Future901 participated in two recent events. On February 10th we held a successful fundraiser at the home of Don Donati. It was a combination of thanking our recurring donors and a fundraising event to start building our coffers for next year. Attendees enjoyed hearing from Robert Donati who spoke about Future901’s successes in Shelby County over the last year and how we plan to spread our model for electing progressives to targeted areas in West Tennessee.
Read MoreMemphis’s newest monument is a testament to the years suffragists fought to win the right to vote, as well as their ongoing impact. The story of uncovering Tennessee’s suffragists’ history, documenting their struggles, and educating people about their legacies has also taken decades to accomplish. StoryBoard’s Caroline Carrico interviewed Paula Casey, chair of the Memphis Suffrage Monument committee, about Tennessee’s role in the fight for the Nineteenth Amendment, the process of uncovering and memorializing this history throughout the state, and the new Equality Trailblazers monument…
Read MoreMICAH (Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope) is “a coalition of community and faith-based organizations joining together to give a more powerful voice for issues of justice in our city.” Future901 is excited to share this update and victory regarding Memphis Transit, which MICAH has been heavily involved in helping make happen.
Read MoreIt took American suffragists 72 years to win the right to vote, which was the greatest nonviolent revolution in the history of our country. It took us five years to complete the "Equality Trailblazers" monument at the University of Memphis law school facing the Mississippi River.
Read MoreMoms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America work to prevent gun violence. Moms filed an Extreme Risk Protection Order (Red Flag) bill in the TN General Assembly earlier in 2021. 19 states and DC have enacted ERPOs, most since 2018 following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Florida. Legislators in those states understood that perpetrators without guns cannot easily kill.
Read MoreAs one of Shelby County’s ten Judicial Commissioners, I must decide whether or not a person should have an order of protection against another person. Our office reviews and makes decisions on thousands of petitions every year in an effort to provide abuse victims legal protection from their abuser. Although we rarely know the outcome of individual cases, we are all keenly aware that an order of protection is an important and powerful tool for helping victims escape abusive situations.
Read MoreIn this Q&A, Justin Pearson, co-founder of Memphis Community Against the Pipeline (MCAP), shares his experience on how he got involved with the Byhalia Connection Pipeline, what he sees as the next top environmental concerns for Memphians, and offers some encouragement to others wanting to make Memphis a healthier place to live.
Read MoreIn Making the Grade 2020, the Educational Law Center (ELC) gave Tennessee a grade of “F” for public school funding level and funding effort, as the state spends on average $3,655 less per student than the national average. But this isn’t a new problem. According to the ELC, “if they had made the same effort to fund schools as in 2008, Tennessee would have raised $1,065 more per pupil in 2018.” But the issue isn’t just a lack of effort, it’s a problem with the formula.
Read MoreVictories for the victors are short and sweet. The victory of Memphis and Shelby County over the multi-billion dollar Byhalia Pipeline was a triumph of common sense. The threat of an oil spill was an accident waiting to happen. All of us who live in this part of the world know that our drinking water is not worth the risk. The community was galvanized by the fight – but this was a potential threat to our water supply. What about the existing pollution?
Read MoreTennessee Governor Lee, aided and abetted by his all too compliant “Republican” majority legislature has launched various executive orders and pushed legislative actions to insist on: Prohibited Concepts in Public Instruction, prohibiting mask mandates in schools (and communities), refusing to allow vital virtual education for students or educators homebound due to quarantine or isolation as well as opting to reduce the number of students schooled in-person to reduce the risk of covid infections surging.
Read More