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A12Thursday, July 2 - 8, 2020 • www.TnTribune.comProtesters Continue Demonstrations in Jackson, TNBy Brittany Kyles/WBBJ TVJACKSON, TN — Justice for GeorgeFloyd is what protesters continue to fightfor following his death by a Minneapolispolice officer on May 25.Wednesday, dozensof protesters gathered in front of OldHickory Mall for a peaceful demonstration,then they drove to Jackson City Hallto protest.“I decided to come out because I feltlike it was my duty as an African-Americanmale in the U.S. to protest the injusticewe face,” said protester Reginald Williams.Williams said he was approached bytwo other protesters, curious about African-Americans’experience with racism.“What can I do as someone who isn’tfamiliar with what racism feels like, whodoesn’t know what it really is to help?”said protester Trip Day.“Letting their voice be heard whenthey see injustice happening. I said thathelps a lot, and they’re not 18 yet, but I toldthem when they turn 18, definitely vote,”Williams said.Day said this discussion is necessary tohelp be a part of change.“Saying ‘it doesn’t affect me, I’mwhite, it’s not something I really need tofight for right now,’ and that has just led usto here, where people are dying, becausewe have not been willing to get up and godo something about it,” Day said.“When we say ‘Black Lives Matter,we’re not saying that nobody else’s livesmatter. I’m half-black and half-Korean. It’snot saying that. It’s saying our lives mattertoo,” said protester Sheena Palmer-Wade.“It’s crazy that now, that right now [in]2020, we are still talking about this stuff.Stuff that’s been going on for generationsbefore us, and we’re still talking aboutthis. It feels like yes we’ve made a change,but we can go further,” Wade said.From using their voices to taking action,organizers are setting up an expungementinformational clinic, voter registrationsign up and a platform for protesters.INDEX Classifieds...B9 | Education...A8| Entertainment...B2 | Health & Wellness...B6 | Op-Ed...A4 | Religion/Faith...B7 | Sports...B4
Thursday, July 2 - 8, 2020 • www.TnTribune.comKids Could Go Hungry if There’s a Census UndercountConversation with Children’s Advocate Mayra AlvarezSchool lunch programs – an essentiallifeline during the pandemic — are goingbroke, and a 2020 Census undercount willdamage them even more, says children´sadvocate Mayra Alvarez.School lunch programs, which fed nearlyhalf of American’s schoolchildren beforethe Coronavirus, have turned into a lifelinefor families hit by unemployment and risingfood prices during the pandemic.Many of those programs are now goingbroke, and their very existence overthe next decade depends on the populationnumbers being gathered by the U.S. Censusin communities that are considered“hard to count,” says Mayra E. Alvarez,President of The Children’s Partnership,a nonprofit which advocates for underservedchildren.When asked about the impact of theU.S. Census, which is conducted every tenyears and has been delayed and disrupted(but NOT canceled) by the pandemic,Alvarez mentions this program first, althoughit’s hardly the only one that wouldbe affected if there is a severe undercountof children and low income families.In the past three months, school lunchprograms have lost at least $1 billion duringlockdowns and school closures thateliminated the revenue from families whowere able to pay for the meals.At the same time, costs have outstrippedfederal reimbursements for theemergency meals. Relief bills passed byCongress have helped, but the long-termsurvival of the programs depend on datafrom the 2020 Census.For populations concerned with survival,filling out or responding to the 2020Census may seem a distant priority.But nothing is more important for vulnerablefamilies than an accurate count,says Alvarez.For starters, the biggest, most impactfulfederal and state programs that servethe health and well-being of children andfamilies depend on formulas driven bycensus data.The more people that are counted, particularlyin those communities that need avariety of programs, the more money is allocatedto serve them.“We can point to Medicaid and CHIP(Children’s Health Insurance Program),two fundamental programs for healthcare, which are partly based on censusnumbers,” said Alvarez.“The programs that rely on census dataare the ones the majority of people relyone, like Medicaid, food stamps, cash assistance”.Medicaid, for example, is “part of aformula that distributes money to states,based on population and income; the statesput money in and the federal governmentmatches it.”Experts estimate that the federal governmentprovides between $1,700 and$2,000 for each person counted in the census.For a minimum wage earner who’s asingle mother of two, being counted or notcounted in the census “can make a wholeworld of difference,” Alvarez says.“If there is no adequate reflection ofpeople like her in the census data, she maynot be able to qualify for food stamps orenroll her children in child care becausethere won’t be enough slots”, Alvarez explains.”She may also lose out on health coveragefor her children, not find space in aneighborhood school and have to bus herchildren to another school. She might haveto go farther away to find a hospital if thechild gets sick because the hospital wasn’tbuilt in her community since the populationcount did not reflect her presence,” shecontinues.“This could be a very dire situation ifthe undercount is severe.”B1“It is so much more important to be accurateright now because so many familiesare struggling,” Alvarez says. “These programspretty much impact every aspect oftheir lives”.Going back to school lunches, Alvarezsays, an undercount of children and familiescould mean more hunger at a timewhen it’s unclear how soon will schools beable to go back to some kind of “normality”“If families that have kids that dependon free and reduced lunch are undercounted,there will not be as many resources tomake sure they are eating when they goto school”, Alvarez says. “These are kidsthat may not be able to eat at home or bringmoney for lunch.”Legal Aid Society Announces Partnershipto Expand Conservatorship OfferingsNASHVILLE, TN — Legal AidSociety of Middle Tennessee and theCumberlands, Tennessee’s largest nonprofitlaw firm, announced recently thatit will partner with Nelson Mullins andthe Association of Corporate CounselTennessee Chapter (ACC TN) to provideassistance for parents and guardianswishing to seek conservatorship foryoung adult family members who haveacute special needs or who are medicallyincapacitated.Conservatorships are established forpeople who have been deemed gravelydisabled by the court and lack the abilityto make or communicate significantresponsible decisions concerning theirhealth or safety for themselves. Under aconservatorship, a judge appoints a conservatorwith the authority and responsibilityto make some or all importantdecisions regarding medical care, treatmentcare provisions, finances, benefits,education and living arrangements.The legal system is designed to protectcitizens’ rights to make decisionsfor themselves, including young adultswith profound disabilities or medicalconditions, who are traditionally expectedto make their own financial, educationaland medical decisions whenthey turn 18.“Conservatorships protect the youngadults who are suddenly expected tomake significant life decisions whenthey turn 18 but are unable to do so,”said Norah Rogers, pro bono administratorfor Nelson Mullins. “We areNorah Rogers Andrae Crismon Stephanie Chambersvery careful not to take away anyone’slegal rights. Instead, we want to helpthe young adults who are incapable ofmaking those important decisions andensure the people who have their bestinterests at heart are making them.”Under Legal Aid’s new partnership,attorneys will assist in conservatorshipcases for young adult family memberswho have acute special needs or whoare medically incapacitated due to severeautism, nonverbal autism, cerebralpalsy, traumatic brain injuries and chromosomalconditions. Nelson Mullins’staff will train members of the ACC TNand their volunteer pro bono attorneyson conservatorship proceedings. Oncetrained, the attorneys will begin acceptingscreened and eligible pro bono casesfrom Legal Aid Society.“We are thrilled to work with LegalAid Society and Nelson Mullins inthese cases,” said Stephanie Chambers,ACC TN Public Interest and AdvocacyCommittee Chair. “There are a lot of inhousecorporate lawyers who want tohelp with pro bono cases but don’t havethe opportunity. Cases of conservatorshipare extremely meaningful, andthere is also a clear, paper-driven processsimilar to many corporate cases.It’s the perfect way for our members toextend a helping hand to those less fortunate.”“Those struggling just to providefood and shelter often can’t afford legalfees — that’s why our organization exists,”said Andrae Crismon, director ofLegal Aid Society’s Volunteer LawyersProgram. “We’ve seen young adultswho are mentally disabled but not underconservatorship being put into housingfacilities, given medication and eventaken advantage of financially, all withoutreally understanding what is happening.Parents and guardians wantto protect their loved ones from thesesituations, and it’s really special to helpthem through that process. Because ofour partnership with the ACC TN andNelson Mullins, we’ll be able to helpeven more young adults and their families.”To learn more about this programor other services offered by Legal AidSociety, please contact the firm at 800-238-1443 or visit www.las.org.Blue Cross Healthy Place Coming to Nashville YMCANASHVILLE, TN — The BlueCrossBlueShield of Tennessee Foundation isbringing a BlueCross Healthy Place tothe Northwest Family YMCA in Nashville.The YMCA, which opened its doorsin 1971, serves as a community resourcefor around 5,000 residents of the NorthNashville and Bordeaux neighborhoodsof Metro Nashville.The BlueCross Foundation is providing$5.3 million for the project buildand an additional $1,060,000 in a maintenancefund, bringing the total investmentto $6,360,000. When complete,the space’s facilities will be available toall residents, including those without aYMCA membership.“We are immensely grateful for thistransformational grant, and it couldnot come at a more pivotal time for ourcity,” said Dan Dummermuth, YMCAof Middle Tennessee president andCEO. “Although we cannot celebratethe news in person amidst the pandemic,this is certainly a powerful reminderthat there are brighter days ahead andthat our community will emerge strongerwith an incredible new resource inthe Bordeaux-North Nashville area.”Proposed features, based on communityneeds, include:· Water features· Inclusive play areas for childrenages 2-5 and 5-12· Challenge course· Basketball/pickleball courts· Multi-purpose field· Walking path· Adult fitness equipment· Shade structures“When our team visited the site, wesaw residents using the existing facilities,but we realized a BlueCross HealthyPlace could expand offerings and improveaccess for community membersin need,” said Roy Vaughn, executivedirector of the BlueCross Foundation.“The project was in development beforeCOVID-19 hit the U.S., but we know aday is coming in Nashville when thisupdated space will be more importantthan ever.”“There’s no doubt this will be themost visible health investment in thiscommunity in decades,” added JohariMatthews, executive director of theNorthwest Family YMCA. “Children,teens and seniors will be able to engagein outdoor activity in the same spaceat the same time, which is an essentialcomponent in breaking a multi-generationalcycle of health disparities in thearea.”Construction is tentatively scheduledto begin later this year. BlueCrossHealthy Place projects are currentlyunderway in Chattanooga, Kingsportand at Henry Horton State Park in ChapelHill, Tenn. Two BlueCross HealthyPlaces opened last year in Memphis andHuntland.The BlueCross Foundation will acceptproposals for 2021 funding duringthe month of August 2020.BlueCross BlueShield of Tennesseeis a taxpaying, not-for-profit health planserving more than 3.5 million membersin Tennessee and around the country.The Chattanooga-based company wasfounded in 1945 and is celebrating its75th anniversary of bringing peace ofmind to its members and local communities.BlueCross BlueShield of TennesseeInc. is an independent licensee ofthe BlueCross BlueShield Association.For more information, visit the company’snews center at bcbstnews.com.INDEX Classifieds...B9 | Education...A8| Entertainment...B2 | Health & Wellness...B6 | Op-Ed...A4 | Religion/Faith...B7 | Sports...B4
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