At Ora Alexander’s homegoing, only family could gather. But that was OK. Ora had already touched the lives of so many people she’d simply met in passing.

"While the MPD has some ways to go before it is fully reflective of the communities it serves, do we really believe that officers brought in from outside counties or states will improve any situation?"

We should be as bold and bullish about our contemporary black music as we are about all of our claims to fame, from FedEx and Holiday Inn to historic music attractions to dry rub ribs.

A house fire led a Ridgeway student to consider dropping out to aid her family. A Peer Power mentor says, "She was just one step from leaving it all behind."

KIPP gave up on their students, families, faculty and staff after only a few years of operation. This was a financial decision that is inequitable to the historic Alcy Ball community in South Memphis.

Police in places where law enforcement has higher status have taken a knee in solidarity with citizens demonstrating in the streets. These departments have also used much less force against civilians.

Local nonprofit leaders who signed a call to action wanted to go beyond solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. 'Like the protesters in the streets, we knew this moment called for us to not only speak out on the policing of Blacks but to the condition of our Black communities as well.'

There has been a lot of speculation on projected savings if MLGW changes energy suppliers by individuals with personal interests. But there are facts that cannot be challenged.

There is no denying that we are at a tipping point in this country’s long-overdue reckoning with race and police brutality. And our response to this moment has created three distinct groups – the objectors, the addressers and the deniers.

Without truck drivers, hospitals would begin running out of basic supplies such as syringes and catheters; service stations would begin to run out of fuel; and food shortages would develop.

In creative spaces it seems better to employ white people capable of appropriating black vernacular, style and originality in ads. But of course, the dearth of black people “has nothing to do with race.” 

My anchors and roots require me to educate black and brown children, to teach them their history and prepare them to change the future.

There is such a thing as white privilege, no matter the circumstances in which we were raised. My father was raised in dire poverty. And yet he was the first to admit that color never kept him back. He never feared for his life just for being white. He was never denied a bank loan. He was admitted to the University of Texas at a time when blacks were not allowed to enroll.

We’ve recently seen proposals of bans, temporary moratoriums or limits on the use of tear gas in Seattle, Portland, New Orleans and Washington, D.C., among others. It’s time for Memphis to join that list.

Let us not use the death of George Floyd as an opportunity to scapegoat and launch an unfair assault on an entire profession. I’ve spoken to police officers. They too are disturbed and hurt by that tragic event.

Darnella Frazier, the 17-year-old who filmed the murder of George Floyd and who could be heard on the video calling out numerous times for the police to stop, has been called a bystander. She wasn’t in a position to save Floyd’s life, and yet her action was a spark that is changing the world.

'With 17 years of experience with military equipment, I can tell you that most police departments don’t have the experience and level of training needed to operate this equipment properly.'

Research shows that to include women in the peacemaking process is not a courtesy, it’s a necessity. Any negotiations that stakeholders hope to be lasting or meaningful can only be so with the input of women in the community.

'We are asking the MRPP to recognize their proposal for Tom Lee Park, their maintenance record and their neglect of Mud Island River Park are not working with or for the majority of people in Memphis.'

We talk about “the homeless,” “the immigrants,” “the poor.” These are categories that are different from how we see ourselves. It allows us to remain in power. 

My kind of world-saving is the kind I can do from my kitchen, the kind that smells like a home-cooked meal and looks like a bit more menu planning and a strategy for leftovers.

We offer three suggestions for concrete steps to reduce the disconnect between our police and our community.

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.

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.