Page 36 – Chattanooga News Chronicle

ACCLAIMED ARTIST AND HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ALUM TO HOST EXHIBIT AT CLEAR STORY ARTS IN CHATTANOOGA

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August 8, 2023

ACCLAIMED ARTIST AND HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ALUM TO HOST EXHIBIT AT CLEAR STORY ARTS IN CHATTANOOGA

Exhibition, The Weight of My Faith, on display from September 1 – 30

Chattanooga, Tenn. (August 1, 2023) – Acclaimed artist and Hampton University graduate, Benford Stellmacher, Jr., is traveling to the Scenic City to exhibit, The Weight of My Faith. The art exhibit will feature 30 abstract paintings and figurative compositions that are inspired by the scripture, “Faith without works is dead”.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, September 1 from 6 pm – 8 pm at Clear Story Arts located minutes from downtown Chattanooga at 1673 S. Hotzclaw Avenue. The reception is free and the community is invited to attend. The Weight of My Faith will be on display at Clear Story Arts through September 30. A percentage from all sales will benefit Hampton University Alumni Chattanooga Chapter and local nonprofit, Splash Youth Arts.

To learn more about Artist Benford Stellmacher, Jr. or to view his gallery of artwork, visit www.bdstellmacher.com

About Benford Dwight Stellmacher, Jr.

Benford Dwight Stellmacher, Jr. is a multi-faceted creative who began in his early years drawing graffiti, cartoons, and sketching still figures around the house on any piece of paper he could find. For over 10 years, Stellmacher’s creative tool of choice has been a mouse which he has used to create unique identity solutions through his graphic design business, Authentic DNA Studio, LLC. In December of 2018, Stellmacher picked up paint brushes and began expressing his creativity in a brand-new medium. Primarily using acrylics, his confidence and conviction in his artwork grew consistently throughout the years, culminating in the establishment of his namesake art company, B.D. Stellmacher, Jr., LLC in 2020.

His artwork, which spans themes of social justice, music, faith, education, and the Black experience in America, has been received with fervor and praised for its messaging, composition, quality, and uniqueness. Stellmacher refers to each of his artistic creations as “conversations”, strategically intending for each piece to act “as an independent catalyst to an internal dialogue with the viewer.” Nearly every day, he is debuting a new “conversation” through canvas that aims to inspire, influence, and impact his audience. As a proud man of faith, Stellmacher views his canvases as a pulpit, through which the spirit of God has a voice to speak to the hearts of mankind as they behold the textures, patterns, colors and holistic composition of each piece.

Chattanooga Growth Brings Mixed Blessings of Opportunities and Expense

Commentary

Robin Smith

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August 8, 2023

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Chattanooga Growth Brings Mixed Blessings of Opportunities and Expense

In 2022, Chattanooga was the fastest growing city in the entire state of Tennessee.

The report entitled, Follow Me to Tennessee: The moveBuddha 2021-2022 Tennessee Migration Report, revealed the strong job market plus the eighth lowest cost of living in the US at the time of the September 2022 publication brought 306 new individuals into the state for every 100 individuals who left Tennessee.

In-migration of new residents from other states to Chattanooga surpassed Johnson City in northeast Tennessee, logging 273 new residents for every 100 who departed. Both mid-sized towns have a university, healthcare systems that hire professionals, and feature natural beauty. Chattanooga boasts the Tennessee River, lakes, trails, and mountains, while Johnson City, located further east than Asheville, North Carolina, enjoys mountain air and life.

But what has this in-migration done to Chattanooga?

The demand for housing, especially early in this churn of humanity, ballooned the cost of homes and the typically low rent higher. More development has brought the inventory of housing options to better match the need, hopefully rounding the steep climb of prices that disproportionately hurt those who live paycheck to paycheck.

What do the numbers say?

Relative to rent and housing, Chattanooga is 15% higher than the state average and 8% lower than the national average, according to RentCafe.com. According to Salary.com, the cost of living in Chattanooga has risen almost 2% in just one year when looking at housing, food, and transportation. Interestingly, the increases of these essentials for individuals and families outpaces the increase experienced in Nashville at 1.3% in the same time period.

As property taxes and a shared portion of the sales tax serve as the primary tools of the City and County governments to fund their operations, the in-migration is a positive with more parcels of land being used for development and housing. Yet, as small businesses grow and the Chattanooga area economy continues to outpace others, with the demand for services in schools, roads, waste and garbage, government grows with ballooning budgets and operations.

The City and County leaders are faced with the blessing of growth, which affords new opportunities for employment, expanding the tax base to keep it lower for individuals and families, and creates the environment for future successes. Consider the increased strain on resources and the temptation to grow government beyond its scope of essential services which burdens individuals and employers (large and small), and will ultimately dampen growth over time. This blessing becomes a two-edged sword with the duty to do what individuals cannot do without further increasing costs through fees, regulations, taxes, and excessive government growth.

A final point about the in-migration to Chattanooga. California is the state from which most new residents have moved away from to reside in the Volunteer State.

Adopting policies, practices, spending, and governance of failed economies won’t make Chattanooga progressive. Instead, the Chattanooga Way, which is the secret to our success, will be destroyed, along with our wonderful community.

Which road America?

Commentary

Terry Howard

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August 8, 2023

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As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Now it’s a thousand words that yours truly aims not to exceed in publications I write for. So I humbly sacrifice more than half of my word limitation to three images embedded in what you’re about to read.

So, fair warning readers!

The first image is graphic and may be disturbing. I include it here to make the point that as a nation we’re still mired in issues of race – think Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Sandra Bland, to name a few – all murders occurring a half century removed from the death of Emmett Till in Mississippi in 1955. Although Till’s death happened almost a century after slaves were freed, his killing is a painful reminder of the residual effects of racism in America that continues to this day. Where once we could write murders of African Americans off as exceptions and not norms, the use of cell phone camera flips that notion on its head, doesn’t it?

Like images of our nation’s signature atrocities, among them protesters being fire hosed and pummeled with Billy clubs as they walked off Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma and the knee on the neck of a dying George Floyd, the mutilated face of Emmett Till is still another watershed moment in the sordid history of race in America.Top of FormBottom of Form

Okay, to make this personal, my oldest grandson turned 14 recently. Now although there’s no ancestral connection between the two, 14 was Emmett Till’s age when he was murdered in 1955. What’s also compelling for me is that although both Emmett and my grandson are different in skin color – he light skinned and my grandson shades darker – they have similar round faces wrapped around by charming smiles, giveaway dimples, a love for sports and magnetic personalities. So in a way when I see Emmett, I see my grandson and the faces of scores of other African American grandsons in America. Let’s shift now to another, perhaps less disturbing, image; that of President Joe Biden who recently named a new national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother amid a national debate over how to teach painful facts about American history in classrooms.

“In a time when there are those who seek to ban books, bury history, we’re making it clear, crystal, crystal clear: While darkness and denialism can hide much, they erase nothing,” Biden said at the White House, where he and members of the Till family gathered to formally approve the new monument.

“We can’t just choose to learn what we want to know,” Biden said. “We have to learn what we should know. We should know about our country. We should know everything. The good, the bad, the truth. Telling the truth and the full history of our nation is important. We’ve got a hell of a way to go.” So contrast the preceding images with that of the Florida governor putting his signature on mandates that not only ban “Critical Race Theory” and “wokeism” (neither of which he can define) but unleashed his opportunist minions to mandate teaching the “benefits” of slavery to middle schoolers. Humm, one is left to wonder how Florida would sugarcoat the Emmett Till story.

In the end, we’re confronted by still another choice along the rocky road that lies before us during this critical junction in our racial history. Do we go back, or do we forge ahead?

Wrote Robert Frost in his poem, The Road Not Taken, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by.”

Now tell us, which road America?”Terry Howard is an award-winning trainer, writer, and storyteller. He is a contributing writer with the Chattanooga News Chronicle, The American Diversity Report, The Douglas County Sentinel, Blackmarket.com, co-founder of the “26 Tiny Paint Brushes” writers guild, recipient of the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award, and third place winner of the 2022 Georgia Press Award.

Hamilton County Schools Hold Better Together Service Day

Submitted Article

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August 7, 2023

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Hamilton County Schools Hold Better Together Service Day

Dr. Sonia Stewart, HCS Deputy Superintendent

Hamilton County Schools (HCS) held its annual Better Together service day last Saturday, to help ensure students walked into facilities that were ready to welcome them on the first day of school.

More than 30 schools across Hamilton County submitted projects and sought volunteers. Volunteers helped complete campus beautification projects such as landscaping, painting and pressure washing, as well as organizing classrooms.

“We know we are better when we connect with our students and families,” said HCS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Sonia Stewart. “Our community’s support of this initiative over the past few years has helped create a welcoming space for our students. I am grateful for a community that is dedicated to providing for our kids in all ways.”

“We want kids to walk in on the first day and be proud of their school and excited for the first day of learning,” said Kate Skonberg, family and community engagement coordinator for the district. “This annual event gives our community an opportunity to come together to support our schools and students. It is imperative to student learning to start the year right and provide a sense of connection for our students, families and community.”

Left, during Hamilton County Schools’ annual Better Together service day last Saturday, volunteers helped complete campus beautification projects such as landscaping, painting, and pressure washing, as well as organizing classrooms.

The Better Together service day is part of the district’s Opportunity 2030 commitment Every Community Served and First Day Ready initiative to make sure students, families, and schools are prepared for the first day of school. Students in Hamilton County Schools returned to the classroom on Aug. 9.

The next generation: MOC Academy celebrates its second year at UTC

Top Stories

Submitted Article

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August 4, 2023

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The next generation: MOC Academy celebrates its second year at UTC

By Sam Lennon

Donald Webb has spent his past two summers mentoring the next generation of students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Webb is a junior at UTC majoring in elementary education with a minor in ESL (English as a Second Language) from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In 2022, he was recruited to be a mentor for the first MOC Academy.

“MOC Academy stands for Men of Color Academy. It’s like a head start for us men of color,” said Webb.

MOC Academy starts with a jam-packed summer session. Incoming freshmen stayed on campus for the month of July and participated in all sorts of events. They visited the zoo, the Hunter Museum and many other Chattanooga staples.

Incoming freshman J’Tory Matthews, a member of the second MOC Academy cohort, visited the Hunter Museum of American Art as part of his July introduction to life at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Photo by Angela Foster.

Participation in MOC Academy is completely free, with housing, meals and events provided to the students at no cost.

The goal is to help them acclimate to UTC and Chattanooga by building connections through fun and educational activities

“In the first year of college, you don’t know who you’re going to meet. You’re scared, and you’re away from home. MOC Academy helps you get to meet new people before you come to college, so you already have some connections when you get there,” said Webb.

There is also a strong mentorship aspect to the program, where students of color who have been at UTC for at least a year help lead these new students.

“It’s a lot like a ‘Big Brother’ program because we are a bit older than them, and if they ever need us throughout the year, we are here,” said Webb.

For two students, the “Big Brother” aspect is quite literal.

Andy and Rudy Tomas are brothers who have been living in Chattanooga for the past eight years.

Rudy Tomas, the younger of the two, said they are “a year, one month and two days apart.”

Andy Tomas was part of the first cohort of MOC Academy students last year. He is a management major starting his second year at UTC. Now, he has helped to guide his younger brother through the same program that made him feel at home at UTC.

The brothers are originally from Guatemala. “We used to move basically every other year between the USA and Guatemala,” said Andy Tomas.

They moved back and forth from Guatemala, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee before settling in Chattanooga, but most of their extended family still lives in Guatemala. The brothers are both first-generation college students.

“My dad had two or three years of elementary education, and my mom only had one year. I’m a first-generation elementary, middle school, high school and college student,” said Andy Tomas.

Being the first college students in their family means that the support structure that MOC Academy provides is even more valuable. In addition to bonding activities and exploring what Chattanooga has to offer, MOC Academy enrolls the students in a course designed to teach them more about the college experience.

It is a one-credit-hour class about navigating academia, including topics like professionalism, the purpose of a college education and academic opportunities with an emphasis on educational and career planning.

MOC Academy is not limited to July. After the summer session is over, the 17 students in this year’s cohort will continue to receive support throughout the academic year and participate in events that encourage engagement on campus.

The network they become a part of at UTC can also lead to other opportunities. In addition to his job as a mentor, Andy Tomas will be working as one of the first Spanish-speaking tour guides at UTC. As he put it, “Those connections are coming in handy.”

The mentorship received is likely the most valuable among MOC Academy’s benefits. The mentors are passionate about the first-year students, especially during their busiest month of the summer.

“Maybe I’m tired at the end of the day, but I’m still going to make sure they’re good. I make sure I’m active enough to hang out with them, play games or just have a conversation with them at nighttime. No matter how long it takes,” said Webb.
Interested in becoming a peer mentor? Click here to apply.

Urban League Project Ready students place second in national competition

Local

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August 3, 2023

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Urban League Project Ready students place second in national competition

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 27, 2023) – Hamilton County students participating in the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga’s (ULGC) Project Ready program won second place during the case competition at the 33rd annual Youth Leadership Summit, hosted by the National Urban League (NUL).

The NUL case competition allows youth participating in Project Ready at local Urban League affiliates to present a program that addresses an issue that they see in their community. ULGC’s Project Ready students placed in the top four of 20 during the first round of the competition and competed again during the final round. Their program proposal, 423-T.K.T.T. (Think and Know the Tactics), focuses on reducing youth gun violence.

“Project Ready students engage with our education team program leaders and volunteers regularly throughout the year on various initiatives such as our college and career readiness curriculum, leadership, academic and civic development,” said Candy Johnson, president and CEO of ULGC. “I am beyond proud of these students and their tremendous efforts to prepare and advocate for issues they care about in our community during the competition. They represented Chattanooga with the level of excellence from which we strive to build our Project Ready program. This is our first time ever placing as an affiliate and that’s major!”

During the annual Youth Leadership Summit students come together and engage in a transformative experience of learning, leadership and personal growth with the goal of ensuring that participants are prepared for the challenges of college, career and life. During this event, participants have the chance to interact with influential figures from the Urban League movement, as well as representatives from diverse local and global organizations.

Those representing ULGC’s Project Ready program at the leadership summit include:

Kennedy Garrett, recent high school graduate and incoming freshman at Middle Tennessee State University
Trinity Williams, rising Hamilton County senior
Timothy Rice III, rising Hamilton County junior
Te’Sean Murphy, rising Hamilton County junior

The Youth Summit runs simultaneously with the NUL Annual Conference and is the most important civil rights event of 2023 to advance the U.S.’s conversation and learning about justice, economic opportunity and the future of democracy.

For more information about Project Ready, visit www.ulchatt.net/national-achievers-society-nas.

Meet the youngest marcher to walk with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery

African American History

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August 3, 2023

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Meet the youngest marcher to walk with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery

55 years ago, in the spring of 1965, Lynda Blackmon Lowery was the youngest civil rights marcher to walk with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery. She was jailed nine times before her 15th birthday. She was beaten by the police and needed 29 stitches in her head. Nevertheless, she marched on.

On January 18, 2020, Lowery relived that experience. But this was no traumatic flashback. Instead, she watched her life story unfold on stage in the play “Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom,” based on the book of the same name that Lowery wrote about her experience.

“I wanted people to know what happened,” Lowery says. “Those ugly things affected a lot of people’s lives.”

The show is a musical dynamo filled with original gospel and freedom songs sung by a stellar cast of vibrant young performers.

Queade Norah takes on the role of 15-year-old Lynda as she leaves home to march for voting rights, and after she’s attacked, “to show George Wallace what he did to me.”

“It took me a minute to want to commit to playing Lynda,” Norah says. “I knew that to do it you have to have a certain type of strength to grasp the gravity of the story.”

Lowery and Norah have formed a tight bond since performances began last year. The duo, representing the past and the future, both see a reflection of Lynda’s experience in our current struggles.

“If you look at what’s happening today, it’s not that different than what was happening in ’65,” Lowery says. “Voter suppression, women’s health issues, gun laws. Our children, they are back on the battlefield, non-violently. Everybody has to get involved.” “It’s heartbreaking that there still has to be a group of young people fighting for things that should have been resolved a long time ago,” Norah says. “I can take this stage to tell a story to inspire that it’s possible and that we do still have a fire inside us to make sure we’re continuing a legacy that started before us.”

Hope City Academy for Childcare Excellence LLC announces participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

Adrian Edwards

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August 3, 2023

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Sponsor Name: __Hope City Academy for Childcare Excellence LLC. announces participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Meals will be provided at no separate charge to eligible children/adults without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA served at the following site(s):

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Getting ahead requires investing

Submitted Article

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July 23, 2023

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By Kennedi Smith, 14

Start a business and invest money, said Jimmy Moncrief, a local bank executive.

“If you work hard for your money and spend the majority of it and that’s all you’re doing, it’s almost impossible to get ahead,” he said.

Moncrief, the senior vice president of Pinnacle Bank, shared his financial wisdom with nearly 50 students attending Camp REACH this summer. His main goal wasn’t recruiting customers, but educating young people on money management.

Senior Vice President of Pinnacle Bank, Jimmy Moncrief, shares his financial wisdom with Camp REACH students.

Several students said they increased their knowledge of financial affairs.

“He helped me learn about investments and think about what I wanted to do with my money,” said 15-year-old Tyson Lamont Armour.

All students attending the camp can earn up to $150 a week.

Moncrief brought $50 and offered suggestions about how students could spend it. It could buy a really nice dinner, but if a student put it in a savings account, it could draw interest. And if they bought a lawnmower to invest into their own lawn servicer, they could double their money every week, he said.

“Ever heard of Dr. Dre? How did he make money?” asked Moncrief. “Shaquille O’Neal has a fast food empire and Michael Angelo who painted the Sistine Chapel, made money in real estate, not painting.”

The common denominator is that they all invested in assets that made money, he explained.

Then Moncrief held a contest similar to Shark Tank where students presented their best ideas for starting a business. The student with the best idea got the $50.

Shark Tank rendition winners Logan Daniel and Tyson Armour pitch their business idea to Pinnacle Bank Senior Vice President Jimmy Moncrief.

A shoe deodorant called Toe Tap, an acne cream and a shower head that sprays soap and water while playing music were among the innovative ideas suggested, but the winning idea came from Logan Carter Daniel, 13, and his partner Tyson Lamont Armour, 15 . Moncrief awarded Daniel the money because it was his idea.

The duo proposed a free online course that would provide information on trading stocks, investing, and managing money. And for $49.99 they offered one-on-one financial advice from a financial consultant.

Moncrief complimented the teens for having an idea in which they could immediately make money. He also liked that their business offered a free component that could attract a wide audience and they provided an option that enabled the business to make money while educating others on how to manage money.

Logan said he appreciated Moncrief’s information and the opportunity he provided.. “He was a helpful guy,” said Logan. “I liked how he spoke and I really liked that he gave us a challenge to win money.”

GET INVOLVED: To donate to Camp Reach call the Mary Walker Educational and Historical Foundation at (423) 267-2313 or go to marywalkerfoundation.org

Mary Walker Show Choir Auditions Aug. 11-13

Online Featured

Adrian Edwards

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July 21, 2023

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