The Tri-State Defender - February 19, 2026

Week of: February 19, 2026

October 8, 1941 – February 17, 2026

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King, has died at 84 — Page 6

IN MEMORIAM: Eternal Salute to The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. — Page 8

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. in Memphis — Page 9

YOUNG LAYS OUT AMBITIOUS AGENDA AT STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

Memphis Mayor celebrates crime reduction, sets sights on housing, population loss — Page 10

UOFM HOOKS INSTITUTE HOSTS AUTHOR, JOURNALIST JOY-ANN REID

“Medgar and Myrlie” — A Civil Rights story told through the lens of the couple’s love story — Page 13

John DeBerry files for Shelby County mayor, expanding bipartisan primary field

By James Coleman TSD Contributing Writer

A bipartisan slate of candidates has emerged in the primary for Shelby County mayor after former state Rep. John DeBerry filed a petition to appear on the May 5 ballot.

vant but a man of faith, and it’s been an honor and a blessing to serve Tennessee in this way. The state is better because of his service, and I’m grateful to Gov. Lee for his trust in me to help guide our great state these past years.”

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A longtime Democrat, DeBerry recently switched his party affiliation to the Republican Party. In 2020, his legislative tenure ended after he lost his reelection bid, and he was subsequently appointed as an adviser to Republican Gov. Bill Lee.

Lee announced DeBerry’s departure to “pursue a new venture” in a Feb. 12 statement.

“Since my first term, John DeBerry has served as a trusted adviser and steady voice of wisdom,” Lee said. “He is a man of faith who leads with conviction and has devoted his life to serving the people of Tennessee with excellence.”

DeBerry has advised Lee on a variety of issues ranging from education and criminal justice reform to faith-based initiatives since the early days of his administration. The 75-year-old also played a key role in the formation of the controversial Memphis Safe Task Force.

DeBerry served in the state Legislature from 1995 to 2020. A marketing executive, he also serves as a minister at Coleman Avenue Church of Christ in Memphis.

In addition to DeBerry, three other candidates have expressed interest in the job: TV arbitrator and former Shelby County General Criminal Court Judge Joe Brown, pastor of Jesus People Church Gerald Kiner and political novice David Henson. As of January, the glazier at Binswanger Glass had not

collected the 25 signatures needed to qualify. Only DeBerry and Brown have filed their petitions. Brown submitted his on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

The winner will face one of eight Democrats who have filed petitions. The wide field is headlined by Memphis City Council member JB Smiley and Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery. The term-limited duo currently outpaces the remaining field in fundraising. According to the latest campaign finance filings, Smiley has received $537,000 in donations and Lowery has netted $468,000. Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn rounds out the top three with $218,000 in contributions.

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Lee ordered the deployment of thousands of state and federal law enforcement officers, including National Guard troops, to Memphis in September at the behest of President Donald Trump. Proponents have touted thousands of arrests and the city’s lowest crime rate in 25 years. Opponents have accused law enforcement of overpolicing. Increased arrests have strained local resources, including adding to an already overpopulated Shelby County Jail.

“It has been the highlight of my career to serve Tennesseans as a member of Gov. Lee’s Cabinet,” DeBerry said. “The governor is not just a public ser-

Initiatives seek to rekindle historic link between Black and Jewish communities ■■ COMMUNITY

By Judith Black Moore TSD Contributing Writer

A recent dinner held at a Memphis home is one part of a growing national effort to rekindle a historic alliance — the relationship between Black and Jewish communities.

The gathering, hosted by Memphian Margo Gruen, was sponsored through Exodus Leadership Forum, a dinner-based dialogue initiative founded by national commentator and social justice leader Van Jones. The CNN political analyst and longtime advocate for racial healing launched Exodus to encourage conversations across communities in cities nationwide.

“The idea was simple,” Gruen said. “Dinner in an intimate setting that creates a safe space for hard, necessary conversations. It was really about sitting together, listening and building meaningful relationships.”

The evening began with participants honoring an ancestor who had made a powerful impact on their lives, before moving into personal reflections on racism and antisemitism — and ways to strengthen Black–Jewish partnerships moving forward.

While the gathering was an Exodus event, Gruen’s involvement in this work extends beyond the dinner. After the murder of Tyre Nichols, she became involved with The Rekindle, a separate national initiative that brings Black and Jewish participants together for structured dialog during a five-session cohort experience.

“I felt such a void in my life because I didn’t know how to reach out to the Black community,” she said. “In light of what happened in our city with Tyre Nichols, I wanted to do something.”

A nurse by profession with no prior nonprofit experience, Gruen wrote a grant, received funding and helped

establish an official Rekindle chapter in Memphis. The city completed two cohorts in 2025, with a third beginning this March.

And now, she says, the relationships formed through both efforts are pointing toward something larger.

With the bonds that have formed because of both the Rekindle project and Exodus dinner, she said, “our next step is to figure out an action project that will really make a difference to the city.”

Unlike Exodus dinners, which are designed as one-time intimate gatherings that anyone can host, Rekindle cohorts involve deeper engagement over time — including cultural experiences that build trust through shared community life.

For example, Gruen described attending church with civil rights leader Van Turner, immediate past president of the NAACP Memphis Branch, as part of her Rekindle experience.

“I had never been in a church before. I go to synagogue,” she said. “I had also never been the only white person in a room before. The experience was so incredible. Everyone was so lovely. Van (Turner) explained everything — even communion — as we went through the service.”

Gruen later invited Turner to a Friday night Shabbat dinner at her home, where she explained Jewish prayers in return.

“It’s just things like that that bring you together,” she said. “To know that we are all just people. I think we don’t need to make it harder than it is. It is just getting to know people on a different level.”

Turner reflected on his own participation in a Rekindle cohort and the importance of renewing the Black–Jewish partnership.

“The times now more than ever call for the resurgence of this storied rela-

tionship,” he said. “Rekindle answered that call… From the seminars, to the out-of-classroom events and experiences, my Rekindle cohort was right on time. I am so appreciative that I took the time to engage again. Let’s keep it going!”

Another cohort participant, Gortria Banks, said the fellowship created the kind of environment necessary for lasting community change.

“The conversations we had were necessary for creating an inclusive and supportive community where everyone felt heard, understood, included and valued,” Banks explained. “Sharing stories, asking tough questions and really listening allowed us to see through a different lens… We learned that we have more in common than what we knew.”

Banks added that programs like Rekindle matter because “they remind us that change begins with open and honest conversation, seeing one another’s humanity and choosing connection over our differences.”

The Memphis chapter also grounds its work in local civil rights history.

During one of the Rekindle cohort sessions — separate from last week’s Exodus dinner — former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton spoke to participants about Rabbi James Wax of Temple Israel, who supported sanitation workers during the 1968 strike despite threats and backlash.

“Mayor Herenton shared that Rabbi Wax was one of his heroes,” Gruen said, recalling his story of Wax “storming into the mayor’s office and standing up for sanitation workers.”

Gruen believes Memphis offers something distinct to the national movement.

“The city is over 60% Black,” she said, “which creates a real opportunity for Jewish participants to learn about Black history and culture in a very personal, lived way.”

Gruen says she looks forward to the group offering broader opportunities for community engagement in the near future. For now, she believes the work begins simply by showing up, listening, and building trust one relationship at a time.

Memphis mayor appoints Eric D. Harris as new library director

By James Coleman TSD Contributing Writer

A new director of Memphis Public Libraries is on deck after Mayor Paul Young appointed career educator Eric D. Harris to the position on Monday, Feb. 9.

Harris’ recent background includes early childhood development and pre-K expansion. In 2022, he founded the nonprofit JESSRAN, which operates the Elevate to Primary Center serves 2- and 3-year-olds year-round in high-poverty areas. It also provides wraparound services to support families, including academic support, health awareness, financial literacy courses and possible financial assistance.

As the new head of the public libraries, Harris’ focus will expand to providing educational opportunities for Memphians of all ages.

“(Libraries) are places where literacy begins, skills are built, technology is accessible and communities connect,” Harris said in a statement.

With more than 20 years of experience in education, Harris rose through the ranks as a teacher, coach, vice principal and principal. He led East High School STEM Academy from 2010 to 2015.

His education includes a doctorate in urban affairs and public policy and an executive MBA from the University of Memphis. He also earned a Master of Science in education leadership from Christian Brothers University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee.

“Eric Harris understands Memphis because he is Memphis,” Young noted.. “He brings a strong record of leadership and a clear vision for how libraries can support literacy, workforce development and lifelong learning for

residents at every stage of life.”

Harris succeeds Keenon McCoy as library director. McCoy retired last month after 18 years.

He also takes the reins as the Memphis City Council prepares to vote on reclassifying library employees as civil service workers. They are currently appointed city employees. The change would allow the workers to join the ranks of the city’s unionized employees.

Council members also will vote on Harris’ appointment.

The employee search does not end with the library. A search is underway for a new director of the Memphis Museums of Science and History following the resignation of former director Kevin Thompson late last year. He was appointed in 2020.

The museum’s chief operating officer, Jeff King, was named interim director by the MoSH board on Monday. He has served as COO since 2021. King

previously worked for the Denver Art Museum.

Eric D. Harris

The 15-member board also will choose a permanent replacement.

MoSH includes the Pink Palace Museum & Mansion, Mallory-Neely House, Lichterman Nature Center and the Coon Creek Science Center in Adamsville, Tennessee. They are operated by the City of Memphis Parks Division and the nonprofit Memphis Museums Inc.

On Monday, MoSH also announced a full-price exhibit ticket at the Pink Palace includes admission to the AutoZone Dome at the Sharpe Planetarium. The Pink Palace also is opening its doors for “Free Third Thursday” general admission. Meanwhile, the cost of admission to the AutoZone Dome, Giant Screen Theater and the “FOOD” traveling exhibit has been set at $5. The latter rolls into town on Feb. 19.

Civil rights leaders and Congressional Black Caucus unite to challenge Trump administration policies

By NY Carib News

During a recent gathering on Capitol Hill, lawmakers and advocacy leaders sharply criticized a series of policy decisions implemented since Trump’s return to the White House, as well as the president’s rhetoric and governing approach. While participants outlined broad areas of concern, they provided limited specifics regarding immediate tactical responses.

Representative Yvette Clarke of New York, chair of the CBC, accused the administration of pursuing policies that undermine civil rights protections, restrict voting access, weaken social safety programs, and concentrate economic and political power among elite interests at the expense of marginalized communities.

Throughout a series of strategy sessions, activists and legislators coordinated outreach plans and policy priorities spanning education, historical curriculum standards, healthcare access, immigration enforcement, and anti-discrimination protections. Participants described the discussions as both sobering and motivating, emphasizing the urgency of collective action ahead of upcoming elections.

Several meetings focused on safeguarding voter access during the midterm elections, amid growing concerns among activists following a federal law enforcement raid at an elections facility in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Lawmakers also examined potential legislative and legal responses to an anticipated Supreme Court ruling that could weaken a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled that a wide range of responses remains under consideration, including public demonstrations, organized boycotts, and expanded legal challenges. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck moment, and every tool available to the

leadership collectively has got to be deployed to get this thing turned around,” Jeffries said following a press conference.

The renewed mobilization comes as the administration continues efforts to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies, higher education institutions, and segments of the private sector. Early in his second term, Trump signed executive orders prohibiting what his administration described as “illegal DEI” programs within government entities and organizations receiving federal support, alongside threats to withhold funding from institutions that fail to comply.

Administration officials have also advanced initiatives aimed at reshaping how American history and national culture are presented in schools, museums, and public institutions. Concurrently, federal agencies have increased scrutiny of civil rights complaints alleging discrimination against white individuals.

In response, civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers have launched

numerous lawsuits challenging anti-DEI measures. Recent legal developments included the administration’s decision to abandon an appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked attempts to deny funding to educational institutions over DEI-related policies.

With Democrats currently lacking majority control in either chamber of Congress, oversight options remain limited, prompting advocacy groups to focus on litigation, state-level action, and grassroots organizing ahead of the midterm elections.

Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, argued that the administration’s agenda repurposes legal frameworks originally designed to advance equality. “This is about how this administration is using the tools we built as a Black community to ensure that all of our people are protected,” she said.

Parallel efforts are emerging at the state level, where a coalition of civil rights organizations and Democratic attorneys general from fourteen states

and the District of Columbia has launched a legal initiative to defend DEI and accessibility policies. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the campaign aims to ensure that fundamental civil rights protections remain enforceable through coordinated legal action.

The effort unfolds amid an evolving judicial landscape. Federal courts remain divided over race-conscious policies in hiring and workplace protections, while the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has already curtailed the use of race in college admissions and signaled skepticism toward race-based considerations in public policy.

Despite acknowledging the scale of the challenge, civil rights leaders framed the moment as a defining political and legal struggle. Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, underscored the movement’s resolve, declaring: “We commit today to fight and fight and fight until hell freezes over, and then, I can assure you, we will fight on the ice.”

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King, has died at 84

By Sophia Tareen Associated Press

CHICAGO — The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination, died Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. He was 84.

As a young organizer in Chicago, Jackson was called to meet with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, shortly before King was killed, and he publicly positioned himself thereafter as King’s successor.

Santita Jackson confirmed that her father, who had a rare neurological disorder, died at home in Chicago, surrounded by family.

Jackson led a lifetime of crusades in the United States and abroad, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.

And when he declared, “I am Somebody,” in a poem he often repeated, he sought to reach people of all colors.

“I may be poor, but I am Somebody; I may be young; but I am Somebody; I may be on welfare, but I am Somebody,” Jackson intoned.

It was a message he took literally and personally, having risen from obscurity in the segregated South to become America’s best-known civil rights activist since King.

“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jack-

“From standing beside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement to founding Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, Rev. Jackson dedicated his life to expanding opportunity, protecting voting rights, advancing economic justice, and keeping hope alive for generations.”

— The National Civil Rights Museum

son family said in a statement posted online. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family.”

The National Civil Rights Museum, built on the site of the Lorraine Motel, issued a statement Tuesday morning calling Jackson “a fearless champion for justice, equality, and human dignity.”

The museum presented Jackson with its 2018 Freedom Award, “recognizing a lifetime spent mobilizing communities, challenging injustice, and inspiring the world to keep hope alive.”

“From standing beside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement to founding Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, Rev. Jackson dedicated his life to expanding opportunity, protecting voting rights, advancing economic justice, and keeping hope alive for generations,” the statement read.

Fellow civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton said his mentor “was not simply a civil rights leader; he was a movement unto himself.”

“He taught me that protest must have purpose, that faith must have feet, and that justice is not seasonal, it is daily work,” Sharpton wrote in a statement, adding that Jackson taught “trying is as important as triumph. That you do not wait for the dream to come true; you work to make it real.”

Despite profound health challenges in his final years including the disorder that affected his ability to move and speak, Jackson continued protesting

against racial injustice into the era of Black Lives Matter. In 2024, he appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and at a City Council meeting to show support for a resolution backing a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

“Even if we win,” he told marchers in Minneapolis before the officer whose knee kept George Floyd from breathing was convicted of murder, “it’s relief, not victory. They’re still killing our people. Stop the violence, save the children. Keep hope alive.”

Calls to action, delivered in a memorable voice

Jackson’s voice, infused with the stirring cadences and powerful insistence of the Black church, demanded attention. On the campaign trail and elsewhere, he used rhyming and slogans such as: “Hope not dope” and “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it,” to deliver his messages.

Jackson had his share of critics, both within and outside of the Black community. Some considered him a grandstander, too eager to seek out the spotlight. Looking back on his life and legacy, Jackson told The Associated Press in 2011 that he felt blessed to be able to continue the service of other leaders before him and to lay a foundation for those to come.

“A part of our life’s work was to tear down walls and build bridges, and in a half century of work, we’ve basically

torn down walls,” Jackson said. “Sometimes when you tear down walls, you’re scarred by falling debris, but your mission is to open up holes so others behind you can run through.”

In his final months, as he received 24-hour care, he lost his ability to speak, communicating with family and visitors by holding their hands and squeezing.

“I get very emotional knowing that these speeches belong to the ages now,” his son, Jesse Jackson Jr., told the AP in October.

A student athlete drawn to the Civil Rights Movement

Jesse Louis Jackson was born on Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, the son of high school student Helen Burns and Noah Louis Robinson, a married man who lived next door. Jackson was later adopted by Charles Henry Jackson, who married his mother.

Jackson was a star quarterback on the football team at Sterling High School in Greenville, and accepted a football scholarship from the University of Illinois. But after he reportedly was told Black people couldn’t play quarterback, he transferred to North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, where he became the first-string quarterback, an honor student in sociology and economics, and student body president.

Arriving on the historically Black campus in 1960 just months after students there launched sit-ins at a whites-only lunch counter, Jackson immersed himself in the blossoming Civil Rights Movement.

By 1965, he joined the voting rights march King led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. King dispatched him to Chicago to launch Operation Breadbasket, a Southern Christian Leadership Conference effort to pressure companies to hire Black workers.

Jackson called his time with King “a

phenomenal four years of work.”

Jackson was with King on April 4, 1968, when the civil rights leader was slain. Jackson’s account of the assassination was that King died in his arms. With his flair for the dramatic, Jackson wore a turtleneck he said was soaked with King’s blood for two days, including at a King memorial service held by the Chicago City Council, where he said: “I come here with a heavy heart because on my chest is the stain of blood from Dr. King’s head.”

However, several King aides, including speechwriter Alfred Duckett, questioned whether Jackson could have gotten King’s blood on his clothing. There are no images of Jackson in pictures taken shortly after the assassination.

In 1971, Jackson broke with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to form Operation PUSH, originally named People United to Save Humanity. The organization based on Chicago’s South Side declared a sweeping mission, from diversifying workforces to registering voters in communities of color nationwide. Using lawsuits and threats of boycotts, Jackson pressured top corporations to spend millions and publicly commit to diversifying their workforces. The constant campaigns often left

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his wife, Jacqueline Lavinia Brown, the college sweetheart he married in 1963, taking the lead in raising their five children: Santita Jackson, Yusef DuBois Jackson, Jacqueline Lavinia Jackson Jr., and two future members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Luther Jackson and Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who resigned in 2012 but is seeking reelection in the 2026 midterms.

The elder Jackson, who was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1968 and earned his Master of Divinity in 2000, also acknowledged fathering a child, Ashley Jackson, with one of his employees at Rainbow/PUSH, Karen L. Stanford. He said he understood what it means to be born out of wedlock and supported her emotionally and financially.

Presidential aspirations fall short but help ‘keep hope alive’

Despite once telling a Black audience he would not run for president “because white people are incapable of appreciating me,” Jackson ran twice and did better than any Black politician had before President Barack Obama, winning 13 primaries and caucuses for the Democratic nomination in 1988, four years after his first failed attempt. His successes left supporters chanting another Jackson slogan, “Keep Hope

Alive.”

“I was able to run for the presidency twice and redefine what was possible; it raised the lid for women and other people of color,” he told the AP. “Part of my job was to sow seeds of the possibilities.”

U.S. Rep. John Lewis said during a 1988 C-SPAN interview that Jackson’s two runs for the Democratic nomination “opened some doors that some minority person will be able to walk through and become president.”

Jackson also pushed for cultural change, joining calls by NAACP members and other movement leaders in the late 1980s to identify Black people in the United States as African Americans.

“To be called African Americans has cultural integrity — it puts us in our proper historical context,” Jackson said at the time. “Every ethnic group in this country has a reference to some base, some historical cultural base. African Americans have hit that level of cultural maturity.”

Jackson’s words sometimes got him in trouble.

In 1984, he apologized for what he thought were private comments to a reporter, calling New York City “Hymietown,” a derogatory reference to its large Jewish population. And in 2008, he made headlines when he complained that Obama was “talking down to Black people” in comments captured by a microphone he didn’t know was on during a break in a television taping.

Still, when Jackson joined the jubilant crowd in Chicago’s Grant Park to greet Obama that election night, he had tears streaming down his face.

“I wish for a moment that Dr. King or (slain civil rights leader) Medgar Evers ... could’ve just been there for 30 seconds to see the fruits of their labor,” he told the AP years later. “I became overwhelmed. It was the joy and the journey.”

Exerting influence on events at home and abroad

Jackson also had influence abroad, meeting world leaders and scoring diplomatic victories, including the release

of Navy Lt. Robert Goodman from Syria in 1984, as well as the 1990 release of more than 700 foreign women and children held after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. In 1999, he won the freedom of three Americans imprisoned by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.

“Citizens have the right to do something or do nothing,” Jackson said, before heading to Syria. “We choose to do something.”

In 2021, Jackson joined the parents of Ahmaud Arbery inside the Georgia courtroom where three white men were convicted of killing the young Black jogger. In 2022, he hand-delivered a letter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, calling for federal charges against former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke in the 2014 killing of Black teenager Laquan McDonald. Jackson, who stepped down as president of Rainbow/PUSH in July 2023, disclosed in 2017 that he had sought treatment for Parkinson’s, but he continued to make public appearances even as the disease made it more difficult for listeners to understand him. Earlier this year doctors confirmed a diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy, a life-threatening neurological disorder. He was admitted to a hospital in November for nearly two weeks.

During the coronavirus pandemic, he and his wife survived being hospitalized with COVID-19. Jackson was vaccinated early, urging Black people in particular to get protected, given their higher risks for bad outcomes.

“It’s America’s unfinished business — we’re free, but not equal,” Jackson told the AP. “There’s a reality check that has been brought by the coronavirus, that exposes the weakness and the opportunity.”

Former Associated Press writer Karen Hawkins, who left The Associated Press in 2012, contributed to this report. Associated Press writers Amy Forliti in Minneapolis and Aaron Morrison in New York contributed.

By Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. President and CEO National Newspaper Publishers Association

God always will bless the oppressed with leaders who are fearless, brilliant, audacious, and transformative. We thank God for the life, the legacy and the iconic leadership of the Rev. Dr. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

On behalf of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) representing the Black Press of America, we extend our sincerest condolences to the Jackson family. Leadership matters. Jesse Jackson’s leadership in the Civil Rights Movement in America and the human rights movement throughout the world was outstanding. Jackson uttered a strong penetrating voice for the voiceless. His courage on the battlefield for freedom, justice and equality was unparalleled.

There is an old African proverb that says that when a village leader transitions, the leader’s spirit remains at the center of the village’s future. Certainly, today in 2026 our nation and world are

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IN MEMORIAM:

Eternal salute to the Rev. Dr. Jesse Jackson Sr.

still challenged by racism, antisemitism, hatred and inhumanity. The spirit of Jesse Jackson lives on at the center of the ever evolving and unfolding “freedom movement” throughout the world.

Golden Frinks, the North Carolina state field secretary for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, Jr., recruited me when I was 14 years old in 1962 to be the North Carolina statewide youth coordinator for SCLC. I grew up in the Civil Rights Movement. Jesse Jackson was a mentor and a colleague who I admired. I have hundreds of vivid memories of when we worked and struggled together for the liberation of all humanity.

I mourn the passing of Jesse Jackson, Sr. by rededicating my life and ministry to keep fighting for freedom and equal justice.

I witnessed firsthand the integrity, the movement-building genius and the audacity of Martin Luther King Jr. and all those who worked with him including Revs. Andrew Young, David Abernathy, Hosea Williams, Fred

Shuttleworth, Wyatt T. Walker, Joseph Lowery, and Jesse Jackson, along with many others.

From the March on Washington in 1963, to the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March in 1965, to the Poor Peoples Campaign in 1968, the Civil Rights Movement was successful in getting into law the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act.

After King’s tragic assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, the Civil Rights Movement was stunned and fractured.Thanks, however, to the steadfast courage and determination of Mrs. Coretta Scott King and others in SCLC, the Civil Rights Movement moved into the 1970s with renewed vigor to keep Dr. King’s dream alive and vibrant.

In 1972, Jesse Jackson was one of the keynote speakers to the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana. I remember conferring with Jackson while in Gary about the escalating violence against public school desegregation in North Carolina and across the South.

In the 1980s, Jackson’s two presidential campaigns ignited unprecedented Black voter turnout and helped to transform the Democratic Party to be more progressive. Rev. Walker and I were the clergy coordinators for Jackson’s campaigns and “Run Jesse Run” became the anthem of the progressive political struggle across the nation.

Rev. Jackson was a great orator. But he also was a serious and effective writer of civil rights commentaries for the Black Press of America for decades. It is our responsibility to ensure that the legacy of Rev. Jackson will continue to be cherished and used as a stimulant for “Keeping Hope Alive.”

Jackson was a “freedom fighter.” Each generation has to take the baton of history and to continue to win victories for freedom even in the face of those in power who attempt to erase our history and to stifle the freedom movement.

God bless the legacy of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Long live the spirit of the freedom struggle. Eternal salute to the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. in Memphis

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. joined local and national dignitaries at a ceremony renaming of a section of Linden Ave. to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. on Wednesday, April 4, 2012, the 44th commemoration of Kingʼs assassination. (Photo: Jonwalter Lewis)

ON THE COVER: The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., founder and president of the National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, keynoted the Martin Luther King 50th Anniversary commemoration (MLK50) launch in 2018, at the historic Mt. Olive CME Church in Memphis. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley/Tri-State Defender)

COMMUNITY

Young lays out ambitious agenda to raucous crowd at State of The City address

Memphis Mayor celebrates crime reduction, sets sights on housing, population loss

By Lee Eric Smith TSD Contributing Writer

The crowd was still filing in nearly 45 minutes after the scheduled start time Mayor Paul Young’s State of the City address.

By the time Young took the stage Tuesday night, Feb. 10, at First Baptist Broad, the energy inside the sanctuary felt more like a pep rally than a policy briefing. Video testimonials from local entrepreneurs rolled across large screens. Youth performers lifted the room in song. The theme — “Memphis Rising,” stylized as “MemphIS Rising” — flashed repeatedly as speakers invoked pride, progress and possibility. And then the heckling began.

Young paused more than once as protesters shouted about pollution tied to xAI, immigration enforcement and other issues. At one point, as security approached a particularly vocal interrupter, the mayor leaned into the moment.

“Y’all give it up for him one more time,” Young said, prompting applause for the protester before urging the crowd to remain respectful. “We can disagree on one thing and agree on another.”

The interruptions, which continued sporadically throughout the address, underscored the tensions facing the city even as Young sought to frame his administration’s second year as a turning point.

Crime reduction at center stage

Young returned repeatedly to public safety — both the crisis he inherited and what he described as measurable progress.

“In 2023 we had the most homicides we’ve ever had — 400 families,” he said. “One of the first commitments I made to you as mayor was that we were committed to reducing serious crime in our community by 40 percent within four years … and tonight, I’m honored to be able to tell you that we did it in two.”

He credited a coordinated strategy that included the Memphis Police Department, the Joint Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, community-based violence prevention groups, and other city employees “showing up every single day to do hard work under intense pressure.”

Young declared the city is now at “the lowest serious crime levels that Memphis has seen in 25 years,” while cautioning against “victory laps.”

“We’re not doing victory laps ’cause it’s still too much,” he said. “But we can be proud that we’re moving in a better direction.”

Population loss and density

If crime was the emotional core of the speech, population loss was its structural concern.

Young noted that Memphis’ population has declined from about 650,000 in 2000 to roughly 615,000 today, leaving fewer taxpayers to support a city that spans roughly 300 square miles.

“For comparison’s sake, the city of Boston is 91 square miles with 670,000 people,” Young said. “It’s one third of the size of Memphis with the same number of people.”

That mismatch, he argued, makes services like transportation more expensive and less efficient. The solution, in his view, is to pivot from outward growth and annexation toward density in the city’s core.

“We need more density. We need more people to make the system work,” Young said.

10,000 homes by 2030

To that end, the mayor announced a goal of delivering 10,000 new or renovated affordable and mar-

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“Our city is safer than it was just two years ago. Our economy is stronger than it was just two years ago. There are more opportunities available now than there were two years ago.”

— Mayor Paul Young

ket-rate homes in the city’s core by 2030.

He promised a streamlined development code to “remove red tape” and speed approvals, along with a new cooperative structure aligning city government, economic development partners, private investors and philanthropic capital around a single housing strategy.

Young pointed to current projects in Hyde Park, Boxtown, Westwood, Whitehaven, South Memphis and Frayser as signs of momentum. He emphasized that reinvestment must include existing residents.

“We’re not just building for the people to come,” he said. “We want to build for the people who are here right now.”

Youth employment and workforce goals

Young also announced a plan to put 5,000 young adults on a “pathway to prosperity” by 2030 through paid work experiences, training and career placement.

He pledged to scale paid internships and apprenticeships paying at least $17 an hour, expand employer-aligned training in technology, healthcare, skilled trades and hospitality, and work with businesses to create more “high quality, full-time, semi-skilled

jobs.”

“We don’t have a talent problem in our city,” Young said. “We have a pathway problem.”

In the near term, he committed to funding 3,000 summer jobs this year through the city’s Memploy program.

Culture as economic driver

In a city known globally for its music, Young argued that culture should not be treated as ornamentation but as infrastructure.

“Culture is not a side note in strengthening the city. It’s a key,” he said. “Memphis is culture.”

He announced “Memphis Music Live 365,” an initiative aimed at supporting live music year-round, promoting local artists and creating more consistent income streams for musicians.

“We’re not chasing a title,” Young said. “We’re simply claiming what has already been true. We are the original music city.”

Immigration and inclusion

At one point, as a protester shouted about immigration, Young paused to respond.

“We love our immigrant community,” he said, prompting applause. He noted that the Hispanic population has been the fastest-growing demographic group in Memphis over the past decade and now

accounts for roughly 9% of residents.

The moment reflected the broader dynamic of the evening: celebration and contention sharing the same space.

A city rising — and restless

Before Young spoke, City Council Vice Chair Chase Carlisle emphasized financial discipline and “long-term stability,” while City Council Chair Janice Swearingen-Washington framed the moment as one of resilience and responsibility.

“The best is yet to come, not as a slogan and not as a soundbite, but as a responsibility that we choose to carry together,” she said.

By the end of the night, as gospel music again filled the sanctuary, Young sought to fuse data and aspiration.

“The theme for tonight has been that Memphis is rising,” he said. “Our city is safer than it was just two years ago. Our economy is stronger than it was just two years ago. There are more opportunities available now than there were two years ago.”

Still, he acknowledged those who “don’t feel the progress.”

“We’re not ignoring the challenges,” Young said. “We’re working to meet them with strategy, with discipline, and hope-backed action.”

■■ COMMUNITY

Shelby County mayor demands state pay millions owed for housing state inmates

By Lee Eric Smith TSD Contributing Writer

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is demanding that the state of Tennessee pay tens of millions of dollars owed to the county for housing state prisoners, warning that continued nonpayment could force service cuts or increases in taxes for local residents.

At a Tuesday community briefing, Harris said Shelby County taxpayers have been left covering a bill that “is not theirs,” after the state stopped paying for inmates housed at the Shelby County Division of Corrections nearly a year ago.

“For the last several months, Shelby County has housed individuals for the State of Tennessee while being paid nothing at all,” Harris said. “Housing an incarcerated person is expensive. It requires staffing, medical care, food, security and infrastructure.”

Shelby County declined to renew its contract in July 2025 after failing to reach what officials considered a fair and equitable agreement. When the state did not remove its inmates or pay for their continued housing, the county filed suit.

According to county data presented during the briefing, Shelby County has transferred more than $30 million from its general fund in fiscal year 2025 to cover the cost of housing state inmates — up from $20.1 million in 2023 and $27.5 million in 2024. County officials expect the cost to rise even higher in fiscal year 2026.

“If we can get a fair amount, the vast majority of our budget deficit that we have faced for years will be resolved,” Harris said. “However, if we cannot

“Paying nothing for services rendered by Shelby County government is inappropriate. The state has to pay its bills.” — Mayor Lee Harris

get the state to pay the bill that it owes, that means we will be left with very few options.”

The dispute is over how much the state pays Shelby County for each inmate it houses on the state’s behalf. Currently, Shelby County is holding 959 inmates for the Tennessee Department of Correction at its penal facility.

Harris said the state has offered to pay $41 per inmate per day, an amount he says falls far below the actual cost of care.

By comparison, Harris said TDOC pays Davidson County (Metro Nashville) $132 per inmate per day under a separate agreement. The U.S. Marshals Service pays Shelby County $120 per day for federal detainees, Harris said.

“Our last submission to the state to substantiate our cost per inmate came in at $110 per inmate per day,” Harris said. “Shelby County government can neither afford to house state inmates for $41 a day, nor can we afford to house them for $0 a day, which is what’s happening right now.”

Shelby County has taken the matter to the Tennessee Claims Commission.

County Attorney Lee Whitwell said state law clearly places responsibility for convicted felons sentenced to more than one year with the state unless a county voluntarily contracts with TDOC.

“If no contract exists, the Department of Correction has two weeks to pick up those inmates,” Whitwell said.

The Claims Commission has ruled that the state breached its contract with Shelby County by failing to remove inmates by the June 30, 2025 deadline. The commission denied the state’s motion to dismiss the claim and found a breach “as a matter of law,” leaving only the amount of damages to be determined.

“That’s significant,” Whitwell said. “The commission didn’t just say a potential claim might exist in the future. It found that the state breached the contract.”

County officials say they are pushing for a trial as soon as possible, though the state has resisted efforts to expedite the case. “Every day that we wait, Shelby County taxpayers are suffering,” Whitwell said.

Asked why the state is paying Metro Nashville significantly more than Shelby County, Harris said state officials have offered little justification.

“The reason given was that they had all the power and we had none,” Harris said, describing a meeting with current corrections officials. “We were told to take it or leave it — and that was it.”

Harris said Shelby County has made multiple compromise offers, including a temporary rate of around $90 per inmate per day, still below the county’s actual costs. Those offers, he said, were rejected. Harris warned that if the issue remains unresolved, the financial consequences will fall on Shelby County residents.

“When you face a deficit this large as a result of a partner not paying their tab, you have only a couple of options,” he said. “You either cut services — which impacts all residents — or you generate revenue on the backs of Shelby County taxpayers.”

While Harris declined to speculate on a specific tax increase, he said the annual shortfall, now approaching or exceeding $30 million, gives a clear sense of the stakes.

“I’ll leave it to others to do the math,” he said.

For now, county leaders say they hope increased public attention — and the ongoing legislative session in Nashville — will pressure the state to come to the table.

“Paying nothing for services rendered by Shelby County government is inappropriate,” Harris said. “The state has to pay its bills.”

UofM Hooks Institute hosts author, journalist Joy-Ann Reid, winner of 2024 Book Award

“Medgar

and Myrlie” — A Civil Rights story told through the lens of the couple’s love story

By Candace A. Gray TSD Contributing Writer

The day was bright and a libation ceremony was the perfect way to usher in the divine spirit of the past, while basking in the present and looking to the promise of the future. Dr. Brian Kwoba, director of the African American Studies Department at the University of Memphis, and Ekpe Abioto, local culturalist and “edu-tainer” led the ceremony. After calling on the ancestors and a present youth for permission to begin the celebration, it was declared that hearts and minds were clear and ready to receive.

“Happy Black History Month! It’s still legal to say that, right?” exclaimed JoyAnn M. Lomena Reid to the 350-person crowd on the first (thawed out) Saturday of February. People were ecstatic to be “outside” in the Michael D. Rose Theatre at the University of Memphis on Feb. 7, and even more enthralled to see and hear from Reid, formerly of MSNBC’s “The Reidout,” and current host of The Joy Reid Show. Reid is the recipient of the 2024 Hooks Institute for Social Change Book Award for her third and most recent book “Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America,” a No.1 New York Times Best Seller.

In its 15th year, the award drew more than 500 book nominations. Reid was the winner among 47 finalists.

Terrance Tucker, the Hooks National Book Award chair and UofM’s English Department chair, said of Reid: “Nikki Giovanni wrote that ‘black life is wealth.’ She uses it to describe how she wanted people to write about her and center her story on black life being

black wealth. Reid tells this story under this guise.”

Reid’s book, he said, is “a story about their work together and how it was an extension of their love.”

Before welcoming Reid onto the stage, he acknowledged the award committee, composed of Black professors from universities across the city. He then introduced local poet, Flo Roach, who shared a poem about love and what the Everses might have said to each other on their wedding day, as an instrumental version of “I Will Always Love You” aptly played in the background.

Reid recounted her inspiration for the book. “The way she (Myrlie Evers-Williams) talked about him (Medgar) as the love of her life, you’d think he was still alive, though it’s been six decades since he was murdered,” Reid said. “I realized there had never been a Civil Rights love story — at least I’d never read one. So, I pitched it and I decided to write one.”

Reid had met with Evers-Williams on several occasions and grew more and more fond of the couple’s love story.

“I have always been a big admirer of Myrlie Evers-Williams, ever since she and Maxine Waters were guests on my show, ‘AM Joy’,” said Reid.

“Myrlie would oftentimes ask Medgar if he loved them (her and their three children) more than his work, and he said he did the work because he loved her and their kids,” said Reid.

Program moderator Tonyaa Weathersbee, a journalist and UofM’s Hardin Chair of Excellence professor, asked Reid about her decision to tell a love story.

“You couldn’t have done what he was doing without talking about love. Love gives you strength … super powers,” Reid responded.

“This is a love story in three parts: 1. The love of a couple who had problems like the rest of us, with kids and lunches and challenges; 2. The love story of a man who loved Mississippi; 3. A story about the love of this country,” Reid continued.

“This was a 50s housewife, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids. She was also his secretary, so she typed all of his speeches, letters. … We have to start including the women. We can’t pretend these men did things all on their own.”

A natural-born storyteller and a Harvard-educated documentary filmmaker, Reid illustrates Medgar Evers’ work for the NAACP, his fight for justice for Emmitt Till and his fight to desegregate University of Mississippi through this unique “love” lens. As she recounted scene after scene, one might consider adding “historian” to her list of titles.

Reid said she was always interested in politics and that her mother encouraged her and her siblings to think for themselves.

“My mother was a dedicated voter, a

dedicated democrat and was always up for a political debate,” said Reid. “We grew up watching the nightly news and weighed in on political matters.”

The story Reid tells in the book is quite political. Among other topics, Reid explores how Evers-Williams fought for nearly three decades to secure accountability for Evers’ murder and bring justice to his legacy.

“When she wants something, she’s driven, relentless and doesn’t stop until she gets it. Specifically, the proper acknowledgement and honor for her beloved Medgar,” said Reid.

“It takes courage to support and fight for freedom — it also takes us to do it.”

The day also included brief addresses from Daphene McFerren, Hooks Institute executive director, and Rorie Trammel, its associate director and director of Hooks Academic Achievement & Mentoring Initiative (HAAMI).

Fun fact: Evers-Williams, Reid, Weathersbee and Trammel are all members of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc.

Memphis board appoints Roderick Richmond as permanent superintendent after contentious debate

By Bri Hatch Chalkbeat

Memphis schools interim leader Roderick Richmond will serve as the district’s permanent superintendent after contentious debate among board members Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The Memphis-Shelby County school board voted unanimously to appoint Richmond as the full-time superintendent after his temporary contract expires at the end of July. That came after a split board argued over whether a full superintendent search was feasible and necessary for transparency, or whether immediate stability was the most important factor.

“There’s a crisis of inconsistency here,” said board member Amber Huett-Garcia, who voted to appoint Richmond. “We have four colleagues here who had rooms full of people begging you not to make a decision last January. But the community voice didn’t matter back then.”

In January 2025, the MSCS board voted to suddenly fire former superintendent Marie Feagins. They immediately appointed Richmond as the temporary leader. Richmond is the fourth leader MSCS has had in four years.

Board members pushing for Richmond’s appointment Wednesday said the context of an impending state takeover puts urgency behind the decision.

“We are under attack by the state,” said chair Natalie McKinney, who voted to appoint Richmond. “Our continued kicking the can down the road in making a decision about a permanent superintendent puts us possibly in the crosshairs with the state.”

Richmond’s promotion comes as Tennessee Republicans are working to pass bills for a state takeover of MSCS. Bill sponsors Sen. Brent Taylor and

“We are under attack by the state.”

— Natalie McKinney

Rep. Mark White, who both represent the Memphis area, are pushing to establish a state-appointed board of managers that would strip the local school board of most powers, including the hiring and firing of superintendents.

While neither will confirm whether the new board would immediately replace the district leader, Taylor said in a Friday interview that decisions made by MSCS now — including Richmond’s appointment — are “irrelevant.”

Three board members – Tamarques Porter, Sable Otey, and Towanna Murphy – originally voted against the appointment process, and to delay naming an appointee until Feb. 24.

“I do appreciate Dr. Richmond for bringing us stability,” Porter said. “I don’t see a need to rush right now.”

The terms of Richmond’s new contract are undecided. MSCS General Counsel Justin Bailey will enter immediate negotiations with Richmond to decide how long he will stay on and what his salary will be, among other details. Richmond receives $325,000 per year as interim, the same rate paid to former superintendent Feagins.

Bailey is expected to present Richmond’s contract after at least 14 days.

Richmond has said in previous interviews that he’s focused on restoring trust and stability to the district. After the meeting, Richmond told reporters that he’s excited to lead MSCS towards being the “number one urban district in the country.”

“Having retention in our district is one of the most important things we can do now,” he said. “We’ve stabilized the district. Now, what I want us to do

is provide the continuity necessary for us to turn it around.”

Board members praised Richmond earlier this year for delivering on the responsibilities they gave him. In the last 11 months, Richmond helped develop a long-term facilities plan that includes closing up to 15 schools in the next three years. The MSCS board will vote on five of his recommendations this month.

He also created a new regional superintendent model for MSCS and brought back district-wide testing. Under Richmond’s leadership, teacher vacancies were cut in half to 226 in the beginning

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Roderick Richmond speaks to reporters on Feb. 11, 2026. He’s the district’s fourth superintendent in four years. (Bri Hatch/Chalkbeat)

of the school year. Richmond has said he wants that number down to 50 by August.

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@ chalkbeat.org.

■■ COMMUNITY

‘Through Tyre’s Eyes’ offers a personal view through photographs

Aspiring lensman took snapshots of everyday scenes, including a sky camera that would later reveal details of

By Judith Black Moore TSD Contributing Writer

In the Goodwyn Gallery at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, a small collection of photographs offers visitors a more personal view of Tyre Nichols, whose death after a police encounter sparked national protests and calls for reform in 2023. Titled “Through Tyre’s Eyes,” the exhibit features 16 images he captured — ordinary scenes that now carry deeper meaning for his family and the community.

For his sister, Keanna Dixon, seeing the photographs displayed publicly is both emotional and affirming.

“It’s very emotional. It’s a beautiful thing, because my brother’s passion was photography,” she said. “He could find the beauty in anything. He would say, ‘Maybe one day my stuff will be in an art gallery.’ I would tell him, ‘Keep taking those pictures.’”

“This makes my heart smile to see this,” Dixon said. “Tyre captured the oddest things and made them beautiful. Unfortunately, my brother is a part of Memphis history because of what happened to him here. It’s very unfortunate and very sad for my family, but this exhibit gives people a chance to see him not as a headline, but as a young man who had a beautiful eye and who was an aspiring photographer.”

Dixon hopes seeing her brother’s work on display will encourage other young photographers. “Hopefully this exhibit will inspire some kids to follow their dreams and their passion,” she said. “I know my brother would love that.”

Among the photographs are deeply personal images, including a selfie Nichols took of himself sitting in a

a tragic

night

with Black History Month.”

The gallery is designed to be an accessible, reflective space.

“We try to keep what’s displayed as local, current and fresh as possible,” McCurdy said. “The gallery is designed as an open-view space where people passing through can stop, look and reflect on what’s there.”

Among the visitors who stopped to view the exhibit was Angela Hudson.

“It doesn’t feel like you’re looking at an art show. It feels like you’re looking at someone’s life. These are the kinds of pictures any of us might take, but knowing Tyre Nichols took them makes you stop and really think about this young man.”

— Angela Hudson

shopping cart when he was about 14 or 15, according to Dixon. Another shows a sky camera — an object that would later become an unexpected part of the story surrounding his death.

“He took that picture months before what happened to him,” Dixon said. “The fact that he took a picture of that sky cam — the actual one that captured what happened to him months before it happened — is mind-blowing. He ran far enough to get to that same sky cam.”

The Goodwyn Gallery regularly

features local artists, offering space for both established and first-time creators to share their work with the public.

“In the Goodwyn Gallery, we welcome Memphis artists of various skill levels and mediums to give voice to their work, whether they’re well known or showing for the first time,” said Darnell McCurdy, events scheduling coordinator for Memphis Public Libraries. “We also try to connect their work to themes for the month, and in this case, the Tyre Nichols photo exhibit aligns

“It doesn’t feel like you’re looking at an art show. It feels like you’re looking at someone’s life,” Hudson said. “These are the kinds of pictures any of us might take, but knowing Tyre Nichols took them makes you stop and really think about this young man and who he was before we knew about him.”

According to McCurdy, Hudson’s reaction typifies what he is hearing from visitors as they view the varied images — mainly taken outside — including those of iconic locations like Beale Street and the I-55 Memphis-Arkansas Bridge.

“People who have viewed Tyre Nichols’ work have described it as inspiring and powerful,” he said. “Some visitors have fought back tears. They’ve said it gives them a chance to see Tyre Nichols beyond the tragedy.”

Curated by Jay Etkin Gallery, the exhibit is on display through Feb. 28.

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Shelby County Government has issued Sealed Bid number 20261, Building System Replacement-157 Poplar for the Shelby County Support Services Department. Information regarding this Bid is located on the County’s website at www.shelbycountytn.gov . At the top of the home page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, Click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate the name of the abovedescribed Sealed Bid.

SEALED BID 20261 DUE DATE THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2026 @ 2:00 PM (CST)

(SB-20261) Building System Replacement-157 Poplar

Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service.

By order of

LEE HARRIS, MAYOR

SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Shelby County Government has issued Sealed Bid number 20263, Courthouse Restoration / Records Renovation -140 Adams for the Shelby County Support Services Department. Information regarding this Bid is located on the County’s website at www.shelbycountytn. gov . At the top of the home page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, Click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate the name of the above-described Sealed Bid.

SEALED BID 20263 DUE DATE FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026 @ 2:00 PM (CST)

(SB-20263) Courthouse Restoration / Records Renovation -140 Adams

Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service.

By order of

LEE HARRIS, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Shelby County Government has issued Sealed Bid 202611, Mimecast Licenses and Subscriptions (Information Technology). Information regarding this Bid is located on the County’s website at https://oneconnectbids. shelbycountytn.gov/. At the top of the home page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, Click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate the name of the above-described Sealed Bid.

PUBLIC NOTICES / CLASSIFIEDS

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Rates are non-commissionable and are quoted at the net rate. No refund for early cancellation. For additional information contact Sales Dept. at (901) 746-5201 or email: advertising@tsdmemphis.com.

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The Tri-State Defender reserves the right to edit all copy or to reject or cancel any ad at any time. Copy change during ordered schedule constitutes new ad & new changes. Deadlines for cancellation are identical to placement deadlines. Rates subject to change. We can only offer in-house credit and NO REFUNDS are issued.

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CDT

(SB 202611), MIMECAST LICENSES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS (Information Technology)

Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service.

By order of LEE HARRIS, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

SEALED BID 202611 DUE DATE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2026 AT 2:30 PM

Shelby County Government has issued Sealed Bid 202612, Cloudflare Licenses and Subscriptions (Information Technology). Information regarding this Bid is located on the County’s website at https://oneconnectbids. shelbycountytn.gov/. At the top of the home page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, Click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate the name of the above-described Sealed Bid.

SEALED BID 202612 DUE DATE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2026 AT 2:30 PM CDT

(SB 202612), CLOUDFLARE LICENSES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS (Information Technology)

Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service.

By order of LEE HARRIS, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

LEGAL NOTICE Request for Bids

MSCAA Project Number 23-1476-17-01

Snow Removal Equipment Building - Site Preparation Package - Construction

Sealed bids for Snow Removal Equipment Building - Site Preparation Package - Construction will be received by the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (Authority), Procurement Department, 4150 Louis Carruthers Drive, Memphis, TN 38118, until 2:00 PM Local Time on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Bids will not be received at any other location. Within 30 minutes thereafter, the bids will be opened and publicly read via phone/video conference (link/phone information available online at https://flymemphis. com/rfps-rfqs/) . The Bid Documents, including a description of the scope of work, the required response format, and additional instructions may be obtained on or after February 17, 2026 online at https://flymemphis.com/rfps-rfqs/

A Virtual Pre-Bid Meeting will be held on Tuesday February 24, 2026 at 1:00 PM local time via phone/video conference (link/phone information available online at https://flymemphis.com/ rfps-rfqs/). The project site will be available for inspection following the meeting at 2:30 PM local time. Anyone that would like to attend the site visit must register by Monday February 23, 2026. Site Visit registration is done by emailing bidquestions@flymemphis.com Pre-bid and site visit attendance is strongly recommended. All instructions for the Pre-Bid Meeting and Site Visit can be found at https://flymemphis.com/ rfps-rfqs/

All Bidders are responsible for checking the Authority’s website up to the submission deadline for any updates, addenda or additional information. The successful Bidder must sign a contract with the Authority that includes Federal Aviation Administration provisions, if applicable, regarding the Buy American Preference, Foreign Trade Restriction, Davis-Bacon, Affirmative Action, Debarment and Suspension, and Drug-Free Workplace, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Each bid must be made by a contractor licensed in Tennessee and be accompanied by a 5% Bid Guarantee. The successful bidder must execute a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond in the amount of 100% each of the Contract Price and meet the Small Business Participation Program (SBPP) participation goal for this project, which is 12%.

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this Request for Bids in whole or in part; to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions related to this Request for Bids; and to reject responses on any other basis authorized by the Authority’s purchasing policies.

The Authority is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination based on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, disability, marital status, military service, or sexual orientation in its hiring and employment practices and in the admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, and activities.

By order of:

Terry Blue, A.A.E.

President and CEO

Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority

LEGAL NOTICE Request for Statement of Qualifications MSCAA Project Number 25-1484-00 On-Call Aerial Surveys, Imagery, and Mapping Services

Statements of Qualifications for On-Call Aerial Surveys, Imagery, and Mapping Services will be received by the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (Authority), Procurement Department, 4150 Louis Carruthers Road, Memphis, TN 38118, until 2:00 PM local time on March 6, 2026. The Information Package, including a description of the scope of services, the selection criteria, the required response format, and additional instructions may be obtained on the Authority’s website at www.flymemphis.com on or after Februrary 17, 2026.

All Respondents are responsible for checking the Authority’s website up to the submission deadline for any updates, addenda or additional information. The successful Respondent must sign a contract with the Authority that includes Federal Aviation Administration provisions, if applicable, regarding Buy American Preference, Foreign Trade Restriction, Davis-Bacon, Affirmative Action, Debarment and Suspension, and Drug-Free Workplace, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this request in whole or in part; to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions related to this request; and to reject responses on any other basis authorized by the Authority’s purchasing policies.

The Authority is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination based on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, disability, marital status, military service, or sexual orientation in its hiring and employment practices and in the admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, and activities.

By order of: Terry Blue, A.A.E. President Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority

An informative and eye-opening look at Black history

Book review

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

You gotta start somewhere. First, you crawled, then you toddled before you ran, which is exactly how most things are. There’s a foundation from which to spring, a base from which to jump, and you need to figure out how to best proceed so you can succeed. You gotta start somewhere, and in the new book “I’ll Make Me a World” by Jarvis R. Givens, it started with racism.

James McCune Smith was just fourteen years old the day New York passed its Emancipation Act. Smith had been born into slavery but was officially freed that July 4 of 1827. He later wrote about the celebration. He never forgot it.

Neither did those who learned of their freedom in Texas on June 19, 1865; nor William Cooper Nell, who is credited with the first Crispus Attucks Day. These were early parts of the foundation of Black History Month.

In February 1926, public school teacher Carter G. Woodson, in conjunction with the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in Washington D.C., established the first Negro History Week. Givens, a professor and co-founding faculty director of the Black Teacher Archive at Harvard University, says that it was an entirely political move, meant to call Americans’ attention to black life and culture. Black newspapers picked up the story, and spread it around the country to

Black readers and Black churches. By 1935, the Negro History Week was celebrated widely in Black schools and communities.

In the fall of 1975, esteemed members of the renamed Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History gathered in Atlanta to celebrate Woodson’s birthday and to change things up. With America’s bicentennial coming the following summer, and considering all that had happened since Negro History Week was founded, it seemed that a Black History Month was appropriate. The members asked the White House for a proclamation, but President Ford could only send a customary “presidential message” because he didn’t have congressional support. Ford’s letter, says Givens, did not acknowledge historical suffering. It was not until 1986 that President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation for Black History Month.

Black History, says Givens, is much more than what has been written. So is “I’ll Make Me a World,” in that it’s considerably more than what its subtitle seems to offer.

That’s not necessarily a good thing.

Packed with a timeline that runs longer than a century on both sides, Givens includes so much Black history here that it becomes overwhelming at times. Readers are taken back to the 19th century quite often and, as such, it generally takes a while to wind back to the hundred-year window that you’re expecting. That might not be a bad feature but strictly speaking, this book is an abundance of history but not as

much Black History Month history as it promises. More of the latter, slightly less of the former, would have made this book stellar.

As it is, though, it’s a worthwhile read, informative and eye-opening, but just know what you’re getting. Do that, find “I’ll Make Me a World,” and get started.

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