Orange Mound was the first planned community built for and by African-Americans in the south. Middle-class black Memphians purchased inexpensive plots of land. Black-owned businesses flourished until the 1980s chronic disinvestment brought widespread crime and poverty. Today there is a strong, resident-led network of community and faith organizations and a stronger sense of history and neighborhood pride. The heart of Orange Mound is Melrose High School and its award-winning football team.
Locations around the city for the first 60 bike stations of the Explore Bike Share program have been announced, and the nonprofit has plans more stations and bikes for 2019 and 2020. The 600-bike system, which spans from Downtown, South Memphis, and Cooper Young to Orange Mound, Overton Square, and Crosstown, is moving towards a launch later this spring.
The Compost Fairy keeps good dirt from going bad by re-routing food scraps from local landfills.
Melrose High School students had to make tough decisions about paying for housing, utilities and childcare during a financial simulator organized by SunTrust Bank and the University of Tennessee Extension.
While birthed in different eras, The Collective and The Memphis Black Arts Alliance face the similar strifes from combating generational poverty in disinvested communities and having to navigate and engage artists in a city where arts infrastructure is in its infancy.
Community leaders, residents and volunteers from local businesses braved the cold on Monday and took to the streets to clean up blighted properties in neighborhoods across Memphis for the second annual MLK Days of Service.
For residents of Orange Mound, the Kroger on Lamar Avenue offers access to prescription medication, banking services and healthy food. With Kroger set to close the store on February 3, the community rallies for reinvestment.
“In both Frayser and Orange Mound, there is a need for those children to be educated because for whatever reason I feel that they don’t get some of the same opportunities and they aren’t introduced to some of things children are introduced to in other areas of the city."
As tax season nears, Impact America aims to provide free tax services in Memphis so that families can maximize their refunds and not fall prey to predatory tax preparers.
For the past four months, the On The Ground team of High Ground News has worked alongside residents and stakeholders in Orange Mound as part of an embedded reporting engagement.
As part of our On The Ground coverage, editor Erica Horton visited with community leaders and stakeholders in Orange Mound. These live interviews show the passion that fuels the neighborhood.
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