tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33347620167901939532024-03-05T23:00:26.280-05:00The Langston Tigers - Johnson Citydouglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-21500622588516947062016-01-10T11:54:00.001-05:002016-01-10T12:07:44.119-05:00On His Day: Events in Upper East Tennessee Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 18, 2016<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Please attend the only area parade for Dr. King that is held on his day, Monday, January 18, 2016... this in Kingsport:</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Click on the poster to make it larger</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Also in Kingsport on MLK Day, the New Vision Youth MLK Day Luncheon, 1 PM at the Riverview Community Room, Wheatley Street, Kingsport. Menu: homemade spaghetti, bread, salad and drinks (drinks provided by the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association, Inc.)</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>6 PM, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Candlelight Vigil, sponsored by New Vision Youth. The Gazebo, Glen Bruce Park, Kingsport between the Public Library and the Church Circle. Please bring a candle to honor Dr. King's memory.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>In Johnson City at the Carver Rec Center, these events are happening on MLK Day, Monday, January 18, 2016:</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Story Time: 9 AM to 1 PM, open to all ages. Youth will enjoy stories, arts and crafts, and music. Lunch will be provided. This program is provided in partnership with East Tennessee State University's Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Blood Drive, 1 PM to 5 PM, ages 18 and older. Giving blood is a great act of service and one way that citizens can honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Dinner, 6 PM, open to all ages. Join the Carver Staff in celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>In Abingdon, VA, the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade will be held on Saturday, January 16, 2016. The march begins at the Charles Wesley United Methodist Church and continues on to the Abingdon United Methodist Church, where there will be a program and reception. The march begins at 1:30 and the program begins at 2 PM. This year's theme is "Celebration Amidst Frustration -- Where Are Race Relations Today?" Let us join together and be part of the solution! For more information, please call 276-476-3191.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">In Morristown, TN, the 2016 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Breakfast and Celebration will be held on Monday, January 18, 2016 at the Family Activities Center at the First Presbyterian Church, 600 West Main Street, Morristown, TN 37814, 423-586-4281. The doors open at 7 AM, the breakfast begins at 7:30 AM. The program that includes community awards, breakfast and the MLK essay contest winner begins at 7:30 AM. The program features guest speaker Navy Reserve Force Master Chief C. J. Mitchell, PhD.</span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></i></b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>If you know of other services, programs and commemorations for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, please let me know!</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Calvin Sneed</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>email: douglassriverview@gmail.com</i></b></span>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-68503874234858031132015-11-30T13:50:00.002-05:002015-11-30T13:50:41.791-05:00Love of music carries JC native around the world <span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"></span></span><br />
<span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><strong><em>This story courtesy the Kingsport Times-News</em></strong></span></span><br />
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<span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">By JESSICA FULLER </span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">NET News Service </span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><owc:data img-extension="png" prim_id="Ar0010101" style="display: none;" type="primitive"> </owc:data><span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">As a multi-instrumentalist, Johnson City native Andrew Brady is a man of many talents that have taken him across the country and the world. </span></span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">But it was his love of playing the bassoon that carried him to the firstchair seat of one of the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the country. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDKGdH4Ni0fg3gjv0SxLEWVGmlp86qa9PmLX4rnyHK14P5fbdbjS_BCknNgw2E8gd1TNfJkW23ECypULBiHFt1dOc9LC01b3MWZSVLJvKmtZPcQP140x0eeNMx0cIbA5xTTs31xy3yKk/s1600/Brady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDKGdH4Ni0fg3gjv0SxLEWVGmlp86qa9PmLX4rnyHK14P5fbdbjS_BCknNgw2E8gd1TNfJkW23ECypULBiHFt1dOc9LC01b3MWZSVLJvKmtZPcQP140x0eeNMx0cIbA5xTTs31xy3yKk/s1600/Brady.jpg" /></a><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextPara">Brady picked up his first instrument, a saxophone, for his middle school band class at Indian Trail Middle school. Throughout the years, Brady would try all sorts of instruments ranging from the flute to the tuba, but it was the bassoon that really caught his eye — and ears. </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><owc:data img-extension="png" prim_id="Ar0010102" style="display: none;" type="primitive"> </owc:data><span></span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextPara">“I thought it looked cool, because I was at this band clinic in Kingsport,” he said, laughing. “I ended up loving (the bassoon).” </span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">And his preference for the bassoon worked in favor with his career goals. Wanting a career in orchestra, Brady knew the saxophone wouldn’t carry him far, </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><owc:data img-extension="png" prim_id="Ar0010103" style="display: none;" type="primitive"> </owc:data><span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">since few orchestral pieces have saxophone parts. After graduating from Science Hill in 2009, he moved across the country to study bassoon performance at Colburn in California. </span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">His travels didn’t stop there, though. Immediately after graduating, he took a job playing for the Louisiana Philharmonic in New Orleans. </span><span class="InfoComponentTextChunk" owc:control="icviewerchunk" owc:entity-type="Article" owc:view-mode="text"><owc:data chunk-id="Ar00205" doc-format="1.0" doc-href="SKN/2015/11/30" entityid="Ar00205" label="2A" name="MUSIC" page-no="2" section="NewsLine/Who's in the news" style="display: none;" type="entity"> </owc:data><span class="InfoComponentTextContent"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><owc:data img-extension="png" prim_id="Ar0020501" style="display: none;" type="primitive"> </owc:data><span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">He’s been to Europe three times in the past two years and played at the Carnegie three times in the past year alone. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">“As musicians, you never really get to choose where you’re going to live, so you have to go where the jobs are,” he said. “Of course I’m always grateful to come home, but I love to travel.” </span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">When the job in Atlanta opened, Brady applied and went through a long process of auditions and trials before he was officially selected for the spot a few weeks ago and plans to make the move from New Orleans over the next few months. </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><owc:data img-extension="png" prim_id="Ar0020502" style="display: none;" type="primitive"> </owc:data></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">Brady said he is happy with his new placement, and said he thinks that the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will be a good place for him to grow as a musician for the next few years. </span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">Not to mention, this new job will shave his drive time back to Johnson City by about six hours. </span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">“I'm extremely happy </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><owc:data img-extension="png" prim_id="Ar0020503" style="display: none;" type="primitive"> </owc:data><span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">that Atlanta worked out so I could see my family,” he said. </span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">For his future, Brady said that he sees himself continuing his orchestral career over the next few years, spending more hours working offstage than onstage. In addition to several hours of practice a day, Brady said a lot of his time is spent making reeds for his bassoon. </span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">“It’s not just going to rehearsal,” Brady said. “You have to be so prepared and maintain that high quality. It’s more hours of work than when people come in for an hour-and-a-half concert.” </span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">But he wouldn’t have it any other way. Looking back, Brady remembers playing at Carnegie Hall with the Science Hill band. </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><owc:data img-extension="png" prim_id="Ar0020504" style="display: none;" type="primitive"> </owc:data><span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">After playing on the same stage as a professional, he sees how far he’s come as a musician. </span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextIndent"> </span><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">“It's been a surreal experience,” he said, adding, “It’s not really something I expected to happen.” </span>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-82889136045786278292015-06-01T21:39:00.002-04:002015-06-01T21:39:17.919-04:00Information About the Great Golden Gathering - 2015<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AMi_0Q2N6m9Wg5eRY0I4UCcKds9-n318FHXuP5B4-hyfQLCE57howpMbGgajr7pHLEKoWgGchyphenhyphen35rsAOiwM3zy2Cb24c5jKYgNwR1om-ESQetLMgqW7TiGZuAJ6jb1RCuN4Lt_Bb0cA/s1600/Big+Reunion+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AMi_0Q2N6m9Wg5eRY0I4UCcKds9-n318FHXuP5B4-hyfQLCE57howpMbGgajr7pHLEKoWgGchyphenhyphen35rsAOiwM3zy2Cb24c5jKYgNwR1om-ESQetLMgqW7TiGZuAJ6jb1RCuN4Lt_Bb0cA/s320/Big+Reunion+3.JPG" width="216" /></a></div>Word is getting around about the big reunion between all the former African-American high schools later this summer.<br />
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People are getting excited about commemorating the 50th anniversary of the closing of the schools, with an historic event called the "<strong><em>Great Golden Gathering - 2015</em></strong>," that remembers the good times and the wonderful educations we and our ancestors received, from the best schools in the region.<br />
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The Organizational Committee made up of representatives from the various alumni groups has been been meeting since March 7th, discussing ways to make the <strong><em>Great Golden Gathering</em></strong> a memorable one for both the schools' alumni, their descendants, and their respective communities. Although there are some organizations that have not been directly involved, nonetheless they are still included because, by default, they are one of the African-American schools. Pray, the Organizational Committee does not want to leave any alumni associations out, and any schools not contacted yet, are encouraged to please join the Committee. All opinions and suggestions are welcome. There are no bad ideas... all are suggestions to help make the Big Reunion a big success.<br />
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<strong><em>HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE</em></strong><br />
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Most of the beloved schools closed for integration in 1965 (Swift in 1963, and Douglass-Kingsport 1966), and their combined alumni associations are planning a huge and historic reunion, to reconnect former students who interacted athletically, academically and socially when those schools were the backbone of our communities. These were African-American schools with fine teachers, who instructed us with loving care. These schools were the solid rocks of our communities, and by the grace of God, all or most are still standing today. Many are used as offices, some are community centers much like their roles of yesteryear, some are apartments, but some are empty shells. Sadly, a few are in fear of the wrecking ball. <br />
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<strong><em>LOCATION AND SCHEDULE</em></strong><br />
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The historic "<strong><em>Great Golden Gathering - 2015</em></strong>" will be Friday August 28, Saturday August 29, and Sunday August 30, 2015. The location will be the Holiday Inn-Bristol Convention Center, 3005 Linden Drive, Bristol, VA 24202. The phone number is (276) 466-4100. We have a special discounted room rate for folks who are spending the night (s).. just mention that you're attending the "<strong><em>Great Golden Gathering - 2015</em></strong>" and you'll get the special room rate.<br />
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Plans are for a meet-and-greet session for all the alumni on Friday the 28th.... a picnic with school displays of memorabilia on Saturday afternoon the 29th.... a huge banquet event with speakers on Saturday night the 29th.... and a special church service on Sunday the 30th. Events on any given day are subject to change and modification. <br />
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<strong><em>COST</em></strong><br />
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The cost to attend is $100 dollars per person, with a $25 dollar non-refundable deposit due by June 15th (this helps us secure the venue, food accomodations, entertainment, etc.), but if you want to pay the whole amount, that would be wonderful and helpful. The $25 dollar deposit will be deducted from the $100 dollars, leaving only a balance of $75 dollars per person. Please make your check out to "<strong><em>Great Golden Gathering 2015</em></strong>" and mail it to <strong><em>Great Golden Gathering - 2015</em></strong>, 810 North Hill Drive, Johnson City, TN 37604. Your name (s) will be placed on the master list, to be checked off on the day of registration.<br />
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<strong><em>PROGRAM</em></strong><br />
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Our committees are working on the programs for this historic one-of-a-kind event, including souvenir programs and historic commemorative tee-shirts that can be purchased, along with grab-bags full of free items. We are also looking for corporate sponsorships to handle certain aspects of the event. The banquet will feature speakers and historic addresses, fitting tributes to the legacies of the finest schools in the region. <br />
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<strong><em>IMPORTANCE</em></strong><br />
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The 50th anniversary of any event is special. These were African-American schools with fine teachers, who instructed us with care and prepared us for the unknown.. a world struggling to accept us as the intelligent people we are. Our most important Big Reunion goal is to pass this part of our histories to our young people, to pick up the charge and carry the banners of our schools into the next generation. Our alumni numbers at all of our our beloved schools is dwindling fast, and we don't have a moment to lose. The <strong><em>Great Golden Gathering - 2015</em></strong> may be the last and only time that all of us can be together to celebrate the one thing that binds us all.. our friendships and our common school bonds.<br />
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<strong><em>CONTACT</em></strong><br />
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For more information, contact the Organizational Committee at <a href="mailto:douglassriverview@gmail.com">douglassriverview@gmail.com</a> or call (423) 847-5139.<br />
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Please put the historic <strong><em>Great Golden Gathering</em></strong> event on your late August calendar. We may not have another chance at history.<br />
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<strong><em>THE 13 AFRICAN-AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOLS OF UPPER EAST TENNESSEE - </em></strong><br />
<strong><em> SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA</em></strong><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Bland High School, Big Stone Gap, VA</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Douglass High School, Bristol, VA</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Slater High School, Bristol, TN</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Douglas High School, Elizabethton, TN</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Douglass High School, Kingsport, TN</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Langston High School, Johnson City, TN</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Swift College High School, Rogersville, TN</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Arty-Lee High School, Dante, VA</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>George Clem High School, Greeneville, TN</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Morristown College West High School, Morristown, TN</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Tanner High School, Newport, TN</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Nelson-Merry High School, Jefferson City, TN</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Austin High School, Knoxville, Tn</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>....And all of the associated African-American Elementary Schools in the area, who graduated students to attend these distinguished High Schools....</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em></em></strong>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-3807949350274015852015-05-04T22:49:00.002-04:002015-05-26T20:51:31.339-04:00Big Reunion and Homecoming: "The Golden Gathering 2015"<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Plans are underway for all alumni of the former African-American schools in upper East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, to have one huge Reunion, called "The Golden Gathering 2015." </i></b></span></span><br />
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</i></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>The reunion commemorates the 50th golden anniversary of the closing of our black schools in 1965. We hope to honor the traditions we practiced, the educations we shared, the athletic/academic competitions we loved, and the social lives that bonded us together over the years.</i></b></span></span><br />
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</i></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i> The date of the Golden Gathering 2015 event is Saturday, August 29, 2015, place and the program to be announced. All programs on that day will revolve around a huge banquet on the night of August 29th.</i></b></span></span><br />
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</i></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Alumni and descendants of the following schools are invited:</i></b></span></span><br />
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</i></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Bland High School, Big Stone Gap, VA </i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Douglass High School, Bristol, VA</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Slater High School, Bristol, Tennessee</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Langston High School, Johnson City, TN</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Douglas High School, Elizabethton, TN</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Booker T. Washington Elementary School, Jonesborough, TN</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Douglass High School, Kingsport, TN</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>George Clem High School, Greeneville, TN</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Swift High School, Rogersville, TN</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Tanner High School, Newport, TN</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Morristown West High School, Morristown, TN</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Nelson-Merry High School, Jefferson City, TN</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Austin High School, Knoxville, TN All elementary schools who sent children to the above schools</i></b></span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The organizational committee for the Golden Gathering 2015 has been meeting since March, to plan the individual programs for the event. Below are minutes from the meeting of April 11, 2015: </i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Big Reunion Progress Meeting:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carver Recreation Center, Johnson City, TN</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">April 11, 2015</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Persons Present:</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin Sneed; Carolyn Trammell-Cox; Georgia Gillespie; Sandra (Dawson) Nuttall; Nancy Rhea Robinson; William (Bill) Coleman, Jr.; Barbara Love Watterson; Henry Wisdom; Carla Forney; Michael L. Young; Brenda A. Charles; Nancy G. Howard; Norman Howard; Roland Dykes, III; Elva L. Morrison; Sue Gilispie; Renea G. Hall; Lawrence R. Bell, Jr.; Shirley Gammon Bell.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meeting opened at 11:15 AM, April 11, 2015, with prayer by Carolyn Cox. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin Sneed advised that last meeting (March 7, 2015) notes have been posted on the Website. He has called J.C. Press to speak with Johnny Malloy about tracking progress/history of schools and upcoming 2015 combined reunion.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Robert Dykes III (Tanner High) spoke of efforts to reclaim/restore Tanner HS, which was damaged during a past tornado.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin related that Langston, Clem, &amp; Tanner are all attempting to reclaim their buildings. City leaders are not concerned, so we must keep these visions in the forefront. He gave info as to how Kingsport was able to get Douglass Community Center. Douglass was a Rosenwald school, as was Tanner and the Langston Gymnasium. These buildings represent histories of the Black community. This Big Reunion is about rekindling our histories, preserving them, and passing them on to our descendents.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discussion pursued regarding the mission for Committees:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Members should take information from meeting(s) and disseminate amongst our Alumni Associations.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Event: Saturday, August 29, 2015 = Banquet.. What would be a good venue? What should we set as the Cost ($)?. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to form a Site Committee...</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nancy Howard suggested that each School Reunion Group provide a list or numbers of attendees at their last Reunion... some sort of poll for each of our groups to determine about how many persons "might" attend. Norman Howard stated that we need to work through our standing community structures, i.e.; the Black Churches.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin urged that we need to set up Committees today: Marketing/Public Affairs; Location/Site, Finance; Entertainment; etc...</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Volunteers (?) were appointed for the Location/Site Committee: Doug Releford (Kgpt), Henry Wisdom (Bristol/Slater), and Mary Alexander (Langston). </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Site recommendations are needed within the next two weeks (by May 2nd.)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Norman Howard related that we need to think about this being a Family event - to plan for bringing kids, and entire families.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nancy Howard noted that we need to focus on celebrating those who attended one of the Black institutions, Maybe other activities could be incorporated to others from the larger community.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Henry Wisdom stated he had already called Mary Alexander... they will meet within this week to work on the location/site... He also agreed that we need to use the Black churches to help promote the event.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carla Forney suggested that perhaps we can work through the Ministers Alliance.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nancy Howard added that we do need to focus on Our stories as a region, but perhaps we could plan a series of events for each city to bring the individual impact on those specific cities. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin stated we had originally thought about one day, but it seems like we need to think about two days (Sat/Sun)... maybe a picnic and a Banquet on Saturday, then a large Church event (?) on Sunday...?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nancy responded that she agrees with a Saturday gathering to celebrate the 50th year, but each city/school should focus on their </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">own</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> activities in their individual cities and communities.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin related that the original idea was to celebrate what we all had experienced together from the entire region.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barbara Watterson thinks we would have better success in bringing all the schools together.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin asked; let's get our Entertainment Committee together: He appointed Carla Forney, Barbara Watterson, Brenda Charles, Vivian Releford, and Stella Gudger as members of this committee.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Norman Howard stated that our history has been an oral history. Perhaps we could get media to document historical storytelling, interviews, etc...</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin related that we could go to the JC Press and WJHL to see if they will support the effort. We could also consider asking this business to sponsor a part of the Reunion.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin stated that he would work with Norman Howard on the Marketing Committee.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nancy Howard thought that we should develop a script or memo to ensure that we are all speaking from the same sheet. Calvin agreed, W</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e need to have a script in place by the end of April</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, to send out to Churches...</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carolyn T. Cox stated that each Reunion Group needs to (soon) get a head count of potential attendees to forward to the Location/Site Committee. Calvin replied that we intend to ask Churches, Alumni Groups, etc., to develop potential attendees. We will need to </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">have a firm number by the 1st of July.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carla Forney asked if there are officers for this group (Big Reunion)?. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calvin Sneed was nominated as Chair.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Secretary:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finance/Treasury Committee: B. Watterson, N. Robinson, Carolyn Cox</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sue Greenlee asked how are we going to get the word out and will it be via a letter, flyers, etc.?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mike Young suggested that perhaps we can send out an Introductory Letter to announce the event... advise the planned event., then follow up with a Detailed Letter. Calvin agreed - he will do that - he'll send out the Intro Letter to the Ministerial Alliance, etc...</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next Meeting date: Saturday May 2, 2015, at 11:00. All Committee Reports are due on this date.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Closing prayer was offered by Henry Wisdom.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adjourned.</span></div>
douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-59163675036251844882015-04-17T09:37:00.003-04:002015-04-17T09:37:56.604-04:00"They're Just Like Us" - Ministers Fashion Show<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu-Wbwz9rd8psLewLteJ-VRr1hIN_QyMy8e6WlS7qhLezF-PkWKX7phk8gqgAq-b2qNLhqR6gqeCfSC6J_dSvFbpHXZYghIhRbSZjr3r2B04uLNqYidZRfmFHiqnbR2bkttEhSp1y8G4/s1600/DSCN4043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu-Wbwz9rd8psLewLteJ-VRr1hIN_QyMy8e6WlS7qhLezF-PkWKX7phk8gqgAq-b2qNLhqR6gqeCfSC6J_dSvFbpHXZYghIhRbSZjr3r2B04uLNqYidZRfmFHiqnbR2bkttEhSp1y8G4/s1600/DSCN4043.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>It was a fashion show, more unique in the terms of the models themselves and not so much their what they were wearing.<br />
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Local ministers were the featured attractions at the first annual Ministers Fashion Show in Johnson City.<br />
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The idea of a fashion show focusing on local preachers, grew from an idea at the St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church in Johnson City, where Barbara Watterson is a member.<br />
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"We were meeting at the church one day in the Missionary Society," she says, "trying to figure out 'what kind of program could we do that we haven't done before?' I thank God that the idea just popped into my head 'well, why don't we do a fashion show with the ministers.. maybe let them model their finest clothes?' The other church members looked me like I was crazy. I reminded them that we were looking for something that had never been done before."<br />
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Watterson says, a few minutes went by, "and then something must have clicked. Somebody said 'well, let's try it, let's go for it."<br />
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"I guess the rest is fashion history."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOdiX2_aM5yJpoXVswlC3BTahwS4xJ2Z0H5AG9iKdfwYxgnuXg8-Eyk95UjAv6yLdyNwPFEesfPr4Cv3FKusiB7-RM031Trty0ms3XMcvH6ycGjQe7UoB0AUPNCN9Ep4utHbm_4h_GjA/s1600/DSCN3919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOdiX2_aM5yJpoXVswlC3BTahwS4xJ2Z0H5AG9iKdfwYxgnuXg8-Eyk95UjAv6yLdyNwPFEesfPr4Cv3FKusiB7-RM031Trty0ms3XMcvH6ycGjQe7UoB0AUPNCN9Ep4utHbm_4h_GjA/s1600/DSCN3919.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>Although scheduling and frequent problems with the weather abounded, the idea of showcasing ministers in a setting other than the church pulpit, was something that made the fashion show concept an intriguing one.<br />
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"We see them when we need prayer, we see them when they're preaching the Gospel," Watterson says, "we see them comforting the families at funerals, and joining couples in holy matrimony. But we never see them as people, as human beings. Don't forget.. that was the beauty of Jesus. He was the Son of God, sent down from Heaven to walk among us, to live among us, to be One with us. He rejoiced with us, He cried with us, He suffered with us. He did that while he was ONE of us."<br />
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"Our ministers are people, too," she continued. "They want to get out and be amongst the people and be involved in things in the community, but we don't ever think to ask them. We don't ever want to bother them with things in the community because we don't think they would be interested, but they just might be. They have lives, too. I think it's beautiful when we can showcase our ministers in a positive light away from the church."<br />
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The fashion show was just the ticket for that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a4KX1DEJJg70J4XRlwBgPiICbIwngPdPt_oYjLzSlTLdPywDqhgTet_mB4zlkEnov3NE98M-AinfGEQtzKZJQlmlXBacnpNs7MGZh5Z5dPGVCzqHHRVNPFkcvlhMLTC28tguM9QSNOw/s1600/DSCN3876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a4KX1DEJJg70J4XRlwBgPiICbIwngPdPt_oYjLzSlTLdPywDqhgTet_mB4zlkEnov3NE98M-AinfGEQtzKZJQlmlXBacnpNs7MGZh5Z5dPGVCzqHHRVNPFkcvlhMLTC28tguM9QSNOw/s1600/DSCN3876.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>Participating were the Reverend Irving H. Greene, pastor of the Robinson Memorial AME Zion Church in Bluff City...... the Reverend George Kukubor, pastor of the White Memorial AME Zion Church in Middlesboro, Kentucky.... Bishop Dr. Amos W. Gbaq, Sr., of the International Christian Fellowship of Johnson City..... Pastor James Reddick of the Hood Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church and Presiding Elder of the Johnson City District.... and the Reverend Dr. James A. Snapp, pastor of the Jones Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Greeneville.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbDdo1RN8HJYOgqu66_-g8buxYpD9BMcDVgEgRKIbSPaMvXJFGwyJ325trh3jsRjWc1f252yLepPAT0YVUaMoa-1hfX1Yj8M5sHeBIs9B52lUHtA0V8M6QZW4HD_T5xn36Rnb1459NlQ/s1600/DSCN3962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbDdo1RN8HJYOgqu66_-g8buxYpD9BMcDVgEgRKIbSPaMvXJFGwyJ325trh3jsRjWc1f252yLepPAT0YVUaMoa-1hfX1Yj8M5sHeBIs9B52lUHtA0V8M6QZW4HD_T5xn36Rnb1459NlQ/s1600/DSCN3962.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>Reverend Greene was first on the runway. His first ensemble consisted of a pure wool black business suit by Oleg Cassini, surrounding a gray dress shirt by John W. Norstram. The tie was a 100% silk handmade tie, with a polka-dot pocket piece. His black dress shoes were made by Stacy Adams, and he was supported by a brass duckbill cane. Reverend Greene topped it all off with a short bring black felt hat, from Knox of 5th Avenue.<br />
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To the delight of the audience, he proclaimed that he "is about His Father's Business."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXV-RJtIK6WgOZ-QdLGqZ0nXfcWaoPLdWidIzG-SLiwRMA-Ccrou-itebu_YuVnzmipP4JhDwkMt17oUA4GKy5rNfKB5MTzUkED0BqGu4tdAzn-zsteM5B6px0orvFB_twspp3yL8ON4/s1600/DSCN3966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXV-RJtIK6WgOZ-QdLGqZ0nXfcWaoPLdWidIzG-SLiwRMA-Ccrou-itebu_YuVnzmipP4JhDwkMt17oUA4GKy5rNfKB5MTzUkED0BqGu4tdAzn-zsteM5B6px0orvFB_twspp3yL8ON4/s1600/DSCN3966.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>Next on the runway, Reverend Kukubor is a native of Ghana. His dress outfit is a Soldier of Ashanti Golden Stool, him being a Holy Man of the Golden Stool.<br />
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Ghana is one of Africa's most developed countries, with a predominately Christian religious background, with Muslim also practiced.<br />
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The audience was mesmerized by the strikingly beautiful suit modeled by the Middlesboro minister.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsII-s77s0O1o0cxPYHsu90HQVd-crKSmyMeKfi2T0I1lpNPA-jcd-9Rxcxr_8KoCIFkifnQA1BN0a44zTcKjysV3vkdzWQU_Y7zY8UtGGbx_PDB6X-e167UVfFnzn5WviNzFvSlr5ESw/s1600/DSCN3970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsII-s77s0O1o0cxPYHsu90HQVd-crKSmyMeKfi2T0I1lpNPA-jcd-9Rxcxr_8KoCIFkifnQA1BN0a44zTcKjysV3vkdzWQU_Y7zY8UtGGbx_PDB6X-e167UVfFnzn5WviNzFvSlr5ESw/s1600/DSCN3970.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>Next up, Bishop Gbaq claims the African nations of Liberia and Ghana in his history, as well as Johnson City, Tennessee.<br />
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The audience was astounded and excited to learn that the Bishop "made everything that he wore in the fashion show."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRSwxddaoFjh2ifZrFv6Nb1Uqa9VkOQQ1q5Voc2eLNFjt7r8APs1Cf3ws1iuXkZ5v5j8SZ8j1sztrd_QH1Ra-d0lTZmv3pybkLyvPnxWXryzXtEPDjuKR__QvRxn_niR4cDuLd2XLKO4/s1600/DSCN3979+A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRSwxddaoFjh2ifZrFv6Nb1Uqa9VkOQQ1q5Voc2eLNFjt7r8APs1Cf3ws1iuXkZ5v5j8SZ8j1sztrd_QH1Ra-d0lTZmv3pybkLyvPnxWXryzXtEPDjuKR__QvRxn_niR4cDuLd2XLKO4/s1600/DSCN3979+A.JPG" height="320" width="289" /></a></div>Pastor Reddick's ensemble consisted of a single-breasted suit with brown stripes. It was complimented with matching tie and matching shoes.<br />
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The suit is by Alan Lebow, tailored for Blakely Mitchell.<br />
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The special shoes are from Allen Edmons by Winhall.<br />
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Pastor Reddick considers himself "fit to be a part of the crowd."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-e8wXW6vZOgK7wKi3qmhtn6lIfMd6VoVCo-2rTK09Z735IqJFUDOJ2H5s_SK-t0AeGK_0EQ2O5AAyH9XmmQlujBWS-B789hj2lrOioaq7_Vaw295S5DBVaN7DsYzV7C3jn4T36gLRc0/s1600/DSCN3991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-e8wXW6vZOgK7wKi3qmhtn6lIfMd6VoVCo-2rTK09Z735IqJFUDOJ2H5s_SK-t0AeGK_0EQ2O5AAyH9XmmQlujBWS-B789hj2lrOioaq7_Vaw295S5DBVaN7DsYzV7C3jn4T36gLRc0/s1600/DSCN3991.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>Finally, the Reverend Dr. Snapp made his way down the runway. He wore a black and grey long coat suit, made by Giorgio Capella.<br />
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His hat was fashioned by Lite Felt, and the custom shoes were made by Nunn Bush.<br />
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Reverend Snapp took time to thank the audience for coming out and more so, for allowing all of the preachers to be themselves. That was representative of all the members of the clergy in the fashion show.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKBtFdfBvnlbE-FN_xLyT0FngZ9zfdsDHsrBOb6Xptsw6mQEZfC3qzLlAl2RMRN2ytXdO2Zd-e3Mw03tiIuLFtXAmnaTifHuWnLK7iY8lKjdVbkSlO1WyJ2rGCbD4txY3azG6JPf8odo/s1600/DSCN3937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKBtFdfBvnlbE-FN_xLyT0FngZ9zfdsDHsrBOb6Xptsw6mQEZfC3qzLlAl2RMRN2ytXdO2Zd-e3Mw03tiIuLFtXAmnaTifHuWnLK7iY8lKjdVbkSlO1WyJ2rGCbD4txY3azG6JPf8odo/s1600/DSCN3937.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>An extra added treat for the event, was the "presentations" by "T.D. Jakes" portrayed by Eric Black... "Creflo Dollar" played by Anthony Hill, and "Fred Price" was Angelo Newman. All of the "presentations" were about money, and all of them created laughter and "amen's" from the audience.<br />
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"We didn't want ministers playing ministers," says Watterson. "These are just lay people, hard workers in their churches. We wanted to have a little levity that folks could identify with, during the break while the ministers changed into their other fashions."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8jRJJFI4FgrU6BtENmrZu0jRSZKKePCKaKarKuzL7hT_CIqTO9Noh2-zw54nV4-z4GKAJV2pKigDQGguwo0N1ojvv7koobT8yxOmYXuCLHc34YxsmcG08Rla78F-jWbo-pHkGdIqlmk/s1600/DSCN4043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8jRJJFI4FgrU6BtENmrZu0jRSZKKePCKaKarKuzL7hT_CIqTO9Noh2-zw54nV4-z4GKAJV2pKigDQGguwo0N1ojvv7koobT8yxOmYXuCLHc34YxsmcG08Rla78F-jWbo-pHkGdIqlmk/s1600/DSCN4043.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>The ministers in their second set of clothes were also hits with the group as well. Afterwards, a wonderful meal awaited the audience members in a spirit of fellowship remeniscent of many church gatherings.<br />
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All in all, a wonderful, different kind of gathering that Watterson wants to do again, given how well received this first event was. She wants to involve the women leaders in the churches for the next one.<br />
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"Our ministers looked so good in their robes and their dress outfits," she says. "They're sharp dressers because of their upbringings."<br />
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Given the weather reschedulings, "the Lord just makes a way," she proclaimed. "If He wants it done, it just gets done in His Way. The people enjoyed the fellowship and seeing their ministers as people."<br />
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"Let them be in the limelight.. let them be seen as people just like everybody else."douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-41808608642030668552015-03-29T19:35:00.001-04:002015-03-29T19:35:59.303-04:00East Tennessee Black Schools Closings' 50th Anniversary: And The Reunion of the Ages in August!<b><i><br />
</i></b><b><i>CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWx-tMzbNw4kydQJcJLNSHIgTudOTv-02zrOBWXM9ljaJSoHKaKc4dJ3tr4Y9TPDwelSuf1BseO_V8e5Sz7whLbc9mhaN5qO_1BvwEh6H2DDXFVRvmjaCttZ5KWNL1tjpMA38fMNG8jVE/s1600/Selma+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWx-tMzbNw4kydQJcJLNSHIgTudOTv-02zrOBWXM9ljaJSoHKaKc4dJ3tr4Y9TPDwelSuf1BseO_V8e5Sz7whLbc9mhaN5qO_1BvwEh6H2DDXFVRvmjaCttZ5KWNL1tjpMA38fMNG8jVE/s1600/Selma+15.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div><b><i><br />
</i></b><b><i>A few key things were happening during the Civil Rights Movement in 1965.</i></b><br />
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African-Americans marched for the right to vote. Their hearts were in it, but their community was not.<br />
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Black met white on a four-lane bridge in Selma, Alabama, and although the blood was red that flowed that March day 50 years ago, African-Americans did get the constitutional right to vote.<br />
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Almost 450 miles to the northeast, integration meant the end of African-American schools in upper East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. It meant the end of segregation, but it also spelled the end of close relationships between black teachers and black students and the relationships those schools had with each other.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTGhKbosHuU9EOTEBmjfB3QVjL4ohOvCSPwEiHrvobmJQZIo4HZf9ahdGbuDzF6EaHpfij-Mag5zIyHtuCKkpxDZJPM4iDv1vlZc2PMUeQt_AGu_ckllPV0VVotsuBBuFhovqn6uYSNo/s1600/Big+Reunion+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTGhKbosHuU9EOTEBmjfB3QVjL4ohOvCSPwEiHrvobmJQZIo4HZf9ahdGbuDzF6EaHpfij-Mag5zIyHtuCKkpxDZJPM4iDv1vlZc2PMUeQt_AGu_ckllPV0VVotsuBBuFhovqn6uYSNo/s1600/Big+Reunion+1.jpg" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>It was the end of the Bland High School in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.... Douglass High School in Bristol, Virginia.... Slater High School in Bristol, Tennessee.... Douglass High School in Kingsport, Tennessee.... Langston High School and the associated elementary schools in Johnson City, Tennessee.... Douglas High School in Elizabethton, Tennessee... Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Jonesborough, Tennessee.... George Clem High School in Greeneville, Tennessee.... Swift High School in Rogersville, Tennessee.... Morristown College High School in Morristown, Tennessee.... and Tanner High School in Newport, Tennessee.<br />
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The closings ripped the heart out of the African-American communities in those cities.<br />
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The void was filled by reunions held every two years between the individual black school alumni associations. Alumni of the schools came from miles around to get together and reminisce about "the good ole days" and catch up with each other's lives.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcaf2VK_-zUxFA5TBrmPRD1a7xW0Fe_3aQEBrMZvtzizru4LkJurDbiuJWpIBSTpj36QVdTcr6EIcl3CaUbSclTtxyiYqMzw8Lr9mDfGJyEfDZU8tjRAps2x7IDQSgz7HFoCwoXMOppM/s1600/Big+Reunion+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcaf2VK_-zUxFA5TBrmPRD1a7xW0Fe_3aQEBrMZvtzizru4LkJurDbiuJWpIBSTpj36QVdTcr6EIcl3CaUbSclTtxyiYqMzw8Lr9mDfGJyEfDZU8tjRAps2x7IDQSgz7HFoCwoXMOppM/s1600/Big+Reunion+2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>But there has always been one resounding message at all of the reunions.</i></b><br />
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</b> <b><i>Wouldn't it be beautiful to have one big, giant reunion between all of the former African-American high schools in Upper East Tennessee? A chance to relive some of the old rivalries, yet celebrate the wonderful friendships and kindred spirits that hundreds of students all shared back in the day.</i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxJcpPNKBYx9j3jbWriSno82Grj0M23NxzncjIOFxF3kslZSjC2JzA8-AuQTMiAGnva1HTjX1u9xIIvGLBKLHmuWM90iAS3D4HcOtH7cw1L1HmXJGcw8bl7NT838lgto71LImQqn666M/s1600/Big+Reunion+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxJcpPNKBYx9j3jbWriSno82Grj0M23NxzncjIOFxF3kslZSjC2JzA8-AuQTMiAGnva1HTjX1u9xIIvGLBKLHmuWM90iAS3D4HcOtH7cw1L1HmXJGcw8bl7NT838lgto71LImQqn666M/s1600/Big+Reunion+3.JPG" height="320" width="216" /></a></div>THE CHANCE TO DO THAT IS.... NOW!<br />
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The summer of 2015 will be the 50th anniversary of the closing of most of the African-American schools, from Knoxville to Bristol... from Newport to Big Stone.<br />
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<b><i>Efforts are now underway to plan for that huge reunion in late August. The date has been set for SATURDAY, AUGUST 29TH, the location to be announced.</i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVixrRhRE2hD2DgKum9MZ4Ri_9gUd5PS6gy57sF2ogJbE7p5rdPWu1TjVh_BF0-7nPjC4WvAT8xm5yM8yLuvpZi9-L-7UNewL23lAuAC2SmtNNmXbVHc4TIoniQ_ymFuUm8lcAUFTZZNI/s1600/DSCN3851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVixrRhRE2hD2DgKum9MZ4Ri_9gUd5PS6gy57sF2ogJbE7p5rdPWu1TjVh_BF0-7nPjC4WvAT8xm5yM8yLuvpZi9-L-7UNewL23lAuAC2SmtNNmXbVHc4TIoniQ_ymFuUm8lcAUFTZZNI/s1600/DSCN3851.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>The first planning meeting between members from some of the former schools' alumni associations was very productive. Efforts are underway to contact other associations, to also get them involved in the planning process, with the ultimate goal... <b><i>TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE UPCOMING BIG REUNION IN LATE AUGUST!</i></b><br />
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</i></b> "I value the future and the need for people to know where we came from," says Vivian Releford, president of the Douglass Alumni Association, Bristol, VA. "As a people, we have lost our self-esteem. Our kids don't know how to stand up and be proud of who they are. We have not done a good job of teaching them to be proud of their heritage, which includes the education that their ancestors received."<br />
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"That's why this big reunion is so important."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUPS4rBTW2l13o0pvVrRnm6Lo6Pcg8sxT8mg2ttOyjbirYB2B9N8G1SdQ-jDjZvWACYXlxFTQFH66NuU2v4cCxDTauJRrqmOKzl-s2RP5H4t1U9F3IReBziYY3Cfqp45DZUw7Q6dZ9Yg/s1600/DSCN3854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUPS4rBTW2l13o0pvVrRnm6Lo6Pcg8sxT8mg2ttOyjbirYB2B9N8G1SdQ-jDjZvWACYXlxFTQFH66NuU2v4cCxDTauJRrqmOKzl-s2RP5H4t1U9F3IReBziYY3Cfqp45DZUw7Q6dZ9Yg/s1600/DSCN3854.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>"Coming back together to share memories of what we went through back then, is a wonderful idea," said Sue Greenlee Gilispie of the Booker T. Washington Elementary School Alumni Association in Jonesborough. "All of our teachers at the schools had cherished personal relationships with their students... we all shared that. This reunion will reinforce that training with the alumni that are left, plus shed some light on what our young people need, as they prepare their own histories."<br />
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"I was in the last class at Slater," remembered Lawrence Bell, Jr., president of the Slater High School Alumni Association in Bristol, VA. "We love our reunions, and we also love the friendships that we forged with other schools through athletic and academic competitions. The social interaction was undeniably strong. Integration was great....I don't want to go back. At the same time, it was hurtful in a lot of ways. This big reunion is a good thing, to reminisce and fellowship with people we all have something in common with. It will show our communities that we survived.... we endured.... we perserved.... WE MADE IT WORK."<br />
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"We all have a story," relayed Mary Alexander with the Langston Heritage Group of Johnson City. "Our stories are all interwoven with each other. Through this big reunion, we need to let people know that our stories are important to our communities. If we don't tell those stories, they die with us. When we get together for this reunion, those stories live on.... when we tell those stories to our young people, they will know how special our histories are... how they are part of those histories."<br />
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"I see a Tri-State history," she went on. "It just blows my mind, the potential of a reunion like this. I think this is so exciting. We've got something to show off. It's our histories, our collective histories. Everybody needs to be a part of this. I just can't wait. I love it, LOVE IT. We are important! We matter. OUR HISTORIES MATTER!"<br />
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"My grandson came in the other day," remembers Brenda Akins Charles, also with the Langston Heritage Group, "and he says 'Me-me... did you have white friends back then?' I said, 'of course, I had white friends. I guess he was expecting me to say 'no.' This is why the idea of a big reunion is important. What must other young people think about our history? This is a chance to show the young people what we did, how we did it, and why it's important to them."<br />
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"50 years is an anniversary worth celebrating," said Doug Releford, president of the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association in Kingsport. "Our numbers are dropping fast. Our past is going away just as fast. If 50 years of celebrating voting rights is important down in Selma, Alabama for the country, remembering our black schools that closed 50 years ago, is also important to us here in our corner of the world."<br />
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"My dream has always been to have a big reunion like this," says Barbara Love-Watterson with Langston. "Doug Releford can back me up on this.. we tried to get the idea of a big reunion going, but it never got off the ground. Then I spoke to Calvin and he got excited, which made me excited about it again. Our children have lost their heritage.. they don't know who they are or where they came from, they don't know their backgrounds. Nobody teaches the importance of family histories in school, so we have to do that job ourselves."<br />
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"This big reunion is the first step in doing that."<br />
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Jeanette Clark from the Douglas Alumni Association in Elizabethton sees the Big Reunion as bringing together old friends and reinforcing the black communities the alumni all represent. "By discussing and remembering what our heritages are about, it's a reaffirmation of our values. Although we have our individual reunions, our children don't seem interested. It'd be hard to ignore a reunion of this magnitude."<br />
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"This reunion takes us to the next level," she says. "It re-ignites the soul.. it fires us up. The communities we live in, will see how important this is to us, and they will want to take part. Our young people will want to join in, because they'll see how important it is to us. The extra items is, they will see how important it is to THEM. There's no way to ignore it."<br />
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"This big reunion is necessary," the group collectively agreed.<br />
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The group went ahead and set a date for the gathering. It will be Saturday, August 29th, with an alternate date of Saturday, September 12th. The thought, group members decided, would be a central location easy for people to get to, that has adequate overnight lodging if folks need that. Specific events that day, will also be decided later, with the thoughts ranging from active displays from each school of academic competitions, to notable speakers from the era.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmfdCttUJSWODuFqe1RBUBucZaJO9YFwFpnxZrfIhomqN4pE9Gp-o-2I0-yYmvRrUmUe6CYD8LVpsQinlHNCOLrtaKlGg0rXv9n5F4V2H33IkjcKZq_G2Y196OP7lv1ZAKYkR2UBMnTU/s1600/Big+Reunion+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmfdCttUJSWODuFqe1RBUBucZaJO9YFwFpnxZrfIhomqN4pE9Gp-o-2I0-yYmvRrUmUe6CYD8LVpsQinlHNCOLrtaKlGg0rXv9n5F4V2H33IkjcKZq_G2Y196OP7lv1ZAKYkR2UBMnTU/s1600/Big+Reunion+6.jpg" height="320" width="315" /></a></div>Discussed locations include places that both allow liquor and those that do not. They include the banquet room at the United Methodist Church in Blountville, the assembly area at Northeast State, Meadowview Conference Center in Kingsport, the Doubletree Hotel in Johnson City, Freedom Hall and the Millineum Center both in Johnson City. Ms. Clark pointed out that the event is about unity, not about where it is.. that "we're coming together as a people to fellowship, to reunion and to celebrate our previous pasts. The Big Reunion itself is the motivating factor for attending, not where it's being held. Mary Alexander volunteered to scout out several locations and report back to the group's next meeting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGX8ZP2jLVTMhsraWb26BcssHvr8MjgP3Bt7c47qkCoI7msvbqzUl4Yqh0aMtdK6MzsWtW7jpSjusjFarXUM-2Or32wiOlNVW8w3DgeMiuBDUk_YZcY8Vgz8aNzYaV0TU59nG8-vGY8Qo/s1600/Big+Reunion+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGX8ZP2jLVTMhsraWb26BcssHvr8MjgP3Bt7c47qkCoI7msvbqzUl4Yqh0aMtdK6MzsWtW7jpSjusjFarXUM-2Or32wiOlNVW8w3DgeMiuBDUk_YZcY8Vgz8aNzYaV0TU59nG8-vGY8Qo/s1600/Big+Reunion+7.JPG" height="209" width="320" /></a></div>At the close of this first meeting, Calvin Sneed of the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association, Kingsport, reminded the group of its charge.... to take the enthusiasm from the group and spread it among their various alumni association members to get people to attend, and to also contact and encourage the boards of other black school alumni associations to attend the Reunion organizational meetings, so that everybody will have a voice. Sneed said the focus of the group is "not what we cannot do, but what we CAN do. Any suggestion is workable and everybody's ideas count."<br />
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<b><i>NEXT MEETING OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL GROUP: SATURDAY, APRIL 11TH, AT 11 A.M., AT THE CARVER RECREATION CENTER, 322 WATAUGA AVENUE, JOHNSON CITY, TN. </i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZLILFfFAkqtIjvezchWC2avb3Xj7uEqxsq0Dg3Jy_GamboMIySIRYGlkN5cyy24azkwZKjJ-IyR6n9WA0MSLq0Chj2WCd9vaVrGjL2qK0O8pXaMlyza15Nf4RANsQ8KpCiKs09Q6geg/s1600/Big+Reunion+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZLILFfFAkqtIjvezchWC2avb3Xj7uEqxsq0Dg3Jy_GamboMIySIRYGlkN5cyy24azkwZKjJ-IyR6n9WA0MSLq0Chj2WCd9vaVrGjL2qK0O8pXaMlyza15Nf4RANsQ8KpCiKs09Q6geg/s1600/Big+Reunion+16.jpg" height="29" width="320" /></a></div><b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>CONTACT ANY OF THE ABOVE GROUP MEMBERS, OR CALVIN SNEED AT DOUGLASSRIVERVIEW@GMAIL.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION.</i></b>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-61840888263167231702015-02-18T15:58:00.001-05:002015-02-18T15:58:51.451-05:00Special Honor for the Former Swift High School and CollegeThe former Swift High School and College, Rogersville, TN is being honored in a special way.<br />
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Please click here to read about the honor for our neighbors and friends in Rogersville!<br />
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<a href="http://swiftmemorialcollege.blogspot.com/">http://swiftmemorialcollege.blogspot.com/</a>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-73765754539019362522014-12-31T17:25:00.002-05:002014-12-31T17:27:03.401-05:00Happy Birthday!The Douglass website published its very first post on December 29, 2006.<br />
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That means, today, the Tri-Cities' African-American community's information source is now officially 8 years old.<br />
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Considering the modern-day internet (the one we all use today), is only 20 years old, it means we have been around for half the life of the internet.<br />
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Not a bad recognition.<br />
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Thanks for supporting us!douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-44502446565195775172014-11-15T09:05:00.003-05:002014-11-15T09:10:09.541-05:00JC Schools Settle Racial Discrimination Lawsuit<div class="InfoComponentTextHedLine_hl1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Times serif'; font-size: 32px; padding-bottom: 1px; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Sf9lAitSualf5TtHwbIXNr27HWCOesKP-wZdE5lrNy1JV_OB8ayE0ua0hMArJHRu71Qsl_QgJADqRhyphenhyphengcM0saYtkTsZ3vCLL8agSDt7gcLXBnVkXU2FXcB6sIBliBI8JHNMT0iVWBZE/s1600/Indian+Trail+Middle+School.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Sf9lAitSualf5TtHwbIXNr27HWCOesKP-wZdE5lrNy1JV_OB8ayE0ua0hMArJHRu71Qsl_QgJADqRhyphenhyphengcM0saYtkTsZ3vCLL8agSDt7gcLXBnVkXU2FXcB6sIBliBI8JHNMT0iVWBZE/s1600/Indian+Trail+Middle+School.jpg" height="64" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d648a; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;">This story courtesy the Kingsport Times-News</span><br />
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<i style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;">By Matthew Lane</i><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><i>mlane@timesnews.net</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;">GREENEVILLE — The Johnson City Board of Education has agreed to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by an African-American mother who claimed her son suffered from mental and emotional distress while attending class at Indian Trail Middle School.</span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">Danniele Madison, on behalf of her son Hilton, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Greeneville in October 2012. Among other things, the lawsuit claimed her son was routinely led to the cafeteria by a rope and tied to a desk with an extension cord.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">According to court documents, the Madison family and the board agreed to a $7,000 settlement in October, with two-thirds of the money going to the family and one-third to Madison’s attorney.</span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"></span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">Lee Patterson, the attorney for Johnson City Schools, said the settlement was covered by insurance and no money came from school funds.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">The settlement agreement does not constitute any admission of guilt or wrongdoing on the part of the board or the school system and the board continues to deny all allegations in the lawsuit.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">According to the lawsuit, Hilton suffered a stroke at birth resulting in his right hand and arm being unusable. The young man also has difficultly walking, has been afflicted with learning disabilities, and is prone to breathing difficulties and seizures.</span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">Eight years ago while enrolled in the sixth-grade special education class at Indian Trail, Danniele Madison claimed her son’s teacher routinely tied him to his desk with an electrical extension cord during the school day, and when lunchtime came, the teacher led her son to the cafeteria with a rope tied to his good arm, “much like a person would lead a goat.”</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">The lawsuit claimed the teacher, who is Caucasian, did </span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">not similarly mistreat the Caucasian special education students.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">When Madison learned of these actions and called the middle school, an employee informed her the teacher only used the strap to keep Hilton from getting lost.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">The lawsuit claimed that the school sent a letter home with Hilton explaining that he had been tied to his desk for reasons Madison “would not understand.”</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">After reading the letter, Madison contacted the Johnson City Police Department and the Department of Children’s Services, along with the school system’s special education director and Director of Schools Richard Bales, who reportedly told her he would “get to the bottom of it.”</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">However, no school administrator ever “got back” to Madison, and eventually Hilton became a homebound student for </span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara">the next two years.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">The lawsuit claims that Hilton’s teacher was allowed to retire.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">Madison claimed the actions taken against her son were deliberate and malicious, and as a result her son suffered humiliation, stress and anxiety, which aggravated his pre-existing disabilities and caused more severe medical problems.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextPara"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">The lawsuit claimed Hilton was hospitalized and became comatose for three weeks, and upon returning home actually died for a brief period of time before EMS revived him through CPR.</span></span><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"></span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">Hilton had to undergo five surgeries at the Fort Sanders Children’s Hospital in Knoxville and underwent therapy to alleviate the stress and anxiety caused by the school system’s race discrimination, the lawsuit states.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="InfoComponentTextContent" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="InfoComponentTextPrimitive" owc:control="primitive" owc:view-mode="text"><span class="InfoComponentTextIndent" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span class="InfoComponentTextPara">The lawsuit did not specify an amount of damages, but asked for compensatory damages for the mental and physical distress caused to Hilton.</span></span></span></div>
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douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-16477975243105392052014-08-16T17:16:00.001-04:002014-08-18T23:22:47.920-04:002014 Umoja Festival: "Uniting" Upper East Tennessee's Communities<br />
<b><i>CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</i></b><br />
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"Umoja."</div>
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In Swahili, it means "unity."</div>
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On the weekend of August 8th and 9th, the 2014 Umoja Festival "united" hundreds of people along the streets of downtown Johnson City.</div>
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It's the 18th weekend of people learning African-American culture, and the diversity of East Tennessee diversity. The festival encompasses most of downtown, and gave visitors a chance to experience the social forms, beliefs and excitements of other ways of life. Umoja brings those experiences to people in upper East Tennessee.</div>
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Its beginnings were a lot more modest.<br />
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"It all began one weekend 18 years ago at the Carver Recreation Center," says Umoja Festival chairman Ralph Davis. "We had just finished a clean-up of the black community.. some of us were members of the local NAACP and the Concerned Citizens Group, and we were trying to save the center itself. At the end of the weekends, we would have a picnic there on the grounds, mostly just fun and games.. It was always a good time, and folks in the community would come in or stop by, to meet up with friends and a good time."</div>
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Davis says, the get-togethers went on for two or three years.</div>
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"We decided to expand it a bit and have some music, because more of the community were wanting to get involved," he says. "We noticed all the festivals around on the East Coast and around, and we decided to try and have a full-blown event here ourselves.. just a neighborhood gathering, so we started one down at Carver."<br />
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Unlike other Umoja festivals around the country, Johnson City's celebration of African cultural arts has always been held on the second weekend of August, as close to August 8th as possible.</div>
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"That's the date of the Emancipation Proclamation in the state of Tennessee," says Davis. "We knew the Greeneville community celebrated freedom for the slaves in the state on that day, and we wanted to commemorate that date, too here in Johnson City. The festival just kept growing and growing, and it was beginning to outgrow the Carver Rec Center."</div>
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<strong><em>FLOODING ON BRUSH CREEK IN JOHNSON CITY - PHOTO COURTESY WJHL-TV</em></strong><br />
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A huge flood along a branch of Brush Creek that flows alongside West Market Street in Johnson City, soon put an end to festivals at Carver Rec.<br />
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"Folks kept saying 'why don't you have it at Freedom Hall (Civic Center)," Davis remembers. "That did seem to be a better place for us, so we started holding the festival there. Still, it just kept getting bigger and bigger. All of a sudden, folks started asking 'well, why don't you just move downtown where all the other festivals are held?' We approached the city, and the rest is, as they say, history."</div>
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This year, the Umoja Festival is celebrating its 5th year downtown of celebrating cultural arts.<br />
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"I would say we're probably more music and crafts-oriented, for the most part," says Davis. "We try to have every thing from bluegrass to rap.. we cover the genre. Only a few years ago, did we try to appeal to different crowds who attend the festival, and we did that by having an adult main stage, and a young adult stage. That way, we could have crossover between the generations."</div>
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Between the stages, visitors were able to stop many booths along Market, Main, and Roan Streets. Most of them were food vendors, featuring everything from barbeque pork ribs, the always-popular whiting fish, tacos and brats, to funnel cakes, pastries and other carnival-type foods. Soft drinks, including water, tea and lemonade were also in high demand, because of the rising heat of the day.<br />
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A special event of the festival was a storytelling booth. Tucked in one of the several alcoves between streets in downtown Johnson City, was the Majestic Park Gazebo, where storytellers held the crowds spellbound with tales of interest, some of them made up, others taken from real life. The storytelling booth was sponsored by East Tennessee State University, in conjunction with its <span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">ETSU Storytelling Program. According to the school website, potential students who pursue the school's Master of Arts degree in storytelling, may "concentrate on performance skills for the sake of their present or intended professional storytelling career, or they may focus on aspects of applied</span> </span></span></span></span><span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">storytelling,</span> </span></span></span></span><span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">to enhance</span> </span></span></span></span><span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">their roles as</span> </span></span></span></span><span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8"><span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">teachers, ministers, counselors,</span> </span></span></span></span>community <span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">workers,</span> </span></span></span></span>corporate trainers, healers, parents, grandparents, or any combination thereof."</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">"The addition of the storytelling booth is unique to our festival," says Davis. "The ETSU storytelling area adds a dimension nobody else has. The school builds its program around our festival, and they bring in national storytellers that we would never see, unless we go over to Jonesborough during the National Storytelling Festival they have every year."</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">Friday's activities featured the traditional "Call of the Drums," and a 5-K run. Other than the parade, Saturday's event were geared mostly towards music, and of course, the food <strong>(<em>EDITOR'S NOTE: SEE THE OTHER ARTICLES BELOW FOR ACTIVITIES AT THE MAIN STAGE AND THE YOUNG ADULT STAGE).</em></strong></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">As the Umoja Festival grows in size every year, Davis says plans for the future are clear. The event has grown into a full-blown festival.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">"We are slowly getting to our goal of being multi-cultural," he says. "There are still have some things to improve on. We would love to have more Hispanic participation and we could really use some Asian participation. We actually have those in spurts from year to year, but we always strive to do more in those areas."</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">"I would also like to see our attendance double in the crowd participation in the next few years," says Davis. "We always try to get entertainment, booths, and participants that we know everybody will like, especially family-oriented activities. Blending everything together is what helps us grow even further."</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="null2"><span class="null7"><span class="null6"><span class="null4"><span class="null8">"It just all works together."</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<b><i>SLIDE SHOW OF THE 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL, HELD AUGUST 8-9, 2014 IN JOHNSON CITY, TN -- IF THE SLIDE SHOW DOESN'T START AUTOMATICALLY, CLICK ON THE ALBUM NAME BELOW</i></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="http://www.kizoa.com/embed-12675791-6006904o1" width="560"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d12675791k6006904o2/2014-umoja-festival-booths-and-activities"><b>2014 Umoja Festival Booths and Activities</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Video Maker</a></i></div>
<br />douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-1197569447499688132014-08-16T15:30:00.001-04:002014-08-16T15:44:11.523-04:00The 2014 Umoja Parade: Marching to Many Different Drums<br />
<strong><em>CLICK HERE TO MAKE THE PICTURES LARGER</em></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNgYRApwj54t91MCvYZ46jvPSQiUAgCn0-6ioqwDyQ0AV62cki3rIu8xJBE6Kni_MLIFh9_aZ6VpoKrFfuGVclpUZgFfkcP9r3195bJ8HYesASpK-XP4Rp4xpxqRVZQUjChZzAzrHOLg/s1600/2014_8_9+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNgYRApwj54t91MCvYZ46jvPSQiUAgCn0-6ioqwDyQ0AV62cki3rIu8xJBE6Kni_MLIFh9_aZ6VpoKrFfuGVclpUZgFfkcP9r3195bJ8HYesASpK-XP4Rp4xpxqRVZQUjChZzAzrHOLg/s1600/2014_8_9+033.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Umoja events on Saturday always begin with a parade on Saturday morning.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The 2014 celebration was no different.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The parade began as it always does at the festival's beginnings, the Carver Recreation Center. As the various vehicles lined up, there was a fun, festive atmosphere. Many participants had not seen each other since the last parade.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Participants in the parade included the Shriners led off the group, then cars loaded with dignitaries made their way on Main Street back towards downtown Johnson City and the main Umoja stage at Fountain Square.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<b><i>MARCHING BAND IN 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL PARADE</i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C9Sjsnso80f4QbR4ZJ58o3d68hCm4tfVX_fj8v7Sjkx4ZAzWdsqAdqX8mG5ADv17fy05aapsLA5_a2Sa0LM287FwBPQui5UYuEOw3LJ2IfRKd6CpvbvvU9MFBZG56Yv2SCEhq8mGYRk/s1600/2014_8_9+078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C9Sjsnso80f4QbR4ZJ58o3d68hCm4tfVX_fj8v7Sjkx4ZAzWdsqAdqX8mG5ADv17fy05aapsLA5_a2Sa0LM287FwBPQui5UYuEOw3LJ2IfRKd6CpvbvvU9MFBZG56Yv2SCEhq8mGYRk/s1600/2014_8_9+078.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>All along the way, folks lined up to wave and grab candy thrown from some of the parade participants, sort of like the area Christmas parades. Except in this case, Santa had a distinct tan. And there were many of them. Not just one.<br />
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The elite of Johnson City's African-American community was on display during the Umoja parade. Rain the previous day, lowered the morning temperature, resulting in a huge turnout of people lining the street.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Waves were as prominent as the smiles, and each corner was packed with people.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfiMRPDG4GlgBk1VlVAtYKFdorqMzw0juH3HFqAOuXPPUO_wf1g6eMT3Ml2ubNyBnRHLZIINDMBw0MEdx_UzlWNmunNbHDF70_kxFDEzRzIKKTe3_RV4v_eM_pyGLWlKwGte4gIfBS08/s1600/Stilt+Walkers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfiMRPDG4GlgBk1VlVAtYKFdorqMzw0juH3HFqAOuXPPUO_wf1g6eMT3Ml2ubNyBnRHLZIINDMBw0MEdx_UzlWNmunNbHDF70_kxFDEzRzIKKTe3_RV4v_eM_pyGLWlKwGte4gIfBS08/s1600/Stilt+Walkers.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>The highlight of the parade was the African Stilt Walkers, put on my the Kuumba Waoto group from Knoxville. They dazzled the crowd simply by maintaining their balance while parading down the street.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><i>AFRICAN STILT WALKERS AND DRUMMERS IN 2014 UMOJA PARADE</i></b></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5KZgCVpIYv97ZbkcEUprK8-FneSBb1qHFAy7HQ5Q7qjRiPzrhj1AVL_JH3ZzH2SmYy794_bPBJAqhy3a44P3mfwOHnC9ggJtFENxpT0UmDefuuvDA1-C6-r0A8GbX_n7uXgnQ6T-h6Q/s1600/2014_8_9+134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5KZgCVpIYv97ZbkcEUprK8-FneSBb1qHFAy7HQ5Q7qjRiPzrhj1AVL_JH3ZzH2SmYy794_bPBJAqhy3a44P3mfwOHnC9ggJtFENxpT0UmDefuuvDA1-C6-r0A8GbX_n7uXgnQ6T-h6Q/s1600/2014_8_9+134.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"Kuumba Waoto" means 'creative children' in Ki-Swahili.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The stilt walkers and drummers are sponsored by African American Appalachian Arts, Inc., Kuumba Watoto Urban Youth Institute (KWUYI) of Knoxville.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Obayna Ajanaleu was once one of the young ones, learning the art of African drumming. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">He now leads the group.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<b><i>OBAYNA AJANAKU ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PASSING AFRICAN CUSTOMS DOWN TO YOUNG PEOPLE</i></b><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The high walkers in native African dress were a crowd favorite, taking the crowd back to African times of celebration.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><i>DRUMMERS AND STILT WALKERS ENTERTAINING THE 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL CROWD</i></b><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrX-SFJeO8S3g6N_JeFHlW6I1XohlN_veNmTcL95k6C9emlwsQz9vcHFtKMI_djF2ckN9ag6gO1OhhNygxC3-edHnFeSrqAH9Z88E5YTQmXCIt-sbqPVizY8Blk9-yCnhL6MBFu7E1Hk/s1600/2014_8_9+119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrX-SFJeO8S3g6N_JeFHlW6I1XohlN_veNmTcL95k6C9emlwsQz9vcHFtKMI_djF2ckN9ag6gO1OhhNygxC3-edHnFeSrqAH9Z88E5YTQmXCIt-sbqPVizY8Blk9-yCnhL6MBFu7E1Hk/s1600/2014_8_9+119.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">At the end of the parade, the crowd was treated to a native African drum chant, which drew the parade crowd into a circle around the activity. The audience were mesmerized by the artistic dancing and drumming, especially the children. Squeals of delight were heard from the younger kids, while their parents just watched in amazement.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<b><i>STILT WALKERS PERFORMANCE AT END OF 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL PARADE</i></b><br />
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The annual parade is sponsored by the Umoja Arts and Cultural, Inc.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-42255220534607637132014-08-16T12:00:00.000-04:002014-08-16T18:31:10.110-04:00The 2014 Umoja Festival: The Young Adult Stage Events<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPzjx4Uu_6wwaPkwvc7WIOkWPEKyIteS5aY1wDvOtS7VsBR1q56XIJCeKmmP3jajmrM800R6H1SfOcLTtsPamwMq3ao2YC-BjE45dkM6Q_DrIsOfwoZmKZcOHjgLpGbcEqaEgFe7-C_w/s1600/2014_8_9+414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPzjx4Uu_6wwaPkwvc7WIOkWPEKyIteS5aY1wDvOtS7VsBR1q56XIJCeKmmP3jajmrM800R6H1SfOcLTtsPamwMq3ao2YC-BjE45dkM6Q_DrIsOfwoZmKZcOHjgLpGbcEqaEgFe7-C_w/s1600/2014_8_9+414.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Young Adult stage is a relative newcomer to the Umoja festival scene in Johnson City.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's only been around just 4 short years, but it has already established itself as a "happening" place, where young people can hang out, be themselves, and be one with their types of music.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For the younger crowd, a full musical stage was set up on Market Street right beside the Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church, near the intersection with North Roan Street.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT944YS1ib5daATLoslV716iX4PBiWLYO3OCClvItBEFg-No4wzXr99NRbndrlrVFacNkdSqnn92Iwa9PujyTQUdImojmWFsUin7VlL_XC6ezAlv2Kp_QJZ1WeACApz5QNkb4hOBRpICE/s1600/2014_8_9+374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT944YS1ib5daATLoslV716iX4PBiWLYO3OCClvItBEFg-No4wzXr99NRbndrlrVFacNkdSqnn92Iwa9PujyTQUdImojmWFsUin7VlL_XC6ezAlv2Kp_QJZ1WeACApz5QNkb4hOBRpICE/s1600/2014_8_9+374.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>"After the Umoja Festival moved downtown from Carver Rec and Freedom Hall, we were talking about how good it was to get people together," says Young Adult stage coordinator Vicki Briscoe, "but then we thought 'what about the youth? We need something for the youth. They need their space, their area.. something that interests them. So then, we got to thinking 'well, what do the youth like?"<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"We came up with this stage," she says, "that was set aside for the youth to come and express themselves, and have clean, wholesome activities just for them. Umoja has areas for people of all ages really, but this area is for the young people to come and sing and perform if they want to. We've had poetry there, we had the dance things, we had DJ Sterl the Pearl there, so the young people could have something they could call their very own."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtTHssPuHrztBhXDDtR3djLwjpWPxHC15kQl0X0pDEVdDlNNPuywz8odlDD9X59mimz_4xNnXH9Vq6nuPEPK4YJH8GOktS30XT3-B0PayNNqQC4V1xPd5MN9pZD08_pi0B1rGLG1z5JU/s1600/2014_8_9+195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtTHssPuHrztBhXDDtR3djLwjpWPxHC15kQl0X0pDEVdDlNNPuywz8odlDD9X59mimz_4xNnXH9Vq6nuPEPK4YJH8GOktS30XT3-B0PayNNqQC4V1xPd5MN9pZD08_pi0B1rGLG1z5JU/s1600/2014_8_9+195.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>Briscoe says she remembers well, the first year of the Young Adult stage.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"We were standing there, myself and one of the other workers," she says. "One of the young adult teenagers came up to me and hugged me, I didn't know him. He came up to me and hugged me and he's like 'thank you for this. Really, it touched me.. it really did. I made me feel like I, as well as my co-workers were making a difference, that we're touching someone's life."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<strong><em>2014 RAP BATTLE AT UMOJA</em></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYvM7gcu32ObECFIs1qWMZmodWgO8zgieLxmf3CZejYEa2LdRSXDbxXlDZNkqt7hq2spOTJ7bLomUkT-Hxmdwq6lCVRlad2SyWtZr-cCNebHIUt70XJH7f8LdqNaYhglGyULzNtIuJiI/s1600/Umoja+Rap+Battle+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYvM7gcu32ObECFIs1qWMZmodWgO8zgieLxmf3CZejYEa2LdRSXDbxXlDZNkqt7hq2spOTJ7bLomUkT-Hxmdwq6lCVRlad2SyWtZr-cCNebHIUt70XJH7f8LdqNaYhglGyULzNtIuJiI/s1600/Umoja+Rap+Battle+1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>She also remembers a touching moment in this year's Rap Battle held on the stage.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"The Rap Battle is the contest where anybody from the audience can get on stage and just rap to the crowd," Briscoe says. "They don't get to practice it, it's live, spontaneous, right off the top of their heads. I was listening to one particular child and what he was saying. I could immediately tell from what he was rapping about, that he was coping with something.. something in his heart, and it wasn't good. I could tell from what he was saying that there's a problem in his life.. there's a situation that's painful. It shocked me because from what he was rapping about, I could just tell that he was hurting inside from something at home and he was putting it out, you know. He was talking about something wrong at home and this was his way of coping with it, putting it in a poetic way. It touched me deeply. What I heard him rapping about, was really sad. I'm like, 'this child is hurting, and in his own way, he's dealing with it through rapping."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoyW9w1hF299pLYoP3WiZE1P2Sh68ntXDzrC6S2i0MoU5Tk108qfquz-8PG04VtXRBY27cq9tdquKaek-dek6yU5new-1RTGwCicvRMJDS11S6STTm9dfuVcODyr1gdOSIsvcVU1V7cAo/s1600/Umoja+Rap+Battle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoyW9w1hF299pLYoP3WiZE1P2Sh68ntXDzrC6S2i0MoU5Tk108qfquz-8PG04VtXRBY27cq9tdquKaek-dek6yU5new-1RTGwCicvRMJDS11S6STTm9dfuVcODyr1gdOSIsvcVU1V7cAo/s1600/Umoja+Rap+Battle+2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"By voicing it, that may have saved him from doing something about it that is bad. Maybe somebody out there heard it and could help him with it."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"It brought tears to my eyes."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEFQ50dMFXqU4PRoWkcoSvIjE7uLUP0dsU6QcfYMtvUoSQ_PlOQC75yocFIazHCIx37fASmm0bdUC1Z36nZHKRH_g9198l-Qec2GVFCf0NzmIvpH9JkPm2EChTFUV64VFU9RnbJ6jVZU/s1600/2014_8_9+239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEFQ50dMFXqU4PRoWkcoSvIjE7uLUP0dsU6QcfYMtvUoSQ_PlOQC75yocFIazHCIx37fASmm0bdUC1Z36nZHKRH_g9198l-Qec2GVFCf0NzmIvpH9JkPm2EChTFUV64VFU9RnbJ6jVZU/s1600/2014_8_9+239.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>By far, the one surprise every year is the Gospel Fest, held on the Young Adult stage every year. Surprising, because it's growing rapidly every year. This is also the 4th year for the collection of inspirational singing individuals and groups.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"Kelly Coley managed the Gospel Fest this year," says Brisco. "He brought in people and groups from all over the area. We did advertise it a lot more this year and it paid off. We've had Gospel Fest as long as we've had the Young Adult stage, and it is something that I insist upon. As long as I have anything to do with the Young Adult stage, we will have gospel. We scheduled it early, starting it around 1 o'clock on Saturday, because not a lot of kids are out then. That's just me though.. I know we're catering to the younger people, but I feel like God needs to be in this, you know.. we have to bring Him in. There are kids who participate in that."</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"As long as I have something to do with that Young Adult stage, there will be a Gospel Fest."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<b><i>MISSIONARY KIMBERLY PETE, WORD OF GOD MISSION, BRISTOL, TN, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL</i></b><br />
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<b><i>WITNESS GOSPEL GROUP FROM KINGSPORT, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJOA FESTIVAL</i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVC7z9Sn28TvWRT9u_V-c3Trtr80UU4EatkmgQ75j_3haecXhbhf148FDPkLuSyAQSmqI1Fkp-8Ch9gLFKjIY3cSDOEG19xEXvaHKLLjYmth5drMKbBdwBxgs0DEEQmdQNyYFyT-eaXw/s1600/2014_8_9+240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVC7z9Sn28TvWRT9u_V-c3Trtr80UU4EatkmgQ75j_3haecXhbhf148FDPkLuSyAQSmqI1Fkp-8Ch9gLFKjIY3cSDOEG19xEXvaHKLLjYmth5drMKbBdwBxgs0DEEQmdQNyYFyT-eaXw/s1600/2014_8_9+240.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>One of the Gospel performers this year was D-Higgz from Knoxville, a third-year veteran of Umoja's Gospel Fest. He's a Christian rap artist, and his real name is Darren Higgins.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"I love this kind of festival," he says. "This kind of environment is great, because it is out in the open. Everybody can hear it, the focus is right up front. People bring different elements to an outdoor gospel rap concert. A lot of my venues are Christian audiences, and if I can get out there and bring their attention in, this is where the real ministry happens. It's where the people are. That's important in getting the message of Christ out there."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>D-Higgz says, he can tell if that message is reaching a receptive audience when he performs.<br />
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<b><i>D-HIGGZ OF KNOXVILLE, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL</i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4BP9RwxVtpb16FR0y0bI5AO99XAM4frtY0QgFtQUq87Fhwvuv8iRIgjChnMtmN9LSWWxT0LoeQ-NnG0c4w4XbvjuIcPEz_XN4K7FUshCi5hJOcnu-ccjUMMgxnMSinFJfL7VIGY2QPE/s1600/2014_8_9+260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4BP9RwxVtpb16FR0y0bI5AO99XAM4frtY0QgFtQUq87Fhwvuv8iRIgjChnMtmN9LSWWxT0LoeQ-NnG0c4w4XbvjuIcPEz_XN4K7FUshCi5hJOcnu-ccjUMMgxnMSinFJfL7VIGY2QPE/s1600/2014_8_9+260.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>"Sometimes, it's a hit-and-miss," he says. "You can see some people getting the Word in the back and then on up towards the front. I try not to focus too much on the crowd. Once I get started, I'm into the music and the message. That's what I'm all about. The message could be moving through the crowd and I not even know it."<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"My prayer is that there is just liberation in the Spirit of God. It doesn't matter what I rap or what I sing, as long as the Spirit comes through. It's just that freedom. That's really my goal."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FoOBkb1o9W8_eZvd7O3MjPh9uZ3iRZ2WclQz0Suss6KIgs_elb0VG-wFtUcK0ZwnhB1mPoOJcKugrn-stvBY89XOc63cgKCQIy0vKgoPFSETgPyRjptj6Ki9l8r85HlebpNaHpdiAQM/s1600/2014_8_9+357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FoOBkb1o9W8_eZvd7O3MjPh9uZ3iRZ2WclQz0Suss6KIgs_elb0VG-wFtUcK0ZwnhB1mPoOJcKugrn-stvBY89XOc63cgKCQIy0vKgoPFSETgPyRjptj6Ki9l8r85HlebpNaHpdiAQM/s1600/2014_8_9+357.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>Later, the young adult crowd was dazzled by dances from the African Dolls. They're a group of young ladies based in Johnson City, from several different area churches.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"What they brought to the table," says Vicki Briscoe, "was a little R-and-B and some Liberian African dances. That's the first time we have had that type of dance, and this was their first performance ever."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"They're a new, up-and-coming dance group, and we were glad to have them. The crowd loved them."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<b><i>AFRICAN DOLLS, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL</i></b><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdQ8zaNgci5G6lQDQ0SohtupnUVwGkMFxc_smBoZ7o2pwuvoBxuQAD1Al_1U8_YlTVbjIgmtQWFGjbFh_OJjJxzwbSVKBKWW8mNc029GKW1Z362HWrEEMOSkLQCfLtHQxHzVO9yWH0ts/s1600/2014_8_9+393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdQ8zaNgci5G6lQDQ0SohtupnUVwGkMFxc_smBoZ7o2pwuvoBxuQAD1Al_1U8_YlTVbjIgmtQWFGjbFh_OJjJxzwbSVKBKWW8mNc029GKW1Z362HWrEEMOSkLQCfLtHQxHzVO9yWH0ts/s1600/2014_8_9+393.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>The Shaka Zulu Stilt Walkers paid a visit, and once again the crowd, especially the young people were mesmerized by the delicate balancing act of the dancers. Hovering several feet above the ground, many folks marveled at the way the dancers maintained their balance, including when the walkers incorporated dance steps in their stilt routines.<br />
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<b><i>SHAKA ZULU STILT WALKERS AT THE YOUNG ADULT STAGE, 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL</i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYbag7GAaZc3vlPC8wOTBsdN6r2x82J5nkUSm2LuQExHn_knuZOJhniLhyektJbIV9skyC-C4U5A0MUOIZW7i5ozXJ6MAJnXtjZcVxC-BKI8LYMClUE21LUfGMHEq4ch1SYWGJLyvGj0/s1600/Sterling+Henton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYbag7GAaZc3vlPC8wOTBsdN6r2x82J5nkUSm2LuQExHn_knuZOJhniLhyektJbIV9skyC-C4U5A0MUOIZW7i5ozXJ6MAJnXtjZcVxC-BKI8LYMClUE21LUfGMHEq4ch1SYWGJLyvGj0/s1600/Sterling+Henton.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>On both Friday and Saturday nights' DJ "Sterl the Pearl" entertained the crowd with a great selection of music. He is based in Knoxville, and has spent many years in radio, television and the world of entertainment. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"Sterl the Pearl is a great asset to the Umoja Festival," Brisco says. "He's been with us since Day One of the Young Adult stage. He relates to the young people and he really looks out for them. One of our requirements is that we only play 'clean' rap songs.. you're not going to hear the dirty versions. We are a family festival, family-oriented. Sterl has held true to that.. keeping it clean. Some kids have come up and requested the dirty versions of a rap song, and he's like 'I can't do that, you know.. I can't do that, this is a family vestival. No matter -- the kids that asked for the dirty stuff stay anyway and danced and had a good time.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAskbbO3jbgrQyXUMVyqoaDjfML6LhfsEQYskxoDe8c0oSNf5oOdd295GzQKl5UG-poF9OTXyVUk3Ut4_ShtgPLkr6rdh1mSLAiFoLFdtF387aEnehup7N14eqwcqJovZPJ9e5TVtRAQ0/s1600/Sterling+Henton+1%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAskbbO3jbgrQyXUMVyqoaDjfML6LhfsEQYskxoDe8c0oSNf5oOdd295GzQKl5UG-poF9OTXyVUk3Ut4_ShtgPLkr6rdh1mSLAiFoLFdtF387aEnehup7N14eqwcqJovZPJ9e5TVtRAQ0/s1600/Sterling+Henton+1%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="262" /></a></div>"Sterl the Pearl's" real name should ring a bell for UT football fans. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Sterling Henton is a former UT quarterback, playing in four bowl games and winning back-to-back SEC football championships. He continued his sports career in professional football for four seasons. Henton, a.k.a. "Sterl the Pearl" has an MBA from the University of Tennessee, was once the Vice President of Marketing for Warner Brothers in the Southeast Region, and, in addition to DJ'ing on the side, is a local senior business analyst in Knoxville.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgW0Ps3qb0_-a0ijaZ52htD5wKsbVB3MB4HWb0as3IIwDKHj8_Zc5mTkOgfYdSW9e4qTwcH3kLqSWlCCFzqEupEQYXPII4q0IxLq51UVkZYD4y_ky2NkJfx-vTs88rLz6Qoks6RjxjQ8A/s1600/2014_8_9+227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_743216="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgW0Ps3qb0_-a0ijaZ52htD5wKsbVB3MB4HWb0as3IIwDKHj8_Zc5mTkOgfYdSW9e4qTwcH3kLqSWlCCFzqEupEQYXPII4q0IxLq51UVkZYD4y_ky2NkJfx-vTs88rLz6Qoks6RjxjQ8A/s1600/2014_8_9+227.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
The future of the Young Adult stage is as bright as the smiles on the faces of the young people who claim it as their own.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"I would really like for more young people to be on the Young Adult committee," says Brisco. "We need their input on who to invite and who to consider. The first two years, we had bands from Nashville, Knoxville, a reggae band from North Carolina. We're a non-profit organization, and we would also like to get more sponsors so we can bring in bigger names, bigger acts, bigger name bands that you hear on the radio and the TV."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<b><i>WITNESS GOSPEL GROUP FROM KINGSPORT, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL</i></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LT2CezI-dPk" width="560"></iframe><br />
</div>"Support from the community is important, and we always value new input."<br />
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<b><i>SLIDE SHOW OF THE YOUNG ADULT STAGE -- IF SLIDESHOW DOESN'T START AUTOMATICALLY, CLICK ON ALBUM NAME BELOW</i></b><br />
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<div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="http://www.kizoa.com/embed-12676012-9286322o1" width="560"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d12676012k9286322o2/2014-umoja-festival-young-adult-stage"><b>2014 Umoja Festival Young Adult Stage</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Video Maker</a></i></div>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-66999154172195112042014-08-16T09:34:00.000-04:002014-08-16T18:43:00.532-04:00The 2014 Umoja Festival: The Main Stage Events<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<strong><em>CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</em></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmPupH7itafkFzmaWnoaiD4ymF4jvA92_fpYFyOSvr98q4jAGEDsU03jgyht-GVFWAPkieRawe_Yg2tLGItR_raVVqVBZVExVV6HgMPjKxCmRH6UtnnXkeB5b16YBvBcnb1LTNRJvUxA/s1600/2014_8_9+494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmPupH7itafkFzmaWnoaiD4ymF4jvA92_fpYFyOSvr98q4jAGEDsU03jgyht-GVFWAPkieRawe_Yg2tLGItR_raVVqVBZVExVV6HgMPjKxCmRH6UtnnXkeB5b16YBvBcnb1LTNRJvUxA/s1600/2014_8_9+494.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There's one place at the 2014 Umoja Festival where everybody is bound to come to, at some point or another.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The main stage at Fountain Square was the congregating place for music and fun. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Once the opening ceremonies were completed, act after act took the stage and even if people were walking by, it was impossible to pass by and not take in some of the entertainment.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On Friday, the main stage music began at 6 PM with Vincent Dial and the Call to the Drums.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Then, the Billy Crawford Band took to the stage with a blues performance, followed by and will be followed by hip hop artist K-DA from Nashville, singer-songwriter Shava Jae, urban soul singer Jack Profit, the Company Band and the night’s headline performer, and Jae Marie, rising R & B pop artist from Johnson City.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The clouds began the Main Stage music on Saturday afternoon with the Watoto dancers and drummers, singer Amethysts, and the MJ Beck Band.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<b><i>CASEY MCCLINTOCK PERFORMING ON THE UMOJA FESTIVAL'S MAIN STAGE</i></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Kq_0lhbkdfE" width="560"></iframe><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hn6rehcua1cM5sDN0VBi0sgpqK90fXLU4xwX4Xd3C07rlWeE99TYRpaz-kNEhPmTZyUoN8_c1pjuSRQi81qNSOHgroin9KxpLdMJqVngwgpPS6JHcX8SpBX39XOSpa6SXMLWKZFEFGc/s1600/2014_8_9+505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hn6rehcua1cM5sDN0VBi0sgpqK90fXLU4xwX4Xd3C07rlWeE99TYRpaz-kNEhPmTZyUoN8_c1pjuSRQi81qNSOHgroin9KxpLdMJqVngwgpPS6JHcX8SpBX39XOSpa6SXMLWKZFEFGc/s1600/2014_8_9+505.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As the rain clouds threatened at 8 PM, saxophonist Casey McClintock of Kingsport took the stage. "I was excited to be able to open for the main act tonight," says McClintock. "It's an honor to play to, first of all, even get to play at the Umoja Festival, and then to perform in front of the biggest crowd of the entire event is great."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"I just hope the rain holds off."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>It did not.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniSxyJFXF-_yTYGvXidJ5Jmnu-MG06OrCS9aO43LvMyrj6xQllHJS4zTEJpKGlezBg4sctrzg9EYaFijqjyr4g9SW21ZHfs8MnsHM0F11Oq2YcQM5vOWA0-0xSE1CrljfUBREEukJRxk/s1600/2014_8_9+524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniSxyJFXF-_yTYGvXidJ5Jmnu-MG06OrCS9aO43LvMyrj6xQllHJS4zTEJpKGlezBg4sctrzg9EYaFijqjyr4g9SW21ZHfs8MnsHM0F11Oq2YcQM5vOWA0-0xSE1CrljfUBREEukJRxk/s1600/2014_8_9+524.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In between acts, the Faze II Band had to wait out a heavy shower that first threatened with a few rain drops, then a full-blown downpour around their start time of 9 PM. Visitors were 'un-fazed...' Several Umoja events in the past few years have been plagued by rain showers, sometimes postponing performances, drenching crowds, but never dampening spirits.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FTsrGClqEsgv82oKYDRDThGVsGcco8UyxckY9Dod1KSMwJerUaxKOipD4Rao_xp3xJ4gDiNe6D93h_Nqoy6beNyMDmLZ-SORtel8TM0S0rhWQi8nFvlZDdA9lxgSbC3cvtyJg-4CEzo/s1600/2014_8_9+538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FTsrGClqEsgv82oKYDRDThGVsGcco8UyxckY9Dod1KSMwJerUaxKOipD4Rao_xp3xJ4gDiNe6D93h_Nqoy6beNyMDmLZ-SORtel8TM0S0rhWQi8nFvlZDdA9lxgSbC3cvtyJg-4CEzo/s1600/2014_8_9+538.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Once the latest rain blew through, folks that sought to keep dry under overhangs and coverings along the streets of downtown, began trickling back to Fountain Square, and once Faze II began tuning up, all of a sudden there was a full-blown crowd in front of the Main Stage.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Man.. were they ready to jam...</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysgLV9klYmjCEAAnEZGxDQb35ENstpOJQPU2gQlvRvOpjxmN37qJrasHJXnZFIeuNeYNcsd6Pv5DuKJUVWBGQcABiSwB7YnNgh53Mj3wzebtJIRee_ujC7OblkGV4Axs655kqoiCTbgs/s1600/Faze+II+Band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysgLV9klYmjCEAAnEZGxDQb35ENstpOJQPU2gQlvRvOpjxmN37qJrasHJXnZFIeuNeYNcsd6Pv5DuKJUVWBGQcABiSwB7YnNgh53Mj3wzebtJIRee_ujC7OblkGV4Axs655kqoiCTbgs/s1600/Faze+II+Band.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Faze II Band is based out of Cleveland, Tennessee. Band members are Randall Adams, Johnathan Harrett, Breksford Johnson, Dexter Bell, Richard Coperland and Marcus Dotson. Coperland says, the group has been performing together for many years.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Faze II actually opened for the main act at last year's Umoja Festival, but were so good, they were asked to come back and headline the 2014 gathering.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">They did not disappoint. Although the males in the crowd were enjoying the funk, it was the LADIES that felt they were being serenaded individually.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<b><i>FAZE II BAND SERENADING THE LADIES IN FRONT OF THE UMOJA FESTIVAL'S MAIN STAGE</i></b><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KaTWiVFRr-A" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"Yes, we did ask this band back," says Ralph Davis, head of the Umoja Festival committee. "The crowd loved them last year, and it seemed right to ask them back to be the main headliner on Saturday night. That's always the biggest audience."</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Davis was encouraged by the number of people who braved the rainy weather, and stuck around to hear Faze II.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"I would like to see the crowd doubled in the future," he says. "The people have always been good to us attending, and I think us getting some big-name entertainers, along with the popular local groups would really.. really boost our attendance."</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjER_B3xKnxBmwDam52CapMNJvrrTMYLerbfAFM-mhD98At2Pp-Nso8Z5LupSag-XO9tGsYBaS4TUwwiVw-gZLy8GgvGhIu3D6TvSVZziOqnELQ9GBWkjeOBYS55oEXBrqdl8HDUjd2mA/s1600/2014_8_9+574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_563987="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjER_B3xKnxBmwDam52CapMNJvrrTMYLerbfAFM-mhD98At2Pp-Nso8Z5LupSag-XO9tGsYBaS4TUwwiVw-gZLy8GgvGhIu3D6TvSVZziOqnELQ9GBWkjeOBYS55oEXBrqdl8HDUjd2mA/s1600/2014_8_9+574.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"We have to turn down 20 to 25 bands every year," Davis says. "We just don't have the room, nor the stages, nor any place to put new stages downtown. We have to space out the main stage from the Young Adult stage so they don't hear each other. There's just not another place downtown to put another stage, but we are looking at it."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>"Right now, we're pretty lucky. We can be selective in who we can take."<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<b><i>A SLIDESHOW OF THE MAIN STAGE -- IF THE SLIDESHOW DOESN'T START, CLICK ON THE ALBUM NAME BELOW TO START IT</i></b><br />
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<div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="http://www.kizoa.com/embed-12676204-3960082o1" width="560"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d12676204k3960082o2/2014-umoja-festival-main-stage"><b>2014 Umoja Festival Main Stage</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Video Maker</a></i></div><br />
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douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-25872067076688586482014-07-22T23:17:00.001-04:002014-07-22T23:29:31.549-04:00Langston's 2014 Alumni Reunion: 38 Years of Memories<br />
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<strong><em>CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</em></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaC-ZGLfeObbDz8em7TZCp82AVlEulfsty-Wsd9oSLyKnvosjH17uXoJRmlHX3SrGC3CZlllGQvPilNEUNgXMpthVTbOtRZbNMNYxqCrXfTOAFVdORjFISV72fa-pIQo59nO3vpqqcIgs/s1600/2014_7_4,5+433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_247929="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaC-ZGLfeObbDz8em7TZCp82AVlEulfsty-Wsd9oSLyKnvosjH17uXoJRmlHX3SrGC3CZlllGQvPilNEUNgXMpthVTbOtRZbNMNYxqCrXfTOAFVdORjFISV72fa-pIQo59nO3vpqqcIgs/s1600/2014_7_4,5+433.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"I don't know what it is with this particular reunion.. but this is the most exciting one yet."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Langston High School alumni spokesperson Barbara (Bobbie) Waterson has seen most of Langston's alumni get-togethers every two years. Going into them, she says, often the reunion committee doesn't really know how many people are coming.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2014 was different. The excitement level was higher.</div><br />
And nobody knows why.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-49MD2d5AjWWlKSHkncGlCzBeXN5ToqCLhAn2RY9HSYwllx886-5RXN6niID9ymGoPZi9jMcDzCqkPWNapzvgLwuKv94HYtFwTJ7g4oSR_o1qlG4lLcSM12-VFKmgVDXbKG19iMJrcw/s1600/2014_7_4,5+435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_247929="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-49MD2d5AjWWlKSHkncGlCzBeXN5ToqCLhAn2RY9HSYwllx886-5RXN6niID9ymGoPZi9jMcDzCqkPWNapzvgLwuKv94HYtFwTJ7g4oSR_o1qlG4lLcSM12-VFKmgVDXbKG19iMJrcw/s1600/2014_7_4,5+435.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
"This one has been so much different," she says. "Everybody is so jubilant, so keyed up.. they've been buying Langston souvenirs like crazy.. they seem so full of school spirit. Anything with Langston on it. I don't know what caused it. Everybody has been wanting to do something, wanting to get in on it.. what do you need done.. what help do you need, what can I do. I'm liking it, but I'm a little amazed."<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"You'd think it was the first reunion."</div><br />
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The key to a successful reunion, Waterson says, is to get the alumni base energized.. get them geared up for what will be a good time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfZG3oBOMvU8LEBTLAAh2beU3KNYlyxwr9rNdbQU4sK2SdNZY2ejdtTfuOdUe8C5Na_394NL-9pScRJizZ7ZOquw9PIYyj6kuq7p6MEMuBiZ-Yrbv1vQSHvVYsglm8esv8XTyE9-6RC0/s1600/2014_7_4,5+736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_247929="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfZG3oBOMvU8LEBTLAAh2beU3KNYlyxwr9rNdbQU4sK2SdNZY2ejdtTfuOdUe8C5Na_394NL-9pScRJizZ7ZOquw9PIYyj6kuq7p6MEMuBiZ-Yrbv1vQSHvVYsglm8esv8XTyE9-6RC0/s1600/2014_7_4,5+736.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
"I tried to send out reunion letters that were upbeat and positive," she remembers. "I always talk about yesteryear and the Langston Spirit, and how we can't let that die. I try to tell them things that make them want to go 'yeah, I want to come back, I want to go there, I want to see what's going on. It's just been a different atmosphere in the whole thing this time. I can't put my finger on it, and I don't know what changed."<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"Whatever it is," she laughed, "I like it."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq06fhCc9Apawnhx3xFQ_hOY0bzNF1Wk8QMAIR4263V3T8dnlHc2BVqiHJo1GbBmEIQx7DGkD2lqZeKkAgAizYqjzF8nBeMon2dMJP74jGCFMQHaTRneXyARcQFkuTEYigVQNqDfPNuyg/s1600/2014_7_4,5+425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_247929="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq06fhCc9Apawnhx3xFQ_hOY0bzNF1Wk8QMAIR4263V3T8dnlHc2BVqiHJo1GbBmEIQx7DGkD2lqZeKkAgAizYqjzF8nBeMon2dMJP74jGCFMQHaTRneXyARcQFkuTEYigVQNqDfPNuyg/s1600/2014_7_4,5+425.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As Langston alumni gathered at the Carver Recreational Center on July 5th to register and meet and greet each other, Kenneth "Herb" Greenlee was hard at work on a project to honor former classmates who were memorable in school activities. Many of them went on to achieve fortune and honor in their respective lives, while living up to the school motto of "entering to learn, departing to serve."<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
It's the Langston Wall of Fame, to be located just inside the Rec Center, in the Langston Memorabilia room.<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"We talked about it several years ago, maybe 3 or 4 reunions ago," Greenlee says. "During those times, we started inducting people into the Wall of Fame. Whether they did sports or music or some type of club, from 1892 all the way up to 1965 when the school closed, we want to give them some type of recognition and commemorate what they did while at Langston and beyond."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3omktpiSV8nArtbdvkup0oKGnang-r0T1-X9QHNVp35nx_Nu_D67f4afscjmYhypUkQ3ob7wP-dQnJjNel-yxHjF96Fv83iwTo5OTUaNzqMOqMU5afzStg6W2fO9JYxXucNsgb04DWQ/s1600/2014_7_4,5+417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_247929="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3omktpiSV8nArtbdvkup0oKGnang-r0T1-X9QHNVp35nx_Nu_D67f4afscjmYhypUkQ3ob7wP-dQnJjNel-yxHjF96Fv83iwTo5OTUaNzqMOqMU5afzStg6W2fO9JYxXucNsgb04DWQ/s1600/2014_7_4,5+417.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Greenlee says he's been working on the mechanics of the Wall for some time.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"I'm not a carpenter or a designer," he says, "but I wanted to at least get the ball rolling on the project and get our people recognized because we did decide to do it. Young people can come in and see the history of the folks who went to Langston. This exhibit will make them ask questions.. questions about their own heritage. It will also provoke conversation among people in Johnson City who did not attend Langston. This shows them that we, as alumni, are proud of the people who went here.. this is why we're proud of them. This is what they did, that stood out."</div><br />
"Many of their families came to Johnson City to live," Greenlee says, "and they came to Langston to learn."<br />
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</div>"It's part of Langston's heritage," he says. "It's important and you don't let that be forgotten. That's what the Wall of Fame is all about."<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRkHYp3MSz7C_Py8SbDWC9IAcJA_OjoRqPodIp20TLe1Bt7RYBOXnd3ajoSkjTqvsbMPrnGsKDC-3cSgfnUyoDSzhiepwEPaGlhHj-NT2wjaTnAGneOGOTABeLMsVklbOByMzx5HCKMc/s1600/2014_7_4,5+463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_247929="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRkHYp3MSz7C_Py8SbDWC9IAcJA_OjoRqPodIp20TLe1Bt7RYBOXnd3ajoSkjTqvsbMPrnGsKDC-3cSgfnUyoDSzhiepwEPaGlhHj-NT2wjaTnAGneOGOTABeLMsVklbOByMzx5HCKMc/s1600/2014_7_4,5+463.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>The Langston Wall of Fame was just one area that got visiting alumni fired up during the 2014 Meet-and-Greet session. <br />
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</div>There were many other events awaiting them, that made this a special reunion for the Langston faithful.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"We've got some wonderful, exciting things for them to do while here," says Watterson. </div><br />
"This reunion will be just like a big homecoming, and we don't plan to let them get bored with nothing to do."<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><strong><em>LET THE 2014 TOUR BEGIN!<br />
<br />
MEMBERS OF THE LANGSTON ALUMNI GROUP TOURED SEVERAL PLACES, THAT ARE SPECIAL TO AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN JOHNSON CITY AND WASHINGTON COUNTY. <br />
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CLICK ON THE ALBUM NAME BELOW, AND AFTER THE SLIDESHOW, SEE THE OTHER STORIES THAT FOLLOW!</em></strong><br />
<div><iframe width="560" height="420" src="http://www.kizoa.com/embed-12043459-8623354o1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d12043459k8623354o2/2014-langston-meet-n-greet"><b>2014 Langston Meet-N-Greet</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com">Video Maker</a></i></div>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-59177939351677124702014-07-22T22:21:00.000-04:002014-07-31T23:25:48.264-04:00Johnson City's West View Cemetery: History Laid to Rest that Lives On<br />
<strong><em>CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</em></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGLw6eehoQbAqjAScj5UnY8UdX9H3xj1LfW_wM__shKtsiq3Og0K_-hTmc-C3q9ZjRpqyuGfWGk5Lc4LKxGqqWfIlkxEOyCFjPGnpGuxqy8xApTzWIvH03pWnxvJ3Lw4llDyPckzYg30/s1600/2014_7_4,5+469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGLw6eehoQbAqjAScj5UnY8UdX9H3xj1LfW_wM__shKtsiq3Og0K_-hTmc-C3q9ZjRpqyuGfWGk5Lc4LKxGqqWfIlkxEOyCFjPGnpGuxqy8xApTzWIvH03pWnxvJ3Lw4llDyPckzYg30/s1600/2014_7_4,5+469.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>"I wonder where my mudder gone; Sing, O Graveyard!</em></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Graveuard ought to know me; Ring, Jerusalen!</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><em>Grass grow in de graveyard; Sing, O Graveyard!</em><br />
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</div><em>Graveyard ought to know me; Ring, Jerusalen!</em><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><i>Negro Spiritual ---</i></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>It has been said that probably the most sacred ground to an African-American, is not their land or physical home.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It is the cemetery.. where the remains of their ancestors lie in eternal rest.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">From the time of slavery, black people held the lowly ground where their loved ones are entombed.. a reverent ground unique to the struggles that hallowed ancestors endured during their lives. A place where their bodies, made by God from the earth, returned "ashes to ashes... dust to dust."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Back in the day, many places in our country would not allow black people to be buried in white cemeteries, no matter how reverent ancestors were held in regard. Burying black people alongside white people was just not allowed. As a result, to be "separate, but equal," many communities allowed grounds for African-American cemeteries to be established.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmPOZMQzpEtB7kOUvpmzQ0OYWx4cM4orsPbGguu-bRjgHPUAz90iDLA4TTG8R_Je3AhM3PJO1r4ZhtU_Sh9lLKZ8TovjvG5PDsCej3_FEjK0urvOTjH2lQB1U9wYfjWa5GOgBpw4YBao/s1600/2014_7_4,5+500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmPOZMQzpEtB7kOUvpmzQ0OYWx4cM4orsPbGguu-bRjgHPUAz90iDLA4TTG8R_Je3AhM3PJO1r4ZhtU_Sh9lLKZ8TovjvG5PDsCej3_FEjK0urvOTjH2lQB1U9wYfjWa5GOgBpw4YBao/s1600/2014_7_4,5+500.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>The West Lawn Cemetery in Johnson City, Tennessee is one of those African-American cemeteries.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">West Lawn holds the remains of many of the area's black citizens, including those whose contributions led to the very beginnings of Johnson's Water Tank, later known as Johnson City. About 40 Langston alumni visited the cemetery as part of a tour of historic sites notable to African-Americans who grew up in the area.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A check of the tombstones shows, the earliest one appears to be 1903. Historian Mary Alexander says, some graves were moved here to West Lawn from Preese's Hill Cemetery (now called Roane Hill), and there are graves here dating back to the late 1800's.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"If you were black and living in Johnson City after the early 1900's," says Alexander, "this is where you were buried. Unless you were buried in Jonesborough, at the VA or in private family cemeteries out in Washington County, West Lawn is where your family buried you. These people were the foundation of black people in Johnson City and beyond. Even now, if you live in Johnson City or have relatives here, you'd be hard-pressed to not have relatives buried here."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6nenRUxmGa6CYBHb_E7QX3_Ttj542me39kpaaNIwR9u99A8hM5fIwkijy-gJAXINo0HeR6oaS-xGhI3lzkfD_VvRSwhZUIOdm8Mkrj-37EOo4K58vV5S6Z6KEpw0PWh9O2HeeSUR50A/s1600/2014_7_4,5+473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6nenRUxmGa6CYBHb_E7QX3_Ttj542me39kpaaNIwR9u99A8hM5fIwkijy-gJAXINo0HeR6oaS-xGhI3lzkfD_VvRSwhZUIOdm8Mkrj-37EOo4K58vV5S6Z6KEpw0PWh9O2HeeSUR50A/s1600/2014_7_4,5+473.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>Amongst the hallowed ground, is the family plot of Dr. Hezekiah Hankal. The following passage is from the "Langston Heritage" page of Johnson's Depot (along with Johnson's Water Tank, one of the early names for Johnson City):<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><i>Dr. Hezekiah Hankal, one of the Founding Fathers of Johnson City, purchased town lot number 12 from Henry Johnson in June 1869 for $300 as a site for the Colored Christian Church. Dr. Hankal helped start a number of historic black churches throughout Northeast Tennessee. Born a slave in 1825, he was reared in the Dutch home of James and Nancy Hankal in what is now Gray, Tennessee and was fluent in Dutch and several foreign languages." </i></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aXQZaqMTjEAapM7zMK0zrerGnj3wWzYVfj8zII5DYmZsfqIzcupgOuv0kWO46nZTNjIE0Dy3kmJITqUefWBYErpD_mXdVqrF9t8mwaUOetnmKNul2qJT9ek-Qw7QRH8k9AidBDu9Qnc/s1600/2014_7_4,5+509+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aXQZaqMTjEAapM7zMK0zrerGnj3wWzYVfj8zII5DYmZsfqIzcupgOuv0kWO46nZTNjIE0Dy3kmJITqUefWBYErpD_mXdVqrF9t8mwaUOetnmKNul2qJT9ek-Qw7QRH8k9AidBDu9Qnc/s1600/2014_7_4,5+509+A.jpg" height="263" vua="true" width="320" /></a><i><strong></strong></i></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><i><strong>THE LANGSTON ALUMNI GROUP TOURS </strong></i><i><strong>THE HEZIKIAH B. HANKAL BUILDING, AT THE WASHINGTON COUNTY - JOHNSON CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT</strong></i></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><i>"The cholera epidemic in July, 1873 brought Dr. Hankal's medical skills into prominence in the white community as his patients lived while many of his white colleagues' patients died. An interracial medical practice began that continued until his death in 1903. Dr. Hankal also was elected alderman in Johnson City in 1887 and his unique combination of medical expertise, educational and spiritual leadership, as well as service as an elected official is noted by several Tennessee Historical Society markers in Johnson City."</i></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BhTBxfweibziYBALOLZ0LjybMtZ1puSt1DI6-mJ32YiCsVD6LuUHC5wtNy0s4_sqrzUfUktCdgRu2Y_1wKnPEM3YZf4t-RnPqT1KrvKktegQNMLKk3bSIwyw8awzG-asspfBKnxuPmk/s1600/Hezekiah+Hankal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_245271="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BhTBxfweibziYBALOLZ0LjybMtZ1puSt1DI6-mJ32YiCsVD6LuUHC5wtNy0s4_sqrzUfUktCdgRu2Y_1wKnPEM3YZf4t-RnPqT1KrvKktegQNMLKk3bSIwyw8awzG-asspfBKnxuPmk/s1600/Hezekiah+Hankal.jpg" height="320" width="217" yua="true" /></a><br />
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"Dr. Hankal had 10 children," says Mrs. Alexander. "His wife was from the Netherland Inn Road area in Kingsport. Richard Netherland had a slave, whose picture is in the kitchen at the Netherland Inn. The woman in the picture is Dr. Hankal's mother-in-law."</div><br />
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In addition to Dr. Hankal's headstone, there are several headstones locating the graves of Dr. Hankal's descendants. Being in the presences of the one of the founding families of Johnson City (and African-American at that), gave many of the tour visitors chill bumps.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"This is indeed sacred ground," one visitor was overhead to remark. "This ground is important. Our history is here."</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAZwgpCGRzS03qUhsrsnM_vUp2i3aVOop9A-zQyAe_TNVxf6qqnkNcn8J8ucxlzYWEvGkP1sQwcPgD6IGl5rw7864PUYtzHVpEoUVBxsI_AzoXr9tJTXXHSQ6knZgwZyC1PGouSqQ_RQ/s1600/2014_7_4,5+481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAZwgpCGRzS03qUhsrsnM_vUp2i3aVOop9A-zQyAe_TNVxf6qqnkNcn8J8ucxlzYWEvGkP1sQwcPgD6IGl5rw7864PUYtzHVpEoUVBxsI_AzoXr9tJTXXHSQ6knZgwZyC1PGouSqQ_RQ/s1600/2014_7_4,5+481.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>That thought was echoed by Mrs. Alexander.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"I've told my own children that, even though I have ground at Washington County Memory Gardens, when I pass, just cremate me and scatter my ashes at West Lawn," she says. "This is where our people are. We're getting ready to apply for a Tennessee Historical Marker for this spot, and we already have donations for it. It will designate this cemetery as black heritage ground, for others to commemorate and honor."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Mrs. Alexander says, young people will benefit from knowing how historic the West Lawn Cemetery is.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eK9p8x3rq6PWXso8CMiqp0vNMzhRmy0HWXIcaeiv8vWJiPhvjzQAPcpW_bPkfqPApqxrhvOG_U8nxDR1b1qa2aOQQyhKkySlt6Z-Q8xcx7L8P5hXUO0A6jxome3FxmqU0bka2hpXMaI/s1600/2014_7_4,5+497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eK9p8x3rq6PWXso8CMiqp0vNMzhRmy0HWXIcaeiv8vWJiPhvjzQAPcpW_bPkfqPApqxrhvOG_U8nxDR1b1qa2aOQQyhKkySlt6Z-Q8xcx7L8P5hXUO0A6jxome3FxmqU0bka2hpXMaI/s1600/2014_7_4,5+497.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>"Young people need to know where their grannies or their somebodies are, who are resting in this spot," she says. "See that man over there.. the man in the green shirt? He's a retired engineer.. has no people here, no connection to this cemetery at all. But he says, he was 'called here.' Some people are called within themselves to to volunteer work. He has worked in this cemetery and uncovered unmarked graves that have been hidden for years.. nobody really knows how long. He's also worked in the black cemetery at Jonesborough. For him, cemetery headstones are not just markers.. they represent a person."<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"Somebody."</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The visit to West Lawn Cemetery opened the eyes of all of the Langston Alumni who visited.. some of them for the first time.. for others, a return visit after years of absence. It left a lasting impression.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSQ78CFd9Sy86ofBn-WTjL2EGYU3AbWtajdN0xcEPGbOKNgPcGauGqQ4Dmkg_6AmZ_Ryi1fZtpbpx1ikWvgXj0wmBh4rvVN2QHjV1AmHC4-qv72yRGDOh3BBMFJbIXdZoKX4Dua8S7Kk/s1600/2014_7_4,5+493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSQ78CFd9Sy86ofBn-WTjL2EGYU3AbWtajdN0xcEPGbOKNgPcGauGqQ4Dmkg_6AmZ_Ryi1fZtpbpx1ikWvgXj0wmBh4rvVN2QHjV1AmHC4-qv72yRGDOh3BBMFJbIXdZoKX4Dua8S7Kk/s1600/2014_7_4,5+493.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
"Whereever you are and whoever you are today, you are standing on the backs of the ancestors buried in cemeteries like this one," she says. "They created you... the way they raised you, developed your personality and made you what you are. When you have a child, you pass that on down to your descendants. That's what makes this ground reverent.. these people had personalities and traits that their descendants now share."<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6S3VBS5gJv27pf2kQ2-lkCErlD6VBFLg9ne9fgbY29xeCrBSDZwnHFVeCY6mmpCLMmmalhu56uecDZC_HQBSGdstSCz0q2c3yk3IuTbTx5taxH8VQd_EnFczZ5SiYS5m_p6W0WTBk7I/s1600/2014_7_4,5+495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6S3VBS5gJv27pf2kQ2-lkCErlD6VBFLg9ne9fgbY29xeCrBSDZwnHFVeCY6mmpCLMmmalhu56uecDZC_HQBSGdstSCz0q2c3yk3IuTbTx5taxH8VQd_EnFczZ5SiYS5m_p6W0WTBk7I/s1600/2014_7_4,5+495.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"When Jewish people were held in captivity, pagan kings gave passage for them to be buried back in their homelands," Mrs. Alexander says. "They even provided money for transporting the remains.. this is documented in history. Even money for the gates that protected the final rest places."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Today, we have living proof of how cemeteries need to be regarded, especially African-American cemeteries."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>"For the ground at West Lawn is hallowed."<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div><b><i>CLICK ON THE ALBUM TITLE BELOW TO START THE WEST LAWN CEMETERY SLIDESHOW</i></b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="http://www.kizoa.com/embed-12043727-3428596o1" width="560"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d12043727k3428596o2/2014-langston-west-view-cemetery--hankal-bldg"><b>2014 Langston West View Cemetery & Hankal Bldg</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Video Maker</a></i></div>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-34100158729703092072014-07-22T21:28:00.000-04:002014-07-22T23:53:02.059-04:002014 Langston Alumni Tour the McKinney Center: From the Old to the New<br />
<strong><em>CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</em></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIayXmfr8_qJVf9CYzjR-HpPbiYOmaaWdZSWUa6C-1Vjb1ynARuL1ysr5PNFnHt0xqqZB3Lk_bRwK6wlG-CQ2KpHOaqJclmFY5T-dXS5wf0mGw86VnrXPV4MPgjy2sjWXw3UtdrntCWc/s1600/2014_7_4,5+522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIayXmfr8_qJVf9CYzjR-HpPbiYOmaaWdZSWUa6C-1Vjb1ynARuL1ysr5PNFnHt0xqqZB3Lk_bRwK6wlG-CQ2KpHOaqJclmFY5T-dXS5wf0mGw86VnrXPV4MPgjy2sjWXw3UtdrntCWc/s1600/2014_7_4,5+522.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"It was important to save this building for the sake of the younger people, so that our heritage won't die."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">That was the sentiment among the Langston High School alumni, who visited the former Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Jonesborough, Tennessee during an alumni reunion tour on Saturday, July 5, 2014. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Originally opened as an African-American school in 1939, the renovated building how houses the McKinney Cultural Center, dedicated to providing affordable arts education to the people of Jonesborough and Washington County.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The school closed in 1965, when integration required its African-American children to be assimilated into the surrounding white schools in Washington County. Many thought its history would die, when the doors closed for the final time.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_HyNuYwFSnqRewPNZNnaDa2nF8VstfNSIgfqlZ3TJ__Lk-anxJZgx1fAJPi0wLYGCp_1HN_CpSfuqeGK5hAiW9Tr-n8JYi9KusRpiiuExuZ_6LZ74erlTn49J0W6uproCku5VMSl4C0/s1600/Booker+T.+Washington+School+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_HyNuYwFSnqRewPNZNnaDa2nF8VstfNSIgfqlZ3TJ__Lk-anxJZgx1fAJPi0wLYGCp_1HN_CpSfuqeGK5hAiW9Tr-n8JYi9KusRpiiuExuZ_6LZ74erlTn49J0W6uproCku5VMSl4C0/s1600/Booker+T.+Washington+School+1.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>But those memories live on.<br />
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For just a minute, let's go back to the days of the Booker T. Washington School. Back in the 1940's. Grades 1 through 9. Days when grade school students like Mary Catherine (Rhea) Williams went to class through the halls and auditorium of the school.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"Just being in here, brings back so many memories," she says. "I was in so many plays on this stage. In one of them, I was a daffodil.. I had my little flower hat, and my little face with petals. There were so many people in the audience, parents, neighbors, teachers."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The only thing she remembers fully, is how she felt on that stage that night.</div><br />
"Scared to death," she laughed. "Really afraid when I first started. I was glad when it was over."<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkv_zIrGeLFnGKiyli8YJFhIgW35xSp6YKq7Of5z-nMt-WIik59ilLOjJLavRMduht3taLVCZDoNgklMJJNMNH_zS4BgbU1fNuEbLgr-9wvuwi-_Rb1P9i_Ufh4GKdEgRYDSm5y-LutQ/s1600/2014_7_4,5+560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkv_zIrGeLFnGKiyli8YJFhIgW35xSp6YKq7Of5z-nMt-WIik59ilLOjJLavRMduht3taLVCZDoNgklMJJNMNH_zS4BgbU1fNuEbLgr-9wvuwi-_Rb1P9i_Ufh4GKdEgRYDSm5y-LutQ/s1600/2014_7_4,5+560.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>More experience gave her and her fellow students confidence in standing in front of audiences.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"We had more plays every year after that before the school closed," she said. "I remember a boy by the name of William Edwards.. he sung 'You'll Never Walk Alone' from this stage. He sang that song and it has stuck in my mind all these years. I can see him standing there."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"I think he's left us now."</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Other memories came flooding back for the former student, whose aunt and uncle both served as principals at Booker T. Washington Elementary.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"This auditorium was also the gym where the basketball games were played," she remembers. "For auditorium things, Miss Brown would be down there banging on the piano. They also used to have dances in here.. my daddy used to call the square dances in here. Just like many black schools, this was the center of the community's activities. I used to walk to this school from Depot Street. For a little child, it was a long way, even on a good day. When it was raining, Mama would call a cab to bring us.. some of the kids did not have that luxury."</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgav_ObV4Rv7Ru3xzk6NZvMVF_5QuDTOG9oyIqaYWdkMgg12SwHPGOS13Cd6mtvf3tFlFxhoI8Vojx41lSsfF5Np26t7R7vQjpMF9rjYA-x-nUJfBqp00swJzTgXw9VMjjscYrVRmDytJU/s1600/2014_7_4,5+571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgav_ObV4Rv7Ru3xzk6NZvMVF_5QuDTOG9oyIqaYWdkMgg12SwHPGOS13Cd6mtvf3tFlFxhoI8Vojx41lSsfF5Np26t7R7vQjpMF9rjYA-x-nUJfBqp00swJzTgXw9VMjjscYrVRmDytJU/s1600/2014_7_4,5+571.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>Mrs. Williams served on the committee that restored the building, saving it from a certain future with the wrecking ball.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">""It was important to save this building for the sake of the younger people," she says. "They can look at this building now and say, 'my grandmother, my family all went there. We're losing that heritage, and if the young people don't pick it up, it'll be lost forever. A lot of them don't want to hear it.. you start talking about it and they don't want to here about it..'oh that was a long time ago.' But it really is a part of their history, the most important part because this was a school."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"It's part of THEM."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7RSUqz2RoO4Zf-I59Ig5LpIr7Q4CWraVQ01t_eHJCLSOfd3qyliKoY66ePmqhpEdbcCmSGC-anKQ9oL6xGk4rJa1COrbHiXHsYdIqY0l9XKsuJ301Q7eMoidYiTLbFjlbeDsUa-85c8/s1600/2014_7_4,5+524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7RSUqz2RoO4Zf-I59Ig5LpIr7Q4CWraVQ01t_eHJCLSOfd3qyliKoY66ePmqhpEdbcCmSGC-anKQ9oL6xGk4rJa1COrbHiXHsYdIqY0l9XKsuJ301Q7eMoidYiTLbFjlbeDsUa-85c8/s1600/2014_7_4,5+524.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>The renovation was completed in November of 2013, and that month the building reopened as the McKinney Cultural Center. It was named after the McKinney family, of whom Ernest McKinney served as principal. When the Langston alumni toured the building, the auditorium was filled with artwork and crafts from local artists and scultors.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"This building deserves special recognition," says center director Theresa Hammons. "People who went to this school have an unbreakable tie to this building. There's an attachment to it that is unmistakeble. We want to honor that connection. It's important to keep that connection alive so that people keep their investment. A successful place needs to be kept successful. It helps in our quality of life and our economic environment.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>"Renovated buildings are a great model for that."<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYlA0jT3Z4L8W-r2PEyw5hamJNy9GEU3K0CFKj9hqJv5mDsoXafgFaZ964fhjQg4hA2ZEBwtA0NanuffUNCFAZxqdSxBZ8yZfxGtr988zHYv33qbQzY9LZU0MaV5bDHMNJLe7da8cbq4/s1600/2014_7_4,5+539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYlA0jT3Z4L8W-r2PEyw5hamJNy9GEU3K0CFKj9hqJv5mDsoXafgFaZ964fhjQg4hA2ZEBwtA0NanuffUNCFAZxqdSxBZ8yZfxGtr988zHYv33qbQzY9LZU0MaV5bDHMNJLe7da8cbq4/s1600/2014_7_4,5+539.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>Graduates of Booker T. Washington like Mrs. Williams, eventually attended Lanston High School in Johnson City. "We thought we were grown," she remembers, "because we were going to LANGSTON. black kids from Limsestone, Washington College and Telford who went here, all eventually went to the big high school in Johnson City. We thought we were somebody special. The bus would pick up the black kids first, sometimes around 6 AM, and then go pick up the white kids. In the afternoon, the white kids were picked up first and then the black kids.. some of them didn't get home until around 6."<br />
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</div>"I really had respect for those kids."<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Center Director Hammons has worked in museum settings the past 20 years. "The concept for the renovation of the Washington School is a culmination of the original educational purpose for the building.. preserving that history through the idea of a museum," she says.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NizF5iAkPSfSMwOmjvhnKhO9so4G5CBMbmECckrZKGCdfcBKC7H4eRgtIXXWCKPiE9p4RQbwvOGauyaQjB1xWtmcLoNfIqkY-aoqOsctkjPCR5j1XPhqaeT0qocYKUjNH4ZGdiKLFEo/s1600/2014_7_4,5+531+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NizF5iAkPSfSMwOmjvhnKhO9so4G5CBMbmECckrZKGCdfcBKC7H4eRgtIXXWCKPiE9p4RQbwvOGauyaQjB1xWtmcLoNfIqkY-aoqOsctkjPCR5j1XPhqaeT0qocYKUjNH4ZGdiKLFEo/s1600/2014_7_4,5+531+A.jpg" height="180" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>Next year, the Booker T. Washington School building will be 75 years ago. There are big plans for that celebration.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"In October of next year, we'll be working with the Washington alumni on a big reunion," Hammons says. "Meetings are being held right now in the planning stages for that commemoration. Also next year, we're planning an event we're calling 'Mrs. Brown's End of the Year Program,' in honor of Mrs. Brown that Mrs. Williams was telling you about. Many of the alumn i collected their stories of when they were here, and they're planning a performance of poetry they read, songs they sang and dances they did when they were in school."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"We want to make sure our doors are always open to alumni and the people of Jonesborough, who approved the renovation here," she says.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgidmWbCqkm7qTIupb223s-QZQ_ihKofXzYpZC7gZdYUL10276n-6_jpMBx9PgH3TcEDaL-OBHJeBrtVe6DLtgQxq6NMfb9ZBoVw3sDHHYv6y-FJ3OEwFCTYuf5-fUL76e4UFK1OjMFXJU/s1600/2014_7_4,5+760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgidmWbCqkm7qTIupb223s-QZQ_ihKofXzYpZC7gZdYUL10276n-6_jpMBx9PgH3TcEDaL-OBHJeBrtVe6DLtgQxq6NMfb9ZBoVw3sDHHYv6y-FJ3OEwFCTYuf5-fUL76e4UFK1OjMFXJU/s1600/2014_7_4,5+760.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>Mrs. Williams is hoping that idea spreads over to Johnson City, and the Langston School building standing empty, except for being a storage facility for the city.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__GZ-nxhxvmDxCvj-ZkAnBA8yJLONJ8ehCv3_u0m4_CaL4R8pvuR7HQTWzxIQO65-Dc3_LMV6VQ5sxJYqxxFRac1gjNe6xudnfeAJtUW5-Gdu8zaJR5xUkPCwOKpJpYJrMGN_DI-jWVU/s1600/2014_7_4,5+526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_29489="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__GZ-nxhxvmDxCvj-ZkAnBA8yJLONJ8ehCv3_u0m4_CaL4R8pvuR7HQTWzxIQO65-Dc3_LMV6VQ5sxJYqxxFRac1gjNe6xudnfeAJtUW5-Gdu8zaJR5xUkPCwOKpJpYJrMGN_DI-jWVU/s1600/2014_7_4,5+526.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"We were thrilled when we received the grant to save the Booker T. Washington School building," she says. "Much like Langston, it was just a storage building.. falling in from neglect. I'm hoping that we'll be able to save Langston, too. Look at what they did in Kingsport and Bristol and Rogersville and the other cities with black schools. It can be done, but not without a lot of 'greenbacks' and interest from the community."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"It'll take a lot of effort, but just like here at Booker T. Washington... it will be worth it."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<b><i>CLICK ON THE ALBUM TITLE BELOW TO START THE MCKINNEY CENTER SLIDESHOW</i></b><br />
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douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-8686049406192898362014-07-22T15:10:00.000-04:002014-07-22T23:55:17.535-04:00At ETSU, Langston Alumni Find Their Place in Collegiate History<br />
<strong><em>CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</em></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02FNxEbSVdSmrEY1CDjBXsv2A8KjnIMUiEGjW3Jzhhm2W6fHdua2cDfwssp1eArXae7Z7mPFxrAVhITmAbFbS8yVJIjGgC8tWb2gToOyE4IfJv3b1QkwwbmLcXFh-VwiId3wZZF7Y4Ss/s1600/2014_7_4,5+631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02FNxEbSVdSmrEY1CDjBXsv2A8KjnIMUiEGjW3Jzhhm2W6fHdua2cDfwssp1eArXae7Z7mPFxrAVhITmAbFbS8yVJIjGgC8tWb2gToOyE4IfJv3b1QkwwbmLcXFh-VwiId3wZZF7Y4Ss/s1600/2014_7_4,5+631.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border: currentColor;">In the mid 50's, four graduates of Langston High School made the fateful decision to continue their higher education as many of their fellow classmates did. They decided to follow in the footsteps of one of the Langston teachers, Eugene Caruthers.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div style="border: currentColor;">Tbese intrepid four could have easily chose traditionally black colleges like Howard University in Washington, DC, Tennessee A & I State in Nashville, or Morehouse or Spellman in Atlanta.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div style="border: currentColor;">Instead, they chose, as Caruthers did, to attend East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, their hometown. The problem was, before Caruthers, African-Americans had never attended ETSU before. There was no law that said they couldn't.. it's just that nobody did it.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div style="border: currentColor;">Change was coming, after Elizabeth Watkins, Clarence McKinney, George Nichols and Luellen Owens stepped onto the campus, on a cold January day in 1956.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS4hQRh586eQHwYHjDINc7Sx55abgHN2Pkv0La6dttkOsLs2Ce-ecafPwY5ZXIvPDA0gO3zUX4IWKtLQS4Y2ozgI2Jw0R7nRTyo1o3xw14FuY-6FOHT3hI-6pHGJwSV1ECw_WQRCwyAE/s1600/2014_7_4,5+636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS4hQRh586eQHwYHjDINc7Sx55abgHN2Pkv0La6dttkOsLs2Ce-ecafPwY5ZXIvPDA0gO3zUX4IWKtLQS4Y2ozgI2Jw0R7nRTyo1o3xw14FuY-6FOHT3hI-6pHGJwSV1ECw_WQRCwyAE/s1600/2014_7_4,5+636.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>Langston alumni on a tour of ETSU during their 2014 school reunion, found a newly-placed marker from the Tennessee Historical Commission, displayed prominently on the grounds of the university library.<br />
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</div>"Breaking the color barrier at ETSU was not something that any of us expected to do," says Nichols, who joined his fellow Langston alumni to view the new historical marker. "We only wanted to get a higher education."<br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;">Nichols says, they were not concentrated on making history.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WIW_tqsn83GoxTg4bqPWToj1l3A1N-yy5URKPzWVx6En86k9xOuj4x9bsWYnQI-ZxjYk_8m-2R6SXJLpspKWTtrWCrklHiWNzQXcfMLr-eFWWEQ0sXGyeQy2_eINBOuoItimEIOHuF4/s1600/2014_7_4,5+629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WIW_tqsn83GoxTg4bqPWToj1l3A1N-yy5URKPzWVx6En86k9xOuj4x9bsWYnQI-ZxjYk_8m-2R6SXJLpspKWTtrWCrklHiWNzQXcfMLr-eFWWEQ0sXGyeQy2_eINBOuoItimEIOHuF4/s1600/2014_7_4,5+629.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>"It wasn't a stand we were taking," he says. "It was nothing like what happened at other schools in the South, or what would eventually happen in Alabama and Mississippi. We didn't think of it in terms of making history. Look at what was happening during the time.. this was the year after the high school was blown up in Clinton, Tennessee.. It was the time before UT had its first black athlete. This was before Governor George Wallace stood in the schoolhouse door at the University of Alabama.. before the killings at the University of Mississippi. Our integration of ETSU occurred before any of the integrations at any of the colleges and universities in the South. Again.. we just wanted an education, and we wanted to get it at home."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ejlc5uVnvkhxSUMxtl9idrnO16eAfJELXHnz16FTtkoaqJxcp6RKi7Gu82rtqTdixItvDKOEIVkQY8uswANFJHogEqi7B__uKdkDXpU3_EbnC15zw4q3TQshPxSWgrmUS1TmTytqfEY/s1600/2014_7_4,5+630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ejlc5uVnvkhxSUMxtl9idrnO16eAfJELXHnz16FTtkoaqJxcp6RKi7Gu82rtqTdixItvDKOEIVkQY8uswANFJHogEqi7B__uKdkDXpU3_EbnC15zw4q3TQshPxSWgrmUS1TmTytqfEY/s1600/2014_7_4,5+630.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>Unlike the other schools, there were no mass protests when the group integrated ETSU. Nobody standing in the doorway to block their entrance.. no riots, no marches, and no lives were lost. Nichols says, he knows why.<br />
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<div style="border: currentColor;">"I think the reason there were no incidents at ETSU, is because the university did not notify the news media," he remembers. "There were no TV cameras, no reporters, no lights, no national press, no stories in the papers. Nobody knew we were doing it, and it was done before anybody was aware of what had happened."</div><br />
<div style="border: currentColor;">"I think that's why it was so peaceful."</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><strong><em>CLARENCE MCKINNEY, ELIZABETH WATKINS CRAWFORD, GEORGE NICHOLS, AND MARY LUELLEN OWENS WAGNER RECEIVING RECOGNITION AT THE 2012 LANGSTON ALUMNI REUNION BANQUET</em></strong></div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
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Nichols says, he and his fellow classmates were part of history, but he downplays the fact that they changed it. <br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;">"I can only speak for myself, but as Luellen (Owens, his classmate) recalls, 'we didn't have sense enough to be scared' at the time. Each of us had different experiences. Since I'm an introvert, my experience was that I felt alone. Initially, in ROTC class, I could remember the names of all of my military classmates' names. But in all of the other classes I had at ETSU during those four years, I could only remember the names of two classmates. I felt by myself most of the time."</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjfHKp0EnIA7mY5urdcH9q3gs5LLI3cKZFNwYutKyyIggS_2jmYbWNXpuzbC5BMyeTzvmnf823rTXOUSt-Kax12vzhjLXSHcI0g7thclBKI9h4BiOPLKysWJImutJsAu_t3JFetAUSOs/s1600/2014_7_4,5+634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjfHKp0EnIA7mY5urdcH9q3gs5LLI3cKZFNwYutKyyIggS_2jmYbWNXpuzbC5BMyeTzvmnf823rTXOUSt-Kax12vzhjLXSHcI0g7thclBKI9h4BiOPLKysWJImutJsAu_t3JFetAUSOs/s1600/2014_7_4,5+634.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>The decisions and actions made by the ETSU Five were indeed heroic and groundbreaking for the time.<br />
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Nichols says, the message for young people years later, is a simple one.<br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;">"Stand on our shoulders," he says. "Keep carrying on the impact of what we did. If we could do what we did, they can do something just as significant, or even bigger."</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div style="border: currentColor;">"Keep going.. the door has been open for years."</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div>"Don't let the impact die."douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-65560692472719849152014-07-22T15:09:00.000-04:002014-07-31T23:33:55.825-04:00Saving the Langston School Building: A Great Investment<br />
<strong><em>CLICK THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</em></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKobwkod5O6jSlxIO1wM_Ls2840pA82ubw0bU8ECM1U55bpMDDsnqeudk6C67qmIynfjVPFhKKmtzAI7OjPALNmUJnmtKsdh3hZzhauVphPkN_4o5mkA5p8Rd0XIo4YcjrZ36eId16gs/s1600/2014_7_4,5+766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_552785="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKobwkod5O6jSlxIO1wM_Ls2840pA82ubw0bU8ECM1U55bpMDDsnqeudk6C67qmIynfjVPFhKKmtzAI7OjPALNmUJnmtKsdh3hZzhauVphPkN_4o5mkA5p8Rd0XIo4YcjrZ36eId16gs/s1600/2014_7_4,5+766.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border: currentColor;">"If other communities can save their black school buildings, why can't we?"</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div style="border: currentColor;">That's the consensus of Langston alumni, attending the 2014 Reunion in Johnson City on the 4th of July weekend.</div><br />
<div style="border: currentColor;">The old Langston building downtown has stood empty since the school closed in 1965. Still owned by the city, it has served as a storage facility for municipal property the past 50 years.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlUXpYZkCyDzcNaha5gwC1wWp5elLC2s7t5cBq8gFsBz0vQJwM-qpabMFE7vwVy6uWJX9xK4_tj5c_hTtfMevvNxl82t9r-w0hAzlWV4sC84hi1_gi6DHvkOagb-T1k07lUfQYypso20/s1600/2014_7_4,5+753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_552785="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlUXpYZkCyDzcNaha5gwC1wWp5elLC2s7t5cBq8gFsBz0vQJwM-qpabMFE7vwVy6uWJX9xK4_tj5c_hTtfMevvNxl82t9r-w0hAzlWV4sC84hi1_gi6DHvkOagb-T1k07lUfQYypso20/s1600/2014_7_4,5+753.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
" We'd like to have it back to where you could walk up the steps and go into the rooms and the gym," says Langston Alumni Group president Barbara (Bobbie) Watterson. "The floors are still beautiful, even the gym floor still has the red marks around it for basketball, just like it was back then."<br />
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<div style="border: currentColor;">"We'd like to see that gym turned into a community room, for gatherings and parties."</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyfx08EhwzjQOm6jda5t7RydqNu_pmjtOjZ-IWp1XIlLNFefhN20ftl747Ck8ZjCdHF2Pp1tKQyZNGy-EDSPZQveMzUrDSWxeQudgSctwJBM_WyfyxkN_AkOkXzd-jqBNZi3Y_HLhX_s/s1600/2014_7_4,5+651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_552785="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyfx08EhwzjQOm6jda5t7RydqNu_pmjtOjZ-IWp1XIlLNFefhN20ftl747Ck8ZjCdHF2Pp1tKQyZNGy-EDSPZQveMzUrDSWxeQudgSctwJBM_WyfyxkN_AkOkXzd-jqBNZi3Y_HLhX_s/s1600/2014_7_4,5+651.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>Talk of saving the old Langston School building began circulating through little groups at the reunion.. seems everybody was talking about it.<br />
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<div style="border: currentColor;">"We're working on approaching the city with a proposal to renovate the school building into a community activity center," Watterson says. "We won't ask anything until we have something concrete to propose. We're looking at a revenue stream.. what money could come from renting out the building, so that the city can get back the money spent for renovation."</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVdJ9_-XacT4EAhgmDsgtWBK6oMhFFz_7aoCVyfGf46zYAJ0bSqWOe7mv3KAyMIJJpJQNyoiKJYQrsE6Vz8nTWwYWv9EC1SvTCj0uhcg2lGWXObC4iLlLxwJgMxfBby_4OYRxzlOKIJk/s1600/2014_7_4,5+752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_552785="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVdJ9_-XacT4EAhgmDsgtWBK6oMhFFz_7aoCVyfGf46zYAJ0bSqWOe7mv3KAyMIJJpJQNyoiKJYQrsE6Vz8nTWwYWv9EC1SvTCj0uhcg2lGWXObC4iLlLxwJgMxfBby_4OYRxzlOKIJk/s1600/2014_7_4,5+752.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
She says the proposal already has support at least, from many in the Johnson City's African-American community.<br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;">"We've got 44 black businesses in town, and we've talked to some of them who have given commitments to put their activities in the building, once it's renovated."</div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EJqvEUYryZsuOeYrWrYJEylT9O7RPJlv1-vxcRFydfhRPVKLxhqagAfytoIMvwjProMIcqWCxpmDhLF-NPZ1SnXD3o39z9VoRoqjMwoGMytwMDQt-nnuHrJKJmSbqoa9kh06aC0GjUc/s1600/2014_7_4,5+757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_552785="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EJqvEUYryZsuOeYrWrYJEylT9O7RPJlv1-vxcRFydfhRPVKLxhqagAfytoIMvwjProMIcqWCxpmDhLF-NPZ1SnXD3o39z9VoRoqjMwoGMytwMDQt-nnuHrJKJmSbqoa9kh06aC0GjUc/s1600/2014_7_4,5+757.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>"If other cities can do this with their old school buildings, why can't we?" she wondered out loud. "We don't want to see it torn down. Look at Rogersville, what they did at the Price Public School.. look at Kingsport and Douglass, look at Elizabethton, Greeneville, even Big Stone Gap, Virginia where the city hall is in the old black school. Look at both Bristols. Everybody that renovated their old black school buildings, now have showplaces in their communities. The people were able to show where the city could make money on renovating the buildings, and that's what counts nowadays."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVZ0WojhBJJRigZ8k_i4Rdp864r5K1ffqyPy1ZGc_mKwovL0FEGjlMDdN3kZzcX_jwi00_UU-zgRg5EorUjdlaYXeTThHhFfa-9iFoChlBhbRdgA_htxsDU93-xKtaMqp8SUDS5kJ_wI/s1600/2014_7_4,5+765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_552785="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVZ0WojhBJJRigZ8k_i4Rdp864r5K1ffqyPy1ZGc_mKwovL0FEGjlMDdN3kZzcX_jwi00_UU-zgRg5EorUjdlaYXeTThHhFfa-9iFoChlBhbRdgA_htxsDU93-xKtaMqp8SUDS5kJ_wI/s1600/2014_7_4,5+765.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A sense of optimism also settled on the talk of renovating the Langston building, tempered with a bit of reality. "We just want to have our plans together first. As a community, we've only had a couple of meetings, but we are planning others. Once we get everything in order, we'll go to the city with a proposal. It helps that we are working with the Langston Heritage Group, because they have a non-profit 501(c)3 designation. They have been working with the city on various projects, and we're hoping they can help with this one."<br />
<div style="border: currentColor;"></div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnE6IUgJFSnqfieKBo6NNYst7BVliu1k0jKA_ZA4fsIPkvLMollGlkGf6WnFLydgAOq7T1EFKm-Q6EeL1gWuCOda1w9kdVGv03qJHrob5IbZ1o-BUHgKjYSrtve1o9nqz2qp93-difsOg/s1600/2014_7_4,5+750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_552785="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnE6IUgJFSnqfieKBo6NNYst7BVliu1k0jKA_ZA4fsIPkvLMollGlkGf6WnFLydgAOq7T1EFKm-Q6EeL1gWuCOda1w9kdVGv03qJHrob5IbZ1o-BUHgKjYSrtve1o9nqz2qp93-difsOg/s1600/2014_7_4,5+750.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
"The city has used it as a storage building, and it's a better building than that," she says. "Our school history is in that building, and the heritage of Johnson City and the African-American influence on the city, comes from that building."<br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;">"We want our building back," Watterson thought out loud, pausing for emphasis.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div><div style="border: currentColor;">"We... want... our... building... back."</div>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-60345871901097549062014-07-21T23:04:00.000-04:002014-07-23T00:18:38.533-04:00Langston Alumni Find Special Recognition at Veterans Park<br />
<strong><em>CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</em></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWOKPBW1bgMOBAl55gGo-UpUP4hB9yD7W7V3Pbg_KdNj_PGjyADigj5o12Fuazs1izIan7sXGnW8ump5MQBwkKJbwtfd2o6U2Te-0GKJj6cK5GxX5MVDrkORoTBL4MP2z2Ct2MNjFDGw/s1600/2014_7_4,5+595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWOKPBW1bgMOBAl55gGo-UpUP4hB9yD7W7V3Pbg_KdNj_PGjyADigj5o12Fuazs1izIan7sXGnW8ump5MQBwkKJbwtfd2o6U2Te-0GKJj6cK5GxX5MVDrkORoTBL4MP2z2Ct2MNjFDGw/s1600/2014_7_4,5+595.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div>For Army veteran Will Rhea of Johnson City, finding his name on a granite monument, was a humbling experience.</div><br />
The fact that the granite marker could have easily have been a cemetery marker, is not lost on this 30-year ex-soldier.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"You look and see, not only my name, but the names of other people that you know," he says. "You think back and you say to yourself 'how many of these people were not as blessed to come back home? How many were not able to return from different combat zones they were in?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwIzt5Evr7ipcyikGePIDbQfC1YgZSCQf6omS85-jhGpaS6uEz1__VRpvs9Zz8ti3CX5j-W1VMYc7dK_pDVlIQMmvkRduXdSpe3NLx0RcybQmm1XubQqgUh_xuoCqnp56BL9mUl4mH6Y/s1600/2014_7_4,5+599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwIzt5Evr7ipcyikGePIDbQfC1YgZSCQf6omS85-jhGpaS6uEz1__VRpvs9Zz8ti3CX5j-W1VMYc7dK_pDVlIQMmvkRduXdSpe3NLx0RcybQmm1XubQqgUh_xuoCqnp56BL9mUl4mH6Y/s1600/2014_7_4,5+599.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Rhea says, the efforts to build this huge memorial to veterans, covered just about every end of Washington County.. veterans from every 20th century conflict are represented.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"You look in one place and there's a couple of people's names on there from World War Two," Rhea noted. "They more or less set the standard for how we conduct ourselves in war. Then you had the Korean conflict and then the Vietnam conflict. They were not classified as wars, but World Wars Two and One still set the tone for the approach we took to conflicts later on."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jWk-Z2rO2AuSQB33hR9KOM6IDSEHLqaS355PWQtSh4afO4rABbfDNCN9HJHQ8Pgl0ZLJIq7TxlxgSXZyUb79eZA1E6p3mUusgxQEtc6ezB8BbdMeMQ1sPZGP6qM4W8jm6kuXyibLm3I/s1600/2014_7_4,5+615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jWk-Z2rO2AuSQB33hR9KOM6IDSEHLqaS355PWQtSh4afO4rABbfDNCN9HJHQ8Pgl0ZLJIq7TxlxgSXZyUb79eZA1E6p3mUusgxQEtc6ezB8BbdMeMQ1sPZGP6qM4W8jm6kuXyibLm3I/s1600/2014_7_4,5+615.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a>The words "Freedom is Not Free" rest high and proud on the archway of the Johnson City-Washington County Veterans Memorial. Visitors like these from the Langston Alumni Group can see tributes to all veterans who have served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States since World War I. The memorial was dedicated on 11-11-11 at precisely 11 A-M. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The Johnson City-Washington County Veterans' Memorial Foundation, a collection of veterans, local business, civic and government leaders established the governing board for maintaining the memorial, including the adding of additional names, when it becomes necessary.</div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF5T2K8f0CGaHJ8yQiqu0Q4YRhv9lctBf88He02ix_pHQ9tfjENLRZVUHAEYOaswSpwUyg_aroeeQ4qw5Khtpd5cYS04-2nikHPO7wGyTjTkIoDqt0bKoCgLUXsyPSKzbvbcAQzpClZo/s1600/2014_7_4,5+612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF5T2K8f0CGaHJ8yQiqu0Q4YRhv9lctBf88He02ix_pHQ9tfjENLRZVUHAEYOaswSpwUyg_aroeeQ4qw5Khtpd5cYS04-2nikHPO7wGyTjTkIoDqt0bKoCgLUXsyPSKzbvbcAQzpClZo/s1600/2014_7_4,5+612.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div>"It takes 39 names to have a new, separate marker put up," Rhea says. "Even now, a number of Langston alumni that attended the reunion, are working right now to get the names of their loved ones who were in the military on the monuments. Family members are trying to get their relatives not on the wall listed, which means an increase in activity at the wall."<br />
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</div><div>"Many of them did not know about the monument."</div><div><br />
</div><div>The Langston alumni on the tour, were awe-struck by the majestry of the monuments in the park.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzuzLrjVC-rbLIWqp_faUXtb7GxJBTWyfgBHFRFwfvsMLXCQ8IVjQ13KFNBfWDh3FlxOMHSazSTwk10iypE4-oza6jYy1pIR8CFFmkh0Arl7AkCYVnLvT55sH6FWbCD4jERCQaPG9WqF0/s1600/2014_7_4,5+603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_762246="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzuzLrjVC-rbLIWqp_faUXtb7GxJBTWyfgBHFRFwfvsMLXCQ8IVjQ13KFNBfWDh3FlxOMHSazSTwk10iypE4-oza6jYy1pIR8CFFmkh0Arl7AkCYVnLvT55sH6FWbCD4jERCQaPG9WqF0/s1600/2014_7_4,5+603.jpg" height="320" vua="true" width="240" /></a></div>"People look at the names from World War One and Two," Rhea says, "and there is a realization that these people created the steppingstones for people like me. We did have racism that was real heavy when those veterans came back home. But you look at this wall here, and everybody's name is on it. There's no segregation on it.. no 'these are black military members, these are white military members.' They were from the UNITED, States of America.<br />
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<div>"That's what happens when you are in the military," he says. "You are a member of a group of military people. You are not separate. That's what makes it work. Unlike these congressmen that we have in Washington that are doing everything they can to divide the country, when you are in uniform, you are there in combination with everybody else. You're all UNITED in what your mission is."</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOOOOMJ4vYf-96-tD_L3XiCLc-n0yVrgl0Ue1L5JgzJSvwQJfqIrxlMJNJNtCPE83oZAIsuPbiRGnushTlrnp-j6sAyhAKI5E39rDAEo0h1mojOykPWbYZHTLvrEVLyJ8NrpjW3B1tEg/s1600/2014_7_4,5+620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_762246="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOOOOMJ4vYf-96-tD_L3XiCLc-n0yVrgl0Ue1L5JgzJSvwQJfqIrxlMJNJNtCPE83oZAIsuPbiRGnushTlrnp-j6sAyhAKI5E39rDAEo0h1mojOykPWbYZHTLvrEVLyJ8NrpjW3B1tEg/s1600/2014_7_4,5+620.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Rhea says he appreciates the way the organizers designed the memorial. In addition to the names of military members who returned home, one area contains the names of veterans killed in action (KIA), missing in action (MIA) and prisoners of war (POW). </div><br />
<div>"The way it is laid out, with prisoners of war set up in one special area, the ones killed in action in another separate area, and all the other categories are set up.. it's done in a way that is easy to understand. It was well thought out. The appearance is, the memorial wasn't something that was just thrown together. The memorial is a symbol of what it takes for us to have the freedoms that we have. Many other countries don't have those same freedoms. Many of the countries these military members were in, did not have those freedoms, and the only reason we were there was because of some conflict. If people did not know what was happening in those countries, it is understandable because of the number of names on the Veterans Wall."</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSM34InPSTRm_uIGUBny7c2He-YHY-2ueLVypms0XRBnvaQwYdG9uO0G67uMtOx_Hcwz8cBCREj7G6eEK2bksCJS9FXSbnil2hyUdQabBlsS9QXYhkUG6nSUuyogYVFbyGx7jetRoqkk/s1600/2014_7_4,5+600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_624747="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSM34InPSTRm_uIGUBny7c2He-YHY-2ueLVypms0XRBnvaQwYdG9uO0G67uMtOx_Hcwz8cBCREj7G6eEK2bksCJS9FXSbnil2hyUdQabBlsS9QXYhkUG6nSUuyogYVFbyGx7jetRoqkk/s1600/2014_7_4,5+600.jpg" height="320" vua="true" width="240" /></a></div><br />
The granite panels also create conversation. That was evident when the Langston alumni visited. Rhea says he hopes the memorial will compel young people to research their roots.<br />
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<div>"When they see the names of relatives they have only heard about, they think 'well, I didn't know exactly what Grandpa did in the war,' he says. "This memorial should make them go through personal items and read books on the conflict and what role their relative had in it, especially if that family member did not return home. Keep in mind.. a number of American military personnel that fought in World War Two are not buried in this country. They are buried overseas. But now, their relatives have something here that they can go and see, and the memory of that person can be honored here at home."</div><br />
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After he found his own name, Rhea says, he also noticed the Coleman's, both father and son. He says the Veterans Memorial is a reverent place, but not one that provokes sadness. He says, pride is the mainstay of the memorial.<br />
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</div><div>"You just get this feeling that rolls up in your stomach," he says. "You look and you say, 'I'm here, as part of Johnson City, Washington County, Tennessee USA, and I did my part.' I placed my boots, I went and did what my country asked of me. The things we did were necessary. I look at how Johnson City has grown since I first went overseas, and I realize that growth could not have happened, unless we did what we had to do."</div><br />
<div>"It means a whole lot." </div><div><br />
</div><div><b><i>FROM HERE, THE LANGSTON ALUMNI CONTINUED ON TO THE VETERANS HOME, AND THEN ETSU</i></b></div><br />
<div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b><i>CLICK THE ALBUM'S NAME BELOW TO START THE VETERANS MEMORIAL SLIDE SHOW</i></b><br />
<div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="http://www.kizoa.com/embed-12126198-1229603o1" width="560"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d12126198k1229603o2/2014-langston-alumni-visit-veterans-memorial-and-the-va"><b>2014 Langston Alumni Visit Veterans' Memorial and the VA</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Video Maker</a></i></div><br />
douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-25480905257578749002014-07-21T21:13:00.000-04:002014-07-23T00:22:07.087-04:002014 Langston Picnic: Shall We Gather At the Shelter?<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<strong><em>CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER</em></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpXMvu-mUDIYD35mrnqoTTvtTkkkxfv1w_Yp4MZJaxmU8HN9YK7u8Sv16RPjye577O8QA15Hsirn6Jaifyzql3U8lgVV6WL92uHGzS6tpVVxpArNM1fIzHV3ml-C3zdUhyILurpS8YFA/s1600/2014_7_4,5+726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_92098="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpXMvu-mUDIYD35mrnqoTTvtTkkkxfv1w_Yp4MZJaxmU8HN9YK7u8Sv16RPjye577O8QA15Hsirn6Jaifyzql3U8lgVV6WL92uHGzS6tpVVxpArNM1fIzHV3ml-C3zdUhyILurpS8YFA/s1600/2014_7_4,5+726.jpg" height="240" vua="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border: currentColor;">Alumni of the former Langston High School in Johnson City, don't just have a picnic during their bi-annual reunions.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
</div>It's more like a community gathering.<br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;">The latest one was held in the shelter at the Carver Rec Center in downtown Johnson City, and included the alumni association's business meeting.</div><br />
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After pronouncing the association's finances in good order, and after a morning of activities, it's time to eat.<br />
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On the menu.. hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, soft drinks.<br />
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</div>And of course, good conversation.<br />
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<div style="border: currentColor;">Just sample some of these pictures of the event!</div><br />
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</div></div>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-57180174977031213992014-07-21T21:04:00.000-04:002014-07-22T15:54:21.932-04:00Langston's 2014 Alumni Reunion Banquet: A Time to Celebrate Friendships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Connecting the past to the present... and beyond."</div>
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The 20th Langston Alumni Reunion Celebration held its biggest event Saturday night, July 5, 2014. A packed ballroom at the Doubletree Hotel in Johnson City, buzzed with activity. Everything from picture-taking to good food, complimented the wonderful fellowship of former classmates, remembering what made Langston High School so special.</div>
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Johnson City's African-American high school closed its doors for good in June, 1965 after 73 years.. the result of federal integration that required all black schools to close and their students disseminated into the white school systems.<br />
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Always on the minds of the attendees.. the 58 former Langston classmates who have passed on, since the last reunion in 2012.</div>
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"I think the number of passings is what really sparked interest in people attending this particular reunion," says Barbara (Bobbie) Watterson, president of the Langston reunion committee. "I think their feeling is, 'if we don't catch the ring now, it's gonna be too late.' The older ones are passing on, and at the rate we're losing them, everybody is getting worried."</div>
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"And rightfully so."</div>
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One of the highlights of the banquet was an appearance by Johnson City native Faye Smith Ellis, who, although a Science Hill graduate, had two brothers and a sister who graduated from Langston. She now lives in Clinton, Tennessee near Knoxville, and appeared at the Langston banquet in the character of an elderly black lady who "wowed" the crowd with pearls of wisdom rooted in the black church.<br />
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"Our struggles through the years were anchored by our religious background," says Ellis. "From before the Civil War, and beyond, past the turn of the century, into the Civil Rights movement, and well into the 21st century, African-American heritage is rooted in the church. Our faith in God is the only thing that got us through the tough times, and motivates us into the future."</div>
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Her character, dressed up as a 'mother of the church' is symbolic of the reverence held by African-American culture. Her performance received its fair share of "amen's" and "say it, sister's."</div>
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"I pour my heart out through the character," she says. "When I'm dressed up with the dress and the glasses and the cane, my attitude completely changes. I become that church lady. We've all known somebody like that. I can say what I want to say, I can sing what I want to sing, and people identify with that. When you start out with a song like 'Amazing Grace,' you know it comes from the soul. It stirs up a lot of emotion in people, and they don't know it.. but it stirs up a lot of passion in me, too."</div>
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"You'd be surprised at the number of young people who don't make the connection," she laments. "They think of their parents and grandparents, and they don't make the connection."<br />
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"We've got to keep telling them that the struggle is not over," she says. "We've got to keep reminding them. It's difficult reminding them of things that happened down through the years to get us where we are. Our people are not where we need to be yet, and this generation will have to shoulder the burden of getting us there."</div>
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Mrs. Watterson agrees.</div>
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"If we don't at least keep our school spirit alive," she says, "our children and their children will never know their heritage. They'll never know that there was an all-black high school in Johnson City.. why was it separate from the white school? They'll never know the answer unless we remind them."</div>
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The Langston Class of '64 was also honored at the banquet. Its membership is dwindling somewhat, but the banner of the Langston School spirit was lifted high by the class members. Special recognition was given to the class by the banquet group, and even in posing for pictures, there were smiles and stories to remember.<br />
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Mrs. Watterson says, members of the Class of '64 were among the 80 to 90 alumni registered for the reunion. She says, the reunion committee had to give the hotel a certain number of visitors to plan for food, but she says, alumni were registering right up until the last minute.</div>
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After the dinner and presentations of scholarships, the group retired to the sounds of the "Souful Sounds Review." <br />
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"We hope we can keep this momentum going," says Watterson says. "We elated that so many alumni thought enough of their heritage, to come and reminisce with their former classmates. Hopefully, we'll all be able to return in a couple of years, and do it all over again."</div>
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Afterwards, former classmates left to continue living the school motto they all remember from their Langston days:</div>
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"Enter to Learn... Depart to Serve."<br />
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douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-80688713618186818552014-02-05T13:27:00.000-05:002014-02-05T13:27:05.489-05:00ETSU banquet tickets available <br />
• JOHNSON CITY — Tickets are still available for East Tennessee State University’s Black Faculty and Staff Association annual banquet and a presentation by the Rev. and Mrs. Robert Jones Sr. at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the ballroom of the D.P. Culp University Center. <br />
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Jones is an inspirational storyteller and musician dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity. His appearance at ETSU is in conjunction with Black History Month. He will be joined in a musical/storytelling presentation by his wife, Bernice. <br />
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In addition, lifetime achievement recognition will be presented to J. Fletcher Birchette III of Birchette Mortuary in Johnson City. <br />
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Tickets are $35 for adults and $10 for children through age 12. To purchase tickets, contact Dr. Keith Johnson at (423) 833-4979 or Dr. Lorianne Mitchell at (423) 218-2199. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346. <br />
douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-90007077577905579112014-01-26T09:07:00.001-05:002014-01-26T09:07:20.102-05:00ETSU Black Faculty and Staff Association to host the Rev. Robert Jones JOHNSON CITY — East Tennessee State University’s Black Faculty and Staff Association will host an annual banquet and a presentation by the Rev. Robert Jones Sr. at 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 8, in the ballroom of the D.P. Culp University Center.<br />
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Jones is an inspirational storyteller and musician dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity. His appearance at ETSU is in conjunction with Black History Month.<br />
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Acclaimed photographer James Fraher said about Jones, “Perhaps the world’s most highly educated blues musician, an ordained minister, a long-time DJ and a living encyclopedia of blues history, the Rev. Robert Jones is comfortable among juke joint loud talkers, fancy-hatted church ladies and PhDs alike.”<br />
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A resident of Detroit, Jones is an award-winning instrumentalist on guitar, harmonica, mandolin, banjo and fiddle. He has recorded six albums of original and traditional songs and is the former host of the “Blues from the Lowlands” and “Deep River” broadcasts on Detroit Public Radio, WDET-FM. He was also a featured storyteller at the International Storytelling Center’s 2013 National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, as well as a 2013 Teller-in-Residence.<br />
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Tickets are $35 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. To purchase tickets, call Dr. Keith Johnson at (423) 833-4979 or email johnsonk@etsu.edu or call Dr. Lorianne Mitchell at (423) 218-2199 or email mitcheld@etsu.edu <br />
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For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346. douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-13957891327888521982013-07-19T21:16:00.002-04:002013-07-19T21:16:28.451-04:00An Open Letter from Andre CantyI’m not surprised by the verdict regarding George Zimmerman’s murder of Trayvon Martin. I wasn’t surprised because in my lifetime, I’ve only remember one case that a White person got off by unjustly killing a Black person. Unfortunately, I saw Trayvon’s body, but what I saw was a kid with skinny jeans and a hoodie that looked more hipster than thug. When I was in high school, I looked more menacing if you went by appearance alone. <br />
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I was Trayvon Martin in 2002. At 17 years old in Knoxville, TN, I had baggy clothes, cornrowed braids, often seen with no shirt at sport practices, and rarely smiled standing at 6’1 and 170lbs. I rarely even talked to anyone outside my friends, which may have been cause for suspicion as society view introversion as something wrong. I ran track, but also played football, where I can be violent legally. I was also an honor roll student, painfully shy, never suspended from school, never took drugs or alcohol, attended school almost all the time, and helped my grandfather in the yard every weekend. With all of that said, I’m convinced that I too would’ve been shot dead in Sanford, FL by a self-proclaimed neighborhood watchman as Trayvon for looking worse than him, despite of my clean record and grades. I’m convinced that my killer would’ve been found not-guilty because from my skin and my age because I embodied what they fear the most. By appearance, I was a thug and up to no good. In reality, I wore those clothes because rappers wore them. I wore cornrowed braids because Allen Iverson and the group Outkast had them. What I wore was not evident that I was a thug; it was evident that I followed popular culture. Though I lived the All-American life, I didn’t have the All-American image. <br />
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The murder and the verdict proved that Black males were born suspicious. Black masculinity is what some fear the most. Fear is why we have to go way out our way to be as approachable and as safe as possible. A flawed society and system are reasons why I have to appear safe. Black masculinity is why there are systems in place to bring us down, which is why Trayvon was doomed before he was born. <br />
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There always has to be some reason why a Black male dies at a young age. If a Black male dies, you often see gangs or drugs as the main factors to their demise as if he provoked his own death. The same has been said against Trayvon. By his appearance alone, he was destined to die? He only defended himself against a man stalking him, but since Trayvon chose to fight, he somehow chose his fate. <br />
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If you take a look at his supposed drug use, remember that the last three of our U.S. Presidents smoked weed AND cocaine. President George W. Bush was arrested for a DUI. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger smoked weed. Using drugs is not a factor; it’s a Black male using drugs that’s the problem. Even with Trayvon’s not so squeaky clean record in school, it was impossible for Zimmerman to be aware of that on that day. What Zimmerman perceived is what many perceived: a walking monster.<br />
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The fact is that teenagers often do dumb things. We’ve all done it; however, those dumb things should not be cause for murder. Teenagers do dumb things, and then they grow up, and start to do less dumb things. <br />
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Trayvon did what you’re taught to do and that was self-defense. The case also proves that Black males cannot engage in self-defense because it will always be their fault. <br />
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A Black death is always arguable. Thus is why there are so many reasons as to why he and many like him should’ve died. It is why I know that if I were killed in the same manner some would believe that it was my destiny because of the body I’m in and where I come from. When Emmitt Till’s killers were acquitted, one of the jurors said “If we hadn't stopped to drink pop, it wouldn't have taken that long.” There isn’t much difference with Emmitt and Trayvon. No matter how Black males strive to be a productive member in society, that same society will strive to condemn you, so what can we possibly do to not seem like a threat?<br />
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Most importantly, the law that made this case crazy in the first place is right here in our backyard. The ‘Stand Your Ground’ exists in Tennessee and was lobbied by the National Rifle Association. If anything is to be done, it is to strive to have that law taken away. That law and the verdict just gave some open season to shoot anyone for any perceived threat. I for one will not stand for it because there will be more Zimmermans birthed and more Trayvons killed. <br />
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---<i>Andre Canty, Knoxville</i>douglassriverviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995770275229004310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3334762016790193953.post-28211124942244014462012-11-24T00:55:00.002-05:002012-11-24T00:55:55.385-05:00Clara McKinney PassingClara Betty Jean McKinney peacefully departed this life on November 10, 2012 in Peoria, Arizona surrounded by family. She was born January 10, 1936 in Chesnee, South Carolina to Jaffer Nell and Corrie Dodd McKinney. <br />
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Clara grew up in Johnson City, Tennessee and attended Douglass Elementary and Langston High School. She later moved to Cleveland, Ohio and settled in Arizona. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers James R. Ernest Sr., Charles H., and Clarence E. McKinney; sisters Frances M. Alexander, Margaret Ann and Eula Mae McKinney, children Enid, Virginia, and Kenyatta.<br />
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She is survived by a sister Lollie M. Surratt of Johnson City, Tennessee. Four children Patricia Bizzell, Johnson City, Tennessee, Pamela(Cecil) Smith, Jerry(Valerie) Vaught of Cleveland, Ohio, Katrina and Cassandra Vaught of Peoria, Arizona. She has fourteen grandchildren, twenty great grandchildren, and three step-great grandchildren. She also leaves to mourn her passing several cousins, nieces, nephews, three sisters-in-law Marion B., Carole H.., and Edna J. McKinney. Lifelong friends Ruby Smith and Elva Morrison and Life time friends of Cleveland Ohio.<br />
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A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 24th at 1:00 p.m. at Grace Temple Eternal Life Center, 208 Garden Drive with District Elder Mark Redd, Pastor officiating. The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:00 p.m. prior to the service. <br />
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