Statements on Current Events Archives

The Fight for Freedom Has Never Been Linear: Juneteenth 2026

Statements on Current Events | 06/19/2026

Cardell Orrin Executive Director

Juneteenth reminds us that the fight for freedom has never been linear. Every generation has faced attempts to roll back progress, silence communities, and concentrate power in the hands of a few. Every generation has also produced people willing to organize, resist, and build something better.

I was talking with a younger leader last night about the need for younger leadership to move our community forward. Having traveled the road from younger to older myself, what I’ve learned is that it’s not one or the other. Real progress comes when generations work together and learn from one another’s experiences, visions for the future, and lessons learned. Whether old or young, we’ve seen too many poor choices get us to where we are today, and it will take a commitment to change to move us closer to true liberation.

This need for intergenerational collaboration is especially apparent as we enter the final stages of this year’s local budget process. We have one of the widest ranges of generations represented on our City Council and County Commission that we’ve ever had, yet leaders are still wrestling with whether to maintain the status quo or make real investments in our people and communities, as recommended by the Moral Budget Coalition.

Are people in our community free to live in humane and affordable conditions, travel freely around the city, access opportunities to support themselves and their families, build mentally healthy lives, see their children receive a quality education in modern facilities, and engage with a justice system committed to prevention and rehabilitation?

These are questions of freedom. But if we look honestly at our city and county, too many shackles from decisions of the past still hold us back today.

On Juneteenth, we celebrate the day the news of freedom finally reached Black people in Galveston, Texas. But it took federal troops to convince those who had profited from slavery that emancipation was real. This history reminds us that progress rarely comes because those in power willingly give it away. It comes when ordinary people organize, build power, and demand something better for themselves and their communities.

Memphis knows that story well: we’ve always been at the center of the fight for civil rights, voting rights, and racial justice. And no matter how hard those in power try to divide our communities or silence our voices, that legacy will continue.

There is plenty of uncertainty about what comes next at the federal, state, and local levels. But Memphis has never waited for permission to lead. We’ll be here, organizing, building power, and fighting for a more just future – not just in the South, but across the country.

We still have our work cut out for us. But the fight for freedom has always required both resistance and celebration, both struggle and joy.

So this Juneteenth, we hope you find time to rest, celebrate, and be in community. We hope you find inspiration in Black history, Black culture, and Black joy. And when the celebration ends, we hope you’ll join us in continuing the work of building the true liberation our communities deserve.

Why Local Leadership Matters: Shelby County Primary Results & The Fight Ahead

Redistricting | 05/13/2026

Stand for Children Team

Now that the May 5 election is over, we are looking closely at the Shelby County primary results and want to congratulate the candidates who will move on to the general election.We also want to thank every candidate who stepped forward to serve our community during a moment when so much is at stake for Memphis and Shelby County.

This election happened in the shadow of major decisions that will shape our future for years to come.

While voters were casting ballots across Shelby County, Tennessee lawmakers passed the state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools into law, stripping local communities of democratic control over our schools and placing enormous power into the hands of state-appointed officials. Days later, the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais cleared the way for Tennessee Republicans to redraw congressional maps that carve Memphis into three separate districts stretching deep into rural, conservative Middle Tennessee – a blatant attack on Black voting power and fair representation. Check here to see how your district changed.

Taken together, these decisions remind us that we can’t afford to sit back and take our democracy for granted. They also remind us why local elections matter so deeply.

County government and school board leadership will continue to shape how public dollars are spent, what services families can rely on, how our justice system operates, and how we respond to the growing attacks on local control and community self-determination coming from the state and federal levels.

Congratulations to our endorsed candidates who advanced through the primary:

Sheriff: Anthony Buckner
County Commission:
- Shante Avant, Henri E. Brooks, Amber Huett-Garcia, Will Richardson, Karen Streeter, Erika Sugarmon
School Board: Michelle McKissack

We also want to congratulate Mickell Lowery on his victory in the Democratic County Mayor primary. While we endorsed JB Smiley, Jr., we recognize the importance of this moment and look forward to working with Lowery and leaders across Shelby County to advance policies that strengthen our communities and improve the lives of everyday people.

And to our endorsed candidates who did not make it through, thank you for the campaigns you ran and the vision you brought to these races.

Thank you to J.B. Smiley, Jr. for a campaign grounded in bold ideas and a clear commitment to Shelby County’s future.

Thank you to John Bradley for stepping up to serve and for bringing important conversations and perspectives into the County Commission race.

And thank you to Ayleem Connolly, whose campaign inspired so many people across Shelby County. Ayleem represents the kind of thoughtful, values-driven leadership our community needs more of, and we’re confident this is only the beginning of her impact on Shelby County’s future.

Elections are important, but they’re only one part of building lasting change.

The real work continues after Election Day: staying engaged, organizing, holding elected officials accountable, and building relationships that allow communities to shape decisions long after campaigns end.

As Shelby County moves toward the general election and prepares to navigate the challenges ahead, we remain committed to working with elected officials, community partners, advocates, educators, parents, and residents across our county to build a brighter future rooted in opportunity, dignity, safety, and democratic participation.

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 within the MSCS Board of Education 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.

Opinion: Let Memphis choose its own Local 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 their own local 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.