BOSS UP: Linda McNeil A celebration of Memphis women who rock!. Perspective, Page 4
VOL. 69, No. 10
USPS Memphis reveals commemorative stamp honoring journalist Gwen Ifill. Lifestyle & Culture, Page 7
March 5 - 11, 2020
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Coronavirus update: concerns prompt information outreach by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
With concerns about the coronavirus punctuating conversations and prompting questions, Shelby County Health Department officials met Wednesday with the Shelby County Board of Commissioners Hospitals and Health committee as the awareness-preparation effort moves forward. “We are very concerned about the coronavirus, and we will do everything possible to get Shelby County prepared,” said Shelby County Commissioner Van D. Turner Jr., the committee chairman. Before the meeting, Turner had emphasized the need to understand what Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter has planned for addressing the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Health Department has compiled informational resources on a COVID-19 page on its website www. shelbytnhealth.com. The webpage features specific information and recommendations for health care providers, individuals and families, organizers of community events, business leaders, and schools. There were no confirmed or suspect cases in Shelby County, Tennessee, Arkansas or Mississippi at TSD’s press deadline, and the risk to the general public here was thought to be low. Soon after the Hospitals and Health committee session, Haushalter shared some additional steps being taken to share information associated with the community health issue.
SEE COVID-19 ON PAGE 2
Anthony Mackie and Nia Long, two of the stars in “The Banker,” stride along the red carpet for the special screening at the National Civil Rights Museum. (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)
‘The Banker’ draws stars to Memphis for one of ‘our stories’ by Erica R. Williams
EXIT POLL:
Voters cast their ballots, weigh in on Super Tuesday
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
Stories like this need to be told. It’s the shared sentiment echoed by award-winning actors Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, and Nia Long as they discussed the upcoming film, “The Banker.” The trio premiered the movie at a special screening at the National Civil Rights Museum, Monday. They were joined by several other cast members and the film’s producers and director. Based on a true story, “The Banker” chronicles the lives of revolutionary businessmen Bernard Garrett (Mackie) and Joe Morris (Jackson). In an effort to take on the racist banking establishment of the 1960’s, the two men devise a risky plan to help other African Americans achieve the “American Dream.” Garrett and Morris enlist Garrett’s wife Eunice (Long), to help train a working class white man, Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult), to pose as the rich and privileged face of their burgeoning real estate and banking empire. Meanwhile the two men take on the roles of a janitor and a chauffeur. Their financial success ultimately draws the attention of the federal government, which threatens everything they have built.
Charlie Hardy, 61, feels a responsibility to vote. “That way, I won’t have nothing to argue or gripe about,” he said. (Photo: Lee Eric Smith)
by Lee Eric Smith lesmith@tsdmemphis.com
Megastar Samuel L. Jackson fields questions about his role in “The Banker.”
“Every once in awhile you hear a story that’s unique, and that’s what immediately struck me about ‘The Banker,’” says the film’s director, producer, and co-screenwriter George Nolfi. “I wondered, did that that really happen – that two
SEE BANKER ON PAGE 10
It would be a stretch to call what follows a true “exit poll” – if it were, it would have a much broader sample size and a much more scientific approach. Still, The New Tri-State Defender wanted to hear what some voters were thinking as they arrived and left the polls. So we posted up at strategic times near two polling locations in Frayser. First, we went to Precinct 70-01 at Martin Luther King Prepatory, right around “quitting time” so we could catch the on-the-way-home voter. From there, we checked in at Precinct 70-02 at the Ed Rice Commu-
Brown, Boyd vault into General Sessions Court Clerk showdown Page 8 Democrats prefer Biden in Tennessee, Shelby County Page 2 nity Center, arriving just 10 minutes before the polls closed, to try to talk to the very last people to cast a ballot. Sure, we asked who they voted for. But we also wanted to know what issues were most pressing and when they started paying attention to the Democratic primaries. Was there a candidate they liked who dropped out?
SEE VOTE ON PAGE 2
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