“Black people today, for all our righteous anger and forceful dissent, still believe in the American Dream. And we must, in this year of doubt and confusion, remind a forgetting nation that this land is ours, too. This…
Powell, TN – William “David” Hunter, age 73, of Powell, TN, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2021. He was a retired detective from Knox County Sheriff’s Office, a former op-ed columnist for The Knoxville News Sentinel for…
Mary Wilson was an R&B singer and a founding and the longest member of the Supremes was born March 6, 1944, to Sam, a butcher, and Johnnie Mae Wilson in Greenville, Mississippi. She died on February 8, 2021, at her…
By Bill Chappell NPR (January 22, 2021) – Hank Aaron, seen as a hero for shattering Babe Ruth’s home run record and also for his longtime advocacy for civil rights, has died. “Hammerin’ Hank” was 86. The Atlanta…
Editor’s note: David Hunter passed away shortly after submitting his last editorial piece for publication in the Enlightener. He was a friend, colleague and ally. I sought him after the Knoxville News Sentinel’s reconstruction eliminated most local columnists….
KNOXVILLE, TN – Dorothy J. McKinney Moore was a true trailblazer in Knoxville law enforcement who retired with 25-years of service. At the age of 30, she became the second African-American female officer at the Knoxville Police Department….
OAK RIDGE, TN – Chief Master Sergeant (Ret) Dave Anderson Sr, past NAACP President, Oak Ridge Chapter was born December 2, 1947, in Jacksonville, Florida to the late John William and Francis Anderson. He devoted his entire life…
Emmett Yette, a retired educator, coach, and mentor to many youths. After graduating from Tennessee State University, Mr. Yette’s coaching and teaching career spanned from Campbell High School in Rockwood, Tennessee, to the Blue Ridge Job Corps in…
KNOXVILLE, TN (October 28, 2020) – Harold Agnew, Sr. was born to Henry and Allie Agnew in Anderson, S.C., on February 23, 1928. He retired several months ago due to the pandemic. He was cared for by his…
Professor Robert E. Boyd was a passionate educator. He retired in 2018 from Pellissippi State Community College where he taught for 50 years. Before returning to Knoxville in1995, he was a middle school and high school English teacher…
KNOXVILLE, TN (Oct. 2, 2020) – Elandria “E” Williams, age 41, died on Sept. 23, 2020. The Highlander Research and Education Center staff and associates are crying out with immense shock and sorrow at the death of a…
Vera Ferguson-Williams died on Friday, Sept. 11, in Little Rock, AK. She was married to Alfred Williams, a member of the Clinton 12, for 25-years before his passing last year on March 14, 2019. Mrs. Williams will be…
In the last days of her life and knowing what would be to come after she died, Justice Ginsburg uttered these words, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is…
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the longest-serving woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, a champion of women’s rights, and a balanced, strong liberal voice on issues dividing the nation, has died. She was 87. The following is the official announcement…
The world is reeling from the loss of iconic actor Chadwick Boseman, who died Friday, August 28, after fighting a 4 year battle with colon cancer. Boseman died at home surrounded by his family. Worldwide (August…
Dr. D. L. Derrickson Sr., departed this life, August 19, 2020, in Knoxville, TN. For 50 years Dr. Derrickson pastored Rock Temple Church of God in Christ on Maria Ave. in Mechanicsville, which was later named First Church…
The Reverend Stone N. Carr was the first African-American Commissioner of Alcoa, TN. He entered eternal rest on August 14, 2020 at the age of 88. Rev. Carr was also a retired pastor in Alcoa and Knoxville, a…
One of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, John Lewis continued to fight for people’s rights since joining Congress in 1987. NATIONWIDE (July 20, 2020) – Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) was…
Knoxville, TN – Vernon Dwight Hardin, a well-known vocalist and percussionist, departed this life, April 16, 2020, at U. T. Medical Hospital after a brief bout with a very aggressive cancer. Dwight Harding & Think Twice Band performed…
Eulogy of DENNIS EUGENE FOSTER aka Ronnie Love; was born November 13, 1950, to Heloise Hampton and Oscar Foster, Jr. in Bessemer AL., and transitioned peacefully on March 22, 2018, at his home in Stone Mountain, GA. The family…
(KNOXVILLE, TN) The Queen of Soul, the beloved Aretha Franklin, died at her home in Detroit on Aug. 16th after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. In Detroit, four days of events will honor Franklin this week, with three days…