Okay, I was at work searching for Memphis/Shelby County Statistics (demographics, crime, population, education, unemployment, etc.) and ran across this site with people stating how they FEEL about Memphis. There was a mix of those who are native Memphians as well as those who were not. I am a native of this great city, but am I that naïve? I know Memphis is not perfect, and has Tons of cleaning up to do, but is this how the outside world sees us? Is this how we see us? This is disheartening. I feel like someone has spoken badly about a sibling or relative, which is completely unacceptable. So, I’m at a precipice…I know there are tons of comments copied below….some positive, mostly negative. This is not intended to be a “bring down,” but “is this really whats up?” type of thing. I guess I was wondering, is it just me? Had I been gone from Memphis too long? Or, are my eyes naive to the perils of my hometown? Furthermore, to place a positive light on things, I want to ask...to think about...How do you feel about OUR Memphis? I'll be the guinea pig and share first:
Yes, Memphis statistics are grim, to say the least, but there is good in Memphis. Yes, the predominant Black politicians have been identified as the culprit for the city’s direction and leadership. Yes, crime is high and is due to the large influx of minorities in the city. Yes, taxes are high and along with it gentrification is also alive and well. Yes, the “white flight” may have caused many of the jobs and money to leave the city. Yes, we have corrupt and racist police officers. Yes, we have a divided government and schools system that was predicated on race/ethnicity/economics. Yes, we have too many churches and not enough action. Yes, there gangs in the schools. Yes, there is unemployment. Yes, Yes, Yes!! And still, Memphis is good. Memphis has GoOD people who are not recognized in the community organizations, in the schools, in the city government, in corporations, in the neighborhoods, on the police force, in the churches, etc. I guess, the real issue is …like Dr. Martin L. King stated, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Yes, the city seems to be headed in the wrong direction, but I know there are GoOD people here, so where are they? Are all the GoOD people writing and talking about how “bad” Memphis has gotten or are they doing something? The city is growing and diversity is imminent, but fear is the only problem I see. I am not afraid to be in Memphis. Why? Some say it is because I am Black. Maybe, or maybe I just know my city. We only fear the unknown, so get to know your city! Your neighbors, even the ones who don’t look like you. Yes, there are GoOD people in Memphis. We work with them, have worked with them, live with and around them. They are our friends, our family...the man who picks up your trash, the woman that drives the MATA bus, the young men flipping on Beale St., the lady who protested for the rights of the poor/homeless for years in front of the Lorraine Motel, the teacher that uses their own money to prepare their classrooms, the man who holds a door open for you, the strange elderly woman who reminds you to smile, the struggling artists trying to sell music opposed to illegal substances, the father working to support his family, the children doing their best to avoid peer pressure, etc. Our city’s history is our legacy. Memphis is an old southern town. Large city with small town feel. Most crime/murders are between people that know each other or have a set vendetta. Rarely, do we have random murders/crime. We, the people of Memphis must change our attitude of our city if we want to see that positive change in our city. If attitude reflects leadership, then what does that say about us? If we are all leaders in some way, where is our rubber meeting the road? We are a city of legends and legacy. John McLemore, Marcus Winchester, do these names sound familiar? The names and labels we give to our streets, parks, buildings are not just for fun. These show our history, the people who did something. Tom Lee park is a testiment to how an ordinary person can do something extraordinary. Robert Church, one of the first African American millionaires in Tennessee, rescued the city of Memphis during the yellow fever epidemic. Julia Hooks, a music prodigy and educator, established a private school in her home after being disenfranchised with quality of education from the local schools. Mary Wright Robinson who chose a life of servitude and rarely compromised her freedom for the safety of the male dominated society. Stax Records was one of the first organizations to integrate..allowing both blacks and whites the opportunity to play and hear GoOD music. However, those that know Memphis history, know that it was institutionalized racism that destroyed Stax. So, our issues aren’t for the faint at heart. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis as he was working towards gaining support for his “Poor People’s Campaign.” The problem in 1968 was poverty and inequities in job opportunities for minorities…really, how much of that has changed. Until we can see the GoOD in everyone and understand that individuality in a collective is necessary for growth and evolvement, we will remain deficient in the assets we seek to gain for our city. Memphis requires real leaders who undoubtedly LOVE this city. No stranger, outsider will lead her. By definition, a stranger is a person who is unacquainted with or unaccustomed to something; an outsider; a person with whom one has had no personal acquaintance. Aren't we taught at an early age to be cautious of strangers? Yet, in the south we welcome them. Yes, we welcome them into our culture. We must because that is apart of who we are. And like any other family, once you've been around long enough, you will be privvy to our skeletons, too. And that is okay because now the stranger becomes apart of our culture. It is only sad because many Memphians have such a strong opposition to the city that we infect that fear into the newcomers. I have met more people who have hope for Memphis, who weren't even born in Memphis. At times, people don't believe that I was born here. This is sad because I'm not sure how to take that comment. Is that I'm not good enough be from Memphis or the opposite? I desire for more Memphians to have a Love and Respect for our community. If we don't want to be here, why would anyone else? Therefore, the change must begin with us. The person in the mirror. We have to love ourselves, our city. our people. You have to LOVE those you serve, or it will be for naught. When music legends and social activists such as Julia Hooks, Aretha Franklin, Willie Mitchell, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, Jim Stewart, Estelle Axton, Elvis Presley, Maurice White, Bishop J.O. Patterson, A.W. Willis, W.C. Handy, Isaac Hayes, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Robert R. Church, Al Green, Steve Cropper, Jesse H.Turner and more can be bestowed with the title, Memphian, I know that I am where I am supposed to be. Our lives are our story and it follows to illustrate the foundation of our Words. We, all, cannot flee to the suburbs of Germantown, Collierville, Cordova, etc…. somebody has to stay, to work, to model truth, integrity and fairness or is it easier to leave? Of course it would be ridulous to assert that one should never leave a place. Memphians should visit, travel and live other places, but return home. Even Henry Thoreau was a proponent of walking…seeing the land/nature/environment in which you live. Leave the bad and bring home the GoOD that will make our city. Complaining, worrying are all indicators of fear, and we have allowed fear to run our city far from the Greatness it is destined. With all the raw, natural talent (being a city rich in music history) that has come and is still in Memphis, I cannot believe the lack of faith that many Memphians in the “bible belt” have toward positive change. So yes, I’m a Memphian, yes, I love my city and maybe if those with the complaints and anger leave, the real GoOD people can filter through the mire, reveal the Truth and make it the great city it will be. Yet, I pray that the GoOD people of Memphis can and will reverse that negative thinking and remind those who have forgotten…that there’s GoOD in our city. …so…What do I love about Memphis?—Its people, southern culture and the pace of life. Life is too short to rush through it. So yeah, some may call Memphis (the south) slow, but we are simply taking our time. In the words of a former student, “I know what I want, so waiting ain’t nothing but a thing!”
Now, what do you like about OUR Memphis?
