TEA President: “Tennessee’s public schools need the same freedom to teach that private schools enjoy.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The following may be attributed to TEA President Tanya T. Coats, a veteran Knox County educator:
“The passage of universal vouchers makes clear that the state wishes to provide maximum flexibility to meet the needs of each individual child; therefore, we look forward to working with the General Assembly to provide public schools with the same freedom to teach children that private schools currently enjoy. Ensuring that all schools receiving taxpayer support are judged on a level playing field should be a top priority for lawmakers, and we trust there will be no double standard with respect to permitting schools to achieve their mission without government interference.
“Parents and teachers expect more details to support the claim that vouchers won’t harm the public schools where nine out of ten kids will still receive their education. Other states have busted their budgets with similar programs, and the state’s own analysis showed districts will receive less money per student. The state must act to ensure action matches rhetoric.
“The governor and lawmakers have assured us they are not abandoning our public schools. However, Tennessee still has significant work ahead to ensure that public schools have the necessary resources to support both students and educators. Tennessee students need more time to learn, and teachers need more time to teach. The General Assembly should be looking for ways to reduce high stakes standardized testing, allowing for more meaningful assessments that focus on student learning rather than test preparation.
“Tennessee must also implement initiatives to recruit and retain qualified teachers – thereby addressing staff shortages and ensuring diverse and effective educators in every classroom – while upholding the integrity of the profession. A key component of this type of professional investment is to ensure competitive salaries, professional development, and resources to enhance teaching quality. “Tragedies like what occurred at Antioch High School shine a light on the need for additional mental health supports in our schools. Rather than looking for ways to shift resources away from public schools, the state should ensure that we are combining investment in school security with strategies to ensure we’re addressing the wellbeing of all in our school community. This effort will be bolstered by strengthening and expanding community schools, creating supportive environments that integrate academic, health, and social services for students and families.” By Tribune Staff, Updated: February 20, 2025 Tanya T. Coats
Storyteller Sylvia Greene Featured at ‘Women United in Love’ Brunch
The New Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church is excited to host the “Women United in Love Brunch” on Saturday, March 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free event, held at the church located at 1616 Washington St., promises an inspiring morning of fellowship, food and empowerment for women in the community.
The brunch will feature a delicious meal, gifts, and engaging conversations centered around unity, love and sisterhood. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with other women of faith, share stories and uplift one another in Christ’s name.
The highlight of the event will be the keynote address by the renowned Sis. Sylvia Greene. An award-winning storyteller and transformational speaker, Greene is known for her captivating presentations. She uses her expressive voice, gestures and deep emotion to bring to life stories from Africa, America and the Caribbean.
Her repertoire includes tales of Anansi the Spider, Brer Rabbit, legends, historical accounts, folk tales and personal stories, all woven with rhythm, rhyme, chants and choral response. Greene’s stories offer timeless lessons applicable to modern life.
As an educator, teacher coach, and motivational speaker, Greene skillfully uses storytelling, re-enactments and read-alouds to create real-life connections that resonate with audiences of all ages. Her historical reenactments, featuring figures like Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethune and Zora Neale Hurston, are particularly powerful. Her performances often incorporate singing, sign language and musical rhythms, adding another layer of engagement for her audience.
The “Women United In Love Brunch” aims to celebrate the strength and power of unity among women. Organizers encourage women from all walks of life to attend and experience this special event.
Seats are limited for this brunch, so reservations are essential. Interested individuals are encouraged to secure their free tickets as soon as possible. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with amazing women in the community and be inspired by Sis. Sylvia Greene. To register for free tickets, visit: https://allevents.in/chattanooga/women-united-in-love-brunch/10000124999820126.
FAMILY of ATTORNEYS DEVELOP Board Game: Crime No Crime
Nationwide — After witnessing the devastation of countless families due to unintentional severe legal violations, Attorneys Eartha and Lonnie Johnson, along with their adult attorney children decided to do something about it. The result was Crime No Crime, a fun, Family Feud-style board game that presents players with real-world scenarios that require them to determine if actions constitute crimes and if so, assess the often surprising severity of the infractions.
“After years of seeing families torn apart due to legal ignorance, we realized legal education needed to be more accessible and engaging,” said Eartha Johnson. “Crime No Crime transforms complex legal concepts into digestible information that could literally save families from tragedy.”
The game addresses a critical gap in public legal knowledge, particularly relevant given the current mass incarceration crisis. Players navigate through various scenarios while developing a deeper understanding of legal consequences.
“What makes Crime No Crime unique is its ability to teach serious legal concepts in an entertaining format that resonates with both children and adults,” explained Lonnie Johnson. “When people know better, they do better, and that’s exactly what this game enables.”
The Johnson family’s combined legal expertise spans prosecution, defense, and judicial experience, ensuring the game’s content accurately reflects the current legal landscape while remaining accessible to the general public. About
Crime No Crime is an educational board game created by an African American family of legal professionals (husband, wife, and children – all lawyers) dedicated to preventing mass incarceration through interactive legal education. The game combines entertainment with crucial legal knowledge, helping families understand and avoid legal pitfalls through engaging gameplay.
Trump fires top military leaders in unprecedented shakeup
By Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary
President Donald Trump fired Chair of the Joint Chiefs Gen. C.Q. Brown on Friday night, and said he intends to dismiss the Navy’s top admiral and the Air Force’s second in command — an unprecedented shakeup of the Pentagon’s top brass that will trigger ripple effects throughout the military.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, said he was nominating retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine to take Brown’s place. Caine is a partner at Shield Capital, a venture capital firm.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, minutes later, said in a statement that he is “requesting nominations” for replacements for Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief Gen. James Slife.
The Pentagon chief also said he was also looking for new nominations for senior judicial officers — the services’ top lawyers — for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The firings wipe away decades of military experience and could create a cascade of hasty promotions down the ranks that impact U.S. leadership across the globe.
Brown’s firing became public while he was in Texas visiting troops on the southern border, and days after he huddled with European allies at a defense leaders’ summit in Germany. Franchetti learned of her firing in a call from Hegseth on Friday night.
Both had been historic picks. Franchetti was the first woman to serve on the joint chiefs. Brown — who was tapped by Trump to be the Air Force’s top officer in 2020 before ascending to the military’s top job under former President Joe Biden — had been just the second Black chair.
Brown’s four-year term would have run through September 2027, although Trump has the authority to remove him. Such a decision, though, exposes a lack of confidence in the current crop of military leaders and signals to officials that they can be fired at any time.
“Well fuck,” said one defense official caught off-guard by the news.
Trump and Hegseth offered little justification for the dramatic firings. But the Pentagon chief said it was part of an effort to put in place “new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars.”
Brown has long been a target of congressional Republicans who accused the Pentagon of prioritizing diversity and inclusion programs over the military’s fundamental tasks.
Defense officials have feared for weeks that Trump would remove Brown based on the perception he is out of step with the president on those programs. When Trump urged the Defense Department to crack down on the George Floyd protests in 2020, for example, Brown spoke publicly about the challenges of rising through the military as a Black man.
Brown appeared to briefly come back into Trump’s good graces, interacting together at the Army-Navy football game ahead of the inauguration. And on his first day at the Pentagon, Hegseth indicated he supported the military leader.
The decision to replace him with Caine is an unusual one. Pulling a former officer from retirement isn’t unprecedented. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld did the same in 2003 so Gen. Peter Schumacher could serve as Army Chief of Staff.
But a retired military officer, who like others was granted anonymity to speak frankly about a fast-moving issue, pointed out that a 3-star general has never been nominated as the chairman of the joint chiefs.
Trump also has claimed Caine donned a ‘MAGA’ hat during their 2018 meeting in Iraq, which is against military regulations. Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker made no mention of Caine in his Friday night statement congratulating Brown for “his decades of honorable service to our nation.”
Hamilton County School Board Addresses Cell Phone Use and Mental Health
The Hamilton County School Board’s regular meeting on February 20 addressed several issues of interest to parents. The ongoing discussion centered around the proposal to prohibit cell phones in schools during the academic day, and there was a pause in the rollout of a student app for mental health services.
During the full meeting, board members shared various anecdotal situations highlighting both the benefits and disruptions caused by students having cell phone access during school hours. Some board members cited examples of class disruptions due to selective enforcement of rules by teachers and principals, which do not sufficiently address the issue of students using cellular devices during class time.
There was a consensus among all attendees that teachers face challenges in maintaining students’ attention while they receive notifications from social media platforms and texts. Board members reported receiving numerous calls from teachers requesting a complete ban on devices in the classroom.
Board Member Jackie Thomas of District 4 succinctly summarized the difficulty: “The problem right now is that people are not holding students to the same standard. Are the teachers and principals not addressing it, and kids are doing whatever they want to do?”
It is evident that if cell phone use is currently prohibited during class but still occurs, the issue lies in students’ disregard for authority and existing rules, necessitating reinforcement by parents at home and enforcement in schools during incidents. Board Member Karista Mosely-Jones of District 5 posed an important question regarding the efficacy of a ban if the current policy is already being disregarded or selectively enforced.
Parents are encouraged to share their opinions with their school board members as the proposal to ban cell phones during the school day has been returned to committee for further policy discussion. It is also an opportune time to discuss the primary purpose of school time, which is to provide academic instruction for students’ best futures.
Prior to the regular meeting, the work session agenda included a presentation by Dr. Sonia Stewart, which resulted in a temporary halt to the rollout of an app designed to be available to students on their Chromebooks.
The HELPme App, developed by STOPit Solutions out of New Jersey, is proposed to give students individual access via their computer to three types of support. According to the company’s website, the app was initially created to address cyberbullying and has expanded to serve as a resource for students, parents, school staff, and counselors. Students would have digital access to self-help through preloaded links and phone numbers, a 24/7 crisis line offering immediate support, and a two-way communication feature for counseling and assistance.
Concerns about student privacy and data protection with the app, available via both the Google Play and Apple app stores, remain valid and require careful consideration. Parents are encouraged to appreciate their school board representation and communicate with them regarding these important issues.
Henry Highland Garnet
Henry Highland Garnet (born 1815, New Market (now Chesterville), Maryland, U.S.—died February 13, 1882, Liberia) was an American abolitionist and clergyman who became known for his militant approach to ending slavery, which was expressed in his “Call to Rebellion” speech (1843).
Born into slavery, Garnet escaped in 1824 and made his way to New York. There he pursued an education and eventually became a Presbyterian minister. Garnet became associated with the American Anti-Slavery Society, and his career in the late 1830s and early ’40s joined preaching with agitation for emancipation. A nationally known figure, he shocked his listeners at the 1843 national convention of free people of color when he called upon those who were enslaved to murder their masters. His speech became known as the “Call to Rebellion.” The convention refused to endorse Garnet’s radicalism, and he gradually turned more to religion as Frederick Douglass assumed the role of premier Black abolitionist.
During the next two decades, Garnet served as pastor in a number of Presbyterian pulpits. While at his post in Washington, D.C., in 1864, he aided the war-related displaced and distressed. Later he assisted government workers in developing programs to help formerly enslaved people. In 1881 Garnet was appointed minister to Liberia. In his younger, more radical days, he had vigorously opposed plans to solve America’s slavery problem by sending Blacks to Africa. Toward the end of his life, however, he favored U.S. Blacks’ emigration to Africa. Within two months of his arrival in the African nation, though, he died.
CALEB Forum Tackles Chattanooga’s Growing Housing Affordability Crisis Ahead of March Election
Local advocacy group CALEB (Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence) will host a community forum on housing policy, bringing together city council candidates and residents ahead of the March election.
The event, titled “The Decisions We Make–Housing and Housing Policy,” was held on Tuesday, Feb.18, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Historic, located at 1601 Rossville Ave.
Attendees heard a presentation on local housing challenges and policy options before engaging directly with candidates running in the upcoming city council election. The timing is particularly relevant as early voting began Feb. 12 and runs through Feb. 27, with Election Day set for March 4.
CALEB, which describes itself as “a coalition of faith-based, labor, and other community organizations,” aims to amplify community voices in public affairs. Organization officials emphasize that housing affordability impacts a broad spectrum of Chattanooga residents.
“Housing costs are rising, families are being priced out, and too many in our community are struggling to find a stable place to call home,” CALEB Communications Manager Jessica Bonham pointed out.
The organization frames housing policy as crucial to the city’s future, connecting it to Chattanooga’s broader development goals.
“The vision is not a mere aspiration; it is a call to action for all residents to engage with the question of housing access,” officials noted, emphasizing that current decisions will have long-term consequences.
“The path to affordable housing in Chattanooga is a collective journey. We must dispel the myth that affordable housing is an issue exclusively for those on welfare or those receiving housing vouchers. It’s affecting a substantial majority of us and growing every month.” For further information on CALEB, visit calebcha.org.
Je’kobia Baldwin Secures $129,000 in Scholarships
Je’kobia Baldwin, a senior at Ooltewah High School and Hutchins Academy, has been awarded two prestigious scholarships totaling $129,000. The awards were presented on Feb. 5.
Baldwin received the Scots Legacy Award from Maryville College valued at $128,000, and the Alumni Legacy Scholarship of $1,000 presented by Austin Peay State University. These awards recognize her outstanding academic achievements and leadership potential.
“I’m very blessed and proud that I was able to receive these scholarships. This has been a tough journey, but I’m happy to continue my education,” said Baldwin. “I plan to study in the health field to become a pediatric nurse, and these scholarships are helping me make progress on the financial side of college!”
Baldwin’s achievement is particularly noteworthy as she balances her academic pursuits at both Ooltewah High School and Hutchins Academy.
FOOD CITY Supports United Way of Greater Chattanooga
Food City is proud to continue our long-time support of United Way of Greater Chattanooga with a $10,000 check presentation in support of their mission and vision of uniting people and resources in building a stronger, healthier community where all people achieve their full potential through education, stability, and health & well-being.