Memphis is a city rife with crime, poverty, and blight. One of the most obese cities in America and one of the least educated. A city with vast social and economic inequality, a city of racial injustice and racial exclusion, a city of corrupt politics. Memphis has always been this way – a backwater town with nothing going for it and absolutely zero hope of catching up with other, better cities like Nashville or Atlanta. The best thing the people of Memphis can do for themselves is move somewhere else. If you’re reading this blog, the odds are you’re a Memphian. How did you feel reading that first paragraph? Did you feel resigned, disappointed, even embarrassed? Or did you want to jump on the
Sometimes I get strange looks when I tell people where I work. “Center for Transforming Communities? So that’s what you do? Transform communities?” they’ll ask, with raised eyebrows. Well, yes. And not exactly. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve learned that a lot of thought went into choosing our name when we were formed back in 2009. And I’ve learned that when you unpack the name, you can learn a lot about who we are and what we stand for. “Center for Transforming Communities” can be read two ways, depending on where you place your emphasis. First, it’s Center for Transforming Communities. Reading it this way implies something forceful, as if CTC staff are charged with going out and transfor
