Karanja A. Ajanaku
LEGACY: Atty. Ricky E. Wilkins — Determined to speak the truth
Attorney Ricky E. Wilkins envisioned economic justice and political empowerment for African Americans. He even doubled down on that goal after being diagnosed with the rare form of brain cancer that took his life last week (Oct. 19).
A visitation service for Wilkins, 58, is...
Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell was ever-ready to tell the stories of Greater Memphis
“Whatcha got for me?”
That was a standard opening for Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell when she answered my call as the associate publisher/executive editor of The New Tri-State Defender.
It was that way for years, until a couple of months of ago when Dr. Mitchell, who...
TVA nomination steps Patrice J. Robinson closer to a long-held goal
For years, Patrice J. Robinson told just about anyone who would listen of her desire to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors.
She soon may get the chance.
This week President Joe Biden nominated the term-limited Memphis City Council member for the board...
This year’s ‘Classic’ yields another chapter about stepping up in crunch time
An organization’s readiness for a much-anticipated event tends to show when crunch time looms, especially when the unexpected pops up bearing its own deadlines.
“With the Classic, you’ve got a whole bunch of those stories,” said Fred Jones Jr., founder of the Southern Heritage Classic...
WLOK’s Art Gilliam shares the journey that led to the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame
In July, Art Gilliam was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame … just outside of Nashville in Columbia, Tenn. He was excited, yet he took it in matter-of-factly.
“In the sense that anything that I can do that actually helps project the image...
Memphis People’s Convention delegates make candidate choices as the ‘work’ continues
Patsy Brown sat in the audience on the third and final day of the Memphis People’s Convention as an engaged attendee whose point of reference was the original People’s Convention 30-plus years ago. She had been there too.
“I’ve been to all three (sessions); Thursday,...
A son remembers his father’s Tuskegee Airmen legacy
Luke J. Weathers III is – for the record – the son of Lt. Col. Luke J. Weathers Jr., one of the famed Tuskegee Airman. He’s long been proud of his father and an event held in Downtown Memphis on Monday “means a lot...
Growth – for the artists and the audience – is built into the No Tears Project Community Concerts
The No Tears Project, a four-day affair that kicked off on Saturday and stretches through Wednesday, is a multi-layered experience that pianist Christopher Parker and his wife, vocalist Kelley Hurt, have been growing with for seven years.
Rooted at the Oxford American – a quarterly...
Four mayoral candidates talk crime and safety at fifth Memphis People’s Convention Meet & Greet
With four months to go before voters cast ballots for the next mayor of Memphis, the fifth in a series of Memphis People’s Convention Meet & Greet opportunities unfolded at the Southland Mall in Whitehaven on Saturday.
“I think voters need to understand that this...
Tina Turner’s 1978 Memphis show was Fred Jones Jr.’s business
Eight performances in four days at a Memphis hotel, where the co-headliner is one of 1978’s hottest comedians and tickets are $12.50 per show. Pencil in Tina Turner as the other star and who wouldn’t want to travel back in time.
For Summitt Management Corporation...