Archives for April 2018

Last week the Juvenile Justice Project was invited to work with student activists leading the school walkouts in response to gun violence. They wanted to spread knowledge to their peers on a range of issues relating to non-violence, sexual assault, voter registration, and more! We conducted a Know Your Rights Workshop with these organizers and gave them scripts to help prepare them for National Walkout Day.

Most of us, even us “woke” folks, have been well schooled on what we think our rights are when it comes to encounters with police officers. Cop dramas and movies have informed many of our beliefs about the way police interact with the public, and often this has shaped the way we engage with law enforcement in real life either consciously or unconsciously.

To help clear up these misconceptions, our unique workshops use interactive theatre to educate young people about their rights and how to better communicate with law enforcement. Participants become the actors playing out real-life scenarios without the real-life consequences of an encounter law enforcement. We run these workshops for free and we’ll come to you. We love visiting schools, youth groups, clubs, etc.  We are also always looking to train students on how to conduct these workshops and will happily train you.

We are currently in the process of setting up our Summer Know Your Rights Workshops. We will be at community centers, summer camps, church groups, and more. Contact Faith Pollan at faith@midsouthpeace.org or at the office at 901-725-4990 to schedule a workshop today!

In Solidarity,

The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center

StreetWise INK is Memphis’ only T-Shirt Screen Printing Workers-Cooperative that is organized and operated exclusively by individuals with experiences of homelessness. We provide high-quality, custom, screen printed t-shirts for a variety of needs. Individuals who have experience or training in screen printing are able to subsidize their income by working with StreetWise INK as well as to hopefully gain skills of the industry, and possibly become potential member-owners after incorporation.

As you may know, StreetWise INK was invited to attend COOPECON 2018 over the weekend. Two of our members, two potential members, and one of our Advisory Board candidates had an excellent weekend while learning from and connecting with amazing leaders in the cooperative movement from across the South. We got to meet Ed Whitfield, Co-Managing Director with Fund for Democratic Communities, and the rest of their brilliant staff. We spent time with representatives and workers of multiple cooperative collectives, agencies, and organizations. We also got to skype in with Douglas O’Brien, President and CEO of National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International and attended break out groups with people like Esteban Kelly, Executive Director of United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives and talked about training possibilities with Melissa Hoover, Executive Director of Democracy at Work Institute.  The New Economy Coalition in St. Louis invited StreetWise INK members to attend the upcoming 2018 Worker Cooperative National Conference in L.A., Common Bound 2018, AND we found out about Opportunity Threads’ amazing work. All this in one weekend!

We also had the great pleasure to enjoy music from Alabama Blues Hall of Famer and founder of Black Belt Roots Blues Festival, Clarence “Bluesman” Davis, with the unbelievable harmonica player, Jock Webb Sr, and Ed Whitfield himself on bass.

Maybe the best part though, was getting a chance to be recharge and get encouraged, informed, and inspired for the next phases of our journey! We met so many beautiful and dedicated people that we’ll probably need to write a book one day. But for now, let us send out a huge StreetWise IINK thanks to everyone we met, and everyone who helped get us there and home again! We are so excited to put everything we learned into action! THANK YOU!

Check out this video to learn about the history of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives from Wendell Paris.

Support StreetWise INK!  If you have experience, resources, or skills you think might be helpful to StreetWise in any way, we appreciate all the ways people wish to contribute. We’re currently seeking people with screen printing skills they’d like to teach as well as individuals who are experienced in worker-cooperative business ownership and management to volunteer for whatever amount of time you have to offer. We gladly accept all donations, as your support is what keeps the free trainings free.

NEED SHIRTS??

****For Custom Order Inquiries, please fill out our Price Quote Form****

Follow us on Twitter & Facebook and send us an email at streetwise@midsouthpeace.org  if you have any questions.

StreetWise INK is a proud Community Coop Partner with Democracy at Work!

A good facilitator can make the difference between an exciting and productive meeting or planning session, and one that nobody wants to come back to.

In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to go through the characteristics of a good Facilitator and basic tools for an effective facilitation, as a warm up for practicing facilitation skills when disruption happens based on participants real experiences.

Date: Thursday, May 24th

Time: 6p.m. – 8:30p.m. Please, be on time.

Location: 1350 Concourse Ave, Suite 451, Memphis, TN 38104 – A Step Ahead Foundation.

Free parking in the Crosstown Concourse parking garage. Use main entrance, take elevator to 4th floor. Follow signs for A Step Ahead Foundation.

*Limited to the first 12 people who register.

Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.

REGISTER HERE

Registration online or by phone is required to attend.

More information

———–

Grassroots Organizer Training for Power (GOT Power), Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s training program, is committed to building our community’s capacity through building skills in grassroots organizing, providing support to people doing community work and offering oppression awareness and liberation education.
Our method of education is Popular and Direct Education. Direct education means education that directly confronts and challenges the current system of injustice, which includes traditional education. Rather than traditional education, which gives all the expertise to textbooks and teachers, Direct Education invites the expertise of the people themselves. Direct Education is about liberation and empowerment — going to the direct source of wisdom: the community itself!

Please contact us to get more information and schedule a training in your group or community. Fees are negotiable, scholarships are available and donations for scholarships are greatly appreciated.

Trainings can be designed specifically for established groups, organizations, campaigns, coalitions, etc. Comprehensive weekend workshops on specific organizing skill sets, issue or community-specific formats are available.

Trainings in Spanish are also available. All trainings are offered in English or Spanish as requested. We work and collaborate with bilingual trainers and facilitators.

G.O.T Poder – Entrenamientos en Español

For more information visit G.O.T.Power or write to GotPower@midsouthpeace.org

 ≈• Please Let Us Know What You Think ≈•

The Training Department of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center (G.O.T. Power) would like to hear from the movement community. We want to know what you think about us and how we could better support your work or group! Please take a couple minutes to complete this short survey. This survey is for everyone, whether you have attended a workshop or not! Feel free to list your name or remain anonymous.

G.O.T Power Survey

Mid-South Peace & Justice Center has been working with Whole Child Strategies to equip neighborhood stakeholders in Klondike-Smokey City, North Memphis with the tools to organize a grassroots neighborhood council that advocates for the needs residents have identified in their community. For example, chronic absenteeism and exclusionary discipline practices are common barriers to a child’s likelihood of graduation and educational success.

To divide the work and move towards solutions, new working committees are being launched tasked with developing strategies to address these issues. So far, there are 4 committees; Transportation; Community, Parental, & School Support; Mental Health & Wellbeing; and Crime & Safety. As the neighborhood meetings and work continue,  meeting participants may create and dissolve committees as they deem helpful and appropriate in making sure KSC and everyone connected to the neighborhood thrive!

The next KSC Neighborhood Council Meeting is April 19, 2018 at 5:00 pm at Dave Wells Community Center. Join us, and learn more about the working committees, and learn how you can be a part of the change you want to see in Klondike Smokey City, North Memphis!

The KSC has a Neighborhood Council meeting every month. Keep an eye out in the newsletter for more information about the project and upcoming meeting dates. If you have any questions, or you’re interested in joining our work, contact organizer, Cassandra M. Smith at cassandra@midsouthpeace.org.

Last week, the Juvenile Justice Project had the opportunity to talk with students at Belle Forest Community School and City University School. On Wednesday, we spoke to several 4th grade classes about the Juvenile Justice Project and other program areas of MSPJC. The students had very thoughtful questions on homelessness issues, community organizing, and how they could help make our city a better place for everyone. Thursday, we went to City University School for their service fair and met with teens interested in learning more about criminal justice reform and taking direct action around issues in their communities. Many were interested in volunteering with MSPJC over the summer. We have a lot of opportunities for canvassing, meeting with lawmakers, conducting Know Your Rights Theatre Workshops, and serving on the Youth Council. The JJP Youth Council is an exciting opportunity for students to come together and organize around issues directly affecting them. They will present these issues and initiatives for change to partners of the Juvenile Justice Project in order to coordinate targeted community service projects. We look forward to a busy summer!

This week, we are proud to be working with teens all over Memphis in preparation for National School Walkout Day. This Thursday, students across the nation will be walking out of school in solidarity with Parkland School students in Florida. Young people in our city are using this time to educate each other on criminal justice reform and other areas of activism so that they can come together to make lasting, systemic change in Memphis. We are so proud to have been invited to work with these motivated young people.

The JJP is working with Juvenile Court to build networks of churches and organizations to address our high number of youth with unserved court-ordered community service and the shortage places for them to complete those hours, specifically in the areas of Hickory Hill & Bartlett. Studies continue to show that punitive measures often lead to continued entanglement with the criminal justice system, as opposed to more rehabilitative & restorative opportunities. MSPJC is guided by the idea that those most affected by the issues facing our communities must be involved in developing solutions to these problems. We believe that youth are the solution–not the problem, so we work with them to find transformative opportunities to fulfill their hours in their own neighborhoods. Help us build a better Memphis and partner with our youth!

For more information or to become a JJP Service Site Partner, contact Faith Pollan, (901) 725.4990 or faith@midsouthpeace.org

StreetWise INK is Memphis’ only T-Shirt Screen Printing Workers-Cooperative that is organized and operated exclusively by individuals with experiences of homelessness. We provide high-quality, custom, hand printed t-shirts for a variety of needs. Individuals who have experience or training in screen-printing are able to subsidize their income by working with StreetWise INK as well as to hopefully gain skills of the industry, and possibly become potential member-owners after incorporation.

We Had You Covered This Weekend at the Healthy Memphis Festival at Railgarten! StreetWise INK has been tabling at   events, selling our new T-shirt designs to fundraise our way to COOPECON 2018 in Alabama this weekend for a training in   Cooperative Business. We have several sweet new prints that will be available for a suggested donation of $20 or more at   MSPJC for folks who couldn’t make it out Saturday. (Call first to see if we have the sizes in the designs you want before   swinging by.)

 Get Wise With StreetWise INK Community Trainings! MSPJC has been hosting free screen printing and cooperative   business trainings for people with experiences of homelessness every other Saturday for the past few months. While we’re   learning more this weekend at COOPECON, the regularly scheduled Saturday trainings will be postponed, as the materials   are being updated and times and dates rescheduled to better serve our community by being more accessible to people with   transportation obstacles and other barriers. Keep an eye on our Facebook for updates on future training dates!

Support StreetWise INK! We’re extremely grateful to everyone who has been interested in joining our Advisory Board! If you have certain skills you think might be helpful to StreetWise or even just want to help our Advisory Board from time to time, we truly appreciate whatever way people can contribute. We’re currently seeking people with screen printing skills they’d like to teach and individuals who are experienced in business ownership and management to volunteer for whatever amount of time you have to offer to help us expand our skills and base.

We gladly accept all donations, as your support is what keeps the free trainings free, and us too. Thank you.

NEED SHIRTS??

****For Custom Order Inquiries, please fill out our Price Quote Form****

Follow us on Twitter & Facebook and send us an email at streetwise@midsouthpeace.org  if you have any questions.

StreetWise INK is a proud Community Coop Partner with Democracy at Work!

The Memphis Bus Riders Union is a grassroots organization fighting for accessible, affordable, and equitable public transit in our city. Our members are people who depend on MATA and supporters, and our work is essential for highlighting the racism and classism present in Memphis’ grossly inadequate bus system. 

Greetings, transit warriors! Thanks to everyone who came out to our 6th Anniversary Fundraiser this past Saturday! We had a great time celebrating with you. We cut a cake, watched some short films, and talked to folks about our hard-fought victory in the 31 Crosstown campaign. We also recognized three of our rank-and-file members with the Freedom Rider Award for their dedication and service to our group. Thanks so much to Nancy Balazadeh, Dorothy Conner, and Michael Krause for all your hard work!

If you weren’t able to come but still want to support our work, please consider donating at www.midsouthpeace.org/mbru!  We have a small budget that depends on monthly dues from our dedicated members. Your donation helps us do outreach, transport riders to important meetings, and campaign for the services we need most.

Also, Memphis 3.0 has just released a new stage of their transit vision! This transit vision is meant to be a long-term plan for developing MATA. Recently, the Memphis 3.0 team released a draft map that shows what things could look like if we invested millions of new dollars in making bus routes more frequent. We want to make sure that the voices of riders are heard throughout this process–so look at the map here and give them your feedback!

Finally, MBRU members will be watching Mayor Strickland’s budget proposal on April 24th at City Hall. In 2016, MBRU and the ATU Local 713 (which represents MATA drivers, mechanics, and information specialists) lobbied the Mayor to add $7.5 million to MATA’s yearly budget. This was a good start, but not enough. We need the City of Memphis to commit to significantly investing in MATA, so that MATA has the resources to give Memphis riders the service they need. Let’s make transit a priority!

—–

MBRU holds meetings on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 12-2 PM. Our next meeting is May 12 at the Gaston Community Center in South Memphis. If you have any questions, or you’re interested in joining our work, contact organizer Justin Davis at justin@midsouthpeace.org. And follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see more updates!

 

H.O.P.E. (Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality) will erect Tent City at Morris Park (747 Poplar Avenue) on Saturday, May 5, 2018.  The National Low-Income Housing Coalition is planning a National Housing Week of Action to bring awareness affordable housing for low-income recipient, May 1-8, 2018. H.O.P.E is joining the fight! H.O.P.E’s Tent City will dramatize the plight of Memphis’ most vulnerable residents,  and call on local officials to do more to address Memphis’ growing housing crisis.

At 2PM, we’ll begin with a rally, then there will be a community cookout, and to finish the evening, there will be a movie. H.O.P.E would like to make sure that this event serves our community and those directly affected by homelessness, so we chose Morris Park on Poplar Ave, where hundreds of those without homes, and those made poor by an unjust economic system,come in search of a meal on any given Saturday, provided by area churches.

How can the community help?  We’re looking for tents, as well as a donations of bottled water and snacks for the actual day.  We also need monetary donations to purchase National Low Income Housing Coalition’s stickers and t-shirts to wear In addition, we need volunteers to pass out snacks and to help with sign making.  If you can donate to H.O.P.E.’s Tent City or volunteer, please contact Tamara by cell at (901) 254-5964 or by email at tamara@midsoutheace.org.

Link to Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/165114327487739/ 

Feed the Movement!

One of the ways we learn about the needs of the homeless community and strategize around ways to best support one another, is through our weekly Wednesday meetings in which we invite people experiencing homelessness to fellowship, share, and brainstorm.For many groups and organizations offering free food at meetings is a plus for their attendees, but for H.O.P.E. it is a necessity due to the fact that most often the meal offered at H.O.P.E. meetings, may be the only meal they will have all day.

If you are an individual or a restaurant, you can help by donating a prepared meal, once a month, for our Wednesday afternoon meetings.  Don’t have time to cook or buy prepared foods and bring them to our meeting space? We also accept monetary donations towards this cause.We’d like to give a special shoutout to Marco’s Pizza on Belvedere & Madison Ave for providing our meal, one week out of every month! As always, all forms of donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

If you have questions or would like to support to HOPE by making a donation, please call Tamara @ 901-254-5964 or email tamara@midsouthpeace.org.

In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to recognize privilege and oppression in themselves, in a safe space, as well as the opportunity to engage and discuss around these issues.

Date: Thursday, April 26th
Time: 6p.m. – 8:30p.m. Please, be on time.
Location: 1350 Concourse Ave, Suite 451, Memphis, TN 38104 –  A Step Ahead Foundation.
Wheelchair accessible. Free parking in the Crosstown Concourse parking garage.
Use main entrance, take elevator to 4th floor. Follow signs for A Step Ahead Foundation.
*Limited to the first 12 people who register.

Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.

More Information

REGISTER HERE
Registration online or by phone is required to attend.

---

Grassroots Organizer Training for Power (GOT Power), Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s training program, is committed to building our community’s capacity through building skills in grassroots organizing, providing support to people doing community work and offering oppression awareness and liberation education.
Our method of education is Popular and Direct Education. Direct education means education that directly confronts and challenges the current system of injustice, which includes traditional education. Rather than traditional education, which gives all the expertise to textbooks and teachers, Direct Education invites the expertise of the people themselves. Direct Education is about liberation and empowerment — going to the direct source of wisdom: the community itself!

Please contact us to get more information and schedule a training in your group or community. Fees are negotiable, scholarships are available and donations for scholarships are greatly appreciated.

Trainings can be designed specifically for established groups, organizations, campaigns, coalitions, etc. Comprehensive weekend workshops on specific organizing skill sets, issue or community-specific formats are available.

Trainings in Spanish are also available. All trainings are offered in English or Spanish as requested. We work and collaborate with bilingual trainers and facilitators.

G.O.T Poder – Entrenamientos en Español

For more information visit G.O.T.Power or write to GotPower@midsouthpeace.org

 ≈• Please Let Us Know What You Think ≈•

The Training Department of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center (G.O.T. Power) would like to hear from the movement community. We want to know what you think about us and how we could better support your work or group! Please take a couple minutes to complete this short survey. This survey is for everyone, whether you have attended a workshop or not! Feel free to list your name or remain anonymous.

G.O.T Power Survey