Archives for September 2011

Sign up today to learn the essential skills of grassroots community organizing. The course begins September 15th and continues the following 7 Thursdays from 6-8:15 at First Congregational Church. Topics covered include: Intro to Organizing, Campaign Planning, Facilitation, Organizing your Community, Media, Transforming Conflict, and Direct Action.

The wonderful facilitators for this training, along with other community trainers, completed the weekend long Training for Social Action Trainers facilitated by the national training organization Training for Change last

month. Members of Workers Interfaith Network, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, BRIDGES, AFSCME, Memphis Center for Independent Living, and the Mid South Peace and Justice Center attended. This training taught many of the tools that we’ll be using in the Core Organizer Training, and we learned to teach them in a fully experiential, interactive way. This method of education is based in popular education which focuses on bringing out the expertise that we all already have within and takes away significance in difference between “teacher” and “student”. We are all teachers and students who will learn magnitudes from each other.

If you’re interested in learning more or would like to share this opportunity with a friend, please click here and sign up today!

The 2011 Gandhi-King Conference will occur at Christian Brothers University on October 21-23. This year’s conference is being co-presented with the Peace and Justice Studies Association, which will draw an even larger national audience.

We are very excited to begin the conference weekend Thursday evening with a concert with political singer/songwriter David Rovics. Rovics has been called “the musical version of Democracy Now!” by the show’s host, Amy Goodman. While David tours across the country and around the world, he’s never played in Memphis before, and we’re thrilled to bring his songs and ideas to our community. Check the conference website soon to get details on the concert location and time.

We’re also thrilled to bring some of the highest caliber speakers to Memphis to date. Nipun Mehta and Pancho Ramos-Stierle will open the conference at 11am on Friday October 21st with an address to both the youth conference and regular attendees. Dr. Clayborne Carson of the King Center in Stanford will address the conference Friday evening followed by a viewing and discussion with the Director of the film, Little Town of Bethlehem. David Bacon opens the conference Saturday morning, and we are thrilled to be offering simultaneous Spanish translation for Dolores Huerta’s address Saturday afternoon.

If you’d like to purchase exhibit space at the conference or are interested in being a sponsor or placing an ad in the program booklet, please email allison@midsouthpeace.org.

If you haven’t already, please register now for the conference here and we look forward to seeing you at GKC!

Over ten years ago, in 2001, the Peace and Justice Center created a community garden at the corner of Douglass and Hamilton Street in Orange Mound.  While neighbors and volunteers were planting seeds for okra, cucumbers and melons, they were also planting the seeds of GrowMemphis.  In 2007, with support from Heifer International and the Assisi Foundation, the GrowMemphis program was officially launched.

Now, four years later, GrowMemphis includes a neighborhood community garden program with a network of 25 organic garden projects all over the city, a Food Advisory Working Group that has already begun influencing public policy in Memphis, Shelby County and the state of Tennessee, and the Double Green$ SNAP incentive program that increases revenue for farmers while making farm-fresh produce more affordable for recipients of federal nutrition benefits.

Due to the growth in programming and scope, the Peace and Justice Center has been working to spin off GrowMemphis as an independent non-profit organization.

These preparations have included developing an independent board of directors, business and strategic planning, and filing for tax-exempt status.  The Peace and Justice Center will continue to support GrowMemphis through providing office space and resources while the new organization finds its feet and becomes financially sustainable.

Now, as part of the transition process, GrowMemphis is seeking to hire an Executive Director to take the reins of the new organization.  This exciting full-time position will start January 1st, 2012.  We are seeking applicants who are passionate about community food systems and have the skills and abilities to take a leadership role in program development and management, fundraising and financial management, and networking and relationship building to take GrowMemphis to the next level.  For a full job description and details about how to apply, please visit www.growmemphis.org.

Josephine Alexander, having served as program coordinator for over three years, plans to leave GrowMemphis as the end of the year to pursue her dream of farming full-time.  She and her husband, Randy, are starting a vegetable farm in north Mississippi and will be selling produce in Memphis through farmers markets and their Community Supported Agriculture.  Josephine plans to stay engaged with GrowMemphis and the Peace and Justice Center.

PEOPLE FIRST is an MSPJC supported partnership with residents and activists working in the Binghampton community to raise voter turn out during elections and assist in long term resident-driven grassroots community organizing after the elections end.

For the past month groups of activists and Binghampton residents have been canvassing door to door ,talking with residents and neighbors about the issues that they care about.

This Saturday, Sept 10, People First is hosting a Community Forum for candidates in the City Council District Nine Position 1 race. Both City Councilman Kemp Conrad and Candidate Paul Shaffer have been invited to attend. Both candidates are invited to participate in a forum where the majority of the speaking will be done by voters sharing their concerns and their desires for their community. We do so hope you all will attend this first step in an ongoing and sustained grassroots effort in Binghampton.

People First Candidate Forum

We are inviting District 9 candidates to participate in a community forum where Memphians can share their experiences, concerns, and questions with those who are interested in representing us on the City Council.

We want our neighborhoods to set the agenda for city government, and candidates will have an opportunity to pledge their support for the People’s Agenda an agenda that puts the People First!

We know that you are working hard to ensure that your neighborhoods are healthy, thriving communities, but you don’t have to do it alone.

Join the Neighborhood Alliance to work with others who are advocating, organizing and promoting legislation and policies to improve the quality of life in all our neighborhoods. Working as a team, we can make a difference!

All alliance meetings are on the last two Mondays of each month. The planning and agenda-setting meeting is meant to build the Alliance and decide what form the Alliance will take and what issues will be its focus. Our second meeting is an open-to-the-public workshop on building the skills needed to help your organization grow and thrive.

Planning and Agenda Setting Meeting


Monday, September 19th  at 6 p.m.

Topic: Join our working group to build a consensus agenda across neighborhoods for the improvement of all our communities. Updates on new projects for grassroots organizing in Binghamton and Messick

Organizing Your Community Workshop


Monday, September 26th at 6 p.m.

Topic: (Part 3) GET OUT THE VOTE (GOTV) workshop-GOTV operations and how your neighborhood association can be a player in city elections.

Location: Mid–South Peace and Justice Center Offices • 1000 South Cooper • North side rear entrance of First Congo • Look for MSPJC sign next to bright red doors.

Questions? Contact Brad Watkins at brad@midsouthpeace.org or 901-725-4990.