Teacher, professor, superintendent and educational advocate, Dr. Mose Yvonne Hooks died on Friday after a brief hospital stay; more details to come.
Dr. Hooks, who had a long history of community-engagement service in Memphis and elsewhere, had served as an administrator at Langston University in Oklahoma for several years.
In 2016, Dr. Mose Yvonne Hooks shared with the Memphis in May board her experience as a founding board member 40 years earlier. (Facebook)
The New Tri-State Defender is developing a story on Dr. Hooks’ life and legacy. It will be featured in the May 21-27 edition. Also, check back here to read more at TSDMemphis.com.
“Crossroads to Freedom” — Rhodes College’s digital archive of materials telling the story of the civil rights era in Memphis — includes a segment in which Dr. Hooks details much of career and life, including a discussion of “how her parents tried to protect her and her siblings from the ills of racism.”
Services for Dr. Hooks are pending. N.J. Ford and Sons Funeral Home has charge.
Back at his craft after a pandemic-forced break, William Gandy Jr. trims the hair of Melvin Cole, a long-time customer. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)
by Jerome Wright —
At 6 a.m. Monday (May 11), William Gandy Jr. was back behind his barber’s chair quaffing a customer for the first time since mid-March, when Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland ordered nonessential businesses to close to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Gandy, who works at the Trimmers on Winchester just west of Elvis Presley Boulevard, had 21 customers scheduled for Monday, including the writer of this story, all eager to get a haircut.
Melvin Cole, a retired photographer and welder, said he was overdue for a haircut and glad to be back in William Gandy Jr.’s barber’s chair. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)
A new health directive for Shelby County allowed hair salons and barbershops to open Wednesday (May 6), under strict guidelines, in the first phase of the Back to Business plan for Memphis and Shelby County.
But, Gandy, his fellow barbers and the owner of the Trimmers shops around the city needed time to prepare to comply with the guidelines, so the shop did not open until Monday.
Gandy had the shop to himself Monday. His fellow barbers did not begin work until Tuesday (May 12).
Asked if he felt safe, he said, “I don’t really have a choice. I need to get back to work. I pray …Then I think about the doctors and nurses, who are out there dealing with this, and it puts my situation in a better perspective.”
Still, when he got home at night, he washed the clothes he wore that day and showered.
His feelings about getting back to work mirrors national, state and local debates around the country about the necessity to get the economy rolling again versus the safety of workers and consumers as the pandemic continues.
Beyond the safety concerns, Gandy said he had to get used to being back on his feet all day. “If you haven’t been doing something for a long time, it takes a while to get back to where you were.”
William Gandy Jr. sprays his barber’s chair after a customer — now standard procedure. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)
The opening guidelines included:
■ Maintaining an appointment book with customer details.
■ All employees should wear face coverings and gloves when providing services.
■ Items such as capes, smocks and neck strips should be one time use between cleanings or disposable.
■ Customers must be served by appointment, with walk-ins permitted if they wait in their vehicle.
The writer of this story was ninth on Gandy’s appointment schedule Monday. He wore a face mask and rubber gloves. Gandy wore gloves, a face mask and a plastic face shield.
As the writer walked through the door, Gandy was spraying a cleaning solution on his barber chair.
He scheduled his appointments 30 minutes apart to give himself time to serve a customer and to sanitize his equipment before his next appointment. His system was working.
He said he started at 6 a.m. because so many men were desperate to get a haircut. He also, started at 6 a.m. Tuesday, although that was not his original intention.
“I planned to start around 8 or 8:30 a.m., “but so many people called me and said they needed to come in Tuesday, I said, okay if you need to come in that badly, can you come early.”
He had 13 appointments Tuesday and 10 booked for Wednesday, although he expected that number to increase.
“I had a chance to coast (Tuesday) and I appreciated it,” he said.
His customers, he said, seemed at ease with the process, although one customer cancelled his appointment Tuesday because of COVID-19 concerns.
“He got nervous and cancelled. He said he had family members who had a contracted the virus, including some who had died. His wife was nervous about it,” Gandy said.
For the most part, though, everyone at the shop was following the guidelines. One of the barbers had a customer come in without a mask, but they made him go outside. Several people tried to drop in without an appointment, but they were turned away.
As for Gandy, he is just glad to be back at work and earning some money.
“I was eating hotdogs and now I can move up to a steak burger,” he said with a laugh.
Serving others spawns an idea
Margaret Cowan (right) and Sheleah Grace of Living Grace, Inc. at the food giveaway in Cordova. (Courtesy photo)
Margaret Cowan, founding keeper of the nonprofit I Am My Sister’s Keeper, and her three daughters spent Saturday (May 2) helping distribute about 300 bags of food in Cordova.
The effort seeded a project idea for the nonprofit, which works with single working mothers to increase their earning potential.
She has been busy trying to get resources to make “essential boxes,” that will contain items beyond food.
“I got to thinking about the food giveaway, where bags of random food items were distributed. Our boxes will have actual complete meals, feminine products and cleaning products – basics things that people need,” she explained.
The nonprofit’s goal is to complete 50 boxes with the help of the Mid-South Food Bank, individual donors and Sister Supply, a nonprofit organization that supplies “pads and tampons for those who need them, like high school students and the homeless.”
Cowan plans to have all the boxes assembled in two weeks and initially distributed to the 20 mothers she works with and to hand out the rest through referrals.
Cowan has been working with a member of the organization’s board of directors to complete a strategic plan.
“I turned in all my homework,” needed to get that completed. The plan, when fully ready, will become part of the nonprofit’s “core materials” binder, “so that when we get ready to apply for a grant, everything will be right there.”
Life happens
James Cook
James Cook, who has been cutting grass and working for another Lenny’s franchisee since he had to close his two businesses in Memphis International Airport — Runway 901 Bar & Grill and Lenny’s Grill and Subs – in March because of a lack of airport passenger traffic, had a traffic accident Friday (May 8).
A careless driver rear-ended his beloved Mercedes-Benz S500, totaling it. “I loved that car,” he said, adding that it was paid for.
The resulting soreness caused him to miss time from work.
And, as anyone who has had their vehicle totaled in an accident knows, there is the issue of dealing with the insurance company regarding a settlement.
Meanwhile, Cook said “you really can’t take off in the restaurant business,” explaining that, even though he is hurting, he still had to help prepare a breakfast order for a group of nurses at a local hospital.
The absentee ballot request deadline in Shelby County is July 30.
Voting could be a matter of life or death in the upcoming August and November elections according to some Memphis voting right advocates and Tennessee Democratic state leaders.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the groups are calling on Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to “do the right thing” and allow universal absentee voting.
Their requests continue even after Lee announced during a press briefing Tuesday (May 12) that he won’t allow all voters to mail in their ballots.
State Rep. London Lamar (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)
Some who oppose the governor’s decision, like state Rep. London Lamar, called it “irresponsible” and “inconsiderate.”
“The lives of Tennesseans are at risk and despite the state opening back up, we as the legislature need to make sure we are implementing policies and systems that will keep all Tennesseans safe,” Lamar said during a virtual news conference hosted by the Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP), Wednesday.
Lamar, who is seeking re-election in the upcoming Aug. 6 state Democratic party primary elections, called on Lee, Secretary of State Tre Hargett and State Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins to implement universal absentee voting.
Lamar said an official letter from the TNDP had been sent to the governor’s office.
Party primaries for federal offices, along with a county general election, also are scheduled for Aug. 6. State and federal elections, including the race for president, are Nov. 6.
Tennessee state law allows voters 60 and older, or those with an illness or disability, to vote by absentee ballots. Others allowed to vote absentee include individuals who will be outside of the county on election day, serving on a jury, or members of the military.
Lee has defended his decision, saying the state is working hard to “remove a reason to have fear about going to the polling booths.
“We have worked really, really hard to set up businesses in a way that people can feel safe to go into them, and we’re going to do the same thing with our elections,” Lee said, highlighting the state’s efforts to expand the number of polling places, while adhering to social distancing guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
Voter advocates said the state’s efforts aren’t enough and accused Republican leaders of using this as another tactic to further stifle the minority vote.
The Rev. Dr. Earle J. Fisher (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku)
One of those advocates, who was not on the TNTP’s virtual conference but has been a stark supporter of universal absentee voting, was the Rev./Dr. Earle J. Fisher of #UptheVote901, a Memphis-based voting rights advocacy organization.
Fisher, who also serves as the senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Memphis, is also one of several plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit against the state of Tennessee.
The group is seeking a court order that will allow any voter to vote absentee during the coronavirus health crisis.
The lawsuit was filed May 1 by both Republican and Democrat voters and advocates, who also claimed that the state’s absentee ballot restrictions don’t factor in the COVID-19 crisis and further penalize organizations, such as #UptheVote901, that seek to increase voter participation.
“I think that Tennessee has shown its willingness to make it more difficult for black people to vote and engage in the political process,” Fisher said.
“Memphis is the hub of far too many poor and black people, so it only makes sense that if they’re talking about doing something in the interest of public safety – to give the people you know are most likely to be impacted by the coronavirus access to engage in the political process without endangering their lives,” Fisher said.
He continued, “We shouldn’t have to choose between our health and our family’s health by getting access to the most fundamental right in the democracy, which is the ballot box.”
Goins, the election coordinator, told The Associated Press, the “fear of getting ill does not fall under the definition of ill.”
Therefore, the case for universal absentee voting doesn’t meet the state’s requirements.
“First of all, we are in a pandemic,” Rep. Lamar said in response to Goins. “This is beyond a fear and there is evidence that people everywhere in the state and around the world are constantly dying from the coronavirus.
“Now we are asking voters to go to the polls within mere months of an order by Bill Lee urging us to stay home. That’s just ridiculous.”
As of Wednesday afternoon (May 13), there were 16,370 reported coronavirus cases in Tennessee, a 260-case increase from Tuesday, including 273 deaths, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
In Shelby County, more than 3,462 confirmed cases were reported, up from 3,462 Tuesday, including 76 deaths.
During the news conference, it was clear that members of the TNDP weren’t confident in the Republican governor, nor the Republican-led legislature, which declined to adopt universal absentee ballots just before the legislative session recessed in mid-March.
“Republicans can’t be trusted to do the right thing anymore,” TNDP Chair Mary Mancini said. “They have made the decision to keep in place the strict absentee voter requirements and this will jeopardize the health of voters and poll workers.”
Still, members of the TNDP said they will continue to push for the measure. Lamar said she will be sure that it’s brought up when the legislation reconvenes in June.
“If universal absentee voting could save the life of at least one Tennessean, it is both necessary and beneficial,” said Lamar.
The absentee ballot request deadline in Shelby County is July 30.
Dr. Andrea Willis, SVP, chief medical officer, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, ensures that all clinical care and quality initiatives support the needs of BlueCross members and contribute to the overall health and well-being of Tennessee communities. (Courtesy photo)
COVID-19 has left no community untouched. Infecting more than 1 million Americans and resulting in the deaths of more than 75,000 people as of May 8, the coronavirus has taken an especially dramatic toll on African Americans and other communities of color.
While the nation still lacks complete racial data on COVID-19 patients, according to the latest data where race was provided, African Americans accounted for more than one-third (33 percent) of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., yet make up only around 13 percent of the population.
This disproportionate impact is seen here in Tennessee, too. Despite comprising only 17 percent of the population, African Americans represent 21 percent of COVID-19 cases and roughly 31 percent of deaths across the state, according to the latest data available. As an example, African Americans make up just over half (52 percent) of the residents in Shelby County and account for 69 percent of COVID-19 related deaths, as of May 7.
These startling numbers highlight the troublesome nature of health disparities in our country. Simply put, when compared to white Americans, racial and ethnic minorities often face higher rates of illness and worse health outcomes whether from more common ailments such as diabetes or the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
As part of her ongoing educational series on the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Andrea Willis, senior vice president and chief medical officer at BlueCross, explains some of the factors driving health disparities and what you can do to protect yourself and others who may be vulnerable.
Why is coronavirus impacting African Americans at such high rates?
African Americans have higher rates of pre-existing conditions. Regardless of race, this disease is known to have a greater impact on those with underlying health conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes, heart disease and long-term lung problems are the most common health conditions among Americans hospitalized with COVID-19. African Americans suffer from those health conditions at a higher rate than other groups, making them more vulnerable to the more severe impacts of this respiratory illness. Even when it’s well controlled, a pre-existing condition means the body is expending energy to lessen its impact. When those health issues are not well managed, the body is fighting a potentially losing battle – and coupled with COVID-19, the odds are stacked even greater.These COVID-19 health disparities – often referred to as the “crisis within a crisis” – cause additional stress to the body, which also negatively affects the immune system, at a time when we need our immune systems to function optimally.
African Americans and other minorities are less likely to be able to work from home. African Americans and Hispanics hold a disproportionately higher rate of essential roles that require in-person interaction. Jobs like emergency workers, bus drivers, grocery store clerks, cleaning crews, delivery staff, and nurses are on the front line. They’re often more exposed to others who may be infected, or who are not practicing infection prevention recommendations. Many African Americans hold hourly positions and may not have health benefits or paid sick leave, making it more challenging to seek health care when sick or suffering from chronic conditions.
African Americans’ housing challenges may contribute as well. Social determinants – the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age – have a major impact on health outcomes, especially for those in vulnerable communities. For example, African Americans and other racial minorities are more likely to live in densely populated areas, and people living in high population cities and in multi-residence properties may find it harder to practice social distancing. African Americans are also more likely to have multiple generations living together in one home. Younger members of the family who are working among the public in essential jobs may unintentionally bring the virus home and expose more vulnerable elderly relatives. Overall, these living situations lead to a higher risk for spreading coronavirus due to the greater potential contact with other people.
What is BlueCross doing to help lessen the burden in vulnerable communities?
The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing health disparities that exist among minority communities. As we’ve discussed, there are a lot of complicated reasons for that. One is that some members of the African American community may resist seeking care due to their distrust of providers, the health care system, and historical mistreatment. We’ll continue working to gain their trust by partnering with our provider network across the state to make sure culturally competent care is the standard and to bring better health to all the people we serve in Tennessee.
We’ve also offered enhanced support to vulnerable communities by:
Educating community members on cost-effective COVID-19 testing available through local health departments
Providing funds through the BlueCross Foundation to support free testing for the uninsured population in Memphis
Texting online resources from the CDC to BlueCross insured people who are high-risk and face social or health care disparities
Proactively calling BlueCross members who fall into certain high-risk categories to discuss safety precautions
We believe the best approach to maintaining health is an active one — we encourage everyone to build a relationship with a primary care physician (PCP) even before one is facing a health problem. For those who may not have an established PCP relationship, there will soon be additional options available to help make primary care more accessible and convenient. BlueCross has entered a joint venture with Sanitas to open four medical centers in Memphis this fall with extended hours, to foster an environment for consistent care.
What should people do to protect their health?
Focus on your chronic conditions, even during this pandemic. Continue to maintain preventive care routines and follow-up appointments with health care professionals, even if it’s through telehealth. These virtual services are covered by insurance plans such as BlueCross and provide quality care from a certified physician from the comfort and safety of your home, 24/7. And regular follow-ups are one tool to fight against worsening uncontrolled conditions like hypertension and diabetes, the “silent killers.”
Be intentional about getting or staying physically active.
Eat a diet that includes fruits and vegetables.
Get plenty of rest or sleep.
Wash your hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
Even with businesses starting to reopen, continue to practice physical distancing and wear masks and gloves in public places.
Disinfect surfaces in the home frequently.
Go to CDC.gov and use the symptom checker if you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms. The symptom list has now been expanded by the CDC to include fever, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
(If you follow this guidance, you can help limit the spread of coronavirus. For ongoing updates about the BlueCross response to COVID-19, visit BCBSTupdates.com. Visit the Tennessee Department of Health for the most recent state data on COVID-19.)
A Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital pediatric specialist said eleven children brought into the hospital tested positive for the coronavirus. Nine out of those eleven were African-American.
Dr. Kenice Ferguson-Paul told members of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators (TBCSL) in a virtual meeting Wednesday after- noon that taking precautions against the coronavirus is critical to keeping children safe.
“Hand-washing, social distancing and wearing masks are going to be extremely important moving forward,” Ferguson-Paul said. “Masks must be worn by children two and over.”
TBCSL Chairman G. A. Hardaway said the group was concerned about what can be expected as municipalities look toward re-opening schools.
Rep. G.A. Hardaway
“We haven’t had a focus on the children,” said Hardaway. “There are too many unknowns, so we wanted to ask the premiere children’s hospital for answers.”
Ferguson-Paul said one child had also tested positive for the Kawasaki Syndrome. It is the condition found primarily in children and infants. Three children in New York City died recently from Kawasaki. Their disease was triggered by the COVID-19 virus.
“Kawasaki isn’t new. It’s been around since the ’60s,” Ferguson-Paul said. “It is a multi-system inflammatory disease which causes inflammation all over the body. It attacks blood vessels in different organs.”
Of the 11 youngsters testing positive for COVID-19, three were hospitalized, and only one tested positive for Kawasaki. TBCSL members were told that Kawasaki is triggered by a virus, and parents should keep their children safe by making sure that they get all their vaccinations on time.
“Very rarely is Kawasaki fatal,” Ferguson-Paul said. “The main con- cern is that blood vessels in the heart suffer inflammation. When inflammation happens to arteries in the heart, the child may develop heart disease later in life.”
Of the 11 children seen at Le Bonheur, one was transported from Methodist Healthcare. The good news is that COVID-19 symptoms are very mild in children.
More than 800 children have been tested for the coronavirus. Testing is now being done on children com- ing to the hospital for treatment, procedures, and other medical concerns that have nothing to do with COVID-19.
“Initially, we were testing children who may have shown symptoms of the coronavirus,” said Sara Burnett, director of community and public relations for Le Bonheur. “But things have changed so rapidly with the CDC. We just began testing all the children who come into the hospital. Everyone gets a test.”
Legislators asked for an age breakdown of the eleven. Two were teenagers, one was a toddler, and the other children were somewhere in between, they were told.
Ferguson-Paul is a pediatric hospitalist at Le Bonheur and an assistant professor at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She manages the care of children while they are hospitalized.
Ferguson-Paul is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in both pediatrics in pediatric infectious diseases. She attended medical school at the University of the West Indies and completed her residency at Morehouse School of Medicine. She also completed a pediatric infectious disease fellowship at UTH- SC and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
(For expert information on COVID-19 including educational videos for kids, visit www.lebonheur. org/coronavirus.)
Dr. Ivy Taylor, former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, is the first woman selected as president of Rust College.
At Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss., one history-making college president is about to be replaced by another.
Dr. Ivy Taylor, who served as mayor of San Antonio, Texas for three years, is set to become president of the tiny liberal arts college – the first woman to hold the position in the school’s 154-year history. She will succeed Dr. David Beckley, who steps down after 27 years – the longest tenured president in Rust’s history.
“I am thrilled to be part of writing the next chapter for this historic institution,” Taylor said in a statement.
Taylor’s selection comes after an eight-month search by the college’s Board of Trustees. Holly Springs Mayor Kelvin Buck, a Rust College alum, who also served on the selection committee, said that more than 70 candidates were considered, but Taylor rose to the top.
“It was a lot that we were looking for, to be honest with you,” Buck said. “We were looking at a lot of different assets that we wanted the new president to have. And going through 70 applicants with a variety of credentials and experiences and talents, we think we have a fresh new face, fresh new set of ideas coming through by way of Dr. Taylor.”
Dr. Taylor spent six years as a lecturer in public administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She also served on the San Antonio Planning Commission and was previously a commissioner for the San Antonio Urban Renewal Agency. Before becoming mayor, she served for five years on the San Antonio City Council.
“We believe the abilities she gained in nonprofit management and political leadership will be readily transferable to an academic setting,” said David Swinton, chair of Rust’s board of trustees.
The New Tri-State Defender reached out to Rust College to interview Taylor for this story, but she had not returned a call at press time. However, she commented on her selection with The Rivard Report, a nonprofit journalism site based in San Antonio, saying she was “excited to be turning the page” on her career.
“I tried to tell people I wasn’t a career politician,” she told The Rivard Report. “I think they just thought that was a slogan. … Once you run for office people think you’re a politician, and they have a hard time envisioning you as anything else.”
Taylor earned a degree in American Studies from Yale University in 1992, followed by a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1998. She is currently enrolled in an Executive Doctorate program in Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania and will receive an Ed.D. in August 2020.
Buck said that Taylor will need to hit the ground running, saying she’ll need to make some immediate personnel decisions.
“This new president will certainly have to be prepared to make the necessary changes that will allow us to continue to grow,” said Buck, who earned a mass communications degree from Rust in 1993. “If it ain’t broke, maybe you don’t have to fix it. But if there are errors that need to be addressed, you need to have the courage to go ahead and fix those errors that need to be corrected.”
Buck said that Rust is in need of upgrades to both its technological capabilities as well as the campus, and that Taylor’s ability to raise funds would serve her well. He also said candidates were drilled on dealing with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic – something Taylor spoke with The Rivard Report about.
“It is kind of weird to be stepping into a leadership role (now) because nothing is certain,” she said. “Everybody is wondering if enrollment is going to be down or when schools will start.”
But Taylor, whose dissertation research focused on board governance at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is looking forward to resuming her personal mission of “connecting people to opportunity” after her brief career in politics.
“I kinda got off on the elected office track from my work in affordable housing. Connecting people to opportunities was about making places better, making places stronger,” she said. “I realized I wanted to be closer to strengthening people.
“Higher education, I feel, is the best way to do that.”
Fred L. Davis was a "Renaissance man who reinvented himself many times,” said the Rev. Anthony Henderson, pastor of Beulah Baptist Church, where Davis was a member. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)
Fred L. Davis “never stopped wanting to help, to give and to better the environment in his community,” said Lynn Norment, a family friend and church member.
The proprietor of Fred L. Davis Insurance Company, a former city councilman and a veteran civil rights activist, Davis died at his home, surrounded by his family on Tuesday afternoon. He was 86.
Fred L. Davis (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)
Davis’ sense of and appreciation for community were rooted in Orange Mound. “(He) loved telling stories from back in the day when Orange Mound was in its glory days,” said Norment.
“Fred Davis stories” rolled in all day Tuesday as word of his death spread across the Internet.
Bennett Moore called Mr. Davis “The Real Deal” and sent condolences to “Mrs. Davis and Sheila (Davis’ daughter) and the rest of the family.”
Denise Bollheimer said Davis once told her, “If you want to live like a Republican, vote Democratic.”
Mayor Jim Strickland said, “I was very sorry to hear about the loss of Fred Davis, four-term councilman, and business owner for more than 50 years.”
Strickland called Davis a “Memphis legend,” whose leadership inspired the naming of the Innovation Center at the Entrepreneur Network in Davis’ honor.
“His clarion call for building black-owned businesses will live on,” Strickland said.
In 1967, Davis was elected to the first Memphis City Council, which took office Jan.1, 1968, just as the city was transitioning to a mayor-commission form of government. Davis founded his insurance company in 1967.
“Mr. Davis was proud of living in that same house for more than 60 years, right there in Orange Mound,” said Norment. “He kept his business right there on Airways near Lamar for over 50 years. Mr. Davis was right where he wanted to be.”
Davis was sitting on the edge of the stage when Dr. Martin Luther King made his famous “Mountain Top” speech at Mason Temple the night before he was assassinated on April 4 1968 as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.
King had come to Memphis to support the city’s striking sanitation workers.
Davis marched with Dr. King, along with the two other African-American City Council members, J.O. Patterson Jr., and the Rev. James L. Netters.
At the beginning of his second term, Davis was elected to chair the council, becoming the first first African American to do so. He remained on the council for 12 years.
Former Mayor Dr. Willie W. Herenton noted Davis’ love of family and community and added, “I have always admired Fred Davis for his visionary leadership in business and politics.”
Davis graduated from Manassas High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Tennessee State University. He met Ella Singleton on campus and they later married.
During a presentation on the campus of the University of Memphis, Fred. L. Davis accepted the Lifetime Achievement award, with his wife, Ella, alongside. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)
Davis’ insurance company was the first African-American, independent insurance company in six states – Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama and Missouri – and one of the first in the South.
Black Business Association of Memphis President and CEO Mark Yates lauded Davis for “having the ability to look toward the past and be encouraging about the future.
“He was one of the vanguards who embodied courage — a good man,” said Yates.
Pastor Anthony Henderson of Beulah Baptist Church called Davis part of a “strong core of their membership.” Davis served on the deacon board, was a past chair of the trustee board and a Sunday School teacher.
Charity’s House, named for Davis’ mother, was a house Davis opened for community outreach, said Henderson.
“He was a Renaissance man who reinvented himself many times,” Henderson said. “Brother Davis loved his people and he loved his community.”
Henderson said Davis would be “holding court” in his office when he dropped by to see him.
Davis enjoyed numerous positions of leadership, including founding board member of the Memphis Leadership Foundation, founder of the Mid-South Minority Business Consortium, past president of the Liberty Bowl and the first African-American member of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, Inc.
Davis received many awards, including the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews and “Kiwanian of the Year” from the Downtown Kiwanis Club.
Joann Massey, director of the city’s Office of Business Diversity & Compliance, said Davis was one of the first people to reach out when she began her service as director.
“He shared with me the history of black business in the city and how important my work was,” she said, calling Davis’ advice and encouragement inspiring.
“Black people in Memphis owe a great debt to Mr. Davis. He left us a legacy that will continue to live after him — for our children and our children’s children.”
Davis leaves his wife, Ella Davis; three children Michael Davis, Marvin Davis and Sheila Davis, and a host of other loved ones and friends.
M.J. Edwards Funeral Home has charge. Final arrangements are pending.
The people who call Brunswick, Ga., home say it’s not the monstrous place it might appear to be in the wake of the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery after a pursuit by two armed white men.
This map shows the incorporated and unincorporated areas in Glynn County, Ga., highlighting Brunswick in red. (Source: https://bit.ly/3fLhnAN)
Yes, it is one of Georgia’s poorest cities where much of the black working population has struggled to find opportunities for advancement and where one black resident says he walks on tip toes to avoid racist insults.
But it’s also a city with a black mayor and one where longtime residents say black and white people — all the way back to the civil rights movement — have long worked together to solve thorny questions about racial equality.
Now, Arbery’s slaying as well as the subsequent investigation criticized for being too slow have put Brunswick in the national spotlight and raised questions about whether recent events reflect something rotten in the coastal city’s culture.
On the contrary, residents say, Brunswick has often stood out for its ability to work through troubled times peacefully, though it is far from perfect.
Brunswick, Ga. Mayor Cornell Harvey
“I don’t think a few bad white people have defined this whole community,” Mayor Cornell Harvey told The Associated Press. “I’m sure there are people who have hidden feelings about race, on an individual level. But I’ve seen this community come together.”
Arbery was killed Feb. 23 in a subdivision called Satilla Shores that is just outside the city limits but considered part of the broader Brunswick community. A white father and son told police they pursued him in their truck because they suspected him of being a burglar. An autopsy showed Arbery was killed by three shotgun blasts, and cellphone video of the shooting led to a national outcry when it hit the internet last week — both for the grisliness of the footage but also because the men had not been arrested, two months after the killing.
There have been allegations that race played a role in delaying the arrests, and the state’s attorney general announced an investigation Tuesday into how the case was initially handled, a day after he appointed the third outside prosecutor — an Atlanta-area district attorney who is black — to take over.
Brunswick, with a population of more than 16,000 residents, is more than half black. Surrounding Glynn County is more reflective of the state’s racial makeup: It has more than five times as many people as Brunswick and is 63% white, 27% black and 7% Hispanic.
Rev. John Perry III
The Rev. John Perry III, president of the Brunswick branch of the NAACP, moved to the city 13 years ago, and was “pleasantly surprised that the people here have a great heart,” he said.
But he remains concerned by socioeconomic inequality in the city. Much of Brunswick’s black workforce is blue collar, he said, and many lack opportunities to move up the ladder. A recent review of median annual household income data by 24/7 Wall St. found Brunswick was Georgia’s poorest city. The city has a 39% poverty rate, compared to 16.9% in the state overall.
“It’s not that we don’t have a black base that has gone out and educated themselves,” Perry said. “Too many people have been overlooked for better opportunities.”
Still, he does not think the problem is one of “racial hatred.” Instead, he points to the fact that people in power tend to help people they know, and often the people in power are white.
But Ryan Marshall, a 27-year-old black man who has lived in the Brunswick area since he was a young boy, says he has experienced more direct prejudice: His co-workers have called him a racist slur “if I don’t do exactly what I’m supposed to do.”
Also at the protest was 82-year-old Robert Griffin, who moved to Brunswick in 1961 as the all-black high school’s band director. Almost everything at the time was segregated, so Griffin joined the local NAACP to work toward integration.
It wasn’t always easy. Griffin remembered a city official who had the public swimming pool filled with dirt rather than allowing white and black people to swim together. But the organization worked with white residents, and many places were integrated without protest or confrontation.
“We desegregated this whole county without bloodshed,” Griffin said, while nearby cities had “fighting in the streets.”
Even in the wake of Arbery’s killing, Griffin insisted there’s more unity than racial unrest in Brunswick.
“I saw a bunch of angry folks, blacks and whites” at Friday’s protest, he said. “We’ve always had that kind of support in this community.”
Johnny Carson
Johnny Cason, a 76-year-old lifelong Brunswick resident who is a city commissioner, agreed.
“This thing has broken my heart, and it’s so wrong,” said Cason, who is white. “But this is a great place, and the world needs to know about it.”
Roxane George noted that some residents in the area fly the Confederate battle flag, a banner people associate with both racism and pride in southern heritage. But she also pointed to a recent anti-racism training she co-facilitated at the city’s Robert S. Abbott Race Unity Institute.
“People in this community overwhelmingly stand ready to do what they think is needed to address” racism, said George, who is white. Ahmaud’s killing “is not just an issue that people here say is one for the black community. Black, brown, white — we’ve all felt this was extremely hurtful.”
Harvey, the mayor, agreed the city has work to do and suggested white residents could reflect on their biases: “When you see me, what do you see? What are you thinking about me?”
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(Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Morrison reported from New York and is a member of The Associated Press’ Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aaronlmorrison.)
Jorres Nelson, also known as RealRed, is Memphis’ newest producer to deliver a music project highlighting Memphis talent. (Courtesy photo)
TSD’s All Over Town columnist Brianna A. Smith.
Memphis’ music scene – it’s one that somehow doesn’t ever quite get the credit it deserves, but leads to more than a handful of hidden gems.
Jorres Nelson, also known as RealRed, is Memphis’ newest producer to deliver a music project highlighting Memphis talent.
“Only The Real Relate” was released on May 8 on all music streaming platforms. It is a guest-filled album that showcases RealRed’s hard-hitting production style and Memphis’ rising rappers.
“I feel like I made a statement with this tape,” said RealRed. “It took me two years to perfect it.
“I created 40 songs with every artist from the city (that)I wanted to feature on the tape, and from there I picked 15 songs I felt best flowed together,” he said.
Themed around Memphis’ thriving rap/hip hop scene, the album features various artists from the city such as, Big Boogie, Co Cash, Lil Beezy, Fast Cash Boyz, Kevo Muney, Krucial, Casino Jizzle, Big30, YNC Capo, Tee Top, Big Homiie G, and BlocBoy JB.
RealRed’s laid-back, unhurried rhythm and heavy bass sound is extremely Memphis, however his beats provide a diverse melodic canvas that any artist could paint on.
“My musical influences are Drake, Money Man, Alicia Keys and Fred Hammond,” said RealRed. “I feel like my sound challenges people. My sound is influenced by me growing up playing the drums in church. I have a lot of soul in my sound.”
His production is defined by its smoothness, forcing melodies out of any rapper who slides on his beats. His sound mixes a trap style with bouncy synths and a knack for catchy melodies.
One of my favorite tracks off the album, “Red Bottoms” featuring BlocBoy JB, showcases that very well.
The hook is catchy and the verse is snappy, especially with BlocBoy’s tottering rap style.
It would be lazy, offensive even, to label RealRed’s production as solely trap. His beats manage to feel both minimalist and maximalist at the same time, with him creating vast compositions that feel and sound good to both men and women.
RealRed: “My sound is influenced by me growing up playing the drums in church. I have a lot of soul in my sound.” (Courtesy photo)
“I feel like the Memphis music scene is rising,” said RealRed. “It’s a lot of talk here right now and I am excited to finally be able to release my art and be a part of it.”
Production throughout the project is nearly perfect and the placement of songs flow well.
“Only The Real Relate” is a cohesive listen for album. I thoroughly enjoyed RealRed’s debut and look forward to hearing more from him
REMOVES “UNARMED” AND ADDS THAT AUTHORITIES HAVE NOT CONFIRMED THAT ARBERY WAS EITHER ARMED OR UNARMED - A woman holds a sign during a rally protesting the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, Friday, May 8, 2020, in Brunswick Ga. Two men have been charged with murder in the February shooting death of Arbery, a black man in his mid-20s, whom they had pursued in a truck after spotting him running in their neighborhood. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
by Russ Bynum —
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s attorney general appointed a black district attorney from the Atlanta area Monday to take over the case of a white father and son charged with killing a black man, making her the third outside prosecutor in a slaying that’s prompted a national outcry over suspicions that race played a role in delaying arrests.
Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was fatally shot Feb. 23 by the men who told police they chased him because they believed he matched the appearance of a burglary suspect caught on surveillance video. Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, were arrested last week, more than two months later, after video of the shooting appeared online and provoked outrage. Federal prosecutors are also considering hate crimes charges, the Justice Department said; that would allow for a separate case in federal court.
Cobb County District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes takes over the case from prosecutor Tom Durden, who the state’s attorney general said asked to be replaced by a prosecutor with a large staff as “this case has grown in size and magnitude.” Holmes is based in metro Atlanta, more than 300 miles (480 kilometers) from the coastal Georgia community in Glynn County where the shooting happened.
“District Attorney Holmes is a respected attorney with experience, both as a lawyer and a judge,” state Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, said in a statement. “And the Cobb County District Attorney’s office has the resources, personnel and experience to lead this prosecution and ensure justice is done.”
Holmes served four years a magistrate judge in suburban Cobb County before Gov. Brian Kemp appointed her to fill the vacant district attorney’s position last July. According to the Georgia Prosecuting Attorneys Council, Holmes is one of only seven black district attorneys in the state.
An attorney for Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery, applauded the appointment of a new lead prosecutor.
“In order for justice to be carried out both effectively and appropriately in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, it is imperative that the special prosecutor has no affiliation with the Southeast Georgia legal or law enforcement communities,” attorney Benjamin Crump said in a statement. He asked that Holmes “be zealous in her search for justice.”
Arbery was hit by three shotgun blasts, according to an autopsy report released Monday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. One shot grazed his right wrist, and the other two struck him in the chest. Blood tests for various drugs and alcohol all came back negative.
Many have expressed frustration with the investigation, questioning whether the arrests took so long because the suspects are white and the victim black. The killing happened in a subdivision bordered by marsh just outside Brunswick, a working-class port city of about 16,000 that also serves as a gateway to beach resorts on neighboring islands.
The McMichaels weren’t arrested until after the video became public and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was asked to look into the killing. Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, have been jailed since Thursday on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault.
With courts largely closed because of the coronavirus, getting an indictment needed to try the men on murder charges will take a while longer still. The soonest a grand jury can convene to hear the case will be mid-June.
It was not known Monday whether the McMichaels had attorneys to represent them. They had no lawyers at their first court appearance Friday.
Gregory McMichael is a former Glynn County police officer who later worked 20 years as an investigator for the local district attorney’s office. He retired a year ago.
Glynn County District Attorney Jackie Johnson recused herself from the case because the elder McMichael had worked under her. The first outside prosecutor appointed, District Attorney George Barnhill of the neighboring Waycross Judicial Circuit, stepped aside about a month later because his son works for Johnson as an assistant prosecutor. Durden got the case in mid-April.
Attorneys for Arbery’s parents and others, including Carr and the Southern Poverty Law Center, have asked for a federal investigation to weigh whether hate crimes charges should be brought. Georgia has no hate crime law allowing state charges.
At the White House, President Donald Trump said Monday he’s following the case “very closely” and that Arbery “looks like a wonderful young guy.”
“Certainly the video, it was a terrible looking video to me,” Trump said. “But you have a lot of people looking at it and hopefully an answer’s going to be arrived at very quickly.”
Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement: “We are assessing all of the evidence to determine whether federal hate crimes charges are appropriate.”
She said the department is also considering Carr’s request for federal authorities to investigate how local police and prosecutors handled the case. She said Carr has been asked to “forward to federal authorities any information that he has.”
The father and son told police they thought Arbery matched the appearance of a burglary suspect who they said had been recorded on a surveillance camera some time before, according to the Glynn County police report filed after the shooting.
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, has said she thinks her son, a former high school football player, was just jogging in the neighborhood before he was killed.
The leaked video shows a black man running at a jogging pace. A truck is stopped in the road ahead of him, with one white man standing in the pickup’s bed and another beside the open driver’s side door.
The running man attempts to pass the pickup on the passenger side, moving briefly outside the camera’s view. A gunshot sounds, and the video shows the running man grappling with a man over what appears to be a shotgun or rifle. A second shot can be heard, and the running man can be seen punching the other man. A third shot is fired at point-blank range. The running man staggers a few feet and falls face down.
A man who says he recorded the cellphone video of the shooting said he’s received death threats.
William R. Bryan is identified as a witness in the police report taken after Arbery’s shooting. He has not been charged.
“I had nothing to do with it,” Bryan told WJAX-TV in an interview that aired Monday. “I was told I was a witness and I’m not sure what I am, other than receiving a bunch of threats.”
“I feel like I made a statement with this tape,” said RealRed. “It took me two years to perfect it.
