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“Why do we have to consider minorities?”
Civil Miller Watkins, a Black resident of Fayette County, made sure to attend as many redistricting meetings as possible, knowing the county had a penchant for disenfranchising her community. As the vice-chair of the Fayette County School Board, Watkins was also well versed in the politics of a rural county. Fayette County’s population has grown […]
Memphis to honor Young Dolph with street naming
Rapper Young Dolph’s life was taken away in a city that he loved and cared for through charitable acts, said Memphis residents, who asked the Memphis City Council to rename a street after him. ““It wasn’t just his rap music. It wasn’t just a fact that he was a local star that became a nationally […]
Immigrant groups address abuse of undocumented workers
Armando Arzate has lived and worked in Nashville for 22 years but said his documentation status allowed his employers to take advantage of him, and Tennessee law offered him few protections from retaliation if he complained. Since then he’s joined Worker’s Dignity, an organization that supports low wage workers and working class residents, to represent […]
Shelby commission approves funds for refugee legal aid
The 25 Afghan refugees now living in Memphis need protection from deportation and the sooner they get legal protection, the better, said lawyers with a non profit legal organization. On Monday, the Shelby County Commission awarded $250,000 to the Community Legal Center to assist Afghan refugees in applying for permanent residence in the U.S. As […]
Ground zero for voting rights: Fayette County redistricting restricts Black representation
The Fayette County Board of Commissioners could face litigation from civil-rights advocates after a controversial decision restricting the county’s large Black population from representation. Located in West Tennessee, Fayette County’s population experienced significant growth at a rate of more than 9% over the last decade. Specifically, families moved away from the rural east corner of […]
Shelby Commission group recommends funds for Afghan refugees
Afghan refugees who fled their home country under Taliban rule still face deportation, said lawyers during a Shelby County Commission meeting. On Wednesday, members of the Community Legal Center met with commissioners at a committee meeting to discuss the funds they need to provide legal services to 36 Afghan refugees resettling in Memphis. After the […]
Across Tennessee, health officials boost outreach efforts for kids’ vaccines
Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11 on Oct. 29, Tennessee’s local health departments have had varying degrees of success convincing parents to vaccinate their children among waves of misinformation and pediatric COVID cases. Two week ago, reports showed that half of Tennessee’s counties had fewer than […]
South Nashville neighborhoods apply for traffic calming
Most of the time, Lisa Shadrick loves living in Antioch, but over the years, the area’s need for increased safety standards has grown. Specifically, traffic problems in Antioch have gotten “exaggerated,” she said, and her concerns started when Shadrick called police after finding a vehicle had crashed through construction barriers into a ditch near her […]
Memphis City Council backs residents and rules against gas station operators
On Tuesday, Memphis City Council pushed back against gas station developers and passed a regulatory ordinance in favor of residents concerned about pollution to the city’s drinking water. In the past several months, residents and community leaders urged city and county officials to regulate undesirable companies–including gas stations– from springing up near their neighborhoods. Over […]
Nashville budget committee debates use of American Rescue Plan funds
The use of American Rescue Plan funds to address homelessness in Nashville continues to be a controversial subject among members of Metro Council. Council members have discussed directing more than one million in ARP funds to address homelessness in Nashville. But among the provisions of intended uses for the funds was the purchase of Bobcat […]
Shelby Commission shoots down pay raise for sheriff
In Memphis on Monday, Shelby County commissioners shot down a proposed pay increase for Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. Bonner was up for a salary bump from $148,485 to $199,500. Commissioner Edmund Ford said although Shelby’s sheriff is the lowest paid law enforcement leader in the state, but commissioners weren’t buying the sales pitch, […]
Memphis residents wage fight against TVA coal ash storage
Activist Justin J. Pearson had barely finished one environmental fight before he realized he needed to get involved in another. Pearson, co-founder of Memphis Against the Pipeline, was a leader in a community pushback against the Byhalia Pipeline, a 49-mile oil conduit through historically Black Memphis neighborhoods. Activists said it was a prime example of […]