MLK50: Justice Through Journalism knew some folks with questions for the candidates. We asked nonprofit and religious leaders, activists and youth what they would ask if given the opportunity.
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
City Council pauses new gas station, used tire shop projects in Memphis
A 245-day moratorium on the building and opening of new gas stations and used tire shops, approved by the Memphis City Council on Tuesday, will pause such projects while officials study their growth and the effects on communities of color.
Posted inByhalia Connection Pipeline
Pipeline ‘reckless, racist and a rip-off,’ says Gore at rally against Byhalia project
“Thank you for having a backbone and a conscience,” Al Gore told property owner Clyde Robinson before an event opposing the pipeline.
Posted inCoronavirus
One year for workers under COVID-19: “I remember people saying we’re essential, but it feels more like we’re sacrifices”
Essential workers are medical and public safety employees, but also those keeping food and other necessities on our tables and in our homes.
Posted inMethodist Hospital and Debt Collection
Methodist Le Bonheur almost never gave discounts to poor patients during collections, documents show
Since 2014, Memphis’ largest health care system, collected just over $169 million from more than 977,000 patients with bills at least 30 days past due, but only 1% of those received financial assistance during the collections process, the hospital reported in a lengthy response to a query from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee.
Posted inMemphis
Melvin Jones, Memphis’ Black business booster, dies at 65
Passing up a promising – and personally lucrative – career with a white shoe law firm in St. Louis, Melvin Jones struck out to do something that was more fulfilling and would be a legacy that showed his life had made a difference.
Posted inPolicing in America
A Black family fights to get their kids back from Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
This story has been republished with permission from Tennessee Lookout. Read the original story here. A Black family from Georgia is fighting for the return of their five young children from the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services after a traffic stop in Manchester, Tenn. last month. Bianca Clayborne and Deonte Williams were […]
Posted inEconomic Justice
Low-income Memphians receive worse internet service for the same price
Kenneth McKissack’s internet is like a finicky turtle. It’s always slow, and sometimes it decides to barely move at all — taking minutes instead of milliseconds to open emails. As a pharmacy technician and insurance specialist who works from home, McKissack estimates he spends at least two hours of work time per week waiting on […]
Posted inPolicing in America
Aggressive policing in Memphis goes far beyond the Scorpion Unit
This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system, and the Institute for Public Service Reporting. Sign up for The Marshall Project’s newsletters, and follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Reginald Dean took a long pull on his cigarette and leaned against the […]
Posted inNewsroom
MLK50 takes break for self-care
Producing radical journalism requires radical action. That includes self-care. To that end, the staff of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism is taking a break this week to rest and regroup. We will return on March 13 and the newsletter will resume March 20. During our downtime, our social media will be silent and no stories will […]
Posted inPolicing in America
Activists, a scholar and a filmmaker reflect on safety and policing in Memphis
In a discussion moderated by MLK50, a scholar, activists and a filmmaker imagined safety and community in Memphis — outside the realm of police.
Posted inFedEx
FedEx says it’s a safe workplace. So why is Jessica James dead?
Jessica James had to get up and down that ramp. Her job at FedEx’s World Hub was to help ensure the trucks in her area were loaded and unloaded on time. That meant navigating forklifts on sloped ramps, even when the ramps were falling apart. On the night of Feb. 18, 2022, FedEx surveillance video […]
Posted inBlack History Month
Imagining a world with food abundance at its center
Editor’s note: On this last day of (officially) celebrating Black history, we’re turning our attention to Black Futures and what that can look like. So we asked our essayist: What would a future without food scarcity look like? When I moved to Memphis in 2014, there was a common refrain among people who talked to […]
Posted inBlack History Month
2 who represent Memphis’ rising Black future
In the heart of Memphis lies the Arts District, with its picturesque sights and boutique businesses. This is where Colin Chapman begins his day at 5:45 a.m. He wakes up and has coffee before his daily Pilates class. After a post-workout smoothie, Chapman reviews his work emails before showering and getting ready for his workday. […]
Posted inFrom the editor
When we’re really in this together
Justice is intersectional. It crosses the boundaries we make: gender, class and race. This means injustice is intersectional too. That’s why as a cisgender Black woman and a journalist at MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, I’m thinking about last week’s passage of two bills in the state House; one that targets drag shows and the other […]
Posted inGuest Column
Roger Wolcott championed those without power
Hours before dawn on Nov. 30, 2022, I drove Roger and Margery Wolcott, co-founders and executive directors of Constance Abbey, to the Memphis airport. They were leaving for two weeks for their traditional December visit to San Francisco, a city they had lived in for 30 years before retiring to serve street people in Memphis. […]