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Want the Benefits of Ozempic Without Taking a Shot?

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Most people have heard of or know someone who’s using the medication Ozempic to address their blood sugar issue, but also losing a great deal of weight.

The prescription medication being used to treat patients with Type 2 Diabetes, or a state of insulin-resistance that’s often reversable–with behavior modifications, such as diet and exercise–has gained popularity because of the weight loss that accompanies its use.

Taken by subcutaneous injection only, Ozempic, is in a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists. This class of medications, available only through a healthcare provider’s prescription, mimic a hormone which stimulates the production of your body’s insulin during and after a meal. This extra insulin produced lowers the blood sugar levels that are characteristic of Type 2 Diabetes.

The weight loss is likely attributed to the slowing of food emptying out of the stomach into the small intestine which produces a full feeling quicker and longer than without the medication.

Individuals under their doctor’s care receiving Ozempic or others from this class of drug lose, according to the prescribing information, 10.5-15.8 pounds. Those patients who incorporate lifestyle changes, such as changes in one’s daily food intake and activity levels, lost 33.7 pounds.

According to information from the Mayo Clinic, patients taking medications from the GLP-1 class of drugs have also benefitted from improvements in their blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

In science, and in this case, causation and correlation must be distinguished. Does the medication alone reduce the blood pressure and improve cholesterol or does the weight loss correlated with the use of the medication cause the improved numbers?

And that seems to be a valid point. If patients taking the medication alone lose almost 16 pounds, but shed about 18 pounds more with changes in how these patients ate daily and enhanced their activity, shouldn’t one assume those behavioral changes alone, without taking an injection, are achievable?

The answer is “Yes!”

Obviously, if you walk more, move around more, and burn more calories, you lose weight. You also increase your metabolism as you build your muscle mass, even slightly, and increase activity.

Further, there are foods that produce the same outcomes as Ozempic. Meals and snacks that feature good fats–like avocado or nuts–and revolve around high protein sources like eggs and fish, trigger GLP-1. Food choices that are high in fiber, such as whole grains, and especially fermentable fiber, like beans and legumes, which feed the good bacteria in your intestines, stimulate GLP-1 as well as digest more slowly than simple sugars and carbohydrates found in prepared foods, fast foods, and many snacks.

If you’re looking for a guide for this type of food selections, check out the terrific article at Health.com, which speaks beyond the Ozempic effect with improved cognitive performance and slowing the risk of chronic disease. For those whose doctors have prescribed Ozempic or any other medication, make a few changes and gain an even greater health benefit.

‘Woke’- Good grief, an American threat?

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Okay readers, ready yourselves for another entry into the You Can’t Make This Stuff Up Chronicles of the Asinine. Have an extra strength Excedrin or shot of Bourbon within easy reach. You may need it.

Now before the ink was dry on recent news about the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, voices from the peanut gallery began pointing silly blame on the latest convenient boogey man…. “Woke.”

Hey, this from the co-founder of Home Depot, “These banks are badly run because everyone is focused on diversity and woke issues.” (Excedrin please!).

This from the governor of Florida, the wannabe next president of the United States, “Woke will die if it finds its way to Florida.” (Double Bourbon please!).

“All this led me to think: Good grief, fellas, why don’t you just come out and suggest the bank would’ve been ok if it were run by a bunch of white guys?” wrote Rex Huppke of USA Today.

As another example of hilarity gone haywire, recently a conservative author was asked by an interviewer to define the term “woke” but was left dumb founded since she didn’t have an answer. “So, I mean, woke is, uh, sort of, the idea, that’s hard to define…”

Red-faced, she gave it another try and dug herself deeper into the delusion with some gobbledygook that made her look “foolish 2.0.”   

“If You Hate “Woke” But Can’t Define It, Maybe What You Hate Is Something Else,” penned writer William Spivey.

So let me get this straight. The bank would not have gotten into all this mess had it not been distracted by diversity and wokeness? I mean, maybe I missed the memo, but since when did the aims of diversity and inclusion become a fatal disease? Can someone escort me to a graveyard and show me the words “Poor George died from an overdose of wokeness” etched into his tombstone?

Okay, c’mon, seriously now, let’s step back from this insanity and ask ourselves what’s really going on here?

To me “wokeness” is number three on a three headed monster, “The great replacement theory” and “diversity” being the other two. Since the definition of diversity is fairly understood, or should be, let’s unpack the other two.

The “great replacement theory” hinges on stoking fears that a non-white population will displace a white majority. Dramatic shifts in demographics, growths in immigration, patterns in birth rates and increasing numbers of people of color in positions of power foster the fear of being replaced. Slick politicians and ratings hungry media willingly exploit these insecurities.

Turning now to “woke,” a four letter word that’s dominated the headlines recently, let alone provided fodder and talking points for ambitious politicians who keep tripping over themselves trying to define it.

The term “woke” was created by Black people referring to being alert to systemic racial injustices. The first documented use of the phrase “stay woke” happened in the 1930s when musician Lead Belly ended his song by advising Blacks traveling through Alabama to “stay woke.”

Now before the concept of “wokeness” was hijacked, its original definition accurately defined it as a state of being aware, especially of social problems such as racism and inequality. “Woke” was thrust back into the headlines with the police killing of George Floyd and other cases. Even before, parents of Black kids warned them of the dangers of “Driving While Black,” another way of saying “staying woke.” If you are Black “staying woke” may be a life saver.

So here’s how “woke” these days is used as a devious strategy to exploit. First, those who suggest that “woke” is behind bank failures, for example, know darn well that that’s untrue. Second, they understand that if they repeat that lie often enough, their base will accept it as true. In the end, ambitious politicians and ratings-hungry media will attempt to “outwoke” each other.

In a recent USA Today poll that offered two different definitions of “woke,” 56% of respondents chose the positive definition – “to be informed and educated on social injustices.” Only 39% chose the other – “to be overly politically correct and police the words of others.”

Now like woke’s bedfellow in asininity, PC (Political Correctness) spawned years ago in response to assertions by people of color and other marginalized people, “anti -wokeness” has emerged as a pernicious attempt to ridicule, deride and sanitize embarrassing histories to shield young readers from hurt feelings and guilt. Look no further than the recent movement in Florida to remove all references to “slavery” from Rosa Park’s story and banning late baseball’s Roberto Clemente’s biography altogether.

Since the late 1980s, the term PC has been used to deride preferences for avoiding language that can be seen as marginalizing or insulting to groups of people, particularly groups defined by ethnicity, sex, gender, or sexual orientation. In public discourse, PC was employed pejoratively to shut down genuine discussions about how people wanted to be called and treated.

Like PC, woke backlash typically happens during social movements when some, driven by fear of change and perceived loss of privileges, respond by trivializing, belittling, mocking, and sometimes in violence.

Wrote Rex Huppke, “I fully expect one of them (Home Depot co-founder and Florida governor) any day now to say that I put on a couple of pounds because of the woke ice cream companies and their preoccupation with diversity.”

Let’s end by going back to the mess created by the bank in question and the real reasons behind the collapse; that some banks, because of deregulation, rising interest rates, etc., took on undue risks and were strapped with poor management. Woke had absolutely nothing to do with what happened, period!

So, if you believe that wokeness led to the Russian invasion, climate change, bad breath, or little Jennie’s snotty nose, then I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you…for real cheap!© Terry Howard is an award-winning trainer, writer and storyteller. He is also 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 3rd place winner of the 2022 Georgia Press Award.

Former TV anchor among Urban League’s three new hires

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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (March 30, 2023) – Urban League of Greater Chattanooga (ULGC) has expanded its team with three promotions and three new staff including Greg Funderburg, a well-known community advocate and local journalist.

Since taking the helm of ULGC in 2021, president and CEO Candy Johnson prioritized reframing the organization. Her vision is to distinguish ULGC as a minority-serving landmark institution in the heart of downtown along the M.L. King corridor and ultimately as a driver of equitable and inclusive community-based economic growth.

Johnson established ULGC’s first physical headquarters last year and restructured services and programs under three empowerment centers:

  • Center for Economic and Black Business Success
  • Center for Education and Family Empowerment
  • Center for Equity and Inclusive Leadership

Next, Johnson focused on sourcing the best and brightest talent to move the mission forward.

“After my first two years of working with the board and team to reframe our next five years, I knew finding the right talent and helping them become better leaders for the future of our community would be a heavy lift in light of talent shortages and being a nonprofit,” said Johnson. “Now, with the support of more investors over the past two years who believe in what we are trying to accomplish, we have been able to set a new culture of excellence, source new talent, make promotions and work toward stabilizing operations.”

Funderburg will serve as director of marketing and stakeholder relations, a role ULGC has not had in more than 10 years. He’s a committed ULGC volunteer and a recipient of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award. During his almost decade long tenure as a morning and noon anchor for WTVC NewsChannel 9, Funderburg was named Best of the Best TV Personality by readers of the Chattanooga Times Free Press and Best TV Personality in Chattanooga Business Elite’s Black Excellence Awards. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of Montevallo.

During the past two months, two other team members joined ULGC, and three moved into new roles:

Lya Kimbrough, a Chattanooga native, is the new senior director of operations and client engagement for the Center for Economic and Black Business Success, which supports minority-owned businesses by accelerating growth and expanding access to networks and knowledge. Kimbrough’s wealth of experience in small businesses has prepared her to lead several ULGC entrepreneurship programs, including the Next Level Business Accelerator and BIPOC Restaurant Accelerator. She will also implement several new initiatives. Previously, Kimbrough worked for The Company Lab (CO.LAB) and The Enterprise Center, where she assisted local small businesses. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing from MTSU and is completing an MBA.

Anthony M. Wiley, Jr. is the new senior manager of workforce and family empowerment for the Center for Education and Family Empowerment, which provides integrated services to address family prosperity and to foster educational attainment, personal well-being and increased economic power. Previously, he worked for Dynamo Studios, mentoring young men and women to discover their strengths, to learn how to be emotionally and physically whole and to begin the process of self-actualization. A U.S. Navy veteran, Wiley participated in two deployments overseas, receiving two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

Sarah Concepcion, who has served ULGC for nearly two years, has been promoted to senior director of policy and administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree in cognitive and behavioral science from Washington and Lee University and has been instrumental in the acceleration of ULGC’s program and policy work in the Center for Equity and Inclusive Leadership. The center aims to engage and empower diverse community members to promote a shared understanding of racial, social and economic equity and foster inclusive leadership opportunities.

Terisha Grant, a former part-time ULGC LEAP after-school teacher and 2022 graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, will now serve in a full-time role as youth and education program coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in child and youth development. Grant has been instrumental in implementing the new social and emotional learning program throughout ULGC after school sites and will lead the Project Ready/National Achievers Society high school program.

Estephanie Acheson, former executive assistant to Johnson, is the interim regional VITA coordinator and has been with the organization for nearly three years. She holds a bachelors’ degree in English from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

About Urban League of Greater Chattanooga The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga is an affiliate of the National Urban League, the nation’s oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans and other underserved individuals to enter the economic and social mainstream. Since 1982, the Chattanooga affiliate has served many thousands of economically disadvantaged persons, individuals representing communities of color, and minority-owned businesses through programs and initiatives that promote educational attainment, economic development, self-sufficiency, and inclusive leadership opportunities.

Michelle Obama

née Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, (born January 17, 1964, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.), American first lady (2009–17), the wife of Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States. She was the first African American first lady.

Michelle Robinson, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side, was the daughter of Marian, a homemaker, and Frasier Robinson, a worker in the city’s water-purification plant. She studied sociology and African American studies at Princeton University (B.A., 1985) in New Jersey before attending Harvard Law School (J.D., 1988). Returning to Chicago, she took a job as a junior associate at Sidley & Austin (now Sidley Austin LLP), where she specialized in intellectual property law.

In 1989, while at the firm, she met Barack Obama, who had been hired as a summer associate. Seeking a more public-service-oriented career path, in 1991 she became an assistant to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. The following year she and Barack, then a community organizer, were married. From 1992 to 1993 Michelle was the assistant commissioner for the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, and in 1993 she founded the Chicago branch of Public Allies, a leadership-training program for young adults; she served as the branch’s executive director until 1996.

Barack was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, and that year Michelle became the associate dean of student services at the University of Chicago, where she helped organize the school’s community outreach programs. In 2002 she became the executive director of community and external affairs for the University of Chicago. Two years later Barack was elected to the U.S. Senate and came to national prominence with a speech he gave on the final night of the 2004 Democratic National Convention. In 2005 she became vice president of community and external affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center.

When her husband announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Michelle took a prominent role in his campaign. She took leave from her position at the University of Chicago to devote herself more fully to campaigning while still maintaining time to care for her and Barack’s two young daughters. An adept speaker, she stumped extensively for her husband during the long Democratic primary race, and in June 2008 Barack became the party’s presumptive nominee. Michelle’s openness on the campaign trail and in interviews—she often humanized her husband by discussing his faults and implored observers not to “deify him”—endeared her to many.

However, critics of her husband’s campaign took issue with some of her comments—such as when she remarked, while campaigning in Wisconsin in February 2008, that “for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country.” Michelle later clarified her statement—saying that she meant to say that she was proud that Americans were eagerly engaging in the political process during the 2008 election—and she continued to have an active role in her husband’s campaign.

Indeed, campaign aides referred to her as “the closer,” for her persuasiveness on the stump among uncommitted voters who attended rallies. On November 4, 2008, Barack was elected 44th president of the United States, defeating Arizona Sen. John McCain; he took office on January 20, 2009, and was reelected in 2012.

As first lady, Michelle was involved in various causes, notably supporting military families and ending childhood obesity. In an effort to promote healthy eating, she planted a vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House in 2009. She related her experiences with the project in the book American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America (2012). In addition to her work on such issues, Michelle also garnered attention for her fashion sense.

During the 2016 presidential race, Michelle supported the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, and her speech during the party’s national convention drew widespread praise; noting the coarse tenor of the race, Michelle stated that “when they go low, we go high.” Clinton ultimately lost to Republican Donald Trump, who had repeatedly and falsely suggested that Barack was not a U.S.-born citizen.

After her husband’s term ended in 2017, Michelle kept a relatively low public profile. However, in 2018 she released the autobiography Becoming, which garnered much attention and became one of the top-selling memoirs in the history of publishing. Although the book largely avoided politics, her criticism of Trump, whom she claimed endangered her family with his role in the “birther” conspiracy, drew particular interest.

A Gamified App Teaching Credit Education Nabs First Place in the Inaugural #IYKYK Hackathon

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Experian & HomeFree-USA award $40,000 scholarship to winning team from Alabama State University for designing the next best credit education program for their peers (Black PR Wire)

 COSTA MESA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– A team of students from Alabama State University (ASU) took the top prize for their innovative credit education program to reach their peers in the first-ever #IYKYK Hackathon (If You Know, You Know), sponsored by Experian and HomeFree-USA. Their winning concept was a gamified app that teaches credit education and fiscal responsibility. “We talked about teaching people from ages 10 to 99. That’s how much of an impact credit has. Through our app, we hope to tell more people about credit,” said Mandelkosi Sibanda of Alabama State University.

Nicknamed the “ASU Credit Stingers,” Sibanda and his teammates Thomas Mulaisho, Takudzwa Modza and Janai Thompson earned a $40,000 scholarship for their concept, “Credit Rush.” The award-winning idea is a game where, in order to overcome obstacles, students watch a video or take a quiz about credit in order to advance to higher levels. Other features include the “Hive,” a library of credit education materials, chat, daily calendar functions and more.

The #IYKYK Hackathon challenged students to create a credit education program for their peers, including those who are not part of the credit ecosystem. The competition was the culmination of a six month program as part of the Center for Financial Advancement® (CFA) Credit Academy sponsored by Experian and HomeFree-USA that brought together more than 250 students from 14 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in live sessions with Experian credit education experts and self-paced content. Finalists from ASU, Fisk University, Morgan State University and Shaw University represented six countries and eight different languages. The teams presented their ideas live at Experian’s North America headquarters.

“Every team exceeded our expectations. We’re inspired by these student leaders and their commitment to driving positive change in their communities. In sharing their personal stories and experiences, they’re helping us create solutions that are culturally and generationally relevant so we can meet them where they are in their financial and credit journeys,” said Raudy Perez, Experian North America’s senior director for diversity, equity and inclusion partnerships. “This is the most transformative experience that many of these students will have in their lives,” said Gwen Garnett, HomeFree-USA Center for Financial Advancement® Executive Director. “We thank Experian for its commitment to the CFA and its scholars by helping us provide the training and tools to allow young adults and credit invisibles to understand and successfully navigate the credit ecosystem.” As part of its mission of financial inclusion and empowerment for all, Experian partners with HomeFreeUSA to provide continuing education for its housing counselors and resources for their clients. The company created the Home Preservation Grant, which supported homeowners at risk of losing their homes due to COVID-related hardships with credit education and mortgage relief. Inclusion Forward – Experian Empowering Opportunities™ harnesses Experian’s data, analytics and technology to help clients provide more affordable credit access to diverse communities. The Mortgage Bankers Association recently honored Experian with its 2022 DEI Leadership Award. To learn more about Experian’s work in diverse communities: visit www.experian.com/diversity. (BPRW)

110th Anniversary of the historic Women’s Suffrage March celebrated in Chattanooga

Organizers of the 110th Anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage March decided the best alternate day to celebrate this historic event should be on the last day of Women’s History Month.

Last Friday’s reenactment in Chattanooga was previously scheduled for March 3, to coincide with the date of the original event in 1913, but was rescheduled to March 31 due to inclement weather.

“We are hosting the Women’s Suffrage Reenactment March to celebrate the hard won achievements of the courageous leaders who played a vital role in ensuring that all women earned the right to vote–because of them, we can,” said Amy R. Davis, president of the Chattanooga Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Last Friday at noon, dozens of participants carrying umbrellas met on the lawn of the Hamilton County Court House, 625 E. Georgia Ave. in downtown Chattanooga, to begin the ¼ mile reenactment of the Women’s Suffrage March. The procession walked from the courthouse down Georgia Avenue towards Miller Park in a light rain. 

A short program at Miller Park followed.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, by 22 women at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The sorority’s first public act of service was its participation in the Women’s Suffrage March in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 1913.

This march was held the day before Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration and faced strong opposition from anti-suffragist crowds. Insults and lit cigarette butts were thrown and marchers were tripped, groped and beaten. Army troops were called in and 100 women were hospitalized.

Although women were granted the right to vote in 1920, it would be many more decades until all women had the opportunity to fully participate in our democracy. 

The local 110th Anniversary Women’s Suffrage Reenactment March was organized by the Chattanooga Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Chattanooga and the city of Chattanooga.

From “Spook Who Sat by The Door”…. to trailblazer!

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Wow, March, Women’s History Month slipped up on me before I had any idea of what history-making woman I’d want to write about. But NPR (my favorite radio station) answered my question when they reported about the recently deceased Zandra Flemister, an individual I’d never heard of. I suspect that I’m not the only one.

Now once I dug into it, her story provided me with an opportunity to staddle two identities – race and gender – as well as two history month celebrations – African American (February) and National Women’s (March).

As I pored through Flemister’s history, I was struck by several parallels between her professional experiences – blatant acts of racism, discrimination and tokenism among them – and those experienced by scores of other pioneering African Americans who were hired in the 60s and 70s, some as window- dressing tokens. (Google “The Spook Who Sat by The Door” to get my drift).

Flemister was born in Frankfurt, Germany to a U.S. Army sergeant and government microfilm technician, and spent the first four or five years of her life in Germany and France before her parents separated and she moved with her mom to Connecticut. She went to Northeastern University on a work-study program, graduating with a degree in political science.

She was the first Black woman to serve as a special agent in the U.S. Secret Service, then spent over three decades as a foreign service officer, rising to the upper ranks of senior foreign service. She did so while juggling family responsibilities, including raising her son who was diagnosed with autism as a child.

Flemister met a Secret Service recruiter at a job fair who told her she was overqualified for the uniformed service but encouraged her to apply to be a special agent instead. She got the job in 1974. She was mostly assigned to undercover, counterfeit and treasury fraud work, though did work some notable protective details — including for Bob Dole’s wife Elizabeth while he was running for vice president and first daughters Susan Ford and Amy Carter. But she struggled to be taken seriously by her colleagues and supervisors and felt she would not be able to advance at the agency in the long term.

Unfortunately, Flemister experienced discrimination throughout her time at the agency, including, she reported, being relegated to mostly undercover and lower-paying duties, getting propositioned by male colleagues on overnight assignments, being denied recognition for exemplary work and facing a constant barrage of racist comments and slurs. However, she stayed with the agency “because she wanted to be a “trailblazer for other African-American women,” she wrote in an affidavit filed in support of a 2000 class-action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination within the Secret Service (settled for $24 million).

Later she left Secret Service, ultimately taking a new job — and a pay cut — at the State Department in 1978, launching a career in the foreign service. Her three decades there included running interagency visa screening programs in Pakistan and South Korea and establishing a multinational anti-visa fraud working group in London.

At one point, she reported, a superior told her that she would have to get rid of her Afro-style hairdo in order to get assigned to more prestigious and lucrative security details. Flemister did, but later wrote that she felt like “the show African American female agent that the Secret Service rotated around to different details to make it appear racially diverse.”

Further, a colleague taped an image of a gorilla over her photo on her ID card, while another gestured to her in the office and asked “Whose prisoner is she?” She added that on presidential visits to Senegal and Grenada, she heard white agents refer to the leaders of those countries using the n-word, and wasn’t aware of any action being taken after she reported it.

“With my requests for transfers to career-enhancing squads consistently denied, my credibility and competency constantly questioned, and the common use of racial epithets in my presence, I saw the handwriting on the wall,” Flemister wrote, according to a copy of the affidavit shared with NPR. “Because of my race I would never be allowed to have a successful career in the Secret Service.”

According to NPR, one of the agents who followed — albeit unknowingly — in Flemister’s footsteps was former Secret Service Assistant Director Renee Triplett who arrived at the Washington Field Office in 1989 and retired in 2016 as the first Black woman to serve in that executive-level position.

“To me, this was the first recognition of who the first Black female [special agent] was,” Triplett says. “I thought, ‘Wow,’ because it was in the 1970s, I knew the history of when, generally, the first women were hired within the agency, but I never had an understanding of when the first Black female had ever been hired.” It was only after Flemister’s death that Triplett learned how difficult her time at the agency had been, a story that she called “heartbreaking” to read.

In the end, I salute and celebrate Zandra Flemister and other trailblazers like her who paved the way for scores of others like them.

© Terry Howard is an award-winning speaker, writer and storyteller. He is also a contributing writer with the Chattanooga News Chronicle, The American Diversity Report, The Douglas County Sentinel, The Waynesboro News Virginian, 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.

Chattanooga City Councilman Isiah Hester presents proclamation honoring John R. Taylor Sr. 

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At last Tuesday’s (March 7) meeting of the Chattanooga City Council, District 5 Councilman Isiah Hester presented a proclamation to John R. Taylor Sr. He cited Mr. Taylor’s many years of meritorious service as a community leader, business entrepreneur and former councilperson.

“For some men are born to change the course of history,” Councilman Hester said. “These men of indomitable fortitude and unparalleled tenacity, they have all the ingredients of heroes. Such a man today is John R. Taylor–a husband, businessman, father, and my mentor and spiritual leader.”

Mr. Taylor accepted the proclamation with words of thanks and encouragement for the City Council members. 

“I just want to say thank you so very much for this recognition,” he said. “I understand what you’re going through, and the great service that you are rendering to our city. And I want to just encourage you to continue to do what you’re doing, working together in order to make our great city even greater. And I want to say to Isiah, thank you so very much for even considering me for this service and this award.”

Mr. Taylor ended the acceptance with one of his favorite mottos: “Working together works.” 

Mr. Taylor’s proclamation reads:

“WHEREAS, John R. Taylor, Sr. is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a graduate of the Brainerd High School class of 1980. Mr. Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree from Southwestern Christian College and a degree in mortuary science from John A Gupton College.

WHEREAS, in 1997, John first entered local politics as the City Council District representative, making history as the first District 7 councilperson to be elected to two consecutive terms since the origination of the City Council.

WHEREAS, while serving as District 7 representative, John addressed resident needs with physical and management improvements, community services, and social services being a vital force behind the 2007 HOPE VI project, a series of government grants designed to reshape and revitalize neighborhoods. He was an Executive Team member for the Chattanooga African American Summit and founding member of the City of Chattanooga’s Office of Multicultural Affairs Board.

WHEREAS, through the years, he has held a multitude of titles including the President of Taylor Funeral Home of Chattanooga, Inc., Chairperson for the International Committee, President of Scales Funeral Home in Nashville, President of the East Tennessee Funeral Directors & Morticians Association and many more.

WHEREAS, for years, John served faithfully as the Avondale Church of Christ Education Director under the ministry of his father, Carl, Sr. Taylor, and is currently following the call as minister of the East Third Street Church of Christ. Now Therefore, I, Isiah Hester, Councilman of the Chattanooga City Council, do hereby honor and recognize, John R. Taylor, Sr. as a public servant in the highest sense for his lifetime commitment to the community.

Hamilton County Health and Safety Board Changes Likely to Increase Visibility

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Property owners in the unincorporated area of Hamilton County may see an increased presence of the Hamilton County Health & Safety Board (HCHPSB).

In the March 8 agenda session, Andy Mullins, serving as the Chairman of the HCHPSB, made a presentation which included a resolution to amend the current governing rules and regulations of this group.

The HCHPSB was established in 1999, in part, to address the condition of private properties that fall within the jurisdiction of Hamilton County Government, to ensure they do not “endanger the health, safety, or welfare of anyone” or violate the terms of the various codes and regulations that would do the same.

A property owner may have contact with the Hamilton County Health Department’s Enforcement Officer who has either taken a complaint regarding that property or an adjacent or nearby property that is of concern and impacting the health and public safety of others. Complaints may relate to unsanitary conditions, hazards such as fire, accidents, or other “calamities” which would jeopardize the public, or dilapidated structures on a private property, which includes items such as swimming pools.

HCHPSB Chairman Mullins presented amending language that makes current the board’s composition to match the 11 members of the Hamilton County Commission, boosting the current membership from 10 to 12, with one Board member appointed from each Commission District and one appointee serving at large as a representative of the Hamilton County Mayor in a four-year term.

This resolution also included language, as Mr. Mullins noted, that benchmarks with more than 12 other states and municipalities of similar size. Amended language adds that the HCHPSB Enforcement Officer, “charged with the responsibility of following up with a property inspection following a complaint or has witnessed unlawful conditions from a public road, an adjacent property, or has been granted access to the property under review, shall wear a uniform, drive a clearly marked County-owned vehicle, be equipped with communication tools to access law enforcement, and be authorized to carry a County-issued firearm.”

The amended resolution includes the approval to issue devices for the Enforcement Officer “to insure his/her safety by use of a body camera, two-way radio, and GPS tracker.”

The expanded document includes the process by which a private property located outside the jurisdiction of one of Hamilton County’s 11 municipalities would be handled should a violation be assessed. These include notification of the property owner with an opportunity to provide remedy or to request a hearing before the HCHPSB. Should the need to escalate the matter beyond the Board and its finding, the Hamilton County Attorney may be the final step with a lien affixed to the property with remediation costs assessed after the work is done by the County.

Chairman Mullins, in his presentation at the agenda session, also put forward a request to be included in the 2024 County budget to cover costs of the properties under liens or those abandoned. This amended language was set for discussion on the March 15 County Commission meeting.