Okay, so you'll hear all the time about crime in Memphis. There's no doubt that we have serious challenge there. But we don't have as bad a problem as is being portrayed. Let's try to keep this all in perspective folks.
According to the 2007 Morgan Quinto Press, which compiles and publishes comparative crime statistics the following cities had more significant crime problems:
Detroit, MI
St. Louis, MO
Flint, MI
Oakland, CA
Camden, NJ
Birmingham, AL
Charleston, SC
Cities with comparable crime statistics to Memphis include:
Cleveland, OH
Orlando, FL (yes the home of Disney World is right there with us!)
Little Rock, AR
Cincinati, OH
Atlanta, GA
Jackson, MS
Kansas City, MO
Nashville came in 44th. It's total numbers were comparable but just a little lower than Memphis and the other cities listed.
In terms of one year trends, Memphis was not one of the top ten cities in terms of crime increases or crime improvement. However, Little Rock, AR and Jackson, MS were in the top ten cities in increase in crime.
I bring all of this out to point out that we're not nearly as bad as some portray us to be. Like most urban cities, we have crime. We certainly need to work on it but events like the Lester Street incident give an unduly negative and unsupported view of the true state of crime/safety in Memphis.
I've lived here most of my life and never been mugged. I've never had my home broken into and I've never had my car broken into here. When I lived in Nashville during law school, my car was repeatedly burglaried.
Next time you hear someone say that Memphis isn't a safe city, politely correct them and point out the true facts.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Memphis Based CPS buys Rival Division of McKesson
According to the Tuesday, April 8, 2008, Commercial Appeal, Memphis based Comprehensive Pharmacy Services is buying rival McKesson Medication Management. The new combined entity will be one of the largest pharmacy managers in the country. It's always great when our Memphis hometown companies are the ones doing the acquiring rather than being acquired!
Live at the Garden Announces 2008 Shows
One of the realy cool things to do in Memphis every year is the Live at the Garden Concert series. 5 times a year, the Memphis Botanical Gardens turns one of its grand lawns into an outdoor concert space sort of like a mini Central Park. The shows are a ton of fun. You can bring in your own cooler. You can either sit on blankets on the lawn or buy a table down front. If you haven't done this, it's a must!
The 2008 line up includes:
Jewel, June 7
Earth, Wind & Fire, July 19
Crosby, Stills & Nash, August 9
B-52s, September 12
Huey Lewis & the News, September 26
I'm most excited about Earth, Wind & Fire (September is one of my favorite songs) and the B-52s (Rock Lobster, Roam, Channel Z, Love Shack!)
For more information check out www.liveatthegraden.com
The 2008 line up includes:
Jewel, June 7
Earth, Wind & Fire, July 19
Crosby, Stills & Nash, August 9
B-52s, September 12
Huey Lewis & the News, September 26
I'm most excited about Earth, Wind & Fire (September is one of my favorite songs) and the B-52s (Rock Lobster, Roam, Channel Z, Love Shack!)
For more information check out www.liveatthegraden.com
Memphis Zoo fighting for endangered species
We really don't fully appreciate what an amazing zoo we have here. We're still one of a handful of zoos in the United States with a pair of giant pandas. We have the relatively new Northwest Passage exhibit with polar bears and coming soon with be the Yukon Trek exhibit. If you haven't been to the zoo recently you need to do so.
In other great news coming out of the zoo, it was recently announced that folks at the zoo have successfully breeded an endangered frog. Frogs might not be as sexy as eagles or condors or even pandas but they are a trip wire in nature. As an amphibian they are one of the first to show the harmful effects of water pollution. Frogs are vitally important to our ecosystem. So the work being done at the Memphis Zoo is really important.
In other great news coming out of the zoo, it was recently announced that folks at the zoo have successfully breeded an endangered frog. Frogs might not be as sexy as eagles or condors or even pandas but they are a trip wire in nature. As an amphibian they are one of the first to show the harmful effects of water pollution. Frogs are vitally important to our ecosystem. So the work being done at the Memphis Zoo is really important.
UT Memphis Gains Support for Facilities Upgrades
Ever since the Civil War, Memphis has been a health care center. Union forces used Memphis as a hospital zone for wounded combatants on both sides.
The University of Tennessee's medical school is here in Memphis. UT-Memphis is one of four medical schools in Tennessee along with Maherry and Vanderbilt in Nashville and East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. UT Memphis is hugely important to our region not only because of the doctors that it teaches but also because it is a major employer in the region and because of the biomedical research being performed there.
As important as it is to our region, UT Memphis' facilities have fallen behind the curve. The school needs an influx of cash and support. Help looks like it is on the way.
According to the Monday, April 7, 2008 Commercial Appeal, the Governor and key state legislators have recently toured the campus and have all come to the conclusion that capital funding for new buildings and for retrofits/upgrades is needed.
it doesn't look like there will be any help this year but the support of the Governor and key legislators is critical and a great sign that UT-Memphis will soon get what it needs to keep up in the facilities arm race at American medical schools.
The biomedical research park is going to be a key economic engine for Memphis in the years to come and a reinvigorated UT-Memphis will be a big part of that effort.
The University of Tennessee's medical school is here in Memphis. UT-Memphis is one of four medical schools in Tennessee along with Maherry and Vanderbilt in Nashville and East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. UT Memphis is hugely important to our region not only because of the doctors that it teaches but also because it is a major employer in the region and because of the biomedical research being performed there.
As important as it is to our region, UT Memphis' facilities have fallen behind the curve. The school needs an influx of cash and support. Help looks like it is on the way.
According to the Monday, April 7, 2008 Commercial Appeal, the Governor and key state legislators have recently toured the campus and have all come to the conclusion that capital funding for new buildings and for retrofits/upgrades is needed.
it doesn't look like there will be any help this year but the support of the Governor and key legislators is critical and a great sign that UT-Memphis will soon get what it needs to keep up in the facilities arm race at American medical schools.
The biomedical research park is going to be a key economic engine for Memphis in the years to come and a reinvigorated UT-Memphis will be a big part of that effort.
Tigers Finish a Record Breaking Year
Well frankly, it's taken me several days to be able to write about what happened Monday night in the National Championship Game. The Tigers fell short and lost to kansas. They were up by 9 with roughly 2 minutes to play and a perfect storm of Tiger errors and remarkable kansas play allowed Kansas to tie the game and send it to overtime. Kansas pulled away in the overtime.
As hard as that loss was, we should all keep this season in some perspective. The Tigers were the national runner up. Every team in the country save for one would switch places with them. Along the way the Tigers set the record for most wins in a single season (38). They tied the record for most wins over a three year period (103). Chris Douglas Roberts ("CDR") was a first team All-American. Derrick Rose was a third-team All-American. Coach Calipari won the National Naismith Coach of the Year award.
Years from now this game will hurt. Years from now we'll all realize what a great run the Tigers had. Oh by the way, the Tigers look to have a top 10 and possibly top 5 recruiting class coming in next year. Hope springs eternal.
As hard as that loss was, we should all keep this season in some perspective. The Tigers were the national runner up. Every team in the country save for one would switch places with them. Along the way the Tigers set the record for most wins in a single season (38). They tied the record for most wins over a three year period (103). Chris Douglas Roberts ("CDR") was a first team All-American. Derrick Rose was a third-team All-American. Coach Calipari won the National Naismith Coach of the Year award.
Years from now this game will hurt. Years from now we'll all realize what a great run the Tigers had. Oh by the way, the Tigers look to have a top 10 and possibly top 5 recruiting class coming in next year. Hope springs eternal.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Memphis is Buzzing for the Tigers
The Memphis Tigers continued their torrid march to a national championship over the weekend with a drubbing in the national semifinals. Memphis easily beat UCLA and frankly made them look bad. Kansas surprised North Carolina to make it to the Championship Game against Memphis.
Everywhere you go, there are a sea of blue Tiger car flags. People car windows are decorated. People are wearing Tiger gear. On the way to work this morning, people were driving around honking their horns.
The City is just absolutely buzzing with anticipation of a national championship. Kansas will be a really tough opponent but the Tigers are really tough as well.
It's hard to imagine just how crazy this town will be if the Tigers win it all.
Go Tigers! One more game!
Everywhere you go, there are a sea of blue Tiger car flags. People car windows are decorated. People are wearing Tiger gear. On the way to work this morning, people were driving around honking their horns.
The City is just absolutely buzzing with anticipation of a national championship. Kansas will be a really tough opponent but the Tigers are really tough as well.
It's hard to imagine just how crazy this town will be if the Tigers win it all.
Go Tigers! One more game!
Joel Osteen Prays for Memphis
Joel Osteen and the ministry team from Lakewood Church held a prayer service at FedEx Forum last night. There were 10,000 plus that were there. It was beautiful to see the cross section of our city and region come together to worship the Lord and come together as a people of hope. Osteen is the new Billy Graham, at least in my opinion. The whole event was phenomenal. It was special to be in such a large place with blacks and whites, young and old, rich and poor all there together for a common purpose.
In addition to preaching a message of hope through change, Osteen prayed for our city. Every bit helps!
In addition to preaching a message of hope through change, Osteen prayed for our city. Every bit helps!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Here's the Entire Mountaintop Speech
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his death, I thought I'd reprint the entire Mountaintop Speech that Dr. King gave on the night of April 3 - the last speech he ever gave. It was a stormy rainy night that night and a large crowd was gathered at the Mason Temple to hear Dr. King speak. Dr. King was ill and didn't want to go but was encouraged to do so by his advisers. Thank God they did that and thank God he gave this speech:
"Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about. It's always good to have your closest friend and associate say something good about you. And Ralph is the best friend that I have in the world.
I'm delighted to see each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world.
As you know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of general and panoramic view of the whole human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?" — I would take my mental flight by Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't stop there. I would move on by Greece, and take my mind to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality.
But I wouldn't stop there. I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments around there, through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the day of the Renaissance, and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and esthetic life of man. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even go by the way that the man for whom I'm named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther as he tacked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church in Wittenberg.
But I wouldn't stop there. I would come on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating president by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the early thirties, and see a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with an eloquent cry that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
But I wouldn't stop there. Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, "If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy." Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a away that men, in some strange way, are responding — something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the cry is always the same — "We want to be free."
And another reason that I'm happy to live in this period is that we have been forced to a point where we're going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demand didn't force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it's nonviolence or nonexistence.
That is where we are today. And also in the human rights revolution, if something isn't done, and in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now, I'm just happy that God has allowed me to live in this period, to see what is unfolding. And I'm happy that He's allowed me to be in Memphis.
I can remember, I can remember when Negroes were just going around as Ralph has said, so often, scratching where they didn't itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. But that day is all over. We mean business now, and we are determined to gain our rightful place in God's world.
And that's all this whole thing is about. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live.
Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the salves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.
Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That's always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn't get around to that.
Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That's the issue. And we've got to say to the nation: we know it's coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.
We aren't going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don't know what to do, I've seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me round." Bull Connor next would say, "Turn the fire hoses on." And as I said to you the other night, Bull Connor didn't know history. He knew a kind of physics that somehow didn't relate to the transphysics that we knew about. And that was the fact that there was a certain kind of fire that no water could put out. And we went before the fire hoses; we had known water. If we were Baptist or some other denomination, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew water.
That couldn't stop us. And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we'd go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and we'd just go on singing "Over my head I see freedom in the air." And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, "Take them off," and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, "We Shall Overcome." And every now and then we'd get in the jail, and we'd see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn't adjust to; and so we ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham.
Now we've got to go on to Memphis just like that. I call upon you to be with us Monday. Now about injunctions: We have an injunction and we're going into court tomorrow morning to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, "Be true to what you said on paper." If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.
We need all of you. And you know what's beautiful tome, is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. It's a marvelous picture. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and say, "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor."
And I want to commend the preachers, under the leadership of these noble men: James Lawson, one who has been in this struggle for many years; he's been to jail for struggling; but he's still going on, fighting for the rights of his people. Rev. Ralph Jackson, Billy Kiles; I could just go right on down the list, but time will not permit. But I want to thank them all. And I want you to thank them, because so often, preachers aren't concerned about anything but themselves. And I'm always happy to see a relevant ministry.
It's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.
Now the other thing we'll have to do is this: Always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now, we are poor people, individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively we are richer than all the nations in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that? After you leave the United States, Soviet Russia, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and I could name the others, the Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That's power right there, if we know how to pool it.
We don't have to argue with anybody. We don't have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don't need any bricks and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cocktails, we just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you."
And so, as a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy—what is the other bread?—Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart's bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must kind of redistribute the pain. We are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying, they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right.
But not only that, we've got to strengthen black institutions. I call upon you to take your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your money in Tri-State Bank—we want a "bank-in" movement in Memphis. So go by the savings and loan association. I'm not asking you something we don't do ourselves at SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell you that we have an account here in the savings and loan association from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We're just telling you to follow what we're doing. Put your money there. You have six or seven black insurance companies in Memphis. Take out your insurance there. We want to have an "insurance-in."
Now these are some practical things we can do. We begin the process of building a greater economic base. And at the same time, we are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here.
Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. We've got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.
Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. One day a man came to Jesus; and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base. Now that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological debate. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous curve between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man, who fell among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They didn't stop to help him. And finally a man of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy. But with him, administering first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, this was the great man, because he had the capacity to project the "I" into the "thou," and to be concerned about his brother. Now you know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn't stop. At times we say they were busy going to church meetings—an ecclesiastical gathering—and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn't be late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that "One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body twenty-four hours before the ceremony." And every now and then we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jerusalem, or down to Jericho, rather to organize a "Jericho Road Improvement Association." That's a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged down with an individual effort.
But I'm going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It's possible that these men were afraid. You see, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I can see why Jesus used this as a setting for his parable." It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles, or rather 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. That's a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass." And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.
Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you.
You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther King?"
And I was looking down writing, and I said yes. And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that's punctured, you drown in your own blood—that's the end of you.
It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states, and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what the letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. It said simply, "Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School." She said, "While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I am a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I'm simply writing you to say that I'm so happy that you didn't sneeze."
And I want to say tonight, I want to say that I am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream. And taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to see the community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze.
And they were telling me, now it doesn't matter now. It really doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us, the pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night."
And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
Amazing speech!
"Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about. It's always good to have your closest friend and associate say something good about you. And Ralph is the best friend that I have in the world.
I'm delighted to see each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world.
As you know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of general and panoramic view of the whole human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?" — I would take my mental flight by Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't stop there. I would move on by Greece, and take my mind to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality.
But I wouldn't stop there. I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments around there, through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the day of the Renaissance, and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and esthetic life of man. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even go by the way that the man for whom I'm named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther as he tacked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church in Wittenberg.
But I wouldn't stop there. I would come on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating president by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the early thirties, and see a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with an eloquent cry that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
But I wouldn't stop there. Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, "If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy." Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a away that men, in some strange way, are responding — something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the cry is always the same — "We want to be free."
And another reason that I'm happy to live in this period is that we have been forced to a point where we're going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demand didn't force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it's nonviolence or nonexistence.
That is where we are today. And also in the human rights revolution, if something isn't done, and in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now, I'm just happy that God has allowed me to live in this period, to see what is unfolding. And I'm happy that He's allowed me to be in Memphis.
I can remember, I can remember when Negroes were just going around as Ralph has said, so often, scratching where they didn't itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. But that day is all over. We mean business now, and we are determined to gain our rightful place in God's world.
And that's all this whole thing is about. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live.
Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the salves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.
Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That's always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn't get around to that.
Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That's the issue. And we've got to say to the nation: we know it's coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.
We aren't going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don't know what to do, I've seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me round." Bull Connor next would say, "Turn the fire hoses on." And as I said to you the other night, Bull Connor didn't know history. He knew a kind of physics that somehow didn't relate to the transphysics that we knew about. And that was the fact that there was a certain kind of fire that no water could put out. And we went before the fire hoses; we had known water. If we were Baptist or some other denomination, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew water.
That couldn't stop us. And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we'd go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and we'd just go on singing "Over my head I see freedom in the air." And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, "Take them off," and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, "We Shall Overcome." And every now and then we'd get in the jail, and we'd see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn't adjust to; and so we ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham.
Now we've got to go on to Memphis just like that. I call upon you to be with us Monday. Now about injunctions: We have an injunction and we're going into court tomorrow morning to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, "Be true to what you said on paper." If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.
We need all of you. And you know what's beautiful tome, is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. It's a marvelous picture. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and say, "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor."
And I want to commend the preachers, under the leadership of these noble men: James Lawson, one who has been in this struggle for many years; he's been to jail for struggling; but he's still going on, fighting for the rights of his people. Rev. Ralph Jackson, Billy Kiles; I could just go right on down the list, but time will not permit. But I want to thank them all. And I want you to thank them, because so often, preachers aren't concerned about anything but themselves. And I'm always happy to see a relevant ministry.
It's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.
Now the other thing we'll have to do is this: Always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now, we are poor people, individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively we are richer than all the nations in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that? After you leave the United States, Soviet Russia, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and I could name the others, the Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That's power right there, if we know how to pool it.
We don't have to argue with anybody. We don't have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don't need any bricks and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cocktails, we just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you."
And so, as a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy—what is the other bread?—Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart's bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must kind of redistribute the pain. We are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying, they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right.
But not only that, we've got to strengthen black institutions. I call upon you to take your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your money in Tri-State Bank—we want a "bank-in" movement in Memphis. So go by the savings and loan association. I'm not asking you something we don't do ourselves at SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell you that we have an account here in the savings and loan association from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We're just telling you to follow what we're doing. Put your money there. You have six or seven black insurance companies in Memphis. Take out your insurance there. We want to have an "insurance-in."
Now these are some practical things we can do. We begin the process of building a greater economic base. And at the same time, we are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here.
Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. We've got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.
Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. One day a man came to Jesus; and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base. Now that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological debate. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous curve between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man, who fell among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They didn't stop to help him. And finally a man of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy. But with him, administering first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, this was the great man, because he had the capacity to project the "I" into the "thou," and to be concerned about his brother. Now you know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn't stop. At times we say they were busy going to church meetings—an ecclesiastical gathering—and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn't be late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that "One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body twenty-four hours before the ceremony." And every now and then we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jerusalem, or down to Jericho, rather to organize a "Jericho Road Improvement Association." That's a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged down with an individual effort.
But I'm going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It's possible that these men were afraid. You see, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I can see why Jesus used this as a setting for his parable." It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles, or rather 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. That's a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass." And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.
Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you.
You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther King?"
And I was looking down writing, and I said yes. And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that's punctured, you drown in your own blood—that's the end of you.
It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states, and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what the letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. It said simply, "Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School." She said, "While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I am a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I'm simply writing you to say that I'm so happy that you didn't sneeze."
And I want to say tonight, I want to say that I am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream. And taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to see the community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze.
And they were telling me, now it doesn't matter now. It really doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us, the pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night."
And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
Amazing speech!
Pride in the Name of Love
Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the assasination of Dr. Martin Luther King. It was an emotional day here in Memphis. Dignitaries including Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Al Sharpton, Tavis Smiley, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, Rev. Billy Kyles and many many others were here to mark the occassion. All of the major news networks in the country were here with live feeds. There was march from City Hall to the national Civil Rights Museum. It was a somber day. It was a holy day here.
What struck me the most is the realization that Dr. King was just 39 when he was murdered. I'm not that far off being 39. His wife and my wife would have been the same age. His children and my children would have been the same age. The sheer thought of all that he did in 39 years and the profound difference he made in all our lives is amazing. That thought really spurred me to do more. We can always do more.
The Dreamer may be dead but his Dream - our Dream - very much lives on. To me the Dream is like Christianity. We're called to be perfect to be Christlike but we know we'll never quite get there. That doesn't stop us from striving to iprove. it doesn't stop us from recognizing that we've failed or fallen short and getting up and recommitting ourselves to living the Christian life. The Dream is the same way. We may not get there 100% ever but we can keep striving to get there. Where we have fallen, we can recognize that we've fallen short and get back and redouble efforts to achieve the Dream. After all, isn't that what Christ called and calls us to do - to love thy neighbor as ourselves. Isn't that what Dr. King called us to do? The road may be rough. It may be uncomfortable but it's what we're called to do - to form that more perfect union.
In addition to reflecting on Dr. King's life and the impact it's had on me (even though I wasn't even born yet when he was killed), I also reflected on just how far we've come. There is good news.
It would have been absolutely inconceivable in 1968 that the Mayors of Memphis (Dr. Herenton) and Shelby County (AC Wharton) would be African American men. It would not have been possible for the Speaker Pro Tempore of the State House to be a black woman from Memphis (Lois DeBerry). Men like Melvin Burgess would have never been the head of the Memphis police department. The University of Memphis would not have had a woman (Dr. Raines) as its president and there would not have been anywhere near the numbers of African Americans or women who were going to school there. An African American (Larry Finch) would have never been the head basketball coach at the University of Memphis. The heads of the Memphis School Board or the Memphis City School Superintendants would have never been African American. Men like Stanley Cates or Elliot Perry would have never had the kind of money to have an ownership interest in a pro sports team. A majority of the City Council would not have been African American. Many of our judges would not have been African American. Memphis would not have been named one of the best places for black owned businesses as it was recently.
We've come so far in the 40 years since Dr. King's tragic and sad assassination. We can't lose sight of that. We can't forget the remarkable progres that we've made. We also can't lose sight of the fact that the road to true equality and to the Dream is long and steep at times and we've come many miles but we have more to go. Saying we have more to go doesn't denegrate just how far we've come. It's just reality and a recognition of the perfect nature of the Dream.
The night before he was murdered, Dr. King gave his famous Mountaintop speech at the Mason Temple. In it he said, that we as a people would reach the promised land. I sure hope that he's right but until we get there we all have to keep on marching in that direction. The Isrealites were lost in the desert for 40 years before they found the promised land. Maybe the forty years since Dr. King's death have been our time in the wilderness and we'll soon the promised land.
The last thing that I thought about this 40th anniversary is that we are so lucky to have the National Civil Rights Museum here. If you haven't been there, you need to do so. It's truly holy ground and will touch your soul.
What struck me the most is the realization that Dr. King was just 39 when he was murdered. I'm not that far off being 39. His wife and my wife would have been the same age. His children and my children would have been the same age. The sheer thought of all that he did in 39 years and the profound difference he made in all our lives is amazing. That thought really spurred me to do more. We can always do more.
The Dreamer may be dead but his Dream - our Dream - very much lives on. To me the Dream is like Christianity. We're called to be perfect to be Christlike but we know we'll never quite get there. That doesn't stop us from striving to iprove. it doesn't stop us from recognizing that we've failed or fallen short and getting up and recommitting ourselves to living the Christian life. The Dream is the same way. We may not get there 100% ever but we can keep striving to get there. Where we have fallen, we can recognize that we've fallen short and get back and redouble efforts to achieve the Dream. After all, isn't that what Christ called and calls us to do - to love thy neighbor as ourselves. Isn't that what Dr. King called us to do? The road may be rough. It may be uncomfortable but it's what we're called to do - to form that more perfect union.
In addition to reflecting on Dr. King's life and the impact it's had on me (even though I wasn't even born yet when he was killed), I also reflected on just how far we've come. There is good news.
It would have been absolutely inconceivable in 1968 that the Mayors of Memphis (Dr. Herenton) and Shelby County (AC Wharton) would be African American men. It would not have been possible for the Speaker Pro Tempore of the State House to be a black woman from Memphis (Lois DeBerry). Men like Melvin Burgess would have never been the head of the Memphis police department. The University of Memphis would not have had a woman (Dr. Raines) as its president and there would not have been anywhere near the numbers of African Americans or women who were going to school there. An African American (Larry Finch) would have never been the head basketball coach at the University of Memphis. The heads of the Memphis School Board or the Memphis City School Superintendants would have never been African American. Men like Stanley Cates or Elliot Perry would have never had the kind of money to have an ownership interest in a pro sports team. A majority of the City Council would not have been African American. Many of our judges would not have been African American. Memphis would not have been named one of the best places for black owned businesses as it was recently.
We've come so far in the 40 years since Dr. King's tragic and sad assassination. We can't lose sight of that. We can't forget the remarkable progres that we've made. We also can't lose sight of the fact that the road to true equality and to the Dream is long and steep at times and we've come many miles but we have more to go. Saying we have more to go doesn't denegrate just how far we've come. It's just reality and a recognition of the perfect nature of the Dream.
The night before he was murdered, Dr. King gave his famous Mountaintop speech at the Mason Temple. In it he said, that we as a people would reach the promised land. I sure hope that he's right but until we get there we all have to keep on marching in that direction. The Isrealites were lost in the desert for 40 years before they found the promised land. Maybe the forty years since Dr. King's death have been our time in the wilderness and we'll soon the promised land.
The last thing that I thought about this 40th anniversary is that we are so lucky to have the National Civil Rights Museum here. If you haven't been there, you need to do so. It's truly holy ground and will touch your soul.
Greg Davis Wins Republican Primary
When Trent Lott announced his retirement, it set off a chain reaction of events that might just wind up benefiting Memphis. Lott retired. Roger Wicker, the Congressman from the First Congressional District of Memphis was appointed to fill Lott's vacant seat. That meant that Wicker's First Congressional District seat came open. The First Congressional District is a solidly Republican district. In a recent series of elections Southaven Mayor Greg Davis won the Republican nomination over former Tupelo Mayor and Chairman of the TVA Glenn McCullough. Now I don't think Greg Davis has any special warm spot in his heart for Memphis. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that he probably doesn't like Memphi all that much. However, having the First Congressional seat in our Metro area has got to be a positive thing for the whole area. Glenn McCullough would undoubtedly have focused more of his time, attention and pork on Tupelo and Northeast Mississippi. Greg Davis will certainly do his best to help that part of the state but he'll always be looking out for his home base, DeSoto County. If we can work with him to help him see that the best way to protect DeSoto County and the First Congressional District is to help Memphis solve its problems here before they get exported there, then he might just be an ally and an asset to our city and to our region. Having another Congressman here in the memphis area should also help insure that we maintain great air service out of Memphis International. So Greg Davis potentially winning that seat is a good thing for the First Congressional District and for Memphis.
Davis will face Travis Childers in the elction in the fall. Childers actually obtained more votes than Davis in the primaries but some of that might have been the Barak Obama effect. It's possible that Childers could win in the fall if a simial phenomenon happened but I doubt it. Things look good for Greg Davis.
Between then and now there will be another election to fill the vacancy in the seat until the election in the fall. That particular election might jut be interesting because there has to be voter fatigue in the first district with there just having been two special elections in the span of 45 days.
Best wishes to Greg Davis. I hope that you get elected and that you'll keep an open mind and ear to ways that you can help the first district by helping Memphis.
Davis will face Travis Childers in the elction in the fall. Childers actually obtained more votes than Davis in the primaries but some of that might have been the Barak Obama effect. It's possible that Childers could win in the fall if a simial phenomenon happened but I doubt it. Things look good for Greg Davis.
Between then and now there will be another election to fill the vacancy in the seat until the election in the fall. That particular election might jut be interesting because there has to be voter fatigue in the first district with there just having been two special elections in the span of 45 days.
Best wishes to Greg Davis. I hope that you get elected and that you'll keep an open mind and ear to ways that you can help the first district by helping Memphis.
21 Memphians Make the Business TN Power 100
Business TN magazine recently published its fifth annual list of the 100 most powerful and influential people in Tennessee. 21 Memphians made that list including:
97. William B. Dunavant, President & CEO of Dunavant Enterprises
94. Arnold Perl, Chairman Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
90. Bishop William H. Graves, Senier Bishop CME Church & TVA Board
88. Brad Martin, Chairman RBM Venture Co.
87. John Moses, CEO ALSAC
74. William C. Rhodes, President & CEO AutoZone
72. O. Mason Hawkins, Chairman & CEO Southeastern Asset Management
65. Gary Shorb, President & CEO Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare
63. Michael Rose, Chairman, First Horizon Corp. (First Tennessee)
62. G. Stanley Cates, President Southeastern Asset Management
61. William E. Evans, Director & CEO St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
56. Steve Reynolds, President & CEO Baptist Hospital
53. Barbara Hyde, Philanthropist
52. Lois DeBerry, House Speaker Pro Tempore
51. Phil Trenary, President & CEO Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
37. Dr. Shirley Raines, President University of Memphis
30. AC Wharton, Mayor of Shelby County
27. John Faraci, Chairman & CEO International Paper
8. Dr. Willie Herenton, Mayor (for now) of Memphis
3. Fred Smith, Founder, Chairman & CEO Federal Express
2. Pitt Hyde, Chairman & CEO Hyde Family Foundations
It's hard to argue with the list and we certainly are proud of all of the Memphians for the difference they are making in our city, our region and our state on a daily basis. Some of these people even have national and global influence (Fred Smith and the St. Jude people for example).
Business TN is a fantastic business publication. For the full list and many great articles about business and the business community in Tennessee check out Business TN.
97. William B. Dunavant, President & CEO of Dunavant Enterprises
94. Arnold Perl, Chairman Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
90. Bishop William H. Graves, Senier Bishop CME Church & TVA Board
88. Brad Martin, Chairman RBM Venture Co.
87. John Moses, CEO ALSAC
74. William C. Rhodes, President & CEO AutoZone
72. O. Mason Hawkins, Chairman & CEO Southeastern Asset Management
65. Gary Shorb, President & CEO Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare
63. Michael Rose, Chairman, First Horizon Corp. (First Tennessee)
62. G. Stanley Cates, President Southeastern Asset Management
61. William E. Evans, Director & CEO St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
56. Steve Reynolds, President & CEO Baptist Hospital
53. Barbara Hyde, Philanthropist
52. Lois DeBerry, House Speaker Pro Tempore
51. Phil Trenary, President & CEO Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
37. Dr. Shirley Raines, President University of Memphis
30. AC Wharton, Mayor of Shelby County
27. John Faraci, Chairman & CEO International Paper
8. Dr. Willie Herenton, Mayor (for now) of Memphis
3. Fred Smith, Founder, Chairman & CEO Federal Express
2. Pitt Hyde, Chairman & CEO Hyde Family Foundations
It's hard to argue with the list and we certainly are proud of all of the Memphians for the difference they are making in our city, our region and our state on a daily basis. Some of these people even have national and global influence (Fred Smith and the St. Jude people for example).
Business TN is a fantastic business publication. For the full list and many great articles about business and the business community in Tennessee check out Business TN.
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