‘Tennessee A&I State 14’ honored at 23rd Annual Great Debate
by Cass F.L. Teague, Jr., Ed.D.
The Great Debate Honor
Society and the Tennessee State
University Alumni Association's
Young Alumni group presented
the 23rd Annual Great Debate at
TSU on April 4. During the program,
four very special TSU
alumni were recognized. Theirs
(along with 10 other classmates)
is a compelling story.
The four were honored at the
Annual Great Debate on the
40th anniversary of the assassination
of the Rev. Martin Luther
King, Jr., and just seven days
after the Tennessee Board of
Regents voted to deny them and
the 10 others the right to receive
honorary degrees from TSU.
During the hot summer of
1961, they [the fourteen] picked
up the baton when CORE
(Congress of Racial Equality)
faltered during the desegregation
of the interstate bus transit. This
is a capsule of their story:
On May 4, 1961, when James
Farmer, leader of CORE, organized
and led a ‘Freedom Ride’
to test the Supreme Court ruling
in Boynton vs. Virginia,
Nashville’s John Lewis was one
of the volunteers. On May 16,
1961, CORE’s original Freedom
Riders were beaten in
Birmingham, Alabama and the
bus was fire bombed in Anniston,
Alabama. The violence forced
the Freedom Riders to disperse
in Birmingham and fly to New
Orleans, Louisiana, their original
destination. On May 17,
1961, the Nashville Student
Central Committee met and
decided to continue the Freedom
Ride. Students wrote letters,
made out their wills and gave
them to Diane Nash to be sent to
their parents in case of their
deaths. The Nashville Freedom
Riders from American Baptist
College, Fisk University, George
Peabody College, and Tennessee
A&I State University boarded a
Greyhound bus for Alabama.
They were immediately arrested
in Birmingham and Police
Commissioner Eugene ‘Bull’
Connor escorted them back to
the Alabama-Tennessee line and
left them on the side of the road
in the early morning hours in
Ardmore, Alabama.
They were rescued by
Kwame Leo Lillard and driven
back to Birmingham, where they
were re-united with other
Nashville ‘Freedom Riders.’
When their Greyhound bus
arrived in Montgomery,
Alabama they were beaten
unmercifully by a mob. Some
were hospitalized, others were
held in First Baptist Church and
martial law was declared. The
next day, they arrived in
Jackson, Mississippi where they
were arrested, convicted and
placed in Parchman Maximum
Security Prison from 30-59 days.
By the end of the summer
(1961), 328 persons had been
imprisoned in Jackson,
Mississippi including 42 persons
from the Nashville Movement,
23 of those persons were A&I
students. On July 1, 1961,
Catherine Burks, Charles Butler,
Allen Cason, Jr., William
Harbour, Larry Hunter, Pauline
Knight, Frederick Leonard,
Lester McKinnie, William
Mitchell, Ernest Patton, Jr., Etta
Simpson, Mary Jean Smith,
Frances Wilson, and Clarence
Wright were expelled by
Tennessee A&I State University.
They filed a lawsuit (Knight et al
vs. Tennessee Board of
Education) and four of the students
who eventually returned
graduated. [Courtesy: TSU
Freedom Riders
Reconciliation Project].
That summer saw intimidation,
physical violence and murders
directed at that storied
group of idealists. Their reward
was to be expelled from the college
whose motto, chiseled into
the stone of the Administration
Bldg., was “Enter to learn, go
forth to serve.” World history
reveres them as icons while the
Tennessee Board of Regents,
including two BlackRegents,
deem them unworthy, to be
awarded honorary degrees from
TSU.
Regents Janice Donahue,
Pamela Fansler, Judy Gooch,
Paul Montgomery,
and Stanley Rogers
voted in favor of
the waiver that
would have
allowed TSU to
grant all 14 honorary
doctorates of
humane letters at
the May, 2008 TSU
Commencement;
Agenia Clark,
Matthew Harris,
Jonas Kisber, Fran
Marcum, Howard
Roddy, Robert Thomas, and
William Watkins voted against
the measure, while Millard
Oakley abstained. Nine votes
would have been needed to pass
the measure. Clark led an alternate
proposal that will tie the
Board to co-sponsor a public
event to recognize the contributions
of the 14 and present them
with medals, ‘Regents
Medallions,’ for their achievement.
So after risking their lives,
and sacrificing their educations,
the 14 are being given tokens
and a soiree?
For 35 years of service to
TSU, Dr. Amiri YaSin Al-Hadid,
the creator of the Great Debate
and the founder of the Honor
Society, was given a plaque and
an honorary membership in the
TSU Alumni Association. He
said that he “deeply and sincerely
appreciated the kind treatment
by the Alumni group.”
Gov. Phil Bredesen has
declared April as Minority
Health Month in Tennessee. The
Volunteer State has officially
taken part in National Minority
Health Month since 2004. This
year, the federal Office of
Minority Health has chosen ‘A
Healthy Baby Begins with You’
as the theme for its work during
this health observance to raise
awareness of preconception care
and its importance in reducing
infant mortality.
“While progress has been
made with state-level funding
and support, the statistics clearly
indicate significant effort is still
needed in the area of infant mortality,”
said Bredesen.
“Tennessee is fully committed
to improving these numbers,
and this month provides an
opportunity to educate more
women and raise awareness of
how important the health of the
mother is to the health of our
children.”
Minority Health Month
helps raise awareness of health
disparities and other health
issues that largely impact minority
populations. The observance
is designed to address not only
the needs of African Americans,
but also Hispanic, Asian
American and Native American
communities in Tennessee.
“We know we have a significant
health disparity in
Tennessee in infant mortality,
and we are working to address it
through a number of programs
and services for potential,
expectant and new mothers,”
said Health Commissioner
Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN.
“We want all Tennessee babies
to be born healthy, and we want
women to know there are steps
they can take to help ensure
good birth outcomes.”
Infant mortality refers to the
death of a live-born infant at any
point before the first year of life.
Figures show Tennessee’s infant
mortality rate exceeds the
national rate, particularly for
Black infants. In 2004, the last
year in which national data are
available, the national infant
mortality rate was 6.78 infants
per 1,000 live births.
Tennessee’s rate for that same
year was 8.6 infants per 1,000
live births. While the rate for
White Tennessee infants for
2004 was below the national
rate at 6.4 infants per 1,000 live
births, the rate for Black
Tennessee infants was 17.4 per
1,000 live births, more than
twice the rate for White infants.
While Tennessee has
improved, the most recent data
show the disparity in infant mortality
still exists. In 2006,
Tennessee’s infant mortality rate
was 8.7 per 1,000 live births.
The mortality rate for White
infants in Tennessee that year
was 6.6 per 1,000, while the rate
for Black Tennessee infants was
16.8 per 1,000 live births, and
was still more than double the
rate for White infants.
“The death of an infant is a
tragedy and a traumatic event
for the family,” said Cherry L.
Houston, Ph.D., MPH, RN,
director of the Division of
Minority Health and Health
Disparities Elimination. “From
a public health standpoint,
infant mortality not only reflects
the current health status of a
population but also gives an
indication of maternal health,
quality of care and access to
care, socioeconomic conditions
and public health interventions.”
The Department of Health
reminds women that preparations
for delivery of a healthy
child should start long before
the child is born. All women of
childbearing age should take a
daily multivitamin containing
400 micrograms of folic acid to
prevent birth defects that may
develop even before a woman
knows she’s pregnant. Women
who are planning a pregnancy
should also get any existing
health problems, such as obesity,
asthma or diabetes, under
control before conception.
Proper prenatal care is also
essential to promoting a positive
pregnancy outcome. All
Tennessee health department
clinics offer basic prenatal care
services, which include pregnancy
testing, education presumptive
eligibility and
TennCare enrollment, referral
for WIC, a federal nutrition program,
and referral for obstetric
medical management.
Select counties across the
state provide full obstetrical
care for pregnant women. You
may contact your local health
department for more information.
The Department of Health
also works to keep babies and
their mothers healthy after
delivery. Programs include
Healthy Start, a nationally recognized,
intensive home visiting
program for first time parents;
the Help Us Grow Successfully
(HUGS) program to assist pregnant
and postpartum women and
children up to age six in gaining
access to medical, social and
educational services; and programs
to assist children with
special health care needs.
March highlights Juvenile Mental
Health facilities mistreatment
Allegations of homicide swept under the rug
by D. Yobachi Boswell
A group of Nashville area
residents known as ‘Power to the
People’ filed two complaints
with the United States
Department of Justice on
January 7. The complaints allege
civil rights violations and criminal
acts in mistreatment, injury
and death at the Chad Youth
Enhancement Center in Ashland
City and Hermitage Hall in
Nashville. Both facilities, which
are owned by Universal Health
Care of King-of-Prussia, Penn.
are residential centers for mentally
disabled youth.
“Hermitage Hall is a mental
health facility specifically for
juveniles who have committed
sex offenses,” according to
PTTP member JoNina Abron.
‘Power to the People’ maintains
that,
“Two teens died at Chad:
Linda Harris, 14, in 2005, and
Omega Leach III, 16, in 2007.
Many observers say the two
were fatally choked by staff.
The state medical examiner,
Dr. Bruce Levy, ruled that
Leach's death was a homicide,
but no one has been prosecuted
for his killing. Levy has not
responded to a request from
Power to the People to hold
inquests into the deaths of Harris
and Leach.”
According Power to the
People President Theeda
Murphy, the organization has
received no response to date
from the Justice Department
regarding their complaints.
Neither have they had contact
with either treatment center,
according to Abron
To raise public awareness of
the situation, the group is planning
a march for Saturday, April
26, from 5th Avenue North and
Harrison Street in Bicentennial
State Park to Legislative Plaza
(War Memorial Plaza) in downtown
Nashville. The march will
start at noon, and be followed by
a rally at the Plaza “featuring
speakers and entertainment,”
according to Power to The
People.
The organization, which
started in January 2006, is an
African American human rights
organization committed to direct
action organizing against racism,
police brutality, and for the
empowerment of the poor.
Power to the People, states in its
statement of purpose, “seeks to
build Black autonomy for positive
community development.”
They “welcome the involvement
of all people who are concerned
about poverty and its attendant
evils.”
Power to the People can be
reached at (615) 720-5468.
Please continue to read The
Nashville PRIDE for the
response from Youth
Enhancement Center and
Hermitage Hall.
Statewide technology-based economic development strategy unveiled
The Tennessee Technology
Development Corporation
(TTDC), the state’s lead organization
for promoting technology-
based economic development,
has unveiled an economic
development strategy that will
advance Tennessee’s economy
by strengthening the state’s science
and technology sectors.
The TTDC Board of Directors
approved the new strategic plan
at a meeting on April 3 at the
Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The plan creates four new
operating committees that will
focus on the core objectives of
the organization: to encourage
research and development and
increase technology transfer; to
provide support for entrepreneurs
and spur the creation of
new businesses throughout the
state; to increase the amount
capital available to high-growth
technology-based companies;
and to align and connect partner
organizations capable of filling
gaps statewide.
The new leadership boards
will be comprised of members
of the TTDC board, as well as
individuals recognized for
expertise in scientific research,
entrepreneurship and capital
formation in urban and rural
communities throughout
Tennessee. Members will be
asked to contribute in the development
of a growth strategy for
the state in their area of focus
and will be responsible for components
of each strategic initiative.
“Gov. Bredesen's vision for
Tennessee is the creation of
higher skilled, better paying
jobs for all Tennesseans and the
growth of technology related
jobs is a key focus of that strategy,”
said Matt Kisber, commissioner
of the Tennessee
Department of Economic and
Community Development and
TTDC board member. “TTDC’s
plan gives our state a unique
growth opportunity in high-paying
industries as it seeks to
leverage existing assets while
driving innovation and entrepreneurship
across Tennessee. It
moves our state toward its goal:
fostering technology-based economic
development in both the
short and long term in a very
strategic and measurable way.”
For more of this story,
start your subscription
for the Pride today.
Call (615) 292-9150
for more information.
TSU athletes take part in
Habitat for Humanity build
Over 40
Tennessee State
University athletes
and administrators
participated
in the
Habitat for
Humanity build
on Sunday April
6. The activity
took place at the
new Habitat
community, Timberwoods, in
north Nashville near Brick
Church Pike and Briley
Parkway.
Over 442,000 donors help Obama
raise over $40 million in March
CHICAGO, Ill. —
Sen. Barack Obama’s
campaign announced
on April 3 that more
than 442,000 contributors
across the country
gave more than
$40 million in March.
More than 218,000
donors contributed to the campaign
for the first time, and the average
contribution level was $96.
“Sen. Obama has always said that
this campaign would rise or fall on
the willingness of the American people
to become partners in an effort to
change our politics and start a new
chapter in our history,” campaign
manager David Plouffe said. “Today
we’re seeing the American people’s
extraordinary desire to change
Washington, as tens of thousands of
new contributors joined the more
than a million Americans who have
already taken ownership of this campaign
for change. Many of our contributors
are volunteering for the
campaign, making our campaign the
largest grassroots army in recent
political history.”
Total contributors to date are
more than 1,276,000.
by Cass F.L. Teague, Jr., Ed.D.
Gov. Phil Bredesen has
declared April as Minority
Health Month in Tennessee. The
Volunteer State has officially
taken part in National Minority
Health Month since 2004. This
year, the federal Office of
Minority Health has chosen ‘A
Healthy Baby Begins with You’
as the theme for its work during
this health observance to raise
awareness of preconception care
and its importance in reducing
infant mortality.
by D. Yobachi Boswell
CHICAGO, Ill. —
Sen. Barack Obama’s
campaign announced
on April 3 that more
than 442,000 contributors
across the country
gave more than
$40 million in March.
More than 218,000
donors contributed to the campaign
for the first time, and the average
contribution level was $96.