#NNPA BlackPress
Heritage Tours told to vacate ‘Handy House’ after 24 years
THE NEW TRI-STATE-DEFENDER — Situated on the east end of the Beale Street Entertainment District, the house is where a young William Christopher Handy lived at the turn of the century. A letter from the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) informed Turner that the operating services of Heritage Tours would not be part of the Handy home’s future. Heritage had been the operator for 24 years.
By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell, Special to the New Tri-State Defender
Heritage Tours, which principal operator Elaine Turner describes as the state’s first African-American-owned tour company, no longer is overseeing the blue-and-white shotgun house that reflects the meager beginnings of W.C. Handy, renowned as the “Father of the Blues.”
Situated on the east end of the Beale Street Entertainment District, the house is where a young William Christopher Handy lived at the turn of the century. A letter from the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) informed Turner that the operating services of Heritage Tours would not be part of the Handy home’s future. Heritage had been the operator for 24 years.
The letter – forwarded to Turner on January 2 – floored her. She had until February 2 to completely vacate the property, as possession was being taken by the DMC.
The DMC letter simply stated: “After much discussion, we’d like to inform you that we will no longer require the services of Heritage Tours, Inc., as operator of the W.C. Handy Home & Museum as of February 2, 2019.”
Jennifer Oswalt, president and CEO of DMC, told The New Tri-State on Tuesday that the changeover move was a matter of economics from Beale Street Management’s standpoint.
“For the significant capital investment we are making in repairs of the house and courtyard, we felt that it was the best decision going forward as we work on devising plans to increase awareness of the house and visitors,” said Oswalt.
“Also, we are responsible for reporting on the condition of the property to Mr. Handy’s grandson, and we felt we could best do that if we were in possession of the property.”
Jon Shivers, who sent the letter to Turner, also informed her that DMC was in compliance with the 30-day notice for terminating the agreement with Beale Street Management. The letter advised Turner to acknowledge receipt. Turner said she made numerous calls to Shivers and left messages, with no indication of a response.
Turner also was instructed to make an inventory of everything inside the museum, determining what belonged to Heritage, what the Handy family owned, and which items belonged to Beale Street Management.
Turner reached out for two Memphis City Council members: Martavius Jones and Joe Brown.
“When Mrs. Turner called me, I told her to write them a letter,” said Brown.
Why, and why now? It’s the same way sharecropping is done. Black people are used like animals to work the land, but they get no reward from it. Mrs. Turner initiated that whole project, and now, it’s just being taken away. Just, ‘get out and we’ll take it from here.’ It’s just not right.
Turner wrote Shivers on January 29.
“I have made several attempts to reach you by phone after the receipt of your letter,” her letter read. “This letter (to vacate) comes as a total shock since we have been in frequent communication with you, and there was no indication that you had other plans that did not include Heritage Tours.”
She ended her letter with a request for a meeting that she never got.
For Councilman Jones, the issue of respect – and the manner in which Turner and Heritage were dealt with – matters.
“I don’t know how or why the Downtown Memphis Commission feels they can run Handy House better than Elaine Turner and Heritage House,” said Jones. “I was talking about Beale Street Management from the first day I got here (on the council). They have no experience whatsoever in running an entertainment district.
“They are learning on the job just like anybody else. And then, was it done in a respectful way? I think that’s a very good question to ask the Downtown Memphis Commission. Do they feel this process was done in a respectful manner?”
In a timeline detailed in her letter to Shivers, Turner asserted that in 2017, DMC reached out to offer assistance with upkeep. In November 2018, DMC informed her that they had received money from the city and would send a contractor to begin work on repair of a busted water pipe behind a wall and the resulting water damage, Turner wrote in her letter.
In December of 2018, DMC sent a photographer to Handy House for photos to add to the Beale Street website. On January 2, two weeks later, Turner received the vacate letter with the notice that the DMC was taking over the operation.
“That’s what the plan was all along,” said Brown. “All of this construction and new projects downtown don’t include us. Black businesses get 22 percent set-aside for contracts when we are 76 percent of the population. …They are taking everything we’ve got. Look at what they’re doing to Tom Lee Park.”
Oswalt said Beale Street Management is not cutting Turner out all together.
“We look forward to collaborating with Heritage Tours and other tour companies on how we can move forward together.”
Heritage Tours moved out of the W.C. Handy Home & Museum property on February 10.
“We’ve tried to keep Handy’s legacy alive,” Turner said. “We have the W.C. Handy Heritage Awards every year at Handy’s birthday. …We’ve tried to keep that name in the forefront.”
The date Heritage was given to move out fell during African-American History Month.
Said Turner: “Can you believe it?”
(TSD Associate Publisher/Executive Editor Karanja A. Ajanaku contributed to this report.)
#NNPA BlackPress
Trump Set to Sign Largest Cut to Medicaid After a Marathon Protest Speech by Leader Jeffries
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S.

By Lauren Burke
By a vote of 218 to 214, the GOP-controlled U.S. House passed President Trump’s massive budget and spending bill that will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S. With $175 billion allocated in spending for immigration enforcement, the money for more police officers eclipsed the 2026 budget for the U.S. Marines, which is $57 billion. Almost all of the policy focus from the Trump Administration has focused on deporting immigrants of color from Mexico and Haiti.
The vote occurred as members were pressed to complete their work before the arbitrary deadline of the July 4 holiday set by President Trump. It also occurred after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries took the House floor for over 8 hours in protest. Leader Jeffries broke the record in the U.S. House for the longest floor speech in history on the House floor. The Senate passed the bill days before and was tied at 50-50, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “my hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.” There were no changes made to the Senate bill by the House. A series of overnight phone calls to Republicans voting against, not changes, was what won over enough Republicans to pass the legislation, even though it adds trillions to the debt. The Trump spending bill also cuts money to Pell grants.
“The Big Ugly Bill steals food out of the hands of starving children, steals medicine from the cabinets of cancer patients, and equips ICE with more funding and more weapons of war than the United States Marine Corps. Is there any question of who those agents will be going to war for, or who they will be going to war against? Beyond these sadistic provisions, Republicans just voted nearly unanimously to close urban and rural hospitals, cripple the child tax credit, and to top it all off, add $3.3 trillion to the ticking time bomb that is the federal deficit – all from a party that embarrassingly pretends to stand for fiscal responsibility and lowering costs,” wrote Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in a statement on July 3.
“The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 17 million people will lose their health insurance, including over 322,000 Virginians. It will make college less affordable. Three million people will lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And up to 16 million students could lose access to free school meals. The Republican bill does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations,” wrote Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in a statement. The bill’s passage has prompted Democrats to start thinking about 2026 and the next election cycle. With the margins of victory in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate being so narrow, many are convinced that the balance of power and the question of millions being able to enjoy health care come down to only several thousand votes in congressional elections. But currently, Republicans controlled by the MAGA movement control all three branches of government. That reality was never made more stark and more clear than the last seven days of activity in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

#NNPA BlackPress
Congressional Black Caucus Challenges Target on Diversity
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
Target is grappling with worsening financial and reputational fallout as the national selective buying and public education program launched by the Black Press of America and other national and local leaders continues to erode the retailer’s sales and foot traffic. But a recent meeting that the retailer intended to keep quiet between CEO Brian Cornell and members of the Congressional Black Caucus Diversity Task Force was publicly reported after the Black Press discovered the session, and the CBC later put Target on blast.
“The Congressional Black Caucus met with the leadership of the Target Corporation on Capitol Hill to directly address deep concerns about the impact of the company’s unconscionable decision to end a number of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” CBC Chair Yvette Clarke stated. “Like many of the coalition leaders and partner organizations that have chosen to boycott their stores across the country, we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted,” Congresswoman emphasized. “Black consumers contribute overwhelmingly to our economy and the Target Corporation’s bottom line. Our communities deserve to shop at businesses that publicly share our values without sacrificing our dignity. It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises to our communities in private without also demonstrating those values publicly.”
Lauren Burke, Capitol Hill correspondent for Black Press of America, was present when Target CEO Cornell and a contingent of Target officials arrived at the U.S. Capitol last month. “It’s always helpful to have meetings like this and get some candid feedback and continue to evolve our thinking,” Cornell told Burke as he exited the meeting. And walked down a long hallway in the Cannon House Office Building. “We look forward to follow-up conversations,” he stated. When asked if the issue of the ongoing boycott was discussed, Cornell’s response was, “That was not a big area of focus — we’re focused on running a great business each and every day. Take care of our teams. Take care of the guests who shop with us and do the right things in our communities.”
A national public education campaign on Target, spearheaded by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the NNPA’s board of directors, and with other national African American leaders, has combined consumer education efforts with a call for selective buying. The NNPA is a trade association that represents the more than 220 African American-owned newspapers and media companies known as the Black Press of America, the voice of 50 million African Americans across the nation. The coalition has requested that Target restore and expand its stated commitment to do business with local community-owned businesses inclusive of the Black Press of America, and to significantly increase investment in Black-owned businesses and media, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU, Black-owned Banks, national Black Church denominations, and grassroots and local organizations committed to improving the quality of life of all Americans, and especially those from underserved communities. According to Target’s latest earnings report, net sales for the first quarter of 2025 fell 2.8 percent to $23.85 billion compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales dropped 3.8 percent, and in-store foot traffic slid 5.7 percent.
Shares of Target have also struggled under the pressure. The company’s stock traded around $103.85 early Wednesday afternoon, down significantly from roughly $145 before the controversy escalated. Analysts note that Target has lost more than $12 billion in market value since the beginning of the year. “We will continue to inform and to mobilize Black consumers in every state in the United States,” Chavis said. “Target today has a profound opportunity to respond with respect and restorative commitment.”
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