Summer solstice sunrise over Stonehenge (Photo: Andrew Dunn | Creative Commons | Wikimedia)
June 20th is the official start of summer, with the summer solstice happening at 3:50 p.m. that day. This solstice marks the longest day of the year — when the number of hours of daylight are at their maximum, and the number of hours of night are at their minimum.
The movement of celestial bodies has fascinated humans for millennia. Ancient cultures knew that the sun’s path across the sky, the length of daylight, and the location of the sunrise and sunset all shifted in a regular way throughout the year. They built monuments, such as the ones at Stonehenge in England and at Machu Picchu in Peru, to follow the sun’s yearly progress. Newgrange in Ireland was constructed to align with the winter solstice and Angkor Wat in Cambodia aligns with the sun on the spring equinox.
Many ancient cultures created holy days and festivals to mark the movement of the heavens. Our ancient ancestors often celebrated the solstices and equinoxes, honored them as holy days, and set them aside for religious observances.
Today, we know the solstice is caused by Earth’s tilted axis and by its orbital motion around the sun. The Earth doesn’t orbit upright with respect to the plane of our orbit around the sun. Instead, our world is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees. Through the year, this tilt causes Earth’s Northern and Southern hemispheres to trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly. It’s Earth’s tilt — not our distance from the sun — that causes winter and summer. In fact, our planet is closest to the sun in January and farthest from the sun in July, during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer.
But does understanding the science and reason behind the summer solstice (or any solstice or equinox) take away from the awe or reverence we have for these sacred times? For some people it may. Knowing the mechanics behind a phenomenon might make that occurrence less mystical for people. It may no longer seem special just because we understand what is happening and why.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. There can be something powerful in taking part in the same celebrations that our ancestors took part in. It doesn’t mean we are doing the same things our ancestors may have done to honor the solstice. But just continuing the practice of recognizing the day, or the moment, helps create a tradition that will continue to live and evolve through you and after you.
It’s the 21st century. We know that the Earth rotates around the sun in our solar system. And our solar system is just one of millions in our galaxy of the Milky Way. But does this knowledge make phenomena such as the summer solstice any less magical? Not to me. In fact, sometimes it makes it more magical.
Regardless of your spiritual beliefs or tradition, it is possible to the look at this intricate system that is our world and be amazed. Whether you believe a higher power created it or the Earth and humans are an accident of science and evolution, it is still amazing how well-balanced and special our world is. And it is just a fragment of dust in comparison to what’s out there beyond the stars. How is that not awe-inspiring?
In spiritual traditions, the summer solstice is often referred to as Midsummer. Although it is officially the start of summer, for most of us summer began months ago. It is starting to get hot, the kids only have a couple of months left before school starts back for the fall, and we’re likely looking forward to cooler weather. But the summer solstice is also the end of the light half of the year. Since the previous winter solstice, the days have been getting longer and the nights shorter. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year but going forward now, the sun will set a little earlier each night. From the summer solstice until the winter solstice, we are in the dark half of the year. Enjoy your summer with intention.
Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
Daniel Parker, Jonathan White, Justin White, and Victoria Johnson (Photos: Michael Donhue)
Strangewaze Wednesdaze was held each Wednesday in May. But the final one was held June 5th because it was the rain date for the May 8th event. “There was a chance for tornadoes,” says event co-founder Emily Todd. “And, of course, that didn’t happen.”
Alex Turley and Jamie Harmonharnae Lee and Hasani MadlockZach El-Oglah and Magda Sakaan
Attendance reached 725. Guests dined on free food, listened to music from Yesse Yavis and Tennessee Screamers, and sipped Memphis Made Brewing Company’s Srangewaze pale ale.
Emily and her dad, Mike Todd, began the event, originally known as “Hump Day Happy Hour,” in 2021 as a way to revitalize The Edge and Medical District. “The Edge had a lot of development momentum and interest in the neighborhood prior to Covid. When Covid hit, it slowed down a lot of that momentum.”
Emily ToddMorgan Erdman and Chris Liberto
May events are geared toward people with money, Emily says. “Nothing is really accessible that is free and fun for the majority of residents of Memphis to do. We wanted an equitable, fun, community-activated experience. And we wanted to continue to grow in The Edge and the Medical District because of all the important growth that is happening there.”
Memphis Reddit users tried to figure out exactly why Kroger seems to only use half of its self-checkout machines, leaving long lines snaking down the aisles. The company wants to pay fewer employees, one said. The move deters shoplifting, said another. Cash-using customers will use a card-only machine and create a headache, one suggested. Many agreed, though, that they hate self-checkout.
Big Boogie
Posted to YouTube by No Jumper
Former Memphis rapper Big Boogie gave an expansive interview on the No Jumper podcast. He talked about why he doesn’t beef or pose with his car, why he left Memphis, and his philosophy on hard work.
“Life ain’t whopping my ass,” he said. “I’m whopping life’s ass.”
As we walked out of Inside Out 2, my wife turned to me and said, “They really nailed anxiety!”
The first Inside Out, directed by Pete Docter in 2015, is one of the crown jewels of American animation. It’s also one of the few films for kids (or anyone, really) that is explicitly about mental health. The premise, which it shares with the now-forgotten ’80s sitcom Herman’s Head, is that inside everyone is a committee of personified emotions whose deliberations and disputes determine behavior. Riley, voiced by Kaitlyn Dias, is an 11-year-old girl from Minnesota whose world is upended when her family moves to San Francisco. On the outside, she tries to put on a brave face. But on the inside, her young emotions are in turmoil. Joy (Amy Poehler) is the leader of the emotions, but when she and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) are thrown from Riley’s cerebral control room, Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) take over, and Riley tries to run away from home and return to Minnesota. Only when Joy and Sadness fight their way back to the control room, thus restoring emotional balance, can Riley come to terms with her new life.
Inside Out 2 picks up a couple of years later. Riley (now voiced by Kensington Tallman) is 13 years old, and despite her fears that no one plays hockey in San Francisco, she’s on a team with her two besties Grace (Grace Lu) and Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green). Next year, they’ll be headed for high school, where they want to skate for the Firehawks, the varsity hockey team led by star player Val (Lilimar). After a big win, the friends get invited to a summer skills camp run by the Firehawks’ hardass Coach Roberts (Yvette Nicole Brown). It’s Riley’s chance to prove she’s good enough to make the team, and she’s initially excited.
But the night before the camp starts, things start to spin out of control in her emotional world. The Puberty Alarm starts flashing on Riley’s control panel, and Minion-like Mind Workers bust in to start demolishing the place. “Pardon our dust! Puberty is messy!”
The workers are expanding to make space for a new set of emotions, courtesy of puberty: Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Nostalgia (June Squibb), and Anxiety (Maya Hawke). Also, Riley has acne now, just in time to meet the gaggle of older girls who rule the Firehawks roost.
After years of maintaining emotional equilibrium and cultivating a strong sense of self for Riley with only five emotions, Joy is thrown for loop when she tries to manage the newcomers. Anxiety is especially troublesome. After an early blunder by Joy leads to Riley getting yelled at by the coach, Anxiety takes over. Joy only reacts, but Anxiety is a planner, which seems like a prudent thing as Riley tries to navigate a fraught new social situation. Plus, Joy has been maintaining the status quo by putting all of Riley’s negative memories way in the back of the mind, where they are conveniently out of sight, but never dealt with. The fact that processing these bad memories will strengthen Riley’s sense of self never occurs to Joy, who only focuses on the positive. Soon, Anxiety banishes Joy’s hard-won sense of self to the same oblivion as Riley’s suppressed memories, and our young hero starts alienating her friends and trying on a new, fake identity she thinks will get her an in with the popular girls, and a spot on the team.
Anxiety is the breakout star of Inside Out 2, for good reason. We are living in an age of anxiety, brought on by the deteriorating climate, the specter of Trumpian fascism, pandemic malaise, addictive social media algos, and wars simmering in the background. Is it any wonder the kids are nervous all the time?
Kelsey Mann, who took over when Pete Docter was promoted to Pixar’s chief creative officer, puts his focus on Anxiety, and how it works to monopolize the imagination and blind you to the complexities of reality, all in a brisk 98 minutes. When Riley has a panic attack during the big game, the experience is downright harrowing for anyone who has been there themselves. Riley ultimately makes it through it all with a sense of self that is stronger because it is more complex. The kids (and the adults) who pay attention to the message behind the visual fireworks will come away with an easily understood example of how to process the confusing emotions of teen-dom. I wish I had Inside Out when I was young.
Elaine de Kooning, Black Mountain #6 (Photo: Courtesy Dixon Gallery & Gardens)
Memphis, it’s summer. Officially. June 20th marks the start of the season. So that means it’s time for the Flyer’s Summer Arts Guide, and never one to disappoint, the Flyer has it ready, not a moment too soon, and not a moment too late.
ON DISPLAY
“Memphis 2024”
Memphis 2024 celebrates artists working in Memphis today through more than 50 works.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through June 30
“It’s All Relative”
Morgan Lugo’s metal work examines how our unique perspectives shape our experiences.
Metal Museum, through July 7
“Progression”
Sowgand Sheikholeslami’s colorful paintings exist outside of realism.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through July 7
The WE Art Gallery
This year’s annual exhibit at the Woman’s Exchange features new works by established local and regional artists and a number of talented newcomers.
Woman’s Exchange, through July 31
“People Are People”
This exhibit honors famed American designer Christian Siriano’s electrifying contributions to fashion.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, through August 4
“Branching Out”
Discover intricate connections between students, teachers, and casting communities, which branch out much like a family tree.
Metal Museum, through September 8
“Summer Art Garden: Creatures of Paradise”
Monstrous bugs and tiny Thumbelinas relax in a fantasy landscape in Banana Plastik’s installation.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, through October 26
“Bracelets, Bangles & Cuffs: 1948–2024”
This collection of contemporary bracelets reveals the wide-ranging creativity of artists working in this jewelry form.
Metal Museum, through November 17
“2023 Wilson Fellowship: Danny Broadway, Claire Hardy, Thad Lee, and John Ruskey”
The Dixon has partnered with the town of Wilson, Arkansas, to help bring cultural activity to the Arkansas Delta through an artist residency program. This exhibit features work by the inaugural cohort of Wilson Fellows, Danny Broadway, Claire Hardy, Thad Lee, and John Ruskey.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, July 14-September 29
“Health in Enamel”
Themes of health, healing, and spirituality crystallize with a survey of current enamel holdings in the Metal Museum’s permanent collection and a community-based quilt project.
Metal Museum, July 14-September 29
“Southern/Modern: 1913-1955”
This exhibit tells the tale of progressive visual art in the American South.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, July 14-September 29
“Beyond the Surface: The Art of Handmade Paper”
This exhibit explores the shape-shifting quality of paper.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, September-December
“Roll Down Like Water”
Memphis-based Peruvian-American photographer Andrea Morales’ portrayal of the Delta South is deeply rooted in the communities she engages with.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, September-January
ON STAGE
Catch Me If You Can
This musical tells the thrilling adventure of a con artist who poses as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer, all while being pursued by the FBI.
Playhouse on the Square, through July 14
Josh Threlkeld at The Grove (Photo: Justin Fox Burks)
Concerts in the Grove
Enjoy music, food trucks, and corn hole. Scheduled to perform are Cyrena Wages (June 20), Alice Hasen and Josh Threlkeld (June 27), and MSO Big Band (September 19).
Germantown Performing Arts Center, select Thursdays
Orion Free Concert Series
The Orion Free Concert Series welcomes local, national, and international acts. Find the full lineup at overtonparkshell.org/freeconcertseries. Opera Memphis will give a special Opera Goes to Broadway performance on September 29, and Tennessee Shakespeare Company will perform a special production of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors on October 20.
Overton Park Shell, select dates
Happy Hour in the Grove
Enjoy a free concert, drink specials, deals on local beer, and $5 wine. Scheduled to perform are Short in the Sleeve (June 21), Soulshine (June 28), Bedon (July 12), Alexis Jade and D Monet (July 19), and rising talent from the Circuit Music Seen (July 26).
Germantown Performing Arts Center, Fridays through July
Cinderella
The iconic saga of rags to romance comes to life in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway classic.
Theatre Memphis, through June 30
9 to 5: the Musical
Collierville Arts Council presents this fun musical, based on the titular film, with music by Dolly Parton.
Harrell Theatre, June 21-30
Come From Away
Residents of small town in Newfoundland open their homes to 7,000 stranded travelers on 9/11.
Orpheum Theatre, June 21-23
Coco Queens
Four women confront the deep and often painful challenges of love, forgiveness, and Black womanhood.
TheatreWorks@TheSquare, July 12-28
MAMMA MIA!
The characters, the story, and the timeless hits of ABBA are what make this the ultimate feel-good show.
Orpheum Theatre, July 23-28
Carmen Jones
Hattiloo Theatre puts on this World War II-era musical about a love that turns deadly.
Hattiloo Theatre, July 26-August 18
Coconut Cake
A woman moves to town and tempts Eddie and his retiree buddies with her mysterious ways.
Hattiloo Theatre, August 9-September 8
Bill Cherry … The Final Curtain
World-renowned Elvis Tribute Artist Bill Cherry returns to the Halloran Centre with special guest Ginger Alden.
Halloran Centre, August 14
Grease
Grease is the word in this iconic musical.
Theatre Memphis, August 16-September 8
Ride the Cyclone
Six high-school choir members have died on a faulty rollercoaster. A mechanical fortune teller offers one of them the chance to return to life.
Germantown Community Theatre, August 16-September 1
Waitress
Jenna, a skilled pie maker and waitress, is trapped in a loveless marriage with an unexpected pregnancy, but finds hope in a baking contest.
Playhouse on the Square, August 16-September 15
PJ Morton
The five-time Grammy-winning soul singer, songwriter, performer, producer, and Maroon 5’s full-time keyboardist for the past 12-plus years comes to Memphis.
Orpheum Theatre, August 18
Jazz in the Box: Alexa Tarantino Quartet
Get up close and personal with live jazz, including performances by the Alexa Tarantino Quartet on September 6 and Tierney Sutton and Tamir Hendelman on September 27.
Germantown Performing Arts Center, September 6 and 27, 7 p.m.
Memphis Songwriters Series: Victoria Dowdy, JB Horrell, and Raneem Imam
Hear from three of Memphis’ own seasoned musicians.
Halloran Centre, September 12
Southern Heritage Classic Presents Patti Labelle
The Godmother of Soul brings her effortless ability to belt out classic rhythm and blues renditions, pop standards, and spiritual sonnets.
Orpheum Theatre, September 12
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Theatre Memphis puts on one of the Bard’s most popular comedies.
Theatre Memphis, September 13-29
Little Shop of Horrors
This deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical has devoured the hearts of theater-goers for over 30 years.
Harrell Theatre, September 13-22
What the Constitution Means to Me
Playwright Heidi Schreck skillfully breathes new life into the Constitution through her innovative play.
Playhouse on the Square, September 13-October 6
Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Copland’s Third Symphony
Memphis Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 2024-2025 season with this performance.
Cannon Center, September 14, 7:30 p.m. | Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, September 15, 2:30 p.m.
Roman Banks as ‘MJ’ and the cast of the MJ First National Tour (Photo: Matthew Murphy, MurphyMade)
MJ
Michael Jackson’s unique and unparalleled artistry comes to Memphis in MJ, the multi Tony Award-winning new musical centered around the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour.
Orpheum Theatre, September 17-22
Patterns
Germantown Community Theatre presents emerging local playwright Michael Hoffman’s world premiere of Patterns.
Germantown Community Theatre, September 20-29
Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert
This captivating experience blends a live orchestral performance of the iconic series soundtrack with an immersive two-hour recap of the animated show’s three seasons on a full-size cinema screen.
Orpheum Theatre, September 25
AROUND TOWN
Super Saturday
The Brooks offers free admission and art-making during its monthly Super Saturdays.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, first Saturday of the month, 10 a.m.-noon
Stax Family Day
Join the Stax for a fun-filled afternoon with free admission, games, activities, and music.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music, second Saturday of the month
Live In Studio A: Summer Series with 926
Join the Stax Museum of American Soul Music for live music by 926, the Stax Music Academy Alumni Band. Admission is free for all Shelby County residents.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Tuesdays, June and July, 2-4 p.m.
Munch and Learn
Grab lunch and enjoy a lecture presented by local artists, scholars, or Dixon staff, sharing their knowledge on a variety of topics.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Wednesdays, noon-1 p.m.
Whet Thursday
The Metal Museum hosts a free after-hours event with demonstations, admission to the galleries, food, and drink.
Metal Museum, last Thursday through August, 5-8 p.m.
Wax & Wine: Soul Records + Southern Chefs + Global Wine
Wax & Wine is a fundraiser benefiting Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and celebrating the unmistakable character of southern soul and R&B music, food, and wine.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music, June 28, 7 p.m.
Glam Rock Picnic: Fundraiser, Art Market, & Interactive Sculpture Party
Participate in the making of local artist Mike McCarthy’s newest sculpture, The Aladdin Sane Weathervane, a 9-foot tall statue honoring David Bowie. Featuring live music, art vendors, face painting, Eric’s food truck, and a David Bowie-themed bar, this event has something for everyone.
Off the Walls Arts, June 30, noon-5 p.m.
Exhibition Lecture: Hidden in Plain Sight: Reconsidering the South’s Role in Modern American Art
Exhibition curator Dr. Jonathan Stuhlman will discuss how “Southern/Modern” was conceived and organized, and introduce the key artists and themes found in the show.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, July 14, 2-4 p.m.
“Christian Siriano: People Are People” Inspired Pattern Making Workshop with Jayla Slater
Teaching artist Jayla Slater leads a hands-on fashion workshop and explore fashion as a designer.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, July 24, 5:30 p.m.
Christian Siriano’s “People Are People” (Photo: Courtesty Memphis Brooks Museum of Art)
A Fashion History Tour of “Christian Siriano: People Are People” with Ali Bush
Get an inside look at how fashion history informs contemporary designers like Christian Siriano from Ali Bush’s point of view, in the “People Are People” exhibit.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, August 1, 6-7 p.m.
Art on the Rocks: Garden Cocktails & Craft Beer (21+)
Art on the Rocks brings botanical cocktails, craft beer, wine, and more together in the gardens. Guests will enjoy a variety of drink tastings, bites from local restaurants, and live music.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, September 6, 6-9 p.m.
6×6 Art Show-Canvas for a Cause
Join the UrbanArt Commission for the 6×6 Art Show-Canvas for a Cause where artists showcase their talent on small canvases to support a great cause.
UrbanArt Commision, September 12,6-8 p.m.
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“It’s a Fine Line”
Since opening her Sheet Cake Gallery in December 2023, Lauren Kennedy has enjoyed pairing artists together in two-person exhibitions, making aesthetic connections that wouldn’t have been made otherwise. For the upcoming show, “It’s a Fine Line,” with Stephanie Howard (Greenville, SC) and Khara Woods (Memphis), Kennedy says both artists reflect on the passage of time — “feelings of impermanence and lack of control” — both through meticulous linework, repetition, and attention to detail.
“For Stephanie, in sitting down and really getting lost and meditating in the practice of making these really intricate detail drawings, she finds that she can suspend a moment in time in the work that is going to live on forever as that finished product,” Kennedy explains.
Meanwhile, the precise, geometric forms in Woods’ woodworking evoke her deep love for architecture and desire for structure in a chaotic world. “Specifically in this body of work for Sheet Cake, she’s gotten really fixated on thinking about the life cycles of stars,” Kennedy says. “And we use the stars and celestial bodies to mark time or to measure unimaginable distances, but at the same time, they’re so beyond our reach and so outside of our full comprehension. So there’s both this process of exerting her own control through the way that she is making the work, and being able to create these highly ordered and clean, precise woodcut panels, but also kind of honoring the universe in which we’re existing and in these things that are really beyond her control.”
“These are concepts that really can be very overwhelming and consuming,” Kennedy continues, “but then to take that and to make something really specific and just find their way through it by the process of creating art, I find it really poetic in a way.”
Yet when seeing the show, Kennedy encourages viewers to seek out whatever makes their “heart sing.” “It’s totally valid to have your own experience and understanding of it,” she says. “I would just want people to come in and feel moved by the work and to feel excited about the work.”
“It’s a Fine Line” Opening Reception, Sheet Cake Gallery, Saturday, June 29, 5-7:30 p.m.
On view through August 9.
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24 Hour Plays
In 24 hours, six playwrights will write six 10-minute plays, which six directors will then direct for 24 actors to then act in. It’s the ultimate challenge for any theater-lover, a beloved format founded in New York City back in 1995 and adopted by LoneTree Live for Memphis in 2022. This June marks Memphis’ third 24 Hour Plays.
On Friday, June 28th, the six writers will write overnight, says Julia Hinson, LoneTree’s executive director. “I almost think of it like a theater lock-in. Their plays are due at 6 a.m. and then we print all the plays. And then the directors come just a little bit later, and the actors, and then we rehearse all day. And then by seven o’clock the next night, we perform all six plays.”
Of the day, Hinson says, “It’s fun. It’s exhilarating. There’s usually a moment in the day for the actors, where they are like, ‘Why did I sign up for this?’ Because it can be pretty scary to think you’re gonna go on at the end of the night.”
Perfection is often unattainable for the performances, which actually can be creatively freeing in stages as early as the writing process. “At a certain point you just have to be done, yet you still get a production,” Hinson says. “In the world of theater, you’re not always guaranteed a production. We love to give local talent the opportunity to shine.”
The plays themselves range from comedy to drama. “Then, there’s always just a level of absurdity,” Hinson says. “I don’t know if it’s the late hours or just how quickly we have to do it, but there’s always kooky kookiness.” She adds, “It really is a celebration of the theater community.”
Before the production and in between plays, musician and composer Eileen Kuo will perform. There’ll also be donated beer from Hampline Brewery, popcorn, and cotton candy.
24 Hour Plays, TheatreWorks@Evergreen, Saturday, June 29, 7 p.m.
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Clandestine Creative Club
On any given Thursday evening, if you walk into the back of the Ink Therapy, you’ll find a group of artists — hobbyists and those looking to break into the scene professionally alike — working on their craft, whether it’s drawing, painting, graphic design, jewelry-making, or crochet. They call themselves the Clandestine Creative Club, and anyone’s welcome to join.
The founder of the club Noah Womack, who also goes by the artist name Braincrumbs, says he was inspired by a similar club called the Grind Shop that only lasted about a summer in Memphis a few years ago. “Artists would come together and work on projects,” he says. “After that ended, I think everybody was kind of missing that. And then after the pandemic, there was really a lack of community, and everybody felt very isolated and distanced. And I know, especially for a lot of my artist friends, especially after the pandemic, with a lot of their social anxiety, it was really hard to get out and meet people and get together after the pandemic. So after feeling that for several years, I wanted to put it back together.”
Photo: Courtesy Ink Therapy
So last summer as David Yancy’s Ink Therapy was still getting its licensing in order, the tattoo shop opened its doors to the club which held meetings there for a while until the business opened. “This January, [Yancy] had bought that additional back room and had built a little area for us in the back,” Womack says. “So he invited me to start it back up, and so we’ve been doing it ever since then.”
The weekly meetings are free and non-committal, with members so far ranging in ages 19 to 35. “I consider anybody who’s been to the club meeting at least once to be an official club member,” Womack says.
Recently, the club started having theme nights, such as a “Clay Day” and an “Everybody Draw Everybody” night. “People seem to be a lot more engaged during those nights,” Womack says. “So I think I’d like to do some of those more often.”
Clandestine Creative Club, Ink Therapy, 485 N. Hollywood, Thursdays, 7-9:30 p.m. Keep up with the club on Instagram (@clandestinecreativeclub).
Justin Timberlake at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
When local police in Sag Harbor, New York saw a BMW run a stop sign, then weave between highway lanes in Tuesday’s early hours just past midnight, they were duty-bound to pull the driver over, according to a CBS News report. Little did they suspect that the culprit was Millington, Tennessee native, onetime Disney Mouseketeer, and pop phenom Justin Timberlake. In any case, he was charged with driving while intoxicated.
The CBS story notes that “when Timberlake was pulled over, the officer said he was ‘in an intoxicated condition’ and that ‘his eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath,’ and he ‘performed poorly on all standard field sobriety tests.'”
But the musical superstar had something to say about that. “I had one martini and I followed my friends home,” Timberlake allegedly told the officer, according to CBS. “He also allegedly refused to do a chemical test,” continued the report.
The singer/songwriter/producer/actor was last seen in Memphis this January, as reported by Samuel X. Cicci, where he debuted a new song, “Selfish.” That foreshadowed the release of his sixth album in March, Everything I Thought It Was. In April, he launched The Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which is scheduled to carry on internationally through this year. He has shows scheduled in Chicago this weekend and at New York’s Madison Square Garden next Tuesday.
Those shows will likely go on as planned: after being formally charged, the former Mouseketeer was released without bail on his own recognizance, with a virtual court appearance scheduled for July 26th. In other words, concertgoers are encouraged to not forget tomorrow.
As opponents of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are working to erase these practices from the workplace, state political leaders are working to emphasize their importance and effectiveness.
“In recent years, state Republican officials have cheered the Supreme Court ruling overturning affirmative action, passed several ‘divisive concepts’ laws targeting speech at K-12 public schools and colleges, proposed legislation to ban DEI policies at public universities, established a process to ban books, and threatened lawsuits against companies that employ DEI tactics,” the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement.
Tennessee Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) and House Minority Leader Karen Camper (D-Memphis) held a field hearing in Memphis on Monday at the National Civil Rights Museum. Akbari and Camper were joined by Representatives Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis), Jesse Chism (D-Memphis), and Senator Sara Kyle (D-Memphis). During this hearing, legislators were able to hear from community and state advocates about the importance of DEI practices in their respective work.
Akbari said Memphis was the first stop on their “Freedom to Be Heard” tour and will head towards Nashville, and possibly a location in East Tennessee.
During the hearing Akbari said there are threats to DEI policies on the local and national level, and she and other lawmakers wanted to hear community input on programs and policies currently in place.
Veda Ajamu, chief DEI programs and community engagement officer at the National Civil Rights Museum said a major component of the museum’s success and vision is their ability to facilitate “tough conservations.” Ajamu said this includes “inequities that affect society,” and they address these by way of the Corporate Equity Center and community engagement programming.
Ajamu explained that the Corporate Equity Center uses the historical significance of the museum through “strategic programming” that seeks to “transform workplace environments.” The Corporate Equity Center currently has two programs to promote equitable decision-making — the C-Suite Initiative and the Unpacking Racism For Action program.
“The ongoing importance of this work lies in the transformative potential to challenge biases, promote equity, and foster a more inclusive and just society for generations to come,” Ajamu said. “It’s not just about honoring the past, but also about shaping a better future grounded in truth, justice, and respect for diverse histories and experiences.”
Michelle Taylor, director of the Shelby County Health Department said racial disparities are also apparent in healthcare, and that these disparities are the result of systemic inequities as well. For context, she told an anecdote about how the health department had historically used unequal practices for vital record keeping for Black and white patients.
“Elected officials understand how important vital records are,” Taylor said. “Vital records are used by local, state, and federal officials to make decisions about funding … If they [health department] were color categorizing between 1901 and 1971, we also know those funding decisions were different based on race.”
Taylor said the amount of health issues and disparities apparent in the community are a result of an “uphill battle” that started years ago. She added that this is also evident in geographical inequities, where Black residents are disproportionately affected by certain health epidemics such as lead poisoning, infant mortality, and life expectancy.
Others explained the importance of DEI outreach in their programs and businesses such as FedEx and the Mid-South Minority Business Council Continuum. The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) also gave insight into the education sector.
TEA executive director Terrance J. Gibson said they are currently suing the state education department and school board regarding the “Prohibited Concepts Ban,” which “prohibits the inclusion or promotion of 14 ‘prohibited concepts’ dealing with race.”
“Curriculum should not be legislated by individuals who are not in the classroom,” Gibson added. He said these “divisive concepts” cause educators to not teach with “integrity and honesty.”
Latrell Bryant, an English as a second language instructor at Treadwell Elementary school, urged lawmakers to fight to make Black history education accessible after sharing her personal experience in a “neighboring school district,” where the “politics and racial makeup” were “quite different from what Shelby County is.”
Bryant was able to teach African American history, however her tenure coincided with the implementation of the Divisive Concepts Law, which made it harder for her to teach her students. She decided to leave the school in a decision to not constantly have to battle people with “differing politics.”
“There are students out there in the state of Tennessee in remote areas — not just the urban areas — who want to learn about Black history voluntarily,” Bryant said. “If there is anything you [legislators] can do to make sure we are able to continue to do that please do so.”
A federal judge will temporarily allow some transgender discrimination in Tennessee and other states, skirting new changes to Title IX.
Those changes came in President Joe Biden’s first day in office with an executive order that added gender identity and sexual orientation to the anti-discrimination law. Biden later extended those protections to educational environments. The rules are set to go into effect on August 1. All of these changes came after the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibited companies from firing a person on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
In April, Tennessee led a coalition in a lawsuit to block Biden’s new additions to Title IX. The group included Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, Christian Educators Association International (CEAI), and “A.C.”, a 15-year-old high school girl who lives in West Virginia.
The states argued that the new law would chill free speech and religious freedom because teachers would, under the new rules, have to use a student’s “preferred pronouns,” according to the suit. The law would also mandate schools to open up bathrooms and locker rooms to all genders. The states also argued that the new rules subverted Congressional review and overreached into states’ powers to make such laws.
CEAI opposed the rules on grounds of free speech and shared private facilities. Its members — particularly educators in K-12 public schools — wish to “live and work consistent with their shared belief that God created human beings as male and female and that sex is an immutable trait.”
A.C., the 15-year-old student, said a transgender female was allowed to compete on her middle-school track team. The other student’s biology is an unfair advantage, A.C. said, and she did not feel comfortable dressing in front of the other student.
A federal judge agreed with the plaintiffs in a Tuesday ruling.
“There are two sexes: male and female,” wrote Chief Judge Danny Reeves, United States District Court of Eastern Kentucky. But Reeves said in a footnote that the statement was conceded by U.S. Department of Education officials in oral arguments. “The parties have agreed to little else.”
Reeves ordered a preliminary injunction against the new rules but only in those states who joined in the lawsuit. The stay extends to the Christian educators group and A.C. in those six states.
Tennessee schools and universities would have to let boys into girls’ locker rooms and other private spaces.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti
“If the rule we stopped had been allowed to go into effect on August 1 as scheduled, Tennessee schools and universities would have to let boys into girls’ locker rooms and other private spaces,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement. “If the rule went into effect, our schools would have to punish teachers and students who declined to use someone’s preferred pronouns.
“These are profound changes to the law that the American people never agreed to. This rule was a huge overreach by federal bureaucrats, and the court was right to stop it.”
Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, said, “We have a state government going into battle against trans and non-binary students via their pronouns,” in an opinion piece in The Tennessean Monday.
Government employees should not have more of a right to define a student’s identity than the student does.
Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project
“Students are better served by policies that respect their identities,” Sanders said. “They are at school to get an education without barriers, not to serve as an opportunity for adults to exercise virtue by choice.
“Experiencing an agent of the state using the wrong pronoun in front of one’s peers day after day is something students should not endure. Government employees should not have more of a right to define a student’s identity than the student does.”
Tennessee’s lieutenant governor is backing a Memphis state senator’s move to force the ouster of Shelby County’s prosecutor for “dereliction of duty” in connection with felons caught carrying weapons.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) issued a statement Monday saying he “wholeheartedly” supports efforts by Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) to dismiss Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy from office for “failing to properly prosecute convicted felons in possession of a firearm.”
Taylor sent McNally a letter Monday notifying him he plans to file a Senate resolution after the November election to remove Mulroy from office. The district attorney general said recently he plans to adopt a policy allowing non-violent felons to avoid being prosecuted for possession of weapons.
McNally said Mulroy’s “explicit refusal to prosecute criminals with guns is inexcusable and unconstitutional. While district attorneys have prosecutorial discretion, that discretion is not a license to override or subvert the law of the land. DA Mulroy’s record of refusal to prosecute laws he does not personally care for is longstanding and clear. I believe it is time for him to go.”
State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) during the 113th general Assembly Credit: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout
Even though district attorneys general are elected by a county’s voters, the Legislature can oust them with a two-thirds vote, according to a state law cited by Taylor in his letter.
Taylor and House Speaker Cameron Sexton made social media posts last week calling Mulroy soft on crime for his new policy to provide “diversion” from conviction for non-violent felons caught carrying weapons.
Mulroy, a Democrat serving his first term after defeating Republican Amy Weirich, told the Tennessee Lookout last week the DA’s Office continues to prosecute illegal gun possession cases, including possession of a gun connected to drug crimes and possession of a Glock switch, which makes those types of handguns fully automatic. His office did not respond to questions Monday.
The district attorney, though, noted his office is “open to offering a diversion track, on a case-by-case basis for those defendants who have no history of violence or significant criminal history and seem reformable.”
Those types of offenders would be prosecuted but could avoid conviction by meeting “stringent requirements” for rehabilitation, he said. The policy is designed to free up prosecutors to focus on offenders who “use a weapon,” he said.
Taylor acknowledged Monday that district attorneys general have “prosecutorial discretion” but contended that state law prohibits felons from possessing weapons and argued if Mulroy thinks non-violent felons should be excluded, then he should lobby the Legislature to change the law. He denied that his effort to remove Mulroy is a political move and maintained that the district attorney has “abused his prosecutorial discretion.”
It looks like every local official is now on notice not to cross powerful state politicians – or else. Memphians are sick and tired of seeing their local elected officials run over by state politics just for doing the job they promised to do.
Sens. Raumesh Akbari and London Lamar, Memphis Democrats, in a statement
“He’s attempting to enforce and prosecute the law based on how he wishes it were written, not how it’s actually written,” Taylor said. “District attorneys are obligated to enforce the law the legislature enacts.”
Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) and Minority Chairman London Lamar (D-Memphis) issued a statement in response calling Taylor’s effort an “unconstitutional attack” on Shelby County’s district attorney and saying it “sets a dangerous precedent.”
“It looks like every local official is now on notice not to cross powerful state politicians – or else,” they said. “Memphians are sick and tired of seeing their local elected officials run over by state politics just for doing the job they promised to do.”
They contend crime didn’t start with Mulroy’s election and said, “it’s beneath the Legislature to threaten local officials over a policy debate.”
Sen. Taylor and state Rep. John Gillespie (R-Memphis) passed legislation this year overturning a Memphis City Council ordinance stopping police from making “pretextual” stops such as driving with broken tail light. The measure was designed to prevent violent incidents between police and motorists such as the death of Tyre Nichols who was pulled over for reckless driving and beaten by five police officers, according to video of the stop.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and X.
“Segreghetto” is surprisingly bass-light, but you’ll barely notice as the layers of percussion send you into a funky netherworld. “The term ‘Segreghetto’ encapsulates the intersection, the crossroads of segregation and ghettoization, perseverance in this human experience,” says Mononeon. “‘Segreghetto’ is a thang where it’s a testament to the enduring spirit of yourself in your community and culture. Like offering a voice to those that are overlooked or misunderstood, carving out your own path even in the midst of systemic inequalities. When me and my friend Davy were writing the song ‘Segreghetto,’ I felt like this junt could be inspiration to anyone willing to defy the odds and chase their dreams, wanting that gold medal.. no matter the obstacles that lie in their path and journey.”
For the video, produced by Texan Twanvisuals, the Mono-man shows off some of his trademark quilted and knit duds. Looks pretty hot to me, on this summer Monday!
If you’d like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
