The artists in "Not Only Seen, But Felt" (Photo: Belinda Herrera)
Gabrielle Yasmeen began her photography discipline on disposable cameras, taking pictures of her school friends on the bus. She wouldn’t have called it a discipline then. It was about capturing memories. Her family lived outside of Memphis, and this was her way of feeling like she was a part of something, of her friends’ story, of her story.
“It took me a while to call myself a photographer, or an artist actually,” she says, even though she would always have her camera on her, asking her friends to pose this way and that. Over time, though, she began working with clients and taking paid gigs for events. “It really changed my perspective around the importance of what I was doing and the work that I was doing — that people really appreciated it,” she says. “That’s when I was like, maybe, it’s okay to call myself a photographer. Maybe, I can really go for this role that I’m pretending to play.”
Some of this hesitation she attributes to anxiety. “I think I was scared to live up to the photographers that I’ve looked up to, like Carrie Mae Weems and people of that stature. ‘Oh, am I on par with that? Could I ever produce work that felt the way that those images make me feel?’”
Carrie Mae Weems is perhaps best known for The Kitchen Table Series, where the photographer takes center stage at the kitchen table in scenes of mundane life, smoking a cigarette or applying lipstick. These domestic images made Yasmeen “feel like my presence is appreciated, … that I could be displayed in a museum.”
It’s that sense of presence that Yasmeen wants to recapture in the exhibit she’s curated at the Urban Art Commission (UAC): “Not Only Seen, But Felt.” With work by seven Black women photographers, including Yasmeen, the exhibit quilts a narrative of Black life in Memphis, giving rise to each unique voice. “All these pieces, they honor where you’re from, where you’re at, how you show up, and give you a chance to be seen and felt,” Yasmeen says.
Gabrielle Yasmeen (Photo: Belinda Herrera)
“I have not seen in the last five or 10 years a show that was all photography-based and all Black women-based,” she says. “It felt important to me because obviously that’s what I do and that’s who I am in conversation with a lot of times. And us being in Memphis, that’s a majority-Black city, I would think that we’d see more shows kind of dedicated to that. And then just the history of photography here in this city, it’s been something that our ancestors have done, capturing those really historical, sometimes extremely poignant images throughout time, and so I just thought that this might be a space to celebrate some of the higher points.”
The artists featured in this exhibit are A.C. Bullard, Akeara W., Alexus Milons, Ariel J. Cobbert, Jasmine Marie, and MadameFraankie, in addition to Yasmeen. At its core, the show is collaborative. Though Yasmeen is the curator in name and came up with the title, each photographer chose the pieces in their portfolios that they thought best adhered to the theme. “I wanted to do a group show to say that it’s not just about me; it’s about all of us collectively,” she says. “And it feels good to know that you’re not the only one doing this — prioritizing taking images of Black life and celebrating it.”
In all, Yasmeen and her fellow artists have found the exhibit to be inspiring for themselves, even as they strive to inspire others to see and feel for themselves. As Yasmeen says, “To hear their why behind what they do, it has reinvigorated my own search for my why.”
In the gallery, the pieces are arranged in a way so that they are in conversation with one another, rather than grouped by the artist, and the photos range in style, representing each photographer’s individual practice. From a smiling boy flashing cash at a car show to a woman covered in flowers in a studio, these are moments of joy in being seen but also in making one’s presence known, spontaneous and posed. Both are worthy of wall space.
(Photo: Belinda Herrera)
“In today’s time, anyone can take a picture,” Yasmeen says. “But I do think there’s a difference when you set out to deliberately tell a story with your images. That’s what all of the women in this show do: They tell stories with their work and they’re able to tell a full narrative within one image. … And generally speaking about art, there’s the powers-that-be that set the tone of what is and what isn’t art. In a lot of cases, that has been a white-male dominated space, so it takes us to do something about that and say these things are of value and that they matter.
“I do think that things are changing, but larger narratives show that we are coming up against a front and a battle for that and for the legitimacy of other voices. And so it is very validating to be able to put a show like this together and to have it selected.” As part of a new initiative this year, UAC has offered its Office Exhibition Space for free to local artists, like Yasmeen, who apply to the program. (This does not include any funding, just space, but UAC takes no commission on any sales.)
“It takes a village to see the value in what’s being displayed,” Yasmeen says. “Photography is universal, and you can see yourself within any image. And I challenge people to do that, to see the value in the work that’s being displayed.”
“Not Only Seen, But Felt” closes today, Thursday, April 17th, with a reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Urban Art Commission.
Smokeable cannabis products, especially the THC they create when lit, took another — possibly lethal — blow Thursday as the Tennessee Senate followed the House in passing a law that bans products containing THCA.
House members passed an amendment last Thursday removing THCA from legal cannabis products in the state. THCA was already banned in the Senate version of the bill traveling through the committee process.
That bill passed Thursday after a lengthy floor debate ending in a vote of 23 to ban the substance and only nine against it. The only legislative glimmer of hope for cannabis companies across the state now is a veto from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.
Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) sponsored the Senate bill. He argued the bill protects consumers, taxes cannabis products fairly, and does not harm Tennessee hemp farmers. He said much of the products on shelves here are grown out of state. But the bill was about a lot more than all of those, he said.
“We’re really gonna be voting here on whether to have recreational marijuana or not,” Briggs said, noting that many products on shelves here now will get consumers high. “If we vote no on this bill, we’ll have unregulated recreational marijuana.”
Briggs described an anything-goes market in Tennessee with a variety of products to smoke, vape, eat, and drink. Also, the product sold today, he said, is “not your grandfather’s marijuana” that “they confiscated at Woodstock.”
“The average strength of marijuana in 1995 was 4 percent,” he said, without confirming his source information. “You can walk 20 minutes down the street here and buy…gummy bears that are 10 times that.”
On Thursday, as he’s done for years when talking publicly about cannabis products, Briggs pronounced “gummy bears” as “goomy bears.”
Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) agreed with many of Briggs’ points. But she said she could not vote for the bill out of fear that state-by-state regulation on cannabis products has increased “black market activity.”
“We all know that people are going to other states and getting the products and coming back,” Campbell said. “When we attempt to put regulations [on these products] we actually drive people to other markets and drive a market here that is less predictable and less controllable…because people are going to be selling tickets on the black market.”
Sen. Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) pushed back on the bill because he said it would make it illegal to manufacture, cultivate, produce, and sell these products. But Tennessee criminal law now does not make it illegal to possess these products, he said.
“I could drive to Kentucky,” Roberts said. “I could drive to North Carolina. I could drive to all these surrounding states and I could load up my car with as much as I want, and I can bring it home. I can do what I want to do with it all day long. I’m not going to be prosecuted by any (District Attorney) in Tennessee for violating law because I will not have violated a law.”
Sen. Page Walley (R-Savannah) said he’d recently watched the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. Dylan’s song, “The Times They Are A-Changin'” was an anthem for those in the Civil Rights Movements, Walley said. He said “times are changing right now.”
He explained that most were comfortable with most of the bill, but uncomfortable with 5 percent-10 percent. Though he never spoke in specifics, Walley seemed uncomfortable with the THCA provisions.
“We’ve really decided to change the rules and move the goalposts in this conversation after the game is in progress,” Walley said. “We told our farmers, we told our retailers, we told small business people who are honest, that are paying rents on facilities, that these were the rules.”
Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) agreed, saying “we’re pulling the rug out from under” Tennessee’s cannabis businesses. He the state is moving in a “prohibitionist direction” on cannabis issues while others move forward.
“We are too much, in this instance, like The Simpsons‘ character yelling at the clouds,” Yarbro said. “This is time for us to get serious, to get real, and actually help Tennessee consumers, to actually help Tennessee farmers, to actually help Tennessee businesses. And I don’t think this bill is the right way.”
The bill will become law upon Gov. Lee’s signature. Barring that, THCA protections are under review now in a lawsuit from the Tennessee Growers Coalition. That suit is to be heard this summer in Nashville.
The Mississippi River is the most endangered river in the country, according to a new report from American Rivers, a national conservation organization.
The biggest threats to the river are the Trump administration’s promises to severely cut or abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Flood Insurance Program. American Rivers said these threats “[risk] river health and human safety along the entirety of its 2,320-mile stretch and could compound long-standing threats to the river.”
“The Mississippi River is vital to our nation’s health, wealth, and security. We drink from it, we grow our food with it, we travel on it, we live alongside it, and simply, we admire its beauty,” said Mike Sertle, central region director for American Rivers. “We cannot turn our back on Mississippi River communities or the health of the river millions depend on at this critical time when they need unified direction instead of uncertainty at the national level.”
In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that would push much of what FEMA does to states.
“Federal policy must rightly recognize that preparedness is most effectively owned and managed at the state, local, and even individual levels, supported by a competent, accessible, and efficient federal government,” reads the order. “When states are empowered to make smart infrastructure choices, taxpayers benefit.”
The order also called for the federal government to “streamline its preparedness operations.” This led to hundreds of layoffs at FEMA with many more promised, leaving states worried about the future.
FEMA’s mission goes beyond emergency response and rebuilding after disaster, according to American Rivers. It develops minimum standards for construction in floodplains, provides flood insurance to homeowners, and mitigates future risks. FEMA also helps in relocating flood-prone homes to higher ground.
“Without strong federal leadership in flood risk management, communities along the Mississippi River — and across the country — will face even greater threats from worsening floods,” said Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM). “At the same time, we recognize that states and local governments must take on a greater role in managing flood risks. Strengthening their capacity — whether through incentives or penalties — will lead to better outcomes.
“But no amount of state or local action can replace the need for coordinated federal support, especially when major disasters strike. Now is the time to reinforce our national commitment to flood risk reduction, not walk away from it.”
The Mississippi River spans 10 states and 123 counties from the headwaters in Minnesota to its mouth in Louisiana. The river carries more water than any other of the nation’s rivers and is the primary source of drinking water for more than 50 municipalities. The river is also a source for manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, navigation, and energy.
The river and its 30-million-acre floodplain also provide vital habitat for more than 870 species of fish and wildlife, including dozens of rare, threatened, and endangered species.
Long-standing threats to the river include chemical runoff that has led to regular toxic algae outbreaks in significant stretches of the river as well as hypoxic dead zones, sea level rise that is accelerating wetland loss and saltwater intrusion, exacerbating droughts, and infrastructure like levees and navigation structures that negatively impact the natural flow of the river.
The Mississippi River City and Towns Initiative, a group of mayors from up and down the river, said it does not believe the river has earned the designation of the most endangered waterway. Instead, the group said it believes “there is always a need to protect our nation’s and the world’s most important waterway.”
“A total elimination of the agency would cripple the nation’s emergency response and risk management apparatus,” said Belinda Constant, mayor of Gretna, Louisiana. “Additionally, disaster response along the Mississippi River is inherently a multi-state question and thus, FEMA needs to continue to play a vital role in coordinating the efforts of many states to systemically mitigate risks, recover, and restore infrastructure.”
It might seem odd that the investiture of LeMoyne-Owen College’s 14th president will be held on a religious holiday, Good Friday.
Good Friday, one of the oldest traditions in Christianity, is a solemn day of mourning and reflection. It’s a commemoration of the crucifixion and death of Jesus.
The investiture ceremony, one of the oldest traditions in academia, is a joyous day of pomp and circumstance. It’s a celebration that marks the beginning of a new era for the college.
The symbolism isn’t lost on Rev. Dr. Christopher Davis, age 52, who last summer was named president of LeMoyne-Owen College.
“Good Friday reminds us that after the darkness, there is light. After struggle, there is renewal. And after every crucifixion, there is resurrection,” Davis said. “This investiture is not just a ceremony; it is a declaration that LeMoyne-Owen College is in the midst of a resurrection.”
Religion won’t save LeMoyne-Owen College, the nation’s fifth oldest historically black college. But Davis, the first church pastor to be the college’s president, is hoping it will play a big role in the long-struggling institution’s revival.
He hired Dr. Pete Gathje, the longtime academic dean at Memphis Theological Seminary, to launch a new bachelor’s degree in religion.
He reinstituted a weekly chapel service, in part to reconnect the college to its roots in the church.
He believes LeMoyne-Owen’s growth will improve the fortunes of South Memphis, and he’s approaching the role of college president with a missionary’s zeal.
Two days after Davis delivers his presidential inaugural address, he will deliver his annual Easter sermon at St. Paul Baptist Church in Whitehaven, where he has been senior pastor since 2000.
The hope of resurrection will be theme of both.
“LeMoyne-Owen College has faced its share of challenges over the years — leadership transitions, financial struggles, and even threats to its accreditation,” Davis said. “There have been moments when the institution’s future seemed uncertain. But just as Good Friday is not the end of the story, neither are the struggles of our past.”
“Never lost hope”
LeMoyne-Owen College’s struggles are well documented.
In the early 2000s, the college was put on academic probation by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Enrollment had crashed, dropping by more than 40 percent to under 600. Debt had more than doubled to nearly $10 million. The administration had to cut nearly $1 million from the budget and laid off two dozen employees.
The school that first opened its doors in 1862 was in danger of having to close them. But supporters of the college, including city, county and state governments, and alumni, rallied to its side, pledging more than $4 million to help remove the school from probation and give it new life.
Enrollment rose to about 1,000. Then, a few years later, it began to fall again. Retention, graduation rates, and alumni giving remained low. Debt rose again to more than $1 million. The school’s endowment shrunk to about $13 million. Seven employees were laid off.
In 2019, the board of trustees, led by Davis, decided not to renew the contract of president Dr. Andrea Lewis Miller, amid charges of plagiarism and nepotism.
“It was a difficult time,” said Dr. Carol Johnson-Dean, who was the college’s interim president from 2019-2021. “We had to make some difficult decisions, but Chris and the board never lost hope.”
In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, the college found new life again, this time in the form of a $40 million donation from the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. It was the largest gift in LeMoyne-Owen’s history. It quadrupled the college’s endowment and stabilized its finances.
It didn’t stabilize leadership. In 2023, president Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs resigned without explanation after two years as president. The board named Davis interim president. A year later, the board voted to make Davis the college’s 14th president.
“Dr. Davis was an unconventional choice, but no one was more qualified or prepared to lead LeMoyne-Owen College,” said Vanecia Belser Kimbrow, an attorney who followed Davis as board chair.
Christopher Bernard Davis grew up just west of Memphis in the tiny Arkansas Delta town of Proctor, named for an early settler named Moses Proctor.
David didn’t follow the traditional academic, corporate or government path to becoming a college president.
After graduating from the University of Arkansas in 1997, he became pastor of a Baptist church in western Arkansas.
In 2000, he was named senior pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church, then on South Parkway. Seven years later, Davis moved the growing congregation to a larger campus in Whitehaven.
Davis does have academic bona fides.
He earned a master’s degree in religion at Memphis Theological Seminary (MTS) in 2004, a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree from United Theological Seminary in 2007, and he’s pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) from Anderson University.
Davis was a member of the MTS faculty for 16 years, and associate dean of doctoral studies for seven. Under his guidance, the DMin program grew from around 25 students to 100.
“I kept one foot in the sanctuary and one foot in the classroom,” Davis said.
He also spent a lot of time with both feet on LeMoyne’s campus. Before he was named interim president in 2023, Davis had been chairman of the college’s board of trustees for eight years.
“Chris deeply understands LeMoyne’s historic mission, its significant challenges, and its unique opportunities,” said Johnson-Dean. “He has the ability to tell the story of the college and to articulate a vision that honors the past but also pushes the college beyond its past.”
Since Davis was named interim president, enrollment is up 18 percent to 688. Davis’s goal: 1,000 by 2028.
Freshman retention rate is up to 60 percent. Davis’s goal: 80 percent.
The college’s endowment is up to $55 million. Davis’s goal: $100 million.
“Those are crazy goals, right?” Davis said. “But we believe that LeMoyne isn’t a charity. It’s an investment. In a city where we’re concerned about losing our best and brightest to Nashville and Atlanta, why would you not invest in an institution that manages to keep 96 percent of its graduates in this community?”
Davis has board members believing as well.
“We’ve had a revolving door of leadership over the years, but Chris has been a rock,” said K.C. Warren, chair of the board’s institutional advancement committee. “Now, under Chris’s leadership, fundraising is up, energy on campus is up, enrollment is up. This is an exciting time for us.”
One of Davis’s first acts as president was to reinstitute a weekly chapel service at Metropolitan Baptist Church, which sits next door to the campus. Attendance is voluntary.
LeMoyne has been and remains a four-year liberal arts college, but Davis believes the school’s future will be stronger as it remembers and honors its past.
“When I got here, LeMoyne had sort of lost its way and abandoned its religious heritage,” Davis said. “I think it’s important to remember that LeMoyne-Owen College was created in a merger of two very different and diverse denominational backgrounds. This is a faith-based college.”
It certainly was a faith-founded college, a product of the Second Great Awakening, a significant Protestant religious movement of the early 19th Century.
In 1862, after the Union took control of Memphis, members of the American Missionary Association (AMA) opened Lincoln Chapel, an elementary school for freed and runaway slaves.
The AMA, inspired by the Second Great Awakening, was formed in 1846 by Congregationalists and other Christians committed to the abolition of slavery. The AMA founded more than 500 schools, including nine historically black colleges.
Lincoln Chapel was destroyed by fire during the Memphis Massacre in 1865. Six years later, a white Pennsylvania doctor and abolitionist named Frances Julius LeMoyne donated $20,000 to the AMA to open a new Freedmen’s School in Memphis.
LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School opened in 1871 on Orleans Street in South Memphis, next door to Second Congregational Church, which served as LeMoyne’s chapel.
The school — and the church — were relocated to Walker Avenue near Elmwood Cemetery in the early 1900s. LeMoyne became a junior college in 1924, a four-year college in 1930, and merged with S.A. Owen Junior College in 1968.
Owen College also has roots in the church. It was founded in 1954 by the Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention. It was named for Rev. S.A. Owen, who was pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church.
“LeMoyne-Owen College has played a major role in uplifting, empowering and advancing the Black community in Memphis,” said Rev. Dr. Earle Fisher, one of two faculty members in the college’s new religion degree program. “And as Black folks go, so goes Memphis.”
Fisher, a LeMoyne-Owen graduate, has been senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church since 2011. Before teaching at LeMoyne, Fisher taught religion courses at Rhodes College.
Rev Earle J Fisher, Ph.D. | Facebook
Rhodes, CBU and the University of Memphis all offer undergraduate degrees in religious studies, but none of those programs include courses designed to prepare students for ministry.
LeMoyne’s religion major includes courses in African American preaching, worship in the Black Church, pastoral care, and church administration.
“Memphis needs a college that provides a formal, undergraduate training for black religious practitioners, and there’s no better place for that than the city’s only historically black college,” said Fisher.
LeMoyne’s alumni roster includes such legendary local ministers as G.E. Patterson, Benjamin Hooks, Billy Kyles, James Netters, Reuben Green, Randolph Meade Walker, and Gina Stewart.
It also includes such academic luminaries as Black church scholar C. Eric Lincoln; Henry Logan Starks, the first Black professor at Memphis Theological Seminary; and Dr. Clarence Christian, the first Black professor at Rhodes College.
“Awakening from the dead”
LeMoyne-Owen will graduate its first ever class of religion majors next year.
Six students began taking religion classes last fall. The college hopes to raise that number to 10 this fall and keep growing.
The new religion program offered four courses last fall and four others this spring. All are taught by Gathje or Fisher.
“LeMoyne-Owen has always offered religion courses, but never a religion major,” said Gathje, chairman of college’s Fine Arts & Humanities division. “This will help us prepare students for ministry in a way no other local college does.”
Gathje has been a local leader in theological education for more than a quarter century.
In his 17 years at MTS, Gathje filled a wide variety of roles including director of admissions, financial aid, library and IT as well as academic dean and professor of Christian ethics.
Before that, Gathje, who has a PhD from Emory University, spent a decade as a professor and chair of the department of religion and philosophy at Christian Brothers University.
He’s more widely known locally as the founding director of Manna House, a nonprofit ministry for men and women experiencing homelessness.
“No one in this city knows more about theological education and application than Pete,” Davis said.
LeMoyne’s first class of religion majors include Devin Ellis and Rev. Y.C. Cox.
Ellis grew up near LeMoyne-Owen College. Her grandfather was a security guard there. She wants to be a chaplain and work in a prison or a hospital.
“The courses I’ve taken from Dr. Gathje and Dr. Fisher are retraining my brain,” she said. “It’s empowering. I feel like I’m awakening from the dead.”
Cox, 67, longtime pastor of Advocate Fellowship Baptist Church in Barton Heights, started college twice in his younger days but never got a degree.
“I’m the OMOC. The old man on campus,” said Cox, whose youngest son by baptized by Davis many years ago. “People ask me, what can you do with a religion degree at your age? I say, ‘Anything I want.’”
David Waters is Distinguished Journalist in Residence and assistant director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis.
Ja Morant drives the ball against the Golden State Warriors. (Photo: NBAE/Getty Images)
The Memphis Grizzlies are fighting to keep their postseason hopes alive after losing their first play-in match against the Golden State Warriors, final score 121-116.
The rivalry between these two teams remains alive and well — it was born during the 2015 Western Conference semifinals series against the Warriors, which turned out to be the Core Four of Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Tony Allen’s last postseason hurrah, and bolstered during the 2022 Western Conference semifinals.
One constant for the Golden State Warriors during that time has been Steph Curry, who is arguably the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
Curry’s prowess from beyond the arc was on display Tuesday night against the Grizzlies: He shot six of 13 from three-point range and 18 of his 37 points came from beyond the arc.
But it wasn’t the Warriors three-point shooting that beat the Grizzlies; the Grizzlies beat themselves by committing too many turnovers and getting into early foul trouble.
Golden State scored 27 points off 20 Memphis turnovers, with 34 free throw attempts compared to Memphis’ 23.
Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo shifted around the starting lineup in the absence of injured rookie forward Jaylen Wells, with Desmond Bane moving into the small forward position and Scotty Pippen Jr. as the starting shooting guard.
By the Numbers:
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 30 points on 11 of 21 overall shooting and five of eight from beyond the arc, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block.
Ja Morant scored 22 points on nine of 18 overall shooting and one of three from three-point range, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Morant turned his ankle during the third quarter, and while he returned to the game, it remains to be seen how it will impact his play going forward.
Jaren Jackson Jr. added 18 points on six of 15 overall shooting and four of nine from beyond the arc, six rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Rookie big man Zach Edey finished with 14 points, a game-high 17 rebounds, and two assists.
Santi Aldama led the bench with 14 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
Who Got Next?
It’s win or go home time for this Memphis team as they fight to claim the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies will play the winner of tonight’s play-in game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings on Friday, April 18th. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. CDT on ESPN.
Allen Fossil Plant (Photo: TVA Web Team | Creative Commons | via Wikimedia Commons)
The people of Memphis deserve clean air, affordable power bills, and a reliable energy system that doesn’t come at the cost of their health or future. Instead, TVA is pushing to expand the Allen gas plant in Southwest Memphis with six new methane gas-burning turbines. That means more pollution, higher bills, and more risk for the communities that have already been asked to carry too much. Let’s be clear: This is a bad deal. Memphis deserves better.
If these gas turbines are built, they will produce large amounts of air pollution that will cause and worsen serious health problems for nearby residents. Southwest Memphis residents already experience high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and adding more pollution to the air from burning methane gas will only deepen public health impacts and worsen the climate crisis.
This project is deeply unfair for communities in Southwest Memphis, where residents already carry heavy environmental burdens from the decades of pollution from fossil fuel infrastructure: the Allen coal plant, Valero refinery, Allen gas plant, Southaven gas plant, xAI, and now TVA’s Allen plant gas expansion plan. This is what the continuation of environmental injustice looks like.
TVA claims the gas expansion is necessary to meet electricity demand, but they’ve done a poor job of seriously evaluating other options. They haven’t conducted even basic analysis of how clean alternatives could meet power needs in a way that’s less risky and less harmful. TVA has tried to frame this as a binary choice: either build the new methane gas turbines, or do nothing and risk not meeting demand. But that’s a false choice. In reality, TVA could meet energy needs through a mix of proven, affordable solutions — like solar, wind, battery storage, energy efficiency, and demand reduction programs — that don’t come with decades of pollution and health consequences of burning methane gas.
But TVA is still pouring money into fossil fuel infrastructure that would lock Memphis into another generation of pollution, higher bills, and increased climate risk. At this point, it feels like TVA would rather keep polluting communities than do the work of building a cleaner, more just energy future. This is the same tired playbook: rush the process, sideline the public, and pretend there are no alternatives. That’s not leadership. That’s business as usual — and people are done with it.
It’s not just about pollution — though that alone should be reason enough to stop this. It’s about the massive opportunities that TVA is choosing to ignore. TVA has a long history of underinvesting in energy efficiency — simple, low-cost solutions like sealing air leaks and adding insulation that could make homes across Memphis healthier, safer, and more affordable to live in. These upgrades are especially important for low-income residents, many of whom want to improve their homes but can’t afford to do it on their own. TVA’s programs are often too limited, too complicated, or just not designed to reach the people who need them most. And while TVA has started to show some progress, it’s unacceptable for them to ignore the lowest cost, most immediate way to reduce energy demand while trying to justify building more gas infrastructure. Instead, TVA should be expanding programs that cut energy use and ease strain on the grid because that’s how you lower bills, improve reliability, and reduce pollution without making vulnerable communities pay the price.
Memphis has thousands of megawatts of rooftop solar potential, many times over what TVA says it needs from this gas expansion. That’s power from the sun, right here in the city, with no emissions and no added health risks. Shelby County also has tremendous capacity for utility-scale solar. MLGW’s own studies point to local solar as the smartest and most cost-effective choice for meeting power needs. And wind is already being harnessed just across the state line in Tunica County. Battery energy storage makes renewable energy available around the clock, improves the reliability of the grid, and can help bring the grid back online from a power outage. The tools are here. The technology is proven. The moment is now.
As someone working alongside partners in Memphis who are organizing around this issue, I’m proud to support their leadership. The voices coming out of Southwest Memphis are powerful — and they are calling for what every community deserves: transparency, accountability, and a future built on clean energy, not more pollution.
TVA was created to serve the people of the Tennessee Valley — not corporations, not industry. Its mission was public service. But somewhere along the way, that mission got lost. Now is the time to get back to it.
TVA should invest in the communities that have powered this region for generations — not sideline them. It should make real investments in proven, available clean energy that reduces bills, creates long-term, good-paying local jobs, and keeps the lights on without poisoning the air. Southwest Memphis doesn’t need more pollution. Memphis doesn’t need more excuses. And the people of the Tennessee Valley don’t need another generation locked into dirty energy and economic inequality.
TVA can still choose to lead. If they won’t, they’ll be remembered as the ones who stood in the way. Because the future is clean. The future is just. And the future will be powered by the people.
TVA is accepting public comments on this project until April 28th. Now is the time to speak up. Tell TVA to stop the methane gas expansion at the Allen Plant and invest in a clean energy future built on energy efficiency, solar, wind, battery storage, and demand reduction. Tell TVA to do better because Memphis deserves better — and the Tennessee Valley does, too.
As the decarbonization advocacy coordinator for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), Tracy O’Neill is a passionate advocate for clean energy and community empowerment.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I am always surprised when there appears yet another authoritative article or book that implies there is one specific right approach to meditation. The truth is, however, that there are many ways. Here’s teacher Christopher Bamford: “Meditation is naturally individual, uniquely our own. There are no rules. Just as every potter will elaborate their own way of making pots, so everyone who meditates will shape their own meditation.” This is excellent counsel for you right now, Aries. The planetary alignments tell me you have extra power to define and develop your unique style of meditation. Key point: Have fun as you go deeper and deeper!
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): From 1501 to 1504, the artist Michelangelo worked to create a 17-feet-tall marble sculpture of the Biblical king known as David. Today it stands in Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia and is one of the most famous statues in the world. But the block of marble from which it was carved had a troubled beginning. Two other artists worked on it but ultimately abandoned their efforts, regarding the raw material as flawed. Michelangelo saw potential where they didn’t. He coaxed a masterpiece from what they rejected. Be like him in the coming weeks, dear Taurus! Look for treasure in situations that others deem unremarkable. Find the beauty hidden from the rest of the world.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The Judean date palm was considered extinct for over 800 years. Then scientists germinated a 2,000-year-old seed discovered in the ancient fortress of Masada. That was 20 years ago. Today, the tree, named Methuselah, is still thriving. Let’s regard this as your metaphor of power, Gemini. You, too, are now capable of reviving a long-dormant possibility. An old dream or relationship might show unexpected signs of life. Like that old seed, something you thought was lost could flourish if you give it your love and attention.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In more than a few ancient cultures, dolphins were regarded as playful allies that would guide lost ships and assist sailors in stress. In ancient Greek myth, dolphins were sacred companions and agents of the sea god. In Maori culture, dolphins were thought to deliver important messages that were unavailable any other way. Many modern Westerners downplay stories like these. But according to my philosophy, spirit allies like dolphins are still very much available for those who are open to them. Are you, Cancerian? I’m pleased to tell you that magical helpers and divine intermediaries will offer you mysterious and useful counsel in the coming weeks — if you are receptive to the possibility.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Do you know about the Leo liberator Simón Bolívar (1783–1830)? This Venezuelan statesman and military officer accomplished a cornucopia of good works. Through his leadership, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Bolivia, and Ecuador gained independence from the Spanish Empire. He was one of history’s greatest crusaders for liberal democracy. I propose we make him one of your inspiring symbols for the next 12 months. May he inspire you, too, to be a courageous emancipator who helps create a better world.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo conductor Leonard Bernstein was a global superstar because of his stellar musicianship, activism, philanthropy, and teaching. He transformed classical music by dissolving barriers between “high” and “low” culture, bringing elegant symphonies to popular audiences while promoting respect for jazz and pop. He wanted all kinds of music to be accessible to all kinds of listeners. I think you are currently capable of Bernstein-like synergies, Virgo. You can bridge different worlds not only for your own benefit, but also others’. You have extra power to accomplish unlikely combinations and enriching mergers. Be a unifier!
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A rainbow is gorgeous, with its spectacular multi-hued arc sweeping across the sky. Here’s another element of its poetic appeal: It happens when sunlight and rain collaborate. In a sense, it’s a symbol of the sublimity that may emerge from a synergy of brightness and darkness. Let’s make the rainbow your symbol of power in the coming weeks, Libra. May it inspire you to find harmony by dealing with contrasts and paradoxes. May it encourage you to balance logic and emotion, work and rest, light and shadow, independence and partnership. I hope you will trust your ability to mediate and inspire cooperation.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You now have more power than usual to transform ordinary things into extraordinary things. Your imagination will work at peak levels as you meditate on how to repurpose existing resources in creative ways. What other people might regard as irrelevant or inconsequential could be useful tools in your hands. I invite you to give special attention to overlooked assets. They may have hidden potentials waiting for you to unlock them.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you google the term “the religion of work,” many critical references come up. They condemn the ways humans place an inordinate importance on the jobs they do, thereby sacrificing their health and soulfulness. The derogatory English term “workaholic” is a descriptor for those whose are manically devoted to “the religion of work.” But now let’s shift gears. The artist Maruja Mallo (1902–1995) conjured a different version of “the religion of work.” Her paintings celebrated, even expressed reverence for, the agricultural laborers of rural Spain. She felt their positive attitudes toward their tasks enhanced their health and soulfulness. In the coming weeks, Sagittarius, I invite you to explore Mallo’s version of the religion of work.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Astrologer Aliza Kelly likes Capricorns for their “fearless ambition, limitless resilience, and ability to keep pushing forward, even in the face of challenging adversity.” But she also praises their “secret wild side.” She writes, “Inside every earnest Capricorn is a mischievous troublemaker” that “loves to party.” I agree with her assessments and am happy to announce that the rowdier sides of your nature are due for full expression in the coming weeks. I don’t know if that will involve you “dancing on tables,” an activity Kelly ascribes to you. But I bet it will at least include interludes we can describe as “untamed.”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1922, Aquarian author James Joyce published Ulysses, a novel recognized as one of the masterworks of 20th-century world literature. Seventeen years later, he produced Finnegans Wake, an uproarious experimental novel that was universally reviled when it first emerged because of its wild wordplay, unusual plot, and frantic energy. In the ensuing years, though, it has also come to be regarded as a monument of brilliant creativity. It’s one of my favorite books, and I’m glad Joyce never wavered in his commitment to producing such an epic work of genius. Anyway, Aquarius, I’m guessing you have been toiling away at your own equivalent of Finnegans Wake. I beg you to maintain your faith! Keep going!
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Years ago, in the early days of my infatuation with a new lover, she put a blindfold on me and ushered me around the city of Columbia, South Carolina. The goal was to enhance my nonvisual senses. The experiment worked. I heard, smelled, and felt things I would never have noticed unless my dominating eyesight had been muffled. Ever since, my nonvisual senses have operated with more alacrity. This fun project also improved the way I use my eyes. The coming days would be an excellent time for you to try a similar adventure, Pisces. If my idea isn’t exactly engaging to you, come up with your own. You will benefit profoundly from enhancing your perceptual apparatus.
Last week, News of the Weird reported about mysterious QR code stickers appearing on gravestones in Munich, Germany. The denouement is much less interesting than the mystery: The New York Times reported on Feb. 20 that a local business had been contracted to clean and maintain certain graves, and workers had used the stickers to help them keep track of which graves they had worked on. “We are a large company,” said Alfred Zanker, a senior manager at the unnamed company. “Everything has to happen in an orderly manner.”
It’s Good To Have a Hobby
Clem Reinkemeyer, 87, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has an unusual collection — and now he has a Guinness World Record. United Press International reported on Feb. 17 that Reinkemeyer’s collection of 8,882 bricks includes a Roman brick from 100 A.D. and a sidewalk brick made in a facility where the Pentagon now stands. “What appealed to me about bricks is they have names and you can trace them back historically to places,” he said. Some of the most valuable ones are those with misspellings. “I think Oklahoma has a history for the most misspelled bricks,” he said. “I don’t know why.”
Space Trash
Officials at Poland’s space agency POLSA are examining debris that fell onto the premises of a business in Komorniki on Feb. 19, Reuters reported, to determine whether it originated from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Later that day, a second “identical” container was found about 19 miles away in a forest. POLSA said it has been monitoring the flight of the Falcon 9, which launched on Feb. 1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and “will verify the object with SpaceX.” News outlets in Poland reported that flashes were seen in the sky on the morning of Feb. 19.
Recent Alarming Headlines
Residents of Godstone High Street in Surrey, England, may be out of their homes for months after a huge sinkhole opened up on Feb. 17, the BBC reported. Two sections of the road caved in, causing people in 30 homes to be evacuated. “We’ll be looking to completely rebuild the road,” said Surrey County Council’s Matt Furniss. “It’s currently stable, it isn’t growing anymore.” Local business owners are concerned about how the closure will affect them. Shane Fry of DD Services said it would be “a trialling few months for us.”
News You Can Use
The SS United States, which has been docked and deteriorating at a Philadelphia port since 1976, started its 18-day passage to Alabama on Feb. 19, NBC10-TV reported. The ocean liner, in service from 1952 to 1969, holds the record for fastest eastbound and westbound trans-Atlantic crossings, but on this final journey, it will be towed at 5 knots (or about 6 miles per hour). In Alabama, it will be stripped of its innards — furniture, engine room equipment, cables, and flooring — and then will be moved to Okaloosa County, Florida, where it will be sunk offshore and turned into a scuba-diving destination. Capt. Joseph Farrell, a ship-sinking and reef expert, said the sinking will be “a final chapter for the last all-American-made, American-flagged ocean liner.”
Saw That Coming
An unnamed 55-year-old Canadian woman lost both her hands on Feb. 7 when she “attempted to engage” with a 6-foot-long shark while snorkeling in Turks and Caicos, The New York Times reported. The tourist reportedly wanted to take photos of the animal. After she was treated in the Caribbean, she returned to Canada for further medical attention, but doctors could not save her hands. Conservationist Chris Stefanou said the shark might have mistaken the woman’s phone for a fish. “Sharks, or any predatory animal in the ocean, can confuse that as, like, a bait fish,” he said.
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
Visualize a bubble completely encasing your home. (Photo: Nataliia Bondar | Dreamstime.com)
Have you heard of the three rings of magical protection? This is a technique I learned when I first began my spiritual path, and it has stuck with me since. I love sharing it because it’s unique and can be easy to do. You don’t need any supplies or items for this protection technique. What you will need is to be able to manipulate energy and visualize or talk yourself through the steps.
I typically teach this technique the way that I do it. It’s the way I am most familiar with, and I’m confident that it works that way. However, I am not you. Please feel free to take this idea and make it your own.
It’s generally easier and more accurate to build this shield while at home. For one, it is easier to manipulate energy in the area that you are in than it is to try and manipulate energy from across town. Being at home also gives you a very good idea of where your property lines are or where you want to specifically shield. If building a shield or manipulating energy is new to you, or you have trouble visualizing, then going outside and looking at your home can also be very helpful.
To begin, visualize (or describe to yourself) a large black bubble completely encasing your home. This black bubble should go all the way around your home, above it, and underneath it. If you live in a building, your shield may likely end up cutting through your neighbor’s ceiling or upper corners. If you live in a freestanding structure like a house or trailer, you don’t have to worry about your energy shield being on someone else’s property. But you still want to make sure that your bubble goes under your home, so it will cut into the ground. This is the first ring of protection.
Under your black shield, envision a brown shield. This will be a second bubble, located underneath and inside of the black bubble. The brown shield is the second ring of protection. The third and final ring of protection is a white bubble inside the brown bubble. All three of these layers sit on top of each other and completely encase your home.
The first ring, the black bubble, is a protective energetic barrier. This ring is going to take the most hits and is going to do the most work. Black is the color we use most often for protection and hiding. The black layer is going to shield and hide your home from unwanted energies. However, it is always possible for something to get through. That is what the other two layers are for.
The second ring, the brown one, is a filter. Brown is a color associated with stability and grounding. If energy works its way through your first ring, when it comes into contact with the brown ring, the brown layer can help ground the energy. The brown ring of protection can, if used properly, send that energy down into the earth where the earth will recycle the energy and put it to use elsewhere. Brown is also associated with transformation. If energy comes through the black ring, the brown ring can also filter and change the energy.
The third ring, the white layer, is there to make sure that negative energy does not make it into your home. Once energy moves past the brown ring where it has been filtered and changed, it comes into contact with the final white ring of protection. White is a color that boasts a lot of associations including protection and blessings. Any energy that makes it to your white ring has been made neutral by the brown ring. If that energy makes it through your white shield to your home, that energy has now been transformed from unwanted, negative, or malicious to at worst neutral energy and at best a positive blessing.
This idea can be used in many ways. Let the three rings of magical protection inspire you to create a unique protection barrier for you and your home.
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.
Cameron Carroll traveled from the north Seattle area to Memphis for the Memphis Tattoo Festival, held April 4th, 5th, and 6th at the Renasant Convention Center.
It was his second year attending the festival, Carroll says. College Station, Texas, tattoo artist David Hershman worked on one side of his leg last year, and his other leg this year. Carroll says he “had to come back. [Hershman] invited me out here, and I flew out from Washington.”
Aaron BinkowitzLuke SurmanPolo Espinoza and Chris EspinozaKierstyn Laird, Noah St. John, and Avery HallJen Archer, James Archer, and Jacques Van WykAmanda Barnard, Tallon Barnard, and Caitlyn Campbell
Asked what he likes about the festival, Carroll, who sports seven tattoos, says, “It’s a blast. Amazing people. It’s always a good time. Just a bunch of laughs. Great people out here. It’s a fun time.”
Quinn HurleyDavid Hershman and Cameron CarrollNeil Lemons and Samantha WatkinsChancy Pants and James ArcherAustin Gilbert, Breanna Nelson, Christina Robertson, and Travis RobertsonChico Wardrick, Sky Jones, Caliyah Jones, and Rae Royston
Quinn Hurley, director of operations for the three-day event presented by Tattoo Fest and the Explore Tattoo Conference, was pleased to be “coming back to a city that really embraced us and embraced us again this year.”
Tristan Keutmann and Mason BallardMadelynne Caldwell and Makayla WeaverZach Morris, Sarah Lee, Adrian Hood, Leah Chester, and Jenner and Joshua Brook
“This is an artistic show,” he says. “Everyone that’s here is here because they love some sort of art. A lot of it’s tattooing, but we have our vendors that make art as well. And so we wanted the festival to reflect the love of that.”
