Arden (left): “As part of the Memphis Youth Union [MemYu], we’re working to promote youth voice in Memphis, specifically in the political process. Our campaign goal is to lower the voting age to 16 because at this point, youth in Memphis don’t have a voice in the decisions that affect them every day. All schools require their students to have a government class, so the youth are informed and they care, but they don’t have an avenue to express their views. For example, issues involving the use of community centers directly impact youth. Groups in other parts of the country are also working to lower the voting age, and some places have actually done it already. For example, Takoma Park, Maryland was the first city to allow 16- and 17-year olds to vote in municipal elections and referendums. Eventually it could become a national thing like the amendment that lowered the voting age to 18, but our focus right now is local.” Lucy (middle): “Youth and adult equity is the idea that if youth and adults make decisions together, both will value and respect each other’s experiences. Everyone brings their personal experience to the table, and everyone’s input counts.” Taylor (right): “We are the world’s future leaders, so early civic engagement is important. Human behavior is, to a large degree, based on habit. Being more informed and engaged now can become a habit that makes us even more prone to be involved in the political process as adults. Touching on what Lucy mentioned, the fact is, adults can learn from youth just like youth can learn from adults. Connection and collaboration between two different age groups can be powerful and have a very positive impact on the city, community, and overall, the nation. That’s something the cohort wants to promote.” Memphis Youth Union (Arden, Lucy, & Taylor are part of a cohort of 8 students)
Website: Memphis Youth Union FB: Memphis Youth Union Twitter: @thememyu Instagram: @thememyu Email: memphisyouthunion@bridgesusa.org Article: Bridges Memphis Youth Union: A Movement for Youth Voice by Elizabeth Lee (9/11/16) “I moved to the United States from Nigeria in 1989. The most important thing I brought with me was respect, which is very important in our culture. We have respect for the elderly, we care for them, and we help the disabled, no matter what. Respect goes both ways: young to old, old to young. When my mama talks to me, I shut my mouth and listen. That was the biggest shock when I moved here: the lack of respect. I picked my daughter up from school after her first day here, and she said, ‘Mama, you would not believe how the students talk to the teachers!’ She was shocked as well. Never, as my daughter went through school, did I ever have to go speak to teachers about her behavior.
“Parents are the first teachers. We should work hard at teaching our children values and respect. When you respect yourself, you respect others, you respect the law, you respect everyone. Now you see the African come out in me: As a people we are very outspoken. We will tell you exactly what we think. We don’t invade another’s privacy, but we do call a person out if they are doing wrong.” “My mom used to always tell me, ‘You need to stop doing them drugs.’ She used to say she was gonna call the cops on me, so I bribed her. I'd buy her cigarettes because I knew she liked to smoke. Then she wouldn’t call the cops. I was 15 years old then, and I had money because I sold a lot of drugs. My dad was a dealer; I’d get drugs from him sometimes too. I was 14 when I started. Friends I was hanging with, we started smoking cigarettes first, then small drugs. Smaller drugs led to bigger ones, and it escalated from there. Drugs led to money. You know, the love of money is the root of all evil. It was a successful life financially though; it gave me experience on how to handle money."
“Then some things happened. I was on the run from the police, and my dad got me to come stay with him in Missouri where he was living at the time. It wasn’t a very good neighborhood. Bad things were going on there, and it showed me what I didn’t really want in life. Being with my dad taught me what could happen if you chose to live that way, you know? It was one of the smartest things I ever learned. "Things are different now. Better. For the past two years, I've been going in the right direction. I'm still working on getting off drugs though; I'm still recovering. It's a work in progress. The way it happened was, I was walking down the interstate here in Memphis. I'd been hitchhiking for hundreds of miles, on and off, and this van pulled over. It was a Christian group. They whipped out a flyer and explained what they did and how they did it; they said they helped save souls. So I got in the van with them." “For the last five years I worked at Theater Memphis as the Director of Outreach and Education. One project I did there --- called SPEAK --- was a collaboration between RedZone Ministries, Melrose High School, and Theater Memphis. It’s a group of kids in Orange Mound --- rappers, poets, dancers --- who create work about social issues and perform the pieces. We did a big poetry slam last year, which was great. Then last semester I worked with students from Melrose, Central, and Rhodes to do a big benefit performance for the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. A couple of the kids actually just performed at the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s 35th Anniversary Gala --- where Angela Davis spoke --- in front of hundreds of people, which was amazing. These kids are brilliant artists; they create like most people breathe. “They’re all seniors now, so I didn’t have much longer with them anyway, but it was still hard to walk away when I got the Executive Director position at Caritas Village in January. They’re my kids; we’ve lived a lot of life together. We’ve made art together, which is certainly a bonding experience. And we’ve eaten a lot of pizza together; that’s no small thing. When you eat with people, you connect with them. We’ve dealt with family issues, had conversations about where they’re going to college, and have shared a lot of experiences, both difficult and beautiful. I always had a car or van full of kids to take home after our events, and that’s when we had some of our best discussions. It’s where we learned each other’s stories and really got to know each other. Realizing I wouldn’t be seeing them regularly anymore was hard because not only would I miss them personally but I didn’t want to be another person who left them. [*Pause*] I get a little choked up when I talk about it. But I’m just down the road, and a few of them I’ve been with for a really long time come to Caritas once a week and eat dinner with me. They know I’m still around, so I think that has made it easier. “I love being at the Village. There’s just nowhere like it. It gives so much, whether it’s space for a group to meet or feeding people who are hungry, no questions asked. Onie Johns has created a magical place where people connect, and I want to carry on that vision. I bought a house across the street from the Village a couple of years ago; Onie was a major influence in my moving to Binghampton. I just knew I loved it and wanted to be involved in what was happening here. It’s been a journey, and it continues to be. “There are so many organizations in Memphis that are doing good work, and Caritas is a place that could connect them all. I think we’re far stronger and can accomplish far more when we’re together. Whether it’s monthly or quarterly, I would love to have dinners where people can come and share their thoughts, ideas, and needs, and find ways to collaborate and support each other. The work that’s being done in this city is not easy, by any means, and I think we need that support from each other. Just to hear somebody say, ‘Yeah, I deal with that too, I struggle with that too.’ I would love to see a lot of art happen here that tackles all the things that our world needs to talk about. Granted, that’s huge, but I just believe in giving people a voice. If people have a place to do that and we work together as artists, then there’s no way that can’t be powerful.” "We are about to undergo some major renovations. We are unsure of the exact dates we will be closed for construction, but stay tuned! We promise to keep you posted!" Leslie Barker, Executive Director, Caritas Village, 2509 Harvard
“My parents and grandparents passed some words of encouragement on to me. They said, ‘Stay strong, don’t let nobody ever tell you that you can’t do nothing or you can’t succeed. Don’t never give up on yourself.' With God, you can do anything. You know, we made in his image."
“What’s going on at the old Sears Crosstown is more than remodeling; it’s a rebirth. For several years I've lived about a quarter mile from here, and sometimes driving by and seeing the light hit the building a certain way, I’d think, ‘Now, that would an interesting subject to paint.’ So I started taking photos of the building’s exterior and painting from those; then someone from the Crosstown project saw the work and allowed me inside to get interior shots. For two years now, I’ve been chronicling the changes. It’s a way to capture the elapsing of time. There’s a sense of archeology here: the history, the layers, the peeling paint, the passage of years. But my work is not just about the preservation of an old building. Even in realism, there’s always something more than just a depiction of facts. I see this as a metaphor for the decay, reinvention, and rebirth of a human being: both the exterior of a person and the interior life. "It really hit home for me because in my early years, I was more or less drifting --- not very anchored --- but in my thirties, I came to some realizations that I hadn’t had before, and I changed direction in life; it was almost like a death and rebirth. That’s when I started painting. I had never been to a museum before, although I remembered liking to draw as a kid. From that point until now, for these past thirty years, I’ve painted. I taught myself to play tennis --- I’m head tennis professional for Tennis Memphis, which is my main job --- and I taught myself to paint, which I do on the weekends and at night. I want to leave something behind, to leave my mark on the world. Even if it’s a tiny thing, it’s a worthy pursuit and it adds value to my life." [Tom's work is currently on view in the Crosstown Arts / Cleveland Street Flea Market, across from the old Sears building, which you see reflected in the background.] The old Sears Crosstown Building below (art deco high-rise) was built in 1927 and is currently being transformed into the new Crosstown Concourse: Tom Stem's work can be viewed at the Cleveland Street Flea Market, 438 N. Cleveland, across from the old Sears building / new Crosstown Concourse: Tom Stem, artist
Website: http://www.stemart.net/ Two upcoming shows ---
“I don’t know where to start, how to start, or even if I should talk cause I don’t know what to do right now. I don’t know what people want from me. I'm tired. I get tired sometimes. My mama died when I was a kid. My dad, he left. I lived with my brother. He had a house and let me live there with him for a while. His kids was there too. I used to be back and forth to my grandma’s house. As soon as I got out of school --- I graduated --- I started this little band with a couple of friends of mine. We used to make music and stuff; we did shows. Then we fell apart and that’s how my homelessness started, when I fell out with them. I was by myself then and I had to figure it out. I was just by myself. In an abandoned house and stuff for a couple of years. That’s really it. April of last year I started coming downtown, but I was still homeless. I just changed locations from where I was at.
“The only relationship I got is the one I got with myself. People don’t last long. I can’t go to nobody for nothing. It ain’t worth having ‘em. You’ll be with somebody and it’ll actually be peaceful or whatever or however you want it to be, and another time… You know, people change. And especially if you’re missing something or lacking or might not have something, they look at you different. They change. They not gonna hold on to you. Know what I’m saying? Even though you’re reaching. Some people good enough. I ain’t there yet. I ain’t nothing right now… I feel like I didn’t give you a good interview. Maybe… maybe… I’m not good right now. I’m not at my best right now." CM: “Tell me about your tattoo.” (tattoo in the shape of a cross) “I got it just in case.” CM: “Just in case?” “In case I die.” “I’ve been designing board games for years, just on the side. This one is called Vise Verses; it’s a Bible game. I have another one called Air Traffic Controller, and my next one’s going to be more of a movement-type thing. Board games remind me of when I was small and everybody used to play Monopoly. Our whole family would get down on the floor, on the carpet --- I remember taking my shoes off --- and just play a game together. We don’t do that anymore. Kids are in front of the TV with controllers in their hands, not interacting with each other. So that’s what I’m trying to bring back with my games: families doing something together. We need that in our community; we need it more than anything. Bringing us together is my way of giving back, and if I can do that with one of my games, it’s all worth it. A lot of people have contacted me and said, ‘Man, this is the best game! We had so much fun!’ When I hear that, it feels so good. That’s what it’s all about for me.” Michael Neely, game designer
Website: http://jeromeneely191.wixsite.com/viseverses |
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