Workshop Recap:
The Storyteller as Activist

On Tuesday, July 29^th, Elaine Blanchard shared her gifts, skills, and passion with participants of the workshop, The Storyteller as Activist, as she revealed how the effectiveness of storytelling is in the listening and connection we make with others.  Activists have stories to tell, stories rooted in a need for justice. As Elaine says, “As we become a community of storytellers, we improve our relationships and construct a safer place for all of us to call home.”

We are very thankful for this collaboration. Stay tuned for future workshops with Elaine.  You can learn more about her and her work here.

Upcoming Workshop, September 11th
Founding and Funding Your Grassroots Group

Led by former MSPJC Director, Jacob Flowers

I want to register!

In this workshop you will have the opportunity to learn the process, skills and actions you can use to establish and financially sustain your grassroots organization. The session will begin with an in-depth look at the mission, vision and values from which you are organizing, and end 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:            Thursday, September 11^th
Time:            6pm – 8pm (please be on time)

Location:       450 Mulberry St., Links Education Center,
National Civil Rights Museum
Wheelchair accessible

Cost:             $20-$45 Sliding scale.

Registration online or by phone is required to attend. Minimum 10 and maximum 25 participants.  Some scholarships may be available. Request a scholarship application by email or phone.  Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

New Workshop. Coming September 18th
Privilege and Oppression Awareness
In this workshop participants will have the opportunity for recognizing privilege and oppression in themselves, in a safe space, as a first step to combat them.

I want to register!

Date:            Thursday, September 18^th
Time:            6pm – 8:30pm (please be on time)

Location:       450 Mulberry St., Links Education Center,
National Civil Rights Museum
Wheelchair accessible

Cost:             $20-$45 Sliding scale.

Register here!

Registration online or by phone is required to attend. Limited to the first 8 people who register.  Some scholarships may be available. Request a scholarship application by email or phone.  Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

New Workshop. Coming September 30th
The Labor Liberation Workshop

In this workshop we’ll explore the complexities of the labor movement in intersection with people’s diverse identities as workers and how they identify their personal histories and lives with the history of labor movement.

Who can attend this workshop? Workers, students, union members, and anyone who wants to learn about the labor movement! It’s for Everyone who would like to learn about their identity as a worker and how they can identify as a part of the labor workshop.

REGISTER HERE!

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

Location: 450 Mulberry St Memphis TN 38103  Links Education Center, National Civil Rights Museum. Wheelchair accessible

*Minimum 12, maximum 20 participants who register.

Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.

Registration online or by phone is required to attend.
REGISTER NOW
Some scholarships may be available. Please request a scholarship application by email or phone.
Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

For more information on anything happening with G.O.T. Power, MSPJC Training Department, please contact Training Director Gio López at gio@midsouthpeace.org or call the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center at 725-4990.

G.O.T. Power, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s training program, is committed to building our community’s capacity building skills in grassroots organizing, providing support to people doing community work and offering oppression awareness and liberation education.

Last month, the MSPJC Training Department hosted a Facilitation Skills Workshop and  a Nonviolence Skills Training.

Facilitation Skills was a two-hour workshop for twelve participants who practiced facilitation skills while facing conflict. We transformed the workshop space into a ‘laboratory’ to test, discover and try new behaviors as facilitators.  Facilitation is integral to community organizing, but more than that, good facilitation will help the participants of any group or organization to grow and succeed.

The next Facilitation Skills Workshop will be on November 20, 6:00pm – 8:30pm.  Can’t wait till November? Please email gio@midsouthpeace.org if your group or organization would like to have this workshop sooner.

Nonviolence Skills was a full day training provided by Meta Peace Team. Around 30 participants from Memphis, Chattanooga, and Birmingham were able to navigate through stories of empowerment, the theoretical and spiritual basis of nonviolence, and the roots of violence.  Participants also practiced communication skills: active Listening, “I” messages, the CLARA technique, and strategies to de-escalate violence.

GOT Power is looking to build and grow this relationship with Meta Peace Team and continue bringing Nonviolence Skills Training to the Mid-South.

Upcoming in July…

The Storyteller as Activist

This workshop will allow participants to improve their listening skills and develop their own storytelling skills.

A Workshop with Elaine Blanchard

Elaine Blanchard is a storyteller who believes that telling our stories to each other can save the world from war and other forms of destruction. When we share our stories we build a bridge of understanding from one person to another; stereotypes are dissolved and both teller and listener are connected by their shared human experiences. As we become a community of storytellers we improve our relationships and construct a safer place for all of us to call home.

Date: Tuesday, July 29
Time: 6:30p.m. – 8:30p.m. Please, be on time.
Location: 450 Mulberry St Memphis TN 38103 – Links Education Center, National Civil Rights Museum. Wheelchair accessible.
*Minimum 12, maximum 25 people who register.
Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.
REGISTER NOW

Registration online or by phone is required to attend.

Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

Learn more about Elaine Blanchard here or contact her at Elaine@elaineblanchard.com.

For more information on anything happening with the MSPJC Training Department, please contact Training Director Gio López at gio@midsouthpeace.org or 901-725-4990.

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 oppression awareness and liberation education.

We are pleased to announce our support and fiscal sponsorship of the new Cooperative Memphis! Like many community-based initiatives, the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center will incubate CoOperative Memphis as it grows into a meaningful force for good in Memphis.

Their Mission: CoOperative Memphis (CM) seeks to promote alternative forms of economic organization, such as cooperatives and collectives.

CM serves as a resource networking hub and support system for those seeking to establish sustainable structures of cooperation that encourage democratic control of local resources like education, food, shelter, labor, and transportation.

Their Vision: A Memphis where communities control their economy and where resources are pooled for the benefit of all. A sustainable Memphis in which communities exercise economic independence through cooperative ownership and resource networking.

Get involved:  Because we’re democratically run, you’ll have a voice about projects we take on as well as opportunities to propose projects of your own.

Get in touch:
www.facebook.com/cooperativememphis
CoopMemphis@gmail.com
Instagram- Cooperativememphis
Twitter- Coopmemphis

Come to the CoOperative Memphis potluck!
July 19th at 5:00pm
2061 Peabody Ave Memphis, TN 38104
Bring yourself, your friends, and a dish to share!

The Will Hudson Transit Center, also known as the North End Terminal or “NET”, is MATA’s most used transit hub. 23 of MATA’s 31 routes begin at the NET, which was built in 1998. The terminal serves as more than just a place to transfer or wait for your bus. You can buy your monthly pass, converse with fellow riders, and access critical information about service changes. The NET has working pay phones, plenty of seating and bathroom facilities. It also provides climate-controlled shelter from severe Memphis weather – the sweltering hot summers or freezing rainy winters – a protection that most bus shelters simply don’t provide.

Riders who remember when the NET was built will tell you it was beautiful – a brand new facility for people who ride the bus. But after two decades of wear and tear the NET has become a symbol for the inequality of transportation planning and development. Further, the NET physically sits in the shadow of a more significant symbol for inequitable development just a block away, the Pyramid. Incredible funding has been poured into to building, maintaining, and then redeveloping the Pyramid, a massive vacant property built by the City set to house a new Bass-Pro mega store. Projects like this have siphoned off hundreds of millions of public dollars for improvements and new buildings for the benefit of private companies, while the NET is allowed to crumble.

We have begun to increase pressure on MATA to improve conditions at the terminal, a move sparked by the recent assault on a rider by one of the Pro-Tech security guards who are contracted by MATA. At the next MATA Board meeting, board members will vote to expand their contract with CDA/MaxSent, the security company who serves all other MATA facilities, to replace Pro-Tech at the NET. MBRU members have also brought attention to the terminal by sharing pictures of the conditions through social media and giving tours to members of the board.

In the pictures below, you can see some of the problems with cleanliness and security – namely, a bucket of soap riders are expected to dip their hands into, and a secret holding cell used by private security companies to detain riders.

MBRU members want improvements that go beyond a touch of paint or even a functional soap dispenser, (although that would be nice!). Members have suggested such improvements as multiple working electrical sockets near benches that allow riders to charge cell phones, free wireless Internet, and public art. The NET should be a place where people feel comfortable and welcome. A desirable environment with plants and color, not an institutional concrete shell that feels like a corral for cattle. The second floor of the terminal used to be home to the Tennessee Career Center, a much-needed resource for bus riders, which moved out this year due to leaks in the ceiling. Perhaps structural improvements would bring this kind of supportive service back to the building.

MBRU will be creating a new vision for the NET by collecting input from riders as they pass through the terminal. You can also bring your ideas to our monthly meeting this Saturday from Noon to 2:00pm at the Memphis Center For Independent Living, 1633 Madison Ave where we start building a broader proposal for improvements to shelters, routes and service.

To contact MBRU, call or text 901-205-9737 or email MemphisBRU@gmail.com.

This month we welcome Ace F. Madjlesi as the new Associate Director of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. Ace joins us from the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis, where her work focused on issues such as HIV/AIDS, child care, transportation, infant mortality, and teen pregnancy in Shelby County. Ace has previously served the MSPJC as the Coordinator of the H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus and a Board Member. We are confident that Ace’s boundless energy, keen organizational skills, and well-stocked candy drawer will help take the MSPJC to great new places. Welcome aboard, Ace!

The Memphis United Coalition is hosting a series of Town Hall Forums regarding the recently reinstated Civilian Law Enforcement Board (C.L.E.R.B.) in Memphis.

Check out this video of highlights from the District 8 Forum and make plans to attend an upcoming forum near you!
Highlight Reel: http://ow.ly/yFEs8

Upcoming Forums (each forum is 6:00pm – 7:30pm):

• Thursday, July 10: District 5 – Lester Community Center (317 Tillman St, 38112)
• Monday, July 14: District 2 – Marion Hale Community Center (4791 Willow, 38117)
• Thursday, July 17: District 7 – Raleigh Community Center (3678 Powers, 38128)
• Tuesday, July 22: District 6 – J.K. Lewis Senior Center (1188 N. Parkway, 38105)
• Thursday, July 24: District 3 – Whitehaven Community Center (4318 Graceland, 38116)
• Monday, July 28: District 4 – Orange Mound Community Service Center (2590 Park, 38114)
• Monday August 4: District 9 – Frayser/Raleigh Senior Center (3985 Egypt Central Rd., 38128)
• Monday August 11: District 1 – Cunningham Community Center (3773 Old Allen Rd, 38128)

Memphis United will share police accountability data and different tools of effective CLERB. models.  There will be short presentations followed by a Q&A session and an interactive exercise for audience participants to give input on how to improve the Memphis CLERB.

Please help us by registering for the event so we know how many people to plan on accommodating.  To do so, please click on the following link provided: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/  and search for C.L.E.R.B. Town Hall Meeting

After many months of action by Memphis United’s coalition partners and Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s members, we collectively played an integral part in making change happen.  The results were the process to restore C.L.E.R.B. and the opportunity of the Memphis United Coalition to hold 9 community forums in a town-hall style in each City Council district.

It will be the people of Memphis who determine how to equip the reformed Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board with the tools to be more effective.

The Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (C.L.E.R.B.) has been inactive for over four years. When the C.L.E.R.B. was active, it was still a flawed process. There was lack of real oversight authority especially it was absent of subpoena power. C.L.E.R.B. was stifled by various factors, including the fact that its charter of that time only permitted it to review investigations that have already been made by the M.P.D.’s Internal Affairs Bureau.

Movement was started to restore C.L.E.R.B.  When the Memphis City Council voted unanimously on May 6 for a referendum for Memphis United to hold 9 community forums  in each city council district to get community input on the necessary tools to make C.L.E.R.B. more effective. Memphis City Council on June 2, 2014 voted to accept the mayor’s appointments to the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board. Congratulations to David Acey, Suzanne Baker, Floridia Jackson, Nathaniel Jones, Bruce Kramer, John Marek, Charles Morris, Carissa Shaw, Corliss Shaw and Rev. Ralph White. Now the Memphis community will decide which tools should added to make C.L.E.R.B.   more effective in a community forum near you.

Memphis United successes are a result of grassroots mobilizing and narratives like K’PreSha, Paul Garner, and recently Journalist Deborah Robinson that highlights the lack of a communication process for citizens to seek redress for law enforcement policy violations. The Memphis United coalition continue to expect success on issues ranging from improving conditions for people experiencing homelessness, rights for differently able citizens, police accountability, backlog of the rape kits, u-visas, etc.

Here’ s what you can do to get involved today!

It’s your choice how to get involved.

1. Show your support by taking the online support form.

A bureaucratic nightmare still awaits citizens who want to make claims against the Memphis police. So we’ve created a petition in a Google form to support the reinstatement with a transparent process. The complaint portion is option for people to tell their story about any questionable experiences with law enforcement whether they reported the incident or not.

Spanish language

English language

2.  Join the Memphis United Coalition

You could join us by attending organizing meetings or be a part of shaping the strategy of creating a Community Action Plan.

Memphis United Organizing Meeting June  4, 2014 @ Caritas Village  6:00 pm-7:30 pm

Memphis United Organizing Meeting June 11, 2014 @ Caritas Village 66:00 pm-7:30 pm

Memphis United Strategy and Community Action Plan Meeting June 18, 2014 @ Caritas Village 6:00 pm-7:30 pm

3. Join us for  outreach and canvassing.

Saturday June 21, 2014 10:00 am- 2:00 pm

Sunday June 22, 2014 11:00 am- 1:00 pm

4.  Attend a forum in your city council district.

The first forum will be held at Lewis Davis CME Church June 24, 2014  @ 6:00 p.m.

We will be announcing the other forums in action alerts over the next weeks.

5.Contact Marquita if you would like to volunteer with Memphis United.

6. Like Memphis United on Facebook

This week was marked with a big win for bus riders as Shelia Williams, Co-Chair and founding member of the Memphis Bus Riders Union was appointed to the MATA Board of Commissioners.

MBRU members and supporters attended the appointment at City Hall on Tuesday. Williams will be the only transit dependent person on the 9 member board, which has the authority to oversee policy, service cuts, contracts and other actions taken by MATA’s administration.

Another shot in the arm for MATA this week was a last minute amendment by County Commissioner Steve Mulroy to add $70,000 in funding for service to Shelby Farms Park on weekends. This funding will essentially expand service for the 53 Summer route, which was heavily used by Southwest Community College (Macon Campus) students and faculty before massive budget cuts in 2013 caused a reduction in service. Now there is a real opportunity for much needed support from ever-sprawling suburban municipalities in the future.

Also on Monday, the MATA board voted to drop Pro-Tech, the security company at the North End Terminal, amid complaints of excessive force and harassment from riders. MBRU is now pushing for a review process by which the MATA Board can develop criteria for the new security company, including less intimidating uniforms, conduct, and sensitivity and non-violent communication and civil rights training.

Please join us at our next monthly meeting to celebrate the progress we’ve made this year.

Saturday Jun 14

12-2PM at the Memphis Center For Independent Living

1633 Madison Ave.

And check out this article about the MATA Board appointment!

H.O.P.E. is a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center-sponsored organization whose members are exclusively people have formerly  or are currently experiencing homelessness. HOPE has developed different projects to address and deconstruct specific dimensions of what is a dynamic problem that continues to affect so many in the Mid-South and beyond.

For meeting times & dates: 901-300-0006.

Reaching Out

Under the leadership of HOPE Organizer, Jim Brown, members areforming a new Outreach Committee.  Members of this committee will be working in teams to do targeted engagement with encampments and ‘homeless-hotspots’ across the city. Our members recently attended a training hosted by the Community Alliance for the Homeless to learn the SPDAT, the new tool being implemented for assessing the needs of Memphis/Shelby County’s homeless population. We want to put together outreach packets as a way to help us build relationships with the men and women we are trying to help connect to housing and other services, and we could really use YOUR support!

We are reaching out to YOU for donations of clean socks, bottled water (by the case), and bug repellant. You can also click here to make a monetary donation.

If you are able to donate any of these items, we are asking that you drop them off Mon – Fri, 9AM-5PMat the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center :: 3573 Southern Ave, 38111 :: (901) 725-4990

Street Wise INK

A BIG HOPE thank you to The Memphis School of Servant Leadership for making a generous gift to our Street-Wise INK t-shirt printing co-op, a worker owned and operated business venture started by members of HOPE! This gift will allow us to purchase a piece of equipment that will increase the efficiency of our operations so our members can take on more jobs, generating more income for people that need it.

THANK YOU!

Memorial Day, HOPE-Style!

Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women who have served in the US armed services. As many of the men and women that experience homelessness are veterans, HOPE members chose to commemorate this day by serving others in the community. On May 26th, HOPE set up the grill and cooked out for people at the All Saints Park, in the Washington Bottoms Neighborhood, which is also a concentrated area for homelessness, as it is close-by many essential services. We cooked over a hundred hot dogs, listened to music, and got to fellowship with community members about the work we are doing. Thanks to All Saints Presbyterian Church for letting us use the space, and thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the day with us!

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.We would also like to thank Just for Lunch & Trolley Stop Market for providing some delicious food for our meetings. 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 H.O.P.E. or our different project areas, please contact Jim Brown (901) 725.4990, or jim@midsouthpeace.org Like H.O.P.E. on Facebook!

Facilitation Skills Workshop

In these workshop will focus on practicing basic facilitation skills using interventions when disruption is happening in a meeting.

REGISTER NOW

Who should attend this workshop?

Organizers,  activists, community leaders, teachers, and anyone who wants to practice their meeting interventions skills.
Date: Thursday, June 19

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

Location: 450 Mulberry St.  Memphis TN 38103, Links Education Center – National Civil Rights Museum. Wheelchair accessible.

Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.  Limited to the first 12 people who register.

I WANT TO REGISTER!
Registration online or by phone is required to attend.
Some scholarships may be available.
Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

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

In this training we will focus on practicing the basic skills for nonviolent peacemaking and violence de-escalation; and experience the transforming power of nonviolence for oneself and society.

Light breakfast and vegetarian lunch provided!

Major components of this Basic Training:  Stories of empowerment, from one-on-one conflict situations to small and large peace teams, in domestic situations (such as dealing with neighborhood gangs, hate groups, etc.) and international sites (West Bank, US/Mexico border, etc.);

• The theoretical and spiritual (the interconnectedness of all beings and the earth) basis of nonviolence;
• Understanding the roots of violence;
• Theory and practice of communication skills: Active Listening, “I” messages; and the CLARA technique
• Theory and practice of consensus decision making;
• Theory of public witnessing and direct action;
• Mechanisms for social change;
• Cultural and racial sensitivity;
• Skills for deescalating potentially-violent situations.

Who should attend this Nonviolence Skills Training?

Organizers,  activists, community leaders and anyone who is open to learning about the power & efficacy of nonviolence. Limited for the first 30 people who register.

Where: 450 Mulberry St. Memphis TN 38103. Links Education Center, National Civil Rights Museum.  Wheelchair accessible.

When: Saturday, June 28, 9am – 5pm

Light breakfast and vegetarian lunch provided!

****** No partial attendance allowed******
Cost:  FREE

All participants should plan to make the entire scheduled training session so that we successfully build continuity and community. In other words, please arrive on time and plan on staying for the full training.

To register please call 901-725-4990, or email to gio@midsouthpeace.org

Training provided by the Meta Peace Team • Brought to you by Mid-South Peace and Justice Center.

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.