RESOLUTION NO. RS2012-334

A resolution recognizing Tennessee’s Magazine Publishing Entrepreneur, Newspaper Publishing Chief Executive Mrs. Rosetta Miller-Perry.

WHEREAS, Mrs. Rosetta Miller-Perry has been a highly respected citizen of Davidson County for many years; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Rosetta Miller-Perry completed her B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Memphis in 1956 and her D.M.S. from the John A. Gumpton School of Mortuary Science in 1957; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Miller-Perry’s remarkable success is attributed to her reliance on the time honored values of hard work, common sense and her ability to work well with people from all walks of life; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Rosetta Miller-Perry is a Civil Rights Pioneer, Trailblazer, and actively involved in the civil rights struggle for the past 50 years. Miller-Perry was involved in the Nashville sit-ins, in 1960. Miller-Perry later moved to Memphis and began a career as a field representative for the United States Civil Rights Commission (USCRC) and in 1968 as a federal official Miller-Perry observed and wrote about SCLC and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Washington USCRC office. As a federal official assigned to cover the Memphis Garbage Strike in 1968, Miller-Perry witnessed and wrote about the suspicious activities of the FBI, “The Invaders” and the chaos before and after the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King and as a result Miller-Perry became a victim of a vicious FBI character and career assassination that almost destroyed her family and federal career; and

WHEREAS, Miller-Perry as a civil rights fighter and African American federal official survived this attack, continued her Federal employment with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and in 1975, became Nashville’s first female African American Area Director of the EEOC and first in the Atlanta region. She retired from government service in 1990; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Miller-Perry founded Perry and Perry Association and published Contempora, a Tennessee-focused African American magazine and founder of the community-oriented Tennessee Tribune to share positive news, and information about careers about African Americans to the community and youth of Nashville. Seeking to help the African American Businesses community she established the Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce (GNBCC), and seeking to help inner city youth she created the Anthony J. Cebrun Journalism Center (501.C3) in partnership with Dell Computers; and

WHEREAS, a civic dynamo, Miller-Perry serves on numerous boards. The 52 year old Rosetta I. Miller Scholarship at Memphis State University was created in her honor by three if her majority teachers. She also established the Dr. L. O. P Perry scholarship for medical students at Meharry Medical College. For years she presented an annual $1,000 Rosetta Miller-Perry Award for Best Film by a Black national/international Filmmaker presented at the Nashville Film Festival. She also gives international travel scholarships to a diverse group of local college students including Fisk, MTSU and Vanderbilt. She is the recipient of over 250 awards and most recently the inaugural recipient of the Isis Award; and

WHEREAS, through her invaluable efforts and immeasurable contributions to benefit communities, she has truly made a positive impact on countless lives and her hard work, commitment, ingenuity, and devotion continues to be seen; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council recognizes Mrs. Rosetta Miller-Perry for her professionalism, accomplishments and outstanding contributions in Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County and wish her continued success.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. The Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as recognizing Tennessee’s Magazine Publishing Entrepreneur, Newspaper Publishing Chief Executive Mrs. Rosetta Miller-Perry.

Section 2. The Metropolitan Council Office is directed to prepare a copy of this Resolution to be presented to Mrs. Rosetta Miller-Perry.

Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Karen Johnson, Megan Barry, Jerry Maynard, Frank Harrison

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Referred to:	Rules & Confirmations Committee
Introduced:	July 3, 2012
Adopted:	July 3, 2012
Approved:	July 5, 2012
By: