1. Dr. Michele Wise Wright Receives the University of Tennessee Highest Alumni Honor
On Friday, September 13, 2024, Dr. Michele Wise Wright received the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award, which is the single highest alumni award that’s dedicated to alumni who succeed on the biggest stages, nationally or internationally. Award winners have achieved outstanding distinction, bringing acclaim to UT and benefiting our world . Dr. Randy Boyd, UT’s 26th President and Chief Executive Officer of the statewide university system, stated “There are 282,600 Volunteers all across the world. They didn’t win, Michele did. This is a big deal. We are so proud of you [her].”
Dr. Wise Wright earned her Master of Science degree in 1992 from the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI), where she chartered the National Society of Black Engineers, as UTSI’s first GEM Fellow, and made history as the first Black full-time student to earn a master’s in industrial engineering and engineering management. She was also introduced the following day on the field with two other distinguished alumni in front of a sold-out crowd of 102,000 Tennessee Vols fans and spectators at the Neyland Football Stadium, during Saturday’s September 14th game and ultimate 71-0 win against Kent State.
Dr. Wise Wright is also the proud recipient of this year’s 2024 King Kennedy Awards’ Irma Hunter Brown Women’s Leadership Award, which is presented to a woman of color who fights to ensure that gender bias is overcome by competence, commitment, and courage, and the 2024 National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Golden Torch Award honoree for Lifetime Achievement in Industry in recognition of her exceptional technical achievements, exemplary leadership, and significant contributions to her field over many years. Through all these achievements, Dr. Wise Wright has always believed that “The Best is Yet to Come.” She takes this philosophy forward as she continues her work to make a positive impact on children, women, and underrepresented populations worldwide!
2. Six Bridges Book Festival Welcomes Danielle Bayard Jackson
Monday, September 23 / 5:30pm – 6:30pm Fletcher Library (823 N. Buchanan Street)
Danielle Bayard Jackson, author of Fighting for Our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women’s Relationships. will be speaking virtually. Audience members may choose to attend this program in person at John Gould Fletcher Library or may register to participate via Zoom.
Danielle Bayard Jackson is a friendship educator who studies what the research has to say about women’s cooperation, communication, and conflict. Fighting for Our Friendships uses tangible strategies and technical insights to equip women to enjoy more satisfaction in their platonic relationships with other women.
Moderator: Jessica McDaniel
3. Six Bridges Book Festival Welcomes Carrie Sun & Jasmin Graham
Thursday, September 26 / 6:00pm – 7:00pm Ron Robinson Theatre (100 River Market Ave.)
Carrie Sun, who was born in China and raised in Michigan but now lives in Jersey City, holds an MFA in creative writing from the New School. The debut memoir Private Equity offers a searing examination of our relationship to work, illuminating the struggle for balance in a world of extremes: efficiency and excess, status and aspiration, power and fortune.
Jasmin Graham is a marine biologist in the field of elasmobranch ecology and evolution, specializing in smalltooth sawfish and hammerhead sharks. She is the co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), which fosters greater diversity in marine science. The riveting, uplifting memoir Sharks Don’t Sink is the story of a young Black scientist’s challenging journey to flourish outside the traditional confines of academia, inspired by her innate connection to nature’s most misunderstood animal—the shark.
Moderator: Karama Neal
4. Say It Loud! Readers & Writers Hosts David Dennis, Jr. Award-Winning Journalist and Co-Author of “The Movement Made Us”
5. Pulaski County Circuit & District Courts Hosts Get Right With The Courts w/No Fear of Arrest
6. Bethel A.M.E. Church Hosts Souls to the Polls Voter Registration Fest!
7. St. Andrew A.M.E. Church Hosts Its 119th Church Anniversary w/featured Speaker, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr.
8. 4th Annual Arkansas Rasta 5K & 10K Run/Walk
9. ReMix Ideas Hosts Its 2024 Black Founders Summit featuring Arlo Washington, Harvey Williams, and PJ Haynie
