Vote for Johnnie Mae Swagerty for Favorite Chef!

 

Click here to vote for Johnnie Mae Swagerty!

Panel Discussion: Great Expections will produce Great Results

 Just a note about our panel discussion on the 26th.  We had an absolutely fabulous meeting, though our number was small.  Panelists Reverend Nophlin and Dr. Eric Sayer were also there and lit a fire under the group.  It's good to know that fire still exists in these turbulent times.  "Keep holding on.  It'll be all over in the morning."

In regards to Donald Trump and his effect on Black people in upper east Tennessee, when we took it down to grassroots level, the methods of Trump and the Republicans in Tennessee and Upper East Tennessee were clearly exposed.  Our group had a fantastic time getting riled up… the video of the Black Lives Matter March in Rogersville a few years ago set the tone for the meeting… Those Rogersville people called the marchers names that would make a sailor blush.

After the viewing, what resulted was one of the best roundtable discussions I’ve ever had in my life and I have been to hundreds of them. 

Bottom line is, there IS a way to lesson Donald Trump‘s impact on the black community, OUR Black community.  In our small group, we listened to each other, every opinion counted and through the ideas, we reasoned out a way to do it that is so simple, we were kind of surprised when we came to the conclusion.. it’s a wonder nobody has thought of it before and expanded on it.  I was driving back home down I-81 in Greene County running things over in my mind and before I realized it, I was driving faster than the speed limit!

We did miss our two educators on the panel, Dr. Carter and Dr. Nunnally... we determined that we are going to need their helpful advice to keep us focused on the prize, which is keeping Donald Trump from erasing our history.  Again, there is a simple way to stop that, but we cannot do it on our own.  We need soldiers and they are out there right now.  We have also determined that a group of the faithful needs another, much larger meeting with a lot more people impacted by Trump‘s trivialities.  This time, the meeting involves free food because we realize that is what draws people out. 

We know that it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a People to start a revolution and we can do that in our own little way.  Tops of the list is why some Black people wasted their vote in November on Donald Trump.  Are we still that gullible?

Talk to any of the folks in our group... the mood was electric, the examples of how Trump can hurt us were emotional, and the drive to stop it, dynamic.  We need your ideas and your discussion and nobody needs to know that you attended the meeting.  We look with a wary eye at everybody else hollering and screaming at the Republicans at their "town hall meetings" and that’s OK.. if it makes them feel good to yell and scream, more power to them, but what does that accomplish other than making them feel good?  It makes the TV news the next morning, but nothing happens after that.  Trump's Republicans just laugh and continue ripping off Black people.  We need to galvanize in our own way and get through to OUR people in OUR way.  Again, there is a simple way to do that that we are overlooking right now.  

When we do this meeting again, we need to see a lot more Black people there ready to represent.  

Quit looking for a reason NOT to do something, and look for a reason TO DO something.

----Calvin

John Landon Jackson remembrance

 

John Landon Jackson

April 16, 2025

John Landon Jackson, PharmD, a dedicated and compassionate pharmacist, passed away on April 16, 2025 at the age of 39. Known for his deep commitment to patient care, research, and community service, John’s contributions to the field of pharmacy left a lasting impact on those he served and mentored.

Born and raised in Richmond, VA and Chattanooga, TN, John’s passion for healthcare led him to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at Rhodes College, graduating in 2009. He then earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 2015. Throughout his academic career, John demonstrated an exceptional dedication to advancing medical knowledge, particularly in pharmacotherapy and clinical research.

John’s professional journey was marked by his unwavering commitment to patient-centered care. He worked with Enclara Pharmaceuticals Benefit Management Company and later joined Liviniti Pharmacy Benefits Manager Company where he continued to make meaningful contributions to the pharmaceutical field. His extensive clinical training included experiences at renowned institutions such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Methodist University Hospital, and Elmendorf Air Force Base. His research on renal transplant patients and medication management in mental health care showcased his dedication to improving treatment outcomes.

Beyond his professional achievements, John was deeply involved in community service. He volunteered his time at health screenings, flu clinics, and educational initiatives, always striving to make healthcare more accessible and understandable for those in need. His mentorship of aspiring pharmacists and his involvement in professional organizations such as the American Pharmacists Association and the Tennessee Pharmacists Association demonstrated his passion for advancing the field.

John’s kindness, intellect, and generosity will be remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him. He is survived by his father and mother, Anthony and Mary Jackson, sister Janell and brother and sister-in-law Tony and Lora Jackson and niece, Aria. He is also survived by a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins as well as countless friends, colleagues, and patients whose lives he touched.

A celebration of his life will be held at a later date graveside in Knoxville, Tennessee. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the McCallie Scholarship Fund in his honor.

John’s legacy of hard work, dedication, service, and compassion will continue to inspire those who follow in his footsteps. Please share expressions of sympathy at gallopfuneralservices.com. Gallop Funeral Services, Inc. was entrusted with arrangements.

What Trump's DOGE Cuts Mean to You at home in Kingsport

 

Can you afford to do without these programs?   

Head Start (the program right over here that our beloved Douglass teacher Cora Cox started, right after Douglass closed).  

Rental Assistance to low-income families.  

SNAP benefits.. the food assistance program that helps poor people keep food on the table.  IT WILL BE GONE.  

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (it protects you from businesses trying to defraud you).  

Flouride in drinking water (every single person in this room can thank the flouride in the water we drink for preventing cavities when we were growing up.  Bobby Kennedy wants to eliminate flouride in the water.  Without flouride in the water, we'd all be toothless.  

Can you afford to suffer cuts to these programs?  

SNAP benefits.  

Medicare.  

Medicaid.  

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  

Veterans benefits.  

FEMA.  

There are plenty others.  If you can afford to do without these programs, congratulations.  You are living in heaven.  

If you would miss these programs and benefits from the federal government, it's today's Earth outside of Heaven.  You might want to find out how to keep these programs.  

You can hopefully get some of the answers you need to have, by attending the panel discussion this coming Saturday, on how to deal with the Trump changes that may affect your life and your family's.  

The panel discussion of experts will be this Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 12 Noon to 2 PM in the Douglass Room at the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Complex, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport.  

We will also be showing for the first and perhaps only time, a 10-minute excerpt from the Black Lives Matter March on Rogersville, Tennessee a few short years ago (parental discretion advised, due to profane and/or offensive language).  

If you cannot attend, please mail your questions to douglassriverview@gmail.com 

Panel Discussion: A Forum for Black History in Kingsport

If you cannot attend the forum, please email your questions for the panel discussion to:  douglassriverview@gmail.com

 

The Upcoming 2025 Douglass Reunion - Make Your Plans to Attend Now!

A letter from our President, Douglas Releford and the Douglass Board (click on the letter to enlarge it):

The registration will be posted above this post shortly.  Please print it off, fill it out, and send it, along with the registration fee to the address at the top of the letter.

Why is it important to attend the Reunion this year?  Because next year, it will have been 60 years, since our beloved Douglass Elementary High School closed its doors for good.  Since we reunite every two years, this year's Reunion will actually overlap to the 2027 Reunion.  Plus the fact that Kingsport actually began closing Douglass in 1965.  We've got a two-year commemoration that begins this year.

For this year's Reunion, we have secured special rates for Douglass alumni at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 2485 South Wilcox Blvd, Kingsport ($124.00 a night, plus tax), and also the Marriott at Meadowview, 1901 Meadowview Parkway, Kingsport ($154.00 a night, plus tax).  You need to book your hotel room (s) by June 4th, to receive these special discounts... just tell the operator that you're with the Douglass Alumni.

Catering our events is a crowd favorite.  In 1972, the late Carcel Smothers and his wife LaMuriel decided to open a new barbecue restaurant on Kingston Pike in the Bearden neighborhood in Knoxville.  They'd had great success with restaurants in the Chapman Highway area and for the Kingston Pike location's name, they chose the nickname that Carcel was best known by:  Buddy.  For the past 53 years, Buddy's Barbecue has offered mouth-watering smoked pork ribs and barbeque, along with specialty items to all of East Tennessee, including all UT football team events, the Basketball Vols, the Baseball Vols and the Lady Vols Basketball and Softball teams.  Buddy's is coming  up from Knoxville to OUR 2025 Douglass Reunion to treat our Alumni to some mouth-watering barbecue!

MORE NEWS TO COME!

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association Meeting Coming Up!

 

As the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association prepares for the upcoming School Reunion in early July, the Board and interested alumni will be meeting this coming weekend, Saturday April 12, 2025, to discuss things like locations, food, activities, lodging for out-of-town alumni, and other important items.

The goal is to continue the discussions leading up to the event, so that attendees will have a good time.

All Board members and interested alumni are asked to meet in the Eastman Conference Room on the second floor of the V.O. Dobbins Community Center Complex, 301 Louis Street at 11 AM on April 12th.  Please bring an alumnus with you and spread the word about the meeting.

If we are to have a good reunion, it takes the help and input of all alumni.  It doesn't matter if you have attended meetings or not in the past.  Please bring your ideas and your enthusiasm!

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.