Most parents are unaware that unless they opt-out of it, their high school age child’s personal information will be shared with military recruiters. This little known requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act can violate the privacy of your child without your knowing.
At the beginning of the school year, high schools are required by law to distribute information and forms on how you can opt-out of having your personal info given to the military. But in the rush of the start of school this may not happen correctly, or it may be missed in the pile of paperwork given to parents.
Download this form and return to your school or district administrator to ensure that you or your child are protected.
It has been more than ten years since we helped plant the seeds of what is now a burgeoning local foods movement. In the summer of 2001, a lot at the corner of Douglass and Hamilton streets became the Orange Mound Community Garden. It was all the idea of Mrs. Alcine Arnett, a lifelong Orange Mound resident and Board member of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. From that original plot came the GrowMemphis Urban Garden program. It was officially launched in 2007 as a collaborative effort of the Center and three low-income neighborhoods across the city. It was all made possible by the vision of community residents and the financial support of the Assisi Foundation, Heifer Project International and Grace St. Lukes Church.
The time for us to officially part ways will come at the end of this year. This is also unfortunately when Josephine leaves both organizations to become a full time farmer with her husband Randy. We are happy for her though and know that she will still be contributing to our work, just in a different way, by feeding it. This means that you will need to watch the news in the coming days as GrowMemphis makes the announcement of their next/first Executive Director.
At 1pm Occupy the Banks will march down Union Ave. to Occupy the Streets, and then both groups will converge on Occupy4Memphis. All groups will continue together down Union to Main Street, convening at 2pm at the Occupy Memphis site at Civic Center Plaza for a General Assembly where we’ll hear from leaders of these issues. We will also have activities at the Occupy Memphis site for those who are unable or not wanting to march to occupy in their own way.
MSPJC is offering our first Core Organizer Training in a weekend format January 20-22, 2012. If you’ve been wanting to take the training but can’t commit to the 8 week sessions, this is for you! You’ll receive the same 14 hours of training in the foundational skills of organizing, plus the many added benefits of taking the training and forming community in a more intensive setting. Read more information below and register here.
MSPJC offers many workshops publicly, but we also offer our workshops to organizations and people working around a specific issue, with workshops tailored to meet the organization or group’s individual needs. We are able to offer one of our Core organizer workshops, or we can design a workshop to meet your organization or group’s specific needs. If you are interested in bringing MSPJC to your organization or group to do a workshop, please contact 
Despite the blocked traffic from the St. Jude Marathon, participants came eager to tell their stories and join in the movement to create real change in Memphis. The meeting started out with a chance for everyone to share a vision for his or her community, city, state, country, or world. Youth and adults spoke of a world where all undocumented students have access to education, where there is discussion amongst people of different beliefs, where youth can truly fight for their rights, where everyone has access to healthy food, where the undocumented can take action, where students and youth are represented better and more accurately in society, where a community is in place to help new immigrants adjust, where the community is informed and empowered, and where students can connect with the power of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of the participants’ visions overlapped, reinforcing the need for a space where youth can challenge injustice, not separately, but together as one cohesive and powerful unit.
The guide also includes information on the Memphis/Shelby County Emergency Housing Partnership (260-HOME) as well as a daily schedule of meal services, including some maps and pictures to aid clients in finding the services that they need. We have included information about our friends at Food not Bombs and our discussion group for the homeless who are victims of harassment. As well as Grassroots Organizing Training (G.O.T. Power) program in hopes of helping the homeless to be able to effectively advocate and organize on their own behalf.
People First is a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center 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.
As a community this is a time that we give thanks for the gifts we have in our life. One gift that we are particularly thankful for is the gift of resistance. For almost 30 years we have given voice and cultivated power amongst those that wish to resist injustice and work for peace.
We know that the only way we will achieve social change is by building movements comprised of those that are most affected by social problems in our society. This is why it is so important for you to become a member. It is not just about raising money, it is about building an inclusive organization that is representative of all the communities in Memphis. While politicians argue with each other and focus their attention on everything but the needs of low-income communities, we are training and organizing grassroots leaders to lead campaigns of social, economic, and racial justice. We are working to build a movement of those that suffer the most, yet have the least input in decisions that directly affect their lives. That’s why movement building is a permanent effort: in both good times and bad, we always need to build the next push for change—leader by leader, community by community.