Memphis Flyer 4/21/2022 by Contemporary Media

ELECTION 2022: KEY PRIMARY RACES P6 | WILDSAM’S MEMPHIS FIELD GUIDE P14 | LUCY’S DINER P19

OUR 1730TH ISSUE 04.21.22

ANDREA FENISE

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CARRIE BEASLEY Senior Art Director CHRISTOPHER MYERS Advertising Art Director NEIL WILLIAMS Graphic Designer JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, HAILEY THOMAS Senior Account Executives MICHELLE MUSOLF Account Executive ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive Officer LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Controller/Circulation Manager JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer MARGIE NEAL Chief Operating Officer KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director MARIAH MCCABE Circulation and Accounting Assistant KALENA MATTHEWS Marketing Coordinator

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CONTENTS

JESSE DAVIS Editor SHARA CLARK Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editors TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor SAMUEL X. CICCI, MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers ABIGAIL MORICI Copy Editor, Calendar Editor LORNA FIELD, RANDY HASPEL, RICHARD MURFF, FRANK MURTAUGH, MEGHAN STUTHARD Contributing Columnists AIMEE STIEGEMEYER, SHARON BROWN Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

As I write these words, the Memphis Grizzlies have not yet played game two of their playoff stint against the Minnesota Timberwolves. By the time anyone reads this column, in print or on the Flyer’s website, game two will be over, and the Grizzlies will have won or lost. I know most Memphians don’t even like to consider the possibility of a loss from Memphis’ most winningest team, but statistically speaking, it is within the realm of possibility. Of course, I hope the Griz devour the Timberwolves, that the loss in game one of the playoffs is the only one the team has for the rest of the year. I’d be lying if I said I was anything resembling a devout sports fan, but like any Memphian, I have a possibly more-than-healthy dose of hometown pride. Besides, everyone in Memphis seems to have a little more strut to their step when the Grizzlies are on a winning streak. If a clip of a particularly gravity-defying dunk by Ja Morant is circulating on social media, there are sure to be a few more smiles gracing local faces. It’s a beautiful thing, but it puts a lot of pressure on the Grizzlies, though, doesn’t it? It must be hard to fly so high while simultaneously carrying the collective weight of a midsized American city’s hopes and dreams. That’s why I was beside-myself excited — gleeful, even — about last week’s wandering wallaby news. The story was a flash in the pan, a two-day whirlwind as seemingly everyone in the city followed the news of the mischievous marsupial’s disappearance from his home in the KangaZoo exhibit and mercifully quick subsequent discovery in a service yard on zoo property. It took social media by storm, I heard people talk about it in the store, and I brought it up while sitting in the optometrist’s chair and getting my eyes tested. Weird as it was, the story lasted just long enough for its more ardent followers to begin to worry, then, bam!, it delivered a happy ending, complete with the wallaby’s reunion with his fellows in the zoo. I love the absurdity of it. We needed a feel-good story, and to really hit Memphians in the feels, there had to be an element of “Wait, say what?” to the tale. After a month or so of increasingly dire news from the Tennessee legislative session, with tornadoes every other week just to add a little danger and destruction to the mix, the fugitive marsupial story felt nothing less than heaven-sent. What makes the story even stranger, is that I don’t think the news would have gotten out if I hadn’t asked two zoo employees wading through Lick Creek what was going on. “A kangaroo escaped,” one employee told me, confusing the missing wallaby for its larger and more famous marsupial relation. “We haven’t seen a kangaroo,” he continued, “but we did see a beaver. It was this big.” He held his hands about three feet apart. I nodded my head, mumbled something about a beaver, and almost twisted my ankle running inside to call Jessica Faulk, the zoo’s communication specialist, for confirmation. The details of the story came together (the fugitive mammal was a wallaby, not a kangaroo), people kept their eyes peeled for a glimpse of the creature, and the rest, as they say, is history. Maybe it was the storm from the day before that cleared the air, but whatever it was, we needed it. Sometimes the monkeys have to escape Monkey Island, if I may reference another local legend. So, as long as Tennessee legislators are gracing the home page of The New York Times website for things like child bride bills and praising Hitler as an example of turning one’s life around after a period of homelessness, we need the occasional lighthearted “WTF?” story to break the tension. I propose a new Memphis rule, one to help us shoulder the embarrassment of being located in Tennessee and to take some of the pressure off our basketball team, at least as long as we’re also still in a pandemic. (Well, N E WS & O P I N I O N we are, even if we’re sick of talking about THE FLY-BY - 4 it.) Every so often, a prominent Memphis NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 tourist destination needs to rock the POLITICS - 6 news cycle with a preposterous story. The AT LARGE - 8 responsibility shouldn’t all fall on the zoo, FINANCE - 9 COVER STORY either. Take turns getting in on the action. “SPRING FASHION ’22” So I’ll leave you with this question: After BY ANDREA FENISE - 10 the next two or three times Tennessee WE RECOMMEND - 14 makes national news for embarrassing MUSIC - 15 reasons, who’s going to borrow Isaac Hayes’ CALENDAR - 16 Cadillac from the Stax Museum and go FOOD - 19 C LAS S I F I E D S - 22 joyriding down 3rd Street? LAST WORD - 23 Jesse Davis jesse@memphisflyer.com

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

OUR 1730TH ISSUE 04.21.22

THE

fly-by

MEMernet Memphis on the internet. WALLA B.

Last week, a wily wallaby escaped from the Memphis Zoo. The animal’s first order of business PHOTO: MEMPHIS ZOO was to set up a Twitter account and record its exploits out on the town. Walla B. (JA’WALLAMANE) cracked jokes about local breweries, wanted to hook up for drinks at Overton Square, went to Huey’s, hinted at a run for county mayor, asked to be a duck master at The Peabody Hotel, and asked if Malco was playing Kangaroo Jack.

April 21-27, 2022

POSTED TO TWITTER BY @MEMPHISWALLABY

#M E MTH I S Last week’s #MEMTHIS had the MEMernet talking on Twitter. Created by the Memphis Grizzlies, it was meant to hashtag the team’s playoff run. “Whoever made the decision for #MemThis ……. Bruh, WHY do we need brand new, forced ‘tag lines’ for the playoffs?” tweeted @JBthegiant. @Isaac_Rivals explained, “You read it like Mem This. Sort of like ‘take this’…we’re going to put Memphis in your face & you gotta deal with it type of energy.” But even the explanation was roasted. @jmtigers1974 tweeted, “I’m not brilliant at marketing/advertising but...If you gotta explain it to Joe Public, then it isn’t any good.” To it all, @jonah_kaufman tweeted, “It’s easy to get, it’s just awful.”

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Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

C H A L K B E AT T E N N E S S E E B y M a r t a W. A l d r i c h

Transgender Athletes Bill would pull school funding if trans athletes allowed to participate. Tennessee moved a step closer last week to pulling state funding from K-12 public schools if they allow transgender youth to participate in girls sports. A bill that cleared the state Senate by a vote of 26-5 attaches financial penalties to a 2021 law that prohibited trans athletes from competing on middle and high school teams based on their gender identity. The legislation passed the House last month. Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who called last year’s law a step “to preserve women’s athletics and ensure fair competition,” is expected to sign the funding measure into law. PHOTO: SHARON MCCUTCHEON | UNSPLASH Several civil rights As transgender athlete bill heads to governor’s desk, financial penalties could be added to groups have since law stopping trans athletes from competing. challenged the 2021 ban in court in a case that is tentatively set for trial next year. The lawsuit filed by Lambda for all of our female athletes so they have fair competition,” Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU of said state Sen. Joey Hensley, a Hohenwald Republican who Tennessee asked the federal court to intercede. Similar laws co-sponsored the K-12 bill with state Rep. John Ragan, a passed in Idaho and West Virginia have been temporarily Republican from Oak Ridge. blocked by rulings in those states, and the Idaho case is Opponents said the legislation is about discrimination, not awaiting a decision by a U.S. appeals court. fairness, and is unnecessary and even dangerous. A similar bill that would ban transgender athletes at the “There’s no indication this is a problem in Tennessee college level from participating in women’s sports in Tennessee schools, but … there are kids who feel targeted by this also cleared the Senate on Monday. That measure is awaiting legislature,” said state Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro, a action before a House finance subcommittee. Democrat from Nashville. “And these are oftentimes kids who Rules governing transgender athletes returned to the are struggling with a lot that most of us don’t understand and spotlight this year when University of Pennsylvania swimmer oftentimes are more likely to be at risk of committing suicide Lia Thomas, a trans woman, began smashing records. than anybody else.” In January, in line with the U.S. and international Olympic According to an analysis by the Associated Press, Tennessee committees, the NCAA adopted a sport-by-sport approach for passed more laws last year aimed at transgender people than determining participation by transgender athletes. any other state in the nation. One law, for instance, puts Sponsors of both bills in Tennessee’s GOP-controlled public schools at risk of losing lawsuits if they let transgender legislature argued transgender females — because their students or employees use multi-person bathrooms or locker assigned sex at birth was male — are naturally stronger, faster, rooms that do not reflect their assigned sex at birth. and bigger than those assigned female at birth, giving them an Chalkbeat (chalkbeat.org) is a nonprofit news organization unfair advantage in sports. covering public education. “This legislation is all about setting a level playing field

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CITY REPORTER B y To b y S e l l s

PHOTO: OLGA KONONENKO | UNSPLASH

Methodist says the deal was legal and improved cancer care here.

Kickback Lawsuit Feds claim local, lucrative healthcare deal was unlawful.

But Methodist officials said last week that the deal structure was created by “respected outside experts” who said the agreement reflected fair market value for the services. A statement from Methodist said, “Our payments were appropriate, and MLH received the services due under affiliation agreements. The government’s belated decision to intervene in the suit two years after it declined to do so has changed nothing about the case. “We are proud that our partnership with West succeeded in creating an integrated cancer diagnosis treatment and surgical service that not only improved cancer care, but provided care where it was needed most, reduced health disparities, and led to better patient outcomes for the Memphis and Mid-South communities.” The matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.

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funds during the seven years of the agreement. The payments were “expressly” for services that were supposed to be — but were not — provided in the agreement, according to the lawsuit. The DOJ said the entire “sophisticated business integration” helped to disguise the “unlawful kickbacks.” The department said, “Methodist knowingly agreed to pay West millions of dollars in kickbacks for the revenues Methodist expected to, and ultimately did, realize from West’s referrals.” The agreement lasted from January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2018, and continued even after Methodist knew the allegations were being investigated by federal agencies. “By purchasing West’s outpatient locations, Methodist was able to bill Medicare not only for the facility and professional components of outpatient treatment but also for the chemotherapy and other drugs provided, for which Methodist could recoup a staggering discount in costs through the 340B discount drug program, resulting in $50 million in profits to Methodist in one year alone.”

NEWS & OPINION

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) paid for unlawful kickbacks from the West Clinic for patient referrals, according to a lawsuit filed last week by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), but Methodist said the allegations “mischaracterize” the relationship. The DOJ began investigating the claims in 2017, after Jeffrey H. Liebman, the former president of Methodist University Hospital, came forward as a whistleblower. He was joined in the whistleblower suit in 2019 by Dr. David M. Stern, who served in leadership roles at Methodist, West Clinic, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). In 2012, Methodist announced a “partnership” between the healthcare system and West Clinic. At the time, Methodist lacked a comprehensive cancer treatment service. The deal would allow West’s patients to get treatment at Methodist-owned facilities. At the same time, Methodist made a $7 million investment in Acorn Research, a business in which West and its medical director, Dr. Lee Schwartzberg, had a personal financial interest, the DOJ said. This gave the parties involved the mechanism to move the kickback

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Edited by Will Shortz

Crossword ACROSS

Bob Marley, e.g. 6 J. ___ Hoover 11 Rainbow, for one 14 Choir voices 15 Band at a royal wedding 16 Elevator unit 17 Kid-lit character who travels via envelope 19 Ref’s decision 20 ___ pad 21 Communists and capitalists, e.g. 23 Hot couple 24 Thelma’s portrayer in “Thelma & Louise” 27 Trumped-up 29 Lobster ___ Newburg 30 Aloha State bird 31 Mexican Mrs.

April 21-27, 2022

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Catastrophic U.S.O. audience Co-star of “Stranger Things” Dapper fellow U.S. city connected to the outside only by airplane, boat and sled What debtors do “Piece of cake” Japanese garden fish Tops “I can’t believe we both know him” Charlie Brown expletive Western ravines Ideal places What might bring you to a screeching halt

64 65 66 67 68 69

Protective sportswear … or a hint to the ends of 17-, 24-, 36- and 51-Across Kimono tie Choice for a prom His and her “Now where ___ I?” French toast topper Having some kick

DOWN

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

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U.K. flying grp. 56 57 58 51 2 Standout player 59 60 61 62 63 3 What a governor 64 65 66 55 enforces 4 Figures on 67 68 69 poles 56 5 Org. 57 PUZZLE BY KATHY WIENBERG 6 GPS display 59 26 Rigby who 53 Humble reply 38 Stir up 7 Racket “waits at to “Great job, 8 Lead-bearing 39 Woos the window, folks!” ore 43 Kayaker’s attire 54 The Pistons, on wearing the TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 9 Big concert face that she scoreboards 44 Double curve venue keeps in a jar E B B S C U B E S 58 Airhead 45 Money held by by the door” T R O N A S A N A 10 Like Lady a third party 61 The Fighting Liberty’s crown 28 Poet ___ St. U R I A L M E R C I Tigers of the 46 Slide Vincent Millay G A G S V E N I A L 11 Like the N.C.A.A. presentation? ingredient 33 It’s not free of L D T O O E S S O 62 Subj. of a 47 Gulf War allies acetaminophen charge I E S P L A T T E R test that in Tylenol 48 On the up and 34 Trainer’s might involve C I T G O A D S 12 Make hand over up workplace identifying M A R T I A L fist 50 Nativity scene playing cards 35 Brainstorm P R I S M Y E L P 13 Stick in a field 37 Short narrative 52 Performers who 63 Get too game H I P A P P A R E L poem get top billing personal E T S L A K O T A 18 Dude (up) A L P O O R S S N 22 Cleric’s house Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past L S A T U R N I N E 23 Provisos puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). S E C I G B O O T 25 Become worthy Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. O T E S H A N T S of 1

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With early voting well underway, almost all the May 3rd action involves Democratic contests.

40 46

Key Primary Races

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No. 1023

3/31/22 6:48 PM

All but one of the key contested races on the May 3rd county primary ballot are in the Democratic primary. The one exception is a grudge match in which four sitting GOP commissioners are backing newcomer Jordan Carpenter in District 4 (Germantown, East Memphis) against Republican Commissioner Brandon Morrison, whose sin was to cooperate too often with the majority Democrats on the commission. The main race, in one sense, is between incumbent Democratic County Mayor Lee Harris and challenger Ken Moody, a veteran of city service in two city administrations. Harris hasn’t fully turned on the jets yet, but his backing is both more influential and more bountiful financially than that of Moody. City Councilman Worth Morgan, a Republican, awaits the winner in August. There is no sheriff ’s race to speak of, since incumbent Democrat Floyd Bonner, unopposed in his own primary, has no Republican opponent — a fact attesting either to the Democrats’ demographic edge countywide or to the GOP’s genuine support for Bonner’s law enforcement policies. Unquestionably the year’s most intensely competitive race, down the line in August and perhaps on May 3rd as well, is that for district attorney general. Three able Democratic lawyers — Steve Mulroy, Janika White, and Linda Harris — are competing in their primary, with Mulroy, something of an icon in civil liberties and voting-rights circles and the owner

PHOTO: JACKSON BAKER

County Commission candidate Quran Folsom affixes one of her campaign signs to a gathering row of others outside the Agricenter earlyvoting location. of impressive endorsements, presumably in the lead for the right to challenge incumbent Amy Weirich in August. The August race may involve more campaign spending — arguably up to or more than a million dollars — than any other local race. A tight race is brewing in the Democratic primary for juvenile court clerk, with County Commissioner and community organizer Reginald Milton leading in endorsements and cash receipts in a field including local TV veteran Janeen Fullilove-Gordon, former school board member Stephanie Gatewood, and Marcus Mitchell, a major with the Memphis Police Department. Republican Rob White awaits in August. Once upon a time, Cordova was a white-flight preserve. It is now fully diversified ethnically, with demographics that lean Democratic, and is to be represented on the County Commission by the newly shaped District 5. Three Democrats are vying in the primary. If experience and sheer know-how count for anything, Quran Folsom should do quite well on election day. As chief administrator for the past several years, she is aware of all commission programs and protocols. And she’s raised a fair amount of money. The question is, does she have enough of a known public persona and political network to get her vote out? continued on page 20

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NLE CHOPPA

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AT L A R G E B y B r u c e Va n W y n g a r d e n

No Column This Week Sorry, I just can’t do it.

Sa n d w i ch e s AT SOU T H POINT KITC HEN

Josh McLane is a native Memphian who's been in bands and the comedy scene for years. He's cooked in some of Memphis’ most famous spots like The P&H, Fino’s and The HiTone, where he learned "The Sandwich Arts." His unique sandwich menu may be a little different, but he guarantees they’ll always hit the spot. “Half of these were created for my vegetarian wife, and the rest just to make me happy. And guess what — they work.”

S E E F U L L M E N U AT S O U T H P O I N TG R O C E RY.CO M

April 21-27, 2022

get to the

136 W EB ST ER AV E. O P E N DA I LY 8 A M - 8 P M

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omeone told me that I had two faults. One was that I didn’t listen, and the other was … I dunno, some crap they were rattling on about. But I can’t worry about that. I’m under a lot of pressure here. You read this column hoping to be informed or entertained or outraged, perhaps to be brought up to speed on issues of the day. And this is week after week after week, mind you. I don’t get a break. It’s not like I’m a comedian or a band on tour, with a new audience every night. Those people have it easy. They know what their audience likes. Play the hits. Tell that funny story about your brotherin-law. Soak in the applause. Hit the hotel bar. Job done. Piece of cake. Not me, no sir. I have the same readers every week, and I can’t just rerun a column from three weeks ago that got a lot of Facebook likes and web traffic, no matter how brilliant it was. No, you people demand fresh material. I know, it’s not like I don’t have subject matter. There’s an unspeakably horrible genocide happening in Europe, but I have no real insights there, other than to hope someone pushes Vladimir Putin out of a window soon. I guess I could always rant about Tucker Carlson’s creepy and mostly traitorous television show on Fox News, which Russian television is running verbatim almost every night. This week, Tucker is claiming that American men are being “feminized” by the woke left and has been running a homoerotic promo video of sweaty, muscly shirtless guys swinging axes and other heavy items. He also discussed the possible testosterone-building benefits of testicle tanning with an “expert.” I’m not making this up. And this manly man does all this while sitting in a director’s chair, wearing a bow tie, khakis, and Weejuns loafers sans socks. Is it wrong that I want to punch his smug, entitled face with my woke little fist? And I’ve already written at length about the GOP clowns who run the Tennessee

legislature, the people whose primary concerns are hassling trans kids, setting up private schools with taxpayer money, and overturning Roe v. Wade. They do the latter under the guise of “protecting children,” but let’s be real: If they really cared about children, they’d expand Medicare (a gift from the feds), raise the minimum wage, enforce the clean air and water regulations, and quit making it legal for any mouth-breathing yahoo who can stand upright to carry a gun anywhere with no training or restrictions. But, okay, since I’m here, knee-deep in writing about the Nashbillies, I’d be remiss in not mentioning the speech given last week by state Senator Frank Niceley. The senate was debating a patently unconstitutional bill that would keep homeless people from sleeping on public property — basically criminalizing homelessness — and Niceley decided he needed to give the chamber “a little lesson on homelessness.” Here’s how the speech began: “[In] 1910, Hitler decided to live on the streets for a while. So for two years, Hitler lived on the streets and practiced his oratory and his body language and how to connect with citizens and then went on to lead a life that got him in the history books.” Homelessness, Niceley added, is “not a dead end.” Indeed it is not. One can rise from homelessness to take over a country, found the Nazi party, start a world war, and murder millions of men, women, and children in gas chambers. No doubt motivated by their colleague’s inspirational oratory, the Senate passed the homelessness bill, which makes sleeping on public property a Class E felony, and sent it on to Governor Bill Lee, who will no doubt sign it in Jesus’ name, amen. Because Jesus also hated poor people. So, I think you see what I’m dealing with here. Trying to make enough sense of any of this to crank out a reasonably coherent column is just impossible this week. Sorry. I promise to do better next time.

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NEWS & OPINION

n personal finance, we obsess about portfolio, which allows them to retire early. investment portfolios and income. The thing that most people miss, however, Are they big enough? Can they get is that the only reason it works out in 15 bigger? How can we improve reyears is that in creating that portfolio their turns? Can we ask for a raise, promotion, or spending had to be much lower than the new/second job? What about the dreaded $6K saver, so there’s less spending it has to side hustle? cover. After 15 years when the 50 percent The one thing we never spend much saver is financially independent, it’s because time thinking about is how lifestyle and they are only spending $37K each year. The spending play into retirement planning. $6K saver is spending almost $70K a year at It’s probably more important than any this point, which would take a much larger other single factor, yet it gets by far the least portfolio to replace. Even the 50 percent attention. Here’s an example: saver would have years more to work if they Imagine two identical 21-year-old had a higher income such that they could college graduates with exactly identical save the same amount as before but spend starting jobs. Both earn $50,000 to start, as much as the $6K saver. increased by 3 percent each year. Both earn If $37,000 seems like not much money 10 percent each year on their savings and to live on, keep in mind that the median investments. Both believe in the “4 percent income in America today is about $36,000. rule,” which states that you are close to More than half of American workers make financial independence when in a given less than $37K, which makes it seem very year your spending equals 4 percent or less doable — especially if our hypothetical of your investment portfolio — in other person is doing what they want with their words, you might be able to retire if you time rather than reporting to a job five days have saved 25x your annual spending. a week! You can scale these dollars up or The only difference in down or even add a zero — these two cases is how much what matters is the savings they save each year. In the rate, not the total dollar first case, the investor decides amount of income. It’s easier to fund their Roth IRA with to save more when you earn $6,000 each year for as long more — at least in theory. as they work. This is probably This is a dramatically more saving than average oversimplified case, ignoring early in their career, but not taxes, social security, and ideal later on. With these many other factors, but it hypothetical facts, they will demonstrates one of the most achieve retirement/financial profound truths of financial PHOTO: independence after 46 years planning. We don’t know BLOGGING GUIDE | UNSPLASH at age 67 — conveniently the what will happen with the current “full retirement age” according to stock market, especially in the short term. Social Security. The one thing we absolutely control is In the second case, let’s say the investor spending — and if there’s any way to spend is a very aggressive saver. Maybe they live less and still be happy, it can dramatically at home after graduation, don’t need a car, accelerate your trajectory toward financial and stay on their parent’s insurance. They freedom, both because you’ll be saving manage to save 50 percent of their income. more and have less income to replace in the Even if they leave the nest after a few years future. In short, money not saved is spent, and a few raises, they are accustomed so a lower savings rate is a double whammy to spending less so they manage to when it comes to planning for financial maintain that goal of saving 50 percent independence. Gene Gard is Chief Investment Officer of their income as long as they work. at Telarray, a Memphis-based wealth Not surprisingly, their timeline is very management firm that helps families different. They only have to work about 15 navigate investment, tax, estate, and years to age 36 before reaching financial retirement decisions. Ask him your question independence. at ggard@telarrayadvisors.com or sign up for What drives the difference in their timelines? The obvious answer is that the 50 the next free online seminar on the Events tab at telarrayadvisors.com. percent saver has a much larger investment

Spring Spring Fashion ’22 Fashion ’22

April 21-27, 2022

COVER STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANDREA FENISE

Wardrobe exclusively provided by Indigo. Models (left to right): Mycah Bates, Josie Brown, Emma Roberts

reated in 2012 by Arrow co-founder, Abby Phillips, and run by a talented team of volunteers, Memphis Fashion Week (MFW) this year celebrates its 10th anniversary. The event is held each spring to showcase spring and summer collections. MFW is about cultivating and celebrating local and regional fashion through designers, photographers, models, and boutiques. This year’s events will showcase local emerging designers through The Emerging Memphis Designer Project (EMDP), as well as national designer Amanda Uprichard, presented by local boutique, Indigo. The EMDP was built out of a need in the Memphis community for local emerging designers to present their pieces to a wider audience. MFW and EMDP liaison Sonin Myatt and her team work with selected designers through a seven-month process to educate and promote local designs. At the end of the process, MFW hopes to see the designers grow their skills, promote their businesses, and enhance the design industry in Memphis. Arrow Creative, grown out of the Memphis Fashion Design Network, seeks to make art more accessible in order to inspire the creative spirit in all Memphians. Arrow is a premier source of creative entrepreneur enrichment, arts education, and art immersion for the entire community. Arrow encompasses the fashion design community as well as photography, woodworking, ceramics, painting, graphic arts, book arts, and more. Abby Phillips says, “Celebrating Memphis Fashion Week’s 10th year at Arrow Creative’s new home in Midtown feels like we’ve come full circle. To have grown this event into a full-fledged arts organization that encompasses all arts mediums and to see our fashion design participants using equipment purchased from Memphis College of Art feels like a real win.” With Memphis Fashion Week, the Brother Sewing Lab, and EMDP, leaders in the Memphis fashion industry will help to cultivate and educate local Memphis designers. Join Arrow in supporting local fashion at Arrow Creative on April 22, 2022. Proceeds from official events benefit Arrow Creative, a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Memphis Fashion Week celebrates 10 years of local looks.

Amanda Uprichard Giancini Romper in English Blue, $238; Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell Rancher, $260; Barrettes, $8.50

Amanda Uprichard Candia Dress, $233; Shoes: Schutz Kaila, $148; Tiana Bag, $145

continued on page 12 Amanda Uprichard Evie Dress in Shocking Pink, $207; Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman, $90; Mignonne Gavigan Mini Lola Hoop Earrings, $110

Amanda Uprichard Evie Dress in Marina, $207; Shoes: Schutz Ariella, $118; Style Junkie Earrings, $16

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

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continued from page 11

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Wild about Memphis april 21st - 6:00pm Lucky 7 Brass Band

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Shara Layne & The Drive

4/28 - 7pm

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Afro Legend Kaleta & Super Yamba Band

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Tom Petty tribute

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2 1 6 6 C e n t r a l Av e . Memphis TN 38104

By Abigail Morici

What makes our Memphis different from Memphis, Alabama, or Memphis, Ohio, or any of the other eight Memphises in the U.S.? Put simply, we do — our stories and our lives as everyday Memphians. “Memphis is this place that gave the world the music it loves,” says Hannah Hayes, “and yet it’s kinda this place that can also be maligned or misunderstood. And so much beautiful and amazing culture comes out of Memphis.” Such a sentiment is the crux of Memphis (Wildsam), a field guide for which Hayes served as editor. And so, PHOTO: WILDSAM to do Memphis justice in this compact book about the ins and outs of the city, Hayes and Wildsam turned to the Michael locals. “A lot of travel journalism is people parachuting into a place and trying to understand it really quickly,” Donahue, Flyer Hayes says, “and with Wildsam, we try to involve as many locals as we humanly can because we want the people food editor in that place to have a stake in it.” Contributing writers Wesley Morgan Paraham, David Grivette, and Memphis Flyer editor Jesse Davis helped to compile iconic places and important topics, recommendations for authentic Memphis experiences, and more. The book also includes essays by writer and filmmaker Robert Gordon and Tara Stringfellow, whose recently released debut novel Memphis has garnered national recognition. Additionally, one-sided interviews with locals of note, such as Memphis Flyer’s food editor Michael Donahue, make up a significant portion of the book. “The interview session is done more like an oral history,” says Hayes. “We wanted the focus to be on the person and their story. We don’t want you to be distracted by us in the background.” “Memphis means a lot to me personally,” Hayes adds, having frequently visited Memphis as a kid whose family lived a nomadic life. Her grandmother lived in the area. “The Peabody Hotel lobby is like the only place that I’ve been going to since I was an infant.” To Hayes, the deep red in the Peabody sign was a homing beacon for Memphis, and this red popped up in the table cloths at Payne’s Bar-B-Que, the Stax sign, and more. Because of this, the “dirty soulful red,” as Hayes describes, is the color of the book’s cover and is interspersed throughout in the accompanying illustrations by local artist Maggie Russell that add a touch of whimsy to the pages. “We want folks who live there to read this and to fall back in love with their city,” says Hayes. To celebrate the launch of the book, Gordon, Zaire Love, Davis, and Hayes will be a part of a panel at the Stax, where guests can enjoy Central BBQ and drinks. WILDSAM AT STAX, STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC, THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 6-8 P.M., FREE, RSVP AT EVENTBRITE.COM.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES April 21st - 27th Shelby Farms Earth Day Shelby Farms Park, Friday-Saturday, April 22-23, 8 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Celebrate Earth Day at Shelby Farms Park with volunteer opportunities including weed wrangling, spreading mulch, and cleaning up. Plus, learn about the buffalo herd and other park-related tidbits during porch chats, and explore the outdoors with virtual park bingo and a virtual scavenger hunt. Food trucks will be on-site. Bluebird Concerts: Bailey Bigger Germantown Performing Arts Center, Friday, April 22, 5-8 p.m., $5 Enjoy live music by Bailey Bigger, plus cocktails and drink specials, Gourmade food truck, and cornhole.

Cooper-Young Porchfest Cooper-Young Historic District, Saturday, April 23, noon-6 p.m. Staged on the eclectic porches of the historic neighborhood, this all-volunteer event will feature a mix of bands playing on residents’ front porches and is intended to be a grassroots celebration of spring, music, and Cooper-Young. Coupled with this event will be the annual community yard sale, which will run from approximately 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Since the musicians are volunteering, be sure to bring cash to tip them or do so through Venmo/Cash App. While in Cooper-Young, visit its many bars and restaurants and check out the Cooper-Young Community Association’s booth.

MicroCinema: Expressions of Language Crosstown Theater, Tuesday, April 26, 7 p.m., pay what you can This encore of shorts from the 2021 Indie Memphis Film Festival features films that in their distinct visual languages survey the possibilities of connection through expressions of language. These highlights of the festival beautifully examine the expansive and the limiting experiences of sharing with another and one’s self. Featured films include “Learning Tagalog with Kayla,” “Tejano Night,” “Undressed,” “Hector’s Woman,” “Eggshells,” and “Enviar y Recibir.” All shorts (except for “Enviar y Recibir”) will be available virtually for a week following the April 26th in-person screening.

MUSIC By Alex Greene

Monterosso Takes It Away

“Early in the 2020 quarantine, Dale Watson recorded an instrumental album, Dale Watson Presents: The Memphians. I co-wrote four of the songs. And I thought, ‘Wow, instrumental albums are really cool.’ It’s a different way to conceive of and write a song, in terms of composition. When you have lyrics, they bring people somewhere through the words. But when you write an instrumental, it has to be the melody that brings people somewhere. And so instrumental songs have to be simple. From bossa nova records to Duane Eddy or Chet Atkins, they use simple melodies. That’s the one thing that remains in people’s heads.” As the pandemic caused most gigs to dry up, Monterosso did what many of us did during quarantine: He watched TV. But inspiration waited for him there. “One night I was watching this very old edition of Zorro from 1975. I saw it with my parents in the theater when it came out. I was 3! And seeing it again, I thought the

soundtrack was so cool. It was written by two Italians, the De Angelis brothers, also known as Oliver Onions. They wrote so many Italian soundtracks! So I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to write a tribute,’ and I wrote ‘The Ballad of Zorro.’ After that, I kept writing instrumentals, and at one point I thought, ‘Okay, let’s do an album.’” By then, with a host of new songs in his bag, the scenery had changed dramatically for Monterosso. “I went to Italy because my mother was dying. And it seems that some of my songs had been written for that event. It seems that way, but they weren’t. It was weird, writing a song entitled ‘Without You,’ with that atmosphere and even a theremin used like an opera singer or a ghost.” The ghosts were especially present where Monterosso was staying. “I was staying in this old family house from 1701, about 10 miles from downtown Catania [Sicily] in Trecastagni, in the foothills of Mount Etna. That’s where I learned to play the guitar, when I was 13 or 14. So I called my friend Matteo [Spinazzé Savaris], who’s recorded all of my albums and some of Tav Falco’s albums in Rome. He came down to Sicily with all the equipment and we set it up inside my house. It was a great experience. We recorded live. I only did a few overdubs after. And I did it with all my old music mates, musicians that I grew up with. It was a beautiful experience.” The final result is a genre-hopping tour through intriguing melodies and arrangements. It’s no surprise that Monterosso’s first instrumentals were made in collaboration with another great eclecticist, Arkansas native Tav Falco, who made his name as a music/art auteur in Memphis before relocating to Europe and recruiting Monterosso as his musical director. The instrumental version of “Master of Chaos,” which the two cowrote, is a highlight of Falco’s Cabaret of Daggers album, and Falco’s recent Club Car Zodiac features an instrumental with a spoken-word monologue, “Tony Driver Blues,” based on a film of the same name. A similar Falco monologue lends Take It Away its only vocals as well, the noirish “Midnight in Memphis.” For Monterosso, it represents Falco’s profound influence on his life. “When he writes, Tav has the ability to bring you in and put you somewhere,” he says. Beyond that, Falco brought him to Memphis. “I will always be grateful because Tav was my boat to Ellis Island.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ario Monterosso is no stranger to these pages, having moved here nearly six years ago from Rome, quickly becoming a fixture in the local roots-rock scene. He’s often seen accompanying Dale Watson at Hernando’s HideA-Way or, more recently, leading his own combo through a mix of originals, Louis Prima, and Chuck Berry. But anyone familiar with these outings may be surprised at Monterosso’s recent solo album, Take It Away (ORG Music), a largely instrumental affair that showcases the guitarist’s eclectic influences. Roaming effortlessly from spaghetti Western soundtracks to surf to blues to Mancini-esque jazz, Monterosso’s originals offer a guided tour through the instrumental sounds of the ’50s and ’60s. And that’s just how he wanted it.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Guitarist draws on Zorro and Tav Falco to inspire new album.

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

April 21 - 27

ART AN D S P EC I A L E X H I B ITS

COM M U N ITY

“Don’t Let the Sun”

Supporting Memphis Public Libraries. Music and activities for the whole family, even your well-behaved dog. $30-$35. Sunday, April 24, 2-4 p.m.

Exhibition of paintings by Leslie Holt. Tuesday, April 26-May 28. DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“Driven to Abstraction” Exhibition of paintings by Doudou Mbemba and Romeo Temwa. Through May 31. UREVBU CONTEMPORARY

B O O K EV E N TS

Krisit Hemmer: Quit Being So Good

Kristi Hemmer discusses Quit Being So Good: Sories of an Unapologetic Woman. Wednesday, April 27, 6 p.m. NOVEL

Meet the Author: Dr. Carla T. Norton

Novel welcomes Carla T. Norton to celebrate the release of Facetime with God. Saturday, April 23, 2 p.m. NOVEL

Memphis Urban Book Expo

Meet with authors. Enjoy prizes, vendors, and fun. Saturday, April 23, noon-5 p.m. LEMOYNE-OWEN COLLEGE

C O M E DY

Memphis Finest Comedy Show

Oscar P brings the funny with special guest Poundcake. $25-$65. Saturday, April 23, 7:30 p.m. ORPHEUM THEATRE

Steve-O’s Bucket List Tour Not only are the stunts more ridiculous than what you already know Steve-O for, he did them all and made a highly XXX-rated, multimedia comedy show out of them. 18 and older only. $35, $100. Friday, April 22, 8 p.m.

April 21-27, 2022

GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL. in one evening. Tickets include liquor samples and food throughout the whole night. $125-$150. Friday, April 22, 7-10 p.m.

Libration

MEMPHIS ZOO

H EA LT H A N D F IT N ES S

WISEACRE BREWERY

Sea Isle Park 5K

Proceeds raised from the race go to the benefit of Sea Isle Park. Saturday, April 23, 9 a.m.

Soulsville Street Renaming Ceremony

Featuring music, food, and speakers, Stafford Avenue will be renamed for Stax legend and iconic funk bassist James Alexander. Sunday, April 24, 3 p.m.

LUCILLE MCWHERTHER SENIOR CENTER

The Bad Dog 5K & 10K Supporting The Ronald McDonald House of Memphis. Saturday, April 23, 7:30 a.m.

NEW ZION MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

OVERTON SQUARE

F ES TI VA L LECT U R E

Africa in April

Africa in April has chosen to salute the Republic of Malawi for its 35th festival of live performances, vendors, and the International Diversity Parade. Wednesday, April 20-April 24.

African-American History & Elmwood Cemetery: Part II (Indoor Presentation)

ROBERT R. CHURCH PARK

Cooper-Young Porchfest Features an eclectic mix of bands playing on residents’ front porches. Saturday, April 23, noon-6 p.m.

COOPER-YOUNG HISTORIC DISTRICT

Double Decker Festival Oxford

Art and food vendors, an impressive slew of musical performances, and art demonstrations. Friday, April 22-April 23. OXFORD COURTHOUSE SQUARE

Juke Joint Festival

Celebrating the Delta’s past and living history. Saturday, April 23. CLARKSDALE, MS

Memphis Auto Show

Hundreds of new cars, trucks, crossovers, electric vehicles, test drives, and more. Friday, April 22-April 24. RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER

Memphis Fashion Week

Memphis Fashion Week celebrates its 10th year (again) with a live runway show. Friday, April 22-April 24. ARROW CREATIVE

Memphis Mineral, Fossil, Jewelry Show

300 tables of rocks, fossils, minerals, beads. Kids area with gem dig and the world’s only geode bowling. Saturday, April 23-April 24. AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL

Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival

Bob for crawfish, race crawfish, and eat crawfish. Sunday, April 24, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. DOWNTOWN

Taste the Rarity

A specially curated festival dedicated to the things you love most: beer, fun, and weirdness. Saturday, April 23, 3-7 p.m. WISEACRE BREWERY

FI LM

Enter the Askewniverse

Screening Dogma, Clerks, Mallrats, and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. $25. Saturday, April 23, 11 p.m. MALCO SUMMER 4 DRIVE-IN

Movies & Mixers - Shaft $20-$23. Saturday, April 23, 5:30-9:30 p.m.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

The Work: A Documentary

Special discussion to follow with executive producer and one of the primary characters. Wednesday, April 27, 7-10 p.m. MALCO STUDIO ON THE SQUARE

Attorneys, veterans, musicians, political leaders, and more will all be featured. $20. Saturday, April 23, 11 a.m.-noon. ELMWOOD CEMETERY

P E R FO R M I N G ARTS

Ballet Memphis: SOUL

A show that celebrates the unique Memphis sound. $35$55. Friday, April 22, 7:30 p.m. CROSSTOWN THEATER

FIREBIRD presented by Collage Dance Collective

Premiere of Kevin Thomas’ FIREBIRD. Saturday, April 23, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, April 24, 2:30 p.m. CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

FOOD AN D DR I N K

S P EC IA L EVE NTS

Memphis Zoo Roar and Pour

Overton Square Karaoke Dance Party: Team Taylor

Distillers from across the state will transport guests along the Tennessee Whiskey Trail all

Pour your heart out to a stranger while singing to nonstop

Romeo Temwa’s Human Flower is on display in “Driven to Abstraction,” a duo exhibition with Doudou Mbemba. Taylor Swift. Free. Saturday, April 23, 8-10:30 p.m. OVERTON SQUARE

Spillit Prom

Part storytelling, part costume party, part dinner and dancing. $35. Thursday, April 21, 7 p.m. 409 SOUTH MAIN

T H EAT E R

Married to a Cheater, In Love with a Husband

Too many heartbreaks have forced British to question her marriage to her cheating husband Jordan. Torn between staying and leaving, she meets Jayden. $30$75. Saturday, April 23, 5 p.m. ORPHEUM THEATRE

Mean Girls

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. $29$135. Tuesday, April 26-May 1. ORPHEUM THEATRE

You Can’t Take It with You

A zany and delightful play with all the expected … and some unexpected … bits that make it a classic. $25. Friday, April 22-May 8. THEATRE MEMPHIS

TO U R S

Stage & Screen: The Actors & Performers of Elmwood

A thespian-centric tour! Elmwood is the final resting place of people from all walks of life, including actors and performers that you know. $20. Saturday, April 23, 1-2:30 p.m. ELMWOOD CEMETERY

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m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Here comes the sun! 17

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FOOD By Samuel X. Cicci

evin Williams at Lucy’s Diner wants to have you over for breakfast. The Hu. Hotel’s new executive chef has been at the helm for a couple of months, and his Southern roots and creative brunch concepts have reinvigorated the Downtown dining spot after a two-year hiatus. And when you walk through the doors into Lucy’s chic lobby, expect more than just traditional bacon and eggs. The Hu. Hotel closed in early 2020 due to Covid-19 but decided to reopen for business last fall. That meant taking another look at the hotel’s dining concepts, which needed a refresh. Enter Williams, whose dishes have been pulling in customers from off the street since he took over.

PHOTO: SAMUEL X. CICCI

Kevin Williams “I’m a Southern boy at heart,” says Williams, “so that’s a big focus of what I like to cook. I consider the menu here as typical upscale Southern cuisine.” At Lucy’s, hotel ownership gave Williams the creative freedom to come up with a menu in his own image. And his recipes have been crafted over almost two decades of culinary work in restaurant, hotel, and corporate kitchens. “When I came back to Memphis after culinary school, I was at Ruby Tuesday’s for a little bit,” he recalls. “I also worked at Amerigo, Bounty on Broad. I was executive chef at DoubleTree Hotel and helped open the Hilton Garden Inn. I’ve done business dining, too. I ran a cafe and food trucks for FedEx and also worked for Smith & Nephew, Wright Medical, and International Paper.”

That variety of experiences has allowed Williams to hone in on what people want for breakfast. For the those who want something recognizable to start the day, there is, of course, the more standard fare on the regular breakfast menu: frittatas, burritos, eggs and bacon, or house-made muffins and scones. But it’s the Sunday brunch menu where Williams is really able to cut loose. One of his personal favorites is the crab macaroni and cheese: cavatappi macaroni noodles doused in a layer of velvety four-cheese sauce and crunchy bread crumbs, all shot through with both crab and crawfish (plus a little bit of bacon). On the sweeter side, Williams debated whether to include bananas Foster or French toast. Then he decided to have the best of both worlds and combine them for a perfect dessert for breakfast. “I just love bananas Foster,” he says. “I think it was some time I spent in New Orleans that did it for me, but I knew I had to include it here.” Soft slices of banana bread are met with fresh whipped cream, toasted almonds, powdered sugar, and brandied bananas. Don’t overlook the giant stack of pancakes, either. Williams includes several large flapjacks beneath a helping of house-made whipped cream and a spread of warm blueberry compote that seeps into the pancakes, adding a natural dose of fruity flavor. Williams’ creations can easily be described as large, in addition to delicious. Each dish is sizable, with plenty to split between two people. But slinging hefty servings hasn’t stopped him from trying out his own spin on breakfast staples. “I want to come up with some things that not a lot of people are seeing,” he says. “Something Memphis-centric I wanted to do was a pulled pork hash. It’s got poached egg, barbecue, and hollandaise sauce. That’s like fusing barbecue and breakfast, and I want to keep trying out new fusion dishes. And I’m going to keep trying out things to keep it fresh.” But don’t just take it from me; hop on over to Lucy’s and load up on Williams’ breakfast twists. And if this all sounds great, he’s also got some ideas for the rooftop and the hotel’s vacant dining space facing Main Street, so stay tuned. Lucy’s is in the Hu. Hotel at 79 Madison and is open for breakfast 7 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday and for Sunday brunch 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; (901) 333-1200; huhotelmemphis.com.

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Breakfast at Lucy’s

POLITICS By Jackson Baker continued from page 6 The network question applies also to Reginald French, who has a lengthy pedigree of involvements with local government, most of it in the past and much of it with the late Herenton city administration, where French, a key figure, knew the ropes and incurred some rope burns, as well. Shante Avant, from her recent school board work, is known to a constituency; the problem is that her constituency belongs to a South Memphis district, not the Cordova area which she now seeks to represent. After a recent forum, all three candidates did well enough, addressing mainly residential matters and questions of public safety, to draw plaudits from the event emcee, local Democrat Jeff Etheridge, who expressed the wish that other ballot spots were filled by as many qualified candidates as there were. The winner will face Republican Todd Payne in August. • More Commission Races: Well-known Frayser-Raleigh activist Charlie Caswell seems to have an

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edge over prominent young Democrat Alexander Boulton in the Democratic primary race for commission District 6. There are five Democratic candidates competing in District 7, including activist Kathy Temple, who has support from progressives; former Commissioner Henri Brooks, who is attempting a comeback; and Althea Greene, who has name recognition as a school board member. Also running are Cartavius Black and Orrden Williams. Incumbent Edmund Ford Jr. is in good shape to hold off opponents Sam Echols and Sean Harris in District 9. An interesting three-way in the Democratic primary in District 10 has Kathy Kirk Johnson of the public defender’s office and a well-known local political family competing with megaactivist Britney Thornton, who heads a nonprofit group in Orange Mound, and Teri Dockery, an activist in the Cherokee neighborhood. Another three-way in District 11 features activist Candice Jones, the early leader by virtue of diligent campaigning; school board member Miska Clay Bibbs; and the Rev. Eric Winston, a repeat candidate for the commission who has

support from educators. In District 12, a battle royal of sorts is on between retired educator James Bacchus; the Rev. Reginald Boyce, senior pastor at Riverside Missionary Baptist Church; educator and voting-rights activist Erika Sugarmon; and David Walker. Democratic incumbent Mickell Lowery is unopposed in the District 8 primary, as is Michael Whaley in District 13. The Democrats have one challenger each— Donna McDonald-Martin in District 1 and Britney Chauncey in District 4 — both heavily Republican outer-county

PHOTO: JACKSON BAKER

Do as I say/Do as I do/do-si-do! Commission candidate Erika Sugarmon (second from left) takes her supporters through some line dancing in preparation for the May 3rd primary. suburban districts whereto Republican candidates should win handily in August. • Other Contested Democratic Primary

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THE LAST WORD By Ashley Insong

Burying the Time Capsule

THE LAST WORD

Jesus Santa Cruz (he/they), a Los Angeles native and current high school English teacher in Memphis, thinks back to his English teacher of his freshman year in high school. “There was a section in my teacher’s library that said ‘LGBT Books,’” he says. “I will always remember that classroom library.” Santa Cruz explains that at the time, he was intrigued yet afraid to pick those books up because, for one, they weren’t a common thing to see in a classroom, and two, he hadn’t yet felt comfortable enough to fully express that part of his identity. But now, as a proud queer individual in his 30s, he understands why that memory sticks with him. It was how that section of his English teacher’s classroom library made him feel. Every day, he stepped into that classroom knowing that someone understood him, that someone accepted him. He felt seen and accepted, simply because he was included. Schools are where children spend most of their time developing and practicing their beliefs. In schools, children learn and internalize almost everything they hear and see. The classroom isn’t just a place for growing minds to learn how to be better writers, readers, and mathematicians, but a place for our nation’s youth and future leaders to socialize and explore in hopes of discovering their true identities and reaching their fullest potential. In order for children to feel safe in doing so, schools, classrooms, and teachers must create a safe environment, inclusive of everyone — but PHOTO: INFO633933 | DREAMSTIME.COM unfortunately, this is not always the case. After reading that Tennessee lawmakers planned House Bill 0800, which “would ban textbooks and instructional materials that ‘promote, normalize, support, or address controversial social issues, such as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) lifestyles,’” I was first reminded of where in the world I was. (I’m living in the South, so how can I be surprised?) Secondly, I came to a realization that this is much bigger than my current coordinates on the United States map but an issue that has repeated itself throughout U.S. history and across the map — the silencing of voices. Voices that have echoed throughout generations and centuries of suppression and dehumanization. In other words, “Here we go again,” as Santa Cruz says. “In a non-pessimistic way, I’m upset but, living in this country for as long as I have, I’m not surprised.” Another bill Tennessee lawmakers plan to include, House Bill 2633, states that “a teacher or other employee of a public school or LEA is not required to refer to a student using the student’s preferred pronoun if the pronoun does not align with the student’s biological sex.” To put it simply, a student’s pronouns will not matter. Teachers and other employees of public schools get to call students whatever pronouns they want, despite them communicating what they feel most comfortable with. Santa Cruz expresses that living in Memphis as someone who is queer is like “living in a time capsule.” As for myself, I would describe my experience as living in a box. Constricting myself into walls that eventually cave in, suffocating my authentic self out of me and exhaling frustrations out onto this keyboard. That is the experience of a queer individual living in a society she is not sure is fully accepting of her. When it comes down to the queer experience in Memphis, Tennessee, located deep in the infamous Bible Belt, I couldn’t have used a better metaphor than the “time capsule,” as Santa Cruz described. Many parts of the city remain untouched, including some outdated values and traditions — and Santa Cruz and I aren’t the only ones who feel this way. Though most LGBTQ+ adults are aware of these issues, including other teachers and employees who work in our schools, our youth are not oblivious to them either. “It’s the 21st century. We should have been over homophobia by now,” explains a teenage student who attends public school in Memphis and identifies as queer. “Us children are discovering who we are earlier than generations before us. Banning textbooks and ignoring our pronouns won’t stop us from discovering who we really are.” Another student politely joins the conversation, “When adults aren’t supportive of who we are, it makes people like us feel like it’s hard to be ourselves. It makes us feel like we don’t belong.” The two students, who both identify as LGBTQ+ and gender-fluid, agree that if teachers normalized listening and allowed them material that is inclusive of their queer identities, it would help them build confidence in who they are and what they choose for themselves. We still have yet to see our country’s leaders bury that time capsule so we can move forward. It is difficult to say that America is truly working toward positive change if our schools are not inclusive of all the diverse backgrounds and identities of our youth. America’s reputation for cloaking its regressions and immobilities in sparkling words, half-truths, or even complete silence remains. Ashley Insong is a starving artist who is working toward being published in The New York Times while teaching full-time and freelance writing part-time. She enjoys singing and writing poetry and short stories about love, self-discovery, and her Filipina heritage.

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