“After the Army I came back home and…I began to hear about a man named Martin Luther King, Jr., who was leading a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. I was so fascinated with him until I kept up with every move that he made… In 1964, I met with a group of ministers and we decided that because Martin Luther King had led the bus boycott in Alabama, we ought to do something in Memphis. Five hundred ministers decided on Sunday night at the church there on Lauderdale and Linden --- now Martin Luther King Blvd --- that we were going to meet Monday morning and ride every bus in Memphis. And even if our coats were drenched with blood, we were going to integrate the buses in Memphis. We met on Monday morning at 9:00. There were not 500 ministers there though. In fact, there were not 5 ministers there. There were only two: the late Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles and me. Along with Jesse Turner, Brother Dotson, and three other lay persons. We decided that, in spite of there being only seven of us, we would still ride the bus that Monday. Jesse Turner, Dotson, and I boarded the #7 Crosstown. We rode on the bus, and the driver told us, ‘Boys, you’re going to have to move back. You can’t sit up here. This is for whites.’ I said, ‘We’re very comfortable. And we’re not going to move.’ He got off the bus and went to a telephone and called in. Came back and got on the bus. We were still on the front seat. When we got around to Union and Crosstown, we saw nothing but an array of red lights up by the old Sears building. Fourteen squad cars had blocked off the traffic there to take three African-Americans off the bus. That they did. They took us off the bus, rammed us up beside the bus, frisked us down like common criminals, and arrested us. On the way to jail, the late Jesse Turner asked me, ‘Reverend, would you offer a word of prayer?’ In the squad car. I said, ‘Sure.’ I began to pray. And when I got down to the part, ‘Lord, forgive these police officers, for they know not what they do…’ about that time, the policeman said, ‘Preacher you gonna have to end that prayer.’ He had one hand on his billy club. Of course I had one eye closed and one eye open, and I saw his hand on that billy club, so I said, ‘And Lord, Amen.’ They took us on to jail.” [Hear the full speech at http://www.stjsoulworks.org/soul-suppers]
EXCERPT from a speech given at St. John's Episcopal Church's Soul Supper, January 2017:
“After the Army I came back home and…I began to hear about a man named Martin Luther King, Jr., who was leading a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. I was so fascinated with him until I kept up with every move that he made… In 1964, I met with a group of ministers and we decided that because Martin Luther King had led the bus boycott in Alabama, we ought to do something in Memphis. Five hundred ministers decided on Sunday night at the church there on Lauderdale and Linden --- now Martin Luther King Blvd --- that we were going to meet Monday morning and ride every bus in Memphis. And even if our coats were drenched with blood, we were going to integrate the buses in Memphis. We met on Monday morning at 9:00. There were not 500 ministers there though. In fact, there were not 5 ministers there. There were only two: the late Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles and me. Along with Jesse Turner, Brother Dotson, and three other lay persons. We decided that, in spite of there being only seven of us, we would still ride the bus that Monday. Jesse Turner, Dotson, and I boarded the #7 Crosstown. We rode on the bus, and the driver told us, ‘Boys, you’re going to have to move back. You can’t sit up here. This is for whites.’ I said, ‘We’re very comfortable. And we’re not going to move.’ He got off the bus and went to a telephone and called in. Came back and got on the bus. We were still on the front seat. When we got around to Union and Crosstown, we saw nothing but an array of red lights up by the old Sears building. Fourteen squad cars had blocked off the traffic there to take three African-Americans off the bus. That they did. They took us off the bus, rammed us up beside the bus, frisked us down like common criminals, and arrested us. On the way to jail, the late Jesse Turner asked me, ‘Reverend, would you offer a word of prayer?’ In the squad car. I said, ‘Sure.’ I began to pray. And when I got down to the part, ‘Lord, forgive these police officers, for they know not what they do…’ about that time, the policeman said, ‘Preacher you gonna have to end that prayer.’ He had one hand on his billy club. Of course I had one eye closed and one eye open, and I saw his hand on that billy club, so I said, ‘And Lord, Amen.’ They took us on to jail.” [Hear the full speech at http://www.stjsoulworks.org/soul-suppers] “Our masjid [Arabic word for a mosque] happens to be located in a food desert and we have some ties with MIFA and the Mid-South Food Bank, so we decided to start a food pantry in 2012 as a way of serving our community. We knew we had a lot of Muslim families in the 38109 and 38116 zip code areas who weren’t being helped, and it wasn’t because they couldn’t get food, but because the food didn’t meet their dietary restrictions. The majority of our clients are not Muslim, but we go through all of our canned items and other food products to be sure that everything we distribute is halal [permissible according to Islamic law]. That way, everyone --- including any Muslims who come --- can consume whatever they receive. The products we distribute are general enough that everybody can use them, and each client gets the same items. “Often people who’ve been served come back and donate to our clothes closet or ask if they can volunteer. I think the idea has caught on. They’re pleased that they have neighbors here, that we’re not pushing any ideas or religion. There are no boundaries. Anyone can come. We greet them with a smile, we get to know each other, and we break bread together. It’s a way to bond. It doesn’t matter if they’re Muslim or not. We just want to help the people in our area, and this is something we can do to serve.” NOTE (January 19, 2018) from Carolina Gerard, Outreach Intern for the National Council for Aging Care: "Too many of our nation’s seniors are going hungry.The National Council for Aging Care is dedicated to educating seniors and those who care for them. Our article, The Facts Behind Senior Hunger: http://www.aginginplace.org/the-facts-behind-senior-hunger addresses some of the causes, complications, and cures for senior food insecurity." Halal Food Pantry at Masjid Al-Mu'Minun, 4412 S. Third, serves the Memphis community on the last Saturday of each month, 12-3pm.
“I’m in 12th grade, so I have to use my time wisely because there’s an age limit to being here at Cloud901 [the Memphis Public Library’s Teen Learning Lab]. It's a great opportunity to learn more about photography, video production, drawing, design, music, all kinds of stuff. And it's free; I love that part. I’m focused on music right now. I’m working on an album, learning how to record myself and others, and learning how to produce. I’m mainly interested in hip-hop, but I’m open-minded toward other genres too. After I graduate, I’m planning to go to an arts-based college in Chicago so I can continue my work and get into something in the music and entertainment field. “I’d have to say my mom got me started on this path. One summer when I was 11, I was bored and told her there was nothing to do, so she told me to write a song. She was kidding, but I took her seriously. Of course the song was horrible, but I liked the idea and kept doing it over and over --- and I started getting better at it. Then Cloud901 opened here at the library, and I’ve been coming ever since. It’s great.” Dillon (stage name: Jarell) in the Memphis Public Library's Cloud901 Teen Learning Lab
"Whether there are five people in the audience or five thousand, give it your best. Give it 110%. If you do, those five people will tell five more, and on and on. You will succeed." "Boo" spoke to the teens at the Memphis Public Library's Cloud901 Mix Tape Listening Party: Hanging out with friends before the party starts: Boo Mitchell of Royal Studios is the producer of the 2016 Grammy award winning record of the year, Uptown Funk: Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, Royal Studios
“I’m on the street now, but I haven’t always been. I’ve been an LPN for 26 years and I took care of my mom toward the end of her life. When she passed away, I went through a lot of grief, and I really needed to figure out what to do next. My dad went to live with my brother, so I knew he was took care of. I said to myself, 'I’m going to Memphis, even if I have to sleep on the street.' I’d never been homeless a day in my life. It was October 7, 2014, when I came here. I got an LPN job --- I’m able to get a job anywhere because of my experience ---, but it seems like you run into so many obstacles even though you’re trying. Like the bus system: The HUB helped me get a bus pass for two weeks so I could get a paycheck, but if the only shift a place has available is nights, and the bus stops running at 10 or 10:30, how are you going to get to work and back? And where are you going to sleep in the day? You have to have sleep in order to go back and do it again that night. How are you going to perform your job the way you’re supposed to if you haven’t had any rest? When you’re working, you have to make sure you can get somewhere to take a shower or wash up too. And you have to get something to eat, but most places that feed the homeless do it of an evening. A lot of times people think of homelessness as somebody who’s not trying to get out of it, but it’s not like that. I think probably 90% is because of addiction issues, from what I’ve seen, but that’s not always the case. It’s not the case with me.
“Sometimes I’ll save enough that I can get a room for a few days, but then something like this happens: I got sick with bronchitis and asthma and haven’t been able to work for two weeks. I’ve been participating in the Room in the Inn program though, so I’ve had a place to lay my head. I’m better now, and I’ll be able to go back to work next week. Also, I’ve gotten a second job, which is about to start. My husband is out here right now too and he just got approved for an apartment through The HUB, so we’ll definitely be off the streets this month. “I’ve never been afraid out here. I know pretty much everybody. They wouldn’t let anything happen to me. One friend always asks, ‘You okay, Sister? Nobody messing with you, are they? You fine? You straight?’ I’ll be like, ‘I’m okay.’ If you’re around these people all the time and you go to the homeless feedings, maybe you’re at a shelter with them, you know them. And when they’re not around, you worry about them. I do. I worry. I think, ‘I wonder what happened to So-and-So?’ And my husband might tell me, ‘Oh I think he went to jail. He got in trouble.’ I don’t want to see nobody in jail but I would rather not see something worse happen to them. We’re all like family. If one don’t have something, somebody else has it. I carry stuff in my bag and if somebody needs something, I’ll give it to them: a snack, an extra pair of gloves, extra socks, a few dollars. I’ll give it to them. Anything I got. A lot of the homeless people I know are wearing better shoes and better clothes than people who work a job every day, and that’s because a lot of those are donations from churches who help the homeless. Like I didn’t have a pair of shoes in the summer --- mine were all tore up --- and I got a new pair from a ministry here in Memphis. There was a guy I talked to just this morning and all he had on were flip-flops --- and it so cold outside --- so I told him I’d keep my eyes open for shoes his size next time I go to a clothes closet. “I was raised in a family, my same mom and dad. My brother’s got an education, I’ve got an education, and now I’m out here. Just because you don’t have a roof over your head, that doesn’t change who you are. If you were raised on the streets from when you were a little baby and that’s all you know, that’s where people are getting that image. You live what you learn, and you learn what you live. When you get into a bad place, that doesn’t automatically change you; you’re just struggling. Then you have to decide if you’re going to let it define you. You have to decide if you’re going to make this a lifestyle. I’ve had a little bit of a bad time, but I’m trying. I’m working, I do my best to stay clean and wear clean clothes, and I try to be friendly and kind to people. I always try to keep a good spirit and a good attitude.” “When I first turned 12, I knew I had to handle more responsibilities. I couldn’t just do the same little stuff I did when I was 11. I had to really start growing up and doing things like washing dishes, raking leaves, folding clothes, and being more active around the house to make it look good. I asked my mother how to do certain basic things, but I’m mostly self-taught.”
FATIMA: "The best thing about being a parent to this baby girl is just seeing her happiness all the time. She’s so carefree. Every time I come home --- it doesn’t matter if I’ve had a bad day or how worried I am --- I come home and see her smile, her just looking at me, and I forget everything else. Watching her gives me such joy. My babies were all happy babies, but especially her. She wakes up every morning cheerful and smiling. I want to teach her how to be herself. Society can sometimes tell you that you don’t fit in; there’s a lot of pressure to be a certain way. It’s going to be hard to teach her to love who she is. It took me time to find myself, to be comfortable, but one day I just woke up and said, ‘I love this skin. I love who I am.’ I have to teach her to do the same. The hardest part of being a parent is that you feel like the world is on you. You’re always worried about your family, your kids, everyone. It’s a hard job. The worry never goes away. The love is there, but there’s this constant worry about your children."
ABDUL: "It never ends. I’m 32 years old, and my mom calls all the time to make sure everything is okay. She still worries about me." “I like reading because it’s really interesting and it can make your imagination go wild. The best book I’ve read so far is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. It’s about how people treated other people back then [during the Great Depression]. Things are better now, but some people are still jerks; they don’t care about anybody else’s feelings.”
“When I get older, I want to be a gynecologist, an OB-GYN. I’m planning to stay in Memphis to get my degree. Not being able to see my aunt’s pregnancy and her birth is what inspired me to choose this career. I was just a child when her baby was born, so I couldn’t be there, but I wanted to see the process. She seemed like she was in pain --- I could tell that. I want to deliver babies and see the circle of life from the beginning, when life is at its purest. I know sometimes it’s not going to be good; some babies may die. But the best thing ever is holding the most innocent thing in the world, seeing its smile and hearing its laughter. Holding those babies in my arms will feel amazing, like I did my job. It doesn’t matter to me where I work. I’m just happy to help. That’s it.”
“My granddaddy died January 31, a year ago. Before he died, he said, ‘Son, I love you. Do good for yourself out here.’ I just wish I could see him again. I want him to come back down and tell me he loves me.”
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