Opinion: ‘Uniting to create lasting change globally, locally and personally’
“What we gain instead is something far more valuable: purpose, friendships and the knowledge that we are making a difference.”
Topic: Guest Columns
RSSThere are 256 article(s) tagged Guest Columns:
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May 2026
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April 2026
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Opinion: Arts, culture and the future of the Memphis economy
“We need to build a cultural plan — a long-term strategy that guides how Memphis and Shelby County builds infrastructure for investment to integrate arts, culture and entertainment into its economic development, urban planning and community life.”
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Opinion: The next county mayor must protect pre-K
“The youngest members of this community did not ask to be born into a budget dispute. They arrived, as all children do, with the expectation that the adults around them would provide what they need to thrive.”
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Opinion: In the face of unprecedented danger, Memphis police officers answer the call
“May we never forget those we’ve lost. May we never take for granted those who still stand watch. And may we always remember that every day, in a city where danger is always present, Memphis police officers continue to answer the call.”
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Opinion: DA Mulroy on criminal justice data and accountability
“Delays in handling cases, jail-intake processing delays, the “solve rate” for crimes, the repeat-offender rate — these are all worthy objects of emphasis ... . But they may not fit the right (so to speak) political agenda.”
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Opinion: The call is around us all the time. The trick is to recognize and respond.
“The trick is to recognize and respond. That’s easy when the call is a call to appreciate life’s blessings. It’s a bit trickier when it’s a call to endure hardships. With those, it’s easier to forget.”
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Echols: How all the broken pieces reveal the essence of Easter
“Disorder does not only lead to crime. Disorder can also be the kingdom of light. It’s about hope. Light emerges from the hammer blows.” Is this not the essence of Easter?
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Opinion: Memphis must demand more from industrial polluters
“If a company’s business model depends on the exploitation of a Black city and the enrichment of a few power brokers at the top, we don’t want them here.”
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Opinion: Data raises questions about accountability in the criminal justice system
The performance of the criminal justice system can’t be assessed without knowing the full picture. We have regular and reliable reporting from law enforcement agencies, but why don’t we have the same expectation for the district attorney and court clerks?
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March 2026
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Opinion: We can add new housing and preserve stable neighborhoods
“Memphis does not have to choose between growth and stability. By directing density to the right places, supporting homeownership, investing in transit, and revitalizing neglected corridors, we can achieve both.”
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Opinion: In Memphis, school decisions carry history. This one carries hope.
“The leadership of the Memphis Grizzlies Preparatory Charter School and Believe Memphis Academy Charter School have begun a conversation about merging.”
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Opinion: ‘Justice, safety, solidarity, law and order — in Memphis, they have to be the same project’
“Amid the frustrating recruitment challenges facing the Memphis Police Department, I would like to turn our attention to a different critical element of our public safety architecture: the frontline civic organizations engaged in violence-reduction efforts.”
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Outgoing FedEx St. Jude Championship leader: ‘To the city of Memphis — thank you’
Before FESJC’s outgoing Executive Director Joe Tomek leaves for Australia, he has some advice for Memphians.
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Opinion: Survey shows support for local police — and for hiring more of them
“With strong overall positive feelings about local police coupled with a very strong desire for more officers, we need a major effort to recruit and retain people of good character and a sense of public service to be in local law enforcement.”
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Echols: ‘Not understanding each other’ is hardly limited to different languages
“The cacophony of languages rising from the upstairs coziness of this one tiny coffee shop in a small foreign village brings back wonderful memories for me as well as excitement for my children.”
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Echols: ‘What wrestling with God has looked like for me’
“When the story of who God is and what he has done for humanity comes to light, the risk of offense is high, granted, but the potential for bellyaching laughter is even higher. And one outweighs the other every time.”
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Guest Column: Remembering a legacy of courage, perseverance and love
“We can take inspiration and hope from Lynda Lowery’s example. Every day, we see young people realize they have a voice and start to use it. As adults, we should be called to do the same.”
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Opinion: Displaying the Ten Commandments in schools is a monumental error
“Someone will be forced to decide which biblical version to display and how to number the commandments. Any such choice would privilege one religious tradition over others.”
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Opinion: Senator Hagerty on ‘Making Memphis the safest city in America’
“One of the great gifts of public service is the ability to make an outsized difference for your fellow citizens. I would never have imagined earlier in my life I could help make Memphis safe and marketable.”
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Opinion: Add library workers to the civil service without unnecessary steps
“I hope that the citizens of Memphis will vote for the referendum granting civil service protection to library workers, and that library employees be re-hired for jobs they secured through a fair and competitive process.”
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Opinion: In a college search, the student is the constant
“Where your child goes to college will never be as important as what they do when they get there. Let your students take charge, take risks and know that they’re going to be OK. You are, too.”
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February 2026
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Opinion: Memphis, are you still thinking about the Roman Empire (and Yellow Fever)?
“Historian Kyle Harper is coming to the University of Memphis to ask a chilling question: are we, like the Romans, on the cusp of societal collapse — or even mass extinction?”
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Opinion: Why immigration enforcement is not the same struggle as the Civil Rights Movement
“Supporting local charities and advocating for legislative reform are reasonable paths forward; interfering with active law enforcement is not.”
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Guest Column: Memphis is well placed for the next wave of growth
“Rebuilding the electrical grid will be a central American industrial challenge. Memphis has a rare opportunity to be more than a pass-through point in that effort — it can become a place where the grid is built.”
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Opinion: Is Mayor Young the right mayor at the wrong time?
“When a mayor uses gratitude to drown out discontent, applause feels less like celebrating progress and begins to feel much more like a way to silence criticism.”
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