Get Ready to March! Rescheduled MLK Day Events on April 4th and April 5th!

 

In 2024, January 20th saw a huge snowfall in Kingsport and upper East Tennessee.  A year later in 2025, the weather forecast in Kingsport for January 20th was just as foreboding.  The high temperature of 24 degrees for the day had already been reached the night before, with the temperatures into the teens around 10 and 11 AM.  For the second straight year in a row, cold weather would force a postponement of the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observances, the King Day march, candlelight vigil and luncheon in Kingsport.  

The dates for the rescheduled events have now arrived.  The MLK Candlelight Vigil will be held on Friday, April 4, 2025, and both the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and the Annual MLK Luncheon are scheduled for Saturday, April 5, 2025.

The annual New Vision Youth MLK Candlelight Vigil will be observed on Friday night at 6:30 PM at the Shiloh Baptist Church, 712 East Sevier Avenue in Kingsport.  This year's theme is "Light into Unity and Peace."  "We honor special groups and individuals in the community that exemplify the love and understanding that Dr. King taught us as a society," says vigil and luncheon organizer Johnnie Mae Swagerty.  Candles will be lit to commemorate those community members who have passed on and the survivors who have picked up the banner and are marching proudly with it.  Those groups include first responders, Kingsport city government administrators, community groups, leaders and businesses.

A special note of the Candlelight Vigil will be the overlapping of the moment at 7:01 PM Eastern Daylight time, that Dr. King was felled by an assassin's bullet on April 4th, 1968.  A moment of silence will be observed at that time.

On Saturday, April 5, 2025, the 25th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade will be at 12 Noon on Saturday, April 5th in Kingsport.  Parade participants are asked to assemble at the corner of East Sullivan Street and East Center Street (where the McAninch Apartments used to be).  This year's theme is "the answer to racism is the Love of Christ" and "Love is still alive in 2025; choose to love and not hate."  The warmer weather forecast for Saturday may be the incentive that greets marchers this year.  "It will be a time of us all walking together for a common good," says parade organizer Bishop Ronnie Wayne Collins.  "The current discourse in this country, the price of groceries, the loss of jobs and the shuttering of federal offices and programs that help the people is one of the motivating factors to hopefully increasing our turnout this year."

Once again, the parade route will be on Sullivan Street, from the Center Street intersection up to City Hall at the Church Circle.  "For safety reasons, we moved from Center Street," Bishop Collins says.  "Center Street is so wide that only one side of the street can be shut down at one time.  Having the parade on Sullivan Street allows for police to shut down the entire road and it's much easier to block off intersections.  That makes it much safer for the parade participants."

The Sullivan Street route also crosses through an historic intersection.  At the corner of Sullivan Street, Cherokee Street and East Charlemont Avenue, the parade will pass through the location of the first parade held in Dr. King's memory on Sunday afternoon April 7, 1968, three days after he was gunned down in Memphis.  The first parade came through that intersection, where hundreds of people came to pay their respects to Dr. King's memory and his legacy.

The invitation goes out to everyone who participated in the 1968 Kingsport Memorial March for Dr. King to come out 57 years later and relive the emotions that were driving the spirit of the marchers on that Sunday, thought to be one of the first marches in Tennessee for the slain civil rights leader.  "It will be a time for all of us from two or three generations if we're able, to walk together for the continuing common good," Bishop Collins says.  "The love back then, is just as strong as the love now."

Parade sponsors are the Tennessee/Virginia Fellowship Against Racism and the East Tennessee District Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship.

The annual New Vision Youth Community Unity Luncheon will be held at 12:45 PM in the Riverview Community Room at the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Complex on Wheatley Street, next to the pickleball courts.  The event is free to the public, "everybody's invited until the food is gone," Swagerty says.  

This year's lunch is catered by Krazy Chicken International in Kingsport, and features chicken tenders, coleslaw and french fries, along with traditional down home soup beans with ham hocks, homemade cornbread and iced tea.  The lunch is sponsored by the New Vision Youth, the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association, KHRA and South Central Kingsport Community Development, Inc.

Marie Briscoe Kinchloe remembrance

 

KINGSPORT - Marie Briscoe Kinchloe 90, of Kingsport went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. She was born in Rutherfordton, NC to the late Oscar and Erma Briscoe. 

She lived in Detroit for many years before moving back to Kingsport in 1992. While in Detroit she attended Greater Grace Temple. Since moving to Kingsport she has been a faithful member of Grace Temple Church in Johnson City. She was loving mother, sister, and friend who will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her loving husband, Leon Kinchloe Sr.; son, Ronald Kinchloe; daughter, Deborah Kinchloe; and five sisters.

Survivors include her son, Leon Kinchloe Jr.; brother, Skip Brown; along with a host of friends and extended family.

The family will receive friends from 11:30am to 12:30pm on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at Grace Temple Church. A funeral service will follow with Pastor Mark Redd and Pastor Lester Turner officiating.

A graveside service will follow at Mountain Home National Cemetery.

Carter-Trent Funeral Home in Kingsport is serving the Kinchloe family.

Hotels for upcoming Douglass Reunion; Don't forget Reunion Registration Fee

 

Two Kingsport hotels will have special rates for Douglass alumni for the upcoming Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association 2025 Reunion:  

The Fairfield Inn & Suites, 2485 South Wilcox Drive, Kingsport, 37660, (423) 349-8722.

RATES: $124.00 per night, plux tax.  

The Marriott at Meadowview, 1901 Meadowview Parkway, Kingsport, 37660, (423) 578-6600.

RATES:  $154.00 per night, plus tax.  

The rooms at both hotels need to be booked by June 4th, 2025 to receive the special "Douglass Alumni discount."  Be sure to tell the clerks who you're with.  

A reminder that because of inflation and the higher cost of things these days, all attending alumni are asked to register a fee of $75.00 for the Reunion.  That fee also serves as membership registration in the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association for the next year.  The fee can be sent to:  

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni  Association, Inc.  

301 Louis Street, Ste. 304  

Kingsport, Tennessee 37660  

Any questions, please call alumni president Douglas Releford or any member of the Douglass Alumni Board.  

A detailed itinerary of Reunion events as well as meals and activities will be published after the next Douglass Alumni board meeting on Saturday, April 12th.  

That meeting will be at 12 Noon on the second floor of the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Tower Complex.  All alumni are invited to attend the meeting and help plan the events for July 4th, July 5th and July 6th.

The Future of the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association

 

It's probably a good estimation that every single DB student in this pictures is a descendant of a Douglass Elementary/High School graduate or attendee.

At some point, it's a good bet that if the legacy of the Douglass High School in Kingsport lives on and is passed on down to the next generations as it should be, the gauntlet will be picked up by this group and others in it.

Let's pray that happens.

James McArthur Hale remembrance

Mr. James McArthur Hale departed this life on March 2, 2025, at the age of 72, at Holston Valley Medical Center. He had resided in a long-term care facility for the past few years.

Mr. Hale was born in Dante, VA, on April 6, 1952. He was the eldest son and second child of James Hale and Violet Davis. He attended Arty-Lee School in Dante before schools were integrated, then continued his education in Castlewood, Virginia. In 1966, James and his family relocated to Kingsport, TN, where he attended John Sevier Junior High School and Dobyns-Bennett High School, excelling particularly in academics, especially math. When James arrived in Kingsport, the city's schools had just integrated, a couple of years after the schools in Dante. Unfortunately, some African American students were held back. Since James had attended an integrated school in Virginia, he was placed in the correct grade, a privilege many of his peers didn't receive. 

Over the years, some of his classmates mentioned that they might not have finished high school without James' help with their studies. In modern terms, James may be called "nerdy"—but that's said with the utmost respect and love. After high school, he attended East Tennessee State University and worked as a draftsman at IBM. It was often said that James didn't need a T-square to draw his lines; his hands were so steady it was as if they'd been made with a ruler.

As Mr. Hale's health declined in his later years, he required increased assistance. He spent some years with his sister, and later, a special niece who is more like a sister, Timula Hale, took on the role of caregiver before he needed to transition to full-time long-term care. His brothers, Ralph (deceased) and Terry would make sure that his hair was cut and he was shaved. His other brother, Robert, would assist when he visited. Although you may have seen him with a beard at times, this was never his preference. 

If you visited Mr. Hale in long-term care, he would often ask if you brought him any hard candy, like butterscotch and cinnamon, or treats such as York Peppermint Patties and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. In fact, it's believed that the last thing he ate was his favorite orange soda and a peanut butter cup. During his final days, when he could no longer physically respond, the Word of God was read to him, and that response was known only by God. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, James Hale and Violet Davis; brothers, William and Ralph Hale; niece, Georgette Hale; and nephew, Edward "Sweetman" Long.

Mr. Hale leaves to cherish his memory and mourn his passing siblings, Virginia "Dianne" Long, Elder Sharon Comage, Deborah Hale, Caron Hale, Vickie (Theodore) Hale-Brown, Robert (Sharon) Hale, Terry (Tonya) Hale, and Timula (Charles) Hale, niece but raised as a sister; and many aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends.

Visitation on March 6, 2025 at the Clark Funeral Chapel and Cremation Service, 802-806 East Sevier Avenue, Kingsport.  Gravesite service at the Holston View Cemetery, 226-292 Yuma Road, Weber City, VA.

James Arthur "Jimmy" Campbell remembrance

 

James Arthur “Jimmy” Campbell passed away peacefully into the arms of his Heavenly Father on February 26th after an extended illness.

Jimmy was born in Kingsport, Tennessee on May 31, 1957 and lived his entire life there. He was a 1975 graduate of Dobyns Bennett High School. He worked for Appalachian Flying Service and the Kingsport Press and Inove’ Graphics until their closings. He was an avid outdoorsman, whether it was hunting, fishing or on a mountain in Colorado snow skiing or long rides on his Harley. Jimmy found peace in the great outdoors.

He was a lifetime member of the H.M.W.H.D.C.& S.E Club.

Preceded in death by his father, Carl William Campbell and paternal grandparents, James and Helen Campbell and maternal grandparents, Earlie and Hattie Newton.

Those left to cherish his memory are his mother, Leola Newton Campbell; sister Carla Karst (Danny); nephew, Dustin Karst; nieces, Daine Stocker (Luke) and Darah Moseley (David); great nephews and nieces Liam, Collins and Laurel Stocker and Bennett and Campbell Moseley.

The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for Jimmy over the years and for all those who visited, encouraged and prayed for him during his illness.

Honorary pallbearers will be friends and members of the H.M.W.H.D.C.& S.E Club.

A celebration of life service will be held on Tuesday, March, 11th at 4:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends following the service.

In lieu of flowers, if so desired, we ask that memorial contributions be made to the American Kidney Fund and/or American Diabetes Association.

2025 Sons and Daughters of Douglass REUNION!

 

Douglass Alumni meeting on Saturday

 

All alumni are encouraged to attend Saturday's (March 8th) Douglass alumni meeting at 11 AM in the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Complex and offer opinions on the upcoming reunion gathering this summer.

Here's food for thought... what's the difference between "integration" and "desegregation?"

Nowhere but the all-Black schools of upper East Tennessee could the difference have ever been so pronounced.

The word integration means "to unite or combine.. to give or cause to give equal opportunity and consideration."

The word desegregation means "to eliminate racial segregation by integrating at an institutional level members of different communities."  

In Kingsport's case, 'desegregation' meant closing its all-Black school, a school equal to any other school in Kingsport and moving its students to the former-all White schools.  Or 'integration'... keeping the all-Black school building open with its students, and bringing White students into that building.

We all know what happened.  

60 years ago this summer, the desegregation of the Douglass High School in Kingsport officially began.  In 1965 with several surrounding Black high schools in other cities already closing their doors, one thing stood in the 'Model City's' way... the new Dobyns-Bennett High School was still under construction that year, delaying Kingsport's desegregation process.  

Many Black students and parents were already having to give an eye towards attending Washington Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, John Sevier Junior High and Dobyns-Bennett High School.  Desegregation in Kingsport was completed the next year in 1966 with the opening of the new D-B building, and the closing of Douglass.

As alumni, we have come a long way since those difficult and confusing times, as Kingsport began a desegregation process that often, did not include the thoughts and opinions of its Black population.

All we've had to hold us together since then, have been our Reunions, held every two years.  We are approaching one of those times this year in 2025.  

Again, the Board of Directors of the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association will meet on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

The main topic of discussion will be the upcoming reunion planned for this summer.

The meeting will be held at 11 AM, in the Eastman Conference Room on the second floor of the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Complex, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport.

Come one, come all and bring an alumni friend with you.

Where do we in East Tennessee fit in Trump's MAGA World? The NEW Date for the Panel Discussion!

 

We are happy to report that the Panel Discussion, postponed from February 22nd, HAS NOW BEEN RE-SCHEDULED for Saturday, April 26, 2025.

Our panel remains committed to come to hear your voices, as the Donald Trump reign brings us closer to Vladimir Putin, than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The location of the panel discussion is the same:  the Douglass Room on the First Floor of the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Complex, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport.  

The time is also the same:  12 Noon to 2 PM on that day.

Bring your questions and your concerns.  We'll see you then.

Here are the panelists for the upcoming Black History Month panel discussion in the Douglass Room at V.O. Dobbins, on Saturday, February 22nd at 12 Noon:

Dr. Shayla Nunnally, PhD, Professor of African Studies, University of Tennessee-Knoxville.  Dr. Nunnally is a professor of political science for the Department of Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American politics and African-American politics, public opinion and political behavior.  She is a summa cume laude graduate of North Carolina Central University.  She received her M.A. and P.hD. in political science from Duke University.  Professor Nunnally specializes in research on political socialization, racial socialization, trust intergroup relations and attitudes, social capital, collective memory and memory transmission, Black American partisanship, Black (political) institutions and African-American political development.  She has also published a book with New York University Press, Trust in Black America: Race, Discrimination and Politics (2012) and her book was cited in an amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Supreme Court for the landmark affirmative action case, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (2013). 

---------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Daryl Carter, the director of Black American Studies and a professor of history at East Tennessee State University.  Dr. Carter has taught numerous courses and students in the program during his career at ETSU.  As a trained historian in American political history and African-American history, Dr. Carter brings a deep knowledge and understanding of the complexities of African-American history.  He is the author of the highly regarded Brother Bill: President Clinton and the Politics of Race and Class, published by the University of Arkansas Press.  Currently, Dr. Carter is working on a book length examination of  American liberalism, Edward M. Kennedy, and the United States since 1980.  Dr. Carter holds a B.S. in Political Science and M.A. in History from East Tennessee State University.  He earned his Ph.D. in American history at the University of Memphis. 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

Rev. Jacqueline L. Nophlin's motto is borrowed from the late Civil Rights pioneer John Lewis: "Good trouble is necessary trouble."  

Rev. Nophlin is the senior pastor, founder, and builder of HOFCC, Household Of Faith Community Church, Bristol, VA, for over 38 years.  She is a self-described community activist.    Jackie’s education consists of, Cumberland University in  Lebanon, TN (Paralegal), Offenbach am Main, Germany College, Army Air Force Exchange Services (in Business Management), Draughons Junior College, Bristol, TN (in Nursing);  Bristol Bible College, Bristol, TN (in Theology);  Virginia Highlands Community College (in Psychology);  and Phoenix University, Arizona (in Business). 

Jackie is a notable figure in Bristol, VA-TN, for her work as a civil rights activist, environmental activist, and domestic violence activist, as well as her involvement with local organizations such as Bristol Faith In Action, Community Concerned Citizens, CCC, and as a Bristol Family Promise board member. She is currently in her second term as Vice Chairwoman, IDA, Industrial Development Authority, appointed by the Bristol, VA City Council.  She has been the president of the Bristol Area Ministerial Alliance for four (4) years—more than any other in the history of this 75-year-old organization.  She is a substitute teacher for the Bristol Virginia Public School system in Bristol, VA (K-12), a Columnist for the Bristol Herald Courier newspaper (Saturday Sermons), and a Domestic Violence Advocate.  Jackie was shot by her husband of 19 years during a domestic violence altercation and is partially paralyzed.  She was the 2000 and 2024 VA National Delegate Democratic Convention.  Jackie is an entrepreneur and the owner of Nop’s Hair Shop Plus, LLC in Bristol. 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

Dr. Shavonn Eric Sayers, Owner of Sonny and Sons Corporation, Johnson City.  Retired U.S. Navy served in U.S. Army for 2 years. Science Hill High School Graduate, Olympia College Graduate, Universal Life Church Graduate. Assistant Pastor of Agape Church of God in Christ of Johnson City, Tennessee. Vice President  and Incoming President of the Upper East Tennessee N.A.A.C.P.

--------------------------------------------------------

Panel Discussion Moderator: Calvin Sneed

Panel Coordinators: Rev. Pam Hoard, Johnnie Mae Swagerty, Gerri Harrison, Charlotte Maxwell, Douglas Releford and Vivian Releford.

Important Douglass Alumni Board meeting for March 8th

 

If we are going to have a Douglass High School reunion this year, IT IS IMPERATIVE that interested people attend the next Douglass Alumni board meeting on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

"We need to finalize our plans if we are going to have a reunion this year," said Board president Douglas Releford.  "Let us clear our schedules for Saturday, the 8th of March."

"Please spread the word and put that day on your calendars."

Remember what a good time we had two years ago, reminiscing and getting caught up with friends and family?  Many of our loved ones are gone now, and who's to say who'll be with us for the next reunion?  Also, many of our surrounding alumni associations in other schools are also planning their reunions right now... we would not want to be outdone by those other people.

The Douglass Board meeting is on Saturday, March 8, 2025.  It begins at 11 AM in the conference room on the second floor of the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Complex, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport.  Bring your ideas, and especially your voices!

PANEL DISCUSSION POSTPONED

 

The Panel Discussion scheduled for the Douglass Room at the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Complex has been postponed because of the weather.

It will be rescheduled for a later day.

Again, the event on February 22nd is postponed to a later day.

Panelists for the Panel Discussion for Black History Month: "Let Us March On 'Til Victory is Won!"

 

Here are the panelists for the upcoming Black History Month panel discussion in the Douglass Room at V.O. Dobbins, on Saturday, February 22nd at 12 Noon:

Dr. Shayla Nunnally, PhD, Professor of African Studies, University of Tennessee-Knoxville.  Dr. Nunnally is a professor of political science for the Department of Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American politics and African-American politics, public opinion and political behavior.  She is a summa cume laude graduate of North Carolina Central University.  She received her M.A. and P.hD. in political science from Duke University.  Professor Nunnally specializes in research on political socialization, racial socialization, trust intergroup relations and attitudes, social capital, collective memory and memory transmission, Black American partisanship, Black (political) institutions and African-American political development.  She has also published a book with New York University Press, Trust in Black America: Race, Discrimination and Politics (2012) and her book was cited in an amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Supreme Court for the landmark affirmative action case, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (2013). 

---------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Daryl Carter, the director of Black American Studies and a professor of history at East Tennessee State University.  Dr. Carter has taught numerous courses and students in the program during his career at ETSU.  As a trained historian in American political history and African-American history, Dr. Carter brings a deep knowledge and understanding of the complexities of African-American history.  He is the author of the highly regarded Brother Bill: President Clinton and the Politics of Race and Class, published by the University of Arkansas Press.  Currently, Dr. Carter is working on a book length examination of  American liberalism, Edward M. Kennedy, and the United States since 1980.  Dr. Carter holds a B.S. in Political Science and M.A. in History from East Tennessee State University.  He earned his Ph.D. in American history at the University of Memphis. 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

Rev. Jacqueline L. Nophlin's motto is borrowed from the late Civil Rights pioneer John Lewis: "Good trouble is necessary trouble."  

Rev. Nophlin is the senior pastor, founder, and builder of HOFCC, Household Of Faith Community Church, Bristol, VA, for over 38 years.  She is a self-described community activist.    Jackie’s education consists of, Cumberland University in  Lebanon, TN (Paralegal), Offenbach am Main, Germany College, Army Air Force Exchange Services (in Business Management), Draughons Junior College, Bristol, TN (in Nursing);  Bristol Bible College, Bristol, TN (in Theology);  Virginia Highlands Community College (in Psychology);  and Phoenix University, Arizona (in Business). 

Jackie is a notable figure in Bristol, VA-TN, for her work as a civil rights activist, environmental activist, and domestic violence activist, as well as her involvement with local organizations such as Bristol Faith In Action, Community Concerned Citizens, CCC, and as a Bristol Family Promise board member. She is currently in her second term as Vice Chairwoman, IDA, Industrial Development Authority, appointed by the Bristol, VA City Council.  She has been the president of the Bristol Area Ministerial Alliance for four (4) years—more than any other in the history of this 75-year-old organization.  She is a substitute teacher for the Bristol Virginia Public School system in Bristol, VA (K-12), a Columnist for the Bristol Herald Courier newspaper (Saturday Sermons), and a Domestic Violence Advocate.  Jackie was shot by her husband of 19 years during a domestic violence altercation and is partially paralyzed.  She was the 2000 and 2024 VA National Delegate Democratic Convention.  Jackie is an entrepreneur and the owner of Nop’s Hair Shop Plus, LLC in Bristol. 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

Dr. Shavonn Eric Sayers, Owner of Sonny and Sons Corporation, Johnson City.  Retired U.S. Navy served in U.S. Army for 2 years. Science Hill High School Graduate, Olympia College Graduate, Universal Life Church Graduate. Assistant Pastor of Agape Church of God in Christ of Johnson City, Tennessee. Vice President  and Incoming President of the Upper East Tennessee N.A.A.C.P.

--------------------------------------------------------

Panel Discussion Moderator: Calvin Sneed

Panel Coordinators: Rev. Pam Hoard, Johnnie Mae Swagerty, Gerri Harrison, Charlotte Maxwell, Douglas Releford and Vivian Releford.

Saturday's Three Events are still happening

Our Panel Discussion and forum, the Soul Food Gathering right after it, and the Unity Bingo right after that, are all inside events.  Despite the cold weather forecast for Saturday, February 22, 2025, these three events are still scheduled on that day.

The Black History Month Panel Discussion answering your questions about Trump's relationship to Black people in upper East Tennessee (if there is a relationship) is from 12 Noon to 2 PM on Saturday in the Douglass Room at V.O. Dobbins.

The annual Black History Month New Vision Youth Unity Soul Food Gathering is from 4 PM to 6 PM on Saturday in the Riverview Room at V.O. Dobbins.  There will also be a special special book-signing and a meet-and-greet with Caroline Kennedy, who wrote a book about the life of our own Jeannie Hodges.

Unity Bingo is from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM on Saturday in the Riverview Community Room at V.O. Dobbins.  You're asked to bring two door prizes to be given away to a lucky player.  A $5.00 donation is suggested.  

Both the Soul Food Gathering and the Unity Bingo are held in partnership with South Central Kingsport Community Development, KHRA, and the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association, Inc.

Black History Month Panel Discussion on Fitting Into Today's Political Scene

 

Putting Babies First in Riverview/Kingsport for Black History Month

 

In Honor Of BLACK HISTORY MONTH:

Joshua Generation and New Vision Youth Presents:

Putting Babies First Program Distribution No. 1 of DIAPS & WIPES In Kingsport, Tennessee on Saturday, February 15, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. in the Riverview Community Room on Wheatley Street (Beside the Pickle Ball Court).                                       

MUST Sign Up / Reserve for Diaps, Wipes, Milk, etc. Please Call Johnny Mae Swagerty at (423) 429-7553 by Friday, February 14, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. to reserve DIAPS & WIPES!

Tax Deductible Contributions still can be made to our 501(c)3:

Joshua Generation International, Inc. (JGII)

P.O.Box 3390

Kingsport, TN 37664-3390

Bishop Ronnie Wayne Collins, Presented & CEO of JGII

(423) 956-0675

Johnny Mae Swagerty, New Vision Youth

(423) 429-7553

Quilt display in Riverview commemorates events in Black history

 

"Rough road to equal rights."

"Prepare to stop racism."

"Hope."  "Justice."  "Inspire."  "Empower."  "Accountability."

These are just some of the words that you'll find on quilt squares on display right now at the V. O. Dobbins Community Center Complex in Kingsport.  Among the names you'll also find on the tapestries are George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Ahmad Aubery, and Brionna Taylor, even Malcolm X, John Lewis and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The traveling displays are the product of Care NET, a Rogersville-based community conservation committee of the East Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club.  The quilt project was born out of concern and frustration, particularly with the killing of George Floyd.

"Our group was already devoted to issues that involve social, environmental and economic justice," says Bobbi Smith of the Care NET group.  "The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis was so moving, that it touched us into doing something to express our grief."

Out of that grew the sewing of quilt squares in a way to honor the sacrifices made by people like Floyd and others.

Smith says the idea for a quilt came from Care NET member Wendy Ritchey of Limestone, Tennessee.  "Her idea was a quilt to 'work through the grief' of yet another Black life taken as a result of continuing racism in our country," she says.

The first quilt made was named "Say Their Names--Never Forget."  At any given time, 20 to 30 members of Care NET and people in the local communities were working on the squares, which took great care to construct.  Each participant chose a person and dedicated their work to crafting that particular square.  Working at their own pace and with great care, some squares were finished promptly, others took a little more time.  Care NET member Alicia Salzman did the hand quilting on this particular one.

The second quilt was named "George Floyd Square---Unity in the Community," and features scenes from the spot and surrounding area of Chicago Avenue between East 37th and 39th Streets in Minneapolis where Floyd was killed.  Pictures of the square were photo-reversed so that squares could be composed from them.  A group of about a dozen Care NET and community members sewed the tapestries into the resulting quilt.

A third quilt is more local---it's called the Langston Centre Children's Quilt, whose squares were made by children at the Langston Centre's afterschool program in Johnson City.  15 children made the squares in that display, sewn into a quilt by Smith.

The quilt sculptures have been displayed at various venues in upper East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.  Right now, you can see them free of charge through Black History Month in the Douglass Room of the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Complex, 301 Louis Street in Kingsport.

Ms. Smith says historically, "the making of quilts has been seen as 'women's work.'  They are soft, touchable, gentle and warm.  Often we put them aside, and yet they are living reminders of our past, our present and our future."

"Events of the recent past are a wake-up call to the racism that's going on in this country," she says.  "We do hope that viewing the quilts causes an emotional reaction in people who see them, that will bring tears and sadness to the forefront, but also hope, kindness and a sense of shared humanity."