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A week of rest for MLK50
At MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, we go hard for our community. Yet, we don’t cling to the idea that the most valuable worker is the hard-charging one who never takes a day off and pushes through...
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Smaller groups form coalitions to push back on state power
Members of a coalition march from the Tennessee Capitol to Amazon’s Nashville offices during Tennessee for All’s second Day on the Hill on March 12. Photo by Katherine Burgess for MLK50 On a Tuesday...
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Would removing lead from homes reduce the crime rate?
The windowpane of an empty storefront in Orange Mound bears the mark of a stray bullet. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50 On a May 2023 episode of his podcast, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen...
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TN legislators continue to test LGBTQ liberation
When a group of LGBTQ advocates held an online press conference earlier this month, it was to sound an alarm. At the time, 34 bills characterized by the American Civil Liberties Union as anti-LGBTQ...
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Tennessee lawmakers using old scapegoat for youth crime
Amid the lockdown days and barren streets of the pandemic, violent youth crime fell considerably in Shelby County. From 2019 to 2020, burglaries, robberies and assaults, in particular, were down. Yet...
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When brave people share their stories – and journalists listen
Evette and Jerome Strother embrace in their Cordova home. She was one of thousands who had her hospital debt, incurred for her now 14-year-old son Jaiden’s (left) premature birth, erased by Methodist...
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We see you, Memphis
KeShaun Pearson and his brother, Justin J. Pearson, look across Alonzo Weaver Park, where much of the Memphis Community Against Pollution’s (MCAP) work against the Byhalia Connection Pipeline...
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South Memphis seeks justice as toxic leaks decline
Yolonda Spinks (second from right) and members of Memphis Community Against Pollution speak with the media following a meeting of the Memphis and Shelby County Air Pollution Control Board in August....
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Here’s how local leaders say they’ll address Memphis’ lead crisis
Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks is optimistic she’ll be able to secure local dollars for lead remediation. City Councilman Philip Spinosa is hopeful he’ll be able to protect more kids in his...
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Memphis Area Legal Service wants more time. Funder says it’s too late.
Starting in July, West Tennessee Legal Services in Jackson will serve the Memphis area. A reflection of people walking on Washington Avenue in downtown Memphis is seen on the glass case holding the...
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100 days as mayor: Young starts work on campaign promises
Memphis city mayor Paul Young greets people while making his way through the crowd after closing his speech at Mount Vernon Baptist Church on Tuesday evening. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50 Memphis...
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MLK50 wins national award for creating change
The Lorraine Motel (2018.) Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50 MLK50: Justice Through Journalism will be honored with the Lorraine Branham IDEA Award at the 2024 Mirror Awards ceremony in New York City...
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Tough-on-crime bill imposing adult sentences on juveniles heads to Gov. Bill...
This story has been republished with permission from Tennessee Lookout. Read the original story here. Teens as young as 14 years old who commit serious crimes in Tennessee will face up to five years...
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General Assembly makes Tennessee’s eviction laws tougher on tenants
Participants of “The People vs The State of TN” march in front of the capitol in Nashville on April 17. Photo by Kevin Wurm for MLK50 Tenants generally don’t stand much of a chance in eviction court...
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South Memphis celebrates its collective power after closure of toxic facility
After months of vague promises from Sterilization Services of Tennessee about closing, South Memphis residents and environmental advocates believe that the Florida Street facility, known for emitting...
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MLK50 receives five-year, $500K grant from The John S. and James L. Knight...
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism has been awarded a five-year, $500,000 grant from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to improve its sustainability and broaden its reach through audience...
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MLK50 moves to co-leadership model
After serving as executive editor for the last three years, Adrienne Johnson Martin will build a new co-leadership model at MLK50 as one of its executive directors. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50...
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Wendi C. Thomas, founder of MLK50, to return to investigative work
MLK50’s founder, Wendi C. Thomas, speaks at the publication’s fifth anniversary gathering in 2022. Photo by Wiley Brown for MLK50 When Wendi C. Thomas launched MLK50: Justice Through Journalism in...
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Tennessee rep calls Memphis preemption bill worse than ‘overreach’
This story has been republished with permission from Tennessee Lookout. Read the original story here. A Memphis state representative is calling a preemption bill signed into law by the governor more...
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Memphis’ unmet promise leaves Black burial sites in disarray
A headstone marking where a couple rests at Hollywood Cemetery is unreachable from the main path because of the tangle of overgrowth. Photo by Andrea Morales for MLK50 An empty Budweiser can was...
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