Why is Father’s Day Important?

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June 16, 2022

By JaMya Rogan and Ashley Hampton

In recognition of Father’s Day on June 19, student reporters, JaMya Rogan and Ashley Hampton, at Camp REACH asked more than 40 teens/Camp REACH participants why the day was important. Here are some of their responses.

Amare Starling, 14, Silverdale Baptist Academy: “The Bible says to honor your father and mother, thats why it’s important.”

Jamichael Brown, 14, Southern Preparatory Academy: “Because it allows us to spend time with our fathers.”

Brie Mcglone, 13, Chattanooga Christian School:

“It’s a day of recognition to honor all the sacrifices that our fathers have made.”

LaToria Battle, 14, The Howard School: “I think Father’s Day is important because it acknowledges and celebrates fathers in the world, and it gives us a chance to appreciate them.”

Jamison Malone, 14, Chattanooga Prep: “Some people didn’t grow up with a father, and you should be appreciative of what you have.”

Arion Ray, 14, The Howard School: “It’s important to celebrate the fathers who raised their child since they were born, and to celebrate how long they’ve been a father.”

Camp REACH, the Mary Walker Foundation’s literacy camp, is founded on the concepts of Respect, Earn, Achieve, Citizenship and Hard Work. It features instruction in leadership skills, basic life and work skills, vocational skills (house painting), music and art, journalism, and transportation logistics through a partnership with Network Transport in East Brainerd.

Mary Walker was born in 1848 and died in 1969. She enrolled, at the tender age of 115, as a student in a yearlong program–Chattanooga Area Literacy Movement–learning to read, write, do addition and subtraction.

Known as the “Nation’s Oldest Student,” Walker has been recognized and honored locally, regionally, and nationally. During her long life, she inspired a commitment through determination and grit to grow and be better, regardless of her years and station in life.

The Mary Walker Foundation exists today to carry that mindset into the Chattanooga community, specifically through literacy and hard work.

“Use Your Words” – In the Huddle

Commentary

Lurone "Coach" Jennings

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June 16, 2022

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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

(Matthew 12:36, NLT)

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.

TODAY’S WORD

JESUS says that we will give account for every “idle word” we speak, which means negative, discouraging, condescending, hurtful words. You’ve heard the saying to make your words sweet, for one day you’re going to have to eat them. When we come to the end of life, GOD is going to ask, “Did you love the spouse and children whom I gave you? Did you help them grow, to become more confident? Are they happier, stronger, more successful?” If they are not better from being with you, you need to step it up a notch. Check up on what you’re saying. Every time you say, “I love you. I’m proud of you. I’m so glad your mine,” not only will they get stronger, but you are moving them toward their purpose. Use your words to bless them and to put people on their feet, to make them feel better about themselves. It’s amazing how a few sentences can breathe life into others’ spirits, lifting them up, giving them strength and joy.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

FATHER, thank YOU that YOU have given me the power of words to lift others up. All through the day help me to speak words of blessing and love and to give encouragement to those around me. Help me to develop this habit of speaking life-giving words. In JESUS’ Name, Amen.

June 16, 2022 PRINT EDITION

PRINT EDITION

CNC Staff

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June 16, 2022

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Panel Says Trump, Far-right Groups Responsible for Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol

CNC Staff

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June 10, 2022

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Panel Says Trump, Far-right Groups Responsible for Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol

By Jacob Fischler, Tennessee Lookout

A widely anticipated hearing Thursday by the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol alleged two groups supporting then-President Donald Trump planned the riot to stop the transfer of presidential power–while Trump tacitly endorsed the insurrection and was indifferent to calls to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Over roughly two hours before a prime-time television audience, leaders of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol focused on the role of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Both are far-right groups with histories of violence and violent rhetoric that supported Trump.

The top two members on the panel, Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, also zeroed in on Trump and congressional Republicans, some of whom–including Pennsylvania’s Scott Perry–later asked for presidential pardons for their roles in the attack, Cheney said.

Representatives for Perry did not return an email seeking comment Thursday night.

Cheney, one of two Republicans on the nine-member committee, lost her position in House Republican leadership over her criticism of Trump.

“Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone,” Cheney said in an opening statement. “Your dishonor will remain.”

Thompson in his opening remarks emphasized Trump was at the center of it all, after his attempts to overturn the election results in the courts failed.

“But for Donald Trump, that was only the beginning of what became a sprawling, multi-step conspiracy aimed at overturning the presidential election…aimed at throwing out the votes of millions of Americans–your votes, your voice in our democracy–and replacing the will of the American people with his will to remain in power after his term ended,” said Thompson.

“Donald Trump was at the center of this conspiracy. And ultimately, Donald Trump–the president of the United States–spurred a mob of domestic enemies of the Constitution to march down the Capitol and subvert American democracy.”

The hearing is the first in a series throughout June, as the committee lays out its evidence about the attack.

Thompson said part of the purpose of the hearing was to remind the American people what happened on Jan. 6.

In the past 17 months, Trump allies, including members of Congress, have sought to “rewrite history,” Thompson said, downplaying the seriousness of the attempted coup.

“Tonight and over the next few weeks, we’re going to remind you of the reality of what happened that day,” he said. “But our work must do much more than just look backwards. The cause of our democracy remains in danger.”

Earlier Tuesday, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized the committee, calling it “the most political and least legitimate committee in American history.”

Throughout the hearing, Republican House members blasted the committee on social media and suggested its investigation was unimportant.

“The partisan January 6 committee is nothing more than an illegitimate show trial,” Arizona’s Andy Biggs tweeted.

“Tonight’s J6 committee hearing is the most blatant attempt to distract the American people from the disastrous and failed policies of the Democratic Party,” Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, tweeted.

The first testimony the panel presented was video footage of Bill Barr, the U.S. attorney general on Election Day 2020, who resigned the next month over a disagreement with Trump about the legitimacy of the election.

“I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bullshit,” Barr said in the taped testimony.

Barr continued, saying he told Trump “in no uncertain terms,” there was no evidence of fraud. Barr said there was “absolutely zero basis” for allegations that voting machines were used to steal the election.

Barr called those allegations “complete nonsense,” “crazy stuff” and said “it was doing a great, great disservice to the country.”

The panel also showed video of Ivanka Trump, the former president’s daughter, who said Barr’s views about the lack of fraud were convincing to her.

The panel’s next hearing is set for 10 a.m. on Mon., June 13.

Councilwoman Coonrod Holds Forum for Youth to Discuss Chattanooga’s Mass Shootings

Camm Ashford

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June 10, 2022

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Councilwoman Coonrod Holds Forum for Youth to Discuss Chattanooga’s Mass Shootings

By Camm Ashford

Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod on Thursday hosted a “Call to Action” seminar so students could provide input on what their solutions would be in response to the city’s recent mass shootings.

The open forum, aimed at Chattanooga’s middle and high school students and their parents, took place at 5:30 p.m. at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 East Martin Luther King Blvd.

“Every Black Chattanoogan must have a sense of urgency regarding violence amongst our Black youth,” Councilwoman Coonrod said. “We can no longer ignore the cries and pain. We must engage every generation and demonstrate raw authenticity and passion for changing the created culture. Reach our youth where they are, and uplift them to be their best version. We all must consistently engage with communities by intentionally being present even in the off-season. We must take back each block. We must reclaim our morals and values. We can’t imagine a better future for our youth, we’ve got to fight for it.”

On June 5, three people were killed and 14 others were injured in a mass shooting outside Mary’s Bar and Grill on McCallie Ave. One of the dead and two of the wounded were struck by vehicles while fleeing the shooting.

And on May 28, six teenagers were shot and wounded, two critically, when multiple people opened fire downtown, during a confrontation between two large groups of young people.

Seeking “ideas and solutions” from the city’s youth, Councilwoman Coonrod posed the question, “Have you had enough yet?”

Rising Brainerd High School senior Maurquez Thompson answered, “If we want to get to the bottom of the problem and have a solution, we have to be at schools like Brainerd, Howard and Tyner.”

Thompson, one of two MCs at the forum, plans to one day become a federal judge.

Other ideas put on the table included stronger parental involvement; more after-school and college prep programs to keep kids busy and off the street; extended access to local recreation centers; stronger background checks on guns and lifting the age of purchase to a buyer’s mid-20s; kids getting connected with a local church and students securing part-time jobs.

“Great session with great minds,” said Jaylan Sims. “Thank you so much to Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod for inviting me to co-host alongside Maurquez Thompson, as we connected with our youth to find possible strategies that can end gun violence.”

Sims is a recent Tyner Academy graduate who will attend Vanderbilt University this fall on a full-ride scholarship. He plans to major in communications and history, and minor in Arabic.

“Words cannot adequately describe the immeasurable toll that people who commit acts of violence exact on families and our community,” Councilwoman Coonrod said. “Shootings create trauma for the people directly involved, and for everyone in surrounding neighborhoods and communities. The sounds of gunfire, the possibility that kids or loved ones may be unintended victims, and the inability to feel safe can cause long-term harm. The risk of, and reality of that harm, calls us to action.”

Are These 5 Health Conditions In Your Family Tree?

Health

CNC Staff

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June 9, 2022

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Are These 5 Health Conditions In Your Family Tree?

The branches of your family tree bear much more than the years your grandparents were born. Knowing your family’s health history is an important factor in your health status. Some health conditions are more likely to be passed from generation to generation. Your family tree can shed light on your risks for these 5 conditions:

1. Heart Disease

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States.

Black people are twice as likely to die from heart disease.

If you have a family member that has hypertension, high cholesterol, or that died due to heart disease, you are more at risk for heart disease.

Bad habits such as smoking and unhealthy eating habits that were taught among family members further increase your risk of heart disease.

2. Type II Diabetes

When your body can no longer regulate your blood glucose level due to insulin resistance, type II diabetes develops.

Black people are almost 80% more likely to have diabetes than Caucasians. If your mother or father has diabetes, you are more likely to have diabetes.

However, your lifestyle choices play a major role in your risk factors. Even if you are genetically more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, making healthy food choices and staying active may prevent the disease from developing.

3. Cancer

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), having a family member who was diagnosed with breast, ovarian, uterine, or colorectal cancer increases your risk for these cancers. Having two or more relatives, on your mother’s or father’s side, with any of these cancers increases your risk even more.

Environmental and lifestyle factors like smoking and exposure to radiation can increase your risk for cancer as well.

4. Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell anemia is a genetic mutation of the body’s red blood cells. It is purely a hereditary disease.

According to the CDC, 1 in every 365 Blacks are diagnosed with sickle cell disease.

The sickle cell trait is carried in 1 out of every 13 Blacks. Many who carry the trait are not aware until they give birth to a baby that has sickle cell disease. Knowing your health history and your partner’s health history can help you in making important decisions about family planning.

5. Obesity

Obesity is a risk factor for other conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Research has shown that there may be only a small hereditary component in obesity.However, obesity does tend to show up in families. If your parents were obese, it’s likely that they impacted your food and lifestyle choices. Acknowledgment of a family history of obesity can help you break the cycle of unhealthy life choices. (Source: BlackDoctor.org by Dr. Candace McMillon-Dantley)

How Does Your Donated Blood Get to a Patient in Need?

Health

CNC Staff

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June 9, 2022

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How Does Your Donated Blood Get to a Patient in Need?

We all know donating blood saves lives, but do you know what happens to your blood after you’ve donated? While donating blood is a fairly simple process, once it’s collected, your donation will go through many steps before it reaches a patient in need.

Where does your blood go once it’s donated?

Wondering where your blood goes after you’ve donated and how it lands in the hands of those that need it the most? Cedars-Sinai breaks down how their Blood Donor Services team tests and processes donations.

First, the whole blood (what’s taken out of your arm) is spun to separate out its components—red blood cells and plasma.

Cedars-Sinai’s blood donation center collects platelets for transfusion through a different method called apheresis, a process of simultaneously removing platelets from a donor’s blood and returning the blood to the donor.

After the blood is separated, more than a dozen tests are performed to ensure it’s safe to use.

Once all the testing is complete, the components are stored until patients need them. Your blood is now considered 100% safe and will go on to make a difference in someone else’s life and for that, you should be proud.

“Community blood donors serve as a lifeline for our patients.”

Ready to make a blood donation?

We recognize that you’ve put yourself on the line to donate blood, so we want to make sure it doesn’t take a toll on your body. For most people, the reduction in iron levels caused by donating blood will have no effect on their health.

However, for young women and frequent donors of both genders, donating blood may worsen iron deficiency and/or anemia (low red blood cells). Luckily, you can combat this by eating a well-balanced diet with iron-rich foods.

Although iron-rich foods are a necessity, we highly recommend that you consult with your doctor before taking extra iron in the form of vitamins or supplements.

Too much iron can be harmful to your health. Your doctor can point you in the right direction of how much iron you need based on your age, gender, and how often you donate blood.

Thinking about making a blood donation, but don’t know where to begin? We’ve got covered with a few things you can do before your appointment to ensure you receive the best outcome possible.

Here are some tips on how to prepare:

Maintain healthy iron levels by eating iron-rich foods [PDF] such as red meat, fish, poultry, beans, spinach, iron-fortified cereals, and raisins.
Get a good night’s sleep.
Avoid excessive alcohol consumption before your donation.
Eat normally and drink extra fluids before and after your donation.
If you are donating platelets, remember that you cannot take aspirin for 2 days prior to the donation.
Bring your driver’s license or another form of photo ID.

To find a blood drive location near you, visit American Red Cross. (Source: BlackDoctor.org)

Really Herschel Really?

Commentary

Terry Howard

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June 8, 2022

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Dashing, handsome, chiseled, thick necked and all, at age 60 it looks like Herschel Walker could still blast off left tackle for a first down in an Orange Bowl. But when he opens his mouth lately you freeze, not because of his Southern drawl but what flows out in a mess of confusion, ignorance, stupidity, untruths, gobbledygook and Lord knows what else.

And here’s the kicker: he has a darn good chance of getting elected the next senator from Georgia. Really.

Now if you find yourself in the exclusive company of folks who look like you and him when he opens his mouth, “c’mon bro, you gotta be kidding,” “too many blows to the head,” or stuff unprintable is your likely reaction.

Now I admit that I don’t know what to make of today’s version of Herschel Walker the ex-football player and today’s senatorial candidate.

Well, okay, that’s not altogether true.

For me there’s two versions of Walker; the record-setting running back on one hand, and the bumbling politician from Georgia or Texas or Mars? on the other. There’s a danger in blurring the lines, connecting the two versions with the assumption that the former is a precursor to the latter. Do great athletes always make great politicians? That question just answered itself, didn’t it?

Hold on, let me get this said before the “Dawg darts” start flying my way.

I’m a huge fan of the championship Georgia football team. Watching them take down Alabama got me off the couch high fiving around the TV screen.

And let me be even clearer. I was also a huge fan of Hershel Walker the football player but these days not so with him as a politician based on what I’ve heard him say lately. More on the contemporary Hershel Walker shortly.

You see, like Herschel, there was another Heisman winning running back out of the University of Southern California decades ago (I won’t pollute this narrative with his name). Like Walker, that football player had a documented history of domestic abuse against women. So are we asked to overlook the allegation that Walker abused women, and once pointed a gun at his ex-wife, because he rattled off a 75-yard touchdown run against Florida?

Sorry folks but I have a strong distaste for domestic abusers, including Heisman trophy winners.

Back to today’s Walker who is as adept at avoiding the truth as he once side-stepped would-be tacklers on the gridiron. I mean – hold your breath now – Walker actually said that former President Trump never said that the election was stolen from him.

Really Herschel, really? Do we believe you or our lying ears?

And, Heaven help us, there are more Walker jaw droppers. You may need a “mumbo jumbo” interpreter and a shot of Bourbon to figure it all out:

Jaw dropper #1: He challenged the theory of evolution. His claim is that if evolution is true, why do apes still exist?

Jaw dropper #2: He claimed that he had a cure for COVID in the form of a dry mist that you walk through.

Jaw dropper #3: He claimed then later denied that he said that he was in the top percent of his graduating class at the University of Georgia.

Jaw dropper #4: When asked if new gun laws should be enacted in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas shootings, his reply was “What I like to do is see it and everything and stuff.”

The following day and asked a similar question:

“Well, you know, it’s always been an issue, because as I said earlier on, they want to score political points. People see that it’s a person wielding that weapon, you know, Cain killed Abel. And that’s the problem that we have. And I said, what we need to do is look into how we can stop those things. You talk about doing a disinformation. What about getting a department that can look at young men that’s looking at women, that’s looking at their social media? What about doing that, looking into things like that, and we can stop that that way?”

Wooh wee!

Now despite all this and more, Walker easily defeated his opponents by blowouts in the primary by skipping the debates with them and appearing exclusively in controlled events with softball questions like “how did you feel during your 85-yard touchdown scamper against Tennessee?”

His Democratic opponent, Raphael Warnock, has proposed a series of three debates with Walker who has said he will debate Warnock but hasn’t said how many times (brace yourselves for Jaw dropper #5 folks).

So fresh off winning his primaries, and ending his bromance with Donald Trump, “Dawg” Walker recently griped about how Trump is falsely taking credit for his primary win.

“One thing that people don’t know is President Trump never asked me to run. So, I’m mad at him because he never asked, but he’s taking credit that he asked,” Walker said.

Okay, enough is enough. The thought of Herschel Walker as a senator voting on complex domestic and global issues facing the nation today is as terrifying as him in the cockpit flying me to visit my new grandson in California.

But in the United States of America, stranger things have happened, huh?

Terry Howard is a contributing writer with the Chattanooga News Chronicle, The American Diversity Report, The Douglas County Sentinel, Blackmarket.com, Hometown Advantage, co-founder of the “26 Tiny Paint Brushes” writers’ guild, and recipient of the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award.

Local Blacks Honored at Juneteenth Celebration

News

CNC Staff

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June 8, 2022

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Local Blacks Honored at Juneteenth Celebration

By Yolanda Putman

A local nonprofit organization’s dream for its second Juneteenth celebration rose to reality this month when a sold out crowd hit the Chattanooga Theatre Centre for the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas’ RBG (Red Black and Green) Ball and its 1st Inaugural Black Arts Awards.

“We are making history here tonight,” said Donna Elle Harrison, a local radio personality and Director of Cultural Tourism for the Chattanooga Tourism Co. Harrison hosted the event with TV Channel 9’s “Good Morning Chattanooga” co-anchor Greg Funderberg.

Ric Morris, founder of the black arts organization, recognized local professionals like Neutral Ground restaurant owner and award-winning cuisinier Chef Kenyatta Ashford who prepared the meal especially for the celebration, PAN-CAKE Bakery Owner Renita Johnson who made African flag-topped red velvet cupcakes for desert, and Tinita Coulter who designed dresses for three historical African princesses presented at the ball. Morris also recognized local black firefighters who served as waiters.

The RBG Ball and Black Arts Awards marked the first in a month-long schedule of events recognizing Juneteenth, the oldest celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. The federal holiday is observed on June 19, the date in 1865 when slaves in Galvaston, Texas learned they were free.

A spirit of gratitude and pride filled the theater as black people and some supportive whites stepped in the theater to celebrate African American culture and achievement.

Morris sold 101 tickets to mark the 101st Anniversary of the Black Wall Street Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

After a dinner including tasty cornbread and spread, flavorful beans and fish or beans and chicken, the Knoxville-based drum group, Indigenous Vibes, set the atmosphere with African drum beats and bells mixed with high pitched ululating and high stepping dancers. The group paraded down a red, black and green carpet in the center of the dining area and made space for the procession of three historical African princesses.

The Black Arts Awards honored local artists in visual arts, music, dance, literature, theater and film.

Charlie Newton, founder of a free art school called SPLASH, received the visual arts award. He said he was grateful for the honor and noted that blacks throughout history don’t get the recognition they deserve.

As our art goes, so does the world, but a lot of times we don’t get credit for any of it,” he said. “So it is very important that we celebrate our value and who we are.”

The festival recognized internationally known musician and retired UTC Professor Roland Carter for his work in music. Carter told the audience how he became head of the music department at UTC, a school that would not allow him to enroll in the 1960’s. He was especially grateful for the recognition from the festival at this point in his life. He turned 80 in May.

“I am without words,” he said after his former student and local principal LaFrederick Thirkill announced him to receive the award.

Other artists honored included Writer, Producer and Creator Charles Patterson for theater, D. Williams Dance Academy Founder Devante Williams for dance, and Rhyme N Chatt President Marsha Mills for literature.

Sheila Wofford, a local director, writer, producer and actress, won the award for film. Several people cheered and yelled words of encouragement as she shared her story.

“Someone who was my size who looked like me got supporting roles,” she said.

She worked in Atlanta and New York, but still had a hard time getting the roles she wanted. She noted that she too could play a leading lady.

So when no one gave her an opportunity, she created her own film company in 2014 and began creating opportunities for herself and others.

“I can be the sexy Villain,” she said.

“Come on,” yelled someone from the audience in agreement. Other people cheered and applauded.

“I can be the doctor,” she said. “I can be a lawyer.” For more events to celebrate Juneteenth visit https://www.blackartsandideasfest.com/. The Unity Group is also hosting Juneteenth events. For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/unitygroupofchattanooga/

> > Stay Tuned for More Images for This Story Coming Later This Week!

Students Enjoy First Day of Camp Reach

News

CNC Staff

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June 8, 2022

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On Monday, June 6, Mary Walker Foundation began Camp REACH, its unique summer literacy camp serving 50 students. The camp is based at Chattanooga’s Hope City Church, and runs through July 15.

“The Mary Walker Foundation’s mission to provide the best economic opportunities for all through literacy and education is in full force in this summer camp,” noted “Coach” Lurone Jennings, executive director of the Mary Walker Foundation and longtime fixture in service to at-risk youth in Chattanooga.

The camp–founded on Respect, Earn, Achieve, Citizenship and Hard Work–is a Monday through Thursday event featuring instruction in leadership skills, basic life and work skills, vocational skills (house painting), music and art, journalism, and transportation logistics through a partnership with Network Transport in East Brainerd.

Camp REACH is made possible from the generous supporters of the Mary Walker Foundation. The Foundation was established in 1970 in honor of its namesake, Mary Walker, by the Rev. John Loyd Edwards Jr., father of Chattanooga News Chronicle founder and President John L. Edwards III. Its mission is to help alleviate poverty for all Chattanooga citizens and help create economic stability through literacy training and educational activities. Learn more about the Mary Walker Foundation by visiting https://marywalkerfoundation.org/. Any seeking to support this local endeavor may call (423) 267-2313, or make online contact at Info@MaryWalkerFoundation.org.