From the 1940s to the 1960s, Memphis was considered one of the cleanest and most beautiful cities in the nation, winning the Ernest T. Trigg trophy for “Nation’s Cleanest City” four times.

Now, Memphis is the sixth highest producer of litter in the U.S., according to a 2022 National Litter Study from Keep America Beautiful, a community-improvement nonprofit.

To mitigate this, Memphis Mayor Paul Young devised the Own Your Block initiative in collaboration with local faith leaders. The citywide cleanup effort aims to reduce litter and improve infrastructure by replacing faulty lighting, mowing overgrown properties and removing weeds and obstacles in areas near places of worship, schools and libraries.

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The initiative kicks off Saturday, Oct. 19, with the first of many citywide cleanup efforts. 

Raleigh, Frayser, Hickory Hill, South Memphis and Oakhaven are five areas of prioritization.

“It’s an effort to collaborate with all houses of worship, regardless of denomination, background or one’s faith walk,” said Reginald Boyce, special assistant to Young and director of the Office of Community Affairs. “We’re not asking just one church to just own their own block, but maybe, ‘How can I partner with the other churches in ensuring that the streets near my church are also clean?’” 

Faith leaders committed to the initiative include Bishop Linwood Dillard of Citadel of Deliverance, Rev. Gina Stewart of Christ Missionary Baptist Church, Rev. Melvin Charles Smith of Mount Moriah-East Baptist Church, Rev. Keith Norman of First Baptist Church Broad, Rev. Stacey Spencer of New Direction Christian Church and Pastor Kia Conerway of The Church at The Well.

On Oct. 19, the church communities and registered volunteers will receive a starter kit to assist in the cleanup of one of the five designated communities. Interested participants can also register to clean up their own blocks. 

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Registration ends Sept. 20 to sign up for the Own Your Block initiative.

‘Peace Project’ is two-year effort

The Own Your Block initiative is part of a two-year plan called the Peace Project. Year 1 consists of community cleanup efforts. Year 2 is about addressing crime and empowering individuals to make investments in the community. This includes a $1 million initiative to build small business capacity in every district in the city.

“It’s more than just a blight initiative,” Boyce said. “But how can we assist with mentoring? How can we open up our spaces or houses of worship (to be) an educational and instructional place? How can it be a place for gathering and addressing crime? And addressing other concerns specific to (each) community so we can make sure that the assistance that we’re giving to that community is not a one size fits all but specific to that community’s challenges.” 

Young continued his One Memphis town hall tour Tuesday, Sept. 17, in East Memphis where he heard from community residents about the challenges they face. He will hear from residents of Hickory Hill Oct. 22. He also is working with his IT team to gather data on cleanliness reports within communities to determine areas of need.

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Stewart is the senior pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church located on South Parkway East between Driver and South Wellington streets in the 38106 ZIP code, which has a poverty rate of 40% according to 2022 data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

“One of the reasons we’ve remained in that area inside of leaving is because we believe the church is an agent of change and transformation, and we wanted to function as such,” Stewart said.

Norman said he has faced similar challenges during his 25 years as senior pastor at First Baptist Church on Broad Avenue. 

“The first thing I did when I got to the community was to take a walk,” he said. “I saw the blight. I saw drug-infested, abandoned homes. I saw so many things that were not indicative of what I believe the glory of God should look like, especially for people to dwell in.” 

Throughout Norman’s tenure, First Baptist Church Broad has purchased significant areas of land surrounding the church and developed these areas in an effort to revitalize the community and improve the living conditions of its residents.

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Norman said this initiative was “further inspiration.”

“It was a great vision on the mayor’s part to challenge and galvanize churches,” Norman said. 

As opposed to past events like Faith in Action, which attracted 1,500 people to clean up various communities under the Strickland administration, this is not a single-day event. Rather, Young hopes these efforts can become “part of the fabric of (Memphis residents’) DNA.” 

As part of this initiative, one “peacemaker” will be assigned to each community. This designated individual will conduct monthly check-ins with committed initiative participants and hold a monthly meeting with faith leaders and community members addressing problem areas through open dialogue and additional cleanup efforts.

The mayor’s team said it hopes this evolves into an organic process that can continue without supervision. 

“If you love Memphis, you’ve got to be a part of the solution,” Boyce said. “This block doesn’t only belong to the members of your church or those who live on it but to the future generations to come. Let’s make sure our streets are safe and clean for the young parishioners and the young citizens that will one day call this block their home.”