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Former Memphis mayor eyes those ‘left out of this economy’ as he seeks return to mayor’s office

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “I met a brother on the street who asked me why I was running again at my age,” the 78-year-old Herenton said to the crowd gathered inside the South Memphis venue at 3356 South Third St. on Saturday afternoon. “I told him two reasons…because I want to, and because I can.”

Published

5 years ago

April 18, 2019

Oakland Post

By Erica R. Williams, The New Tri-State Defender

The Staple Singers’ “Let’s Do It Again” resounded from a speaker before Dr. Willie W. Herenton emerged from the back of the room. He shook hands with people in the crowd as he made his way to the stage to address hundreds of attendees who’d gathered to hear him officially launch his bid for Memphis mayor.

The song that played in the background was intentional. “Let’s Do It Again” has become the campaign slogan for Herenton, who previously served as the mayor of Memphis for 17 years, making him the longest serving person in that position. And he wants another shot at it. He wants to do it again.

“I met a brother on the street who asked me why I was running again at my age,” the 78-year-old Herenton said to the crowd gathered inside the South Memphis venue at 3356 South Third St. on Saturday afternoon. “I told him two reasons…because I want to, and because I can.”

The crowd cheered before he offered a less comical response.

“Part of why I want to run again is because I want to be aspirational and inspirational for those who have been left out of this economy.”

Herenton, the first African American elected to serve as mayor, said crime, generational poverty and education are among the top focuses of his campaign platform.“

“I am going to push vocational, technical education,” he said. “When I went to Booker T. Washington High School, we had shop. We need to get back to that.”

Herenton also touted his own 47 years in public service, including his long-running stint as mayor before he resigned in 2009. After that, he unsuccessfully challenged Congressman Steve Cohen for the 9th District seat in Congress.

Saturday, Herenton took his supporters on a “trip down memory lane.”

“How many of y’all remember when I was mayor?” he asked. “We would have 3,000 kids every summer with city jobs. For many of them they got their first job when I was mayor.”

Cassandra Haynes-Cowan was one of those kids. Only 15 at the time she participated in the former mayor’s summer initiative, she said the experience changed her life.

“That job made me much more mature and responsible. We worked the whole summer with no problems. And it showed us that someone hadn’t forgotten about us. I will always support Mayor Herenton. I know what he can do because he’s done it for us.”

Herenton also received an endorsement from the Memphis Police Association (MPA).

Mike Williams, MPA president, on Saturday said, “We’ve talked to Dr. Herenton prior to endorsing him, and he has asked, what is it going to take to restore the benefits, how can (he) help.”

During the rally, Herenton spoke avidly of his desire to create a minority economically empowered city, and he didn’t mince words when calling out his opponents.

“This current administration wants to build buildings, we want to build families,” he said referring to incumbent mayor, Jim Strickland, who is running for a second term. “When we look at this economy. There is no way Memphis can be a thriving metropolis when 40 percent of the 60-percent majority is living in poverty. We can’t have two Memphis’.

As for his other high-profile challenger, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer, who is leading her campaign with the slogan, “We can’t Wait,” Herenton had this to say.

“When you talk about proven leadership…we’re not talking about novices. We’re not talking about people who are opportunists. We’re not talking about people who say they can’t wait. Those that say they can’t wait – they are going to wait.”

Sawyer, who officially announced her run for mayor in March, is among a new generation of grassroots activists. She organized the first Black Lives Matter protest in Memphis and led the #takemdown901 protest that demanded the removal of Confederate statues in local city parks.

Not discrediting the need for a new generation of leaders, Herenton said it’s one of the reasons he feels compelled to give it one more go as mayor.

“We must prepare the platform for the next generation,” he said. “I didn’t do that when I was mayor and that’s why we have a vacuum in leadership. But when I go back, part of our agenda is to plant the seeds and to grow the next generation of leaders.”

Herenton said he’s confident that he’s the “best candidate for the job”, and even more certain that the people of Memphis will vote him back in office in October.

“At the end of the day, we’re going back to City Hall.”

The city’s municipal election is October 3. Lemichael Wilson, a small business owner, has also specified that he will run.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.