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A CLOSER LOOK AT: Jim Strickland: ‘More Memphians have hope now than four years ago’
NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER — Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is optimistic. With the October 3 election less than a month away, the incumbent, who is completing his first term as mayor, believes the city’s voters will choose “results over rhetoric” to re-elect him.
By Erica R. Williams
Updated: Profiles of all three of the leading candidates for Memphis Mayor are now live online. Excellent reporting and writing by Erica R. Williams. Click to access the candidate of your choice:
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is optimistic. With the October 3 election less than a month away, the incumbent, who is completing his first term as mayor, believes the city’s voters will choose “results over rhetoric” to re-elect him.
“We have more progress to make, but the city has come a long way and we have seen results,” he said. “We’re now moving in the right direction.”
Adamant that the city has moved forward since he took office, Strickland isn’t taking all the credit, attributing the growth to combined efforts from city, county and state government.
Assessing his accomplishments and those of his administration, Strickland touted growth in economic development, universal Pre-K funding, police recruitment, and an increase in revenue for minority and women-owned businesses.
“The challenges that Memphis has had for decades are not solvable in three-and-a-half years,” he said. “I’d like another four years to tackle those issues.”
A stark proponent of growing minority and women-owned businesses, Strickland credits former city councilman and businessman Fred L. Davis for exposing him to some sobering statistics before he became mayor.
“I’ll never forget when he told me, ‘If I added up all the business transactions in the city of Memphis, one percent is spent with African Americans,” Strickland recalled. “That’s wrong on so many levels in a city that is predominately African American. If you want to grow the city, you have to grow black wealth.”
As mayor, Strickland and his team began focusing on growing minority and women-owned businesses. Since then, Black Enterprise magazine has named Memphis the #1 city for black-owned businesses. Leaders in other cities, said Strickland, have inquired about using Memphis’ model to grow their minority-owned businesses efforts.
The city’s Office of Diversity and Compliance has increased its contracts with minority-owned and women businesses to 20 percent. It was at 12 percent before Strickland took office.
Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer, who is also running for mayor, has asked for the number to be re-calculated after Strickland and his team admitted that there was an error in the reporting earlier this year. In January during his State of the City address, Strickland said that spending was up to 24 percent, but it was later found to be 18 percent at the time. Strickland and his team said they’re confident that the current number is accurate.
Last year, the city launched The 800 Initiative, with a goal of growing the revenue of 800 minority-owned businesses by $50 million by 2023. And recently, city leaders declared that $50 million-plus is being spent with minority-owned businesses in the Cook Convention Center renovation project.
“This campaign needs to be about results and not rhetoric,” Strickland said. “My opponents talk about this, but they don’t have the record to support their rhetoric. (Former Mayor Dr. Willie W.) Herenton only increased it by 8 or 9 percent when he was in office. He says he has unfinished business; well, you need to be able get it done in 18 years.”
Strickland also referenced Sawyer and what he noted as her lack of success with minority-owned businesses.
“Commissioner Sawyer and the county’s MWBE (minority and women-owned business enterprises) business is only at 3 percent,” he said.
With Sawyer calling it “morally wrong” that the city does not allot any funding to Shelby County Schools, Strickland pushed back.
“Unless you are going to cut back on police services and fire services or raise taxes, it’s not going to be done,” Strickland said. “But we are giving back to education in other ways.”
Through a city and county partnership, Strickland was able to invest in universal Pre-K with no new taxes. The plan’s goal is to ensure that Pre-K is accessible to all eligible by the year 2020.
Fielding Herenton’s criticism that Strickland is weak on crime, the incumbent shot back that Memphis was listed as the leading U.S. city for crime in 2006, which fell during Herenton’s mayoral watch.
Earlier his year, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released a report that cited “significant drops” in crime in Memphis, including decreases in robberies, property crimes, burglaries and domestic violence. However, homicide rates spiked to 14.5 percent.
“The data says that we are making progress and I believe that we would have made more progress if we would have had more police,” Strickland said.
His public safety plan consists of building the police force, increasing penalties for violent crimes, investing in youth through mentorship, jobs and programing, and expanding workforce re-entry programs.
The police department has hired close to 500 new officers since Strickland took office. He emphasizes that his approach to combating crime differs from his opponents.
“One says we don’t need police officers, which most residents will disagree with,” Strickland said of Sawyer.
“When my other opponent (Herenton) was mayor we had the highest crime rate in the country. And he’s also been quoted saying that there is nothing any mayor can do about crime. And I disagree with that.”
While he supports criminal justice reform as it relates to nonviolent offenders, Strickland said, “But we have to be tough on those who commit violent crimes.”
Overall, the city has momentum and is headed in the right direction, said Strickland, pointing to more than 24,000 Memphians who have gotten jobs since he became mayor.
“I am personally inserting myself in economic development,” he said. “I’ve been recognized for keeping ServiceMaster in Memphis, the St. Jude expansion that resulted in an additional 1600 jobs and the recent printing company Mimeo relocating its headquarters to Memphis.”
He’s expecting more opportunities to come to the city, putting more Memphians to work at livable wages.
“I raised the minimum wage that we incentivize to $13 an hour, which is a livable wage in Memphis,” he said. “But many of the jobs pay $16 an hour.”
The livable wage calculator issued by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded that in Shelby County, $11 is a livable wage for an adult with no children. That number increases to $22, if there is a child in the household.
Strickland said that despite the challenges still evident, he’s optimistic about the future, if he’s re-elected.
“I guarantee more Memphians have hope now than four years ago,” he declared confidently. “We are ready to roll up our sleeves and tackle these challenges, but we also have to celebrate the good things.”
This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender
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PRESS ROOM: The Allen Lewis Agency Named Ally Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year for 2024
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “This recognition from Ally is deeply appreciated,” said Chandra Lewis, co-founder and COO of TALA. “Receiving Ally’s Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year award is a testament to the strength of our team, our strategic approach and our ability to use relationships to deliver meaningful business results for our clients.”
The post PRESS ROOM: The Allen Lewis Agency Named Ally Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year for 2024 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
DETROIT– Ally Financial has recognized The Allen Lewis Agency, a full-service marketing and communications agency, as its Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year for 2024. The award was given at the Ally 4th annual Supplier Diversity & Sustainability Symposium, on Feb. 29 in Charlotte, N.C.
In 2023, TALA led media outreach and marketing efforts for the fifth anniversary of Moguls in the Making, Ally’s HBCU entrepreneurial pitch competition. It also introduced the brand to new opportunities such as the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), where Ally led a panel on financial education for filmmakers, and leveraged professional connections and years of experience in multicultural marketing to amplify Ally’s partnership with UnitedMasters.
“We are honored to work with Ally and its incredible team members,” said Jocelyn (Allen) Coley, co-founder and CEO of TALA. “The work Ally is doing to bring financial education to a more diverse, multicultural audience through outreach to the creator community aligns with our own passions and priorities. We’re proud to be part of programs such as Moguls in the Making, the American Black Film Festival, and Art Basel, raising awareness within a diverse, often underrepresented audience.”
Ally, the nation’s largest all-digital bank, started its supplier diversity program in 2020 to highlight its commitment to supporting the advancement of an inclusive and sustainable marketplace. The brand strives yearly to increase its spending with diverse suppliers – creating economic value, mobility, and a sustainable future for all.
“When Ally launched its Supplier Diversity program four years ago, our goal was to build an ecosystem of partners and suppliers who truly represented our communities,” said TJ Lewis, Ally senior director of Supplier Diversity and Sustainability. “From the beginning, TALA’s success in forging connections between Ally and minority-focused media has greatly expanded the visibility of our brand to the audiences we most want to reach. Their work is worthy of recognition.”
“This recognition from Ally is deeply appreciated,” said Chandra Lewis, co-founder and COO of TALA. “Receiving Ally’s Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year award is a testament to the strength of our team, our strategic approach and our ability to use relationships to deliver meaningful business results for our clients.”
About The Allen Lewis Agency:
The Allen Lewis Agency (TALA) is a full-service marketing and communications agency committed to helping clients build their brands and expand their business through a range of services including strategic brand development, media relations, diversity, equity and inclusion, advertising, events and reputation management. Founders Jocelyn (Allen) Coley and Chandra S. Lewis bring more than 40 combined years of corporate experience with a breadth and depth of services that are unmatched. Now in its eighth year in business, TALA is a certified Minority Business Enterprise, Women Business Enterprise, Women-Owned Small Business and a certified Association of National Advertisers diverse supplier that has employed a national team of experts who have decades of experience servicing major brands with positive measurable results. Learn more about The Allen Lewis Agency at https://www.theallenlewisagency.com.
The post PRESS ROOM: The Allen Lewis Agency Named Ally Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year for 2024 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Data from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City shows that more than 13 percent of African American men between the ages 45 and 79 will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. And Black men have a 70 percent higher rate of developing prostate cancer than White men. The American Cancer Society also shockingly predicts that Black men are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than their White counterparts.
The post OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Hamil R. Harris, NNPA Contributing Writer
Political provocateurs are determined to stir up controversy over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to tell President Biden about his treatment for prostate cancer. Yet, his desire to keep the matter private—and out of the public eye—is in line with what many men, particularly men of color, have done for decades. The reticence to share details of a medical condition is understandable, but prostate cancer is a silent killer in the Black community and the time has come to give it a voice.
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose son Dexter recently passed from prostate cancer, I ask: How long? How long will Men of color suffer in silence and die alone? How long will too many brothers hide their plight?
When he finally commented publicly about his condition, Austin offered regrets about keeping silent and then made an important pledge. He said that by not initially disclosing his diagnosis, he “missed an opportunity to send a message on an important public health issue,” while noting the prevalence of prostate cancer, particularly among Black men. Encouraging all men to get screened, Austin promised, “You can count on me to set a better example on this issue today and for the rest of my life.”
Any cancer diagnosis is a private matter. But men like Dexter King and Austin can help so many others who are prone to prostate cancer. Keeping the surgery and treatment a secret would only have continued to add to the stigma surrounding prostate cancer. That would have been a disservice to the thousands of men of color diagnosed annually.
Indeed, data from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City shows that more than 13 percent of African American men between the ages 45 and 79 will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. And Black men have a 70 percent higher rate of developing prostate cancer than White men. The American Cancer Society also shockingly predicts that Black men are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than their White counterparts.
These figures are appalling when considering that prostate cancer is one of the most treatable forms of the disease with the five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with it being greater than 99 percent if the cancer is detected during the early stage.
While there are numerous reasons for why this disparity between Black and white men exists – decades of structural racism, environmental issues, certain comorbidities, different molecular pathways in the body of Black men – a great deal of the reason comes down to the fact that Black men are disproportionately not being screened for prostate cancer as early or as regularly as White men.
A recent study published in JAMA Oncology by a team at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center found that Black men get fewer PSA (prostate specific antigen) screenings; they are more likely to be diagnosed with later stage cancer; they are less likely to have health insurance; and they have less access to high-quality care and other disparities that can be linked to a lower overall socioeconomic status.
Given his platform as Secretary of Defense, I am happy that Austin recognized his duty to be open and honest about his battle with this disease. And in doing so, he now joins groups and individuals who are already working on spreading awareness for prostate screenings who can act as guideposts.
For example, Mount Sinai Medical Center recently unveiled the Robert F. Smith Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Unit, which will visit New York City neighborhoods where men could be at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. The mobile home sized bus is named after the African American philanthropist and venture capitalist who donated almost $4 million to launch the program. Smith, who has led many philanthropic endeavors aimed at supporting the African-American community, obviously realizes that it takes a preemptive approach to combat the scourge of prostate cancer by going directly into the communities most affected by the disease. In announcing the prostate screening initiative, Smith tied it to larger inequities in our society that leave African Americans behind. “It’s unconscionable that in our great country and at this moment of technological breakthrough, Black Americans are still subject to staggeringly worse health outcomes,” he said. “We can fix this.”
Thankfully there are individuals like Smith and now Austin to use their platforms to spread awareness for this deadly – yet very treatable – form of cancer and ensure that more people don’t die needlessly.
Hamil R. Harris is an award-winning journalist and contributing writer for the NNPA
The post OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Chevrolet and National Newspaper Association Offer Summer Internship: Discover the Unexpected Fellowship
NNPA NEWSWIRE — The importance of diverse storytelling has never been more evident, and Chevrolet, in partnership with the NNPA, is committed to empowering the next generation of storytellers. By offering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the DTU Fellowship seeks to make a lasting impact on both the individuals selected and the media landscape. The application window for the DTU Fellowship closes on April 1, 2024.
The post Chevrolet and National Newspaper Association Offer Summer Internship: Discover the Unexpected Fellowship first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
In a bid to amplify Black voices and highlight diverse stories, Chevrolet, in collaboration with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), invites budding journalists, content creators, and communications enthusiasts to embark on the summer internship of a lifetime through the Discover the Unexpected (DTU) Fellowship.
The DTU Fellowship is geared towards students of historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are passionate about storytelling and eager to contribute to the media landscape. This opportunity offers a platform for aspiring journalists and provides financial support in the form of a $10,000 scholarship and an $8,000 stipend.
One of the key aspects of the DTU Fellowship is the chance to collaborate with some of the largest and most influential Black-owned newspapers in the community. The collaboration aims to bridge the gap between emerging talents and established media outlets, fostering an environment of mentorship and shared knowledge.
The selected DTU fellows will embark on a transformative journey beyond conventional internships. This experience promises exploration, learning, and, most importantly, amplifying their voices. The fellowship recognizes the unique perspectives of HBCU students and aims to provide a platform for these voices to be heard.
What sets the DTU Fellowship apart is the hands-on guidance and mentorship provided by industry professionals who understand the power of diverse perspectives. Fellows can elevate content and gain career-building knowledge through interactions with seasoned journalists and media experts.
The importance of diverse storytelling has never been more evident, and Chevrolet, in partnership with the NNPA, is committed to empowering the next generation of storytellers. By offering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the DTU Fellowship seeks to make a lasting impact on both the individuals selected and the media landscape.
As the application deadline approaches, interested individuals are encouraged to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity. The application window for the DTU Fellowship closes on April 1, 2024. The tight deadline emphasizes the urgency and exclusivity of the opportunity, urging potential applicants to act promptly.
The Discover the Unexpected Fellowship by Chevrolet and the National Newspaper Association represents a unique chance for HBCU students to receive financial support for their education and gain invaluable hands-on experience in collaboration with influential Black-owned newspapers. By taking part in this transformative journey, aspiring journalists have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the media industry. Don’t miss out on the chance to elevate your content and amplify your voice – apply before the April 1, 2024 deadline!
The post Chevrolet and National Newspaper Association Offer Summer Internship: Discover the Unexpected Fellowship first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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