About The Savannah tribune. (Savannah, Ga.) 1973-current | View Entire Issue (May 22, 2024)
ini L 4 // PRSRTSTD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Savannah, GA PTmvD Permit No. 923 * REMEMBER B HONOR * MONDAY, MAY 27 * *Georgia’s Best Weekly” 4PMiP? abannalj Crilnmc 18115 MLK Jr. Blvd, Sav., ft A 31415 May 22, 2024 - May 28, 2024 Vol. 54 No. 21 Tel: 912-233-6128* Fa*: 912-233-6U0 www.s av a n na h I r i hu n e .c« m Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society Announces 5 Champions This year’s champions gather for a photo with their awards | L-R: Shelby VanArsdale, Carey Moss, Darren Fuller, Brian Walker and Lainey Bogardus The Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society host ed its 15th annual Night of Champions & Hiring Expo on Friday, May 3rd, 2024, at the Savannah Convention Cen ter on Hutchinson Island. The Night of Champions event honored local businesses that employ differently-abled adults, including those with Down syndrome, and celebrat ed the invaluable contributions made by these remarkable in dividuals. This year’s Champions are: • Lainey Bogardus: Mi chael’s Craft Store | A Cham pion is someone who takes on challenges and conquers obsta cles. You will see that Lainey Bogardus does just that at Mi chael’s Craft Store where she has been working for over a year. She has mastered every task she has been asked to do. She comes to work on time and has a ready to get to work at titude. She has learned the in ventory processes on the com puter and the team relies on her accuracy to keep the invento ry up to date. Lainey has also learned where all of the prod ucts are located in the store and can take customers right where they need to go. Lainey is the true definition of a Champion and is a very valuable asset to the store. • Darren Fuller: Butler El ementary School | Darren has been working at Butler Ele mentary School since 1991 and has definitely made his mark in the Cafeteria as a Food Service Worker. He will proudly tell you that he has not missed a day of work in all 20+ years of his employment. Darren helps to stock items, cleans after each dining time, and helps to serve healthy meals to the children. Darren’s lovely smile and su perior customer service have created a wonderful environ ment at the school. His enthu siasm has established him as a true Champion and as a favor ite with teachers, staff, and stu dents alike! Continued on Page 10 Biden-Harris Administration Propels Historically Black Colleges and Universities with Record $16 Billion Investment By Stacy M. Brown, NNPANewswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia The Biden-Harris Administration has announced a historic milestone in federal funding and investments for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), surpass ing a monumental S16 billion mark from fiscal year 2021 through current data available for FY 2024. First reported by HBCU Buzz, the unprecedent ed financial commitment rep resents a substantial increase from the reported over S7 billion, encompassing signifi cant additional actions already undertaken. The total exceeds SI6 billion, inclusive of over SI 1.4 billion allocated between FY2021 & FY2023 through Federal grants, contracting awards, and debt relief tailored specifically for HBCUs. “President Biden and I have delivered an unprece dented SI6 billion to our Na tion’s HBCUs. We know that when we invest in the success of HBCUs, we are investing in the strength of our nation— today and for generations to come,” Vice President Kamala Harris told HBCU Buzz. President Biden echoed this sentiment, em phasizing the administration’s unwavering commitment to sustaining robust investment efforts in HBCUs throughout the remainder of FY 2024. Officials said the administration’s dedication to HBCUs underscores their vital role in fostering upward economic mobility in the U.S. “For generations, these an chors of our communities have played a pivotal role in build ing and contributing to Amer ica’s leadership at home and abroad,” Vice President Harris remarked, noting her personal experience as a graduate of his torically Black Howard Uni versity in Northwest, D.C. President Biden and VP Harris said they’ve long recognized the profound im pact of HBCUs, and the ad ministration has prioritized furnishing these institutions with the resources necessary to deliver high-quality postsec ondary education. With a leg acy spanning over 180 years, HBCUs have been instrumen tal in advancing intergenera- tional economic mobility for Black families and commu nities. According to HBCU Buzz, despite comprising only 3% of colleges and universi ties nationwide, HBCUs play an outsized role in supporting the economic advancement of African Americans. In addition to over Sll billion provided to HB CUs, the Biden-Harris Ad ministration has provided +S4 billion to support success of HBCU-enrolled students through: • $2.8 billion in need-based grants and other Federal pro grams, including Pell Grants, Federal Work-Study, and Sup plemental Educational Oppor tunity Grants, to assist HBCU students in affording a postsec ondary education; and • Nearly $1.3 billion to sup port Veterans attending HB CUs through the GI bill and other college, graduate school, and training programs deliv ered through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Continued on Page 10 Historic Savannah Foundation to Host Free Lecture Featuring Patt Gunn Discussing “Susie King Taylor & the Making of Taylor Square” Historic Savannah Foundation will host a special discussion about “Susie King Taylor and the Making of Tay lor Square” as part of the 2024 Historic Savannah Foundation Lecture Series, “The People, Places and Stories That Define Savannah,” on Thursday, June 20 at 6 p.m. at the historic Sec ond African Baptist Church, located at 123 Houston Street. This event, which is presented in collaboration with the Dav enport House Museum, is free and open to the public. Organized in honor of Juneteenth, this informative lecture will feature Savannah master storyteller and grass roots public policy activist Patt Gunn, president and co-founder of the Susie King Taylor Center for Jubilee and co-chair of the Coalition to Rename Calhoun Square, who led a three-year campaign to rename Calhoun Square in honor of Susie King Taylor. Gunn will discuss her pivotal role in leading the effort to rename the square to honor and commemorate Taylor. “We invite everyone to join us for a memorable eve ning at Second African Baptist Church featuring Patt Gunn and her successful efforts to rename a Savannah square in honor of Susie King Taylor,” said Historic Savannah Foun dation CEO and President Sue Adler. “Don’t miss this oppor tunity to learn more about Sa vannah’s ongoing narrative of growth and inclusion.” Susie King Taylor was a nurse, teacher and bar rier-breaking figure in Savan nah’s history. Bom into slav ery in Liberty County, Ga. in 1848, she moved to Savannah at the age of seven to live with Patt Gunn her grandmother and attended two secret schools mn by free women of color. By the time the Civil War broke out in 1861, Taylor was an educated young wom an. She escaped to Union-oc cupied St. Simons Island at age 14, and broke barriers as an educator who openly taught Black children. Her accom plishments range from joining the Union Army to participat ing in military expeditions and camp life; nursing soldiers; teaching soldiers, women and children in the camps; run ning her own private day and night schools; and becoming an author with the publication of her book, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd United States Colored Troops. After 170 years, the Savannah City Council vot ed to change the name of the square formerly named after John C. Calhoun, a former U.S. vice president who was an ad vocate for slavery. Continued on Page 10 Savannah Jazz Will Present Jody Espina and “The Music of My Heroes” Jody Espina Savannah Jazz will present Jody Espina and “The Music of My Heroes” on June 23, 2024, 5-6:45p.m. at the Venue located 1446 Dean Forest Rd. Tickets are free for members and $30 for guests. A 1983 Magne Cum Laude graduate of Berklee College of Music, Espina, performed and taught music in Barcelona, then toured the United States with the Tom my Dorsey Orchestra before settling in New York City in 1985. For the next 23 years, Espina pursued a successful career performing, recording and teaching music, including Broadway shows, recording movie soundtracks and as the head of the Jazz Department for the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. In 2000, Espina founded JodyJazz Inc., which has become one of the premier saxophone and clarinet mouth piece companies in the world. In 2008 Espina moved Jody- Jazz to Savannah GA where all production is done in their 25-employee factory. Since 2018 JodyJazz has acquired the brands, Chedeville® and E. Rousseau®, both well-known mouthpiece companies with founding dates of 1923 and 1972 respectively Espina is a fonner Board Member of the Savan nah Jazz Association, and was inducted into the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame in 2023. Inside This Week’s Edition of The Savannah Tribune • New HPV Vaccination Equity Initiative With One-Year Goal Of Preventing Certain Cancers ...Page 2 • Paul W. Mosley, II of Savannah Has Qualified for the NCAADII Championship ...Page 2 • Optim Health System Names Villa As New CEO ...Page 9 URGENT NOTICE! ACT NOW! MEDICAID REDETERMINATION EXPIRES MAY 31,2024 DON’T LOSE YOUR COVERAGE! CARE FOR KIDS, and Update your contact information IM MEDIATELY! Before the May 31st DEADLINE: GO TO stay- covered.ga.gov; or SCAN the QR Code below; or CALL 1-877-GA-DHS-GO (1-877- CHECK YOUR STA- 423-4746); or FIND your local TUS OF COVERAGE FOR office location at: dfcs.geor- MEDICAID OR PEACH- gia.gov/locations. r~\ l Stay Informed. ) Stay Covered, *—V English QR Code Spanish QR Code STAY INFORMED AND STAY COVERED!! ROBERT E. JAMES President since December 1971 CARVER STATE BANK «£ Feb, 23, 1927 97 Years of Service, Leadership and Success! LOUIS B. TOOMER founder one) fif freshen) MAIN OFFICE 70 i Martin Luther King. Jr. BTvd., Savannah, GA 3 1401 SKI DAW AY BRANCH 71 tO Skiefaway Rd., Savamoh, GA 31406
