Little Miss Vision Event

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Race Day... brought home

Kingsport's Blake Leeper, 2014 Daytona 500 Honorary Race Official

See Blake's interview on Fox and Friends!

Church Hill honors New Canton church

145th anniversary of Lyons Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By JEFF BOBO
jbobo@timesnews.net

Church Hill Mayor Dennis Deal, center, presents a plaque honoring the 145th anniversary of the Lyons Chapel A.M.E. Church, to the current pastor, the Rev. Joseph Comage, right, and associated minister and lifetime member James Leeper, on Tuesday.


CHURCH HILL — The public is invited to help the Lyons Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in the New Canton community of Hawkins County celebrate its 145th anniversary next month.

Newly freed slaves who bought land from their former masters settled in the New Canton community near Church Hill after the Civil War.

The church is named for one of those freed slaves, Henry L. Lyons, who according to legend, saved his money throughout his life to pay for his own freedom at the age of 57. He also reportedly paid for the freedom of many other slaves and bought land.

To this day many descendants of those freed slaves still live in the area.

Founded in 1869, Lyons Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church is among their oldest churches.

On Tuesday evening, the Church Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen signed a proclamation honoring the Lyons Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church’s 145th anniversary.

Mayor Dennis Deal also presented a plaque to associate minister and lifetime member James Leeper and current pastor, the Rev. Joseph Comage.

The plaque reads, “The members of Lyons Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church of New Canton, for being source of both religious and civic pride, and faithfully serving our community for 145 years.”

Deal added, “I have been to that church many times, and the people are very gracious. I’ve eaten breakfast there, and they’re really an asset to our community.”

The official church anniversary celebration is March 25th at 3 p.m., and Comage said the public is invited.

“We have the best cooks in the county,” Comage said. “Come dine with us and worship with us.”

Comage added, “I have been at Lyons Chapel for the past two years, and one of my associate ministers, Minister Leeper, has been there many years. This is his boyhood church, and I’m proud of the work that he’s done there, and I’m proud of the people there. As I tell the congregation, I count it a privilege to be the pastor of that church and to be in this community, and we continue to ask God’s blessings and your prayers for us.”

Valentine's Day and the "Love" for Riverview Soul Food

It's no secret that Valentine's Day should be called "Love Day."

At any given restaurant, couples are pledging their affection for each other, often celebrating their love also, for the food at their favorite bistro.

So what does Kingsport's annual Soul Food Dinner and Valentine's Day have in common?

"People who had never had genuine, home-cooked soul food got a chance to fall in love with it at the Soul Food Dinner," says Johnnie Mae Swagerty.

Swagerty and others hosted the dinner on Valentine's Day, Friday, February 14, 2014 in the Riverview Community Room at the V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Complex in Kingsport. The event is a staple of the city's Black History Month commemoration.

"It was good to see people come in and have fun with people they hadn't seen in years," Swagerty says. "We do this as a way to keep the fellowship going in the community, like our mothers and fathers used to. It is the food of the past and the present."

"Everybody had a good time."

And then... there was the menu. All of the food homemade by local restaurants, different churches..

And the people of Riverview.

Chitlin's... fried chicken... barbeque chicken... deer meat... scalloped potatoes... mashed potatoes and gravy... fried potatoes... greens and collards... macaroni and cheese... pasta salad... seven-layer salad... desserts that included homeade banana pudding... pumpkin spice cream pie... prune pie. Also, homemade biscuits... cracklin' corn bread. Even, whiting fish cooked outside (one food mainstay that always brings out lots of people).

All of it free of charge.

"Almost anything you could imagine," says Swagerty, "we had it here."

News promoting the event spread fast. Swagerty says people came over from Johnson City and the surrounding area. The first head count numbered between 120 and 130 hungry patrons.

Probably the biggest welcome went to 3 vanloads from a church in Kingsport, full of people who had never sampled true, home-cooked soul food.

Especially the chitlins'.

"Those folks came just for the chitlin'," Swagerty says. "Everybody wanted chitlins', chitlins', chitlins'. It was many of them's first time ever having them. Everybody loved them and we ran out of them quickly. They were all gone before we knew it. They thought the deer meat was stew beef and roast. Even the different nationalities who stopped by, were surprised at how much they like chitlin's and deer meat."

"They cleared that up quick and I mean, they ate everything."

Plans are already in the works to expand the dinner for Black History Month next year. "Next year, we'll include homemade spaghetti, and of course chicken and chitlins'. This event just gets bigger and better every year and folks are starting to look forward to it and ask about it. Folks who help us cook the food also plan for it."

The annual Soul Food Dinner is sponsored by the New Vision Youth, the South Central Kingsport Community Development Corporation, the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority, the Riverview Residents Association, and the Riverview Boys and Girls Club."

And Swagerty says, "a special shout-out to the people of Riverview who help us with it every year."

A SLIDESHOW OF PICTURES FROM THE SOUL FOOD DINNER IS BELOW


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Bad Weather Causes Postponements

Due to inclement weather, the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Board meeting scheduled for Saturday, February 15th has been postponed. The date of the meeting will be rescheduled and announced soon.

Also, the New Vision Youth trip to the Nathanael Greene Museum scheduled for this Saturday, is also being postposed because of bad weather. It, too, is being rescheduled and the new date announced shortly.

Please watch here for the rescheduled dates.

Meanwhile, the Black History Soul Food dinner will go on as planned for Friday, February 14th, in the Riverview Community Room at V.O. Dobbins.

So will the New Vision Black History program at the Lamplighter Theater on Sunday, February 16th at 6 PM.

The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Board of Directors will have their scheduled meeting this Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 1 PM.

The meeting will take place in the Eastman Board Room in the non-profit tower at the V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Complex, at 301 Louis Street in Kingsport, TN.


Board members and people with business before the organization are asked to attend.


Douglas S. Releford
President, Sons & Daughters of Douglass, Inc.

Kingsport Chamber of Commerce Dinner: Impressions of a First-Time Visitor

"I don't know what to expect. I'm nervous, but excited at the same time."

Riverview's Thelma Watterson has been waiting a year for the chance to attend what she says, has been hyped up as "the area's biggest social event of the year."

It's the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner.. and it's Ms. Watterson's first visit to something this big.

"I had planned to go last year," she says, "but something came up and although I had paid my $100 dollars, I wasn't able to go. I regretted that, because I heard that everybody had a nice time."

Thelma is a board member with the non-profit Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association in Kingsport. It was the second year that the agency had a table at "the biggest social event of the year."

Because it was her first visit, she says, she spent an hour and a half just getting ready.

"You want to spend extra time on makeup and clothes," she says. "You don't want to look frumpy.. you want to look smooth. Everything has to be in order, everything in line. Sometimes, the first impression is the only impression, and so you want the first impression to be the BEST impression."

"You want to look your best, because you're representing the hundreds of members and descendants in the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association. We're proud to represent them, at one of the most prestigious events around."

The nervousness and anticipation Ms. Watterson had, carried over to when she picked up another Douglass alumni board member, Andra Watterson.

"I guess we all have butterflies in our stomachs," she says. "Our non-profit group is a member of the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce and attending the dinner will benefit us as a group. You get to hob-knob with the rich, the affluent and the famous of Kingsport.. business owners and their employees, politicians, educators, bankers, doctors, lawyers. It's people that we see and read about in the newspaper and see on TV all the time, all gathered in one place."

"We feel privileged to be here," she says. "It's a chance for us to network. We need that. We get to talk to the movers and shakers in the area, with the dinner a big pep rally to promote Kingsport and the good things we've got in our city. We're members of the Chamber of Commerce and we are one of those good things in the community."

The 67th annual dinner celebrated several of the year's accomplishments, among them the groundbreaking for Project Inspire, Eastman Chemical's $1.6 billion dollar economic development investment, to be built in the Riverview neighborhood across Wilcox Drive from Eastman's headquarters.

"It's rather prestigious when you tell people that you live in a neighborhood that also holds the headquarters for a Fortune 500 company, one of the biggest industries in Tennessee and soon to host that company's world headquarters," says Douglass Releford, president of the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association. "They could have built that anywhere, but they chose the Riverview neighorhood. I think they know the economic impact the decision will have on Kingsport and Tennessee in general, but I don't think they realized the economic impact it will have on Riverview. That means a lot of us who still live there, others who have emotional ties to it, and the Douglass alumni who still hold Riverview close to the heart. Eastman has, in several ways, been good for Riverview, and I think the company appreciates the good citizenship and camraderie of its next-door neighbors."

"Riverview is not the 'dead' community that it used to be," Releford continued. "It's a thriving, vibrant area with room to grow on either side of the railroad tracks. Its core residents are committed to good citizenship and harmony. I think it's a sign of respect that Eastman shows to Riverview to not only have their headquarters in our neighborhood, but that they think enough of us to have their world headquarters right across the street from us."

"We are proud of that in Riverview," he says. "Nobody else can claim that distinction."

Other Kingsport accomplishments touted at the Chamber dinner was the opening of the $26 million dollar Kingsport Aquatic Center... the groundbreaking for the $16 million dollar Welcome Center on I-26 south of the John B. Dennis Bypass... and the improvements to Kingsport's quality of life, including the city's new baseball-softball complex, to be built on General Shale's former property behind Dunbar Street, known to Riverview residents as "Clay Hill."

Company presidents and vice presidents abounded at the dinner. Eastman Chemical... Domtar... Food City... WJHL-TV, WKPT-TV... the Edinburgh Group... Wellmont Health... Wilson, Worley, Moore, Gamble & Stout... the Bristol Motor Speedway... BAE Systems... Indian Path Medical Center... King University... not to mention their employees, husbands and wives.

The Kingsport Chamber touts the event as the largest chamber of commerce gathering anywhere in the United States. More than 1,700 attendees, seated at more than 170 tables, completely filling the largest ballroom at the Meadowview Conference and Convention Center. There were more than 100 corporate sponsors. The event was sold out for months.

Among the chamber members present.. the non-profit Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association. Table #134.. one-third of the way inside the main ballroom doors and directly down from the main stage. Practically in the center of the room.

"I was excited to be caught up in the hustle and bustle of the moment," says Thelma Watterson. "There was a lot of traffic going by our table, stopping by to say hello. We got to see a lot of people, mingling and having a good time. It was a lot of fun, just what I expected."

"I think being a part of the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce means, we are letting the people know that we are, indeed, an important part of Kingsport," Releford says, "that we are doing good work in the city. We don't want people to forget that African-Americans have a storied history in Kingsport, probably more than those same communities in Johnson City and Bristol. We will continue being an important part of Kingsport, participating in activities, programs and events that promote our city, and that we don't want to be left out of them. We'll raise questions when we need to.. we'll celebrate the good times in our town, and we'll lend a shoulder to lean on in the bad times. That's what good citizenship is all about."

At the Douglass Alumni table were president Releford and his wife Vivian.. Alumni Board Vice President Louetta Hall... Vicki Smith, board secretary... Thelma Watterson, also board recording secretary... Andra Watterson, also board financial secretary... Wallace Ross, Jr., past board sergeant at arms... Calvin Sneed, permanent board member in charge of the alumni website and public relations... Linda Bly, alumni board member, and guests Greg and Nat Manes. Seated nearby at the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment table were alumni board treasurer Sheila Leeper and New Vision Youth Director Johnnie Mae Swagerty. At the also nearby Eastman table were alumni board permanent member Van Dobbins, Jr. in charge of alumni food service and his wife Dr. Dorothy Dobbins, and also Paul Montgomery, V-P, Community Relations and Corporate Services at Eastman Chemical Company.

"What was good, was that there were Douglass alumni and descendants not just at our table," says Watterson. "We were scattered around the room, at big tables and small tables. That made me feel welcome. We are indeed part of the bigger community in many ways."

As the Chamber of Commerce gavel was passed from 2013 chair Monty McLaurin, the CEO of Indian Path Medical Center, to the 2014 incoming chair Andy Wampler, shareholder in the Kingsport law firm of Wilson, Worley, Moore, Gamble & Stout, Wampler told the gathering that "we have so much momentum occuring right now in the Kingsport community, and it promises to continue into this year as well."

Later, for people who brought their dancing shoes, the musical band Jessie's Girls brought crowds to the dance floor in a total, non-stop dance-a-thon. The band featured 5 female dancers with strong vocals, a 4-piece band with horns, and two male party hosts. The crowd rocked into the Meadowview night.

"The ambiance was great," says Thelma Watterson on the way home after the gala. "The atmosphere was what I expected. For a non-profit organization like Douglass, it was good to have exposure like that."

"I heard that as soon as the dinner wrapped up, the Chamber started working on next year's event," says Releford. "As a group, the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni is hoping to attend the program next year, those that are able, and if we can get the word out sooner, maybe have a larger table. It's a great event, and I think everybody, including us, is planning on being there."

"We might all work separately at our jobs," Watterson says, "but this night was the time to play together, and I'm glad the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni were a part of that."

SEE A SLIDE SHOW OF THE DOUGLASS ALUMNI BOARD AT THE 2014 KINGSPORT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DINNER


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Happy 42nd Birthday, Terron Releford!

PICTURES COURTESY OF MICHAEL BRISTOL

The birthday party celebration for Terron Releford was held on Saturday night, February 8, 2014 at the Elks Lodge in Riverview, Kingsport. Terron celebrated his 42nd birthday with family and friends.

Below is a slide show of the event.. our thanks to Michael Bristol for providing us the pictures!


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Additions to Black History Month events in Kingsport

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By MARCI GORE
mgore@timesnews.net  


Negro History Week was launched in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, an early scholar of African-American history. Now, nearly 90 years later, it has become a monthlong event, celebrated each February to recognize the accomplishments and culture of African-Americans and promote awareness of black history.

To commemorate this very important part of our nation’s history, our region will host several events this month.

• Eastman Chemical Co. will sponsor a lecture on Feb. 25 with Dr. Benjamin Carson as keynote speaker.

Carson, who will present “America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great,” will speak at 7 p.m. in the Toy F. Reid Employee Center. Admission is free. Carson had a childhood dream of becoming a physician. Growing up in a single parent home with dire poverty, Carson’s mother, with only a third-grade education, challenged her sons to strive for excellence.

Carson persevered and today is a full professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He has directed pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for over a quarter of a century.

He became the inaugural recipient of a professorship dedicated in his name in May 2008.

Some of Carson’s career highlights include the first separation of craniopagus (Siamese) twins joined at the back of the head in 1987; the first completely successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa; and the first successful placement of an intrauterine shunt for a hydrocephalic twin.

Carson holds more than 60 honorary doctorate degrees. He was appointed in 2004 by President George W. Bush to serve on the President’s Council on Bioethics. He is a highly regarded motivational speaker who has addressed various audiences from school systems and civic groups to corporations and the President’s National Prayer Breakfast.

In 2001, Carson was named by CNN and TIME Magazine as one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists. That same year, he was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 “Living Legends” on the occasion of its 200th anniversary. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Spingarn Medal which is the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP.

In February 2008, Dr. Carson was presented with the Ford’s Theatre Lincoln Medal by President Bush at the White House. In June 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the president, which is the highest civilian honor in the land.

In June 2013, after 40 years of medical endeavors, Carson retired and today serves as professor emeritus of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University.

In addition to writing a weekly opinion column for The Washington Times, Carson is a FOX News contributor and is currently working on his newest book, “One Nation,” scheduled for release in May.

Today, Carson tells his audiences that the keys to a life of satisfaction, accomplishment and peace lie within one’s ability to discover his or her potential for excellence; the acquisition of knowledge to develop it; and the willingness to help others.

Carson says “education is liberation” and introduces young people to the wealth of opportunities and lifestyles that exist in intellectual pursuits, far beyond the narrow world of sports and entertainment, which, he believes, are mistakenly glorified in today’s celebrity culture.

Other local Black History Month events include:

• East Tennessee State University’s Black Faculty and Staff Association will host a banquet and presentation by the Rev. Robert Jones Sr. at 6 p.m., Feb. 8, in the ballroom of the D.P. Culp University Center. Tickets are $35 for adults and $10 for children through age 12. Call (423) 833-4979.

• Virginia Highlands Community College will screen films that chronicle the history of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Films will be shown at 7 p.m. each Tuesday in February in the Executive Auditorium of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Va.: “Slavery by Another Name” on Feb. 11; “The Loving Story” on Feb. 18; and “Freedom Riders” on Feb. 25. Admission to all films is free.

• The high-energy Sogbety Diomande troupe will perform at 7 p.m., Feb. 11, at Northeast State Community College’s Wellmont Regional Center for the Performing Arts on the main campus, 2425 Highway 75, adjacent to Tri-Cities Regional Airport. The event will feature a night of West African drumming and dance with colorful costumes, masks and native rhythms and songs. The production is part of Northeast State’s commemoration of Black History Month. For more information, call (423) 279-7669 or email: jpkelly@NortheastState.edu 

• New Vision Youth, in partnership with South Central Kingsport Development, Riverview Resident Association, Riverview Boys and Girls Club and Kingsport Parks and Recreation, will host its annual free soul food gathering from 5 to 7 p.m., Feb. 14, at the KHRA’s Riverview Community Room on Wheatley Street.

• New Vision Youth will host “Get on the Bus,” a trip to the Nathanael Greene Museum in Greeneville. The event is free. Meet at the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex parking lot, 301 Louis St., at 10 a.m., Feb. 15. Lunch at Ryan’s will follow the tour.

• New Vision Youth will also hold its annual Black History Program at 6 p.m., Feb. 16, at LampLight Theatre on Broad Street in Kingsport with entertainment by Billy Wayne and Tainted Saints, Witness, Full Gospel Mission Choir, L3ministries, Anointed Grace, Bethel A.M.E. Zion Choir, saxophonist Casey McClintock and a New Vision Youth Drama presentation of “Who Am I?” This event will honor Kingsport’s Golden Corral, Applebee’s, Giuseppe's, Jill Ellis, Mary Hamilton, Sandy Peters of TitleMax on East Stone Drive and LampLight Theatre. For more information about any of New Vision Youth’s events, call Johnnie Mae Swagerty at (423) 429-7553 or Jaquetta Hale at (423) 579-4651.

• John Simms, internationally recognized as a “painter of heirlooms,” will be the featured artist during Black History Month at the Kingsport Renaissance Center. A special event with Simms will be held from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Feb. 19, in the Kingsport Renaissance Center Main Gallery. During the event, youth with an interest in art are encouraged to meet Simms, who will talk about how his childhood talent was almost extinguished. Simms will also give brief critiques for youth who bring portfolios. In addition to the critiques, he will also give a docent tour of his exhibit at the Renaissance Center beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Please Help if you can!

Corey Robinson of Kingsport (Horse Creek) is waiting on a kidney and a pancreas transplant, and until that happens, he needs our support!  The following note is from his mother, Kathy Jones Robinson:

It's the up most importance to donate to a great cause, it doesn't matter if its $1.00 or 20.00 is what comes from your heart!!those of you who know my son ('LIL VIC DANGER) Corey, his father is looking down from heaven and saying "AWWWW come on you guys lets get this done!!!

His dad loved him and was one his great supporters, so dig deep down in your heart and think if this was your only way to stay alive is by donating a few bucks to keep my s...on alive, he is a great person and very loving husband, father, mentor and has more faith than i can explain has had to battle this for 30 years of his 37 years of his life,as his MOTHER those that have a child that has been in the hospital so many times , i have lost count.

Let's get this moving for he is so deserving and this is my truth and prayer that he be able to get a KIDNEY & PANCREAS TRANSPLANT, so he can enjoy the rest of his life, if you know him like I do you would love him as much, he is a good son, a great blessing that GOD has place on this EARTH.

Please click here if you can donate!


Thank you!

HIS SO EVER LOVING MOTHER

KATHY JONES ROBINSON

Celebrating Black History Month: Everyday Items Invented by African-Americans

THE NEXT TIME YOU USE ONE OF THESE ITEMS, BE PROUD OF THE INVENTIONS BY AFRICAN-AMERICANS, AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICAN HISTORY:


INVENTION, INVENTOR, DATE

air conditioning unit: Frederick M. Jones July 12, 1949

almanac: Benjamin Banneker Approx 1791

auto cut-off switch: Granville T. Woods January 1, 1839

auto fishing device: G. Cook May 30, 1899

automatic gear shift: Richard Spikes February 28, 1932

baby buggy: W.H. Richardson June 18, 1899

bicycle frame: L.R. Johnson October 10, 1899

biscuit cutter: A.P. Ashbourne November 30, 1875

blood plasma bag: Charles Drew Approx. 1945

cellular phone: Henry T. Sampson July 6, 1971

chamber commode: T. Elkins January 3, 1897

clothes dryer: G. T. Sampson June 6, 1862

curtain rod: S. R. Scratton November 30, 1889

curtain rod support: William S. Grant August 4, 1896

door knob: O. Dorsey December 10, 1878

door stop: O. Dorsey December 10, 1878

dust pan: Lawrence P. Ray August 3, 1897

egg beater: Willie Johnson February 5, 1884

electric lamp bulb: Lewis Latimer March 21, 1882

elevator: Alexander Miles October 11, 1867

eye protector: P. Johnson November 2, 1880

fire escape ladder: J. W. Winters May 7, 1878

fire extinguisher: T. Marshall October 26, 1872

folding bed: L. C. Bailey July 18, 1899

folding chair: Brody & Surgwar June 11, 1889

fountain pen: W. B. Purvis January 7, 1890

furniture caster: O. A. Fisher 1878

gas mask: Garrett Morgan October 13, 1914

golf tee: T. Grant December 12, 1899

guitar: Robert F. Flemming, Jr. March 3, 1886

hair brush: Lydia O. Newman November 15, 18--

hand stamp: Walter B. Purvis February 27 1883

horse shoe: J. Ricks March 30, 1885

ice cream scooper: A. L. Cralle February 2, 1897

improv. sugar making: Norbet Rillieux December 10, 1846

insect-destroyer gun: A. C. Richard February 28, 1899

ironing board: Sarah Boone December 30, 1887

key chain: F. J. Loudin January 9, 1894

lantern: Michael C. Harvey August 19, 1884

lawn mower: L. A. Burr May 19, 1889

lawn sprinkler: J. W. Smith May 4, 1897

lemon squeezer: J. Thomas White December 8, 1893

lock: W. A. Martin July 23, 18--

lubricating cup: Ellijah McCoy November 15, 1895

lunch pail: James Robinson 1887

mail box: Paul L. Downing October 27, 1891

mop: Thomas W. Stewart June 11, 1893

motor: Frederick M. Jones June 27, 1939

peanut butter: George Washington Carver 1896

pencil sharpener: J. L. Love November 23, 1897

phone transmitter: Granville T. Woods December 2, 1884

record player arm: Joseph Hunger Dickenson January 8, 1819

refrigerator: J. Standard June 14, 1891

riding saddle: W. D. Davis October 6, 1895

rolling pin: John W. Reed 1864

shampoo headrest: C. O. Bailiff October 11, 1898

spark plug: Edmond Berger February 2, 1839

stethoscope: Imhotep Ancient Egypt

stove: T. A. Carrington July 25, 1876

straightening comb: Madam C. J. Walker Approx 1905

street sweeper: Charles B. Brooks March 17, 1890

thermostat control: Frederick M. Jones February 23, 1960

traffic light: Garrett Morgan November 20, 1923

tricycle: M. A. Cherry May 6, 1886

typewriter: Burridge & Marshman April 7, 1885

Thank you!

100,009.... the number of visits to the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni main website page in the 7 years it's been online, as of Feb 2, 2014.. visits to the NEWS AND CURRENT EVENTS page have been 7 or 8 times that.

Thank you for continuing to let us be your source for news and information in upper East Tennessee's African-American communities.

Editor -

Black History Month Events in Kingsport

FEBRUARY 14 -- Our annual Soul Food Gathering in the Riverview Community Room, Wheatley Street, V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex.

FEBRUARY 15 -- "Get on the Bus" to the Nathanael Greene Museum in Greeneville, TN

FEBRUARY 16 -- Our annual Black History Program at the Lamplight Theatre, Broad Street, Kingsport. Entertainment by Billy Wayne and Tainted Saints, Witness, Full Gospel Mission Choir, L# Ministries, Anointted Grace, the Bethel A.M.E. Zion Choir, Saxophonist Casey McClintock and the New Vision Youth drama of "Who Am I?"

All events are free and open to the public.. Everybody is welcome to come join us to celebrate the history of African-Americans in Kingsport and our region.

For more information, contact Johnnie Mae Swagerty (423) 429-7553 or Jaquetta Hale (423) 579-4651.

THANKS