News

H.O.P.E. (Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality) is going to have a Tent City Event at Morris Park, located at 747 Poplar Avenue, on Saturday, May 5, 2018, from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m.  The National Low-Income Housing Coalition is planning a National Housing Week of Action to bring awareness affordable housing for low-income recipient on May 1-8, 2018. H.O.P.E wants to join the fight! So in conjunction with the Low-Income Housing Coalition, H.O.P.E’S Tent City will stand as a mirror image of what it is like for those experiencing homelessness.

May 5th will consist of many events. In the beginning will be 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 is serving our community and those directly affected by homelessness, so we choose Morris Park, where hundreds of those experiencing homelessness and low-income come to receive a meal on any given Saturday for those wonderful groups who serve out of the kindness of their hearts.

How can the community help?  We need to get tents, donations of bottled water, and snacks for the actual day.  We also need monetary donations to purchase National Low Income Coalition’s stickers and t-shirts to wear the day of the event. We also need volunteers to pass out the snacks and to help with signs.  If you would like to donate to HOPE ‘s Tent City or volunteer please contact Tamara by cell at (901) 254-5964 or by email at tamara@midsoutheace.org.

Feed the Movement!

H.O.P.E  is a supportive advocacy group for people with the experiences of homelessness. One of the ways in which we learn about the aforementioned needs and strategize how we can best support one another through this work is through our weekly Wednesday meetings in which we invite people experiencing homelessness to fellowship, share, and brainstorm. It is very important that H.O.P.E. continues to hear from the homeless community about the differing levels of oppression that many of us may face when attempting to navigate through the impending hardships of scarce services available in Memphis. 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 that day.

As H.O.P.E. grows in numbers our expenses grow as well. How can you help? You can help by donating prepared foods on Wednesdays to our meeting that afternoon. 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. Neither of those options seem feasible for you presently? We are also looking for restaurants willing to donate food to our meetings. As always, all forms of donations are completely tax deductible.

If you would like to discuss how you can offer support to HOPE please call Tamara @ 901-254-5964 or email tamara@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 become potential member-owners upon incorporation.

Big Thanks to MCA for the Invitation to table at Art in the Park Festival this past Sunday!
As you all may know, StreetWise INK is currently selling T-shirts at events in order to fundraise to pay our way into COOPECON 2018 for a much needed weekend long training in Cooperative Business. We had a great time seeing all the great art and listening to the bands who played directly across from our tent. We sold some t-shirts and met some amazing people!

This Saturday at Railgarten! StreetWise INK is grateful to have been invited to come table at the Healthy Memphis Festival this Saturday (April 14th) from 11am to 7pm. We will have info about our various types of trainings: Group Trainings & FREE or Pay-What-You-Can Trainings  as well as our hand printed T-shirts for sale to raise money to pay for our COOPECON training expenses in Alabama next weekend. Can’t wait to see you there!

****For Custom T-Shirt 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! You can check out our Coop Profile here.

On March 22 the Rhodes chapter of Zeta Phi Beta invited the Juvenile Justice Project on campus for a Know Your Rights Theatre Workshop. Over 30 students from Rhodes and other visiting colleges participated in this immersive, improv theatre based workshop. Thank you so much for having us out! Memphis United and the Juvenile Justice Project offer this free workshop to schools, churches, camps, and other organizations all over Memphis. We are currently booking summer sessions. This workshop can be adapted for elementary students all the way to adults and can last 30 minutes to an hour and a half depending on how much time you have.

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. Memphis United and the Juvenile Justice Project (JJP) want to clear up these misconceptions so that we can all be successful when we encounter law enforcement.These 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.

The JJP is also excited to announce that our partner, New Direction Church, is further opening their hearts and their doors to young people who need to fulfill court ordered community service hours. They will now be taking on teens every Wednesday in their youth group to serve their hours by helping set up, break down, and engaging alongside their peers. It takes a village to raise successful kids and New Direction exhibits that every day. We are so thrilled about these transformative opportunities for change these young people are being offered. But it takes more than one church in our great city to really help turn the tide on the school-to-prison pipeline. We need YOU, your church, youth group, or organization to come on board today and help us find better ways for these kids to serve their hours.

The JJP is working with Juvenile Court to build networks of churches and organizations to address our high number of youth offenders and the lack of opportunities for court ordered community service, specifically in the areas of Hickory Hill & Bartlett. We believe that youth are the solution, not the problem so we work with these teens to help them find their place in their​  communities through transformative service opportunities. Studies continue to show that punitive measures often lead to a continued life of crime as opposed to seeking more rehabilitative opportunities, MSPJC firmly adheres to the idea of working with those most affected by the issues. Help us build a better Memphis and partner with our youth.​​

If your organization or group would like to partner to provide opportunities for our young people, please take a minute to fill out this form: https://goo.gl/forms/4SpkBGu2NBuFwHOp2

To book a Know Your Rights workshop or learn more about partnering with the Juvenile Justice Project call Faith Pollan at 901-725-4990 or email at faith@midsouthpeace.org

H.O.P.E.(Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality) had our Art is Love fundraiser last Saturday at Evergreen Presbyterian Church. The evening consisted of beautiful artwork from local talent, artists with experiences of homelessness, including bios of the artist, soft music, food, and even a cash bar serving wine. The artists submitted work that week, while the HOPE group members pulled together and set up the area and hung the art. We received submissions ranging from sketch art to oil paintings. We even had one artist who donated a piece  so that HOPE would receive 100% of the profit. All of the HOPE artists got 100% of the profit of each item of theirs that sold as well.

Cee Cee, a long time H.O.P.E. member, out of homelessness and making a living by selling her jewelry and artwork. Cee Cee is a very independent person so she incurred all the costs of making her artwork and jewelry. Unfortunately,  the costs left her with no money for her upcoming utility bill. But with the promotion of the art show, Cee Cee was able to make not only her utility bill from her sales but have a little extra as well for bus passes. This is one of the many stories of H.O.P.E., where we teach our people to be self-sufficient and support them in anything they may need. The art show was a success  because we pulled together 100% to make this happen which strengthened our membership roles and prepared us to be more hands on with our financial business.

H.O.P.E. would like to thank all the HOPE members who took the time to set up  and help plan Art is Love, the artists who participated, those who came out and purchased the wonderful artwork, as well as the staff at Evergreen Presbyterian Church . We could not have put on such a great event without you and HOPE looks forward to doing more events in the future. If you would like to donate to HOPE or volunteer please contact Tamara by cell at (901) 254-5964 or by email at tamara@midsoutheace.org. More to come and Power to the People!

Feed the Movement!

H.O.P.E  is a supportive advocacy group for people with the experiences of homelessness. One of the ways in which we learn about the aforementioned needs and strategize how we can best support one another through this work is through our weekly Wednesday meetings in which we invite people experiencing homelessness to fellowship, share, and brainstorm. It is very important that H.O.P.E. continues to hear from the homeless community about the differing levels of oppression that many of us may face when attempting to navigate through the impending hardships of scarce services available in Memphis. 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 that day.

As H.O.P.E. grows in numbers our expenses grow as well. How can you help? You can help by donating prepared foods on Wednesdays to our meeting that afternoon. 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. Neither of those options seem feasible for you presently? We are also looking for restaurants willing to donate food to our meetings. As always, all forms of donations are completely tax deductible.

If you would like to discuss how you can offer support to HOPE please call Tamara @ 901-254-5964 or email tamara@midsouthpeace.org.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the Hickory Hill Clean Up a success this past weekend! We enjoyed joining forces with Juvenile Justice Project partner New Direction Christian Church to make this event happen. Memphis City Beautiful was extremely helpful with getting us supplies and coordinating trash pick up. And we can’t forget the wonderful work that Councilwoman Patrice Robinson‘s office did in connecting us with resources for the clean up. We had over 50 volunteers this weekend,  at least 15 of which were young people knocking out community service hours, come together to clean up the neighborhoods around Winchester Road.

The Juvenile Justice Project and our partners believe in the future of Hickory Hill and Memphis as a whole. We are working together as well as with our young people to ensure that our city has a future that includes all of us. We are working on a year long clean up effort of Winchester Road in hopes of attracting new business and increasing community pride. We also host monthly meetings to plan projects and find ways to work together. Be on the look out for continued ways to get involved with this project!

The JJP is working with Juvenile Court to build networks of churches and organizations to address our high number of youth offenders and the lack of opportunities for court ordered community service, specifically in the areas of Hickory Hill & Bartlett. We believe that youth are the solution, not the problem so we work with these teens to help them find their place in their  communities through transformative service opportunities. Studies continue to show that punitive measures often lead to a continued life of crime as opposed to seeking more rehabilitative opportunities, MSPJC firmly adheres to the idea of working with those most affected by the issues. Help us build a better Memphis and partner with our youth.

If you are interested in helping young people in Hickory Hill or Bartlett knock out their service hours in a way that will help them reconnect to their communities reach out to Faith Pollan by email (faith@midsouthpeace.org) or call the center at 901-725-4990.

In Solidarity, 

The Staff of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center

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! MBRU is holding a 6th Anniversary Fundraiser next month! Join us on Saturday, April 14th, 12 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. Mark your calendars!

MBRU has also been lucky to do outreach with several student groups in the past two weeks! Thanks to  volunteers from Purdue University, University of Kansas, and Wellesley College, we’ve been able to spread the word about our message at bus stops and houses in Midtown and South Memphis. The picture above is from last Thursday, when a group from the University of Kansas met us at Bellevue and McLemore. Be on the lookout for MBRU members in other parts of town as we keep building the movement!

Finally, we’re encouraging MBRU members and supporters to wear your MBRU shirts and buttons on April 4th in support of transit justice! All over town, Memphians will be paying homage to the legacy of Martin Luther King with marches, performances, and ceremonies. Whether you’re at the AFSCME Union Hall or the National Civil Rights Museum, we’ll take this time to remember Dr. King’s legacy as a fighter for public transit that serves the working poor and people of color.Media 

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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!

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 become potential member-owners upon incorporation.

This Saturday! You will not want to miss the training this Saturday from 2pm to 5pm at StreetWise INK (located in the basement of First Congregational Church at 1000 S Cooper). We have been upgrading the shop and have multiple new designs to choose from. As usual for our biweekly trainings, that are brought to you through Mid-South Peace & Justice Center, they are absolutely free to people with current or former experiences of homelessness, and are pay-what-you-can for folks experiencing poverty. Providing these trainings free of charge for folks in need would not be possible without the generous and vital donations from people like you! So, if you are someone who is interested in what StreetWise INK is doing and would like to be a part of our continued success, we would like to remind you that these trainings are open to the public (on a suggested $5 or more donation + bring your own shirt), and invite you personally to come and see us this Saturday so you can get your shirt printed with one of our awesome new designs!

If you would prefer a more personalized, hands-on group training, StreetWise INK has had the pleasure of training groups from as far away as Purdue and Kansas University and would love schedule an individualized training with your group. Donations from these group trainings are the main funding source for our free trainings. So you not only get a fun experiece with your group and cool new t-shirts to bring home, but you also have the added benefit of knowing that your contributions are what keep StreetWise INK’s trainings free to people who wouldn’t be able to pay for them otherwise. To learn more about the different levels of group trainings we offer, please follow this link.

MSPJC’s FREE Screen Printing & Worker-Cooperative Trainings are not only the lifeblood of bringing in new members to StreetWise INK, but also where individuals with experience of homelessness can come to learn skills that will equip them to enter into the screen-printing industry anywhere, as well as develop cooperative business ownership skills that are beneficial in many ways and in many fields of work and life.

More Exciting Little Tid-Bits:

*Streetwise INK had a blast at H.O.P.E.’s Art Is Love fundraiser over the weekend and were stoked to get to present the new designs created by our Memphis College of Art externs Danika Scones and Tania Cruz!

*ICYMI: We are extremely excited to announce that we have been approved for four of our members to attend COOPECON 2018 from April 20th to the 22nd in Epes, Alabama! This weekend long training is exactly what we’ve been searching for and will be monumental in our development as we press on toward learning everything we need to know before incorporating.

*StreetWise INK would like to send out an enormous THANK YOU to all who attended our very first ever Advisory Board interest meeting! What an amazing group of people! The heart and expertise that was present in the room that night was inspirational and we could not be more grateful. StreetWise is very much looking forward to making it official and welcoming all of them onto our first Advisory Board. So, be on the lookout for introductions to our amazing new team.

*Last but certainly not least, we are thrilled to announce that the Business side of our Free Trainings has begun, and three of our members are now learning how to take new orders, give price quotes, and order materials needed for each job. So, coming soon, your t-shirt orders will give our members the real life practice needed to perfect their new skills!

****To Get a Price Quote for your T-shirt order, please fill out StreetWise INK’s Price Quote Request Form.****

If you would like to volunteer in any way, or make a one time or monthly donation to help us keep our free trainings sustainable, please get in touch!

We’re now on Twitter! Follow us @streetwiseink

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/streetwiseink/

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

Email: streetwise@midsouthpeace.org

Phone: 901-725-499

Are you a resident of Klondike Smokey City/ North Memphis area? Join us, this Saturday, March 31st, 10 AM at Katie Sexton Community Center (1235 Brown Ave), for our first in a series of Neighborhood Empowerment Workshops, designed to provide economic, personal, and family support to the community.

Know Your Rights: Attendees of this Saturday’s meeting will participate in an interactive Know Your Rights workshop, providing information on how individuals can protect their rights during encounters with law enforcement, and tips for de-escalating tension during these interactions.

Felony Expungements: Attendees who may have felony records are also encouraged to attend, as Just City will be on hand providing screenings for expungement eligibility and or limited restoration of rights.

Community Service for Gov Assistance? Tennessee has new requirements for individuals receiving government benefits like SNAP & WIC. Individuals considered “able-bodied” without dependents will be required to work or participate in an approved volunteer program for a minimum of 20 hours a week in order to keep their benefits. We want to assist individuals in getting their required hours without putting an undue burden on our communities that are already struggling to make ends meet. Join us and find out more!

The KSC Neighborhood Council meets 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