News

Fall Workshops and Trainings

After a very productive year of anti-oppression workshops and organizer skill trainings, we are delighted to announce the workshops and trainings for the last months of 2013. Read on for details on Founding and Funding your Grassroots Group Workshop, Media 201, Core Organizer Training, and Training for Social Action Trainers.

We would also like to mention that our last Grassroots Organizer Training for Power in Spanish (G.O.T. Poder) was a complete success! This training, unique in the Mid-South, had 20 participants from different backgrounds and of a range of ages, and had an emphasis on nonviolent direct action. In light the current proposal of the bill for immigration Reform, the Latino community organizers of Tennessee are getting ready to take more drastic actions.

On Wednesday, September 12th, one of G.O.T. Poder’s participants, a long time activist of the Latino community of Memphis and MSPJC board member, Cristina Condori, was arrested in Washington, DC with other 100 women from all over the country. They were part of the nationwide action organized by We Belong Together, urging the house of Representatives to keep families together, stop deportations of fathers, mothers and kids, and pass a fair immigration reform bill.

MSPJC  continues offering support and trainings for our communities develop and discover the power we have with in our selves and with each other.

Upcoming Workshops and Trainings

Founding and Funding your Grassroots Group Workshop

Learn the process, skills and actions you can use to found and sustainably fund your grassroots group.

Led by Jacob Flowers

REGISTER NOW  Registration online or by phone is required for all workshops.

This session starts with an in-depth look at the mission, vision and values that you are organizing from and ends with concrete actions that you can take to fund your work sustainably over the long term.

Join us to learn how you can found and fund your organizing group to be successful from the beginning.

Date: Saturday, September 21

Time: 2p.m. – 5p.m. Please be on time.

Location: MSPJC, 3573 Southern Ave. Memphis TN 38111 wheelchair accessible

Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.

*Limited to the first 18 people who register.

REGISTER NOW  Registration online or by phone is required for all workshops.

Some scholarships may be available.

Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

For more information call 901-725-4990 or email to gio@midsouthpeace.org

Media 201 Workshop

In this advanced media workshop we will focus on practicing the skills of:
•Media Planning
•Messaging
•Creating talking points
•Pitching your story
•Advanced interviewing techniques.

REGISTER NOW for Media 201 Workshop

Registration online or by phone is required for all workshops.

Date: Saturday, October 26

Time: 2p.m. – 5p.m. Please be on time.
Location: MSPJC, 3573 Southern Ave. Memphis TN 38111 wheelchair accessible
Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.

*Limited to the first 18 people who register.

REGISTER NOW  for Media 201 Workshop

Registration online or by phone is required for all workshops.

Some scholarships may be available. Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

For more information call 901-725-4990 or email to gio@midsouthpeace.org

Core Organizer Training

MSPJC is offering our second weekend Core Organizer Training of 2013 on November 8-10.

The Core Organizer Training teaches participants the foundational skills they need to be effective organizers and win on issues that are important to them.
We train using popular education and integrating experiential education, allowing people to learn in a hands-on, direct manner, while also drawing out the expertise that the individual already has within. The result is a training that is fully interactive and has direct application in each session.

Topics covered include:
Intro to Organizing, Organizing your Community, Campaign Planning, Facilitating Meetings, Media, Transforming Conflict and Nonviolent Direct Action

REGISTER NOW for Core Organizer Training

What: Core Organizer Training. A maximum of 20 people will be trained in order for all to get individual support and for the maximum learning potential for the group.

Where: 3573 Southern Ave. Memphis, TN 38111

When: Friday, November 8:  6-9pm
Saturday, November 9:  9am-5pm
Sunday, November 10:   1-5pm   (No partial attendance allowed)

Cost: If your annual income is:

Less than $15,000             You pay: $30
$15,000-$25,000                         $50
$25,000-$35,000                         $100
$35,000-$45,000                         $150
$45,000-$55,000                         $225
Over $55,000                             $300

Sliding scale based on the individual’s income. If your organization is sending you to the training, use the organizational budget to determine the fee. It costs MSPJC $200 per person to do the training. Fee includes over 15 hours of training, simple snacks and lunch on Saturday, and follow up support from a network of the mid-south best organizers and activists.

REGISTER NOW for Core Organizer Training
Registration online or by phone is required for all trainings. Some scholarships may be available.
Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

For more information call 901-725-4990 or email to gio@midsouthpeace.org

Training for Social Action Trainers – TSAT

In collaboration with Training For Change, MSPJC is glad to announce the host of our second TSAT in the Mid-South, to be in December 6, 7 and 8, 2013.

For Registering and more detailed information about this training please visit Training for Social Action Trainers.

G.O.T. Power, a 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 anti-oppression and liberation education.

For more information call 901-725-4990 or email to gio@midsouthpeace.org

Find our workshops on Facebook and share them with your friends!

H.O.P.E. is the name of a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center-sponsored organization whose members are exclusively people currently, or have formerly experienced homelessness. For over a year now, H.O.P.E. has been organizing and agitating around the issues that are a priority to the homeless community. For meeting times and dates, call 901-300-0006. 

H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus
Background

Research indicates that the majority of women who experience homelessness also experience violence, with domestic violence being one of the primary catalysts for homelessness in women’s lives. Homelessness is also associated with a variety of health issues, all of which can be difficult to address while meeting one’s basic needs.

The H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus is a safe space for H.O.P.E. members who identify as women to work together on the issues that disproportionately affect them, including reproductive health and violence.  Co-sponsored by the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis, the Women’s Caucus meets regularly for “Dinner and Discussion,” from which a core group of organizers has emerged to focus on the unique challenges faced by women experiencing homelessness.

Most recently, the Women’s Caucus has taken up health issues, with nutrition, reproductive health, and overall wellness being major themes of discussion.  Women’s Caucus members have tried healthy new foods and exercises together, from gluten-free pizza crusts to restorative yoga.

In the next month, Women’s Caucus will begin a two-phase self-defense program.  During the first phase, the core organizing members will take self-defense classes. These classes will meet twice a week for five weeks, and will equip participants with the fundamental skills needed to handle an attack, and get out of violent situations safely. In the second phase, members will participate in “train the trainer” style classes to learn the techniques of teaching self-defense strategies to other women.  This two-phase model builds upon an evidence-based Lay Health Advisor model used around the country to implement community-based healthcare programs.

HOW CAN YOU HELP WOMEN’S CAUCUS? 

Women’s Caucus needs to raise $800 for Phase 1 of our self-defense program.  If you can contribute to this cause, please do so here.  Remember that any amount is helpful, so give what you can!  If you are interested in getting involved with the H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus in any other way, or if you have questions or suggestions for the group, please contact Project Coordinator, Ace F. Madjlesi at acemadjlesi@gmail.com.

Many thanks to Tiffany Futch, Jamie Young, and Elokin Capece for their dedicated support to this group.

Street-Watch

On August 31st, members of  H.O.P.E.’s Street-Watch Initiative, hosted a ‘Know Your Rights’ forum at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral for people who live on the streets of Memphis.This was the fourth in a series of workshops held at different churches and community centers across the city over the past four months across the city. Employees of the Law Offices of the Shelby County Public Defender and other attorneys informed an engaged crowd on their rights when encountering law enforcement and how to assert them. Meanwhile, Street-Watch members and volunteers assisted participants with filling out surveys about their experiences with law enforcement, as well as complaint forms to document instances of police harassment.

“We believe that over time, we can use data compiled from these complaints to pinpoint areas where police harassment is most likely to occur, what time of day or night, and begin to weed out officers who believe that a badge and a gun give them the right to treat people on the streets of Memphis like second-class citizens,” said Marcus Mitchell, an organizer with the project.

Street-Watch will continue to host educational forums, and with the help of data collected from complaints and surveys, members plan on organizing street teams, equipped with video cameras to document the harsh realities of life on the streets of Memphis, and the mistreatment that men and women often face when they are profiled for “appearing homeless.”

Feeding the Movement

H.O.P.E would like to once again thank Memphis Center for Independent Living for providing us with space for our meetings while we seek a permanent location. There are lots of ways to feed the movement, and we would like to thank all of our allies for their continued support. For more information about how you can support HOPE or our different project areas, Please contact Paul Garner(901)725.4990, or paul@midsouthpeace.org. Like H.O.P.E. on Facebook!

We are excited to announce our 2013 Plenary Speakers Medea Benjamin (CodePink Women for Peace) and Jaribu Hill (MS Workers Center).

Join these dedicated advocates, activists, organizers and grassroots leaders for peace and social justice in our communities.

You can register for the conference here. 
Registration is on a sliding scale, based on ability to pay, with no one turned away.

We Are the Change. We Are the Movement.

Speaker Bios:

JARIBU HILL

Jaribu Hill is a civil and human rights attorney and Executive Director of the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights(MWCHR), an organization which uses a human rights organizing framework to fight discrimination in housing, employment and voting. The MWCHR is a worker advocacy organization that provides organizing support, legal representation and training for low-wage, non-union workers in the state of Mississippi. Through direct action campaigns, organizing sessions and trainings, it raises awareness among workers as to the many ways their human rights are violated in the workplace and in their communities. Jaribu previously worked with Amnesty International in Oxford, Mississippi as a Soros Justice Fellow where she did education and advocacy work that focused on issues affecting juveniles and inmates with mental retardation who are on death row. While in law school, Jaribu was an Ella Baker Intern with the Center for Constitutional Rights. After law school, Jaribu became a Skadden Fellow in the Mississippi office of the American Civil Liberties Union. Later, Jaribu went on to direct the Southern Regional Office of CCR.

In addition to founding the MWCHR, Jaribu also founded several other organizations, including theSouthern Human Rights Organizers’ Conference, Black Women’s International Roundtable, CUNY Law School Mississippi Project, and the Fannie Lou Hamer Sister Roundtable. She is also a singer and composer and was lead singer with the renowned singing duo Serious Bizness for over 15 years.

MEDEA BENJAMIN

Medea Benjamin is a co-founder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization, Global Exchange.  She has been an advocate for social justice for more than 30 years. Described as “one of America’s most committed — and most effective — fighters for human rights” by New York Newsday, and called “one of the high profile leaders of the peace movement” by the Los Angeles Times, Medea has distinguished herself as an eloquent and energetic figure in the progressive movement. In 2005 she was one of 1,000 exemplary women from 140 countries nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the millions of women who do the essential work of peace worldwide. In 2010 she received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Since the September 11, 2001 tragedy,  Medea has been working to promote a U.S. foreign policy that would respect human rights and gain us allies instead of contributing to violence and undermining our international reputation.  In 2000, she was a Green Party candidate for the California Senate.  During the 1990s, Medea focused her efforts on tackling the problem of unfair trade as promoted by the World Trade Organization. Widely credited as the woman who brought Nike to its knees and helped place the issue of sweatshops on the national agenda, Medea was a key player in the campaign that won a $20 million settlement from 27 US clothing retailers for the use of sweatshop labor in Saipan. She also pushed Starbucks and other companies to start carrying fair trade coffee. A former economist and nutritionist with the United Nations and World Health Organization, Benjamin is the author/editor of eight books. Her latest book is called Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control, and she has been campaigning to get lethal drones out of the hands of the CIA. Her articles appear regularly in outlets such as The Huffington Post, CommonDreams, Alternet and OpEd News.

The H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus

Background

Research indicates that the majority of women who experience homelessness also experience violence, with domestic violence being one of the primary catalysts for homelessness in women’s lives.

Homelessness is also associated with a variety of health issues, all of which can be difficult to address while meeting one’s basic needs. TheH.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus is a safe space for H.O.P.E. members who identify as women to work together on the issues that affect them disproportionately, including reproductive health and violence.  Women’s Caucus meets regularly for “Dinner and Discussion,” out of which a core group of organizers has emerged to focus on the unique challenges faced by women experiencing homelessness.

Read about Women’s Caucus in the Memphis Flyer! (11/13/14)

Read Women’s Caucus’ Editorial on Amendment One, which was printed in the Commercial Appeal!(11/04/14)

HOW CAN YOU HELP? 

HOPE Women’s Caucus will be preparing care packages to conduct outreach specifically to women experiencing homelessness. These packages would be small, but would contain essential sanitary items that can be hard to come by for many women who are without shelter.

You can donate any of the items on our wish list (scroll to the bottom of the page) by dropping them off at the MSPJC office at 3573 Southern Ave.  You can also contribute financially by clicking the link below.

If you are interested in getting involved with the HOPE Women’s Caucus in any other way, or if you have questions or suggestions for the group, please contact WC Project Coordinator, Jamie Young at hopewomen@gmail.com.

Click here to DONATE to the H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus

H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus Care Packages Wish List
Sleeping Bags
Large Cloth Grocery-Style Bags
Warm Shoes
Small Flashlights
Soap and Waterproof Soap Containers
Toothbrushes and Trial-Size Toothpaste
Deodorant
Compact Mirrors
Reusable Water Bottles
Hair Ties and Hair Clips
Gloves, Knit Caps, and Scarves
Baby Wipes
Gallon-size Plastic Bags
Lip Balm
Tissue Packs
Bandages
Scented Lotions or Body Sprays
Nail Kits (Including File, Clippers, and Polish)
Journals and Pens
Chewing Gum
Chocolate or Granola Bars
Feminine Hygiene Products
Gift Cards or Movie Passes
Job Opportunities

No War in Syria

Violent intervention in Syria is not the answer to resolving the conflict. Let us honor the victims of violence by working to build the foundations for peace.

President Obama will address the nation on Tuesday and will likely reveal his intended actions in Syria. We need to send a message loud and clear that the people of this country stand against U.S. military intervention.

Join members of the Memphis Community to Speak Out for Peace at a RALLY this Tuesday (Sept. 10) from 5:00-7:00pm at the corner of Park Ave. and Highland St.

We need to:
• redirect our military dollars towards immediate humanitarian aid
• refocus on urgent peace talks
• halt sales to authoritarian regimes
• honor the voices of nonviolent resistance

We don’t want another war!
…a war that would kill innocent women, men, children
…a war that your tax dollars would pay for
…a war that would put Americans in danger
…another war that would add to global instability.

CALL NOW :: RALLY TUESDAY

Congress will vote on authorizing the President to go to war this very soon! Call your House Rep and Senators NOW!

Rep.Cohen 901.544.4131
Rep. Fincher 901.682.4422
Sen. Alexander 901.544.4224
Sen. Corker 901.683.1910

Rally at the Corner of Park Ave. and Highland St.
• September 10th, 2013 (Tuesday)
• 5:00-7:00pm

Memphis Bus Riders Union (MBRU) made history this August in what seemed like an impossible feat: pushing the City Council to pass a resolution diverting funding from the Economic Development Growth Engine, a local government board designed to “serve a leading role in administering current economic development incentive programs” to the Memphis Area Transit Authority in order to restore funding MATA lost from Mayor A C Wharton’s FY 2014 budget cuts.

Earlier this summer, MBRU urged the Council to restore the $2.4 million to MATA’s portion of the city budget before it was passed in July. As budget deliberations came to an end, a scant $606,000 was restored. Throughout the budget hearings MBRU organizers warned the administration and the Council that this would not be enough to stop the massive cuts to bus service. Yet again, Memphis foots the bill for a corporate buffet while rationing public services in a so-called budget crisis. Growing public dismay made it apparent that in spite of the odds, more action must be taken.

As MATA prepared to host public hearings on the upcoming route cuts, MBRU kept pushing the City Council to take another look into the budget and find the funding for public transportation. Bus riders increased the pressure with calls and emails to the Council and the Mayor’s office, and mobilized over 200 riders to the public hearings. All these efforts effectively shifted the conversation to focus on the problem of city funding and tax breaks for multi-million dollar corporations while public services are being decimated. As MBRU organizer Bennett Foster stated in a press release by the local Sierra Club “This resolution to amend the budget and restore some funding for MATA has the potential to protect a great deal of service hours, frequency and even entire routes that are proposed to be terminated this summer. Changes planned for the 10 and 43 could create a veritable wall between residents of North and South Memphis and the developing downtown area, not to mention the added hardship for bus riders from all over the city who must transfer downtown to get anywhere out east. The City has an opportunity to take action now before it’s too late.  With unemployment at 10.3%, rampant poverty and the Mayor’s  perpetual cuts to public services the question is whether the livelihood of poor and working class Memphians is worth taking another look at this budget. We think it is.”

Local media outlets began to focus on the upcoming cuts to bus service. Council members Lee Harris, Janis Fullilove and Wanda Halbert felt they had enough support to bring a resolution to committee that would amend the budget by taking $469,000 from EDGE and putting that money into MATA operations. With so much community support the council passed the resolution with eight votes!

MATA’s Board of Commissioners met the very next day to vote on the proposed cuts to service. With over $1 million in funding won back by MBRU, our supporters and a great deal of public input from dedicated riders, MATA’s new route proposal saved the 11:15 line up, entire routes such as the #6 Northaven, #15 Presidents Island, #5 Central, #82 Germantown Parkway, and #2 Airport. Stated in the board’s meeting agenda “In order to be responsive to the many comments received regarding direct service to the VA Hospital and Memphis Towers… the #2 route would remain as it exists today in the Medical Center area. The #36 Hacks Cross route would also remain…”. The proposal passed unanimously. Sadly, all of this comes at a time when state and federal funding for public transportation is being drastically reduced. North and South Memphis, which already lack adequate bus service, will still suffer from less service than anywhere else.

Memphis Bus Riders Union has plenty of work ahead. But with these seemingly impossible victories under her belt, an affordable, equitable, safe and efficient mass public transit system doesn’t seem so unattainable. Stay tuned as the struggle continues!

Our next monthly meeting is Saturday, September 7th from 12 to 2pm at Memphis Center for Independent Living, 1633 Madison Ave. Please join us!

For more information call (901) 205-9737 or email us at MemphisBRU@gmail.com.

Manna House, located at 1268 Jefferson, is a house of hospitality in the Catholic Worker tradition that provides showers, clothing, coffee, and sanctuary for poor and homeless persons in Memphis, Tennessee. Recently, Saint Vincent de Paul soup kitchen, which served a hot meal everyday to people in the crosstown area, including most of the guests of Manna House, closed and has no scheduled re-opening date.  Volunteers at Manna House and the soup kitchen are will fill in the gaps as best they can, however, preparing and serving serving close to two hundred sacked meals everyday is not an easy task.

Manna House, a dedicated advocate for people experiencing homelessness,  has been a strong ally and supporter of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center and H.O.P.E. (Homeless Organizing for Power & Equality) for a long time, and we are calling on our members and friends to help them meet the needs of the men and women they serve daily.

If you are able to assist by providing turkey and cheese sandwiches on wheat bread, and/or bananas please contact Lisa Anderson with Room at the Inn at 901-246-8052.  Food donations can also be dropped off directly to Manna House at 1268 Jefferson Ave., Monday – Friday, between 9:30 and 10am

Thank you in advance for your support!  You can read more about Manna House in the Thursday, August 15th edition of The Commercial Appeal, Wendi C. Thomas: At Manna House, the homeless receive hospitality, not charity.

• Soulsville Contact: Mrs. Betty Taylor, btaylor7221@att.net
• South Memphis Alliance Contact: Ian L. Randolph,  IanRNDLPH@yahoo.com
• CPR Coordinator: Melissa Miller-Monie,  melissa@midsouthpeace.org

The Community-Police Relations (CPR) project is a groundbreaking partnership between citizens and law enforcement officers that is challenging both groups to overcome their differences and distrust to work together on the deepest problems of our community.

The forums give you the opportunity to share your story and vision for Community-Police Relations, and will be used to develop and implement recommendations toward positive outcomes through dialog  Be a part of the conversation as the community sets the vision of how we will deal with crime and violence in our city.

Don’t forget to like CPR Community-Police Relations Memphis on Facebook

What Happens at the CPR Forums?  Keep it Here, Keep it Real, and Keep it Safe!
Four central questions are posed to forum participants:  What is your vision of community and police relations? What are the barriers preventing you from reaching your vision?  What are the solutions to reach your vision of community-police relations? How do you reach your solutions to accomplish your vision?

After each forum, participants are invited to be a part of the Community Engagement group representing their community. The Community Engagement group will later join the CPR Core Group to discuss recommendations toward reconciliation.  The first Community Engagement Forum will be held Saturday, August 31st.

UPCOMING:
Hickory Hill Forum
Monday, September 30th, 6 – 8p (5:30 sign-in)
Hickory Hill Community Center, 3910 Ridgeway Road
Outreach Contact: Mr. Sonny Robinson, bongotiger1@gmail.com

For more information about the Community-Police Relations project, please contact:

Melissa Miller-Monie, CPR Organizing Coordinator
Phone: 901-725-4990, Email: melissa@midsouthpeace.org

The CPR Team- Bridging the Gap between Community and Police Relations: Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, Community Leaders, Memphis Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Playback Memphis, and a third party facilitator.