mgraham, Author at Stand for Children Tennessee

The Movement Lives in Memphis

Current Events | 01/20/2025

Cardell, Sharmeen, Aerris, & Makenzie Your Team at Stand for Children

This King Day, we’re full of deep gratitude for everyone who joined us at the 2025 Memphis Power Summit – the Movement lives in Memphis! The event was a powerful reminder that, even in the face of challenges, we can always turn to beloved community to keep the fight for justice going. During the Summit, we found inspiration, built connections, and equipped ourselves with tools to address the challenges that lie ahead at the local, state, and federal levels. Your presence and commitment have energized us for the journey ahead.

Today, as we honor Dr. King’s legacy, we also mark a moment in our nation’s history that demands our attention: our country is once again inaugurating a man who embodies the systemic forces that murdered Dr. King and worked to silence the movement’s calls for justice. These are the same forces that continue to perpetuate inequality and oppression today. Dr. King spoke truth to power and called for basic dignity and the right for every person not only to survive but to thrive, which made those who benefit from systems of white supremacy and inequity feel threatened. To move forward, we must acknowledge that system’s grip on our history and its persistence in our present, but we will not let it prevail into the future.

Dr. King was right: the movement lives or dies in Memphis. Our city has always been a battleground for justice, and we must continue to work with clarity, courage, and determination. The overwhelming turnout and interest in this year’s Memphis Power Summit show that people are ready to take meaningful strategic action and fight for the necessary changes that will move us closer to justice.

As we reflect on Dr. King’s legacy and the enduring movement, we reaffirm our commitment to creating a future where all of us—and our children—can grow, learn, play, and thrive.

Thank you for standing with us, for showing up, and for continuing the fight for a brighter, more equitable future in Memphis, Shelby County, and beyond.

On the MSCS Board of Education: Even a seed has to conflict with the soil to grow.

Statements on Current Events | 12/23/2024

Cardell Orrin Executive Director

young plant growing in garden with sunlight

Memphis Shelby County Schools is at a crossroads, and recent tensions have made that abundantly clear. Just months after a long search brought us Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins, the Board now finds itself questioning the district’s direction. Even as this debate unfolds, it must ultimately serve one essential purpose: ensuring the well-being and success of our students.

So many of our children face persistent hurdles—poverty, homelessness, mental health challenges—that carry into our classrooms. Too many schools remain under-resourced and struggle to provide the high-quality educational experiences that all students deserve. We cannot let disagreements over leadership overshadow the urgent need to address these systemic issues.

We hope the current dispute reflects a fundamental question: How do we ensure we have leadership and a superintendent-board partnership that genuinely serve the needs of our students? In situations like this, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. We always have to try to balance adult problems and opportunities with the needs of our children, and, in the end, seek to build the best path forward while causing the least amount of harm.

There’s no doubt that our district has been in need of new ways of operating for years, which must be centered in evidenced-based practices and quality instruction for our students. Decisions made by administrative district leadership to make these operational changes shape everything from instructional quality to educator retention and staff morale. These decisions often happen internally and do not receive the level of media and public attention that other pieces of the process receive (like school board meetings).

We must create an environment where those who know our system best—teachers, support staff, and school leaders—can share their true experiences, guiding much-needed improvements without fear. When internal voices feel stifled, or talented professionals leave due to lack of support or fear of reprisal, our children ultimately suffer.

We’ve worked with and even endorsed members of the board who may have different opinions on the current situation. We trust they all have the best interests of our students at heart, but differ on that very question of what gives the best hope for progress with the least amount of harm.

Real progress requires full investment in public education, equipping schools with the resources they need, and supporting our students’ families so that every child can thrive. Changing leaders or titles alone, without addressing the root issues, will never deliver the transformation our students need and deserve.

As the MSCS Board of Education navigates these tensions, we need transparent communication and clear explanations of how their decisions will uplift students, empower educators, and build community trust.

Even a seed has to conflict with the soil to grow. Healthy conflict, when directed toward doing right by our children, can catalyze meaningful growth.

No matter our positions, we need to move forward by uniting around the commitment to provide our students with the education, resources, and support they need to thrive.

Memphis Power Fellows 2024: A new Wave of Change Makers

Who We Are | 12/20/2024

Aerris Newton Director of Government Affairs

As we close out 2024, we’re reflecting on the incredible impact of the Memphis Power Fellows! Over the past 8 months, this inspiring group of change makers has developed their skills in organizing, communications, and event planning.

The Fellows attended trainings on power mapping, understanding effective ways to interact with local governments, and organizing and planning events. One of the stand-out trainings was on co-governance, where the Fellows learned what it means for civilians to engage in decision-making alongside our elected officials. Rev. Ayanna Watkins was an energizing facilitator, and the Fellows came away from that training buzzing with ideas on how to effectively work with our city and county elected officials.

Every month, the Power Fellows got the opportunity to participate in local events and actions. They helped organize a non-partisan candidate forum for the School Board candidates ahead of the August election, participated in a Day at City Hall focused on the budget and funding priorities, and volunteered at the kick-off event of the Healed People Heal People campaign. The purpose of this statewide campaign was to raise awareness of a brand new law that expanded crime victims’ access to resources, like financial support for costs related to the violent crime and mental health resources. Some of the Fellows represented the Justice & Safety Alliance at that event to share information about the coalition and our “Memphis Matters” communications campaign.

Their journey culminated in a much-needed Mental Health Resource Summit. When we experienced some internal communications issues with the initial event planning process and had to postpone the event, the Power Fellows learned a valuable lesson in graciously rearranging the date with the mental health providers and panelists who were scheduled to share resources and knowledge with the attendees. The Fellows were eager to get back into planning, and readily jumped back into it when a handful of fellows stepped up to manage the process. The rescheduled event ended up falling on November 16, connecting our community to a variety of mental health providers after an incredibly long, intense, and unprecedented election season.

“The Fellowship emphasized the importance of connecting with the community, and this event allowed me to do just that. By focusing on the impact of social media on mental health, We created a space where people could learn, share, and feel supported.” – Charity Curry, 2024 Memphis Power Fellow

We’re immensely grateful for everything the Power Fellows have contributed to our community and taught us along the way, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.

The DOJ Validates What Memphis Communities Have Long Known to be True – Now It’s Time for Action

Justice & Safety Alliance | 12/18/2024

Cardell Orrin Executive Director

The Department of Justice’s comprehensive investigation into the Memphis Police Department (MPD) confirms what our community has long known and consistently voiced: MPD engages in a pattern of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law. The findings—that MPD uses excessive force, conducts unlawful stops and searches, discriminates against Black people and people with behavioral health disabilities, and mistreats children—are both a damning indictment and a call to action.

We are grateful to the DOJ for thoroughly documenting these systemic violations and validating the lived experiences of so many Memphians. For years, our community has urged local leaders to address these issues, only to be met with denial and delay. Today’s report leaves no room for debate: our city’s approach to policing has been deeply flawed, harmful, and unconstitutional.

This report adds to a growing body of evidence that Memphis has failed to provide justice and safety for all its residents. From the DOJ’s previous findings on the juvenile justice system to today’s revelations about MPD’s conduct, it is clear that change must go deeper than surface-level. Justice demands accountability, a reimagining of public safety, and investment in policies and practices that truly center the dignity and value of every person in our community.

Community Plans Align Closely with DOJ Recommendations

The DOJ’s findings make clear that MPD’s patterns of excessive force, unconstitutional traffic stops, and discriminatory practices require urgent and systemic change. We put several community plans and reports into ChatGPT to compare them with the DOJ’s findings, and we found that the DOJ’s Recommended Remedial Measures echo many of the solutions Memphis communities have long been advocating for.

The Justice & Safety Alliance (JSA): The JSA’s proposals and the Policing Reimagined Report emphasize shifting away from over-policing and investing in community-based solutions. Their calls to reinvest city and county resources into public health and community development aligns with the DOJ’s critique of MPD’s saturation policing strategies. The DOJ report also validates their calls to use data-driven approaches to reduce racial disparities, enhance the external oversight of policing practices, and prioritize restorative and developmentally appropriate interventions for young people.
Decarcerate Memphis: This coalition has consistently highlighted the harms of pretextual traffic stops (documented in the People’s Report: Driving While BIPOC), which the DOJ report confirms disproportionately target Black drivers. Their demands for transparency, public accountability through accessible data dashboards, and an end to pretextual stops align directly with the DOJ’s findings on MPD’s unconstitutional practices.
The Moral Budget Coalition: Advocates for reallocating funds from punitive systems to essential public resources such as housing, mental health, and education. The Moral Budget funding priorities align closely with DOJ recommendations to address systemic inequities through community-based investments, supporting alternatives to policing and promoting public safety rooted in equity and justice.
Memphis Policing Ordinances (2023): Following the preventable police killing of Tyre Nichols, the City of Memphis passed ordinances limiting traffic stops for secondary violations, enhancing civilian oversight authority (CLERB), and requiring data transparency, due in large part from advocacy led by Official Black Lives Matter and Decarcerate Memphis. These reforms reflect some of the exact changes the DOJ highlights as necessary to curb unconstitutional practices.

The egregious patterns of MPD’s mistreatment of children, including Black children and those with behavioral health disabilities, are particularly disturbing. The documented instances of officers threatening, handcuffing, and needlessly escalating situations with children as young as 8 years old are horrifying and unacceptable. These actions not only violate the constitutional rights of children but also inflict lasting harm on their well-being. Officers sworn to serve and protect should never resort to the kind of intimidation, threats, abuse, and excessive force outlined in the DOJ’s findings, especially against our kids. Memphis must commit to evidence-based, trauma-informed practices to ensure that interactions with children prioritize de-escalation, safety, and care.

The alignment between community-driven plans and the DOJ’s recommendations is no accident. These recommendations come directly from the real, all too common experiences of those most harmed by MPD’s unconstitutional and abusive practices. For our communities, these solutions are common-sense reforms rooted in the pursuit of equity, justice, and public safety for all.

While the DOJ report validates community demands, we can’t stop at validation alone. Without an external, independent oversight structure, we have serious concerns that MPD will continue its patterns of constitutional violations unchecked. That’s why we’ve joined the calls for Mayor Paul Young to enter into a consent decree with the DOJ.

A consent decree would establish a legally binding agreement between the City of Memphis and the DOJ, overseen by an independent monitor. This structure is essential to ensure that MPD adopts and sustains the reforms outlined in the DOJ’s report. For too long, the debate around safety in Memphis has been reduced to demands for a “magic number” of officers, as though more police alone can solve systemic issues. These findings show that the issue is not quantity, but quality—how officers are trained, supervised, and held accountable, and how we ensure public safety reflects the values of equity, fairness, and respect for our humanity. Community trust cannot be rebuilt without transparency and accountability, and MPD has demonstrated time and again that it cannot self-correct.

While we have real concerns about what could happen with a consent decree under the incoming Trump administration, at the very least this agreement would put a structure in place that contributes to ongoing community efforts to ensure oversight and progress.

The Time for Action Is Now

The DOJ report is not just a critique of MPD; it’s a roadmap for change. But the solutions must be implemented with the urgency and accountability that only independent oversight can provide. Memphis cannot afford to let this moment pass without committing to transformative reform. The communities that have experienced the worst of MPD’s unconstitutional practices deserve nothing less than systemic change and lasting justice for themselves, our young people, and generations to come.

Let’s honor the tireless advocacy of those who have been leading this fight—not just by celebrating the alignment between community plans and DOJ recommendations, but by demanding the structural oversight needed to bring those recommendations to life.

Standing Up for Justice: Why We’re Challenging Tennessee’s Unconstitutional Bail Law

Uncategorized | 11/12/2024

Cardell Orrin Executive Director

Stand for Children Tennessee and the Official Black Lives Matter Memphis Chapter filed an amicus brief in support of a federal lawsuit contesting Tennessee’s recent law (HB1719/SB2565), which prohibits judges from considering a person’s financial circumstances and ability to pay when setting bail. This new law, co-sponsored by Rep. John Gillespie and Sen. Brent Taylor, undermines justice, threatens our constitutional rights, and dismantles Shelby County’s hard-fought bail reforms.

Why This Matters: A Return to Wealth-Based Injustice

The Standing Bail Order (SBO), passed in 2022, was the result of a coalition effort that included Stand for Children, Official Black Lives Matter Memphis, the ACLU-TN, and other community partners. The SBO transformed Shelby County’s bail system by introducing fairer, more streamlined, individualized hearings that required judges to consider a person’s ability to pay. Under the SBO, people awaiting trial were less likely to be held simply because they couldn’t afford bail.

Despite these gains, Tennessee lawmakers enacted HB1719/SB2565 in 2024, effectively rolling back Shelby County’s progress and reintroducing a wealth-based detention system. This law now bars judges from considering a person’s ability to pay when setting bail, creating an unjust system where the wealthy can buy their freedom while low-income individuals are left in prolonged, often unnecessary detention.

Standing for Constitutional Rights

This new law is more than an unfortunate policy shift—it’s unconstitutional. By prohibiting consideration of financial circumstances, the law mandates a form of wealth-based detention that violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection and due process clauses. When we refuse to consider a person’s ability to pay when determining pretrial freedom, we have no way of knowing what is or is not affordable. Essentially, this means we create two systems of justice: one for the wealthy and another for everyone else.

Our amicus brief, filed with the Official Black Lives Matter Memphis Chapter, describes the devastating impact this law is already having on Tennesseans, particularly low-income and Black residents in Shelby County. From overcrowded and unsafe jail conditions to prolonged detention for minor, nonviolent charges before bail is even set, this law’s consequences are both severe and unjust. Every person, regardless of income, deserves equal treatment under the law, and our brief underscores how the Taylor/Gillespie law fails to uphold this basic principle.

What’s Next

With the lawsuit moving forward, we remain committed to advocating for a fair and constitutional justice system that serves all Tennesseans. As we await the court’s decision, Stand for Children and Official Black Lives Matter Memphis strongly maintain that effective, evidence-based reforms like the Standing Bail Order are key to building a safer and more just future.

We are proud to support this lawsuit and stand in solidarity with those affected by this harmful law. We urge community members, advocates, and lawmakers to join us in opposing fear-based policies that disregard our constitutional rights and perpetuate unjust practices.

Together, we will continue to fight for a Tennessee where safety, justice, and opportunity are available to all.

Read the full press release describing our amicus brief below.

Stand for Children and Official Black Lives Matter Memphis Chapter Support Federal Lawsuit Challenging Tennessee’s Unconstitutional Bail Law Download

Taking a Breath and Post-Election Reflections

Elections | 11/8/2024

Cardell, Aerris, Sharmeen, & Makenzie Your Team at Stand for Children

As we come out of this challenging election, we must take care of ourselves, our families, our communities, and each other.

That’s why before we even knew what the results might be, we joined with partners to create the Post-Election Restoration Station for November 6th. People of all ages and backgrounds came together to support one another and process what we’ve all been through with this election. It was a powerful reminder that rest, relaxation, and care are necessary for us to continue the ongoing work of bending the moral arc of the universe towards justice.

After we’ve breathed and relaxed, we reflect. We reflect on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we have to go. We don’t know for sure what the Trump presidency will bring, but the likelihood that it will harm or endanger people and communities we care about is high. Let the anger, fear, anxiety swell, and then take action with the spirit of our history that shows the resiliency of our democracy and Black and Brown communities.

Hope isn’t just an emotion – it’s an action.

Even though the election results revealed the challenges we know all too well, we’re also reminded of the strength of our people, the power of our movement towards justice, and our unwavering commitment to progress and beloved community. We are more resolved than ever to keep moving forward towards the brighter future we know is possible.

Far from weakening our resolve, this election has sharpened our focus on the critical importance of local action. Now, more than ever, we must be clear, bold, and hold our elected officials and leaders accountable.

“All politics is local,” never rang more true!

If we can’t be sure whether the state or federal government will care for, support, and develop our people and communities, we have to push our local leaders to follow bold agendas supported by moral budgets. We must plan, strategize, organize, advocate, collaborate, engage, support, and hold accountable.

For Memphis, we saw what’s possible when strong leadership provides voters the opportunity to express their will for government. With the referendums on the ballot, we asked Memphis to Vote Yes For Safety and Democracy, and we won:

Memphis gave overwhelming support for all three gun safety referendums, sending a resounding message about what our community needs to feel safe. A majority of the City Council stood strong against threats from state legislators to express the will of the people of Memphis and set a model that we hope other TN cities will follow. While not binding, it’s a crack in the dam of the gun lobby and NRA that exercises dangerous power over the State Legislature holding back sensible, meaningful gun laws.
We made sure that future mayoral candidates must earn a majority of the vote and will be required to have lived in Memphis for at least two years. We further strengthened our local democracy by bringing more transparency and public accountability to the City Council’s salary-setting process.

“Social movements have the ability to see beyond today’s horizon, and have to have the stamina to work for social change. With social movements, everything is possible; without them, nothing is possible.” — Angela Davis

This is our call to action. The challenges ahead are significant, but they only strengthen our determination to change the narrative on safety and justice, pass a Moral Budget that invests in Memphis’ & Shelby County’s people and communities, and ensure our children are set up to not only succeed in school, but to thrive beyond those four walls.

The future we envision – one that’s brighter and more just for our children, ourselves, and each other – is possible. But it requires all of us to stay engaged, support one another, and join in the vital work that must be expanded and connected in our communities.

There is power in the people – and that power continues to grow right here, with each of us, working together. Let’s continue to be the light so we can navigate the times ahead.

Take a breath with us – breathe in…breathe out…breathe in…breathe out…

Now, do something!

In solidarity and active hope,

Cardell, Aerris, Sharmeen, and Makenzie

Community Organizations Challenge Sheriff’s Actions on Youth Transportation and Detention Center Transition

Youth Justice | 11/4/2024

Cardell Orrin Executive Director

On Friday, November 1, a coalition of youth justice and community organizations has issued an open letter to Sheriff Floyd Bonner addressing two urgent crises: the abrupt cessation of youth transportation services to court hearings and a rushed timeline for transitioning the Youth Justice and Education Center (YJEC). The letter raises serious concerns about how these decisions compromise both youth rehabilitation and community safety.

Just days before Juvenile Court resumed operations following a five-month closure, the Sheriff’s Office announced it would no longer transport youth to court hearings, forcing an emergency shift to virtual proceedings. This decision comes amid ongoing disputes about the Sheriff’s unilateral announcement to transfer detention center operations to Juvenile Court by December 2024, despite mid-budget cycle constraints and the need for proper transition planning.

“These operational decisions have real consequences for young people and their families,” said Ala’a Alattiyat of the Youth Justice Action Coalition. “When we deny youth proper court access and rush critical transitions without adequate planning, we’re not just affecting their legal rights – we’re sending a message about how little we value their future opportunities.”

The coalition’s letter documents that the YJEC is currently operating below its 144-youth capacity, raising questions about claims of staffing constraints. “The Sheriff’s Office’s sudden decision to stop transportation, followed by an arbitrary and hasty deadline for transitioning facility control, suggests decisions are being made for administrative convenience rather than for youth wellbeing and community benefit,” added Aerris Newton, Government Affairs Director of Stand for Children.

The coalition emphasizes two immediate priorities in the letter:

Resume Transportation Services: Reinstate safe, private transportation to Juvenile Court, with appropriate protocols to ensure court access.
Develop a Responsible Transition Timeline: Extend the rushed December 2024 transition deadline to align with the County’s fiscal year, allowing time for proper budget planning, staff training, and a clear operational framework.

Copies of the letter were also sent to Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon, Mayor Lee Harris, and the Shelby County Commission, calling for immediate collaborative solutions. “We’re asking all stakeholders – the Sheriff’s Office, Juvenile Court, county leadership, and community organizations – to come together and develop realistic solutions that prioritize youth development while ensuring public safety,” said Newton. “We need a structured transition plan that aligns with our county’s fiscal reality and maintains essential services throughout the process.”

Stand for Children and partners are still waiting for the Sheriff’s response to the open letter. Action News 5 published this story about the open letter, and we are planning to follow up with more actions to increase pressure on the SCSO in the coming weeks. The full letter with the signatures we have received so far is below.

Open Letter to SCSO re: Youth Transportation Crisis and Detention Center Transition Download

Justice & Safety Alliance Urges County Commission to Prioritize Community Investments Over Additional Sheriff’s Department Funding

Justice & Safety Alliance | 09/9/2024

Aerris Newton Government Affairs Director

MEMPHIS, TN – The Justice & Safety Alliance (JSA) has issued an open letter to the Shelby County Commission and County Mayor, calling on them to reject the proposed $15.5 million emergency funding request for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO). The full text of the letter can be found at this link.

In the letter, the JSA expresses significant concerns over diverting funds from the Mental Health Safety and Justice Center to cover jail repairs, arguing that such a move reinforces an outdated emphasis on incarceration over prevention and treatment. The JSA highlights SCSO’s substantial $200 million annual budget and suggests that internal reallocations be explored before granting additional funds.

Highlights from the Open Letter include:

Questionable Urgency: JSA questions the emergency nature of the funding request given existing budget allocations and unfilled positions within the SCSO.
Lack of Transparency: The sudden request for additional funding lacks a detailed breakdown of costs, raising concerns about fiscal accountability.
Alternative Investments: The letter proposes several evidence-based alternatives that promise more positive impacts on public safety and community well-being:
- Investment in violence intervention and restorative justice programs.
- Expansion of mental health services and re-entry programs for at-risk youth.
- Support for the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) to prevent service cuts.
- Maintenance of funding for essential mental health and justice services.

The Justice & Safety Alliance urges the Shelby County Commission to consider these alternatives during tonight’s meeting to better serve the community’s needs and align with the “More for Memphis” vision, which aims to improve social and economic mobility and address disparities affecting people of color.

The JSA is prepared to work with county officials to implement these solutions, advocating for policies and funding priorities that truly prioritize the well-being and safety of all Shelby County’s residents.

Opinion: Let Memphis choose its own leadership

Statements on Current Events | 06/27/2024

Kaleb Sy Rising Sophomore at Columbia University, Honor Graduate of East High School

In recent years, Memphians have decisively chosen Democratic leadership in 2018 and 2022, most notably electing Steve Mulroy to become Shelby County’s district attorney general. Despite this clear preference, the Tennessee Republican Party is determined to reclaim power in Shelby County, hearkening back to a time when Republicans dominated local government. This determination was underscored at the Tennessee Republican’s Statesman Dinner in Nashville where Speaker Cameron Sexton boldly proclaimed, “One day we will turn Memphis red again, and I know that day is coming very soon.”

Instead of helping Memphis with our apparent crime problem, mitigating the proliferation of guns in our communities that claim the lives of innocent children every day and assisting our local school district with a projected $1 billion in deferred maintenance, Speaker Sexton would rather force political representation in Memphis that reflects the degrading moral compass of the Tennessee Republican Party. Instead, why is the Tennessee Republican Party not pushing a platform with sensible solutions to the pressing issues our city faces and letting the voters decide on who represents them at City Hall, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners and the state Legislature? I argue Sexton’s comment reflects a desire for one-party rule in all levels of government instead of allowing the electorate to make that determination at the ballot box. It is important to highlight Sexton’s comment is a part of the nationwide Republican disdain for voters’ choice in liberal cities by electing Democrats to city and countywide offices.

It is hard not to reflect that during the 2020 redistricting cycle, the state Legislature drew Tennessee’s 9th congressional district to include portions of rural Tipton County which overwhelmingly votes Republican. This move makes the 9th congressional district more competitive than years prior. With Speaker Sexton’s comment, I argue Republicans will try to further gerrymander the 9th Congressional District during the 2030 redistricting cycle so a moderate Republican could pose a serious challenge to the Democratic stronghold. We can look to Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District and see how the legislature cracked Nashville into 3 congressional districts to weaken the Democratic stronghold to see Sexton’s intentions were made clear with his recent comment.

I urge the Shelby County and Tennessee Democratic Party not to wait for the Republican plan to come to fruition but to act now. Chairman Remus and the Shelby County Democratic Party need to strategically coordinate efforts to mobilize voter turnout and educate voters on some of the extreme policies from the Republican caucus impacting our city. In addition, Democrats should foster consensus around solutions and craft a strategic plan to tackle issues like youth crime and reckless driving.

My message to the Tennessee Republican Party and Speaker Sexton is Memphians are no fools. We are smart and capable enough to elect our representation, and we do not need your help in making decisions for who we choose to represent us.

I cannot speak for Speaker Sexton, but it is obvious to me our state government does not care about the residents of Memphis unless we can add more money to the state budget or Republican politicians can use our city as a breeding ground to exploit our problems for Republican state officials seeking higher office. We shall wait to see which politicians respond to the rallying cry of Speaker Sexton. Unfortunately, only time will tell.

This article was originally published in the Daily Memphian. Kaleb Sy is a rising sophomore at Columbia University and an honor graduate of East High School. He is a member of the Columbia Black Pre-Law Society, and a writer for the Black Pre-Law Journal and the Columbia Policy Institute.

Rev. Dr. James M. Lawson Leaves Us Each with a Legacy of Courage, Commitment and Wisdom – No Matter What!

Current Events | 06/18/2024

Susanne Jackson Education Equity Advocate

A Memphis Centenarian since June of 1962, Rev. Dr. James M. Lawson quickly began nonviolent workshops as the new pastor in the deeply segregated South. Some may have thought he was following in the footsteps of the courageous Rev. H. B. Gibson who led the Memphis NAACP and pastored Centenary. Yet, Dr. Lawson already had a civil rights activist history, having studied the nonviolent movement of Mahatma Gandhi in India while a missionary there for three years.

Dr. Lawson trained civil rights activists in Nashville and was integrally involved in the demonstrations himself – not just the trainings. He was expelled from Vanderbilt University after being arrested for protests, though decades later was honored when Vanderbilt established the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements.

Dr. Lawson counseled Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his nonviolent journey that helped upend at least some of the all-intrusive daily oppressive experiences of many Black people living in the South. Dr. Lawson called mightily on that relationship when he (along with a few others) asked Dr. King to take a detour from strategizing for the National Poor Peoples Campaign to bring his support to the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike. As Memphis city government had just moved to a Mayor-Council form of government, the workers were seeking basic respect (reflected in their “I Am A Man” signs), a slight increase in pay for their grueling work, as well as equitable working conditions and union representation.

Folks were used to meeting at Centenary for civil rights. James Meredith’s solitary March Against Fear on June 6, 1966 was halted by a sniper’s bullet striking Meredith to the ground. Leaders met at Centenary and soon more than 600 people gathered there. Twenty-one marchers led by Dr. King–and tirelessly encouraged by Rev. Lawson–staunchly continued the nonviolent march down Highway 51 South, despite first being shoved by Mississippi State Troopers.

As some elders shared, sometimes the sanctuary on Sunday dwindled to 30 brave Centenarians. Some may have thought the Pastor had gone too far – or feared the all too real threats and attacks hurled at the Pastor and church members, even at their workplaces. Dr. Lawson was not deterred. Undaunted, he continued with his steadfast advocacy for equity and justice with the few who were willing, using the nonviolent methods he learned from Gandhi’s practices.

He took communion and compassion to the members at their homes, so he could maintain pastoral relationships with the people who could not (or would not) attend in person. He knew the organizing, the actions, and public messages were needed. He hoped, prayed, trained, taught and brought the power of people and God to lift the numbers of supporters from a few to many, even to far distant souls who resonated with the vision and promise of Black people living and thriving in peace with dignity, doing more than merely surviving under daily discrimination.

Dr. Lawson had faced the attacks before.

In fact, he had helped train John Lewis, Diane Nash, James Bevel, Marion Barry, Bernard Lafayette, and countless others in nonviolent theory and practice. They in turn created and led sit-ins, Freedom Rides, children’s marches and voting rights campaigns that led to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act.

To withstand the attacks of white supremacists (segregationists to the core), they rehearsed scenarios, practiced patience and valor, and continued to be nonviolent even when verbal or physical attacks were launched against them. The theory and practice of nonviolence required intense discipline, great strength, and immersion in the lived experience of “turning the other cheek” to arouse the conscience of a nation to recognize humanity in us all.

Dr. Lawson was in Memphis from 1961 to 1974 when he became Pastor of Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles until 1999, where he later served as pastor emeritus. He continued nonviolent trainings into his 90’s, and his advocacy with workers and others created substantial changes in lives. His work with the Los Angeles hotel workers union achieved higher wages and improved working conditions by mobilizing sit-ins, hunger strikes, and civil disobedience protests.

Dr. Lawson lived a rich life dedicated to uplifting Black liberation, and he leaves each of us with his legacy of courage, commitment and wisdom – no matter what!

Community Plans Align Closely with DOJ Recommendations

A Consent Decree: Independent Oversight Is Non-Negotiable

The Time for Action Is Now

Why This Matters: A Return to Wealth-Based Injustice

Standing for Constitutional Rights

What’s Next