Campbell’s ‘Foot’ Man Character Honors ‘60s ‘Foot Soldiers’

 

Stanley Campbell Sr. as the Memphis 
“Foot” Man on the Edmund Pettus Bridge
in Selma, Ala. (Courtesy photo) 

MEMPHIS, TN – A small town in Mississippi felt eerie to Stanley Campbell Sr. in March when he was scouting for a spot to film a character that he’d created to pay tribute to the “foot soldiers” of the civil rights movement.

He described the area as wooded with trees hovering over him. He’d mistakenly turned down a beaten path and noticed that pieces of clothing were strewn where he’d ventured a quarter mile on foot.

“I’d turned down the wrong road,” Campbell said. He was looking for an ideal location to shoot video of himself as the Memphis “Foot” Man – but not down this eerie path into nothingness.

He was unaware that he’d veered not far from Philadelphia, Miss., where civil rights activists Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney were murdered and buried in 1964.

He shuddered just thinking about their gruesome death and regretted that he’d gone off course. “I don’t want to do that again,” he admonished himself. “I didn’t know what I was thinking.” 

He’d begun imagining Black bodies swinging from taut tree limbs, the Klan, the worst. His nerves were frayed. Then Billy Holiday’s hauntingly graphic song, “Strange Fruit,” came to his mind.

She sang: “Southern trees bear a strange fruit/ Blood on the leaves and blood at the root/ Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze/ Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees…”

“I was hoping I wouldn’t see bodies hanging from trees,” said Campbell, adding, “I was in a time zone that went back to the 1960s.”

Then it dawned on him that the wooded area was conducive for a video shoot after all. 

“It was the best decision I’d made,” said Campbell, a visual artist, playwright, producer, activist, humanitarian, and owner of The House of Mtenzi, a museum that honors his late mother, Thelma Brownlee.

Campbell, the youngest of nine children, had been to the 58^th annual [Edmund Pettus] Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma, Ala., and wandered through the heart of Mississippi en route to Memphis.

“I was in the Deep Delta,” said Campbell, and transformed himself into the Memphis “Foot” Man, one who travels “one step at a time” to “remind, educate and rebuild,” his motto.

Since his character’s creation in March, Campbell’s Memphis “Foot” Man has traveled to once turbulent areas during the civil rights movement where gallant foot soldiers trod by day and night seeking justice and freedom.

He’s been to Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., where The Little Rock Nine in 1957 were confronted by an angry white mob and the Arkansas National Guard for trying to enter the school building.

He also traveled to Tulsa, Okla., where a white mob in 1921 rained down bombs on “Black Wall Street” in the Greenwood District and massacred scores of Black residents in this wealthy Black community.

At home, in Memphis, the “Foot” man called attention to Room 306 at the National Civil Rights Museum, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was staying on that fateful day in 1968 when it was The Lorraine Motel.

The Memphis “Foot” Man, Campbell explained, embodies “the image of all the civil rights fighters – the 1960s trench coat, the skinny necktie, the shades, the brim” – who fought valiantly to change the status quo.

“When I see the face, the image, of the Memphis ‘Foot’ Man, it gives me a visible illusion of the past, the present and the future,” said Drew McCraven III, CEO of Millennial Entertainment and a Campbell ally.

“The picture from Selma, Ala., that he took puts you in the mindset of what our ancestors had to go through in the process of their struggle when they marched across the bridge in Alabama, in Selma,” McCraven explained.

He continued: “When I look at the picture of him in the mask with the flag of the United States, it takes me through the struggle of where we are now and where we are going. That’s what he represents.”

Black Farmers: Pursuing BlueOval Business

 

Thomas Burrell is president of the Black Farmers and
Agriculturalists Association and advocates for Black farmers
like himself. Photo by Patricia Rogers

MEMPHIS, TN – The $5.6 billion dollar Ford Motor Company’s BlueOval City project is being built on farmland in Haywood County, Tenn., approximately 70 miles from Memphis.

While the plant is a boon for Haywood County, Thomas Burrell believes it is an opportunity for Black farmers and landowners in the area to create generational wealth by incorporating and developing the land around BlueOval City.

Burrell is a farmer from Covington, Tenn., and president of the Memphis-based 20,000-member Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association (BFAA), a nonprofit organization.

In 1991, Burrell protested the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in his hometown for allegedly discriminating against Black farmers. The protest gained traction nationally and morphed into the historic (Pigford v. Glickman) 1999 class-action lawsuit against the USDA. 

The lawsuit alleged racial discrimination against Black farmers in its allocation of farm loans and assistance between 1981 and 1996. It was settled in 2010 during the Obama administration.

Burrell is now focused on creating long-term economic development opportunities for BFAA members who own land in proximity to BlueOval City. 

“We want real wealth creation with an initiative for fair and equitable treatment of Black farmers and landowners who have land on the $5.6 billion dollar Ford Motor Company’s BlueOval City project,” he said.

By 2025, Ford’s mega plant is expected to be the largest facility in the world for manufacturing electric vehicles and batteries. Burrell, however, is looking at the big picture. 

How can Black farmers and landowners benefit from the windfall in Haywood County and not become “victims of the overall economic development process, which often excludes African Americans?” he said.

“We're gonna have to incorporate in order to collaborate,” Burrell said. “It is hard or difficult for Ford Motor Company or General Motors or Nissan to cooperate or collaborate with an unincorporated entity.”

Most of the land that African Americans own – whether it is in Tennessee, Alabama or Kentucky – will be unincorporated, Burrell said, even though “African Americans own millions of acres in this country.”

In some cases, African Americans can’t prove that they own their land, he said, when there isn’t a clear deed or title to the property.

He said unequivocally that “nobody's gonna do business with you if you can't prove that you own it (land). If there's a cloud on a title, why would they want to do business with the person with a defective title to his property?”

Then there’s the issue of eminent domain that concerns Burrell. He said some BFAA members have been asked to surrender some of their land to extend Tennessee State Route 194 into BlueOval City.

“The issue (or grievance) is whether or not they are receiving just compensation,” he said, compared to white farmers and landowners.

However, Burrell believes generational wealth is possible when Black landowners develop a part of their land rather than sell it. “You can't give your grandchildren what you’ve sold,” he said.

“Traditionally, when we look out into the field now, we see cotton and soybeans,” Burrell said. “But if you're next door to an automobile manufacturer that's investing $6 billion, you won't see soybeans; you won't see cotton.” 

He said the new crop will be hotels, restaurants, warehouses, homes, apartments, and other development, including infrastructure. 

But first and foremost, Black farmers and landowners must incorporate “to create a building bloc,” said Burrell, using as an example a member of BFAA whose father incorporated the land before he died decades ago.

He said the member is talking to his neighbors and trying to encourage them to incorporate and collaborate on increasing their acreage to attract mega corporations like BlueOval City.

Corporations, he emphasized, will not do business with “unincorporated entities.” 

The Memphis Juneteenth Festival Celebrates 30 Years with Monthlong Events

 

This drumlins from The Memphis Youth Arts Initiative played
an integral part in last year's Memphis Juneteenth Festival.
(Photo by Wiley Henry)

MEMPHIS, TN – Juneteenth is alive and well in Memphis all monthlong and culminates June 17-18 in the 30th annual Memphis Juneteenth Festival from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day at Health Sciences Park, 26 South Dunlap in the Medical District.

“We have been at the forefront in Memphis for 30 years in terms of celebrating Juneteenth,” said Dr. Telisa Franklin, the festival’s president. “Now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday, we’re excited that everybody gets a chance to celebrate.”

The celebration began June 1 with the Juneteenth Family Empowerment Fair at Ed Rice Community Center in the Frayer community. Job seekers – even budding entrepreneurs – gleaned something from participating businesses, city and county governments, recruiters, schools, and more.

Next on tap is Franklin’s Juneteenth The Musical Stage Play, Saturday, June 10, at the Holloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education, 225 South Main St. Talented singers and dancers from the Young Actors Guild (YAG) will take center stage in this adaptation of the Juneteenth experience after slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been emancipated.  

Chrysti Chandler, who founded YAG 32 years ago, is the play’s creative director. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com for either the 2 p.m. stage play or the one at 7 p.m.

“I give kudos to Chrysti for her vision, creativity, and for interpreting the story of Juneteenth from YAG’s perspective,” Franklin said. “This is a signature event for the Memphis Juneteenth Festival.” 

Up next is the Memphis Juneteenth Community Baby Shower Empowerment Luncheon, Sunday, June 11 at The Kent, from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. This event is powered by District 7 City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter Thomas and Franklin.

“The baby shower benefits expecting mothers who need to know where to go for invaluable resources,” Franklin said. “Lots of information will be available.”

There will be information on the health and wellness of mothers and their babies, including breastfeeding and free baby essentials. Topics include “Maternal Mental Health & Grief Trauma Counseling” and “Connections to Resources & Supportative Services.” 

Food, fun and, again, powerful information will be available. Registration is required. Visit www.MemphisJuneteenth.com for more information and details.

The 30th Anniversary Juneteenth Freedom Luncheon is up next, Thursday, June 15, at Holiday Inn University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave. The grand ballroom is the setting for this 11:30 a.m. luncheon. 

Dr. Raymond Winbush, a noted scholar, activist, research professor and director of the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State University (MSU) in Baltimore, Md., is the keynote speaker.

“If you haven’t heard Dr. Winbush expound on reparations as it relates to Juneteenth, then you’re in for a treat,” Franklin said. “He is the go-to person for African-American history and culture.”

More information is online at www.MemphisJuneteenth.com.

On Saturday, June 17, the Juneteenth Freedom 2.5 Run/Walk commences at Health Sciences Park. The 2.5K Run/Walk is significant because it took 2 ½ years before the slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they’d been freed.

There’s a Kid Dash as well for runners ages 2-11. Medals will be awarded in each race. Participants can register online as well. 

Also on June 17, the first day of the festival, there will be a Juneteenth Greek Stroll Off. Fraternities and sororities from Historically Black Colleges and Universities will step, snap, or stomp in spirit and pride.

Other highlights of the first day include the Juneteenth Youth Showcase featuring majorettes, drummers, dancers, singers, and cheerleaders. Altogether, the two-day festival features a variety of entertainment, including arts & crafts, food vendors, a car and bike show, and activities for seniors and children.

The Memphis Juneteenth Festival is a 501c (3) organization and one of Memphis’ longest-running festivals. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland recently proclaimed June 17-18 as “The Memphis Juneteenth Festival” and “claim this the official Juneteenth festival in the City of Memphis.”

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris also claimed Juneteenth to be the official festival.

Pastor Dianne Young Hopes to Save More Souls From Suicide

 

After the death of her husband, Bishop William M. Young Sr., 
Pastor Dianne M. Young is keeping the “National Suicide and
the Black Church Conference” alive. (Courtesy photo)

MEMPHIS, TN – Black people don’t commit suicide. At least that was the consensus in the Black community, according to the Rev. Dianne M. Young, pastor of The Healing Center Full Gospel Baptist Church.

Young and her late husband, Bishop William M. Young Sr., were confronted with this fallacy in 2002 when a distressed church member took her life on the grounds of the church.

Her suicide devastated the Youngs. “We were already counseling and working with people,” she said, when the unthinkable happened. In 2003, they founded the “National Suicide and the Black Church Conference.” 

This year’s conference (the 10th one) is slated for Wednesday, June 14, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Thursday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Southwest Tennessee Community College, 5983 Macon Cove. 

The theme is “Anchored in Hope.” 

Experts in the field will provide participants with a plethora of information such as signs (behavioral, social and emotional) to look for, and prevention and intervention techniques.

Dozens of presenters will join the conversation as well, including pastors, government officials, educators, clinicians, doctors and more. “We’re trying to save lives,” Young said.

That day at the church reminds Young that Black people are just as susceptible to suicide as any other group. Depression, she said, is the culprit that often drives a person to the brink of suicide.

“She stopped me that Sunday morning and said that she wanted to see me. I told her we would meet that Monday afternoon at 4:00,” Young recalls. The next morning, at 7:30, “We got a call from the church that somebody was lying on the ground.”

Young’s husband sped to 3885 Tchulahoma Rd. What he discovered was shocking. The woman was lying at the foot of the cross in front of the church. She’d used a pistol to end her life.

“That's how the journey began,” said Young, who along with her husband had been counseling individuals over the years and facilitating mental health initiatives at the church.

Young is hoping this year’s conference, which will be available online as well, will attract as many attendees as possible now that her husband of 46 years is no longer with her.

Bishop Young died Oct. 9, 2022.

“We had conversations about how to carry on, what my role would be, and how to keep it going,” Young said. “This is what we saw as our purpose. I really haven't stopped since William passed.”

Jay Barnett, a former NFL player, once suffered from depression. He attempted suicide twice. Now he’s a clinical therapist, author, and speaks unabashedly about the mental health of Black men.

He’s the conference keynote speaker. 

Tamu Lewis will provide testimony. She is the co-founder and board president of the LTY Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping erase the stigma associated with mental illness.

Lewis launched the foundation as a living legacy to her brother, actor Lee Thompson Young, who lost his life to suicide in 2013. He was at the apex of his career when he succumbed to depression. 

The conference is an extension to what the Youngs had been doing at the church. For example, they launched The Healing Center Wellness & Stress Clinic of Memphis in 1999.

They’d partnered with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the University of Memphis, Rhodes College, local government, Memphis Area Legal Services, and the West Cancer Center.

In 2008, the Youngs opened the Emotional Fitness Centers of Tennessee, a network of 10 faith-based counseling centers and two satellite sites providing access to mental health care and substance abuse screenings in the African-American community.

“This is why the conference is so important,” Young said. “We got to do something.”

For more information about the National Suicide and the Black Church Conference, call 901-370-4673 or register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/559702744977.

Noted Scholar to Expound on Reparations at Juneteenth Luncheon

 

From left: Dr. Raymond Winbush, Shelby County
Commissioner Henri E. Brooks and Dr. Telisa Franklin,
president of Memphis Juneteenth Festival.

MEMPHIS, TN – Dr. Raymond Winbush is quite candid and matter of fact when he talks about the plight of African Americans, the horrors of the slave trade in America, and the case for reparations. 

He’ll seize the opportunity to expound on those topics and others when he keynotes the 30th Anniversary Juneteenth Freedom Luncheon on June 15, 11:30 a.m., at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave.

A reputed scholar, activist, research professor and director of the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State University (MSU) in Baltimore, Md., Dr. Winbush’s visit is being underwritten by the Shelby County Legislative Black Caucus in partnership with the Memphis Juneteenth Festival. 

The festival commences the weekend of June 17-18 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day at Health Sciences Park, 26 South Dunlap in the Medical District.

The freedom luncheon is one of several events on tap during the month of June in observance of Juneteenth, a federal holiday since 2021. It is hosted by Dr. Telisa Franklin, the festival’s president.

“We welcome Dr. Winbush to Memphis and look forward to his keynote address. I’m sure he’ll enlighten us and provide answers to a number of questions about slavery and Juneteenth,” Franklin said.

Shelby County Commissioner Henri E. Brooks, who initiated Dr. Winbush’s visit to Memphis, said the entire community will benefit from his depth of Africa and African American history and culture.

Brooks said she first met Dr. Winbush in 1992 at an NAACP program in Nashville as an elected state representative for Tennessee’s 92nd District. She’s been enamored with his scholarship ever since. 

“I have the highest regard for Dr. Winbush,” she said. “He’s just a conscious component in our community. He’s so vital, not just for adults and students, but he’s a role model for children.”

In addition to MSU, Dr. Winbush has served as a faculty member and an administrator at Oakwood University, Alabama A&M University, Vanderbilt University, and Fisk University. 

According to his vitae on MSU’s website, Dr. Winbush is known for his “systems-thinking approaches to understanding the impact of racism/white supremacy on the global African community.”

At the freedom luncheon, Juneteenth will be the crux of his keynote address. “How do we get free in 2023?” he asked rhetorically. “We've got to liberate ourselves mentally now. And I'm going to talk about it as a meditation.” 

In other words, he said, “I don't want to just think of Juneteenth happening back in the 1860s in Texas. I want to say what do we do now? How do we liberate our people now from a lot of other things that are going on with them?”

Now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday, Dr. Winbush has mixed emotions. “That's the fastest declared federal holiday in history,” he said. “We didn’t have to even fight for it the way we did Martin Luther King's birthday way back in the 80s.”

He believes the federal holiday is “a deterrent from keeping the discussion on reparations,” which has been bandied around the U.S. House of Representatives for decades. 

The late U.S. Rep. John Conyers’ bill – H.R. 40 – is one of note. First proposed by Conyers in 1989, the bill was referred to as the “Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act.”

“We got to do something to repair the damage,” said Brooks, and added that the Shelby County Board of Commissioners has discussed reparations as well. “We got to be woke about it. We got to be conscious about it.”

Reparations won’t be parceled as “40 acres and a mule,” Dr. Winbush explained, which was a redistribution of land that the federal government had promised freed Black families in 40-acre parcels after the Civil War.

“I think that reparations are going to take a variety of forms,” he said. “Some people are going to get a check; some people are going to get land; some people want to go back to Africa.”

There will be opposition to reparations, Dr. Winbush surmised, “because white people do not want to examine honestly their past.” He added: “We need to keep our eyes on the prize. And the prize is reparations.”

‘Council of Elders’ Convened to Set the Record Straight About History

 

Council of Elders (clockwise from left): Andrew “Rome” Withers, 
James “Deke” Pope, Charles Todd, Ramon Ferguson Jr., Dr. Coby 
Smith, Willie L. “Hank” Henry Jr., Calvin Taylor, and Jibril
Shabazz. (Photo by Wiley Henry) 

MEMPHIS, TN – After a clarion was sounded for a select group of Black men to coalesce around the idea of learning and preserving the rich history of their community, 10 answered the call.

The group met May 9 at the Sugar Hill Museum, a small building on Walker Avenue housing a photographic collection of Black history-makers from eras past and present, courtesy of the museum’s proprietor, Charles Todd. 

It came as no surprise that four former members of The Invaders, a 1960s Black power group, were present, including a fifth Invader, who identified himself as one of the “Sons of The Invaders.”

Ramon Ferguson Jr. came seeking guidance and wisdom from “the elders.” Since this was an informal meeting, Willie L. “Hank” Henry Jr., who convened the group, suggested calling the group a “Council of Elders.”

Henry, Dr. Coby Smith, Calvin Taylor and Jibril Shabazz were delighted that the “young brother,” representing the new-era Invaders, would seek their counsel and follow in their footsteps.

Now in their seventies, the original Invaders recalled their place in history when they sacrificed their lives during the civil rights movement when racial conflict rose to a crescendo. 

In fact, each person at the meeting had either protested, marched, demonstrated or fought for justice in their own way including James “Deke” Pope, Andrew “Rome” Withers and Clarence Christian. They, too, were present. 

But it was Henry who sounded the alarm that something needs to be done about the plight of African Americans – young people included – whose knowledge of their own history is miniscule.

Take for example the corner of Mississippi Boulevard and Walker Avenue. Once known as “the Curve,” it is where the museum is located, on Walker Avenue, just east of the historic Four Way Restaurant, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once dined.

On the southeast corner of the Curve stood the People’s Grocery, a once bustling establishment that was owned by Thomas Moss, a Black man, who ran afoul of a white business owner in the area. 

Feeling economically threatened by Moss’s entrepreneurial prowess, the white man took matters into his own hands and a melee ensued. Moss, William Stewart and Calvin McDowell – both clerks at the grocery – were eventually lynched and mutilated by a white mob in 1892.

A historical marker was erected for posterity where the People’s Grocery once stood and to call attention to the lynching of Moss, Stewart, and McDowell. The marker was temporarily removed in 2020 to correct a misspelled word. 

“I want people to know the history of the Curve. I don’t want children growing up with lies,” said Henry, a minister and noted counselor, expressing his disdain for inaccuracies, book banning, and “denying people information”

“It hurts history,” added Smith, a founding member of The Invaders and a retired educational administrator and professor.

Pope, a retiree, interjected a comment. “It hurts this man’s business (referring to Todd’s museum).” Though Todd has limited resources, he finds a way to chronicle African American history.

Withers, a photographer and the last surviving son of the late internationally known photojournalist Ernest C. Withers, said, “We need to set the record straight about history.” 

This was a call to action essentially and the purpose of the meeting.

“We got so much to do,” Smith said.

Shabazz, who retired from the U.S. Air Force, was impressed with Ferguson. “I’d like to see the young Invaders go into the community and try to recruit,” he said, “and to galvanize our young brothers to try to get some order.” 

He doesn’t subscribe to “foolishness,” though.

Neither does Henry, who suggested parameters for the next meeting. “There are no Big ‘I’s and little ‘U’s,” he shared with the group.

Pope said the meeting was a good start.

NCRM Assembles a Panel to Discuss Police Violence and Accountability

MSNBC’s Joy Reid (center) moderates a panel discussion on police
violence and accountability on March 30 at the National Civil Rights 
Museum, which includes panelists Cheryl Dorsey (left) and Atty. 
Benjamin Crump. (Photos by Wiley Henry) 

Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (right) holds court with 
the parents of Tyre Nichols, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, after
the panel discussion. They joined the panel as well.

MEMPHIS, TN – The tragic death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers provided the impetus for a panel discussion on overzealous policing and accountability on March 30 at the National Civil Rights Museum. 

Moderated by MSNBC’s Joy Reid, a political analyst, and the host of “The Reid Out,” the panelists kicked off the first of a four-part national convening entitled “The Reckoning, The Resolve, The Restoration, and The Resilience.” 

Panelists Benjamin Crump, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, Cheryl Dorsey, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and Alex S. Vitale addressed “The Reckoning,” a focus on community policing and accountability.

“Historically, we’ve seen victims of violence by law enforcement, not only Rodney King and George Floyd, but here in Memphis – from Larry Payne to Elton Hayes to Tyre Nichols,” said NCRM President Dr. Russ Wigginton at the apex of the panel discussion. 

“It is a longstanding legacy of abuse and injustice,” he said, adding, “We’re seeking solutions to ridding society of injustice today.”

“We can talk about this issue in theory. You have to live it in fact,” said Reid, referring to RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, and asked: “What does reform look like to you?”

“Police officers should treat people as equals,” said RowVaughn Wells, noting that too many Black and brown people are being murdered by police officers. “I’m not understanding why this keeps happening.”

Rodney Wells sees the problem as a lack of accountability. “The police officers, whether they’re Black, brown, green or yellow, need to be held accountable for their actions,” he said.

He added that too many parents in America are going through the same thing that his family is going through – such as losing a loved one to police violence. 

“We don’t need immunity for officers when they’re doing something wrong,” Rodney Wells said.

A grand jury indicted the five Black officers on multiple charges in the death of Tyre Nichols, including second degree murder. The MPD responded swiftly and fired the officers.

“That tells us that there is something deeply and systemically wrong,” Reid said. “It’s not just about hiring more Black officers.”

Vitale recalled the police-involved shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014 as a point of reference.

“We’ve tried a lot of things,” he said. “Those officers…a lot of them had body cameras. They’ve had the diversity hiring. They’ve had the special training.” 

It hasn’t made a difference, said Vitale, a noted professor who spent more than 30 years writing about policing and consulting police departments and human rights organizations internationally.

Is there a certain militarization of police departments, even though more Black officers are among the ranks?

“Certainly, there’s a militarization of police departments,” said Dorsey, a retired Los Angeles Police Department sergeant, author, and human rights activist. “There are 18,000 police departments across the country, and they move and act similarly.” 

The job is not for everybody, she said. “I can take race out of it. These officers were drunk with power…It’s important and imperative that they are held accountable.”

Even though the MPD moved quickly to hold the officers accountable in Tyre Nichols’ death, Dorsey said, “[Memphis Police Chief] C.J. Davis gets no brownie points from me.”

Crump is often referred to as “Black America’s attorney general.” As the legal counsel for the Wells family, he said, “We understand policing in America. It started out as the slave patrol. Not much has changed.” 

He said his office is inundated with calls about police brutality. “The police just beat Black and brown people every day,” he said.

Reid queried Vitale about monetary settlements and whether the spotlight on savage beatings by the police changes anything.

Vitale, however, lauded Crump and other attorneys for “getting the details, exposing the lies, and shinning a bright light” on police misconduct. 

“The sad reality is that monetary settlements do not produce the kind of changes that we hope they would,” he said, and turned a critical eye to the mayor’s office.

“The mayor of Memphis [Jim Strickland] does not have a real plan to address the violence,” Vitale opined.

Since politics was addressed at this juncture in the discussion, Reid turned to Lee, the Texas congresswoman who co-sponsored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021.

“When is America going to be able to openingly [sic]…be able to confront just the simple premise of fairness?” said Lee, and highlighted a few provisions in the reform bill, such as data collection and money for training.

“The whole issue is the [political] climate. We’re frozen in time,” she said. “Because of the climate, what will happen politically? Who will rise up?” 

The reform bill passed in the Democratic-controlled House that year but was opposed by the Republicans in the Senate. 

“We need to push for it to be passed out of the Senate,” said Lee, whose party is now in the minority. “I will say conspicuously, the challenges are immense.”