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Black trans women and girls of color in Memphis will get better access to HIV education and prevention services thanks to a new grant for WeCareTN.
The money is part of a $10 million grant from Gilead Sciences for 19 organizations, including Memphis-based WeCareTN. The funds will help “increase HIV prevention and education efforts for cis- and transgender Black women and girls,” through the company’s new Setting the P.A.C.E. (prevention, arts and advocacy, community, education) initiative.
“Black women and girls continue to be disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic in the United States,” Gilead said in a statement. “Black women aged 16 and older account for 54 percent of new HIV diagnoses, but only 14 percent of the female population. Furthermore, Black transgender women have the highest national rates of new HIV diagnoses, and are more likely to go undiagnosed and untreated in comparison to their peers.”
WeCareTN “supports trans women of color through education and empowerment.” They host a jobs readiness program, a life skills program, and lead HIV preventions programs for sex workers. They’ll use the new funds to focus on HIV/ HCV (hepatitis C virus) prevention and education, outreach and partnerships, testing and helping people find the correct care care. The organization is also seeking to form “equitable and inclusive” relationships with community partners.
“We hope to address any barriers to care and resources as it relates to HIV/ HCV stigma, transphobia, and/or cultural insensitivity,” WeCareTN said in a statement. “We hope to link services and resources to community members and organizations that can help address housing, employment, gender-affirming care, HIV prevention, and harm reduction to name a few focus areas.”
Jakiera Stewart, director of operations for WeCareTN, said a lot of HIV prevention and education practices have focused on homosexual men, which excludes other minority populations, like women and girls.
“In the past few years folks have been amplifying how they are affected by HIV and how strategies leave certain communities in the gap,” Stewart said. “Just sitting at the table and being able to strategize with folks who are directly impacted is important to strategy.”
One of the ways that WeCareTN practices this is through their program Transformation, an eight-week program for Black trans women that focuses on HIV prevention, stigma, mental health, and personal development.
“Transformation targets Black transgender women that use drugs, utilize black market medicine/ hormone therapy, and/or engage in sex work,” a WeCareTN official said. “[We] host a series of [virtual] conversations … and weekly meetings such as ‘Survival Sex Work’ and ‘Hustle Economics’ to name a few specific topics.”
The organization said it’s important to have these tough and sometimes stigmatized conversations because it aids in harm reduction. Stewart said it can be difficult for people who are affected by the virus to meet with others to brainstorm and connect with other communities to change the narrative leading to these groups being alienated. However, when accomplished, it proves to be an effective strategy, Stewart said.
With Gilead’s funding, Stewart said they will be able to lead out of a “place of survival.” She hopes that other organizations will follow the precedent that Gilead has set by helping leaders bring more resources to the South.
“I think it’s time for the South to catch up,” said Stewart. “There are great strategies that work [in the South], they’re just not funded or they don’t have the resources to strategize on a grand level. A lot of organizations in the south are grassroots organizations, but their strategies work. They just don’t have the resources to scale those strategies out.”
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Grizzlies Rally Past Sixers
Despite being down 12 points entering the fourth quarter, the Memphis Grizzlies rallied to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 115-109 on Wednesday night. They went on an 11-0 run near the end of the quarter and outscored the 76ers, 34-16.
Memphis has won their last two games after snapping a five-game losing run after the All-Star break.
“I challenge the guys at halftime — I mean that was pretty poor performance in the first half, lack of urgency, lack of communication,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins. “The Sixers got whatever they wanted in the first half, rotation, second chance points — through three quarters they had 30 second chance points and ended up with 35.
Jenkins continued, “So [a] better job in the fourth quarter but challenged them at halftime a little bit better even though we lost the third quarter by four. I said, hey, flush the first three quarters, we’re gonna come out, we’re gonna play our best quarter in the fourth.
“We just found a way to execute down the stretch and came down to just being in the right spots, the ball movement, multiple guys with multiple assists, but Vince [Williams Jr.] and Santi [Aldama] especially. Those guys did a great job facilitating some big time shots, knocked down some big free throws, and then just limiting them at the end of the game, second-chance points was huge for us to get this victory.
“These guys have just been really hanging in,” Jenkins said. “There’s still a lot more basketball left to play in the season. We keep reminding them, here’s what’s in front of us, here’s our reality. What are we going to do about?
“We go out there, we just keep pushing them to make the winning plays by our standard, and guys have been rising to the occasion,” Jenkins added. You see a lot of different guys rise to the occasion and get this opportunity. It’s pretty special to see and hopefully carries forth this season and beyond.”
After missing three games with right quad tendon pain, Jackson returned to the lineup and wasted little time making an impression. The All-Star forward finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. Jackson Jr. recorded a double-double for the seventh time this season, and tied his season high for rejections.
Jake LaRavia had another solid game 19 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks. For the second game in a row, the sophomore forward recorded back to back double-doubles as a reserve.
To close it out Vince Williams Jr. chipped in 17 points, team-high nine assists, seven rebounds, and two steals. Santi Aldama added 17 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and three blocks.
Memphis totaled 15 blocks on the night.
The Grizzlies return home on Friday, March 8th, to face the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM ESPN.
We continue our interview with restaurateur/artist Karen Carrier. This is episode four, which is part of the We Saw You video series — hosted by yours truly — about Memphians and Mid-Southerners.
In this episode, Carrier and I sat down at her home while she talked about her aunt, Gloria Sklen, who lived in New York.
Sklen, who sounds like the eccentric bohemian Auntie Mame was a mosaic artist and “just wild,” Carrier says. “I was just mesmerized by her.”
The much-anticipated lineup for the upcoming Riverbeat Music Festival went live today, and it’s clear that Memphians won’t have any lack of quality music this May 3rd to 5th. And naturally, given that the festival is produced by the good folks at Mempho Presents, the curated artists are a good fit for the diverse tastes of the Mid South.
For starters, how can you go wrong with The Fugees? The unified forces of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill are touring as one again, despite some of last fall’s reunion shows being postponed when Hill was beset with health concerns. Wyclef Jean confirmed just last month that more touring was on the books for 2024, and now their Riverbeat appearance is proof positive that Hill’s health has bounced back.
That will be especially meaningful to Unapologetic’s Kid Maestro. One of his regular gigs is functioning as Hill’s playback engineer when she’s touring with her solo band. He’s at the ready should he be recruited for the Riverbeat show. “Miss Hill’s needs are very unique in terms of playback engineering,” he recently told the Memphis Flyer. “You’ve got to be super fast, paying attention, and when she puts her hand up to mute, you’ve got to be ready to to stop with the band. Otherwise, if the band stops, but there’s a beat playing in the background, it just doesn’t have that impact.”
Kid Maestro’s experience is just one of the myriad ways Riverbeat reflects its rootedness in Memphis. Another will be an especially unique all-star event, when two-time Grammy-winning producer/engineer Boo Mitchell will direct and play with a hand-picked band of artists called Take Me to the River: Memphis, echoing the generation-spanning Take Me to the River films and education initiatives he’s played a hand in. “I believe this is a unique lineup,” he says of the group, which will include William Bell, Eric Gales, Carla Thomas, Jerome Chism, Lina Beach, and the Hi Rhythm Section. “I’m really impressed by the caliber of talent that signed up for our first year. I can’t wait to get back out there on stage and enjoy this event with all of Memphis.”
Other artists on the bill with a Memphis connection include 8Ball and MJG, Charlie Musselwhite, Southern Avenue, Al Kapone & the B.W.A. Band, Don Bryant & the Bo-Keys, Kenny Brown, Talibah Safiya, Marcella Simien, Lawrence Matthews, Jimbo Mathus, Lucky 7 Brass Band, Bailey Bigger, Dirty Streets, Mark Edgar Stuart, the Wilkins Sisters, Rodd Bland and the Members Only Band, and Salo Pallini.
On the other hand, Riverbeat is also bringing such big tent attractions as Odesza, Jelly Roll, Mt. Joy, Black Pumas, Big Boi, Tobe Nwigwe, The Band Camino, Killer Mike, Matt and Kim, Yung Gravy, Jessie Murph, and over two dozen other artists. All of which put the Riverbeat fest on track to uphold that fine Memphis tradition of music by the river in springtime.
“We are so excited to host the RiverBeat Festival along the Mississippi River at Tom Lee Park,” Jeff Bransford, spokesman for Mempho Presents, said in a statement. “Memphians know us for Mempho Music Festival, and now we’re introducing another signature event in downtown Memphis, which we believe will be a big draw for international and local visitors alike. RiverBeat was conceived as an inclusive event featuring a wide range of genres that will attract music lovers from all walks of life. Through music, we will bring our community together, support our local businesses, and attract new visitors to our city. We believe this is what Memphis is all about.”
All three-day ticketing and parking options are available now for purchase here.
3-Day General Admission tickets: $249
3-Day VIP tickets: $995
3-Day Parking: $100
The daily lineup, schedule, and single-day tickets for GA, VIP, and Parking will be released soon. Visit riverbeat.com for more information.
Single-Day General Admission tickets: $99
Single-Day VIP tickets: $395
Single-Day Parking: $40
Evergreen Grill is now open. In more ways than one.
The new Midtown restaurant at 212 North Evergreen Street officially opened for business March 1st.
So did the interior, says chef/owner David Todd. “We wanted to open it up a little bit,” he says. “And we wanted to make it feel a little more casual. Spruce the place up. Brighten it up.
“It’s a cool building. An interesting building. So, like a lot of those Midtown buildings, you don’t want to update it too much because then, in my mind, it wouldn’t fit any more.”
In short, Todd says, “Pay homage to what was already there. Spruce it up a little bit, but in a way that kind of leans into the area.”
The enlarged black-and-white photos on the walls were one way for him to achieve that, he says. “One is the intersection of Poplar and Evergreen,” says Todd, who believes the photo was taken 60 or 70 years ago.
Another one that shows an old Piggly Wiggly grocery store between Union Avenue and Peabody Avenue.
Todd got the photos, many of which he believes were taken in the 1940s, through the Memphis Public Library. “I’ve got a guy that does some graphic work for me. He was combing through all these photos online and narrowing them down and sending them to me.”
Also, as far as the look, Todd says, “There was carpet on the floor that we removed from the dining areas.”
He put in a tile floor and “We painted the ceilings dark and the walls white.” They also removed a wall to open up the bar area and create a “pass-through lounge.”
As for the kitchen, Todd says they “brought in some new equipment and reconfigured it.”
In an earlier interview, Todd described Evergreen Grill, which is where the old Cafe Society restaurant used to be, as “a neighborhood bar and grill.” The fare is “Southern cuisine comfort food.”
Instead of “lofty fine dining food with foams and that kind of stuff,” Todd is serving “approachable food.”
He includes items people might get at other places, but not the way he’s going to prepare them. “I have no problem making one of the best cheeseburgers in town.”
Todd was executive chef at Longshot restaurant at Arrive Memphis hotel as well as owner of Grub Life, a fully prepared meal service.
To no one’s surprise, the favored presidential candidates of both political parties dominated in local Super Tuesday voting, while Shelby County is destined to have a new General Sessions Court clerk.
County Democrats nominated longtime activist Tami Sawyer for clerk. Sawyer finished with a 2,000-vote edge over incumbent Joe Brown (12,182 to 10,157) and easily out-pointed Shelandra Ford (3,454) and Rheunte E. Benson (2,683)
The Republican nominee for clerk is Lisa Arnold, who was unopposed with 19,397 votes.
Sawyer, who will be heavily favored, and Arnold will vie in the county general election on August 1st, the date also of primaries for state and federal positions.
It was no contest for Donald Trump in local GOP presidential-preference voting. The former president out-polled his only active opponent, Nikki Haley (12,204 to 4,961), in Congressional District 8, and 9,020 to 3,095 in District 9.
President Joe Biden won 27,286 votes to 1,491 for uncommitted in the two districts.
Karen Carrier talks about the late artist, Dorothy Sturm, in episode three of the We Saw You video series about Memphians and Mid-Southerners.
I sat down with Carrier in her amazing art-filled home, which also houses her grand piano, and we talked. It was fun to chat with Carrier, who I always say is the hippest person in Memphis. The owner of Beauty Shop Restaurant, DKDC, Mollie Fontaine Lounge, and Another Roadside Attraction catering business, graduated from the old Memphis Academy of Arts, which later became Memphis College of Art.
Carrier is right on when she describes Sturm: “She’s just wild.” I was fortunate to get to interview Sturm 40 or so years ago when I was at the old Memphis Press-Scimitar newspaper.
Memphians were so fortunate to have an artist of her prestige living and working here. Carrier and Sturm became close friends, and you can hear a few stories from that heady time in our interview.
It’s time for another tween/teen-friendly Memphis weekend! Keep in mind, my kids are 15, 12, 12, and 10 years old. As littles, there was always something fun for them — playdates, Mommy and Me classes, and park hops. As they crested in tweenhood, there seemed to be fewer fun options, so I’ve set out to find fun, safe, and engaging activities for the whole family.
Jumping World
After a long day of Friday testing at school, my teens are ready to let loose! But it’s too cold, so it must be indoors. The teens have been sitting quietly all day and need to be able to get loud. I think of just going home, but I recall the illegal “building” they tried to construct in the past, the crack in the glass door that still needs to be replaced, and the fact that we’ve just spent a whole weekend cleaning the walls and baseboards. So going home was not an option. Then I remembered Jumping World.
Jumping World is a trampoline park for kids who someday want to be on Ninja Warrior. They also have ball pits, slam dunk areas, and tumbling lanes. After putting on our required socks, my kids headed to the tumbling lanes. They jumped, bounced, yelled, and laughed from one end of the lane to the other. After about 15 minutes, they sat down next to me. (Yes, I’m sitting down. There’s only so much jumping my “baby bladder” can take.) They take a short break before it’s on to the next spot. They bounce and jump to slam dunk a ball. They bounce and jump to land in a ball pit. They even bounce and jump just to see if they can bounce higher. Lastly, an obstacle course. We have one child who is naturally competitive. Only no one knows that it’s even a competition until he announces that you’ve lost. After an hour and fifteen minutes, the teens are officially worn out!
Memphis Museum of Science History (MoSH, aka The Pink Palace)
MoSH is one of the few places where we have a family membership. (The other is the Memphis Chess Club.) If your kids are nerdy like mine are, you will want to get a membership here. And I love dinosaurs. I have a tattoo of tiny dinos down my arm. So when I heard about the new dino exhibit, I added it to the family calendar. Upon arriving, the teens went to their favorite spot, the gift shop. But after realizing that they would have to spend their own money, they quickly exited. Next, we went to see Sue. Did you know that dinosaurs can get arthritis? Or have you ever wondered what their breath smelled like? Do you like to watch suspenseful scenes where the predator sneaks up on the prey? All of that can be found in the exhibit. I loved the piece where you could feel the vibrations of a dinosaur’s roar. It was oddly satisfying. After having our fill of dinos, we went through the historical part. My teens still enjoy the Piggly Wiggly. They find it funny that a low-tech Kroger ClickList existed back then. (You see, back then, shoppers would give the clerk a paper grocery list. They would shop for you and bring it to you. Now, we do pretty much the same thing, but electronically.) Lastly, we went to see the “Everyday People” exhibit. This showcase is by Memphis artist Eric Echols. It shows the life of African Americans from 1900 to 1950-ish. It’s important for my kids to see images that show the history of African Americans in America that doesn’t only end in slavery. While the systemic struggles are real, so is our perseverance. During the first walkthrough, they just looked at the pictures. During the second, they took time to read some of the captions. They learned about the Black church, important Black Memphians, and how a picture can provoke a thousand emotions.
Belltower Cafe at Shelby Farms
We are a cafe-loving family! I love the coffees, and my teens love the pastries and free Wi-Fi. Belltower’s newest location at Shelby Farms is perfect. Instead of my typical Lavender Latte, I decided to be daring. (It helps that the featured latte was written all pretty-like, too.) I ordered a Raspberry Nutella Latte. I don’t have the words to express how good this latte is! The teens order their favorite snacks, pair them with hot chocolate, and set up their laptops. While they may look studious, the only thing they’re studying is how to get to the next level of their game. I’ve told you all before the boys love to go out, but to do the same thing they would do at home. But since they’re good kids, I don’t mind at all.
After about an hour, the sugar has fueled their souls. Now they run! They go into the open field and play, laugh, and, well, be teens. As for me, I watch them from the warmth of the central heat. I don’t feel bad not joining them. Because since we arrived, Hubby has been running miles around Shelby Farms and I truly believe he’s burning enough calories for the both of us.
Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. Her days are filled with laughter with her four kids and charming husband. By day, she’s a school librarian and writer, but by night … she’s asleep. @realworkwife @memphisismyboyfriend
High Tech
The story about the Alaska Airlines plane that lost a panel while flying at 16,000 feet is all over the news. But it’s the little human-interest stories that really capture us: When the panel flew off and the hole gaped open midair on Jan. 5, someone’s iPhone got sucked out and landed on a roadside in Washington state, Yahoo! News reported. Sean Bates, who found the phone, posted a photo on X showing the phone’s intact screen and a battery life of 44 percent remaining: “Pretty clean, no scratches on it, sitting under a bush,” he posted. Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board said all found phones would be returned to their owners. [Yahoo! News, 1/8/2024]
Inauspicious Award
Kathleen Murray of Sandford, Tasmania, credits bandicoots for helping her win the first-ever World’s Ugliest Lawn competition, The Guardian reported on Jan. 11. The marsupials, Murray said, have “actually liberated me from ever having to mow it again. I’m all for guilt-free weekends, especially since my ex-husband left with the lawnmower back in 2016.” (That must have been a good-looking Toro!) The contest began as Gotland’s (Sweden) Ugliest Lawn, which was conceived to encourage water-saving and environmentally friendly gardening in 2022. “All of [the lawns] were hideous and well worthy of winning, but the winning entry was really, really bad,” said Gotland’s Mimmi Gibson. “It brings me a lot of joy to see all the little creatures who now feel safe to come out during the day in my yard,” Murray said. [Guardian, 1/11/2024]
What’s in a Name?
Or a word? Wayne State University in Michigan has announced its 15th annual list of 10 “long-lost” words that should be resurrected, United Press International reported on Jan. 10. The Word Warriors program has identified “blatherskite” (nonsense), “curglaff” (the shock felt upon diving into cold water), “rawgabbit” (a person who speaks confidently but ignorantly), and “pawky” (having a cynical sense of humor), among others. Let’s get together and twankle during our kaffeeklatsch! [UPI, 1/10/2024]
But Why?
On Jan. 8, as an Air Canada flight prepared to leave Toronto for Dubai, a passenger who had just boarded opened a cabin door and stepped out, falling about 20 feet to the ground. CTV News reported. The passenger was injured, and emergency services were called, the airline said. The flight was delayed but eventually took off. There was no explanation for why the person jumped out. [CTV News, 1/10/2024]
Crime Report
A 32-year-old woman who had been arrested for assault in Boone, North Carolina, took her aggression out on the police car’s backseat on Jan. 2, The Charlotte Observer reported. Boone Police Sgt. Dennis O’Neal said a “substantial amount of padding” had been chewed away, adding up to $650 in damages. The department’s Facebook post suggested they “may need to invest in Kevlar seat covers.” Authorities were still deciding whether to charge her in connection with the car’s damages. [Charlotte Observer, 1/8/2024]
That’s One Way To Do It
The Bean Monger, a coffee shop in Indianapolis, Indiana, next to a wedding venue site, was the site of a “pop-up” marriage on Dec. 31 — with no prior notice that the happy couple and their guests were planning to converge, the New York Post reported. Twenty to 30 people, including an officiant, photographer, and guests, crowded into the small store, where they treated the unsuspecting workers as if they were hired staff. “They were asking us to take coats, purses, and watch personal items as if they had rented us out,” one person said. The wedding party blocked the entrance to other patrons, and when a barista asked them to move, the photographer replied, “No, wait at least five minutes.” The store typically charges $500 for private events, which they have requested from the bride, but she deemed the amount “unreasonable.” [NY Post, 1/8/2024]
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