"I enjoy spending time with my family, just having fun with them. I have a son who's thirteen now, and I want to teach him everything about the world. I want him to grow up to be a good guy."
JOHN: "When we were about 13, we were both monsters in a haunted house called 'Field of Screams' and we've been friends ever since. She's like a sister to me. I've always liked her spunk. She's bubbly and full of life. She can be my wing-man anytime!"
TATIANA: "I like his goofy sense of humor." “My father left our family when I was two years old. The first time I remember seeing him, he was on the other end of a phone at the jail. I grew up angry. I was determined that when I had a family, I was going to be there. So when my marriage ended in divorce, I was devastated. It took me three years to get back on my feet, to believe I could be useful again, to believe that God would forgive me, and to forgive myself. When I finally stabilized and got married again, I was resolved that my children were going to see that you can make mistakes in life, but you can recover, you can get back on track. My kids are with me every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and I pick them up for Bible class every Wednesday. We're involved in a lot of activities together. In life, you’re going to disappoint yourself and other people. It’s just going to happen, but whatever the mistake is: own it, fix it, and move on. That’s what I want my children to know. That’s what I want all young people to know. If you’ve been going in the wrong direction, you can make a change. It doesn’t have to be the end. “Memphis needs people who believe that change can happen, not just in our own lives but also in our city. I think the younger generation is tired of following people who are bitter and angry. They want hope; they want to know that better things are possible, no matter what has happened in the past. One of the ways I’m trying to pour positive energy into Memphis is through writing plays. Our next production (June 18, 6pm at the Cannon Center) is called Mr. Provider and asks the question: Why does the good guy get overlooked? It’s about a man who’s trying to take care of his family, who’s trying to be there, but everybody takes him for granted and pays attention to his brother instead. The brother has 4 babies he’s not paying child support for and he doesn’t have a job, but since he’s funny and fun to be around, everybody celebrates him and ignores the guy who’s trying to do right. A good man can feel invisible in his own family and in the community. We have to do better than that. We’ve got to show kids what real men look like. We’ve got to stop acting like the kids to impress the kids; we need to give them something to live up to. Let’s redefine manhood as being responsible, leading the way, and being selfless. When you have strong, healthy-thinking young men, you have strong families and you change our community for the better. Young guys are looking for a place to fit in and for people to look up to. We need to give them that. When we start believing that Memphis can be great, we’ll start acting like it, and when we start acting like it, we’ll start creating it.” Watch the trailer for the play: Terrell Monger is employed by International Paper and serves as a pastor for One Accord Ministries. He is the author of several books and plays.
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“I grew up in a two-parent home until I was 13 years old, but after my parents divorced, things changed drastically. We moved around a lot, and I didn’t really experience stability again until I was 21 and able to get my own place. By then I had two children: my first when I was 16 and my second when I was 20. I started working at the casino while I was attending college, and it went fine for a long time, but I was always kind of naïve, always trusting, thinking everyone was my friend, and I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. They were big-time gamblers, but they had the money to gamble and I didn't. Once I started, it was downhill from that point on. I lost everything. I was still going to school, and I finished my bachelor’s degree in health administration, but then my father passed. That was really hard, and it just seemed like everything spiraled out of control. Our lifestyle changed dramatically. We were what people call ‘hood-rich’---that is, we had the finer things in life---but after the gambling started, we had to do without, which the kids weren’t used to. They’d say, ‘What is this? You need to get your life together. We’ve never lived like this.’ They were right. I knew I had to get help, so I did. I still work at the casino, but I’m not gambling anymore. I slipped up a few months ago, so it’s still a process, but I’m determined to stay away from it. I want to do something different with my life and get into the health care field; that’s what my degree is in, and that's what I’m working toward now. I want to have a more stable income and know exactly how much I’m going to earn every year. I don’t want to be in a situation where if I don’t make a certain amount tonight, I won’t be able to pay my light bill. That’s not a good way to live.” Lakeva is a student at HopeWorks / 1930 Union Avenue / (901) 272-3700.
"I spent 33 years of my life in addiction, but today I’m totally clean, going on 5 months, and that even includes cigarettes. The harder drugs, like cocaine and meth, I quit years ago, but the marijuana and alcohol I quit recently. I owe it all to God. He’s number one in my life. I lost touch with him for a long time, but I’ve finally rebuilt that relationship. I have good friends now and a wonderful fiancée who I love and adore. She’s been clean her whole life. The other challenge I’m dealing with is that I’m HIV-positive. I found out in August of 2013. Since that time, I’ve taken classes, and now I’m certified as an HIV Advocate and Educator. I’m in two online support groups, and my HIV is under control. That doesn’t mean I’m cured, but I’m managing it. I couldn’t be happier." Ben is a student at HopeWorks / 1930 Union Avenue / (901) 272-3700.
The Facebook support group Ben refers to is Hope, Health, Hardship, & HIV. “I’m spending this year in Memphis as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, learning how better to help people who have been incarcerated. My degree is in Business Administration, and eventually I want to open transitional housing in my hometown for people coming out of the prison system to get readjusted to society and the community. They need help to break destructive cycles so that they won’t be incarcerated again. I’ve worked with people battling substance abuse problems, and I’ve done prison ministry, but this year as an intern with HopeWorks is giving me more experience with people who have been (or who are still) in the prison system. There's a verse in the Bible (Matthew 25:36) that says: 'I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' People who are coming out of incarceration need help. They need options. They're still people, and they still have worth. As Bryan Stevenson has said, ‘Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.’" Johnny Jefferson is an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and an intern at HopeWorks.
From the HopeWorks website: Providing hope and jobs in Memphis for more than 25 years. Hopeworks is located at 1930 Union Avenue / (901) 272-3700. “If I could meet anyone, it would be my grandmother. She passed away before I was born, but I’ve heard about her all my life. She was the candy lady in the neighborhood. She grew up in poverty, but people have always told me what a caring, friendly person she was. She was a great cook, and if someone in the community needed a meal, she was there for them. Everyone came to her house for the holidays. Seeing the type of person my mother is, makes me wish I had known the woman who raised her. If I could meet my grandmother now, I would ask ‘Where did you get the strength to keep going and make it through? Where did you get your resilience? Even though you had all these struggles, you were still able to keep a smile on your face. What made you happy?’” Renea Satterwhite is an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and an intern at HopeWorks.
From the HopeWorks website: Providing hope and jobs in Memphis for more than 25 years. Hopeworks is located at 1930 Union Avenue / (901) 272-3700. “I was in business all of my adult life, making construction equipment, instruments and meters for boats, that sort of thing. When I retired, I ended up living in a house that had an extra room that I didn’t know what to do with. One day I was standing there looking at it, and suddenly I could hear in my head the question: ‘What are you going to do with this room?’ / I said, ‘I don’t know.’ / ‘Well, what was the reason you didn’t like business and never made any money in it?’ / ‘It’s because I had an artistic nature.’ (That’s what I always told myself.) The voice said, ‘Now we’re going to find out if you’re telling the truth or if you’re lying to yourself.’ It suggested that I get some paints and an easel, which I did. I started painting in the spring of 2007 and I’ve been painting every day since. Now I know I should have started doing this many years ago." The painting below, titled Treblinka, is accompanied by a reflection on the work: Tom Murray, Artist
Website: www.thmurrayjrart.com Studio: Marshall Arts Gallery / 639 Marshall Ave Represented by Circuitous Succession Gallery / 500 S. 2nd St. Email: bsl_murray@yahoo.com "I got a taste of skydiving on my 70th birthday. The friend I went with said, 'We'll do it again when you turn 80', and I said 'Sure' because I didn't think I'd make it another ten years. But I did, so I had to keep my promise. Four of us jumped together to celebrate my 80th, including my son Danny. It was his first time. Skydiving is everything you could imagine. There's no feeling of falling; it's like the plane just pulls away. I'm planning to do it again when I turn 90, although I might ought to move it up a few years just to be sure I don't miss it. It's an incredible experience. Just exhilarating!" Photos below courtesy of Carolyn Dhority & West Tennessee Skydiving: "Papaw" Richard Day:
"Three generations of our family are here to visit the Civil Rights Museum today. The thing I most want my children to know is that black history didn't start during or after slavery. Our history began long before that. My hope is that knowing our past will instill pride and self-worth in them."
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March 2021
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