We the people must fix this
Police brutality and racism are not just black people’s problem; they’re an American problem, which makes them white people’s problem, too.
Police brutality and racism are not just black people’s problem; they’re an American problem, which makes them white people’s problem, too.
Systemic racism and COVID-19 are both invisible and potentially deadly. Both are spread by fellow human beings and more likely to kill African Americans.
Apologies are necessary. Especially now. But it's what happens after the apology that matters. A story of two Memphis ministers and one simple request.
The public protests of the past week would seem to violate current health directives against mass gatherings of 50 or more. Given the cause for the gatherings, it would be a mistake for officials to use that as a pretext for breaking them up. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t worry about them.
Stranded by COVID-19 and the loss of a wireless connection while watching weather stall the SpaceX rocket launch, it's hard to find order in this first-world life.
Lifelong best friends Zach Waters and Chris O'Conner are the same age and went to the same schools, but remember gradually discovering that one of them had to live more cautiously for a reason that confounded them.
Chris O'Conner learned at a young age that he and his best friend couldn't play with the same toys. One that looked like a knife "could cost little black boys their life."
The notion that low taxes are good for Memphis is a bill of goods, more hollow than the Pyramid and less financially sound. Low taxes help the richest in our society and hurt the rest of us.
Those who are hardest hit do not have the power or resources to change the economic, educational, health care and criminal justice systems. Even our democracy, which should have the potential to be an equalizer, is fundamentally broken and in many cases, morally bankrupt.
Edward Carmack’s statue in the Tennessee Capitol was among several monuments linked to racism and the Confederacy that bit the dust or were defaced during protests over the senseless killing of African Americans by police and vigilantes.
We, the leaders of the health care systems in the Mid-South, recognize that we must continue to do better in reaching at-risk populations. We must develop more effective intervention strategies. We must make engaging with our system easier and more practical.
Few of us who are not black have truly seen the lack of understanding captured by the pervasive question on social media: “Why are they so mad?”
The primary metric that was supposed to guide our decisions isn’t moving in the right direction. It wasn’t telling us what we wanted to hear, so it appears as if we’re choosing to ignore it.
There's no right way to protest. But Tuesday in Memphis, several hundred protestors marched to Mason Temple and forged a moment of heartbreaking grace.
If there’s a commonality among many who disagree about protest tactics as well as those who by profession are on the other side of a line, maybe it’s a care for the city. Defensive pride in place is a Memphis throughline, and it may be serving us here.
Getting a COVID-19 test is getting easier. Testing sites are rarely full. Some already offer a painless self-test and others are headed that way.
Breaking news on the coronavirus serves an important public service. As does our live coverage of the protests in Downtown Memphis. That content also will be free for everyone to access.
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.
Protesters distributed a list of “suggested demands” at a weekend rally. Some are easier to achieve than others given the coronavirus-spiked budgeting chaos. All, perhaps, are debatable. But it would do the city great good for the current moment to become a more actionable one.
MATA should have the common sense to know that when you are not the one filling out an online application for unemployment benefits, it is easy to say to those who are struggling amid COVID-19 to “Be patient.”
Believe it or not, something important is on the August ballot.
Physical distancing and wearing masks will not prevent the rising number of people who do not have health insurance.
Giving a person who has a conviction a career is an investment, and that investment has a tremendous return. The dignity of work also serves as a deterrent to unacceptable behavior; it keeps a person on the right track.
In recent years, spending has begun to exceed revenue — a structural imbalance that is unsustainable over time without property tax increases.
So, yes, I do not care about whether a college basketball player stands up for an anthem. To complain about such a thing in this moment seems to me pointless, trivial, a kind of profanity.