News

News From The Press:
*Major thanks to Keith Norman for inviting us to table at his party over the weekend! We had a great time, sold some shirts, and met some really great people.

*Members are in the midst of learning all there is to know in order make the decisions needed to propel us into our goals. A training committee is being formed to consolidate mass amounts of information into accessible, bite sized chunks to better serve our community upon the relaunch of our free trainings. If you would like to assist us in this process, shoot us an email at streetwise@midsouthpeace.org or give us a call at 901-725-4990.

***If you’d like to donate a computer (or funds to purchase one, new or used) for StreetWise INK’s needs, please contact us at streetwise@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, gain skills of the industry, and possibly become potential member-owners after incorporation.

                                                              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!

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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

https://midsouthpeace.org/2018/06/07/2905/

Demonstrations play a crucial role in our movements. Rallies and marches display the power and discipline of a campaign which can increase the pressure for change. Organizers often call on volunteer marshals to help manage large groups of people, avoid internal disruption, and prevent police violence. In this workshop participants with develop their skills for non-violent intervention and de-escalation. Join us as we prepare for the next action!

Register Here!

Date: Thursday, June 21st

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

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

*Limited to the first 14 people who register.

Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.

Registration online or by phone is required to attend.

 More information here!

Greetings, transit warriors! It’s that time–our monthly meeting is THIS Saturday, June 9th! Join us from 12-2 at the Gaston Community Center in South Memphis (1046 S. Third) as we talk about state-wide transit issues, the end of budget season, and how to talk to riders about their transportation needs. And remember, you can get to Gaston on the #17 McLemore and #39 South Third. See you there!

MBRU is also proud to introduce our new intern, William McLain! William is a rising junior at Rhodes College studying Anthropology/Sociology. This summer, he’ll be spending time with us learning about Memphis transit and the many different aspects of community organizing. Welcome to the group, William!

Finally, our friends in Memphis labor are taking a day trip to Nashville next month! The Central Labor Council of Memphis & West TN, Fight for $15, and other groups will be going to the state capital on June 11th, to demand union rights and an end to poverty. Find out more here!

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MBRU holds meetings on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 12-2 PM; our next meeting is June 9th at Gaston Community Center. 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!

This Saturday, we kicked off our Summer of JJP with a Day of Service in collaboration with Operation He’s My Brother at Liberty’s Mass Baptist Church. We were joined by other community organizations such as C-3 Land Cooperative, Millionaire Grind, The Healthcare Institute, Hope for the Hurting Ministries, Save Our Sons and Daughters Inc, and more! Teens had a chance to learn about these great groups and how they can get involved. We are so appreciative to everyone who made this a success!

We followed up that event with three Know Your Rights Theatre Workshops at the Boys & Girls Club of Hickory Hill. We worked with about 100 young people aged 5-15 teaching them about their rights during a police stop. We believe that better informed civilians will have more successful interactions with police when they actually know what their rights are, as opposed to making assumptions based on misconceptions in tv shows and movies. We have a ton of workshops coming up this summer and we are excited to work with kids all over Memphis!

The work of the Juvenile Justice Project does not fund itself and we need your help! You can donate online at https://midsouthpeace.org/get-involved/donate-now/ and help keep the movement going!

For more information on the JJP, Know Your Rights Theatre, or how you can get involved contact Faith Pollan at faith@midsouthpeace.org

News From The Press:
*Major thanks to Keith Norman for inviting us to table at his party over the weekend! We had a great time, sold some shirts, and met some really great people.

*Members are in the midst of learning all there is to know in order make the decisions needed to propel us into our goals. A training committee is being formed to consolidate mass amounts of information into accessible, bite sized chunks to better serve our community upon the relaunch of our free trainings. If you would like to assist us in this process, shoot us an email at streetwise@midsouthpeace.org or give us a call at 901-725-4990.

***If you’d like to donate a computer (or funds to purchase one, new or used) for StreetWise INK’s needs, please contact us at streetwise@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, gain skills of the industry, and possibly become potential member-owners after incorporation.

                                                              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!

Demonstrations play a crucial role in our movements. Rallies and marches display the power and discipline of a campaign which can increase the pressure for change. Organizers often call on volunteer marshals to help manage large groups of people, avoid internal disruption, and prevent police violence. In this workshop participants with develop their skills for non-violent intervention and de-escalation. Join us as we prepare for the next action!

Register Here!

Date: Thursday, June 21st

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

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

*Limited to the first 14 people who register.

Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.

Registration online or by phone is required to attend.

 More information here!

It’s almost summer in Memphis and that means that the temperatures are rising and there will be a lot of thirsty folks experiencing homelessness who will be vulnerable to the elements. H.O.P.E is coming to the rescue by sending out our Outreach team, bringing cold bottled water and snacks to our people, as well as hygiene kits. We want our people to know that H.O.P.E. is aware of the disgraceful lack of resources in Memphis, and we’re trying to help fill the gap. We also know that summer is difficult time for the children of these families as they may not have enough to eat. That is why we would like to make a snack bag for the school age children as well as information about free things to do with kids this summer.

We want to kick off this campaign by June and are calling it “HOPE: Summer Survival.”  H.O.P.E will be collecting supplies all month long and continuing until August. This is where you come in! We’re asking our allies and supporters to donate bottle water, juice boxes, meat, cheese, bread for sandwiches, chips, crackers, zip lock bags, and hygiene items (like hotel soaps, trial size lotions, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.). We are also taking monetary donations to purchase items, as well. Our goal is to go at least twice a month to feed the hungry and their children in these summer months, but we will do as long as supplies last. We would like to have some cards with encouraging words as to uplift our brother and sisters on the streets of Memphis.

We would also like to announce that The Dorothy Day House will be opening a second shelter for women and children this week! We are so excited, as currently, we’ve only had a few places  to refer clients.. The location will be on Peabody where the Church Health Center used to be, and we look forward to getting more information and putting it in the Survivor guide. Kudos!

For more information about how you can help donate or support HOPE or those who do the work to combat homelessness,or would like to put on a HOPE shirt and volunteer,  contact Tamara Hendrix, (901)725.4990 or  tamara@midsouthpeace.org.

Feed the Movement!

H.O.P.E. would like to thank Marcos Pizza for providing pizzas for the H.O.P.E meetings on the 1st Wednesday of the month. 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.