Nashville, TN (August 18, 2007) Kristen Herring walked the runway as the newly crowned Miss Black Tennessee USA 2007 Saturday night at the Tennessee State University Performing Arts Center. The walk marks her first steps into a journey that will take her across the state of Tennessee and beyond as she advances to the Miss Black USA national competition the Gambia, West Africa in August 2008.

Herring, 25, a native of Wilmington , North Carolina is a student at Vanderbilt University in the doctoral program for Biochemistry. She is a graduate of Spelman College with a degree in Biochemistry and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She will spend the next year of her reign increasing awareness and community involvement towards her platform, Time to Get On The "M.O.V.E.," an acronym for "Motivation, Organization, Values, Education." Miss Black USA 2007, Kalilah Allen-Harris passed the crown to Herring shortly after taking her final walk as Miss Black Tennessee 2006.

The first runner-up, Althea Jack, earned a $1,000 scholarship. Jack is a student at Vanderbilt University majoring in Human Organizational Development. Second runner-up honors went to Shantell Elmore of Cookeville with third runner-up honors for Duanisha Mathews of Goodlettsville. Jasmine Jackson of Murfreesboro placed as fourth runner-up and Porshia Willis of Nashville placed as fifth runner-up.    more »

Purvis Hunt was a career criminal until he turned his life around. Now he helps kids avoid the mistakes he made and find jobs. Former gang member Purvis Hunt helps kids land jobs so they don’t make the bad choices he made earlier in his life. But he could lose his city job because of budget cuts.

Purvis Hunt is not a man most would peg as a role model. First arrested at age 12 for robbery and assault, he began drinking and using drugs around the same time. During his teenage years, he helped rob a motel, fired off wild shots at a party and once faced 15 years in prison before getting off on a technicality.   more »

The American Cancer Society estimates that 27,050 men in the United States will die of prostate cancer in 2007.

In an effort to help reduce these numbers, brothers of the Aiken and Augusta Alumni Chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. are working to get the word out.

The organization was written into a grant along with University Health Care System and Lowe's to help promote early detection of prostate cancer and will be offering free screenings at Lowe's locations throughout the CSRA during the month of September.

"We are trying to get the word out to the community with an emphasis on African American men," said Walter Glover, committee chair for the event.   more »