Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Aram Goudsouzian

Opinion: Don't restrict stories such as Bayard Rustin's

agoudszn@memphis.edu (Aram Goudsouzian) — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 04:00:06 -0500

“The nation’s institutions should encourage an open exploration of its past — one that accounts for both triumphs and shortcomings, one that eschews sloppy oversimplification, one that highlights how history contains an array of voices that have shaped who we are today.”

Guest Column: Teaching this history is ‘an act of patriotism’

agoudszn@memphis.edu (Aram Goudsouzian) — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 04:00:08 -0500

“To study history, then, is not to regurgitate a timeline of events, but to engage in a dynamic process of interpretation, with stakes for how we define ourselves.”

Goudsouzian: The 1973 Memphis State Tigers prove the power of sports

agoudszn@memphis.edu (Aram Goudsouzian) — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 04:00:07 -0600

Gene Bartow’s Tigers showcased a model of Black achievement and interracial harmony. If they make another NCAA Tournament run, we will again hear about how Memphians unite around basketball.

Guest Column: Remembering James Meredith 60 years after he entered Ole Miss

agoudszn@memphis.edu (Aram Goudsouzian) — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 04:00:05 -0500

While African Americans in Memphis lent refuge and support to Meredith — and the city’s authorities generally decried the violent resistance in Oxford — many shared the twisted resentments of their southern neighbors.

Why protest? Recent killings resonate powerfully with black Memphians

agoudszn@memphis.edu (Aram Goudsouzian) — Mon, 1 Jun 2020 12:20:47 -0500

Critics point out that these tragedies occurred outside of Memphis. They also complain that activists should focus on issues such as joblessness, educational deficits and crime. But in times of crisis, public protest is essential.

Amateur status + big-time sports = hypocrisy

agoudszn@memphis.edu (Aram Goudsouzian) — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 16:11:59 -0600

Memphis sports fans are enraged about the enforcement of amateurism on the immensely talented basketball center James Wiseman, arguing that the NCAA’s execution is arbitrary and biased. In fact, amateurism, by its very nature, is arbitrary and biased.

How the election of 1968 changed us

agoudszn@memphis.edu (Aram Goudsouzian) — Mon, 8 Apr 2019 04:00:01 -0500

The presidential campaign of 1968 was a last hurrah for the “Old Politics,” in which political machines and party leaders determined the major nominees. It also highlighted a “New Politics,” in which candidates took their cases to the people, through party primaries and modern technology.