The 110 Institute: Updates

African-American Leadership in Memphis: 2010
Or the Lack Thereof…

Tony Nichelson

The situation is critical. Our hometown is facing a leadership crisis that could stifle the growth and development of children and citizens for another decade or two. Memphis was once a national leader in commerce - during the era of King Cotton. Memphis was named "The Nation's Cleanest City" five times. The place we call home was clearly recognized in the 1960s as an entertainment leader, with world-class personalities who led the music industry and set trends that helped shape American culture to this very day. Memphis produced its share of national leaders in Civil Rights, including Maxine Smith, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, Russell Sugarman and others who were connected to the larger Movement and its principal strategists. The Sanitation Worker's Strike of 1968 is as significant as any Civil Rights battles fought in Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery, Little Rock, Macomb and other places where it really counted.

Even on a local level, there were street activists in the 1960's who led demonstrations and protests against police brutality, educational deficiencies, and destructive economic practices in neighborhoods. My friend and mentor, Sakurra Abdul Yahweh, aka, Lance “Sweet Willie Wine” Watson, is a brilliant man who shared a higher level of Wisdom with not only me, but also with hundreds of other young men in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Teddy Withers was a strong, visionary leader, and we have produced few men like him since his untimely passing sixteen years ago.

One of the strongest political leaders ever was Harold Ford, Sr., who created an entourage that dominated local politics from the mid-1970s through the middle of this decade, followed by his talented son, Harold Ford, Jr. (who surveyed the local landscape, and high-tailed it to New York where the level of competition and leadership was measurably different from Memphis). The political hangers-on to the Ford coattails appeared to be leaders, but existed in name only. Citizens rarely saw these Representatives, councilmen, commissioners, and bureaucrats in public, and there was nothing notable that many of these so-called leaders did before the "Tennessee Waltz" fiasco ensnared some of them, and neutered the rest. We can honestly say most of the "Ford entourage" was self-serving, and did little to cultivate or mentor young leaders, especially the kind that we so desperately need today… (not that self-serving politicians would really make good Mentors).

Most citizens can not even name their local representatives, and as you read this commentary, I challenge you to name five real leaders within the African-American community in Memphis, in the areas of Education, economics or culture. Not "employees"… Leaders! People who give little or no regard about the next election cycle or photo-op, but simply want to do what's right. Even the Faith community in this town resembles a cloud, with a few big "thunderstorm pastors" who tend to make strategic appearances. These preachers, or many like them, were relied upon during the Civil Rights Movement to provide meeting rooms, money, safe havens, and consistent leadership to combat a crisis that seems small now, compared to the educational and moral deficiencies faced by today's students. Most preachers today tend to support "safe" issues, and rarely confront authority or challenge public opinion. Many of them will address AIDS awareness, but not Domestic Violence. They raise money for an African village we never heard of, but not for the residents of apartment buildings being run by slum lords. A few preachers do good work behind the scenes, without fanfare, but the "big boys" typically are unapproachable, and rarely tackle illiteracy in families, juvenile delinquency (Gangs), or Attendance & Dropout rates in Secondary schools.

Where are the fathers of our violent and misguided students – boys and girls? Where were the "leaders" when millions of dollars were capriciously cut from schools before the start of a new academic year in 2008? Where have the so-called African-American leaders been on the issue of Bass Pro, or the closing of local community centers, or other recreational resources for our children? Where are the local community advocates for education, who should have stepped into the breech of the confusing and costly legal battle over School funding? In the opinion of this writer, African-American leadership in Memphis can be characterized as detached, inept, overly-cautious, weak, frustrated, compromised, and exhausted. Even the Democratic Party establishment here is in disarray, facing the bitter reality that, in a city boasting an African-American majority, Republicans swept the last local election, with the exception of Congressman Steve Cohen, a friend and dedicated supporter of young people in this community.

Now is the time for any men with balls to stand up, and for women with smarts and savvy to step forward, and do the right things for Memphis' children; not sixty and seventy-year-old recycled politicians, but new, assertive, smart, talented, well-trained and courageous young citizens who don't care whether they get ever elected or not. We need Leaders in homes, in schools, at City Hall, on street-corners, and in churches. We all need to think more like leaders, and not celebrities. Do your part for the right reasons, and people will remember what you did. Anything less, and history will expose your ambition to serve only yourself.

© Copyright 2010 Anthony Nichelson the110institute.com Memphis
All Rights Reserved.

A Unique Public-Private Collaboration:
Men Against Domestic Abuse (MADA)

A Community-Collaborative for The YWCA Abused Women Program & Emergency Shelter

Prepared by:
The 110 Institute – Memphis


Public Awareness Campaign

The 110 Institute is committed to the prevention of Domestic Abuse, and to educating the public, especially urban boys, about the issue of domestic violence in the homes of single Mothers and women throughout the metropolitan area. Tony Nichelson serves as the Public Affairs Director for the Citadel-Memphis Radio Group, and is a frequent Editorial writer for the Tri-State Defender newspaper. These roles provide extraordinary access to a wide listening audience and readership. There can be only one message… END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ABUSE TOWARD WOMEN, NOW!


Domestic Violence Training and Orientation for Boys

The issue of Domestic Violence is taboo in almost every segment of our society and culture, yet it touches so many lives every day. Young boys see their mothers, aunts and sisters violated by abusive men, and are often unable to help the women they love fight-off these brutes. The long-term impact on these boys is significant however, and the retaliatory feelings they have can carry-on for decades. The result is often a repeated cycle of violence in their own adulthoods, or a serious hatred for any man who looks like their mother's tormentor. The boys are angry with their mothers for allowing this creep to stay in the home, and they're angry with the men for being so outrageous. The boys are angry with themselves for not being able to do more, and they're angry with society for allowing such behaviors to go on, seemingly unchecked.


Advocacy for Stronger Orders of Protection

The 110 Institute.com recently launched a full-scale domestic violence prevention Campaign for 2010. The core of the initiative is to support the work of the YWCA Abused Women's program and Emergency Shelter, and the work of the Exchange Club, along with other Domestic Violence prevention efforts. The 2010 Campaign will train young boys to protect the women and girls around them, and will advocate for legislation that puts teeth into Protective Orders filed against violent men. We recommend that all women master basic self-defense, and that we establish "distress signals" for women who literally can't get away from their abuser for even five-minutes. We must break the cycle of urban boys seeing abuse and violence early in their lives, and then turning out to be abusers themselves, due largely to unresolved anger toward their mothers and the abusive men they're involved with.


Community Support for Battered Women’s Shelters

This support Agreement targets community resources, individuals and agencies for in-kind contributions, volunteer support, and financial grants that assist in the development of Abused Women's Shelters operated by the YWCA. In addition, The 110 Institute seeks the assistance of professional carpenters, plumbers, technicians and others to help maintain Abused Women's Shelters throughout the metro area.

110 boys who are being raised in Single-Parent homes, come together with more that male 150 adult Mentors, at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. The "Man of the House" Mentoring Event will take place on Saturday, June 19, 2010, Father's Day weekend. The uniquely sturctured two-day mentoring event will focus improved personal skills, Literacy, spirituality, and awareness of a young man's "duty", as taught through Proverbs and the Chinese philosopher, Confucius.

“Man-ters” Versus Mentors
Real Men Who Have Time to Share… But None to Waste

Tony Nichelson

Modern mentoring programs, for the most part, are well-intended, and occasionally effective. Amid all the noise from groups and individuals who claim to be mentoring, the results continue to be shallow and isolated at best, and manipulative at a more realistic and sinister level. There are approximately six million African-American (urban) youngsters in the U.S., aged twelve to twenty-one (12-21). Current mentoring efforts touch most of these children in some distant way, mostly as a resource, but the actual number of effective mentor-mentee "connections" is miniscule, perhaps ten percent (10%).

Part of the reason for this shortcoming, and the central problem we face, is the inherent disconnect in the way Mentors are recruited, screened, trained, and assigned to a mentee. Another part of what's missing is the direct connection between the man and the boy, in terms of direction and purpose, where "real" men can immediately share what they know… right here, and right now. To quote one of my earlier editorials in the Tri-State Defender newspaper, "Real men have jobs, homes, families, responsibilities, and passions for life. Real men are confident in their persons, and in their abilities. They're usually busy most of the time, but that's what maintains those homes and families and passions". These types of men have some time to share, but none to waste. I call them "Man-ters".

Traditional "mentors" are recruited and given orientation to a variety of vague concepts concerning behaviors and responses of young boys. Too often, the facilitators are untrained, good-hearted souls who are in over their heads. God bless them one-and-all, those who would share time and attention with misguided urban teens. All of us should mentor or "coach" the young people around us, and volunteer a few hours to share some new ideas, skills and tasks with children who have never really learned to seek self-improvement. “Man-ters” are in a position to help fill this void, but they don’t have a lot of time for six-hour training sessions, before they ever see a child.

We need men to share their knowledge of chivalry and class with young boys. We need men to show them how to check or even change the oil on a car, or replace a kitchen floor tile for an elderly relative, or mix a bucket of concrete for a small home repair. Real men have time to share this kind of hands-on knowledge with boys, but they don't have a lot of time for philosophical meetings that “explore the possibilities" for growth of a young boy. Real men want to show up, meet the boys, get to work, see some progress, and leave all of the psycho-social aspects to counselors, preachers and parents. "Man-ters" offer encouragement to the young men as they leave, headed back to their families and to their busy lives. These men return to their homes and careers with a small sense of accomplishment, and will very likely return to "Man-ter" again, if they can comprehend what we're doing here.

Finally, the concept of "Man-ter" versus Mentor is aimed at a healthy exercise in placing critical resources where they're needed most, and not squandering the human capital that is needed now to train (or re-train) urban boys. I personally favor "team-mentoring" in nearly all cases, with several men and several boys assembling for skills development and task-completion. One-on-one mentoring (or coaching) is tough stuff. Mentors are not psychiatrists, and the boys who really need the help, don’t really make for very good patients. But the group concept is measurably more effective, and as common as the "Boy Scout" model or the “Pop Warner” football team operated by volunteer-coaches from the neighborhood.

"Man-ters" are real men who have time to share, but none to waste. We need millions of them to step forward, and offer what they have to local churches and schools. We need a million dollars, and a million mentors, but what we need most is for every man to stand up for his community, and be a "Man-ter" to every boy who needs it.



© Copyright 2010 Anthony Nichelson The 110Institute.com Memphis All Rights Reserved

Saving Our Mothers from Domestic Violence
Finally Changing the Game, to Help Women & Girls

Tony Nichelson

The only issue in our society that is more prevalent than Domestic Violence is cancer. In fact, domestic violence probably touches and affects more people than cancer. It’s that serious. The hitting, punching and emotional abuse that befalls women caught up in abusive relationships leaves the victims and their children shattered for decades.

When Taffi Crawford, a Nurse and mother, was gunned down on the Friday before Valentine’s Day by her ex-boyfriend, we were all stunned. Just as we were stunned last year when a lovely and talented teacher, Ashley Scott was beaten and left for dead by her husband on their cold garage floor. This community is second in the nation in ‘reported’ cases of domestic abuse, with only 25 percent of cases ever being reported. Beatings and threats that don’t require medical attention or police involvement rarely get reported, but the damage is done to the women, girls and children who hear the harsh profanity, hear the punches landing, and see the rage of the animals who inflict the daily beatings.

Why does the woman stay, and why won’t the man stop hitting her? These questions are pondered by the YWCA Abused Women’s program staff, and by the authorities who continue to see the broken and battered bodies of the ladies who end up in the Emergency Room at the Med. The answer to “why the women stay”, can be summed up in three words… fear, economics, and love. The victims FEAR what will happen to them if they try to leave; the victims can’t financially afford to leave (or so they think); and in too many cases, the women actually still have love for the abuser, thinking he will one day change. False pride, low self-esteem, confusion, and embarrassment all contribute to the most reckless decision that these women will ever make. They give up their best years to this creep who only wants to control her, because he controls very little else in his life.

Here are some realities that Memphis must now consider. We can not continue to care more about the Memphis Animal Shelter than we do about the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center. I love animals, especially kittens, but we can not continue to make the discovery of three dead dogs in a Mississippi corn field a “Breaking News” story, while a woman has been beaten, raped, and told to clean up the mess. Let’s see the televised photographs of the black eyes and broken bones of abused women, just as we show emaciated dogs and cats, with a warning that these pictures are “graphic”. If we could only show the rage of these cowardly abusers on video, while they were actually swinging at vulnerable frightened women, the public would quickly turn on these creeps, just as we've turned on drunk drivers. Domestic violence happens behind closed doors… usually. It’s a private matter with huge public health implications.

Starting today, we have to empower women, and teach them self-defense techniques. We have to equip our boys with tactics and resources that can help their mothers break the cycle of brutality and domestic violence. We have to pass legislation that makes Protective Orders mean what they say, and teach women that it’s not okay to allow the suspect to talk his way back in with his promises to “do better”. We have to start early, teaching our boys that they don’t OWN this woman, and that she has a right to exist as a human being, not merely as a sex object that he can isolate from the outside world as he pummels her to the kitchen floor.

The only issue in our society that is more prevalent than Domestic Violence is cancer. It’s that serious, and the situation can only change with a constant focus on the reasons men do it, the reasons women stay in such violent conditions, and the real impact on the children who witness a beating in the early morning hours or in the middle of the night. I’ll stop short of calling for “good vigilantes” who will go to the aid of abused women, and we don’t want her brothers or uncles to go to jail for Assault while the abuser walks free as a crime victim. That would be the ultimate irony and insult. Self-defense techniques for women, new legislation modeled after Drunk Driving laws, greater public awareness, and real concern for the Mothers, aunts and sisters in our society who are beaten every day will level the playing field, and finally "change the game" in favor of women. We love you Taffi.

© Copyright 2010 Anthony Nichelson the110institute.com Memphis
All Rights Reserved

CULTURAL COLLAPSE:
The REAL Danger to the African-American Community
Tony Nichelson

Sagging pants on young men, shaky finances, unstable and toxic relationships, illiterate teens (and parents), deceitful politicians, weak men, irrational women, failed institutions, and a hundred other social illnesses plague the African-American community in 2010. Forty-five million lost souls, who continue to impotently witness the internal decay and destruction of their cultural history… five hundred years in-the-making, and now on the brink of collapse. The primary excuse given is that we are still victims of oppression and racism, and that our men are still treated as boys in a man's world; that the African-American community is "just a generation or two" removed from slavery. Even if those things were true, sagging pants and violent mistreatment of our women is a fairly new phenomenon.

Disrespect for senior citizens, armed car-jackings, epidemic drug sales and use, the mass criminalization of teens, and a complete disregard for education are all issues that have nothing to do with slavery. Irresponsible men, greedy women, selfish entertainers and athletes, and unconcerned teachers are now rooted in the cultural fabric of the African-American community. The self-destructive behavior of our boys is only a symptom of the larger sickness that must someday surely overtake our remaining cultural strength. Our sixty percent divorce rate, and the 51% rate of women over thirty-five years old, who have never married or had children, are factors as crucial as the four million confused, short-sighted, illiterate, and economically dysfunctional urban teens in our midst.

Our children are "intellectually blind", walking through life without even a cane to find their way. Looking at their plight another way, we could say that our young boys are in a fight for their cultural lives… completely unarmed. And that young ladies in their cadre are ignorant, poor, lustful, star-struck, confused, and quite vulnerable to almost anything that comes along… including domestic violence and disease. Our seniors are frightened, economically ravaged, and unable to negotiate our modern world. And our families rarely have dinner together, except for the tattered cultural remnants of "Sunday Dinner" at grandma's house, or for special occasions, like Christmas.

Even the revered "Black Church" must now be referred to loosely as the "faith-based" community, with doors open only from nine-to-five, and no social justice being carried out for the grandchildren of Civil Rights veterans who attended Mass Meetings, risking life and limb, to see a better day for their children's children. The African-American experience in this country was always fraught with danger, deception, disease (the Tuskeegee Experiment), and dislocation. Our cultural journey always moved ahead, often disjointed, mostly sporadic, but forward-moving none the less. The Cultural strength needed was always there, and saw victories in Topeka, Little Rock, Montgomery, Birmingham, and in 2008, in Washington, D.C., with the election of an African-American President. There are millionaire athletes and entertainers, and successful businesspeople among the ranks of modern Black folks. But ninety-five percent of the African-American population still lags behind in every economic, social and educational statistic worth measuring.

I'm proud to be an American of African ancestry, and there is still hope for our cultural survival. But not as long as we continue to say "things are fine", and these boys should be able to earn a living, no matter how raunchy and degrading their statements and video offerings may be. "Thug Life" has dominated the African-American cultural street experience for nearly three decades, and the evidence is starting to show what a complete lack of intellectual development can do to a race of people. Materialism has replaced morals, greed has replaced generosity, and "whatever" has replaced real work.

The Harlem Renaissance served a very useful and specific purpose, and now we need another "renaissance" to repair and strengthen the single thread that still holds together the tattered fabric that is the African-American experience in the United States. If we do nothing, as we have done, we will have no one to blame but ourselves… and it won't really matter, because no one will even care to continue the struggle that gave us this opportunity in the first place.

Sagging pants on young men, poor finances, toxic relationships, illiterate teens, crooked politicians, weak men, irrational women, failed institutions, and a hundred other social illnesses are what we must overcome… just to keep our cultural dreams alive. Those are the real dangers to the survival of African-American culture as we know it.

© Copyright 2010 / Anthony Nichelson / the110institute.com / Memphis

All Rights Reserved

Real men have jobs, homes, families, responsibilities, and passions for life. Real men are confident in their persons, and in their abilities. They're usually busy most of the time, but that's what maintains those homes and families and passions. So if you are a real man in Memphis, then I now address this plea to you. Whether you're a twenty-one year old man, or recently retired, there is no escaping the fact that your community and your culture need you now… more than ever.

Throughout history, no single person, man or woman, was ever singularly responsible for saving his or her culture or community. Regular people (with historic tendencies), like Adam Clayton Powell, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Kwame Toure', Marcus Garvey, Bobby Seal, and most recently, President Barack Obama, have stepped up to establish positive movements toward cultural and community improvement.

"Mass-meeting-goers" during the Civil Rights era risked their lives and their livelihoods, to take a stand on issues that were choking the life out of their communities. We now face a national crisis, with local implications, that is no less significant than the challenges faced throughout history. Our children, as wild and reckless as they appear to be, are all VICTIMS. Minister Ishmael Muhammed, national assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, reminded me of this view during a recent radio interview that I conducted with him.

Our children as victims, face so many distractions at a time when they (and all of us) need to be truly focused on early skill and personal progress. They become victims at every turn, and with every bad decision they make, be it unprotected sex, chronic drug use, crime, dropping out of school, pornography, disobedience, or any of a dozen other life-changing behaviors.

At the end of the day, puppies can't raise themselves, baby birds can't leave the nest, and our children can't grow without sincere and sober guidance. Real men, in spite of busy schedules, simply must make time to share wisdom, to participate with school nights, to nurture a few boys on their block, support and volunteer for charitable initiatives, and to lend a hand in community and cultural survival… or risk extinction.

We need real men now, more than ever to protect (not exploit) women, and to coach young boys in the rules of life and manhood. Fathers and uncles must look into the risky situations that their daughters and nieces are involved in, and challenge the domestic violence that these ladies face from the cowards that they have chosen as a mate from under a rock somewhere. We need real men now, to make just a little time to step up and be responsible for their block, and to teach a child "The Golden Rule", and teach them to read better, avoid crime, and pull up their sagging pants that indicate a degree of ignorance that we don't need anymore.

Real men in Memphis, and everywhere else, are either going to be the largest part of our continuing problem, or they'll be the key to a powerful solution that just might save the children, the culture and, ultimately, the communities in which we live.

Memphis is ranked numer two (2) nationally for reports of domestic violence incidents. The YWCA of Greater Memphis has an outstanding Abused Women's program that will be hightlighted throughout the month of March and early April, on Soul Classics 103.5 / WRBO-FM, at 11:00 pm. Moderator-Host Tony Nichelson also has an informative interview with representatives from the National Civil Rights Museum, as they prepare for the 41st Commemoration of the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Diverse Discussions" airs every Sunday Night at 11:00 pm on Soul Classics 103.5.

110 Tasks Every Young Man Should Know How to Do…
Before Ninth Grade ®

Parents and guardians should constantly seek to provide real opportunities for young urban males to learn an abundance of new skills, as often and as early as possible. Parents should seek visible signs of increasing maturity and self reliance by their young men. The personal development and overall self improvement of our young people will increase only because of (and in direct proportion to) the actual number of life skills that they are able to master and do well.

Single mothers, in particular, need look no further for a secular guide to growth and development for their young sons than these “110 Tasks” which we offer as a means of teaching skills and responsibility to a group which often lacks both. The words and practices recommended here will do more to turn boys into men, than any other self-help program or youth development initiative they may have tried or thought of trying.

Avoid being arrested or involved in crime /
Stand up straight, without shuffling /
Practice reading, writing and spelling / Complete a job application /
Open doors for ladies, as a rule / Maintain personal composure /
Tie a necktie perfectly / Check the oil & tires on the family car /
Plan a weekly schedule of activities / Hem a pair of pants /
Sew on a button /
Know his Clothing Measurements /
Respect the role of teachers / Walk away from an argument /
Eat with proper utensils / Groom himself completely, head to toe /
Use a socket wrench set / Write a perfect paragraph /
Choose language other than profanity /
Clean out the refrigerator /
Clean the bathroom, completely / Set a table for a sit-down family dinner /
Name local officials & politicians / Hang a picture /
Properly dust furniture /
Hang curtains /
Repair, plaster and re-paint wall cracks /
Properly use an encyclopedia /
Effectively use a Library / Give a firm handshake /
Establish & maintain eye contact / Pray… and Believe

Contact Information:
Tony Nichelson, Author
anthony.nichelson@citcomm.com
The 110 Institute.com
Phone: (901) 336-2399
Email : 110tasks@americamail.com

Paving the Way for President Barack Obama:
American Civil Rights, Circa 1954-2009
Big & Little Events That Shaped the African-American Destiny

1954 – Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. the Board of Education, / Emmett Till abducted and murdered in Mississippi
1955 – The Montgomery Bus Boycott launches the modern Civil Rights Movement, and the career of Martin Luther King, Jr.
1956 – Victory in overturning desegregation of public transportation, as Montgomery Bus Boycott ends December 31, 1956
1957 – SCLC founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Fred Shuttlesworth; / Desegregation of Central High, Little Rock, Arkansas
1959 – Lunch Counter Sit-Ins begin in North Carolina; Woolworth’s agrees to desegregate followed by other southern businesses
1960 – John F. Kennedy elected President of the United States
1961 – “Freedom Riders” begin campaign to desegregate interstate travel, beaten in several southern cites; draws national attention
1962 – James Meredith becomes the first African-American student admitted to the University of Mississippi
1963 – March on Washington (DC); / President John F. Kennedy assassinated while campaigning in Dallas; / Medgar Evers killed
1964 – Civil Rights Act passed in Congress, signed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ)

1965 – Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City; / “Bloody Sunday” takes place in Selma, Alabama
1966 – Black Panther Party founded in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale
1967 – Large scale urban riots take place in cities across the United States: Watts, Newark, Detroit; / SNCC breaks with SCLC
1968 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee; Riots take place in 125 American cities
1969 – Overall urban instability / Continuing militancy by young urban males / Vietnam War escalates, thousands drafted
1970 – The first of many “Black Exploitation” films began to appear in theaters across America
1971 – Large scale family migrations from central cites to suburban communities; / Greater African-American economic mobility
1972 – Black Exploitation films thrive, / “Good Times”, “Sanford & Son”, “The Jeffersons”, other programs come to prime time TV
1973 – African-American political leadership expands with election of city Mayors, Congressmen, federal Judges
1974 – President Richard Nixon resigns under the threat of impeachment for Conspiracy and other “high crimes” / Watergate

1975 – Vietnam War begins to wind down, Thousands of “shell-shocked” veterans return to blighted urban communities
1976 – Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter elected President of the United States; / America celebrates the “Bi-Centennial”
1977 – Television series “Roots” airs for the first time / South African Stephen Biko beaten by Apartheid jailers, later dies
1978 – American diplomats and families taken hostage in Iran by the Ayatollah Khomeini, held for more than one year
1979 – Tony Nichelson graduates from Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tennessee
1980 – California Governor Ronald Reagan elected President of the United States
1981 – President Ronald Reagan shot outside DC Hilton Hotel by John Hinkley, President survives
1983 – “Shannon Street Hostage Siege” ends violently in Memphis with the deaths of one police officer and seven Black men
1984 – Ronald Reagan re-elected President of the United States

1985 – “MOVE”, a radical organization in Philadelphia, bombed out of their homes by police, killing eleven, including 4 children
1986 – Iran-Contra Affair in Washington; Mike Tyson wins first Heavyweight boxing title; “Howard Beach” incident in Queens, NYC
1987 – “Freebasing”, and Crack-smoking addictions take root in African-American communities / Tawana Brawley incident is uncovered
1988 – George Herbert Walker Bush elected 41st President of the United States
1989 – Crack epidemic thrives nationally; Hip-Hop and Rap Music culture dominate media, urban youth crime patterns intensify
1990 – First Iraq War begins as Sadaam Hussein invades Kuwait; / The Internet launched / DC Mayor Marion Barry arrested
1992 – Former Arkansas Governor William Jefferson Clinton (Bill) elected 42nd President of the United States
1993 – Significant welfare reform begins across the nation; “Workfare” becomes the standard for public assistance
1994 – Nelson Mandela elected President of South Africa / O.J. Simpson leads police on a “low speed” chase after his wife’s murder

1995 – Federal Building in Oklahoma City bombed by Timothy McVeigh / O.J. Simpson acquitted on all counts in death of wife, Nicole
1996 – Bill Clinton re-elected President of the United States
1997 – Princess Diana killed in a car accident in Paris
1998 – The 110 Institute established in Memphis, Tennessee by Tony Nichelson
1999 – White supremacist is found guilty of kidnapping and killing African-American James Byrd in Texas, dragging him behind a truck
2000 – Texas Governor George W. Bush elected 43rd President of the United States / Amadou Diallo case unfolds in NYC, killed by 4 cops
2001 – “911” The Twin Towers in New York City were hit by two hijacked airliners, collapsed, 3,000 killed
2002 – The second Iraq War begins with unproven allegations of “weapons of mass destruction”
2003 – At the conclusion of its mission, the Space Shuttle “Columbia” disintegrates over Texas, killing all 7 astronauts on board
2004 – President George W. Bush re-elected, Iraq War continues, billions spent, 3,000 U.S. soldiers killed, political scandals exposed

2005 – Notable passings of historic African-Americans: Shirley Chisholm, Johnnie Cochran, Rosa Parks, Richard Pryor
2006 – Senator Barack Obama launches his bid to become the 44th President of the United States
2007 – U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez resigns under pressure; accused of misconduct in firing of 8 federal prosecutors
2008 – Illinois Senator Barack Obama elected 44th President of the United States / Judge Eric Holder selected to be U.S. Attorney General
2009 – The nation, under new leadership, begins to address a recession, financial collapse, and responds to global unrest

©Copyright 2009 ~ Anthony Nichelson ~ The 110 Institute ~ Memphis ~ All Rights Reserved
the110institute.com
110tasks@americamail.com

PARENTS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS
ENDORSE A “VIRTUAL” SEAT AT THE INAUGURATION
FOR MEMPHIS & SHELBY COUNTY STUDENTS:


“EYES ON HISTORY”
ENCOURAGES A VERY SPECIAL DAY AT SCHOOL


Community groups throughout Memphis, local pastors, school board members, and a host of parents have joined to support the “Eyes on History” initiative that will suspend classroom instruction and lunchtime schedules for one hour at Memphis City and Shelby County Schools on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, so that students can watch and listen to the swearing-in ceremony of President Barack Obama.

Amid growing sentiments by parents who intend to take the day off themselves to watch the inauguration of the nation’s 44th President, local groups including 100 Black Men of Memphis, the “Memphis Cares” mentoring initiative, the Million Father’s March organizers, MCS Board Commissioners Stephanie Gatewood and Patrice Robinson, the Memphis Radio Group, and many parents like Kenneth Davis and Mario Nolan-Dillard, have endorsed the idea of all schools taking an hour to witness history. Some have compared the inauguration and swearing-in of President Obama to the lunar landing in 1969.

The historic inauguration of President Barack Obama will be carried by all major media outlets, including radio and television, and will be broadcast Live to a worldwide audience via cable and satellite TV. Most Memphis City and Shelby County schools have cable access or closed circuit television set-ups, and can also air the Inauguration from radio broadcasts throughout the school over the public address system. Parents should become a “committee of one”, contact their local schools, and be sure their children will have all of their “Eyes on History”, Tuesday, January 20th from 11:00 am until 12:00 noon.


Contact Tony Nichelson
Public Affairs Director, The Memphis Radio Group
anthony.nichelson@citcomm.com

The 110 Institute, (901) 336-2399, 110tasks@americamail.com.