“For me, having this month-long celebration…is part of saying, ‘we’re here, we’ve been here.’ But, also, we get to be seen on our own terms,” says Dr. SunAh Laybourn, organizer of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Memphis.
“The heart of it is…making space for organizations who wouldn’t be able to readily afford the experience. It gives their participants space to have voice. Space to express themselves. Space to be empowered and stumble upon epiphanies…Touch humanity with other people,” says Ann Wallace, program director for Playback Memphis.
“We came up with this residency where we work with two to three students each semester, giving them studio space and stipends to purchase materials to make their goods,” says Abby Phillips, executive director and co-founder of Arrow Creative.
“CO.STARTERS impacted my business by giving me tools and resources that would help me sustain the company for years to come. As a developer working in the Frayser area, I was also able to connect with other business owners and learn about their need for spaces for their operations,” says Charia Jackson, founder of Real Urban Concepts.
For residents of some underserved communities — like Hickory Hill and South Memphis, for example — the barrier to fresh produce can stretch for miles. Here’s what some community leaders are doing about it.
“The Corners is a design change along the Heights Line route. It’s meant to be more of a lingering space — kind of like a gathering public space, as opposed to a path,” says Dane Forlines, director of special projects for the Heights Community Development Corporation.
“We’re just residents. We’re trying to make it easier for everyday residents, like us, just to make their communities more successful,” says Kathy Temple, executive director of The Time is Now Douglass Redevelopment Corp.
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