MLK50
Memphis was shattered in April 1968.
Five decades after that defining moment, MLK50 compels us to come to grips with what happened in 1968 and the resulting years of anguish of a society both demanding and resisting change. Yet a transformation has occurred. In the spirit of the National Civil Rights Museum’s MLK50 commemoration theme — “Where Do We Go From Here?” — we sought out witnesses this April in various professions, people who know our majority-black city, people who can tell their own stories, and who can provide insight into our future.
Perhaps we can never completely eradicate the scourge of racism, but we can never stop trying. The voices here point the way.
Dreamstime
If Not for Hope
Taking stock of the long struggle for civil rights, and finding it far from over.
photograph by Joseph Louw / Getty images
Holding Onto Hope
A Memphis native and former editor of this magazine, Larry Conley was a teenager living in Memphis when Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. He reflects on complicated and necessary hope for the city.
The Crucible: The National Civil Rights Museum
How the former Lorraine Motel was transformed from scarred to sacred ground.
The 2018 Women of Achievement
Honoring women who have made an impact in Memphis.
Chocolatography
In their book Chocolate Cities, Zandria F. Robinson and Marcus Anthony Hunter unwrap a new American map.
Photography by Karen Pulfer Focht
Nancy Bogatin
"Local Treasures" is an occasional series that celebrates our city's senior celebrities, people whose impact over the decades has helped make Memphis a better place.
Brandon Dill
Ziggy Mack
Project MI: Of Prison Cells and Petri Dishes
Demetria Frank and Project MI address the cycle of mass incarceration that has made the U.S. the world’s foremost jailer.
Photo by Brandon Dill
Karanja Ajanaku
As associate publisher and executive editor of The New Tri-State Defender, Karanja Ajanaku says his role is to "provide verifiable information that people can use to make decisions."
Photo by Brandon Dill
Archie Willis
Always interested in affordable housing, Archie Willis launched Community Capital (now ComCap Partners) "to bridge the gap between what was happening in the neighborhoods with resources available in the capital markets."
Photo by Brandon Dill
Melvin Charles Smith
As pastor of Mt. Moriah-East Baptist Church, the Reverend Melvin Charles Smith says his congregation works hard on the preventive side, "not only in health, but preventive in getting away from things that will cause you to have problems in life."
Photo by Brandon Dill
Otis Sanford
Otis Sanford, with long experience in the print and broadcast news business, today holds the University of Memphis Hardin Chair of Excellence in Economic and Managerial Journalism.
Photo by Brandon Dill
Desiree Robinson
In 1977 Desiree Robinson and her husband, Raymond, opened the Cozy Corner restaurant, and now "everybody under the sun comes in here," she says. "If this room was full right now, half of the people would be races other than black."
Photo by Brandon Dill
Johnny Moore
President of SunTrust Bank since 2009, Johnny Moore believes, "We've got to get African Americans in more senior roles in this industry. Then you've got people from different cultures and backgrounds making choices."
Photo by Brandon Dill
Andrea Miller
Dr. Andrea Miller, president of LeMoyne-Owen College, says that attending historically black colleges throughout her own education contributed to her success, not only as a student, but as a confident, self-aware person.
Photo by Brandon Dill
Dorsey Hopson
Dorsey Hopson, superintendent of Shelby County Schools, believes that progress can only come if there is "a continued awareness of what happened in the past
Photo by Brandon Dill
Carolyn Hardy
Carolyn Hardy, president of Chism Hardy Investments, has thrived in a business world dominated by white men. "Equity is not happening on its own," she says. "You've got to have people who are willing to give other people a chance."
Photo by Brandon Dill
Lurlynn Franklin
Artist and author Lurlynn Franklin hopes that in the future, African-American art "becomes more political, touches on things or tries to combine history with what's happening symbolically."
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