Zelitra Peterson-Traylor’s hands were covered in blue, brown and green paint. She’d just put the final touches on a canvas. It showed an image of the Museum of Memphis standing along the Mississippi River.
“The Museum of Memphis is going to speak for the everyday people who built this city, not just the figureheads. It takes a whole village for us to get where we are,” said Peterson-Traylor, who goes by her artist name, Madamn Z.
The museum does not exist in the real world yet; it comes from Madamn Z’s imagination. She sees the museum as a space where community members can honor each other — something Memphis needs, she said.
Madamn Z was one of nearly 100 community members who attended the People’s Assembly in Soulsville on Saturday. They came together to picture a future where Memphis is guided by the community’s standards. They used learning, dialogue and creativity to start building grassroots power before this year’s busy election season starts.
“Whether we’re a blue dot in a red state or whether we’re just Black folks trying to survive out here, what we do know is we deserve a whole lot better than what we’re getting,” Tameka Greer told the crowd. Greer is the executive director of Memphis Artists for Change, a collective of artists and organizers.
MAC chose to bring people together to reckon with the past. The weather was cloudy and rainy, just like it was in 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in Memphis, Greer said.
Painters and poets, youth and elders, community organizers and concerned residents attended the event. Greer described it as “a power assembly.”
“Folks came out because they believed that they could be the change,” she said. “We’re going to plan together, and we’re going to move together.”
‘A Power Assembly’
During the assembly, participants joined one of several breakout sessions for more learning and creativity in small groups. The sessions focused on a range of issues shaping daily life in Memphis — from local government to environmental justice.
Siju Crawford, an organizer with Up the Vote 901, led a session about the purpose and power of county government. Sarah Houston, executive director of Protect Our Aquifer, led a session on expensive water bills and artificial-intelligence data centers.
Black Voters Matter organizer Amber Sherman led a “visioning session” where community members discussed what they want to see in the county government’s budget. Sherman is also the creator-in-residence at MLK50: Justice Through Journalism.
Ox Logan, a rapper and organizer with MAC, led a session for the youth to share their concerns about local government and the current state of Memphis. “The youth need to know that we are listening to them because they’re going to be the ones to carry on this fight for us,” he said.
In another session, Sadio Arnett asked attendees, “What are we building as a community?” Known as “Mama Sadio” by her loved ones, Arnett is a community organizer and spiritual leader in Memphis. Arnett and Shahidah Jones encouraged people to use their imaginations. They discussed new systems of government, community safety, education and economics in Memphis.
“You do not have to think about it through the current lens of what our government looks like. You do not have to think about how our current politicians move – none of that,” said Jones, a community organizer with Official Black Lives Matter Memphis.
Kathy Brown said local government would be better if it turned away from the two-party system “where there are no Democrats, no Republicans.” Paul Klein spoke about the end of white supremacy, which has been “so ingrained in (local) government.”
Aerial Ozuzu, a South Memphis resident, spoke about community safety. To her, it means meeting the needs of all people: providing housing, food and jobs. “I think we all deserve … the things we need to thrive and be fulfilled in life,” Ozuzu said. “We all want to feel safe.”
Rosalyn Rogers described an education system where cultural traditions, arts, music and mental health are taught in smaller learning spaces, like homeschools and community schools. “This focuses not only on the stability of the community, but the … bonds we can create,” Rogers said. She also imagined an economic system where the government’s budget is decided by public vote instead of a board or a council.
Some people said it felt scary to have so much freedom to think. “We’re all figuring out how to be free,” Arnett responded.
‘Deliverance’
When the breakout sessions ended, community members came together to share what they discussed in each small group and to view more paintings by local artists.
Dante Hoskins, whose artist name is Teseo the Bitter, painted an image of a powerful man breaking free. With his fist in the air, the man stood on a foundation with the word “deliverance” spelled out in bold letters.
“That strength is going to come from within. Instead of seeking a savior, I hope people can find strength in themselves,” Hoskins said. “(The painting) is like a mirror for the viewer.”
MAC is planning to host more assemblies throughout the year in different neighborhoods. “This is the return of people-power,” Logan told the crowd.
On their way out, the crowd recited a chant by the late Black liberation fighter, Assata Shakur. Their voices echoed throughout the room:
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom.“
“It is our duty to win.“
“We must love each other and support each other.
“We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Brittany Brown is the public safety reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at brittany.brown@mlk50.com
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