A retired Milligan University professor has completed work on a book that he hopes will call attention to an important figure in Johnson Cityâs development as a regional hub for education, faith and medicine: Dr. Hezekiah B. Hankal.
âHezekiah Hankal took it upon himself to uplift our communityâs African Americans during the era when Jim Crow laws severely restricted their lives and their opportunities to get ahead in the world,â Donald Shaffer said recently. âDr. Hankal had never been a slave. But when freedom came for the slaves, he soon married one, and he devoted the rest of his life to serving the physical and mental and spiritual needs of his fellow African Americans. He identified with them and strove to empower them to prosper to the extent possible in the face of societyâs array of measures to hold them down.â
February is Black History Month, but Black history goes well beyond just one month of the year. Individuals in the Mississippi State University community are exploring how to push the boundaries of the month and use the whole year as a time of teaching, learning, celebrating and acknowledging African American culture and history.
Donald Shaffer, director of the African American Studies program and professor of English, explained it is vital to have an inclusive and accepting environment at the university.
Shaffer said the African American Studies program garnered attention and enthusiasm from students and faculty alike when it began in 2008. As director of the program, he emphasizes the importance of creating welcoming spaces for students and teaching a curriculum that represents the student body.
evidence of test tampering at two top baltimore schools. hello everyone i m vic carter. here is what people are talking about. another cheating scandal has surfaced in elementary schoolless. with test answers changed from wrong to right. reporter: a brazen cheating scandal at two baltimore city elementary schools has drawn outrage from city and state school leaders. it was a real real figurative act of violence for our community and our students. reporter: state investigators found suspicious eraser patterns on test. a high number of erased answers, they even looked at the direction of erasers. an insult, a terrible injustice and insult to the abilities of the students of this city. reporter: the city school s ceo would not say which disciplinary action he took against the principal but the head of the investigators union said he was unfairly targeted. a similar scandal was uncovered last year after a parent complained. in the one hand it awakens the skeptics, i
public service number one. the city and state mourn the loss of former mayor, governor donald shaffer. those who really like public life think it s the greatest career to have. reporter: tonight one of the most powerful politicians in the history of maryland passes away at the age of 89. when i jumped in the pool. people liked that. they expected me to do things like that. from the inner harbor to every street and alley in baltimore, we heard the same words. we care, that s what i want on that tombstone. his life, career, and how he changed maryland forever. good evening i m denise koch. and i m vic carter. here is what people are talking about tonight. a career and a legend. william donald shaffer was a brilliant mayor and utterly unique human being. i had the honor of sitting down with him in 1984 shortly before he ended his second term as governor. his passing tonight dims the light in the city he loved. reporter: baltimore may never have a better champ