For the months of December and January, the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library will host “Evicted,” a multimedia exhibition that explores the causes and consequences of housing insecurity.
The exhibition, presented here by the Memphis Public Interest Law Center and the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, has traveled throughout the country, drawing inspiration from Matthew Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name, which followed eight families in Milwaukee navigating housing insecurity.
“The book really cracked open the national debate around housing security,” explains Jamie Johnson with Memphis Public Interest Law Center. “It raised a lot of questions about root causes and consequences. One of the things that’s cool about the book and the exhibition is that they talk about eviction through the stories of people that have experienced it, not through the elites, not through the experts, not through somebody sitting in a corner office who’s not understanding what the daily consequences are for the families going through this.”
As such, the exhibition aims to tell the full scope of eviction, not just the quantitative data which itself is not well-recorded, but also the qualitative data — the stories that remind us of a shared humanity.
“Eviction is more than just the stuff that you see on the curb,” says Shirley Bondon, executive director of the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis. “It’s more than the loss of belongings or possessions. We just want people to understand it’s more than just the individual. It’s about all of us and affects all areas of life [from health and education to personal relationships and employment].”
With that being said, this exhibition is more than just a display; it’s meant to educate, engage, and spur more advocacy in Memphis. “We’re launching our storytelling effort,” says Johnson. “We’re trying to figure out how we can meet people where they are. So we’ve got a survey online and a story booth that will be on-site, and we’re gonna ask people if they want to sign up for an interview that could really help with qualitative data analysis and some advocacy work.
“If you just go watch the courts for one day, you’ll see that it’s not something we can sustain,” Johnson continues. “And even if you are someone who doesn’t know anyone who’s ever been evicted, this will be impactful for you.”
To coincide with the exhibit, the two groups will offer educational opportunities like lectures, facilitated workshops, film screenings, and a Youth Education Week. Plus, for the first time in its travels, the exhibit has been translated to Spanish, thanks to funding from the Memphis Library Foundation.
Evicted is supported by a generous grant from the Avangrid Foundation. The exhibition is organized by the National Building Museum, where it was made possible by gifts from Amy Falls, Ford Foundation, and the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation.
For more information or to share your story, visit housingmatters901.com.
“Evicted” Public Opening, Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, Saturday, December 3, 3-5 p.m.
“Evicted,” Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, Saturday, December 3-January 21.