With each anniversary, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism takes a victory lap. After all, we’re an organization built despite doubters and forged by resilience. That’s something to celebrate.
Yet, it’s not all about us. Part of our mission is to bear witness to movement-making and lived experiences. On this 7th anniversary, we want you to feel victorious about your resilience too. Pushing against the forces that would deprive you of what you deserve – a living wage, safety, clean water, dignity – is a strength we share.
So here are a few excerpts from our family album, one moment from each year, to keep us in this fight: fists raised, unyielding and standing in your power. Keep fighting. And take time to celebrate your victories.
August 15, 2017: People lock arms at Fourth Bluff Park, then named Confederate Park, while protesting against the Jefferson Davis statue’s continued presence. By the end of the year, community efforts led by #TakeEmDown901 succeeded in dethroning the Confederacy. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50
April 3, 2018: On the eve of the 50th commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, Memphians called on the world to understand the continued systemic injustices perpetuating in the city. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50
March 9, 2019: Rev. Dr. Andre Johnson helps Jayanni Webster down from the pulpit during a rally for Tami Sawyer at Clayborn Temple. Johnson and Webster worked with a coalition of social justice and community organizations to support Sawyer in her bid for Memphis mayor. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50
May 27, 2020: The sun sets over Union Avenue as Memphians gathered to protest in the days after the police killing of George Floyd. The protests of 2020 and the pandemic (that we continue surviving) changed many things about how we organize. Photo by Brandon Dill for MLK50
January 23, 2021: One of the early protests in the successful campaign to stop the Byhalia Connection Pipeline was a socially distanced protest outside of Mitchell High School. The project would have carved up southwest Memphis communities, like Westwood, Boxtown and Walker Homes, to build a pipeline to transport tons of oil. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50
July 2, 2022: A protest against the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe V. Wade moves down North Main Street. The action, organized by Memphis 4 Revolutionary Socialism, was one of many this summer that brought hundreds in the city out to the streets to call for protecting reproductive health. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50
October 24, 2023: Hundreds march down Beale Street during a solidarity action with Palestine as Israel escalated its bombardment of Gaza, killing more than 33,000 Palestinians and wounding 75,000 more. Following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel that claimed more than 1,100 lives, the force of Israel’s response has included direct attacks on Palestinian people, their hospitals and the humanitarian aid trying to reach them in the months since. Community members and local organizations continue to organize marches regularly, calling for a ceasefire and a free Palestine. Photo by Lucy Garrett for MLK50
Andrea Morales is the visuals director for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at andrea.morales@mlk50.com
Adrienne Johnson Martin is co-executive director of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Contact her at adrienne.martin@mlk50.com
This story is brought to you byMLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit newsroom focused on poverty, power and policy in Memphis. Support independent journalism by making a tax-deductible donation today. MLK50 is also supported by these generous donors.