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! Our 6th Anniversary Fundraiser is THIS SATURDAY! Join us on April 14th, from 12 to 3:30 PM, at the Memphis Center for Independent Living (1633 Madison). You can get there on the #2 bus! We’ll celebrate last year’s victories with food and fellowship, show BRU members in videos by Robert Rowan and WatchLoveWork, and tell our supporters about upcoming campaigns. Admission is a $5 suggested donation, but no one will be turned away. We can’t wait to see you!
We also had a great time celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King with our Memphis community last week! MBRU members marched with AFSCME and unions from all over the country at the I AM 2018 March. Then MBRU organizer Justin Davis was a speaker at the Coalition of Community Union’s “We The People” rally–see video of the speech here! Over the weekend, we supported Saturday’s march by Voices for Justice, and our founder Mother King was a featured speaker. The Memphis social justice community showed up in a big way last week, and we were happy to be a part of it!
Finally, our co-chair Sammie Hunter was recently featured in a Commercial Appeal column! Reporter Tonyaa Weathersbee rode along with him after work, and wrote about how Memphis’ transit system still leaves many black folks behind. “People want jobs, they want to make a decent living, but if you can’t provide what they need to make a decent living, if you can’t get to the job, then you can’t do it,” Hunter said. Read the full column here! You can also click here to see a followup column, where Weathersbee urges Memphians to think about how we can change many people’s lives by changing the system.
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MBRU holds meetings on the 2nd Saturday of each month. 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