recognition Day and the Silver Tray for Outstanding Service Awards from the Principal and parents of St. Augustine School, for serving on the District 86 Advisory Council, Tennessee Tourism Roundtable, Kennedy Democratic 18
Organization, and Citizens for Better Service, but rather than admit that, Barbara would rather honor those who are known for taking outstanding roles in Memphis’s community affairs. For the past three years, she has put on the Annual Harriet Tubman Living Legends Award Ceremony through the Cooper/Jones Initiative (formerly known as the Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Conference on Economics, Health, and Education). Cooper was preceded by State Rep. Rufus E. Jones and the initiative and ceremony honors Memphians who are considered “go to” people due to their “care for mankind, commitment to human progress, and willingness to get things done.” The honorees were separated and chosen in six categories, Community Conductors, Economic Development, Education, Environmental, Health, and Leadership. The forty-eight (48) 2020 awardees, by category, are as follows: COMMUNITY CONDUCTORS Dr. David & Yvonne Acey, Africa in April Sarah Carpenter, Commission on Religion and Race Relations Chris Dean, Community Organizer and Film Maker Rev. LaSimba Gray, Ret. Pastor, New Sardis Baptist Church Mother Georgia Anna King, Community Activist Coach Jerry C. Johnson, Ret. LeMoyne-Owen College Basketball Coach Thelma J. Nelms, Mission Possible: Christian Outreach Service Mission Christine Taylor-Moore, DMC Mark Stansbury, WDIA Clyde R. Venson, Memphis Cotton Makers’ Jubilee Rev. Melvin Watkins Jr., Sr. Pastor, Mt. Vernon Baptist Church Westwood ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Dr. Carnita Atwater, Kukutana African American History & Cultural Museum of Memphis Janice Gray, State Farm Agent Willie Harper, CEO Southbrook Towne Center Mabra Holeyfield, West Tennessee Venture Capital Corporation Brenda Tate, Real Estate Developer Leslie Smith-Thomas , Owner, Brickwood Hall/Real Estate Developer Pearl Eva Walker, Entrepreneur EDUCATION Dr. Austin Emeagwai, Professor, LeMoyne-Owen College/International Leader of Nigeria Kevin Potts, Frayser Community Schools Dr. Isaac Richmond, National Director, Commission on Religion and Racism Keith O. Williams, Executive Director, Memphis-Shelby County Education Association Continued on Page 24 19
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ENVIRONMENTAL Dr. Yvonne Denise Nelson, McCorkle Road Neighborhood Development Association, Inc. Rev. Keith Norman, First Baptist Broad Community Development Gail Floyd-Tyree, Executive Director, AFSCME Local 1733 HEALTH Keedran Franklin, Activist & Founder/Facilitator, Books & Breakfast Dr. Brinders Jones, MD, Pediatric Partners of Memphis Mary Tate Lee, CIGNA Healthcare Dr. Denise Mustiful Martin, DDS, Periodontics Dr. William Terrell, MD, Pediatric Specialist Dr. Michael Ugwueke, CEO/President, Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare LEADERSHIP Karanja Ajanaku, Executive Director, New Tri-State Defender Newspaper Calvin Anderson, President, New Tri-State Defender Newspaper Judge Joe Brown, Activist Tyrone Burroughs, President/CEO, First Choice Sales and Marketing Group Reginald Coooperwood, Regional One Health Gregory Duckett, Baptist Memorial Hospital Rev. Al Green, Pastor, Full Gospel Baptist Church/ Recording Artist/Grammy Winner Faith Morris, Marketing Director, National Civil Rights Museum Johnnie Mosley, Citizens for Better Service Michael W. Rallings, Chief of Police, Memphis Police Department Debra Sigee, Executive Director, Millington Crisis Center Elaine Lee Turner, CEO, Slave Haven Underground Railroad Johnnie Turner, Former State Representative/Civil Rights Activist Van Turner, Esq., President, NAACP/Shelby County Commissioner Shepperson ‘Shep’ Wilbun, Founder, 1991 People’s Convention/ Supplier Diversity Officer Shelby County Government NEWSCENE THANKS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO TO MAKE MEMPHIS BETTER. 24
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The Academy for Youth Empowerment Annual 2020 ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY PROGRAM (From left) Memphis’ Academy for Youth Empowerment CEO/Founder, Black History Program & Memphis Christmas in Whitehaven Parade Organizer, and Entrepreneur Hazel Moore is shown thanks and gratitude for her work in the Whitehaven community from Lieutenant Colonel L. Ross and Officer R. Jefferson, members of the Memphis Police Department’s Raines (Southwest) Police Station. The 2020 Academy for Youth Empowerment’s annual Black History Program honored six historically significant figures – Cornelia Crenshaw, Judge D’Army Bailey, Dr. David L. Acey, Dr. Erma L. Clanton, George Hunt, and Rosa Parks. The event was held at 3 pm on Sunday, March 1, 2020 in the sanctuary of Abundant Grace Fellowship, 1574 E. Shelby Drive in Memphis, TN. Aria Battle, a junior at the City University Preparatory School, introduced the event’s emcee, Whitehaven resident and Greater Memphis Chamber CEO, Beverly Robertson, Abundant Grace Fellowship Pastor Dwayne Hunt gave the invocation which preceded Outreach Coordinator Arnest Martin who gave the welcome and program purpose. Those in attendance followed by joining together and signing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem. Afterwards, the program introduced the 2020 honorees through historic depictions and life spotlights. Hillcrest High School Junior, Righteous Pryor, began the introductions with Judge D’Army Bailey and Whitehaven High School Junior, Dominic Curry, followed up by introducing Dr. David L. Acey. The T.L. Williams Academy of Dance performed a rendition of “Embrace,” a musical taken from the movie Harriet. Havenview Middle School 8th grader, Ay’Sha Monet McConnell introduced honoree Cornelia Crenshaw and 8th grade Colonial Middle School student, Eriel Woodard introduced Dr. Erma L. Clanton. Columbus Missionary Church soloist Renee Cogar sang “Give Me Jesus” and 8th grade Freedom Preparatory Academy student, Stacee Thomas read the bio of Rosa Parks. City University Preparatory sophomore Dwayne Jackson delivered the last honoree speech on George Hunt and Havenview Middle School freshmen Kyndal Boyd and Nathan Granson presented the honorees with awards. The Memphis’s own musical group, The Temprees,” performed and Academy for Youth Empowerment founder, Hazel Moore, provided the closing remarks before the benediction which was given by Freedom Preparatory Academy Senior Spencer Fleming. 26
Photography courtesy of WHEELS PHOTOGRAPHY 27
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COVID-19… Coronavirus has shutdown the USA Being that NEWSCENE relies heavily on being able to go out into the community to report on the many positive things happening in Memphis and Shelby County and due to the ever-demanding restrictions that have closed most every location in the city and that of not being able to visit places (other than those places marked as ‘Essential’ services) where 10 or more are gathered, our future is, like most other businesses, questionable. We have a plan to circumvent these restrictions and we have already put it in place beginning with our May 2020 edition. We, along with most other non-essential businesses are at the mercy of God and the leaders of our world. We will struggle to continue to bring you interesting and relevant content concerning individuals living in and around Memphis and Shelby County. I know it is hard to consider throwing yourself under the bus, but since you yourself are an accomplished person, please allow us to share your story while we patiently wait for this modern-day, never before seen or imagined calamity to be put to sleep, hopefully to never surface again. Please do not leave us now. We need you and your financial support and online readership and sharing of our iLoveShelbyCounty. com website link efforts more now than ever before. Thanks! Volunteers worked from 11 am until after 1 pm on Saturday, March 21, 2020, loading boxes of everyday staples into vehicles in an attempt to ensure families with children had food in their homes. This was a commendable venture to undertake, especially since the Shelby County Schools meals were abruptly stopped when a Shelby County Nutritional Department worker tested positive for COVID -19 and the Superintendent shut everything down leaving thousands of children with no food knowing that the meals they receive during school hours are oftentimes the only nutritious meals they receive. The free event was held at Mt. Moriah East Baptist Church, 1248 Haynes Street, in Memphis, where the Rev. Dr. Melvin Charles Smith, a has been the Senior Pastor since 1967. Kudos to Rev. Dr. Melvin Charles Smith, his congregation, and all the volunteers who helped 400 families who needed food right here in Memphis, TN. 30
DID YOU KNOW? There are several moneyless ways you can support nonprofits like DI’MANS, Inc. dba NEWSCENE and the McCorkle Road Neighborhood Development Association, Inc. of Memphis (serving all of ZIP Code 38116). When you shop at Kroger you can, AT NO COST TO YOU, support DI’MANS, Inc. by enrolling in the Community Rewards Program and earning rewards for DI’MANS every time you shop! Visit Kroger.com/ communityrewards and support Organization #DN098. Smile.Amazon.com is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, again, AT NO COST TO YOU, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to DI’MANS Inc., the charitable organization of choice. Email us at NEWSCENESHELBYCO@gmail.com for details today! Questionable things in Memphis?!! VIEW FROM RIVERSIDE DRIVE... 31
CFC #46643 AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. Location: Memphis, TN | Year Founded: 2009 DI’MANS, Inc. (Click here) to shop at SMILE.AMAZON.COM Mission: DI'MANS, Inc. was formed to establish a positive, proactive force in the fight against juvenile crime and juvenile delinquency. The goal of DI'MANS, Inc. is to bring adults dedicated to positively shaping future generations together to assist disadvantaged youth in becoming productive citizens as adults. Help Support Causes in Your Community! (Click here to sign up) Did you know you can support nonprofit organizations in your community just by shopping at Kroger? It's easy when you enroll in Kroger Community Rewards®! To get started, sign up with your Plus Card below, and select a local organization you wish to support. Once you're enrolled, you'll earn rewards for your chosen organization every time you shop and use your Plus Card! Enroll now for the Kroger Community Rewards Program. And remember… all participants must re-enroll each year to continue earning rewards for their chosen organization. DIRECTIONS: 1) Go to Kroger.com; 2) Create an account or sign in; 3) Drop down the arrow at your name 4) Select “My Account” 5) Click on Community Rewards on the left side of the screen) Make a One-Time donation to DI’MANS, Inc. 32 Make a Recurring Donation (Click here)
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SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSCENE, the NEW SCENE where NEWS is SCENE, for $42.00 bi-annually or just $7 per Month! Single and multiple copies are also available for purchase. Thank you for subscribing to NEWSCENE, our online newsmagazine publication. We are the NEW SCENE where NEWS is SEEN! We hope you enjoyed the stories about and the pictures taken at events we visited last month. We are looking forward to sharing more pictures and stories with you next month about the many events taking place this month. As you know, we can’t be at more than one event at a time, but we are here to assist you to get your events online, in our calendar, and in print. Don’t forget you can click on the links that are included to visit websites, blogs, Facebook pages and more! We want to be the first place you look to learn about the things happening in your community, but we won’t know about what’s happening unless you tell us. Write to us at NewsceneShelbyCo@gmail.com or call (901) 300-0390 to leave us a message. We promise to return your call in a timely fashion. Visit us online today and everyday @ iLoveShelbyCounty.com NEWSCENE . . . ...is currently seeking INTERNS and passionate and outgoing volunteer photojournalists who can write stories and take pictures at local events. Interested persons should phone (901) 300-0390 for details. 36
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