Conaway: Struggle and sacrifice, set in stone, set afire, set to rise again
Memphis firefighters respond to an overnight fire at the Historic Clayborn Temple April 28, 2025. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Dan Conaway
Dan Conaway is a lifelong Memphian, fascinated and frustrated with his city, but still in love. A columnist since 2010, his distinguished advertising career has branded ribs in the Rendezvous and ducks in The Peabody, pandas in the zoo and Grizzlies in the NBA. Stories in Memphis tend to write themselves. He’s helped a few along. Two book collections of his columns have been published.
“We cannot escape our responsibility to our place in history any more than a fire can burn down what happened at Clayborn Temple.”
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.
Topics
Subscriber Only Dan Conaway Clayborn Temple Civil Rights MovementThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Dan Conaway on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Dan Conaway's stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Related stories
Landmark Clayborn Temple total loss after pre-dawn fire
“If history teaches us anything, it’s this: Clayborn Temple will rise again, because its foundation was never merely physical. It was spiritual. It was communal. And that foundation cannot be burned,” said NCRM President Russ Wigginton.
Calkins: On Clayborn Temple’s final day, shaken Memphians came to pay their respects
The city can feel like it’s in crisis. The country can feel like it’s in crisis. And Monday, we all woke up to the news that Clayborn Temple had burned down.Related content:
Clayborn Temple nonprofit leader said some of landmark may survive
Anasa Troutman, the leader of the nonprofit directing the restoration of Clayborn Temple, said the building may be considered a “complete loss” by the Memphis Fire Department, but she said she isn’t using the term.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.