(Photo: Jack Boucher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
As I do every morning, I checked my phone on Monday for early-morning messages and overnight news. To say I was shocked by one piece of news would be an understatement. The venerable Clayborn Temple, where we then-serving members of the Rotary Club of Memphis shifted our weekly meetings for the run-up year to the 2018 MLK commemoration, was gone, consumed by fire.
The sense of devastation and irredeemable loss was widely shared. One of those reacting was Anasa Troutman, the founder and executive director of Historic Clayborn Temple and founder and CEO of The Big We. Here is an excerpt from a statement she issued: “Early this morning, our beloved Historic Clayborn Temple — a sacred landmark in our city and our nation — suffered a devastating loss due to a fire. Our hearts are heavy with grief. For decades, Clayborn and the iconic I AM A MAN signs born in its basement have stood as an international beacon of resilience, faith, and the work to build beloved communities. It is a living testament of our past sacrifices and our future hope.
“Clayborn’s true spirit was never in the walls alone. It lives in us. Even as we mourn, we must remember: Resilience is our birthright, but so is the space to grieve. Our ancestors endured, grieved, rebuilt, and transcended unimaginable losses. We will do the same.”
Troutman’s statement is followed here by another, recovered from a time of hope, this one including excerpts from a press release written by me in 2017 for the Rotary Club’s imminent venture to inhabit the church, then undergoing restoration, for a season of remembrance and resolve. It explains much about both the club’s purpose and the importance, bordering on sacred, of the venue:
With the MLK commemoration then only months away, Arthur Oliver, Rotary’s then-president, explained: “Our move is meant to help bring attention to the historical importance that Clayborn Temple played in the Civil Rights Movement as our city approaches the 50th anniversary of the sanitation workers’ strike in April.”
That vintage press release continues: “At 124 years old [now 131 years old], Clayborn Temple is already listed as a local architectural treasure on the National Register of Historic Places. Earlier this year [again, in 2017], the temple received additional national recognition from the National Park Service for its historical importance as the central meeting place for the sanitation workers during their strike that took place in February through April of 1968.
“Located at the northeast corner of Hernando and Pontotoc, the temple sits just south of the FedExForum. Second Presbyterian Church constructed the building in 1893. ‘When it first opened, it was the largest church building in America south of the Ohio River,’ explained Rob Thompson, with Clayborn Reborn, a nonprofit group then working on Clayborn Temple’s restoration.
“As the Memphis city limits moved eastward in the 1930s and 1940s, so did the church’s congregation. When Second Presbyterian decided to move to its present location in east Memphis, it sold the building in 1949 to the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. The new congregation then renamed the building after their bishop, Jim Clayborn.
“During the 1960s, Clayborn Temple continued as a house of worship for its congregation but it also began to serve as an important central meeting place for the Civil Rights Movement. But it was during the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike that Clayborn earned its recognition as a place of national significance for the part it played as the headquarters for the striking sanitation workers and their supporters and as a starting point for the strikers to assemble before their solidarity marches. Dr. Martin Luther King visited the temple on multiple occasions during the strike, and it was at Clayborn that the ‘I AM A MAN’ signs were indeed first distributed.”
This week’s catastrophe may have gutted the structure, but the spirit housed within survives and the work continues.
The number nine is
humanitarian at heart. (Photo: Irinayeryomina | Dreamstime.com)
This year — 2025 — is a nine year. In January, I wrote a column that touched on some of the astrological and numerical predictions for 2025. One of the things I do to help me “get a read” on the year is to find out what the tarot card for the year is and learn about the Chinese astrology for the year ahead. I’ve been thinking about this year’s tarot card and numerology for a long time — long before 2025 was here. And like most things in life, it is a mixed bag.
This year marches to a different tarot beat than 2024 did. The tarot card for 2024 was Strength, but 2025 will be ruled by The Hermit card. The Hermit is card number nine in tarot. This card invites introspection. Instead of pushing forward, it advocates for a strategic withdrawal, a pause for self-reflection and understanding.
The energy of the number nine represents completion, but not necessarily finality. Think of it more in a cyclical sense; it’s about the ending of one cycle and the potential it creates for another cycle to begin. The nine in numerology acts as an usher in this process of transition or transformation, guiding and empowering us with its wisdom.
This number is humanitarian at heart. It is compassionate, kind, and intent on putting its efforts toward creating the greatest good. In numerology, nine has gone through its fair share of hardship and is wiser, stronger, and more aware as a result. These first-hand experiences make it especially understanding of others who are struggling and willing to provide valuable support.
The number nine in tarot brings all of the energies of the previous numbers to a culmination. The transformation from the spiritual to the tangible that took place in the number eight finally settles itself into something real. This is where we see the consequences of all the energies that were set into motion. Nine is typically seen as a trinity of threes: the first stage of creation was established in three, then consciousness was harmonized in six, and finally we see the realization in the nine.
Nine is three times three, thrice the power of creation, bringing the process of creation to its result. It is a number that brings the beginning and the end together. Nine is actually where the journey of numbers in tarot wraps up.
The four nines of the minor arcana represent the final stage of action, reflection, thoughts, and deeds of the four suits. It heralds the end of a cycle and the natural winding down or closing stages of a period of your life. This does not mean that the situation is over and done with or gone forever. It means that it has run its natural course and is the peak of all you have done.
The four minor arcana suits enter a spring cleaning mode when you get to the number nine. This is a time to carefully sift through all that they have accumulated on their journey or cycle. You must be quite ruthless about certain things because not everything can be taken forward into their new cycle. You should only take what you discovered to be useful and valuable, and of course what has extreme sentimental or emotional attachment. There must be a thorough cleansing of the mind, body, emotions, and spirit before moving into the next cycle.
Many people do not like change. As humans, we have a tendency to fear the unknown and we never know what is on the other side of change. I hate it as much as the next person, but change is necessary. Change is the only constant. Without change, without endings, life would be very stagnant. Even when we don’t like change, even when we fight it, it can be good for us. Perhaps now is the time to let go of the things you’ve been fighting to hold on to. If we can let go, and embrace the change, something good will come of it. Easier said than done, I know. But it’s going to happen anyway, so we might as well make it easy on ourselves.
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.
There are music festivals, and then there are Memphis music festivals. When artists big or small hear that the Bluff City is calling, it hits differently: The history here calls them as much as the prospect of playing to huge Mid-South crowds. And it’s striking just how many global artists have ties to this little corner of Tennessee, either through family or the city’s champion musicians playing in their bands — or simply a love of (sampling?) the city’s music.
That’s especially true for the RiverBeat Music Festival, happening from this Friday, May 2nd, through Sunday, May 4th, at Tom Lee Park. While it’s featuring headliners Missy Elliott, The Killers, and Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, the fest always starts with record numbers of local acts right out of the gate, built on a foundation of Memphis musicianship regardless of the marquee names. That’s especially true in the festival’s second year. Nearly 30 of the scheduled artists are local (and that’s not even counting all the students at the School of Rock).
But some of RiverBeat’s national touring acts not normally associated with the Bluff City also have strong ties here — none of them bigger than the hip-hop legends who first called on us to “Fight the Power,” who’ll be playing the prime time slot on Saturday night some 40 years after they started.
Public Enemy
It may seem absurd to associate the quintessential New York rappers of righteousness with Memphis, but it’s a deep connection that Public Enemy’s co-founder, Chuck D, is quick to point out. “I got roots in Memphis,” he says. “You know — with Stax. And I got roots in Memphis with Sun. I’m very knowledgeable about it, and Memphis has been great to me back in my past. You know, it’s like I had another lifetime in the Mid-South. Every time I step on that bluff, I mean, I feel like I’m like a cousin.”
He goes on to explain the city’s unique evolution as a distribution center and hub. “I’m a historian, and whenever you take geography and history away from a people, then you’ve got slavery all over again. So when I went into Memphis, I knew where I was going. I knew the history. I knew the history of the music, and I ended up learning even more. The music changed the world, from Beale Street down to Stax on McLemore, Sun Records with Sam Phillips and Elvis. My knowledge and appreciation and research is thorough and just doesn’t talk out of the side of my face, off the top of my head. It’s always with all due respect of my time in Memphis. My heroes are in Memphis.”
Astute readers will note that even Elvis Presley gets some respect, though Chuck D brought the King down a notch when he rapped that “he didn’t mean shit to me” in 1988’s “Fight the Power” — one of that era’s boldest lyrical moments.
“‘Fight the Power’ was a record that was made for the movie Do the Right Thing, which talked about the disparity of heroes. So therefore, in a half-joking type of way, in the third verse, I knock out American heroes like Elvis Presley and John Wayne, to say, like, ‘Hey, what the fuck? Move over,’ you know? I say, if you want to battle me on that, let’s battle. Once you’re going to rap and battle, make sure your words mean something.
“These were moving battles related to the film. How come there ain’t no brothers on the wall? If you never saw the movie, then you’re gonna miss the point of the third verse, where I talk about Elvis. One of the things that the song talks about is like, ‘Okay, no more than Elvis. No more than John Wayne.’ We’ve had other heroes, especially in Memphis. Sun Records starts out with a Black roster with Sam Phillips. What? I mean, what does the average person know until they learn some of these things? They need to teach the culture in the school systems. And that’s a beautiful thing about going over to the Stax [Music] Academy, which I intend to visit. Those are my people over there, and a big up and salute to Ms. Deanie Parker, as always. And my people over at Sun. I was over at Sun one time with some engineers — and Rufus Thomas. Also a big up to Boo Mitchell over at Royal.”
The rapper celebrates some of these Memphis icons in his latest “naphic grovel” (a play on “graphic novel”), Interficial ARTelligence: The Moments That Met Me on Akashic Books, in which he illustrates his encounter with several Stax legends during a panel discussion of the Wattstax film. “I’m part of the newer generation speaking up for them,” he writes.
It turns out that Chuck D admires some lesser-known hometown luminaries as well, including the rapper/producer Memphis Jelks, who’s announced that he’ll be making a cameo with the group this Saturday, and local bassist/guitarist Khari Wynn, who’s worked with Public Enemy since 2001. “There’s nothing like Khari Wynn,” says Chuck D. “He was our band leader for 20 years! And he still works on sessions. He plays on Public Enemy records when he’s called up and plays guitar on many songs, and has written a few songs.
“We moved away from the band concept when DJ Lord went to Cypress Hill and Khari went back home to Memphis,” Chuck D explains, “and now we have a more DJ-oriented sort of combination, but Khari’s been doing great things with his band in Memphis.”
When I speak to Wynn, who typically plays bass in (full disclosure) a band we’re both in, I ask him about his guitar work. “I kind of bounce back and forth between bass and guitar,” he says. “Most of the time I play bass, but I did do a lot of guitar work with Energy Disciples [another band Wynn founded]. And there’s actually an Energy Disciples record that Chuck added spoken word to, a track called ‘Eternity’s Promise.’”
Asked if Wynn might join Public Enemy at RiverBeat this weekend, Chuck D offers that it’s a distinct possibility. “We don’t have an open- or a closed-door policy,” he says. “We have a no-door policy. So if Khari wants to get up there with his guitar and play, you know we’re gonna be there.”
Bobby Rush (Photo: Laura Carbone )
Bobby Rush
One RiverBeat appearance that’s guaranteed to have plenty of guitars will be the “Royal Studios Blues Experience” showcase on Friday night, which will bring together different generations of players who bear the blues deep in their bones: Duwayne, Garry, and Kent Burnside of the late R.L. Burnside’s extended family; Kinney Kimbrough, the late Junior Kimbrough’s son; and elder statesman of the blues Bobby Rush.
Originally from Arkansas, Rush now resides in Jackson, Mississippi, yet vividly recalls how all blues players were drawn to Memphis as he was getting started, including R.L. Burnside. “R.L., I knew him well from way back, the first time in 1954, I believe,” he says. “We were all just out there, eating what we could, when we could make $2 or $3 here and there, just playing music, man. He was a farmer, a country boy like myself. We both were young at the time, and I don’t know who was the oldest, me or him, but we were around the same age.
“I was from Arkansas, but we were all music players, looking for a place to eat, drink, and stay with some lady because you couldn’t go into a hotel. That’s when I first started coming through that area, even coming to Memphis, Tennessee. Now, you could go on Beale Street, but you couldn’t go on Peabody Street as a Black man. It just wouldn’t happen, man. Me and Rufus Thomas were working on Beale Street. I was doing what I had to do. Me and B.B. King were down in Helena, Arkansas, and I thought to come to Beale Street because of him and Rufus Thomas.”
Rush, for his part, is delighted to be playing with the “youngsters,” all middle-aged men themselves, and all hailing from North Mississippi. “I relate to them through the father and grandfather, and we’ve made good friends. I did a few things with them in the past. I make it happen, man. They’ve got everything to gain from being with me. I don’t have that much to gain with them, rather than being a friend with their parents. And I want to do something with them because it makes them look good. I’m like the grandfather now.”
Though all these bluesmen hail from Mississippi, their respective approaches to the blues actually contrast sharply. The showcase will be mashing up two different flavors of blues. Rush, rooted in an Arkansas Delta style, yet heavily influenced by his many decades on the electrified Chicago scene, notes the differences between his take on the blues and what’s found in the North Mississippi hill country. “They know about what they were taught in the area because most of them don’t play with changes. It’s just one straight beat. But they got a good beat, and it’s a style. That’s what they know. And it’s an old Mississippi style. I don’t think too many people know about this style, but it’s a good thing to keep it going, you know. It’s a good thing they’re doing it because not many guys around are still doing it.”
Cage the Elephant (Photo: Cassilyn Anderson)
Cage the Elephant
At first glance, the ties between the indie rock hitmakers Cage the Elephant and Memphis may not be obvious. Some have compared their sound, justifiably, to the Pixies or other bands of that era, but really their approach has always been to break out from any one style. As guitarist and producer Brad Shultz notes, “We will always go into a record trying to really come to the table with a mindset of genre-blending, pulling different things from different genres that don’t necessarily go together. When you smash them together, something special happens.”
Aside from the band’s reverence for the eclecticism of both the first and second “British Invasions,” from the Beatles to Blur, Shultz says, “We attribute that to our ADHD, which I think is more of a blessing than a curse. It’s always suited us well to have our minds go in five different directions.”
Speaking of the British, that culture has always figured heavily into the band’s evolution, especially when all the members moved en masse from their hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky, to London, England, around 2008. “It was a big eye-opening and learning experience for us,” Shultz says. But before that, Memphis loomed large in their world.
“Memphis definitely had a big kind of blues influence on us, especially very early in our career,” he notes. “And Memphis was in our regional tours. We would play a show in Nashville, one in our hometown of Bowling Green, one in Memphis, one in Chattanooga, one in Knoxville, and in Louisville as well. We would pick a week out and just hit every one of those spots. So, you know, it’s another full-circle moment to go back to Memphis, where we played tiny, tiny clubs and come back and do these festivals.”
The sounds of the Bluff City also impacted the band, Shultz says. “We were always big fans of Otis Redding — our father kind of raised us on that. And Bill Withers [produced by Booker T. Jones], who I don’t think was a Stax artist but definitely had a huge impact on us.”
This will be a watershed year for the band, as they’ll be connecting with their influences from both sides of the Atlantic, playing in Memphis and then opening on the American leg of the Oasis reunion tour this summer. “It’s such an incredible honor,” says Shultz. “You know, they’re a band that had a huge influence on us, so it’s just kind of crazy that we’re opening up for them. A real full-circle moment.”
DJ Zirk
Perhaps RiverBeat’s ultimate full-circle moment will come when seven rap innovators from the 1990s will take to the stage Friday evening as the “Memphis Rap OGz,” featuring La Chat, Crunchy Black, Al Kapone, Skinny Pimp, DJ Zirk, Gangsta Pat, and DJ Spanish Fly. While Al Kapone has kept up a steady supply of releases in over the years, lately melding his unique rap style with some heavy blues flavors, others on the bill have not had such a high profile. DJ Zirk, for one, bowed out of the spotlight in favor of doing production work for years, before resuming his release of new material around 2018.
“I was very honored that I was one of the ones that was picked,” says Zirk. “I mean, I would have done it for free. I really want to do it for my city, my hometown, and, you know, just let them experience the Memphis sound.”
That would be the new Memphis sound, the sound of crunk, that’s been ruling the airwaves for the past 20 years, from Three 6 Mafia to Yo Gotti to the late Young Dolph. It all began with the mixtapes created by the OGs back in the ’90s, a Southern alternative to the dominant West Coast or East Coast hip-hop of the time.
“When me and DJ Squeeky came out,” says Zirk, speaking of the pioneering producer of 8Ball & MJG and Young Dolph, “we had a totally different, unique sound. You know what I’m saying? We were driven by bass, you know? It’s Boom Boom in the trunk! All our stuff had that bass in it. But people loved it! And we came up in the age of hip-hop, where hip-hop wasn’t about bass. So we got so much criticism, you know, because Memphis was hip-hop at a certain point in time.”
Zirk’s enthusiasm is contagious as he recalls those years. “We were like, ‘We’ve gotta invent ourselves,’ and that’s when we started producing and doing more records together. And since then, our music has never stopped. The only time we had it on hold was somewhere in the late ’90s, really, or maybe 2000, because it was like everybody was taking a piece of our sound. When we were starting it, nobody was really doing what we were doing.”
In Zirk’s reckoning, the challenges to hip-hop’s sound taking place in the South weren’t uniform by any means. But the power of the Memphis sound was undeniable. “When we went to places like Mississippi, Texas, or Georgia, people would look at us and be like, ‘Who are they?’” he says. “Nobody had that sound. And think about it: It was dark; it was funk; it was bass-y. It wasn’t like Miami or people in Atlanta. And in Texas, they would take somebody else’s record and slow it down, right? With the Squeeky thing, we were producing our own stuff. And our style was deep and slow. So when people heard us, it was like, ‘Wow, that’s it!’ Because you can DJ, you can play it in the club, and people will dance off it. It’s like people that got a whiff of this sound and, man, it was like, copied, copied, copied, re-copied. Now it’ll turn into funk; it’ll turn into trap; it’ll turn into a lot of different stuff. And that’s the thing: Now it means we can sit and talk and say, ‘Wow, what we did transformed so many styles.’”
The “Landshaping” exhibit pairs ancient history and geology with contemporary photography. (Photo: Courtesy Pink Palace)
Did you know that Memphis and the Mid-Southern region of the U.S. was once covered by a prehistoric ocean? That’s how the term “Black Belt Prairie” originated. If you are curious to learn more then the “Landshaping: The Origins of Black Belt Prairie” exhibit at the Pink Palace Museum & Mansion will teach you all about the Black Belt Prairie phenomenon and much more.
So, what is the best and easiest way to describe the Black Belt Prairie? “The Black Belt Prairie is a geographic location on the map,” says Raka Nandi, the Pink Palace’s director of exhibits and collections. “And it’s an area of a country where the soil is very, very rich. The soil is rich because of a geologic phenomenon that happened about 75 million years ago [which] is called the Mississippi Embayment. And what happened millions of years ago, there was actually an inland sea.”
“Landshaping” will display fossils from the marine life that existed in these inland waters, plus photographs taken by Memphis photographer Houston Cofield. Cofield has taken images of farms, prairies, and individuals to help audiences visualize the beauty and the impact of the Black Belt Prairie on the South.
“In the exhibition, we juxtaposed these ancient fossils [and] farm tools that were used in the past to till the soil with these beautiful photographs taken by Houston,” says Nandi. “So it’s a real sort of narrowing of art with science if I can put it that way.”
The exhibition is open to the public through October 12th, so you have some time to check it out before it leaves. It’s also worth mentioning that the exhibit is included if you purchase a general admission ticket. For more information about the new exhibition and where to purchase tickets, visit moshmemphis.com/landshaping-the-origins-of-the-black-belt-prairie.
“Landshaping: The Origins of the Black Belt Prairie,” Pink Palace Museum & Mansion, through October 12.
I recently attended a lecture by Timothy Snyder, professor of history at Yale University. Snyder’s specialty is the study of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the 20th century. His 2017 book, On Tyranny, was essential reading during the first Trump administration, and earlier this year, it topped the New York Times Bestseller list. If you’ve recently heard the phrase “don’t obey in advance,” that’s Snyder’s work.
His new book, On Freedom, asks hard questions about the way we use the word “freedom” in America. Too often, we think of freedom only as the absence of anyone telling us what to do. But it’s much more than that. Freedom is not merely individualistic in nature. There are times when banding together with other people will make both us and them more free. The American Revolution is one example. People with diverse interests from diverse places banded together to throw off the chains of monarchy and prevent any one person from ever having that much power over them again.
George Lucas called the good guys in 1977’s Star Wars the Rebel Alliance. The bad guys were the Galactic Empire. The names weren’t important. He just needed an excuse for lasers to go pew pew. Sure, Obi-Wan Kenobi was fighting to restore the Old Republic, but his number-one ally was Princess Leia, who was royalty. And where did this plucky group of rebels get a fleet of expensive-looking spaceships? Who cares? It’s a story about space wizards trying to get their mojo back.
Lucas himself was the first to realize he had half-accidentally created a political story, and the prequel trilogy is really about how democracies die. In the Disney era, Rogue One stood apart for its glimpse into what everyday life was like under the rule of Emperor Palpatine. When Tony Gilroy, who was on Rogue One’s creative team, continued the story with Alliance operative Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) on Disney+, it was as much about how revolutions begin in authoritarian regimes as it was about a street hustler who finds a purpose in life.
Season 2, which premiered last week on Disney+, leans into the ensemble cast Gilroy created and adapted. This season is unique, in that its twelve 30-minute episodes are being released three at a time, with each batch telling a complete story and then skipping ahead one year. From the very first scene, Gilroy and his crew show they’re taking Star Wars to an emotional place it has never been before. Cassian has infiltrated Sienar Fleet Systems to steal an advanced TIE fighter prototype. As she is handing him the keys to the ship, the young tech who has helped him (Rachelle Diedericks) asks, “If I die today, will it be worth it?”
Yes, Cassian assures her; no matter what happens, she’s made a decision to be free in the face of oppression. Then he leaves her to her fate. It’s a brilliant bit of writing, revealing Cassian’s moral calculus. Many more people will be faced with the same bad set of choices. On the prosperous world Chandrila, Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) is facing the consequences of the deals she made to finance the Alliance to restore the Republic. She’s giving her daughter Leida (Bronte Carmichael) away in a loveless arranged marriage to the son of a shady oligarch. It’s the social event of the season, which means Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård), the deep-cover Rebel leader, can use it as an excuse for a visit. Meanwhile, Mothma’s own marriage is falling apart, her daughter hates her, and her banker Tay (Ben Miles) is considering ratting her out to the Empire.
The most chilling sequence in these first three episodes is a boardroom meeting. Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) has assembled a secret team of Imperial brass, including ISB investigator Dedra Meero (Denise Gough). Under the guise of “energy independence,” Krennic plans to mine the peaceful planet Ghorman, famous for its fine silk exports, for the enormous quantities of minerals it will take to build the Death Star. The problem is, how to remove the population without causing too much of a stir. The bureaucrats calmly pitching genocidal ideas is a reference to the Wannsee Conference, where the Nazis planned the Final Solution. By taking the question “Where did the Rebellion come from?” seriously, Gilroy has elevated this space fantasy into a work that’s sadly relevant to our moment. What is freedom? When push comes to shove, how hard will you fight, how far will you go, for freedom?
New episodes of Andor premiere Tuesday nights on Disney+.
After authorities in Keene, New Hampshire, arrested Kelli Tedford, 23, on Feb. 21 for urinating on a variety of grocery products at the Monadnock Food Co-op, they discovered that her odd hobby goes back at least four years. NBC News reported that Tedford tainted produce and other items to the tune of $1,500 for the groceries and cleanup. Then police found online videos dating back to 2021 depicting Tedford in multiple locations, relieving herself on produce, surfaces, and other objects. She was charged with felony criminal mischief and released on her own recognizance — so she was able to piddle in public until her April 7, court date. [NBC News, 2/25/2025]
Alarming Headline
Mitchell Ring and his wife Jennifer Colin were flying from Melbourne, Australia, to Doha, Qatar, in mid-February when another passenger on their flight collapsed and died, The New York Times reported. The crew tried to revive the woman, but eventually opted to put her body in a wheelchair and tried to move it to business class, Ring said — but the chair wouldn’t fit up the aisle. That’s when Ring, who was sharing a four-seat row with Colin, was asked to move over so they could place the deceased woman in the seat next to him. Colin ended up moving to a different row: “I’m not a great flyer at the best of times,” she said. Ring endured the four remaining hours of the flight sitting next to the corpse, which was covered by a blanket. The International Air Transport Association confirmed that the flight attendants did the right thing; the deceased should be covered and strapped in with a seatbelt. [New York Times, 2/26/2025]
Least Competent Criminals
• Some people just can’t shut up. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced on Feb. 25 that it had settled a case of illegal possession of remains of an endangered species, KCRA-TV reported. The investigation began in late 2023 when two plainclothes CDFW officers were on a flight and struck up a conversation with a couple seated near them. The couple admitted to having a green sea turtle skull in their luggage — a species that is endangered and illegal to possess and transport in the U.S. The couple went on to brag about having taken a mountain lion, protected in California, and a family member’s possession of multiple taxidermied mountain lions, a wolverine, and wolves. After landing, the officers filed search warrants on the couple’s home in Chico, as well as the family member’s home in Napa. The searches turned up more illegal species. All three defendants reached plea deals and were convicted of various violations. [KCRA, 2/26/2025]
• Evelina Fabianski, 18, was looking for revenge (and the return of $700 she said she was owed) on Feb. 26 when she “decided to spray-paint and throw eggs at what she thought was [her ex-boyfriend’s] car,” said Volusia County (Florida) Sheriff’s deputies. Unfortunately, ClickOrlando.com reported, the car she and a minor friend covered with bright yellow paint belonged to a neighbor. Damage to the car amounted to about $5,000; Fabianski was charged with criminal mischief, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of alcohol under age 21, and DUI. [ClickOrlando.com, 2/26/2025]
Crème de la Weird
In early February, the BBC reported on Feb. 26, doctors at the AIIMS hospital in Delhi, India, removed a 15kg parasitic twin from the abdomen of a 17-year-old boy. Parasitic twins form when one fetus partially develops while attached to the other. The young man had two fully formed legs, a pelvis, buttocks, and external genitalia protruding from his abdomen. Because of his condition, he had not been able to travel or do any physical activity, and he dropped out of school at the eighth grade. “A new world has opened up to me,” he said. The parasitic limbs were able to feel pain and changes in temperature. It took a team of doctors just two and a half hours to complete the surgery, and the patient has not experienced any complications. Dr. Asuri Krishna, who led the surgery, said, “Only 40 to 50 cases of parasitic twins have been documented in world medical literature.” [BBC, 2/26/2025]
West Virginia sculptor Jamie Lester will create the sculpture of West Tennessee frontiersman and statesman David Crockett for an iconic spot on the Tennessee State Capitol.
State lawmakers agreed to erect a statue of David Crockett on the capitol grounds in 2021. Efforts to do so go back to at least the creation of the David Crockett Commission in 2012. (Read our previous story on this here.)
Photo: Tennessee State Museum
Crockett’s statue will replace a statue of racist, segregationist newspaper editor and politician Edward Carmack. He was, among other things, the editor of the Memphis Commercial newspaper when he incited a mob against anti-lynching activist, journalist, editor, and business woman Ida B. Wells. The mob destroyed her newspaper office.
Carmack was shot and killed by political rivals in Nashville, near where his statue was erected in 1927. The statue was installed, however, by a prohibition group (Carmack was also a staunch prohibitionist) that thought his big-profile death could further their cause.
Protesters tore down Carmack’s statue in 2020 during the turmoil following the police killing of George Floyd. One of the 2021 bill’s sponsors, Sen. Steve Southerland (R-Morristown), even told The Chattanooga Times Free Press at the time, he “didn’t think it would be possible to remove Carmack.” The newspaper story said, Southerland “smiled and then added: ‘Someone removed it for us, so they did us a favor.’”
Lester and his company, Vandalia Bronze, were selected Tuesday by the State Capitol Commission (SCC). The vote came after several meetings of a group to find sculptors, receive proposals, and narrow down 28 proposals to the finalists for the SCC. That group of technical advisors included David Crockett experts, sculptors, legislators, state officials, Tennessee Arts Commission members, architects, and historians.
Photos credit: Jamie Lester/Vandalia Bronze
Lester and his team have produced projects for the World Golf Hall of Fame, the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance, and he created a life-sized sculpture of actor Don Knotts for the city of Morgantown, West Virginia. His work also includes numerous sculptures of people in business, sports, politics, and religion.
Artists for the Crockett statue were scored in three categories. Lester scored highest of them all in each category. His proposal for Crockett shows the man as a “guardian of the frontier” standing atop a stone with his dogs Rattler and Tigger beside him. Crockett’s body for the statue will likely stand eight to nine feet tall, according to State Architect Ann McGauran.
Crockett’s dogs, it seemed, helped to win Lester’s design admiration and votes.
“I personally love the incorporation of the dogs,” said Tennessee Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson after the vote Tuesday. “I’m a dog person. I think the dogs make it really special.”
To this, McGauran said the dogs got plenty of discussion from the group of technical advisors working on the Crockett statue project.
The State Building Commission will soon vote on Lester’s contract. If approved, his team will deliver a one-third scale model of the final design. If the design is approved, the Crockett statue will be delivered and ready for installation on the south side of the capitol by 2026.
A Boys and Girls Club member participating in workforce development.
Photo Credit: Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis via Facebook
Nine Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis high school sites will close at the end of the current school year. Officials said this is a result of American Rescue Plan Act funds running out.
Club officials sai they were awarded $9 million in federal funding from the City of Memphis in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.With these funds, the nonprofit was able to open 10 high school club sites.
While the funds ran out in October 2024, the organization made the decision to continue funding these sites through the current school year.
On May 24 the sites at Booker T. Washington, Hamilton, Raleigh Egypt, Ridgeway, Sheffield, Trezevant, Westwood, and Woodale will close. These sites focused on workforce development and job readiness. This consisted of interview and application prep, workplace visits, and opportunities to become certified in welding, culinary arts, and forklift operation.
“This is the hardest news we’ve had to share,” Gwendolyn Woods, CEO of Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis, said. “It’s particularly difficult, because some of these schools are in high-crime areas, and business owners around the sites told us crime started to fall when we gave the high schoolers positive things to do after school.”
Woods has been with the organization for 10 years, starting as a club director and working with kids directly. She said they always wanted to expand their programs – providing a safe place for students to go after school.
“We all know most violent crimes happen after school hours,” Woods said. “3,500 kids had access to our programs after school. This gave the schools[and] parents peace.”
The organization reported that 100 percent of high school seniors in their programs graduate with future plans in mind including going to college, getting a job, or enlisting in the military. They also said 57 percent of alumni said “the club saved their life.”
Seeing the importance of these programs is what encouraged the club to keep operating these sites after the funds ran out. She said the organization still worked to provide funds by talking to different community leaders, however she noted it costs $2.1 million to run the 10 branches alone.
Woods said it was a hard decision, especially since she served as COO when these clubs first opened, where she was tasked with hiring “passionate” staff members. This announcement will impact 49 employees.
The nonprofit is still working to serve the students who were members at one of the sites, and are looking to provide transportation to their “traditional” sites. They have also added a program specialist role, where a staff member will facilitate Boys and Girl Club activities inside the affected high schools.
“If somebody wants to fund these programs then we feel like at short notice, we can build them back up again,” Woods said. “Right now we have to work with what we have, and we plan to focus on our traditional sites.”
After the closure, 11 sites will be open including two high school sites located at Craigmont and Melrose
Woods said they are also working on recruitment, marketing, and fundraising. Through fundraising, they are able to offer memberships for $10, with scholarship options available.
“Right now we have a grant team and a development team that are really working from sun up to sun down to secure funds for the organization and the work that we do,” Woods said.
Shock, sadness, and a promise to persevere dominate reactions from community leaders and organizations Monday on the overnight fire which gutted Clayborn Temple in Downtown Memphis.
This morning, we woke up to heartbreaking news: a devastating fire has ravaged one of our city’s greatest treasures, Clayborn Temple.
Clayborn is more than a historic building. It is sacred ground. It is the beating heart of the civil rights movement, a symbol of struggle, hope, and triumph that belongs not just to Memphis but to the world.
Standing in the shadow of that steeple, generations of Memphians found their courage. Today, in the face of this tragedy, we must find ours once again.
We grieve deeply for what has been lost, but we also stand ready to honor Clayborn’s legacy the only way we know how: by coming together to restore, rebuild, and remember.
The spirit of Clayborn Temple cannot be burned away. It lives in every act of justice, every fight for equality, every dream of a better future that takes root in Memphis.
I want to personally thank the brave firefighters who responded so quickly this morning. And I pledge to the people of Memphis: our city will stand with the leaders, funders, and caregivers of Clayborn Temple to help ensure this sacred place rises again.
Clayborn Temple has seen struggle before, and it has always overcome. So will we.
Anasa Troutman
founder and executive director of Historic Clayborn Team; founder and CEO of The Big We
Credit: thebigwe.com
Early this morning, our beloved Historic Clayborn Temple — a sacred landmark in our city and our nation — suffered a devastating loss due to a fire.
Our hearts are heavy with grief. For decades, Clayborn and the iconic I AM A MAN signs born in its basement have stood as an international beacon of resilience, faith, and the work to build beloved communities. It is a living testament of our past sacrifices and our future hope. Clayborn’s true spirit was never in the walls alone. It lives in us.
Even as we mourn, we must remember: resilience is our birthright, but so is the space to grieve. Our ancestors endured, grieved, rebuilt, and transcended unimaginable losses. We will do the same.
To everyone who has loved, supported, and prayed for Historic Clayborn Temple, we are still committed to her restoration. The spirit of Clayborn is stronger than any fire. We are deeply grateful to the Memphis Fire Department and other authorities for their swift and courageous response.
For now, we ask for your prayers, your support, and your belief in the enduring power of this place. This is not the end, but a call to remember who we are, and to build again with faith, courage, and abundant love. If you can support, please visit Clayborn.org and give if you can.
Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy
Today, Memphis stands at a poignant crossroads, grappling with two profound events echoing the city’s complex history and enduring spirit.
Steve Mulroy via Facebook
I’m so saddened to hear that a fire ravaged Clayborn Temple, the site of Dr. King’s last address. Despite early reports, I’m hoping that this historic and sacred space can be restored. Without the brave efforts of the Memphis Fire Department, things could have been even worse.
Meanwhile, we start the trial of police officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols. I’m hoping for justice for Tyre and a renewed awareness of the need for policing reforms as we strive toward better realizing Dr. King’s vision.
We meet setbacks in our journey to the mountaintop, but the climb continues.
We Are Somebody
(nonprofit for the working class)
We Are Somebody stands on the shoulders of the movements that Clayborn Temple birthed, we are devastated by the news of the fire this morning. pic.twitter.com/uwbJVVDGzh
Clayborn Temple was influential in the Civil Rights movement and served as a launch pad for a march for sanitation workers’ rights in Memphis.
Without Clayborn Temple, We Are Somebody doesn’t exist as we know it. Our mission is rooted at the intersection of civil rights and labor rights, our logo calls back to the famous I Am A Man signs that came out of Clayborn Temple. We Are Somebody stands on the shoulders of the movements that Clayborn Temple birthed.
While the loss of the physical structure is devastating, the spirit of the civil and labor rights movement can never be burned down. We will continue to uplift the history of our movements, recognize the struggle those who came before us faced, and celebrate the accomplishments of their sacrifice and hard work.
Dr. Russ Wiggington, president
National Civil Rights Museum
Russ Wiggington via LinkedIn
The recent fire that consumed Clayborn Temple is a devastating blow, not only to Memphis but to the nation. This historic church, a nerve center of the Civil Rights Movement, was more than just bricks and stained glass; it was a beating heart of a community that chose unity over division, progress over fear, and community over chaos.
Clayborn Temple stood as a symbol of organized resistance and hope during the 1968 Sanitation Workers’ Strike. When marchers filled its sanctuary, it wasn’t just about better wages; it was about dignity, about declaring that Black lives and labor mattered in a city that often acted indifferent. In the years since, despite cycles of neglect and efforts at preservation, Clayborn Temple remained a powerful reminder that in the face of obstacles, violence, and hatred, collective action and faith can build something stronger.
Its destruction by fire is another somber chapter in a long story of devastated sacred spaces. But if history teaches us anything, it’s this: Clayborn Temple will rise again, because its foundation was never merely physical. It was spiritual. It was communal. And that foundation cannot be burned.
Make no mistake, the spirit of “Community Over Chaos” is stirring. Leaders, activists, stakeholders, and ordinary citizens should be rallying, just as they have for generations. Financial recovery efforts must be coordinated. Preservationists should be examining the remains to save what they can. Plans for rebuilding — not just restoring the past, but reimagining Clayborn Temple for future generations — must be underway.
We rebuild and protect. The protection strategies have now become mission-critical: fire-resistant construction materials, modern surveillance, integrated fire prevention systems, and stronger community engagement must anchor the rebuilding. But just as important will be reaffirming what Clayborn Temple always stood for: justice through unity, faith in action, and an unwavering refusal to yield to adversity.
Memphis has a choice: mourn in isolation or rebuild in solidarity. History — and Clayborn Temple’s own story — points clearly toward the second. Chaos may have been embedded in a fire, but the community will light the way forward.
Clayborn Temple was, and will continue to be, a house not just of gathering, but of movement, resilience, and rebirth. Fire can take down walls, but it cannot destroy the spirit that built them.
State Sen. Raumesh Akbari
Sen. Raumesh Akbari
Sen. Raumesh Akbari via Facebook
“Heartbroken to wake up to the news that Clayborn Temple — sacred ground for the Civil Rights Movement — has burned.
Clayborn was never just wood and stone; it was a beacon where Memphis sanitation workers demanded dignity, where faith carried hope, and where courage took root. To all who fought to restore it, and to all who believed in its future, this loss is devastating. On that historic stage, I was able to speak at the Women’s March in 2017, a surreal experience.
The spirit and living legacy of Clayborn will endure. It must. And from these ashes, we will rise. Memphis always has.
Synthpoppers Recent Future are prepping a new full-length album for Red Curtain Records, expected later this year. The first single from the duo of Charlie Davis and David Johnson, “Crosstalk,” gives you an idea of what to expect. It’s got a little industrial grind and some pleasing bleeps and bloops. The video explores the group’s duality via incessant split screen and some retro graphic. Get into the groove:
If you would like to see your music video on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
