Things seem a little different these days. Recently, I attended the Beale Street Music Festival, to cover the event for the Flyer, but also because live music is one of life’s greatest pleasures. After two years without writing a BSMF recap, pounding out 1,000 words the Monday after felt blessedly normal.
Don’t get me wrong. Those paying attention know that weekly positivity rates on Covid tests are ticking back upward. Covid isn’t gone. But events are happening, I’m vaccinated, and when I watched Cory Branan rip through “The Prettiest Waitress in Memphis,” I was able to enjoy the song instead of wondering just how many of the people in the crowd were Covid-positive. Anyway.
Last week, I went to a friend’s annual work party at a local brewery. That evening I met some friends for dinner and drinks. We shared stories, talked about work, and my friend admitted that she wasn’t moved by a recent live production of Macbeth she attended. Uncultured swine that I am, I said that for me, no theater-going experience has ever topped the time when, on a junior high field trip, I saw a college production of Dracula. (Remember that — we’ll get back around to it in a bit.)
As the evening came to a close and we prepared to head our separate ways, the conversation turned to a certain intangible but undeniable something in the air. I felt it at BSMF too — there were odd moments, times when the enthusiastic audience seemed not to know what to do. One of my dinner companions shared a story of a mild verbal interaction that spiraled into threats of physical violence. She described one of the parties involved being held back by her companions, clinging to the door frame, trying to pull herself across the threshold to start a fight.
Things seem a little different these days. There’s something simmering under the surface.
That was on my mind the next day when I caught a screening of the new Doctor Strange flick. It was okay. As a longtime fan of The Evil Dead, I appreciated the signature touches of director Sam Raimi. And there were moments when I thought, “Hey, here I am in a theater again. How wonderful is this?” The spell was nearly broken, though, by another moviegoer in my row who talked through the entire film. I considered saying something. I have before. Once I turned around and fake-apologized to a chatty couple, “Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. Did we stumble into your living room? It must be awkward for all of us to be here. I hope we don’t ruin the mood.”
But I kept my mouth shut. I thought about saying something, even considered being polite instead of snarky, for a change. Then I thought about being stabbed to death in a Marvel movie and decided it wasn’t worth it. Everyone’s on edge.
Things seem a little different these days. It’s been in the back of my mind since the March 2020 debate between now-President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, when Biden said he was not in favor of Medicare for all or any single-payer system. Both candidates admitted we were experiencing an “unprecedented moment” in history, but in the midst of that moment, the leading candidate appeared more committed to maintaining the economic and social status quo than to finding a solution. More than two years later, I haven’t gotten over it. It just feels crazy, this insistence on individual solutions to large-scale problems. This belief that nothing should change. Or that civility or bipartisanship are goals to be prized in and of themselves.
Speaking of unchanging, some 125 years ago this month, Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published. Its plot points and motifs make the 19th-century novel a fair companion to today’s world. It’s a story of greed, wealth, and disease, of old systems refusing to die, sucking the life from young blood. Told in the form of letters, diary entries, and newspaper clippings, it gives the reader a broad view of the horror, something none of the characters can see as a whole. So the reader knows Count Dracula is a vampire, while the characters grope blindly in the dark. That’s often what it feels like these days.
Discussions on pressing problems are siloed, divorced from a larger reality. Meanwhile, we soldier on, going to work, paying bills, meeting friends for dinner and to discuss that certain something that taints the atmosphere, like the stench of burned sugar wafting from another room. People discuss workforce issues without mentioning the more than 994,000 Americans who have died of Covid. The shortage of baby formula hit the headlines the same week as the SCOTUS Roe leak. Something must be done to address these issues — but nothing that risks fundamental change.
There’s something in the air, and we’re reaching for the air freshener instead of looking for the source.
Last week University of Memphis Athletics launched its official online marketplace on Opendorse for student athletes to sell their name, image, and likeness to brands, sponsors, and donors. For example, digital deals (tweets and such) with U of M softball outfielder Hannah Bassham (above) start at $10.
Pothole Police
Posted to YouTube by Jakely Adams
YouTuber Jakely Adams watched cars bottom out in a Memphis pothole last week in a video that racked up more than 12,600 views.
“Not the new Chrysler,” Adams moaned as the car (above) approached the “big ass” pothole. The car scraped inside the crater and Adams cried, “God dog! That is wild!”
‘Lil Bitty Penis’
Posted to Nextdoor by Crystal Hall
Grahamwood Heights neighbor Crystal Hall wanted justice last week. A man flashed her “with his penis” on the sidewalk in front of her house. She hoped neighbors on Nextdoor could get his car tag as she was filing a report on “the flasher man” for “pulling out that lil bitty penis.”
Beale Street’s seemingly unending chain of neon has two dim links, and the street’s manager hopes to make them shine again.
The Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) is looking for proposals from businesses to fill two “extremely rare” vacancies on a street that has long been Tennessee’s top tourist destination.
These spaces once housed Black Diamond bar (its still-swinging sign calls it “The Jewel of Beale“) and Tater Red’s Lucky Mojos and Voodoo Healing (known to most as just Tater Red’s and as the place on Beale you could get a pack of smokes, a Coke, and a Memphis-themed, penis-shaped souvenir hex candle).
Black Diamond closed in 2012, according to aFlyer story at the time, on an expectation that Tater Red’s would expand into the space. Tater Red’s remained open but struggled through the pandemic. The shop continued operating through November 2020, though the owner Leo Allred said he was considering closing. Red’s closed temporarily in January 2021 and was closed for good by at least September 2021.
Noticed Tater Red’s window displays were empty last visit to Beale Street. Then…last night…it’s obvious the family is packing it up.
The DMC opened requests for proposals for the two empty spaces in April. Proposals are due by May 20th. Finalists will be interviewed late June/early July. Tenant selections and lease negotiations are expected to run until early August.
“We think it’s a great opportunity for any business that wants to experience the vibrancy of Beale Street,” said DMC president Paul Young. “It’s one of the top tourism destinations in the state of Tennessee and in the nation, quite frankly.”
The opportunity on Beale is, indeed, rare, Young said. Other spaces on Beale are vacant but those spaces have leases. Negotiations on those leases are underway. The vacancies in the former Black Diamond and Tater Red’s locations are “open, free, and clear,” Young said.
In the past, lease holders have been able to sell their leases to new tenants. (This is the way new businesses have traditionally secured a space on the street, Young said.) They negotiate terms and, then, must get approval from the city of Memphis.
So, these deals come to city leaders with terms already secured. Young said the deals for the Black Diamond and Tater Red’s locations will be the first time in a long time the city has been able to offer open solicitations on Beale Street real estate.
Credit: Toby Sells
Young said he wasn’t sure when the last time this opportunity arose on the street. When he asks other Beale Street merchants about it, they can’t remember either, he said.
The DMC is marketing the locations — 151 Beale, 153 Beale, and 155 Beale — as one. The whole suite offers 3,300 square feet of interior space featuring bathrooms, a kitchen, two entrances on Beale, and a 2,500-square-foot rear patio space. All of it is sandwiched between King Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grille and B.B. King’s Blues Club.
Merchants and visitors have said they’d love to have more on Beale open during mornings and day times, Young said. But “nothing is off the table,” when it comes to the vacant locations.
“We want to see what’s out there and who is interested in being on the street,” Young said. “So, this really is an open solicitation.”
DMC president Paul Young said 2020 was a “tough year” for Beale businesses but they “rebounded pretty well” in 2021. Business is trending up in 2022, he said, though it’s still not back up to some of its peak periods from the past. But the rising trend line has continued, especially as the Grizzlies have continued a run in the NBA playoffs.
Because of Covid, tourism spending in Tennessee fell by $7.7 billion between 2019 and 2020, according to the latest figures from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. Tourism dollars fell by about $1.2 billion between those years, from about $3.7 billion in 2019 to about $2.5 billion in 2020.
The Wacky Jugs (Photo courtesy of the Blues Foundation)
They don’t call it the International Blues Challenge for nothing. The far-ranging impact of the blues is never more apparent than when bands descend on the Bluff City for the Blues Foundation‘s annual competition, and that was underscored this year when The Wacky Jugs from France walked away with the honor of best blues band on Monday.
Prior to their final performance, The Wacky Jugs were clearly stoked, as they posted on their Facebook page, per that platform’s translation algorithm, “Hey friends, guess what??? WE’RE IN THE FINAL!!!! …This is crazy!!! We are happy!!! Thanks again to The Blues Foundation for all the support from wherever it comes, you are so marvelous, it also gives us goosebumps! After three nights in the mythical clubs on Beale Street, we have the chance to reach the Orpheum.”
Go to the Orpheum they did, where their sound, inspired by the Memphis Jug Band, won over the judges. Others from far afield were honored as well. Someone should definitely look into Phoenix’s water supply (perhaps it’s fed by the Mississippi?), as two artists from that city claimed three of the top honors. And don’t assume that Memphis Lightning is local: they’re from the Tampa Bay area.
The Mid-South did make a showing, thanks to Soul Nite featuring D.K. Harrell, from Indianola, Mississippi, garnering third place in the band category. Otherwise, the global ubiquity of the blues was on full display. As the late Jim Dickinson often quipped, “World Boogie is coming!” Indeed, it would appear that it’s already here.
And the winners are …
1st Place Band The Wacky Jugs (France Blues)
2nd Place Band Cros (Phoenix Blues Society)
3rd Place Band Soul Nite feat. D.K. Harrell (Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola)
1st Place Solo/Duo Eric Ramsey (Phoenix Blues Society)
2nd Place Solo/Duo Jhett Black (San Angelo Blues Society)
Memphis Cigar Box Award Eric Ramsey (Phoenix Blues Society)
Lee Oskar Harmonica Award Jhett Black (San Angelo Blues Society)
Gibson Guitarist Award T.C. Carter
Best Self-Produced CD Award Borrowed Time, by Memphis Lightning (Suncoast Blues Society)
The 2022 Beale Street Music Festival was a success in its first year back after a two-year pandemic hiatus. One of the things that set this year’s festival apart past editions — other than the supposedly temporary move to Liberty Park in Midtown — was the record number of Memphis acts on the bill. From our coverage of the BSMF 2022 weekend, Bluff City’s finest turned out to be huge crowd pleasers.
One of the local bands on the stage was Tora Tora. The ’80s metal sensation consisting of singer Anthony Corder, guitarist Keith Douglas, bassist Patrick Francis, and drummer John Patterson exploded out of Memphis with their 1989 album Surprise Attack, which peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Their hit single “Walking Shoes” was a little more bluesy than most of their hair metal contemporaries. Wikipedia claims the black-and-white video was the first from Memphis to be played on MTV, but that’s not quite true. The New Wave novelty song “Dog Police” appeared on Weird Al Yankovic’s MTV show five years earlier. But “Walking Shoes” was definitely the first Memphis video to land in hit-making heavy rotation on the video channel. In the video, watch for some Downtown Memphis landmarks, like the Tennessee Brewery, which have changed considerably since then. Rock on with Tora Tora!
If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
Stephanie and Brice Bailey (Credit: Staks Pancake Kitchen)
Expect to see a couple more pancake kitchens in the near future. Staks Pancake Kitchen announced today that it had secured an additional Shelby County location in Collierville, via a second franchise agreement with local entrepreneur Nick Bolander.
“We are excited about expanding the Staks brand with Nick,” says Brice Bailey, owner of Staks Pancake Kitchen. “Nick brings a great energy to the brand and we look forward to seeing Staks grow locally and serving Collierville and more.”
The Collierville Staks is set to open later this year, with Bolander looking at potential locations along the Poplar corridor and creating the largest Staks to date. Beyond Tennessee, he is also set to open a franchise in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Growing up working in restaurants, I have always wanted to own one and teach my kids the service industry,” Bolander says. “When the opportunity to bring our favorite brunch spot to Collierville came about, we absolutely could not pass it up. Staks’ passion using locally sourced ingredients and embracing fair trade practices is something we share and the difference you taste when you eat at Staks. We are looking forward to supporting our community with pride in the products and excellent customer service to be provided.”
The upscale, fast-casual breakfast and lunch restaurant originally opened in 2015, and currently has three local locations in Memphis, Germantown, and Southaven, Mississippi.
Becky McDonah (American, b. 1972), "Reoccurring Rejuvenation: A Reliquary for the Shower Curtain, Toothbrushes & Dental Floss," 2019. Sterling silver, brass, shower curtain, toothbrushes, dental floss and cutters, glass. (Artwork and photo courtesy of the artist.)
Disposability rarely aligns itself with sacredness. Consider latex gloves, masks, wipes, Kleenex, empty sanitizer bottles — all disposable objects that we turn to out of necessity but that now sit at the bottom of our trash cans or forgotten in grocery baskets or dropped onto asphalt parking lots, waiting to be picked up by the wind as we buy their replacements. These are objects that are easily taken for granted until they are unavailable — that’s when they become sacred, as we all have learned during this pandemic.
But for artist and metalsmith Becky McDonah, these objects hold importance outside of the moments when they are scarce. Instead of letting go of an empty bottle of hand sanitizer that served her in a time of need, she has taken the time to honor that object, quite literally, by placing it on a pedestal adorned with delicately placed turquoise, copper, and brass. In fact, her “Evaluating Essentials” exhibition at the Metal Museum contains reliquaries just like this one, all with elaborate and skillful metalwork enshrining everyday objects, a distinct departure from reliquaries that ensconce relics deemed to be holy and above the ordinary.
Becky McDonah (Courtesy Becky McDonah)
“From car tires and applesauce cups to pill bottles and shower curtains,” McDonah says, “I would like the viewers to take the time to stop and think about little things that have an impact on their lives or the lives of others around them.”
“I am influenced by the idea of the ‘sacred’ object but then deviate to think about things that we may be extremely thankful for at specific times in our lives, or always,” the artist continues. “Taking heart medication might be a helpful or harmful approach to improving our health depending on who you ask, an empowering book may be a way to access confidence or take you on an adventure, a mask can protect you from breathing harmful particles, and when you desperately need a tissue you are grateful when it is provided. These situations all carry stories or memories along with them, and I am hoping to release some of those using the items contained.”
The chosen items also carry personal connections to McDonah. “I wouldn’t just use any car tire or shower curtain. These items come from specific places or people,” she says. “When I design a piece, it always has a personal meaning for me at some level, but my goal is that it is also something that can resonate with others and they are able to bring their own personal experience to the piece.”
McDonah, who heads the fine art metals program at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, has been making these reliquaries since 1997. “The death of a family member had me contemplating the rituals surrounding the circumstances and thinking about how much emphasis is sometimes placed on the remains of the individual when the body no longer houses the essence of that person,” she says. That first piece, titled Preservation of the Core, was a small-scale coffin holding a painted apple core at rest in its satin lining.
Becky McDonah (American, b. 1972), “Silky Security: A Reliquary for a Blankie Tag,” 2017. Copper, sterling silver, enamel, glass. (Artwork and photo courtesy of the artist.)
Although the artist has generally stayed within the reliquary format since then, McDonah consistently pushes herself to incorporate a new technique in each piece. She also works with a variety of materials in addition to the main component of metal. “The other materials are usually things that complement the contents whether that may be something that is associated with it in its typical environment or materials chosen for more formal reasons, like to accent the color or texture,” she says. For instance, in Reoccuring Rejuvenation which honors a shower curtain in a pendant, dental floss is braided to form the necklace’s chain and toothbrush heads flank either side of the pendant.
Notably, though, these details and even the honored object may not register to the viewer at first glance. At first glance, Panic Purchase might seem like an interestingly decorated jar, but a prolonged look reveals that tiny toilet seats rest on the lid with a metal rim engraved to look like perforated toilet paper.
As an anecdote, McDonah mentions one piece not in this show that contained toenails inside a thumb-shaped reliquary. “This piece was about relationships, and I collected toenails from family and friends to contain in it,” she says. “The closeness of the relationships went both ways as to them being willing to give or mail me their toenails and for me actually having to work with them. I was playing with the ability of a container to elevate the objects contained, and it worked. A group of people were looking at this piece and one person dumped the container upside down and the toenails fell to the floor. They all automatically went down to the floor and scoured it, picking up the fallen toenails of people they had never met!”
Though that was an unusual experience for one of her shows, the effect gratified the artist, showing how easy it is to get swept up in the beauty of the container that suggests a degree of reverence before realizing the ordinary nature — or in the case of the toenails, the gross nature — of the object that is being uplifted. “Disgust is not the typical response that I would like to bring up in my audience,” McDonah says, “maybe a little surprise and a chuckle, followed by them contemplating the contents and what memories it may bring up for them or why it has a place of importance within the piece.” “Evaluating Essentials” will be on view at the Metal Museum through May 15th. McDonah will give an artist talk at the closing reception that day from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Admission to the reception is free, with a suggested donation of $8 per guest. Register here.
Becky McDonah (American, b. 1972), “Vexing the Virus: A Reliquary of Hand Sanitizer and Nitrile Gloves,” 2021. Copper, brass, turquoise, glass, nitrile gloves, hand sanitizer. (Artwork and photo courtesy of the artist.)
Tennessee lawmakers’ scrutiny of public education this year ran the gamut, from completely rewriting the state’s K-12 funding formula to authorizing teachers to confiscate students’ cell phones if they’re deemed a distraction in class.
The 65 or so education bills that ultimately passed during the 2022 session showed lawmakers were willing to not only undertake big, systemic reforms, but also to assert state power over issues traditionally handled at the local or school level. Among them: which books are OK for libraries and how to resolve a dispute between two cities over school properties.
All measures ultimately will affect students in pre-K through 12th grade, their educators, and schools — most beginning this fall.
They include several anticipated new laws aimed at addressing the state’s teacher shortage by loosening restrictions on licensing, plus another bill that expands Tennessee’s private school voucher program for students with disabilities to include those with dyslexia.
Pushback from advocates of traditional public schools helped to sideline bills that likely would have led to significant expansion of the state’s charter school sector. One measure, which was resurrected after stalling last year, would have opened the door to for-profit charters in Tennessee. Another would have let charter organizations bypass local districts and apply for authorization directly to the state’s new charter commission.
Lawmakers struck down a perennial bill to allow school superintendents to be elected by voters instead of being appointed by school boards, albeit by a closer margin than in previous years.
Also scuttled were bills that would limit which supplemental materials that teachers can use, ban corporal punishment in schools, and require that state tests be given only during the last 20 days of the school year.
Still, the GOP supermajority saw many of its bills head to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature.
After the final gavel fell on April 28, Lee touted the passage of his legislative agenda as “America at its best,” including the funding rewrite that he signed into law this week, a $500 million one-time investment in middle and high school career and technical education, and a $125 million increase toward teacher pay.
House Minority Leader Karen Camper, however, characterized this year’s session as one of “missed opportunities.” Citing the state’s historic revenue surplus and billions of dollars in one-time federal COVID relief funding, the Memphis Democrat said the state could have invested even more in education, as well as health care, housing, and other needs critical to the average Tennessean.
Here is a roundup of some of the 2022 bills that passed:
Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (HB2143-SB2396): The so-called TISA formula will replace the state’s 30-year-old funding system. It sets a base funding rate of $6,860 per pupil, then distributes additional funding for students who are considered economically disadvantaged, have unique learning needs, or live in communities that are rural or have concentrated poverty. The governor, who is running for reelection, pledged to inject an extra $1 billion annually into the base and weights when the formula kicks in beginning in 2023-24.
Budget (HB2882-SB2897): The state’s $53 billion spending plan includes a $125 million recurring funding increase toward teacher salaries and a one-time $500 million investment in career and technical education for middle and high schools. But legislative finance leaders stripped away $200 million that Lee wanted for relocating 14 Tennessee schools built in floodplains. The budget also sets aside $32 million to help charter schools pay for facilities. And it includes about $29 million to launch Tennessee’s paused school voucher program, just in case the Tennessee Supreme Court overrules a lower court’s 2020 ruling that it is unconstitutional.
Age-Appropriate Materials Act (HB2154-SB2407):The governor’s plan requires each school library to publish the list of materials in their collections and periodically review them to make sure they are “appropriate for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials.” It also requires school boards to establish processes for receiving feedback and removing books that don’t meet that standard, which is to be defined by each district based on local community standards.
New appellate process (HB2666-SB2247): Tennessee’s textbook commission can overrule local school board decisions and ban certain school library books statewide if they are deemed “inappropriate for the age or maturity levels” of students who can access them. Under legislation approved on the final day of the session, which Lee has said he’ll sign, the politically appointed panel can hear appeals from parents, school employees, or other complainants on the decisions of locally elected officials over challenged materials.
Tennessee library coordinator (HB1667-SB1784): Creates a position at the state education department to strengthen school library programs and promote best practices among librarians and technology coordinators. The Tennessee Association of School Librarians lobbied for the position.
Virtues of capitalism (HB2742-SB2748): Requires instruction on the “virtues of capitalism and the constitutional republic form of government in the United States and Tennessee, as compared to other political and economic systems such as communism and socialism.”
Grading scale (HB0324-SB0388): Returns Tennessee to a 10-point grading scale for high school students instead of a seven-point scale for assigning A-F letter grades, to help with post-secondary financial assistance. So instead of a 93-100 average to receive an A, the range would be 91-100. The shift, which has been discussed in the legislature for several years, would align Tennessee’s high school grading scale with its colleges and universities. The primary goal is to put Tennessee students on an even playing field with their peers elsewhere, including eight bordering states.
Hope scholarships (HB2152-SB2405):Lawmakers approved the largest increase for HOPE scholarships for academic achievers at public four-year universities in Tennessee since the scholarships launched in 2004. Beginning with the 2022-23 academic year, the awards will increase from $3,500 to $4,500 for full-time eligible freshmen and sophomores and from $4,500 to $5,700 for juniors and seniors. Funded from the net proceeds of the Tennessee Lottery, the program aids students who graduate from a Tennessee high school with a 3.0 GPA or higher and score at least 21 on their ACT or 1060 on their SAT.
‘Divisive concepts’ in higher education (HB2670-SB2290): Gives public university students the right to sue professors if they believe they received low grades based on politics or ideology.
Transgender athletes (HB1895-SB1861):Legislation signed by the governor requires the state education department to withhold funds from schools that don’t identify athletes’ genders assigned at birth or that allow transgender girls to play on girls’ sports teams. A second bill prohibits trans women from playing on women’s college sports teams.
But legislation stalled that would have shielded schools from recourse if a teacher disregards the preferred pronouns of students. And lawmakers scuttled another bill that would have banned “textbooks and instructional materials or supplemental instructional materials that promote, normalize, support or address lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender issues or lifestyles.”
Expansion of vouchers for students with disabilities (HB0751-SB1158): Under a bill that the governor is expected to sign, nearly 35,000 students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia would be eligible to participate in Tennessee’s private school voucher program for students with disabilities. The legislation would almost double the number of students now eligible to receive state money to pay for private education services through the state’s 6-year-old Individualized Education Account program. Currently, that program serves 284 students with disabilities that include autism, hearing and vision impairments, and traumatic brain injury. State officials estimate the families of about 250 students would opt to participate and receive an average of $7,811 annually during the first year. Such an expansion would shift more than $2 million in state funding from public to private schools and vendors.
Temporary teaching permits (HB1901-SB1863): Extends for another two years temporary teaching permits to teach certain courses and subjects where vacancies are hard to fill.
Limited license pathway (HB1899-SB1864): Allows teachers holding a temporary teaching permit to apply to the state for a practitioner’s license before the permit expires.
Retired teachers and bus drivers (HB2783-SB2702):Through 2025, retired teachers and bus drivers could be reemployed as a teacher, substitute teacher, or bus driver, without having their retirement benefits taken away or suspended. Currently, retired teachers can return to work, but only for 120 days maximum. The change would allow workers to return for an entire school year if there are no other qualified applicants. During reemployment in a school system, retirement benefits would be reduced to 70% of retirement allowance, and the existing salary cap would be removed.
Occupational teaching licenses (HB2455-SB2442):Amends qualifications necessary to receive an occupational teaching license to address the shortage of instructors for vocational and career and technical education programs.
Transfer of schools to Germantown (HB2430-SB2315):Memphis school officials will have to transfer three suburban schools to neighboring Germantown under heavily amended legislation that gives both parties until next year to reach an agreement. Germantown officials have sought the expensive properties for a decade, but leaders of Memphis-Shelby County Schools countered that they offered no long-term plan for educating the 3,300 students who would be affected, most of whom live near Germantown in unincorporated parts of Shelby County. A federal judge approved the original 2013 agreement that transferred five of eight Germantown schools from the Memphis district to the Germantown school system. Memphis leaders have said they may take the matter back to court.
Marta W. Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
Since the Redbirds arrived in Memphis in 1998, no position has proved more fruitful for the parent St. Louis Cardinals than starting pitching. It started with lefty phenom Rick Ankiel, the 1999 Minor League Player of the Year and runner-up the next season for National League Rookie of the Year with the Cardinals. (Not all young pitchers grow into old pitchers. We won’t rehash Ankiel’s struggles here.) Dan Haren, Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha, Jack Flaherty, and Dakota Hudson are eight more examples of Redbird hurlers who became rotation regulars in the big leagues. And it appears the next big arm on its way north is that of southpaw Matthew Liberatore.
Over a pair of starts in late April, the 22-year-old Liberatore showed fans in Memphis and Durham what the Cardinals hope to see in St. Louis in the near future. In a home start against Omaha on April 23rd, Liberatore tossed seven scoreless innings, struck out nine, allowed but two hits, and walked nary a batter. Six days later against the Bulls, he tossed another scoreless seven, struck out seven, walked three, and allowed only four hits. Particularly against the Storm Chasers, Liberatore commanded the strike zone with his low-to-mid nineties heat, going to a three-ball count on only one hitter. It was dominance, the kind St. Louis needs to see before Liberatore makes his major league debut. (Liberatore fell back to earth last Friday at AutoZone Park, allowing six runs and nine hits in five-and-two-thirds innings against Jacksonville.)
Liberatore is a significant piece of the Cardinals’ future, in part because of how he joined the franchise. On January 9, 2020, St. Louis traded Randy Arozarena to the Tampa Bay Rays for a package of players highlighted by Liberatore, the 16th pick in the 2018 draft. Arozarena helped Memphis win the 2018 Pacific Coast League championship (hitting a pair of home runs in the clincher at AutoZone Park), but gained national fame when he helped the Rays to the 2020 World Series (in which he hit three home runs) then won the American League’s Rookie of the Year award in 2021. All of that on one side of the trade, while Liberatore has yet to take the mound in a big-league stadium.
The Cardinals’ rotation will need Liberatore soon. Wainwright is now 40 years old, on the verge of setting a record for career starts as a battery with Cardinal catcher Yadier Molina. Flame-throwing Jordan Hicks is occupying another rotation slot, but has battled arm injuries for the better part of four years now. Veteran Miles Mikolas has pitched like he’s healthy for the first time since 2019, and newly acquired Steven Matz won three of his first four decisions as the only current lefty in the St. Louis rotation. Hudson is back after missing most of 2021 following Tommy John surgery. If any member of this quintet should fall out of the saddle, look for Matthew Liberatore to become the latest Memphis starter to cross the Mighty Miss.
• Redbirds second-baseman Nolan Gorman — he turns 22 Tuesday and is a childhood friend of Liberatore’s — had an April unlike any player in franchise history. He shattered the Redbirds record for home runs in the month with 11 and enjoyed a 16-game hitting streak, merely four shy of the club record (established in 1999 by Adam Kennedy). Gorman’s performance earned him International League Player of the Month honors. With the Cardinals struggling to score consistently in the early season, why isn’t Gorman in St. Louis? In two words: free agency. The longer St. Louis delays Gorman’s MLB debut, the later he becomes a free agent, capable of departing for the highest bidder in the market. As a left-handed slugger, Gorman could get a share of the designated-hitter workload with the Cardinals (the DH is a new, permanent addition to National League baseball). And if Cardinal shortstop Paul DeJong’s hitting woes continue, Gorman may fill the second-base void if former Redbird (and 2021 Gold Glove winner) Tommy Edman moves from second to short.
• Triple-A baseball will host the first “Triple Championship Weekend” this fall in Las Vegas. Division winners in the International League will compete for a title on Friday, September 30th. (Memphis competes in the West Division of the IL.) Then division winners in the Pacific Coast League will play on Saturday, October 1st. The two league champs will square off on October 2nd for the Triple-A national championship. Memphis has not played a postseason game since winning the Triple-A crown in 2018.
Ja Morant, Teniya Morant, and mother Jamie
(Photo courtesy Jamie Morant)
Some say a mother’s love for her children is unparalleled in this world; responsibility and sacrifice are inherent in the role of a mother.
The family typically turns to her for love and support because she is their rock, the glue that keeps everything together. Meet the mother of the Grizzlies superstar guard Ja Morant.
For Jamie Morant, her family is her everything.
Jamie and her granddaughter Kaari (Photo courtesy Jamie Morant)
“Denzel Washington once said, ‘A mother is a son’s first true love. A son, especially their first son, is a mother’s last true love,’” Jamie says with tears. “Ja is definitely that for me. He changed my life in many ways, while not even knowing it.”
Jamie was also quite the athlete. She was a point guard in basketball and a utility player in softball during her college career. She believes Ja’s athleticism comes from her as he followed in her footsteps as a point guard.
“Most people think he gets his athletic skills from his dad, but everything besides the dunking is all me,” Jamie says with a laugh. “Being a point guard and playing certain positions I played in softball — you have to be the team leader, love what you’re doing, and be mentally tough because everything will fall on you.”
Jamie doesn’t have the visibility as her husband Tee Morant but she’s at Grizzlies home games supporting her son. “I may not be in the spotlight like Tee, but best believe do something to my kids and you will meet mama,” she says sternly. “I do not play about my kids!”
“As a mother, I instilled the basic principles of being a great person to my kids,” Jamie says. “Be polite, respectful, don’t see color, focus on your education, set goals and focus on them, work hard for what you want,” she says. “Give to others.”
She continues, “But as a parent all we can do is hope that they carry that info along with them throughout their life’s journey.”
Ja Morant and his mother Jamie
(Photo courtesy Jamie Morant)
Jamie became pregnant with Ja while she was in college and gave birth to him months after she graduated from then Claflin College, now Claflin University with a BS in Biology.
Jamie Morant and her father on graduation day (Photo courtesy of Jamie Morant)
She recently spoke to the Flyer in a wide-ranging interview about her son Ja and her family.
Memphis Flyer: What was Ja like growing up?
Jamie Morant: Ja was your typical boy growing up. He loved basketball, of course, but he also wanted to play football and baseball. Which makes sense because he comes from an athletic family on both sides. He also loved to dance and would entertain anyone with his signature Michael Jackson and Usher moves.
The adage goes: If you love Memphis, it will love you back. Why do you think Memphis and Ja fit so perfectly?
I will say this: “If you love Ja, he will love you back.” My son is truly a genuinely loving person, and Memphis reminds us a lot of home, so it was a great fit for all of us. We love the people and how they welcomed us and continue to embrace us.
Early on, when did you realize he had such a high basketball IQ?
It was as soon as he could hold and dribble a ball. He always was different on the court and had no fear of anyone or their size.
Your daughter Teniya plays basketball. How does she compare to Ja and how do they differ?
Their mentality and love for the game are the same, but, as a parent, I make it a point to not compare my kids. They are two different individuals and that’s how I see and encourage them. God created no two people alike and I want them to always strive to be the best versions of themselves and not feel inferior to anyone.
Your family is a close-knit group. How are you all making it easy for Ja as he is on his NBA journey?
From day one, we said the only thing Ja needs to worry about is his job, nothing else. Make sure he has as little stress as possible. So when we are home, there’s a lot of laughter. Ja is very silly and loves to laugh and be around family. I think most people would be surprised. We cook a lot and usually there’s a steady flow of family and friends new and old in our house. Definitely a lot of fun and love.
Ja says you instilled in him, he’s “beneath no one.” Where did that come from?
The “Beneath No One” came about when Ja was in high school and not getting any college offers but was going up against some of the “top” players in the state, scoring like 30-plus points and winning. attending elite camps, etc., and still nothing. It started to discourage him, so one day I said, “Son, at the end of the day the pressure is on these other players and not you. Play your game, you know what you can do, and guess what, you’re beneath no one!”
Whether it’s Memphis; Dalzell, South Carolina; or Murray, Kentucky, Ja is always giving back. Why is that important to you and your family?
Giving back is very important and Ja has always seen us give back. Our home in South Carolina was always open to many and we treated them all as our own. They would play basketball and then we would put food on the grill. It’s all a part of mentoring our youth and giving them a safe place to be and not in the streets. I honestly believe that’s how our family is in this position now. Bless others, and be blessed!
How is it watching Kaari, (Ja’s daughter) grow up?
She is such a joy and she reminds us so much of Ja at that age. She is quite the entertainer as many have seen at the games and is just so lovable. Kaari totally has all of our hearts but especially, Jama’s.
Ja once said that you are his best friend and that you taught him to celebrate women every day, that he carries with him in his treatment of his sister, his daughter, and other women. Why was it important to you to teach that to him?
Treating everyone with respect is important, but as a man you should treat women with the utmost respect. I mean, you came from a woman, right? We see enough of the opposite in the world and I wanted more for my son. He truly has a heart of gold and is very protective of the women in his life. He is a truly protective big brother and I know Niya wishes he and his dad would relax a little. [laughs]
Men’s sports has the most notoriety and strides have been made to give women’s sports more visibility, but it is not enough. Do you believe that will soon change in the age of social media? Why is it important for you and your family to support women in sports?
Yes, I believe that social media is good for the visibility of women’s sports. As a woman that has a daughter and now granddaughter, I want them to have better opportunities as a woman. We have been underrated, underpaid, and overlooked way too long. We will always support women in sports and fight for them to get paid what they deserve!
I ask every woman this, what do you do for self care?
It took me a long time to understand that self care is very important, because I’m so used to making sure my kids and everything in the household is straight. These past few years I’ve learned to focus on myself to maintain my peace and mentality. So I read books on self care and affirmations, journal, pamper myself, and relax on my back porch watching the waterfall and just enjoy nature.
Jamie Morant and her daughter Teniya at a Grizzlies game (photo courtesy Jamie Morant)
