Topic: Pastor Tommy Vallejos

Levite Choir honors Korean vets

By Christine Anne Piesyk | February 15, 2009 |

Two members of the Children's Choir

The South Korean Levite Choir, on a United States  tour in honor of Korean War veterans, came to Clarksville on February 12 with a stunning performance of music and dance  presented at the First Baptist Church on Madison Street.

The 2009 Winter Praise Concert, conducted by Lee YongHee, included choral work by the choir,  a tenor solo by Park SeongWon, and a haunting violin solo by Ane Hee Young. The Children’s Choir was a special delight as they combined their music with charming and meticulously studied dance movement taught and choreographed by Park Eun Suk. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Events, News | No Comments

CMCSS e-mail “misunderstood” by principals; community leaders appeased but mourn “lost opportunity”

By Christine Anne Piesyk | January 26, 2009 |

A delegation of multi-cultural community leaders met with Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Director of Schools Michael Harris today to learn why a number of the city’s high school students were not allowed access to inaugural coverage of President Barack Obama.

After the meeting,front row from left: Urban Resoucre Center Director Terry McMoore, Wanda McMoore, Pastor Tommy Vallejos, and Naomi Jerkins; back row from left, Ward 5 School Board representative Jimmie Garland sr., Joann Latz, Pastor Jerry Jerkins, and Frank Washington of the NAACP and PCA.

CMCSS was deluged with phone calls for and against viewing the inauguration on school time, and the questionable e-mail to teachers was the result. The e-mail from the directors of high, middle and elementary schools read in part:

“If any of your teachers is going to show the Inauguration in the classroom it should be tied to their curriculum … I think you may leave yourself open to question if students are just watching the Inauguration in a passive manner. If it is tied to instruction the Inauguration can be a highly relevant event to learn about and from. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Education, Events, News | 2 Comments

Community leaders question CMCSS on lack of student access to inauguration coverage

By Christine Anne Piesyk | January 24, 2009 |

President Barack Obama

A Multi-Cultural Coalition of leaders from the community and the Clarksville NAACP will meet with the Clarksville-Montgomery County  Director of Schools, Mr. Michael Harris, at 3 p.m. Monday, January 26, to discuss the recent policy disseminated system wide by email that prevented a significant majority of students from viewing the Historic Inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Many students and parents assumed they would watch the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama in class Tuesday but were shocked, disappointed and upset about the majority of classes in which the inauguration wasn’t shown.

Pastor Tommy Vallejos, a community activist and Pastor at Faith Outreach Church, made this passionate statement to the media, community and school system. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Events, News | 2 Comments

“Democrat against Democrat…” as Primary vote is overturned; Executive Committees to decide outcome in Senate race

By Debbie Boen | September 16, 2008 |

“Brother against Brother. Democrat against Democrat. The Republicans don’t need to defeat the Democrats – they’re doing that all by themselves.” ~~ Beth Robinson

Some long-time Democrats become “Incurably Uncertain” about remaining in their own party after Kurita’s election win was discredited on September 13. The eight hour session which seemed to most observers to be a sure win for Kurita ended with a 33-11 vote to null and void Kurita’s Senate election win.

When this decision was announced, APSU Associate Professor of Biology, Dr. Joe Schiller, told the officials in the room that “they had been instructed to vote based on the evidence and facts, not on retribution and revenge”. He was asked to leave the room. Feeling disenfranchised, he told me that the whole event was a miscarriage of justice and he is seriously reconsidering his party affiliation. “If it is a Republican conspiracy when Republicans vote for Democrats, that’s a conspiracy I’d like to have.”

“There was no proof. It was a Scopes monkey trial. It was embarrassing”, said Beth Robinson, a Clarksville computer systems analyst and member of The Climate Project. “This reminds me of the Supreme Court ignoring the voting public and handing Bush the White House despite the fact that Gore received more votes.” Beth said she’d like Senator Kurita to explore a write-in campaign and possibly run as an Independent.

Standing room only as the Tennessee Democratic Executive Committee hears evidence in the Kurita/Barnes primary election case

R. Neal wrote his view on the case in the Tenn Views web site. He includes a link to Kurita’s attorney’s response to the Barnes challenge, which you can read here or at http://www.tennviews.com/files/kuritachallengeresponse.pdf Neal writes that Barnes filed a challenge, citing a litany of alleged irregularities. Kurita filed a response refuting them point by point. Read the rest of Neal’s article at http://www.tennviews.com/node/3882. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Events, News, Opinion, Politics | 4 Comments

SECURE website charts path for gang awareness, pro-active youth resources

By Christine Anne Piesyk | October 10, 2007 |

Build it and they will come. Kevin Costner said those words in the modern film classic, Field of Dreams.

In Clarksville, a dedicated group of citizens, social activists and area ministers gathered together to build a program and tonight, when the doors finally opened, the people came.

S.E.C.U.R.E., the acronym for Safe and Effective Community Using Resources for Empowerment, is the brainchild of Pastor Tommy Vallejos, director of Hispanic Outreach for Progress and Education (HOPE) and former gang member.

Vallejos bears the internal and external scars of gang life: the 20+ year old tattoos he wants to strip from his skin and the ever-present heartfelt loss of more than 20 family members and friends to gang violence.

Vallejos was the perfect answer to a difficult problem.

“When the kids come here, they have to talk to me first. They have to listen. And we have a lot for them to do,” Vallejos said. «Read the rest of this article»

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