This week, business owners, stakeholders and residents in Whitehaven are showing pride in their neighborhood. 

The seventh annual “I Love Whitehaven” week-long event celebrates the neighborhood’s restaurants, businesses, community and culture. The event is hosted by Memphis City Council member Pearl Walker’s I Love Whitehaven Neighborhood and Business Association.

This year’s theme for the event is “Celebrating Cuisine, Culture, and Community.”

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“This is a targeted, concerted way of letting everyone know what’s going on in the community, and from there, it supports community pride and networking, and businesses have the opportunity to be supported,” Walker said. 

This year, there are more activities than in previous years, Walker said. 

The festivities kicked off last Saturday, Nov. 16, featuring a Taste the Nation healthy foods tasting prepared by Muslim cooks, a Community Health & Wellness Fair hosted by Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church and a “From Beef to Brotherhood” workshop on conflict resolution presented by Muhammad Study Group of Memphis — Whitehaven. 

Events throughout the week include a “Stock Market 101 for the Beginner” workshop featuring Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. on Tuesday, Nov. 19, Black Restaurant Week showcasing many area restaurants (including Bala’s Bistro and Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken) and the Graceland holiday lighting ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 21.

Activities on Saturday, Nov. 23, cap off the week with a Holiday Marketplace at Southbrook Town Center and the Memphis Christmas Parade in Whitehaven.

“We wouldn’t be able to pull this off without the community partnerships,” Walker said. 

Jason Gardner, owner and chef of Trap Fusion, highlighted the importance of boosting the local economy, despite rising levels of crime. His restaurant at 4637 Boeingshire was featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” hosted by Guy Fieri, last year. 

“We consider Whitehaven the Harlem of Memphis,” Gardner said. “You have more Black-owned businesses in the Whitehaven community than any other part of the city. We take pride in our community, even though we’re not the best community right now.”

Intruders have broken into Gardner’s restaurant more than seven times since it opened in 2019. He contemplated moving from Whitehaven but chose to stay steadfast in his commitment to the community on the southern edge of Memphis adjacent to DeSoto County, Mississippi.

“We won’t allow that to (kick) us out of the neighborhood,” Gardner said. “We are here to stay, and we aren’t going anywhere. We’re going to stay in Whitehaven. We love Whitehaven.”

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Hazel Moore, who has organized the Whitehaven parade for more than 25 years, said crime has long been a topic of discussion in Whitehaven. 

She hopes the parade will serve as a place where the community can come together and have fun. The procession of holiday-themed entertainment and floats starting at Southland Mall, begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m.

“I think people just need to work together across the city,” Moore said. “That’s really one of the most important things that we need to put focus on.”

Walker said there is a false perception of Whitehaven’s crime. Although there are problems, it is not as bad as the perception of some outsiders. 

“People who have lived here and left, they kind of know, but overall, they don’t know about these communities that we have here that are 30, 40, 50 years old, with wonderful housing and good bones,” Walker said. 

“People come here for worship, healthcare, education, employment, family, shopping, leisure and activities. So people come to this area for a whole lot of things. I’m just hoping that we can continue with this momentum and continue to get the attention of citizens and entities and individuals, including elected officials, that will see that we are worthy. We are worth it, and we are worthy.”