VIDEO: Rep. Gloria Johnson Says Extend Paid Leave to ALL Working Tennesseans

Democratic legislators Rep. Gloria Johnson & State Senator Sara Kyle had a bill last session to bring paid family leave to all Tennesseans, but were LAUGHED OUT OF COMMITTEE by Republican reps Rep. John Holsclaw Jr. & Rep. Clark Boyd.

Now Governor Lee has announced he’ll be extending it to all state employees, although he did NOT have paid leave for employees at his own company.

WATCH Gloria Johnson say all employees should enjoy paid leave, which is required by almost every other country in the world.

White “Office of Minority Health Disparities” Board Rejects Grant For “Too Raw” Instagram Post?

Kristin Mejia-Green’s application for a $10,000 grant to help address Tennessee’s maternal mortality crisis was recently rejected by the Office of Minority Health Disparities Elimination, allegedly on the basis of an Instagram post found to be “offensive” and “lacking inclusivity” by an all- or mostly-white committee, according to an Instagram video Mejia-Green made recently.

A health crisis is raging in Tennessee on many levels, but particularly when it comes to maternal mortality in the black community. Even Republican representative Ryan Williams recently said Tennessee is “like a third world country” when it comes to maternal mortality, comparing us to Ecuador.

To help address the issue among African-American mothers in Tennessee Kristin Mejia-Green applied for a $10,000 grant she planned to use to train and build “birth teams” around black mothers – “a birth doula, a post-partem doula, and a laceration counselor” – because, she says, “Every time we’re talking about post-partem and breastfeeding a little too late.”

Mejia-Green points to Tennessee’s own statistics and numbers, as well as ideas coming from the maternal and infant mortality report, to underscore the fact that her ideas and suggested trainings come right from the state’s own research.

A recent report showing “85% of maternal deaths in Tennessee were preventable” backs up what she’s saying.

It’s also worth noting many of the deaths happened because the mothers were cut off from health insurance sooner than they should have been, mainly because Tennessee is one of just a handful of states that tragically has not yet expanded Medicaid, and as a result loses over $1 BILLION each year.

REJECTION LETTER

Rejection Letter from Office of Minority Health Disparities Elimination

Mejia-Green says she was surprised her grant was rejected, because she had spent months getting the application right, and she became even more devastated when she learned from a non-white employee of the Office of Minority Health Disparities Elimination that the rejection came after white decision-makers deemed too offensive a social media post depicting breastfeeding and talking about how black women used to help each other breastfeed during times of slavery.

Here’s the “offensive” post:

The caption reads:

Before we were stolen from our homeland and made to serve those incapable of serving themselves, we served each other. Before we were torn from our families to care for families that treated us as their pets, we raised each other’s babies. Breastfeeding wasn’t a one woman job. Toddlers belonged to the neighbors while mom recovered. The village made sure the village thrived. WHY DO WE NEED #BLACKBREASTFEEDINGWEEK?! Our magic is responsible for the health of the people in charge of the very systems created to dismantle our communities. We nursed the U.S. Now it’s time to nurse US! This week is about reclaiming our health and seeing our sisters in a light we don’t often see them in. Support matters. Representation matters. Our goal at Homeland Heart is to bring the village right to your living room. Need help?! Reach out. We got you, family ❤️ #blackbreastfeedingweek#homelandheart #ittakesavillage#supportchangeseverything#supportmatters#representationmatters #blackmoms

According to Mejia-Green, the person of color she contacted at the Office of Minority Health Disparities Elimination told her the post was found to be offensive by decision makers who “don’t look like us” – meaning are white.

In other words, despite the names of officials listed on the Office’s site, which appear to be mainly people of color, the actual decision-makers for Grants and money-related issues run through a white panel.

To confirm, we reached out to the Office of Minority Health Disparities to ask two questions:

1) Why was the post offensive?

2) Who makes the decisions?

This is the carefully-worded statement sent back to us by Elizabeth Hart, Associate Director of Communication at the TN Department of Health:

“The Tennessee Department of Health reviews grants throughout the year in several of our program areas, including the Office of Minority Health and Disparities Elimination. When evaluating applications from organizations requesting funding, we do conduct additional research on the organization with a focus on criteria including feasibility of the proposal, evidence base, the infrastructure of the organization and ability to implement the proposal and plans for sustainability of the proposed project. If an applicant’s proposal is not approved by the review committee, the applicant is encouraged to resubmit during the current or a future grant cycle.”

In other words, of the 2 questions we asked, they answered neither – nor did they choose to do so when we followed up.

As Kristin says:

“Oh the irony- the people making decision sat the Office of Minority Health Disparities Elimination, aren’t even minorities… there are other people in charge of who’s important enough to save.”

This is Elizabeth Hart’s contact info, if you’re interested in hollering at her: 615-741-3446 & Elizabeth.Hart@tn.gov

And to chip in and support Homeland Heart’s efforts to address maternal mortality among African-American mothers in Tennessee: HomelandHeartTN@Gmail.com & @HomelandHeartTn

Here’s their donate link.

Gov. Lee Appoints Retired Rep. Sanderson to Wine Board He Created… After Pro-Vouchers Vote

You may remember Rep. Bill Sanderson as the guy who stepped down under, ahem… controversial circumstances last year (as an anti-LGBT legislator with a gay son exposed for himself allegedly being a Grindr regular).

Sanderson said it was to go spend more time on his wine business, and had previously pushed through a bill that created a wine board with the goal of boosting the Tennessee wine industry, which he himself had a stake in.

As it turns out, Governor Lee has now just appointed Sanderson as one of the members of the wine board.

Must be nice!

In related news, Sanderson was one of the reps who voted for Lee’s controversial school vouchers legislation, which barely passed the TN house 50-48, needing every last vote after disgraced former speaker Casada held it open for 35 minutes. The vote is rumored to be subject of an FBI investigation.

There has also been controversy swirling around a $4 Million slush fund which may have been used to make promises to get votes for the vouchers, which Commissioner Rolfe moonwalked away from fast during last month’s budget hearings, saying Lee and Stuart McWhorter were responsible.

So Sanderson gets a Wine Board created to boost his own industry… then gets appointed to the board by Governor Lee… after voting for Lee’s public school-harming vouchers.

Were these guys elected to serve the citizens of Tennessee, or themselves?

VIDEO: Nashville Trump 2020 Co-Chair Comes Out AGAINST Private Prisons

On Fox Nashville’s Politics in Focus Sunday, Republican strategist and Trump 2020 Davidson County Co-Chair Rick Williams came out against private prisons, which flies in the face of Republican policy.

ALSO – Davidson Democrats black caucus chair Jasper Hendricks wondered aloud why private prisons get more per inmate than state-run prisons. A good question.

Tell your local reps it’s time to stop letting people profit off of the incarceration of human beings, especially at the border. President Trump has increased the investment in private prisons tremendously, as has the state of Tennessee under Governor Bill Lee.

VIDEO: “A Historical Day” #MoveTheKKKBust

“December 18th, 2019 was a historical day.”

Pastor Williamson of Strong Tower Bible Church tells his congregation about delivering 50,000 signatures to get the KKK GRAND WIZARD BUST removed from our Capitol with Pastor Kevin Riggs, and chairman Stuart Mcwhorter committing to discuss it by February. ??????

VIDEO: Reps Mitchell & Stewart Call On Rep. Daniel To Investigate $4 MILLION Slush Fund

“It’s The Role Of This Committee To Get to the Bottom Of a $4 MILLION SLUSH FUND” Rep. Mike Stewart and Rep. Bo Mitchell call on Rep. Martin Daniel to investigate mysterious MONEY Gov. Lee may have used to get public school-harming vouchers passed. Even speaker Cameron Sexton calls it “troubling”.

VIDEO: Rep. Lynn GAVELS DOWN Rep. Camper, But Lets Rep. Lamberth Talk Politics

Rep. Susan Lynn GAVELS DOWN TN House Minority leader Rep. Karen Camper for talking politics on committee by responding with facts to GOP Majority Leader Rep. William Lamberth’s opinions — who Rep. Lynn allowed to go on and on UNIMPEDED as he complained about #impeachment. ?

VIDEO: “MOVE THE KKK BUST” – Pastors Deliver 50,000 Signatures

Watch Pastors Williamson & Riggs deliver 50,000 signatures to  the capitol commission calling for the KKK GRAND WIZARD BUST to be removed from our Capitol. The signatures were added to a petition we started just a week ago.

After hearing about NBF’s horrific slave torture, Commissioner Stuart Mcwhorter commited to a meeting by February. A good next step.

 

PASTORS TO DELIVER THOUSANDS OF SIGNATURES TO CAPITOL COMMISSION RE: KKK BUST

Pastors Chris Williamson (Strong Tower Bible Church), Kevin Riggs (Franklin Community Church) and supporters will deliver a petition that has garnered over 40,000 signatures in less than 1 week to the State Capitol Commission meeting Wednesday, calling for the Commission to take up a motion to move the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the KKK’s First Grand Wizard, out of the Capitol.

Pastors Williamson &
Riggs

Here are the event details, for those who would like to join.

The Petition was started by the Tennessee Holler, and can be viewed HERE.

40,000 and climbing

Although Forrest was a Democrat, Tennessee Democrats have unanimously called for the bust’s removal, and in recent weeks even Republican leaders have begun to as well – including House Republican caucus leader Jeremy Faison, grandson of a confederate colonel, who says conversation with Rep. GA Hardaway and reading Forrest’s own writings helped convince him.

Governor Lee has said he would ask the Capitol Commission to take up the issue, but has not done so.

WHY PEOPLE SIGNED

He also said he will work to change the law declaring July 13th Nathan Bedford Forrest Day, but has not taken measures to do that yet either.

Pastors Williamson and Riggs have asked to be able to speak briefly at the commission meeting.

MEMBERS OF THE Capitol Commission

 

TN Farm Bureau President: “We’ve Endured About All The Pain We Can Stand”

The Tennessee Farm Bureau lobbies on behalf of the state’s farmers.  TN’s is the largest Farm Bureau in the nation, with more than 677,000 members. Bureau President Jeff Aiken was re-elected this week, and Aiken had some frank words about Trump’s Trade War and the “pain” it’s causing our farmers at their convention at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Cool Springs Tuesday.

Below are some excerpts from Aiken’s speech, courtesy of the Columbia Daily Herald:

“Trade is vitally important to Tennessee farmers. Many of the commodities we produce are heavily dependent on the export market… Most have endured about all of the pain we can stand. The trade war with China has caused soybean exports to decline by 52%, forest products by 43% and cotton by 36%. The Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and the American Farm Bureau Federation remain vigilant in sharing that message.”

To put a few more tragic numbers on it – Trump’s ex-senior Econ advisor Gary Cohn recently pointed out USA AG Exports have dropped from $30 Billion to $9 Billion in the wake of Trump’s Trade War, and Tennessee has been the hardest hit state by far.

And no, China is not paying for the tariffs.

Aiken then went on to talk about the need for MORE immigration/immigration reform, to provide farmers with an informed, motivated labor force:

“Farmers across Tennessee have trouble finding workers who understand agriculture and show persistence on the job. The country needs a comprehensive guest worker to allow migrants to enter legally, but reform has been slow with the fight over illegal immigration in Washington

For those who face the challenge of an available workforce, your patience is probably wearing thin as well. We have not had any meaningful reforms to our guest worker programs for 25 year. There is legislation in the House of Representatives now, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019, which addresses farm labor. AFBF believe the bill has severe shortcomings and must be substantially modified before we can support it. However, at this time, AFBF has not taken a position of opposition because it is most likely the only chance for needed reforms.”

That’s a starkly different message from the one emanating out of the Oval Office, where Trump has been clamping down on immigration and taking drastic measures at the border, including separating families to send a message of deterrence. (likely the work of Stephen Miller, who was recently revealed to have White Supremacist beliefs, causing 27 senators to send a letter calling for his removal.

Aiken then closed with an inspirational story about Jim Thorpe having his shoes stolen and running in the Olympics with someone else’s shoes.

“These are stressful times in agriculture. I love the Farm Bureau because it allows the voice of farmers to be heard… I want to close with a story about Jim Thorpe. He was from Oklahoma and was representing the U.S. in track in the 1912 Olympics. On the morning Jim was to compete, his shoes were stolen. Luckily, Jim found two shoes but they were not the same size. One of the shoes was too big so he had to wear an extra sock to make it fit. Wearing these shoes, Jim won two gold medals that day. Life is not always fair, but we can’t let obstacles keep us from running our race. We can have reasons or we can have results… but we can’t have both.

Again, Tennessee is being hit the hardest by Trump’s trade war by far.

At a House Budget hearing Dept. of Agriculture commissioner Charlie Hatcher was very frank about the pain being caused to Tennessee farmers by Trump’s tariffs, pointing out that 60% of our exports WERE going to China before the Trade War, but China is now importing from other suppliers (including Russia), and that even if the tariffs were to go away today it would take years to recover, despite repeated claims by Trump that the multi-billion farmer bailout is making them whole.

He also said the farmer bailout funds are not making farmers whole, despite what the president has been saying. Farm bankruptcies, and suicides, are both skyrocketing.

Farmers want trade, not aid. Trump needs to stop stealing our farmers’ shoes and end this disastrous Trade War.