Ernest Withers’ Iconic Photographs on Exhibit with Till Movie

Ernest Withers snapped this photo of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. at Medgar Evers's funeral in Jackson, Miss., in June
1963. (Courtesy of the Withers Family Trust Credit)

Ernest Withers' "I Am a Man" photo of striking
sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn. 
(Courtesy of the Withers Family Trust Credit)

Rosalind Withers

MEMPHIS, TN – One of this country’s preeminent civil rights photographers is receiving widespread attention from Hollywood notables 15 years after his death this month in 2007. 

Rosalind Withers, daughter of Ernest C. Withers Sr. and director and conservator of The Withers Collection Museum and Gallery in Memphis, said her father’s work is reaching a global audience.

In partnership with Orion Pictures (an MGM company) and United Artists Releasing, some of Withers’ iconic photographs are being exhibited with others in tandem with the Till movie.

“We (The Withers Collection) worked with the premiere release of the film,” said Rosalind Withers, who met the president of Orion Pictures, Alana Mayo, at a prior Withers exhibit. 

According to Rosalind Withers, Mayo said, “We need to do something together on this film (Till) … and somehow incorporate the Withers collection into this film.”

The movie premiered at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on Oct. 8 to much fanfare and debuted in New York and Chicago as well. Till also premiered in London on Oct. 15.

Rosalind Withers attended the Beverly Hills screening of Till and the exhibit entitled “Till: Impact of Images,” featuring African American photographers and journalists from the Black press corps who captured that dark and turbulent era in American history.

“It was amazing. It was probably one of the greatest functions I’ve attended in a long time,” Rosalind Withers said. “It was LA.’s first time seeing the film.”

Withers, L. Alex Wilson, Clotye Murdock, Simeon Booker and others who risked their lives for the story were described on the website for “Till: Impact of Images” as “soldiers without swords.” 

Their stories and images, cobbled together at times under dire circumstances, exposed humanity at its worst when Black lives were imperiled and relegated to a harsh reality during the Jim Crow South. 

The “Till: Impact of Images” collection is organized by K Period Media Foundation and Lead With Love, with support from Orion Pictures, United Artists Releasing, and the Till movie.

Personal photographs from the families of Emmett Louis Till and Mamie Till-Mobley and Medgar and Myrlie Evers are part of the “Till: Impact of Images” collection as well.

The Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, The Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute, and The Withers Collection are cited for their continued fight for equality and battle for civil rights.

The Withers Collection also collaborated on a commemorative art piece for attendees at the Till movie premiers in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and provided them with a keepsake ticket stub honoring the aforementioned organizations.

The movie is based on Till-Mobley’s courageous and relentless fight for justice after her 14-year-old son was brutally lynched in 1955. Till opened in select theatres on Oct. 14 and will open nationwide on Oct. 28. 

It was directed and co-written by Chinonye Chukwu and produced by Whoopi Goldberg, Frederick M. Zollo, Thomas Levine, Keith Beauchamp, Michael Reilly, and Barbara Broccoli. 

It has been 67 years since Emmett Till’s life was snuffed out by white men for whistling at a white woman in Money, Miss. His gruesome death is not the crux of this Till movie.

After the lynching of Emmett Till and all the hullabaloo over his death, Withers went to Sumner, Miss., and risked his life to photograph the trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, who were acquitted of killing the Chicago lad.

“One of the things that we showed in our exhibition was my father's image of Mose Wright pointing (at Milam and Bryant when he testified at their trial),” Rosalind Withers said. “He was the only person who took that picture.”

Withers published a pamphlet of photographs from the trial and marketed them as the “Complete Photo Story of Till Murder Case.” The cost: $1.00. The pamphlet is now part of the Smithsonian collection, Rosalind Withers said.

She has one other copy in her possession and declared it to be “extremely valuable.” A descendant of President Thomas Jefferson gifted it to her, she said. 

“It shows you how far-reaching Dad’s work [has] impacted our history.” 

New Sensory-based Playground to Open Soon at STAR Academy Charter School

 

Dr. Edward Stephens III leads the rollout of a new sensory-based
playground at STAR Academy Charter School on the campus
of Golden Gate Cathedral (Courtesy photo)

MEMPHIS, TN – A 4,400 sq. ft. sensory-based playground aptly named Imagination Station will soon become a reality for students in grades K-6 at STAR Academy Charter School, 3260 James Rd., in the Raleigh community.

The $400,000 project officially kicked off Oct. 5 with a groundbreaking on the campus of Golden Gate Cathedral, 3240 James Rd., where the single-site charter school is located. 

Founded in 2004 by Bishop Edward H. Stephens Jr., GGC’s senior pastor, the charter school operates under the auspices of the Golden Gate Development Corporation, a non-profit organization. 

Dr. Edward Stephens III, the pastor’s eldest son, is STAR Academy’s chief operating officer. He is resolute and committed to providing resources for children to stimulate their minds.

“Children must have an outlet,” Dr. Stephens said. “If you can figure out a way to give them that outlet and infuse STEM technology, electronics, [and] play all in the same space, you’ve done something special.”

Standard playgrounds, where young children romp around and expend energy, are being replaced in some schools and parks in other cities for sensory playground equipment.

Hence, the inspiration for Imagination Station was derived from the aforementioned schools and parks in other cities, Dr. Stephens said.

According to a statement from STAR Academy, these sensory-based, fun, and safe spaces utilize equipment, technology, and gadgets to stimulate all senses, promoting curiosity, discovery, and creativity. 

In addition, sensory play promotes such skills as cognitive recall, problem solving, prolonged attention span, and stimulates everything from critical thinking and confidence building to social and emotional skills.  

“It should stimulate all the senses while promoting curiosity, discovery, and creativity,” Dr. Stephens emphasized. “That’s where the name comes from – Imagination Station. That’s the benefit of a sensory-based playground.”

Imagination Station was set to become a reality before the pandemic. But the plan was scrapped, Dr. Stephens said. “We were initially about to strike, but obviously covid hit. So, we bracketed and suspended the effort. Then we recently revived it.”

Dr. Stephens pointed out that the sensory-based playground is just one of several strategic investments the school will make over the next few years. 

“There’s a huge push in literacy right now,” Dr. Stephens said. “We’re looking at pre-K and erecting a state-of-the-art facility, which will be a natural feeder for STAR (Academy). So, pre-K will allow us to serve families, literally, from the cradle up to six-grade.”

Dr. Stephens noted the importance of “equity and access.” They are pillars that could be added to STAR’s mission, which is “to be an educational incubator that promotes critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, and cultural competency in a safe, nurturing, and innovative environment.” 

The chief operating officer also is looking at ways to build sustainable families with healthy eco-systems. “Instead of looking at the student/scholar singly, we’re looking at strengthening the family-unit as a whole,” he said.

Imagination Station could be described by the leadership and teachers at STAR Academy as a “tip of the spear” in their effort to educate more than 300 students from five to 11 years old.

Dr. Stephens made a final point: “We want to make sure our children have the same resources as children on the other side of town,” including students grappling with “mental health disparities…and children living on the edge.”

He expects Imagination Station to pay dividends down the road in terms of educating the student/scholar with all the resources STAR Academy can muster.

New Life for Historic Melrose High School Building to Begin Soon

The Historic Melrose High School, built in 1938 for grades 1-12, was
closed in 1972 and abandoned for nearly 40 years. The building will
soon be redeveloped. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

MEMPHIS, TN – The old Melrose High School at 843 Dallas Street once stood as a beacon of pride in the Orange Mound community, where an indomitable spirit remains.

Vacant for nearly 40 years, the city of Memphis Division of Housing & Community Development (HCD) is transforming the three-story red brick school building into vibrant commercial and residential spaces. 

City officials and project partners will break ground on the Historic Melrose Redevelopment Project Friday, Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. The project is scheduled to be completed in two phases.

“We’ll transform the first floor into a neighborhood branch library, which will include a genealogy center that will be a resource for the whole city,” said Arlenia Cole, responding to questions via email.

Cole, the city’s media affairs manager, said the second phase of the project will include two floors of senior apartments. Construction will start this fall and the library will open in December 2023.

The project is designed by Self+Tucker Architects and managed by Allworld Project Management, LLC, both headquartered in Memphis. Construction is handled by Grinder, Taber & Grinder, Inc., also a local firm. 

The project has been on the drawing board since its temporary activation in 2018, Cole said.

The community was heavily involved in the initial stage when input was sought. “Orange Mound residents spoke up about what type of project they wanted in their community through a series the community meetings,” Cole said.

This included the Melrose High School Alumni, their local CDC (Orange Mound Development Corporation), and Orange Mound residents, including Mary Mitchell, a noted community historian.

As it stands, the building has a first-floor footprint of about 13,200 square feet. Cole said, “We’re going to add a small addition that will increase it to about 16,200 square feet.”

In total, the building will grow from just under 41,200 square feet to about 45,000 square feet, Cole said.

The total construction cost is around $14 million. The city of Memphis announced in 2021 that $10 million had been allocated to redeveloping the old school building.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced in May $3 million for HCD’s Historic Melrose Redevelopment Project and the Orange Mound community via the appropriations process. 

The project is a boon for Orange Mound, one of the oldest Black communities in the United States. Founded in 1890 on the former Deadrick Plantation, Blacks were able to buy land and build their own homes.

The school was one of the anchors in Orange Mound. It still is. The newest Melrose High School opened on Deadrick Avenue in 1972. On May 2, 2001, the old school building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

It is also a pitstop along the Memphis Heritage Trail, which celebrates the rich business, culture, and musical heritage of African-American achievements.