72.4 F
Memphis
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Buy now

Join TSD
<
>

Judge rules Tennessee’s voucher law is unconstitutional

By
Associated Press
-
0
Gov. Bill Lee: “There are about 250 families that have actually applied (for vouchers but) those approvals have not been made yet. ... The process is underway.”

by Kimberlee Kruesi —

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge on Monday ruled that the state’s much-debated school voucher program is illegal and cannot be implemented despite education officials receiving thousands of applications from parents hoping to use public tax dollars on private school tuition.

Chancellor Anne C. Martin

Davidson County Chancellor Anne C. Martin said in her order that the voucher law, which Gov. Bill Lee signed into effect last year, violated the Tennessee constitution’s “home rule.” Lee’s administration had backed the legislation during his first year as governor, gaining just narrow support from the GOP-controlled Statehouse and strong opposition from Democratic members and public education advocates.

Plaintiffs in the legal challenge had ranged from Nashville and Shelby County, which includes Memphis; as well as parents opposed to education savings accounts. They had argued Republican lawmakers did not receive local consent when drawing legislation affecting local communities, which is required under Tennessee’s constitution

According to the law, the voucher program would only apply to Nashville and Memphis, the areas with the lowest performing schools and regions with Democratic political strongholds.

The original version of the measure included several other counties, but it was eventually whittled down after Republican lawmakers objected due to uneasiness about launching a voucher program in their own legislative districts.

“The entire process of the General Assembly, including the amendments and ‘horse trading’ associated with changing eligibility criteria to satisfy legislators who wanted their counties excluded, resulted in an act that, in form and effect, is local,” Martin wrote in her 32-page order.

Pro-voucher groups had countered that such claims over the “home rule” are moot because they said the provision does not apply to school boards, while the county does not have proper standing to sue over the school voucher program.

On Monday, Martin agreed that Nashville’s school board did not have standing to sue and dismissed the board from the case. However, she said counties had a stake in public education.

“We strongly disagree with the court’s ruling and will swiftly appeal on behalf of Tennessee students who deserve more than a one-size-fits-all approach to education,” said Lee’s spokesman Gillum Ferguson.

Other groups who had petitioned the court to argue in favor of the voucher program also objected to Martin’s decision.

Shaka Mitchell {Photo: American Federation for Children/Joy Asico}

“This is an extremely disappointing decision, and unfairly penalizes the thousands of families who were hoping to utilize the ESA program,” said Shaka Mitchell, Tennessee’s state director for the American Federation for Children. “These families are desperately looking for options to help their children succeed academically.”

American Federation for Children, a school choice group Education Secretary Betsy DeVos once chaired, had said earlier Monday that 2,200 children had applied for Tennessee’s voucher program as of last week.

Other groups that had sued, however, praised Monday’s decision.

“Chancellor Martin’s ruling is an enormous victory for Tennessee public school students,” said Chris Wood, a private Nashville attorney for the plaintiffs. “This unpopular voucher program was forced on two communities without their consent, and it threatened to drain public resources from already underfunded public schools.”

The program — known as education savings accounts — would allow eligible Tennessee families to use up to $7,300 in public tax dollars on private schooling tuition and other preapproved expenses.

State education officials had been working to implement the program in the upcoming school year. Applications for students were already being accepted until early May.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nikole Hannah-Jones’ essay from ‘The 1619 Project’ wins commentary Pulitzer

By
Tri-State Defender National Stories
-
0
The New York Times’ writer Nikole Hannah-Jones. (Photo: mpi43/MediaPunch /IPX)

by Tom Jones — (POYNTER) — 

Of all the thousands upon thousands of stories and projects produced by American media last year, perhaps the one most-talked about was The New York Times Magazine’s ambitious “The 1619 Project,” which recognized the 400th anniversary of the moment enslaved Africans were first brought to what would become the United States and how it forever changed the country.

It was a phenomenal piece of journalism.

And while the project in its entirety did not make the list of Pulitzer Prize finalists, the introductory essay by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the landmark project, was honored with a prestigious Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

After the announcement that she has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, Hannah-Jones told the Times’ staff it was “the most important work of my life.”

While nearly impossible, and almost insulting, to try and describe in a handful of words or even sentences, Hannah-Jones’ essay was introduced with this headline: “Our Democracy’s Founding Ideals Were False When They Were Written. Black Americans Have Fought to Make Them True.”

In her essay, Hannah-Jones wrote, “But it would be historically inaccurate to reduce the contributions of black people to the vast material wealth created by our bondage. Black Americans have also been, and continue to be, foundational to the idea of American freedom. More than any other group in this country’s history, we have served, generation after generation, in an overlooked but vital role: It is we who have been the perfecters of this democracy.”

Hannah-Jones’ and “The 1619 Project,” however, were not without controversy. There was criticism of the project, particularly from conservatives. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called it “propaganda.” A commentator for The Federalist tweeted the goal of the project was to “delegitimize America, and further divide and demoralize its citizenry.”

But the most noteworthy criticism came from a group of five historians. ln a letter to the Times, they wrote that they were “dismayed at some of the factual errors in the project and the closed process behind it.” They added, “These errors, which concern major events, cannot be described as interpretation or ‘framing.’ They are matters of verifiable fact, which are the foundation of both honest scholarship and honest journalism. They suggest a displacement of historical understanding by ideology.”

Wall Street Journal assistant editorial features editor Elliot Kaufman wrote a column with the subhead: “The New York Times tries to rewrite U.S. history, but its falsehoods are exposed by surprising sources.”

In a rare move, the Times responded to the criticism with its own response. New York Times Magazine editor-in-chief Jake Silverstein wrote, “Though we respect the work of the signatories, appreciate that they are motivated by scholarly concern and applaud the efforts they have made in their own writings to illuminate the nation’s past, we disagree with their claim that our project contains significant factual errors and is driven by ideology rather than historical understanding. While we welcome criticism, we don’t believe that the request for corrections to The 1619 Project is warranted.”

That was just a portion of the rather lengthy and stern, but respectful response defending the project.

In the end, the 1619 Project — and Hannah-Jones’ essay, in particular — will be remembered for one of the most impactful and thought-provoking pieces on race, slavery and its impact on America that we’ve ever seen.

And maybe there was another reason for the pushback besides those questioning its historical accuracy.

As The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer wrote in December, “U.S. history is often taught and popularly understood through the eyes of its great men, who are seen as either heroic or tragic figures in a global struggle for human freedom. The 1619 Project, named for the date of the first arrival of Africans on American soil, sought to place ‘the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.’ Viewed from the perspective of those historically denied the rights enumerated in America’s founding documents, the story of the country’s great men necessarily looks very different.”

There’s no question that Hannah-Jones’ essay, which requires the kind of smart thinking and discussion that this country needs to continue having, deserved to be recognized with a Pulitzer as the top commentary of 2019. After all, and this is not hyperbole, it’s one of the most important essays ever.

In addition, we should acknowledge the other two finalists in this category: Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins and Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez.

Jenkins continues to be among the best sports columnists in the country. Meanwhile, has any writer done more to shine a light on homelessness than Lopez? This is the third time in the past four years (and fourth time overall) that Lopez has been a finalist in the commentary category.

In any other year, both would be deserving of Pulitzer Prizes. But 2019 will be remembered for Nikole Hannah-Jones’ powerful essay and project.

(Tom Jones is Poynter’s senior media writer. For the latest media news and analysis, delivered free to your inbox each and every weekday morning, sign up for his Poynter Report newsletter.)

Pulitzers honor Ida B. Wells, an early pioneer of investigative journalism and civil rights icon

By
Tri-State Defender National Stories
-
0
At 33, Ida B. Wells, who had become renowned as an anti-lynching crusader, married Ferdinand L. Barnett. A year later, the first of her four children was born. Said Ida B. Wells-Barnett: “I honestly believe I am the only woman in the United States who ever traveled throughout the country with a nursing baby to make political speeches.”

by Barbara Allen — (Poynter) —

In granting a posthumous citation to Ida B. Wells, the Pulitzer Prizes honors one of America’s earliest and most intrepid investigative reporters.

Pultizer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones on Twitter:

 

Ida B. Wells was born a slave in Mississippi in 1862. She became a writer and publisher who crusaded against lynching and for civil rights in the deep South after the Civil War. It was death-defying work for a black woman, who spent months journeying through the Southern states, investigating the lynchings of black men through records research and in-person interviews — a process that laid the groundwork for modern investigative techniques.

At 30, and as the co-owner and editor for The Memphis Free Speech and Headlight, Wells took on that most famous work, attempting to investigate the trope that lynchings usually followed the rape of white women by black men. She discovered, of course, that this was patently false: “Nobody in this section of the country believes the threadbare old lie that Negro men rape white women,” Wells wrote.

Instead, she wrote, the horrible violence — and threat of that violence — were simply a means for white citizens to terrorize and oppress African Americans. Her writing was published across the United States and abroad, and included the pamphlets-turned-books “Southern Horrors” and “The Red Record.”

She continued her career as a journalist and advocate for civil rights, even after her life was threatened and she was forced to flee Memphis, her newspaper offices plundered and her presses destroyed. She is considered one of the founders of the NAACP and her later advocacy included organizing boycotts, the suffrage movement and anti-segregation activism.

She died in Chicago in 1931 of kidney disease. She was 68.

Wells was among the first people recognized when The New York Times launched its “Overlooked” series of obituaries — people whose deaths did not merit a writeup at the time. Said her Times obit writer Caitlin Dickerson, “As a journalist, I’m grateful that in investigating lynchings of black men, Ida B. Wells pioneered reporting techniques that remain central tenets of modern journalism.”

Most recently, The Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, established in 2016, is “a news trade organization dedicated to increasing and retaining reporters and editors of color in the field of investigative reporting.” It was founded by journalists Ron Nixon, Topher Sanders and Nikole Hannah-Jones, who also was named a Pulitzer winner today.

The citation comes with a bequest of $50,000, said Dana Canedy, Pulitzer administrator, with details to come.

(Barbara Allen is the director of college programming for the Poynter Institute. She can be reached at ballen@poynter.org or on Twitter at @barbara_allen_)

How Tennessee food banks are keeping hunger at bay

By
Special to TSDMemphis.com
-
0

From BCBSTUpdates.com 

The rise of COVID-19 has caused Tennessee’s food banks to be overwhelmed by first-time visitors, while also seeing increased need among populations they already serve.

To help support these organizations as they assist Tennesseans in need, the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation recently donated $3.25 million to six food banks across the state, providing more than 7 million meals.

“Every day, families count on food banks for help — and that’s especially true now,” said JD Hickey, M.D., CEO of BlueCross and chairman of the BlueCross Foundation. “Tennesseans can get through these challenging times by coming together, and we’re expanding our support for food banks statewide as another way to bring peace of mind to our neighbors.”

Here’s an inside look at some of the challenges our partner food banks are facing and how they’re putting our donations to work.

Mid-South Food Bank, Memphis

Donation: $750,000 = 1.7 million meals

Before COVID-19, the Mid-South Food Bank was distributing 1.4 million pounds of food per month to Memphis  and surrounding areas. In March, that nearly doubled, growing to 2.2 million.

According to president and CEO Cathy Pope, that rate of growth is unprecedented, and the funding from the BlueCross Foundation arrived at a critical time.

“We serve 300 local food pantries, soup kitchens and other agencies, and our job is to get food out to them,” Cathy says. “On March 12, Tennessee declared a state of emergency — the same day Shelby County closed its schools. Our volume has been growing dramatically ever since.”

The $750,000 donation has allowed the Mid-South Food Bank to:

  • Place larger food orders
  • Pay for leasing trucks, drivers and warehouse workers to manage expanded inventory
  • Deploy food deliveries in new ways

“A lot of the pantries we supply are closing, so we’re doing more mobile pantries in partnership with the YMCA and Shelby County schools,” Cathy adds.

For distribution, trucks drive food into a neighborhood, and volunteers take boxes to recipients who remain in their cars so there is no contact. Each truckload can serve between 250 and 500 households per site, and efforts are focused on neighborhoods that were already experiencing difficulties with food access.

“We used to do two mobile pantries per day during the week,” Cathy says. “Now we’re up to six per day, including Saturdays.”

The BlueCross Foundation has also given $75,000 to support COVID-19 testing and treatment, or other health-related services, for uninsured residents in the Memphis area.

Regional Inter-Faith Association, Jackson

Donation: $250,000 = 19,600 meals

The Jackson area has more than 12,000 residents who are hungry every day, even before COVID-19 hit.  The Regional Inter-Faith Association, known as RIFA, works to address those needs through its food bank, community outreach programs and soup kitchen, among other efforts, says Lindsay Dawkins, marketing and events coordinator.

“With the onset of COVID-19, demand has been growing dramatically,” Lindsay explains. “In just two weeks we saw a huge increase in people coming to our facility for help. Most are not our usual clients, but people who’ve been laid off and are not sure when they’ll be working again.”

In addition to the increased demand, RIFA faced challenges when social distancing guidelines forced the closing of its soup kitchen, which fed around 225 people a day and served more than 518,000 meals in 2019.

The money from the BlueCross Foundation has allowed RIFA to buy more inventory for its food bank so it can have items on hand to distribute to the growing population in need.

 

“This donation will help us make sure our warehouse is stocked up so that people who are coming through our doors, either for the first time or as a regular part of their life, get what they need,” Lindsay says.

“We never want to turn anyone away for lack of food, and this will show our clients that we are going to be here for them in the weeks and months ahead, that we are there for them in this time of crisis.”

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, Nashville

Donation: $750,000 = 3 million meals

“With COVID-19, the demand for our services increases every day,” says Ally Parsons, senior director of marketing and communications at Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. “Many people are out of work and turning to a food bank for help for the first time.”

As schools and businesses remain closed, the need in Middle Tennessee continues to grow. In recent weeks, demand for Second Harvest services has increased more than 60 percent.  At the same time, their food donations are decreasing.

“We have amazing relationships with our grocery partners, but they are all struggling to keep food on their shelves, so that means there is a significant decrease in the donations we would typically receive from them,” Ally says.

“Also, individuals are donating less food as they stay in their homes or are simply unable to afford to donate at local grocery stores.”

The $750,000 from the BlueCross Foundation has allowed Second Harvest to:

  • Purchase more food so it can serve the rising demand in its 46-county service area
  • Expand the agency’s Emergency Food Box program, which provides food boxes with 2-3 days of staples to anyone who lives in Davidson or Wilson County

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, Kingsport

Donation: $500,000 = 560,400 meals

As a warehouse distributor of donated food, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee is both a hub to pick up and distribute food to agency partners, as well as a mobile provider, says Rhonda Chafin, executive director. While the organization was already working to provide more mobile deliveries based on the needs of the population it serves, COVID-19 has accelerated those efforts.

“We knew people would be stuck at home and would not have access to food assistance,” Rhonda says. “Even though we knew people would be out of work, we didn’t realize how large those numbers would be. It has been very emotional talking to people and realizing the magnitude of the disaster we are going through now.”

The $500,000 donation from the BlueCross Foundation has allowed the food bank to ramp up its partner agency’s delivery and distribution system, so that its network of about 150 “mega pantries” can count on more frequent replenishing.

“This donation provides Second Harvest with additional food, manpower and fuel for our trucks to be efficient and effective ,” Rhonda says.

“There are so many people — small business owners, waiters and waitresses, hairdressers, home health care workers — who lost their jobs from this. The BlueCross funding was an answered prayer; it could not have come at a better time.”

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, Knoxville

Donation: $500,000 = 1.5 million meals

Before COVID-19, the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee supplied emergency food boxes from their warehouse to 70 people a month. Since the outbreak, that number has increased more than 600 percent.

“We’ve now provided 450 emergency food boxes directly from our warehouse,” says Rachael Ellis, Second Harvest director of development. “We are also building 500 to 1,000 emergency food boxes a day to send out to our agency partners for those in need.”

Second Harvest partner agencies are seeing usage increases of 50 to 100 percent , especially by young families in need of assistance. That puts a strain on agency finances as more food needs to be purchased and more volunteers are needed to help pack boxes.

Rachael and her team are already hard at work putting the BlueCross Foundation funds to use.

“The incredibly generous $500,000 donation from BlueCross was the largest we have ever received specifically for food operations in our 37-year history,” she says. “It is providing 1.5 million meals to our East Tennessee neighbors in need.”

Chattanooga Area Food Bank, Chattanooga

Donation: $500,000 = 351,700 meals

Since the onset of COVID-19, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank has seen a 30 percent increase in need.  That adds up to roughly $400,000 in extra costs each month.

“We are having to purchase a lot of the food that normally would have been donated,” says Sophie Moore, director of community outreach and health care partnerships. “It’s a pretty scary prospect.”

The BlueCross Foundation funds make the future less uncertain, allowing for larger purchases and more frequent, innovative distribution efforts.

The donation has allowed the Chattanooga Area Food Bank to order prepacked boxes of nutritious, shelf-stable items and produce, so there are resources that can be quickly deployed to those in need with less volunteer labor, reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The food bank is also planning 20 additional food distributions over the next three months as a result of the gift.

The donation is providing more than 350,000 meals, or 422,000 pounds of food, and will serve 20,000 families.

“BlueCross has been a wonderful friend and partner to us, but this generous gift at this time is truly an answer to our prayers,” Sophie says.

The BlueCross Foundation has also given $50,000 to support COVID-19 testing and treatment, or other health-related services, for uninsured residents in Hamilton County.

How you can help

While more Tennesseans are facing food insecurity as a result of COVID-19, many others are looking for ways to make a difference. Community members who want to help can find and donate to their local food bank or at FeedingAmerica.org.

‘38126 COVID-19 Response Project’ brings food, supplies and smiles

By
Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell
-
0
(Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

“I prayed last night and asked the Lord to please let people come out to our event,” said Ruby Bright, president and CEO of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM).

Talk about answered prayer!

WFGM’s Ruby Bright greets one of the hundreds who were served by the COVID-19 Response effort in 38126. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

WFGM – a high-profile social service organization – kicked off its “38126 COVID-19 Response Project” on the grounds of the old Georgia Avenue Elementary School on Friday. One measure of the response was the long line of cars that snaked along the side street of the parking lot.

Drawing from mountains of food and hygiene supplies, a force of masked volunteers filled each vehicle with a bounty of staples. Hundreds waited patiently to turn onto the parking lot, where cheerful, happy helpers loaded them up.

“We wanted to do something for the community,” said Bright. “Our foundation has long been concerned about the people in this South Memphis area. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic all but ravaged an already impoverished community struggling to stay afloat,” she said.

“Our assessment of what the more dire needs are right now inspired this giveaway of food and household supplies. It’s so wonderful to see everyone coming out today.”

Bright stood waving at drivers and occupants who waved back and yelled “Thank you,” before driving off.

WFGM got by with a help from friends – lots of generous, caring friends who wanted to make a difference with a positive gesture of concern. The foundation was joined by volunteers from the FedEx Global Citizenship Department, Heart to Heart International, and International Medical Corps.

“We are a part of the FedEx disaster response team,” said Rachel Kesselman, the community advisor of FedEx Global. “We go all over when help is needed, and this event today was one we are very proud to be a part of.”

FedEx donated the hygiene kits, along with Heart to Heart and International Medical Corps, as part of its “FedEx Cares 50 by 50” initiative. The company is looking to positively impact 50 million people around the globe by its 50th anniversary in 2023.

“In times of crisis, we mobilize our network quickly to help the communities where we live and work,” said Adrian Pomi, director of FedEx Global. “At FedEx, keeping the world connected in good times and during periods of great need, is who we are and what we do every day.”

International Paper was an integral part of the event, providing the huge boxes vital to the massive giveaway.

“International Paper recognizes that our corrugated boxes are essential for the generous projects of our community organizations, said Dynisha Woods, global citizenship coordinator of Community Engagement.

“This event was so important because it casts a wide safety net for those most in need during this pandemic. We are pleased to mobilize our products to aid this community, and we are proud to support the Women’s Foundation for Greater Memphis.”

ZIP code 38126 has the highest rate of poverty in Memphis and Tennessee. WFGM is involved in a multi-year effort to reduce poverty in the South Memphis community. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

The giveaway is the first of several initiatives to come, according to Bright. May 1 carried with it a special significance for the foundation.

“May 1 would have been the day we hosted our annual luncheon,” said Bright. “It is our major fundraiser for the year. “But of course, the COVID-19 pandemic made that impossible.

“We understand that other nonprofits have also been unable to access their normal funding opportunities. Nevertheless, our work in 38126 this year has only just begun. We’re taking a holistic approach to meeting the needs of this community.”

Bright said was important to “acknowledge and address that this pandemic has inflicted great trauma everywhere, but especially for impoverished communities, such as those in 38126. Our children don’t have the access to an online device in the household to keep up with their studies. Many parents don’t know how to go about setting up a home school situation to help their children,” she said.

“We are concerned that the digital divide will be a digital chasm whenever students return to school. We are reaching out to our partners to help us address this very important need.”

WFGM wanted to ensure that at least 500 families benefited from this first “38126 COVID-19 Response Project” event. Mission accomplished.

“We will keep working to address the needs of 38126,” said Bright. “There will be no big fundraiser this year, but we will continue doing the work. As our public and private partners see what a great need there is, we just believe they will step up to do their part. I believe God will make sure we have everything we need.”

Other partners who contributed to Friday’s outreach effort included Mid-South Food Bank, Shelby County Schools, Bare Needs Diaper Bank, Urban Strategies, RISE Foundation, SCORE South City, Emmanuel Center and First Baptist Church-Lauderdale.

Spearheaded by WFGM, the relief effort benefitted from many helping hands. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

WFGM seeks to encourage philanthropy and foster opportunities for leadership among women and to support initiatives that uplift women and children to reach their full potential, said Bright.

One recipient loaded down with food and supplies captured the spirit of the event:

“Y’all just don’t know what this means to us, to help us feed our children,” she said. “It’s good, so good having something like this. It’s a true blessing, and we thank y’all so much. We thank God.”

 

TSD COVID-19 Flash! — Testing, reusing masks, #savelocaljournalism, today’s music vibe: Cleopatra Memphis “Kiss Me Softly”

By
Karanja A. Ajanaku
-
0
D print of a spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 -- also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19 -- in front of a 3D print of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle. The spike protein (foreground) enables the virus to enter and infect human cells. On the virus model, the virus surface (blue) is covered with spike proteins (red) that enable the virus to enter and infect human cells. For more information, visit NIH

Unified-Command Group’s testing numbers; 5,000-plus this past weekend

Nashville – More than 23,000 Tennesseans have received a free COVID-19 test at 67 drive-through sites over the past three weekends,” Gov. Bill Lee announced today.

Gov. Bill Lee emphasizes a point during a recent exchange at the Christ Community Health Services drive-thru testing site in Frayser. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

The testing, said Lee, is part of Unified-Command Group’s efforts to reduce barriers and widen access to testing for all Tennesseans regardless of symptoms.

“Testing remains one of the most important tools for gaining more information in our fight against COVID-19, and the 23,000 tests we’ve completed over the last three weekends have provided incredibly valuable data,” said Lee. “We’re grateful to the thousands who came out to receive a test this weekend and we continue to remind Tennesseans: when in doubt, get a test.”

Unified-Command Group, led by Director Stuart McWhorter, is a partnership between Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey, Tennessee’s Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) Director Patrick Sheehan.

Soldiers and Airmen from the Tennessee National Guard supported Tennessee Department of Health personnel at 16 sites across the state May 2 and 3 , with 5,153 Tennesseans receiving a free COVID-19 test.  Eight sites were operated on Saturday with 2,733 individuals tested and another eight sites on Sunday with 2,420 individuals tested.

“Our weekend sites have been equipped to meet the demand for free testing across the state,” said Dr. Lisa Piercey, Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner. “With ample capacity at our county health departments during the week, we continue to encourage Tennesseans to take advantage of free testing at these locations.”

Christ Community to host drive-thru testing in Hickory Hill

Christ Community Health Services, Inc. began coronavirus testing by appointment on March 21, among the first to do so in Shelby County. (Courtesy photo)

Christ Community Health Services in partnership with the Safety Net Collaborative, the state of Tennessee and the the Health Department will host a COVID 19 testing at Christ Community Health Services Hickory Hill ,5366 Mendenhall Mall, on Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

No appointment is necessary, however, pre-registration is encouraged. To pre-register, text: Test2020 to 91999 or call 901-842-3160.

Vanderbilt finding ways to reuse masks, repurpose valets

NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center had to scramble for personal protective equipment even before the coronavirus hit. That’s because the deadly March 3 tornado that tore through Tennessee took out its distribution center.

“Our supply chain is great at crisis management,” said Robin Adkins, a nurse who consults with Vanderbilt on sterile processing and logistics. “We got distribution somewhere else and backup reserve, then COVID hit.”

The N95 masks have been the most difficult to come by, Adkins said. In normal times, they are discarded after a single use, but these aren’t normal times. Faced with a nationwide shortage of PPE, Vanderbilt at first began sterilizing masks using ultraviolet light. That allowed them to be reused up to three times. More recently, Vanderbilt has started using hydrogen peroxide vapor for sterilization. It can now reuse a single mask up to 10 times, according to the Nashville hospital. READ more

Shelby County Health Department COVID-19 Daily Update: May 4, 2020

Total COVID-19 Cases Recovered in Shelby County as of 05/03/2020

Data Source: National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS)

Shelby County COVID-29 Cases by Race and Ethnicity as of 5/03/20

Shelby County Health Department has added a data page to its COVID-19 webpage: www.shelbytnhealth.com/coronavirus.

COMING THURSDAY PROGRAMMING NOTE:

READ more

TODAY’S TSD MUSIC VIBE:

https://www.reverbnation.com/cleopatramemphis/song/31601461-kiss-me-softly

TSD COVID-19 Flash! — Relief efforts, ‘A State Address,’ Funds for MHA, COVID-19 numbers, today’s music vibe: ‘The Way We Were’

By
Karanja A. Ajanaku
-
0
For Mary Hendricks, a visit to the Walgreens at Union & McLean was a mask-wearing experience. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

MMC-TADP receives $100,000 grant from Truist for COVID-19 relief efforts

The grant is part of the Truist Cares Initiative —  a $25 million philanthropic pledge (announced in March) to support basic needs, medical supplies and financial hardship relief due to COVID-19. (Photo: truist.com)

MMC-TADP, the sister organization and training arm of The MMBC Continuum, has received a $100,000 grant from Truist Financial Corporation to support minority and women-owned businesses (M/WBEs) through a COVID-19 Relief Fund as a part of The MMBC Continuum’s Relief, Recovery and Stabilization Initiative.

The fund is designed to provide financial relief in the form of grants to M/WBEs negatively impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The grant is part of the Truist Cares Initiative —  a $25 million philanthropic pledge (announced in March) to support basic needs, medical supplies and financial hardship relief due to COVID-19.

The MMBC Continuum works through to provide resources, technical assistance, training and development to scalable minority and women-owned firms in Memphis and the Mid-South.

MMBC President/CEO Jozelle Luster Booker. (TSD Archives)

“Many of these businesses have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. We are proud to partner with Truist to support their Truist Cares Initiative and provide relief to many M/WBEs that might other-wise be overlooked,” said Jozelle Luster Booker, President and CEO of The MMBC Continuum.

Johnny Moore (Courtesy photo)

Johnny Moore, Mid-West Tennessee regional president for Truist, said, “Our purpose at Truist is to inspire and build better lives and communities, which includes minority and women-owned businesses, who are a vital part of the Memphis economy.”

 

FOR YOUR PLANNING CALENDAR:

REGISTER for this FREE event now! Tickets will go FAST! Click the link below.

https://hopin.to/events/covid-19-a-community-conversation

OF NOTE: $1 million grant to Memphis Housing Authority

Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) on Friday announced that the Memphis Housing Authority will receive a coronavirus-related grant of $1,097,308 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“Residents of public housing and those receiving housing assistance are hurting as the pandemic continues to ravage our economy. This funding is both timely and necessary.”

Health Department COVID-19 Daily Update: May 2, 2020

Shelby County currently has 2654 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The total number of deaths in Shelby County attributed to COVID-19 was 53.

Shelby County COVID-29 Cases by Race and Ethnicity

Shelby County Health Department has added a data page to its COVID-19 webpage: www.shelbytnhealth.com/coronavirus.

 

TODAY’S TSD MUSIC VIBE:

Precious Hudson’s graduation surprise

By
Special to TSDMemphis.com
-
0

by Shirley Jackson —

A three-car caravan rolled up on Precious Hudson at her home in Lakeview Gardens earlier this week, delivering a memory she never will forget.

With honking horns and practicing social distancing, screaming teachers got out of their cars to congratulate Precious on being a graduate in the Senior Class of 2020 from Freedom Preparatory Academy.

They planted a graduate sign in her yard.

For Precious Hudson, a member of the 2020 graduating class at Freedom Preparatory Academy, senior year was beyond anything she imagined as a result of the pandemic. With multiple scholarships, she’s weighing her post-graduate options. (Photo: Shirley Jackson)

Later, the TSD asked Precious about her post-graduation plans.

“I want to go to college,” she said.

With several scholarships, Precious has options.

“I’m trying to figure it out,” she said. “I have been doing some poetry scholarships. I might go to UAPB (University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff). But, I just got another acceptance (letter) to JSU (Jackson State University) this morning.”

Is it a full ride?

“No,” she said. “I wish it was, but every little bit helps.”

Groups sue to expand absentee voting in Tennessee amid virus

By
Associated Press
-
0

by Jonathan Mattise —

NASHVILLE — Several groups and two voters are suing the state of Tennessee to allow any voter to cast an absentee ballot this year over fears that people might contract or unwittingly spread the coronavirus in person at the polls.

The federal lawsuit filed Friday in Nashville takes aim at the reasons required for a voter to get an absentee ballot in Tennessee, ranging from being at least 60 years old to being sick, hospitalized or physically disabled.

The lawsuit says Tennessee’s list of qualified excuses is one of the country’s most restrictive and does not allow voters to get absentee ballots out of fear of contracting COVID-19 or transmitting the virus as an unknowing carrier without symptoms.

“Tennessee voters must be permitted to cast their ballots without subjecting themselves to unnecessary exposure to a pandemic disease.”

Democrats and voting rights groups have filed similar lawsuits seeking to expand mail and absentee voting options in states including Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been opposed to federal attempts to prod states to relax absentee voting restrictions for this fall’s elections.

With the lawsuits working through the courts, Wisconsin officials said this week that more than 50 people who voted in person or worked the polls during its election in early April have tested positive for COVID-19 so far. Several had other possible exposure sources as well.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Campaign Legal Center filed the Tennessee suit on behalf of two voters and five organizations, including Tennessee’s NAACP chapter and the Nashville African American voting rights group The Equity Alliance.

The lawsuit also seeks to block two other Tennessee laws. One makes it a misdemeanor for civic engagement groups or people to help voters obtain requests for applications for absentee ballots. Another does not give voters the chance to fix absentee ballots rejected under signature mismatch procedures.

“Our organization wants to be able to proactively assist voters with voting by absentee ballot without the threat of criminal prosecution,” Charlane Oliver, co-founder of The Equity Alliance, said in a statement.

To date, Republican Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office has not pushed for more widespread absentee voting due to the pandemic. His office has said it would be a huge change to make in a short period, particularly in a state accustomed to in-person voting.

Under the current law, an uptick in ballots from those who are ill or at least 60 years old is still expected, Hargett spokeswoman Julia Bruck has said.

Still, Bruck said last month that “plans are evolving not only by the day but by the hour as we learn more about the epidemic and its effects.”

Tennessee voters can request absentee ballots starting May 8 for the Aug. 6 primary election. Early voting starts July 17.

Hargett’s office declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Tennessee has two absentee categories for sicknesses. To be placed on a permanent absentee voting list, certain sick, hospitalized and disabled voters needs a doctor’s note signed under penalty of perjury that the local election office must receive a least a week before the election.

Others with temporary illnesses don’t need a doctor’s sign-off to request absentee ballots for a specific election, Hargett’s office said. Those voters can be hospitalized, ill or physically disabled, or caretakers of certain vulnerable voters.

The GOP-led Legislature in March voted down amendments that aimed to expand absentee voting due to the pandemic.

In Nashville, local election administrator Jeff Roberts confirmed in a meeting Friday that if someone has COVID-19, that voter won’t need a doctor’s note to obtain an absentee ballot. Roberts said he hasn’t heard anything from the secretary of state’s office that specifies what counts as an illness for people seeking absentee ballots.

Roberts said he’ll likely advise people to consult their doctors.

“If you have a condition that you think is an illness or a chronic illness, touch base with your physician,” Roberts said, adding “I don’t think it’d be our place to question” the doctor’s determination.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms while for others, it can cause more severe illness, including life-threatening pneumonia.

(Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.)

Chef Phillip Dewayne cooking love-filled meals for Humes Middle School families

By
TSD Newsroom
-
0

Chef Phillip Dewayne – the owner and operator of Park + Cherry Café inside the Dixon Gallery & Gardens and RECOVER meal prep service – has a treat in the works for families near Humes Middle School.

Chef Phillip Dewayne (Courtesy photo)

On Tuesday (May 5), at least 150 students and their parents can pick up a well-balanced meal and a beverage beginning at 4 p.m. at the school located at 659 N. Manassas St. The meals are being donated by philanthropists Brad and Felicia Robinson and will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For the past few weeks, Chef Dewayne has been donating meals to front line workers at local hospitals. Some he finances himself; others with gifts from people who want to show their gratitude. Approached by the Robinson’s to do something for children in the  community, he readily agreed.

The Robinson’s are aware of the various disparities families in low-income neighborhoods face, such as food insecurity. They reasoned that providing meals was a simple and loving way to support the community’s children.

Brad Robinson and Felicia Robinson attending a wine & dine event for Special Olympics. (Photo: 4memphis.com)

“Many families have lost income while the city tries to stop the spread of coronavirus,” Dewayne said. “Our school system and concerned citizens have been making sure students receive lunch so the Robinson’s and I decided to provide dinner as another way to assist and let the residents know we care about them and their health and nutrition. We hope to receive additional funding to make this an ongoing effort.”

City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas (District 7) helped organize the meal distribution.

“It is my pleasure to connect those who want to help the people of my district,” said Easter-Thomas.

Michalyn Easter-Thomas (Courtesy photo)

“We can all appreciate a good meal. This is a great way to love on our children in North Memphis.”

(Any other concerned citizens wanting to donate to Chef Phillip Dewayne’s meal distribution efforts can contact chefphillipdewayne@gmail.com or call  (901) 849-4569 .)

 

1...307308309...1,019Page 308 of 1,019

TSDMemphis.com is your home for news, entertainment and information specifically focused on the African-American community in Greater Memphis and beyond.

Contact us: Administration@TSDMemphis.com

© All rights reserved 2019

Privacy Policy