Merlene Davis
Lexington Herald-Leader
Lexington, KY, United States
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Past articles by Merlene:
Merlene Davis: Ex-offenders deserve right to vote, work without condemnation
Floyd Carr, a carpentry contractor in Richmond, has been turned down for work 75 times in the 18 years he's been out of prison. "It happens every day," he said. The owner of Carr's and Associates does a lot of framework for houses for other building contractors and he has customers who call on him all the time. That's how he manages to keep his frustration level down. → Read More
Merlene Davis: NAACP program's goal is to get children and their parents ready for kindergarten
Hosted by the Lexington-Fayette County NAACP, the Ready to Learn Academy is a literacy enrichment program for 4- to 5-year-olds who will be entering kindergarten in the fall of 2015, and a heads-up training session for parents or guardians. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Two free dental clinics welcome volunteers and patients
Central Kentucky adults will have two one-day opportunities to receive minor dental care free of charge. The dental services will be available on Saturday and Sept. 20 at Pearson Justice Dental and the Lexington Dental Center, respectively. Both offices are affiliated with Dentistry from the Heart, a non-profit that provides dental care through individual dentists and other volunteers. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Bust some myths by learning about Indian culture
My first assignment with an Ojibwe Indian photographer was quite a learning experience. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Would-be King assassin found in nursing home
In September, 2007, I wrote what little I knew of Izola Ware Curry, the woman who stabbed and nearly killed Martin Luther King Jr., some 10 years before James Earl Ray succeeded in assassinating the civil rights leader. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Difficult-to-place children need special adults to offer foster care
At the end of May, Crystal Curry of Nicholasville took a week's vacation partly because she needed alone time and partly because she needed to do some soul searching. → Read More
KSU president gives up over $90,000 of his salary to boost lowest-paid campus employees
Raymond Burse, interim president of Kentucky State University, has given up more than $90,000 of his salary so university workers earning minimum wage could have their earnings increased to $10.25 an hour. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Funding for after-school program is goal of upcoming East End walk
Current and former residents of East End are not going to let the actions of a few hooligans paint a negative image of the neighborhood they love. The East End Family Reunion Coalition and the non-profit Center for Families and Community Services are hosting a skate/walk called "First Annual Planting Seeds for the Future" to fund academic, cultural and social after-school programs at the Charles Young… → Read More
Merlene Davis: The judicial system should have been tougher on the NFL's Ray Rich
When I heard all the uproar about the two-game suspension and $58,000 fine handed down to Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice because of domestic violence, I was surprised. The NFL did more than our judicial system did in this case. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Jazz concert to help First African Foundation purchase church
Instead of the traditional wood or acrylic plaque or inscribed keepsake, the board members for First African Foundation commissioned sculptor LaVon Williams to fashion pieces of art to commemorate the first William E. Thomas Music Awards. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Don't lose hope; the American Dream is still obtainable
Our young people no longer believe going to school and then working hard will culminate in the American Dream. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Family Care Center's program for young mothers, children celebrates 25 years
When former Lexington Mayor Scotty Baesler learned I wanted to talk with him about the Family Care Center, he didn't wait for my call. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Home Builders Association starting 2-year apprentice program
The Home Builders Association of Lexington is looking for a few good men and women who want to become skilled workers in the construction industry. Starting in September, classes for carpentry and for heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology will be held in the evenings at the new Building Institute of Central Kentucky, a school the association started. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Family Counseling Service struggling to keep its doors open
The Family Counseling Service, which was founded in 1900 by then Lexington Mayor H.T. Duncan to "investigate and aid distressed children and families in the community," may have to close its doors because the agency has no money. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Non-profit technical school offers big rewards in short period of time
The College of Technical Education is focused on knocking down barriers to employment such as economic constraints, being a single parent with multiple children, time restraints on learning a skill, or a criminal background. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Illegal immigrants deserve better treatment
As angry protestors shouted, "Go back home," and "We don't want you here," three Homeland Security buses were turned away from entry to the U.S. Border Patrol station in Murrieta, Calif., on Tuesday. When I closed my eyes and listened to the protestors, I couldn't help but be taken back to the first busloads of Freedom Riders who wanted to change the laws of the land that supported segregated travel… → Read More
Merlene Davis: Berea College, author show diversity of Appalachia
Lexington author Crystal Wilkinson was recently named the Appalachian Writer-in-Residence at Berea College.I know it doesn't seem like that big a deal. Authors serving as writers-in-residence are a common occurrence. But Wilkinson, who is black, will serve as the Appalachian writer-in-residence. That designation is a hat-tip to all the black people who have made a home in Appalachia, but who have… → Read More
Merlene Davis: UK Alumni Association president 'second to none'
When Elaine Adams Wilson graduated from Dunbar High School as valedictorian, she received a "Scholastic Achievement" pin from the University of Kentucky Alumni Association. → Read More
Merlene Davis: American Indian racial slurs are never a 'badge of honor'
My son, a die-hard Washington Redskins fan, said it is time for that NFL team to let go of its name. And he said so on Facebook. That would be a major step, but it's one that seems to be gathering momentum. → Read More
Merlene Davis: Rand Paul's recent comments are resonating with blacks, young voters
Just when I'm about to push Republican Sen. Rand Paul into a round hole, he mutates into a triangle. Over the weekend, the Tea Party's favorite son and Libertarian announced he would introduce a bill in Congress to restore the voting rights of nonviolent ex-felons. That was when he was round. Then, during that same weekend, Paul challenged former Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that the mess… → Read More