Memphis Fyer 06/17/2021 by Contemporary Media

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THE CASE FOR A THIRD BRIDGE P11 • PRIZM ENSEMBLE P17 • IN THE HEIGHTS P26

OUR 1686TH ISSUE 06.17.21

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Frankie Paz and Jocelyn Vazquez

Daring to ··· Dream ··· A portrait of two DACA recipients as young adults.

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JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, HAILEY THOMAS Senior Account Executives MICHELLE MUSOLF Account Executive BRYCE HAYES Classifieds Coordinator 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 ASHLEY HAEGER Controller JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer MARGIE NEAL Production Operations Director KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Circulation and Accounting Manager 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 JULIE RAY 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

OUR 1686TH ISSUE 06.17.21 For some time, I’ve been the de facto book reviewer for the Memphis Flyer, as well as Memphis magazine and Memphis Parent. It’s a gig I’ve cherished and enjoyed, and I fully expect my byline will still appear alongside the occasional book review, if with a somewhat diminished frequency. The downside of being the company book reviewer, though, is I didn’t always feel free to explore every book that caught my fancy. If it wasn’t published recently, didn’t have a local angle, or was just too darn weird, I’d save it for some indeterminate future date. There were too many books to read for work, too many stories to sample and share with my fellow Memphians. Well, those days are done, and recently I read the (terrifying, disturbing, excellent) new novel by Rivers Solomon purely on the recommendation of a bookseller at one of the local indie bookstores. (Thanks, Stuart!) That novel, Sorrowland, follows Vern as she escapes from a religious compound and flees to the woods. The compound, Cainland, began as a refuge for Black Americans, a cooperative movement where they could look out for one another since so few others cared to take on that task. But at some point, the people of Cainland were set on a different path. Vern, plagued by hallucinations and strange aches, eventually learns that Cainland was infiltrated as part of a government-led COINTELPRO maneuver, one that transformed JESSE DAVIS the haven into a house Farewell, Forrest. of horrors where its inhabitants were unknowingly experimented upon. Sorrowland is a work of fiction, but its pages are dotted with references to real, documented instances that prove its plot is plausible. Predictable, even. Timing, as they say, is everything, and the timing for my dive into Sorrowland couldn’t have been more perfect if I had planned it. (I did not.) I began the book the same evening, literally hours after I drove to Health Sciences Park to take a photo, for a Flyer Politics Beat Blog piece, of the former resting place of Confederate general, slave trader, and Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife. Those days are over, too. Last week, the Forrests were removed from our city and are now on their way to a site in Columbia, Tennessee. I am not sorry to see those bones leave Memphis. Yes, Forrest is a part of Tennessee history, and I believe students should learn about his part in it. His legacy is that of a man who robbed Black men and women of their dignity, freedom, and lives. It’s a legacy we should never forget or banish to the back corners of our minds, but anyone whose CV reads like the one listed above has no place in any public park. If one of your biggest accomplishments would now be classified as a crime against humanity, you don’t get a statue. We get to choose who we put on a N E WS & O P I N I O N pedestal, and we should make those THE FLY-BY - 4 decisions together as a community. NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 POLITICS - 8 Choosing not to enshrine someone in AT LARGE - 11 a place of prominence isn’t erasure or COVER STORY cancellation or rewriting history. It’s just a “DARING TO DREAM” matter of choosing who we celebrate, and BY BRYCE W. ASHBY I think that we can find better heroes. & MICHAEL J. LAROSA - 12 Every Memphian should feel welcome FINANCIAL FEATURE - 15 WE RECOMMEND - 16 in our public parks, and using a public MUSIC - 17 space to honor someone with a history CALENDAR - 18 of oppression sends a message that more BOOKS - 24 than 60 percent of our city’s population is FOOD - 25 not welcome. That message, intended or FILM - 26 not, just does not sit well with me. C LAS S I F I E D S - 29 LAST WORD - 31 Jesse Davis jesse@memphisflyer.com

THE

fly-by

MEMernet A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web. M E M P H IAN HAT F LAP Nextdoor user Lisa Boling called out what she believes is a double standard at The Memphian Hotel over the weekend. She claims her daughter and her boyfriend were asked to remove their full-brim hats before they could enter the hotel’s rooftop for drinks. They declined and left. They came back later, took their hats off, entered the rooftop area, and found “older white men” wearing baseball caps. For this, Boling said the hat rule depends “on who you are” and wondered if “this fits into our artsy eclectic personality of our neighborhood.”

June 17-23, 2021

POSTED TO NEXTDOOR BY LISA BOLING

PAS S TH E P H O N E “I pass the phone to someone who asks the nurse, ‘Are you ready for the gun show?’” That was Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo in a new public service announcement advocating for vaccines. The YouTube video is styled after the popular “Pass the Phone Challenge” that permeated TikTok and Instagram recently. The #PassthePhone901 post features Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, Register of Deeds Shelandra Ford, Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner, and more. TAR G ET F I R E A weekend fire at the Collierville Target had some members of the Memphis subreddit perplexed. One heard someone set the chip aisle ablaze. Another heard multiple fires were set on purpose. Someone heard it was just an electrical fire.

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Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

W E E K T H AT W A S By Flyer staff

Poor People, Forrest, & the Bridge Movement calls for “Third Reconstruction,” bodies removed from park, and more bridge problems. B R I D G E M US I C ? The Tennessee Department of Transportation shared a short animated video last week showing exactly how the Hernando DeSoto Bridge will be repaired. The video left some scratching their heads, as the very serious subject matter was scored with lighthearted reggae music played on a ukulele.

TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

R E C O N STR U CTI O N A rally in Memphis last week was one of many across the country calling for a Third Reconstruction, which organizers say is a “revival of our constitutional commitment” for the justice and welfare of the nation’s 140 million poor people. The event was organized by the the Tennessee Poor People’s Campaign and was one of 50 simultaneous rallies happening across the U.S. These events were to publicize the Closure of Hernado DeSoto Bridge causes backed-up traffic on 1-55 in West Memphis. national push for a Third Reconstruction and announce a new National Poor People’s Assembly on June 21, 2021. founder Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife Mary were reThe Third Reconstruction movement draws “on the transformoved from Health Sciences Park and are headed to a Conmational history of the First Reconstruction following the Civil federate-themed park in Columbia, Tennessee. The removal War and the Second Reconstruction of the Civil Rights struggles marks a pivotal point in a process that began with a Forrest of the 20th century,” according to the group. Third Reconstrucstatue removal from the park in 2017. tion organizers want Congress to admit that the federal “budget is a moral document that exposes the priorities and values of our B R I D G E TR AF F I C nation; however, addressing poverty has not been a top legislative Thanks to the closure of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, big or budget priority.” trucks roll through West Memphis neighborhoods, driveways The Poor People’s Assembly wants direct budget action to are blocked, and emergency medical services are “struggling,” permanently expand welfare benefits, provide cash assistance according to a Facebook post last week from West Memphis programs, raise the minimum wage, and guarantee “safe and quality Mayor Marco McClendon. housing for all by ending all evictions, cancelling past due rent and McClendon said he knows citizens are “frustrated and lookmortgage payments, and expanding the stock of affordable and ing for someone to point the finger at” and he’s “normally that public housing.” target.” But he reminded West Memphians “that I live in this The resolution describes a country in which “the injustice of city also, and I see what you see.” poverty and low wealth is deeply entwined with the injustices He said that GPS services are now routing truckers in of systemic racism, the denial of healthcare, and ecological residential communities and that “we are working with Google devastation, militarism, and the distorted moral narrative of [for a] virtual reroute.” He said he’s working with the Arkansas religious nationalism that seeks to blame the poor instead of Department of Transportation on a number of adjustments to addressing systems that cause poverty.” alleviate traffic, but “I believe the only solution to this is getting that new bridge fixed quickly.” Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of FO R R EST G O N E Officials announced Friday that slave trader and Ku Klux Klan these stories and more local news.

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31 Eagles’ nests 32 Puerto ___ 33 Just a touch 36 Lobbying org. for seniors 37 Pioneer in email 38 Wild’s opposite 39 “‘Sup, ___?” 40 New Age energy field 42 Part of an urn that can turn 44 Notice when getting fired 47 Scarf down 49 Big parts of donkeys 50 Birds that honk 51 Justice Sotomayor 53 Furry foot 56 Meadow 57 Repeated comical reference 60 Like most things in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE S T I M S O N

M I S D O E S

B E A S T S

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C B U O N A N P E R Y E E R N D T E N M I R O I L S T A T

S O N O O N T E H A M I S E N T D G E O B R U N W R E I G R L E E R E

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PUZZLE BY TRENT H. EVANS

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Leaders look for developers to take on 100 N. Main.

A Block to Tackle

No. 0903

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

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On Tuesday, city leaders began the formal process to find a developer to take on the massive, empty 100 N. Main building and the block surrounding it. It’s the tallest building in Memphis with 37 floors and they’ve all been empty since 2014. The Downtown Mobility Authority (DMA) bought the property in March. Now that group, the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC), and the city of Memphis are looking for a developer to give it new life — one who would, ultimately, own the building and several parcels surrounding it. For this, the groups formally issued requests for proposals Tuesday morning. The right development team would be able to get the money for the project and complete it within 24 to 30 months of signing the dotted line. The groups plan to begin final interviews for the project in the last quarter of 2021, and they hope the selected team can begin construction on a new 100 N. Main by the third quarter of 2022. Here’s how the groups describe the entire 100 N. Main complex: “The project includes a total of nine adjacent parcels covering more than two acres. The 37-story building was originally built in 1965 and is approximately 579,000 square feet in gross area. As an office building, the net rentable area was approximately 429,000 square feet. The building was added to the National

PHOTOS: DOWNTOWN MOBILITY AUTHORITY

100 N. Main, vacant since 2014, is up for redevelopment.

Register of Historic Places in April 2015. The structure has remained vacant since June 2014. The overall site also includes four smaller historic buildings totaling around 50,000 square feet, a temporary dog park, and a surface parking lot.” If you are a member of a professional redevelopment company and want to take on the 100 N. Main project, visit the DMC website for more details. If you’ve ever wondered about views of the building from the ground, from the top, or on the inside, check out a gallery of images on memphisflyer.com.

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JACKSON BAKER

Millar, Turner, and Taylor at Health Sciences Park

‘Just a Park’ A new start for Health Sciences Park, Ellen Hobbs Lyle will not seek another term, and a wastewater pipeline gets the green light. In the wake of a previous circumstance of tenseness and hostility at Health Sciences Park involving the disinterment of Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife Mary Ann Montgomery Forrest, a press conference at the park on Friday, June 11th, was at least partly designed to clear the air, and to a large extent it may have. The three principal speakers at last Friday’s press conference were County Commissioner and NAACP leader Van Turner of Greenspace, the nonprofit which now controls the large tract formerly known as Forrest Park; Lee Millar, president of the Memphis branch of the Sons of Confederate Veterans;

and Brent Taylor, a longtime public official and the local funeral director who satisfied the state requirement for a technical advisor regarding the disinterment of the Forrests, destined now for a new gravesite at a Middle Tennessee site honoring Confederate history. As Turner expressed it, “Hopefully, all sides were satisfied” — meaning the Black Memphians for whom the removal of the graves and monument meant a “full circle” expungement of former injustice and disregard as well as those whites who equated Confederate General Forrest with glory and their heritage. “I think the Forrest family wanted their ancestor to lie in peace, and there was never going to be any peace here,” Turner said. Millar attested to the friendly cooperation and a general meeting-ofthe-minds between himself and Turner, and Taylor, who saw himself as situated

“in the middle” between communities, agreed that “all sides are happy with where we are. Both communities believe that we did this right.” Asked what the future disposition of the park might be, Turner said he’d received “many recommendations,” but “Right now, we just want this to be a park, not to have any more symbolism here for a little while. We’d like people to just enjoy the park” • Ellen Hobbs Lyle, the Nashville chancellor who ruled in favor of expanding mail-in voting last year at the height of

the pandemic and subsequently incurred the wrath of the state Republican establishment, said last week that she wouldn’t seek another eight-year term in 2022. The suit that she ruled on was pressed by the ACLU and by a group of Memphis petitioners, and Lyle’s ruling was stoutly resisted by the state’s election authorities, who managed to get its scope reduced somewhat in an appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Subsequently, measures to punish Lyle were pushed by GOP legislators in the general assembly but were rejected. • Governor Bill Lee announced last week that his administration would go ahead with a 37-mile wastewater pipeline connecting the still dormant Haywood County industrial megasite to the Mississippi River. Construction of the $52 million project could begin in the first quarter of 2022.

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10 June 17-23, 2021

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

Warning Shot There’s a message we should be taking from the shutdown of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge.

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traffic is backed up on I-40, through the city, and on the south I-240 loop, as 80,000 vehicles a day are funneled across a narrow highway bridge built 60 years ago to handle one-fourth that amount of traffic. Imagine if the break on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge had been discovered in, say, June 2017, during TDOT’s proposed shutdown. Or worse, imagine if something should go awry on the I-55 bridge now. Can you say Helena, Arkansas? Or Dyersburg, Tennessee? Those are the nearest two Mississippi River crossings. Local— and national — commerce would suffer a horrific hit. But thankfully the TDOT bridgeclosure didn’t happen in 2017. People raised hell. The bureaucrats were stopped. Now, with any luck, the “new bridge” gets fixed in the next couple months, and we get back to normal. But we need a new normal. There’s a lesson to be learned here, and the time to act on it is now. We have two bridges, both over a half-century old, both facing deterioration and maintenance issues. It’s obvious that Memphis needs a third bridge across the Mississippi. And it isn’t just about Memphis. It’s about the entire interstate commerce system through the middle of America, North and South, relying on a rickety, aging infrastructure that was built for the 1960s and 1970s. A new bridge addresses current and future issues. It could integrate with the I-69 corridor and maybe even incorporate space for future high-speed rail. Why not think big? It’s not like we’d be asking for the moon. St. Louis has six major bridges across the Mississippi. Davenport, Iowa, has three. Hell, Dubuque, Iowa, has two bridges. We’re tied with Dubuque, people. It’s in our interest and in the country’s interest to plan for the future, not to wait until the two extant bridges fall completely apart. Officeholders and business leaders from Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi need to get together and form a commission to explore the best way to get this moving. Patching a crack with overlaid slabs of steel is a temporary solution, a band-aid that doesn’t address the overarching issues of a deteriorating infrastructure. Moving toward getting a new bridge should become a priority now — not when we’re forced to deal with another bridge shutdown. We’ve been shown a glimpse of the future. It’s time to face it.

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ome of you may remember that back in 2015 the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced plans to shut down the I-55 bridge over the Mississippi in Memphis for nine months. TDOT said it needed to do so in order to install a “roundabout” interchange on the Memphis end of the bridge. The entire project was to begin in early 2017 and last through November 2019, effectively screwing up traffic across the bridge and through South Memphis for two years. It didn’t happen. And that’s mainly because some people with common sense (including this newspaper’s staff) raised hell against it, pointing out that shutting down the “old bridge” was a nightmare scenario, one that would funnel 100,000 vehicles a day (double its then-current traffic count) across the Hernando DeSoto Bridge and expose the entire Central U.S. to a potential shutdown of commerce should something happen to the one remaining bridge. Over in West Memphis, state Senator Keith Ingram’s hair was on fire. He rightly pointed out that the shutdown would “devastate local economies throughout Eastern Arkansas and would cripple emergency services in the event of an accident or natural disaster.” The late Phil Trenary, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, cited a post-9/11 study that showed that closing both of the city’s bridges would have a negative economic impact of about $11 billion to $15 billion per year, adding that the impact on business would be “significant to not only the local economy but to the national economy.” The Flyer’s Toby Sells wrote a comprehensive cover story on the subject. We editorialized against the shutdown vociferously and often. Eventually, thanks to building public, political, and business opposition, the TDOT plan was mothballed, hopefully forever. The area’s leaders came to recognize that Memphis would be in big trouble if we ever got down to one bridge. Oops. As we all know, thanks to the discovery of a fissure in a structural beam on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, the feared “down-to-one-bridge” scenario has happened. And as was predicted in 2015,

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June 17-23, 2021

Frankie Paz and Jocelyn Vazquez, two Dreamers, have made Memphis their home since their last interview with the Flyer five years ago.

C O V E R S T O R Y B Y B R Y C E W. A S H B Y A N D M I C H A E L J . L A R O S A P H OTO G R A P H S BY J U ST I N F OX B U R KS

Daring to ··· Dream ··· A portrait of two DACA recipients as young adults.

right-eyed, fresh-faced, impossibly optimistic — they stand in their caps and gowns on the cusp of achieving their hopes and dreams, ready to take on the world. That is the vision of the Dreamers — the young immigrants brought to this country as children, planning to make their way in the world, if given the opportunity. Twenty years ago, the bipartisan Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) proposed the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) to create a path to citizenship for Dreamers. On June 15, 2012, two years after Congress was unable to bypass a Senate filibuster and pass the DREAM Act, President Obama announced his executive action, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), and said: “These are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to our flag. They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper. They were brought to this country by their parents — sometimes even as infants — and often have no idea that they’re undocumented until they apply for a job or a driver’s license or a college scholarship.” Just over five and a half years ago, on January 14, 2016, the Memphis Flyer published a cover story titled “American Dreamers,” which featured two DACA students, Jocelyn Vazquez and Frankie Paz, who lived here in Memphis. At the time, Vazquez was a senior high school student at Immaculate Conception High School in Midtown and Paz was a first-year student at Christian Brothers University. Just kids! But like so many DACA recipients, Vazquez and Paz are no longer kids DREAM ON Vazquez and Paz are still living here in Memphis. While the optimism still shines, it has been tempered by lessons we all learn when becoming adults. However, their particular paths to adulthood have been made more difficult by the political realities of the past five years, including a viciously anti-immigration administration in Washington, an insurrection merely five months ago, and a seemingly dim future for the kind of political reform needed to modernize our immigration system. DACA has given hundreds of thousands of young people the opportunity to stay in the U.S., study here, work here, and contribute to the nation. President Trump tried to rescind DACA in 2017 during the first year of his presidency, but the courts intervened. On June 18, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled against the administration, finding its actions to be “arbitrary and capricious.” The 643,000 young people

MAKING OPPORTUNITY WORK For Jocelyn Vazquez, DACA has allowed her the opportunity to study and work with some protection, though she (like all DACA recipients) must re-apply to the program every two years at a cost of $495. Thanks to DACA, according to Vazquez, “I’ve been able to do something with my college degree. I have a driver’s license and a sense of protection.” She graduated from Rhodes College in May 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now an eighth-grade English Language Arts teacher at Kirby Middle School. She takes a visible pride in the connections she has established with her students, a process that has developed despite the multiple challenges of being a first-year teacher, virtual teaching, and then switching to in-person teaching this past March. Frankie Paz began college at Christian Brothers University here in Memphis in the fall of 2015; he earned a full scholarship through an arrangement to help Dreamers,

offered through an outside foundation in partnership with CBU. Paz studied business with a concentration in sports management but was unable to complete his degree due to shifting family dynamics, health concerns, and work. However, CBU represented a fantastic opportunity for Paz. On campus, he met supportive people in the administration and on faculty, but he also learned that he was largely on his own — as a first-generation college student, he had little family support and now realizes he was growing up and becoming an adult. “I began to network and learned how to meet people, talk to them, and came to understand that interacting with a wider community is fundamental for success.” From CBU, Paz took a job with United Airlines. He interviewed for a ramp agent position, but the interviewer quickly saw Paz’s potential and placed him in customer service. United management wanted to move him to Denver permanently, but Paz, in consultation with his girlfriend (now wife), decided their future was with family here in Memphis. He is now working at a company owned by his father-in-law that specializes in customized construction work. While these professional paths might imitate those of any young Memphian, President Trump’s attempt to roll back DACA presented serious stressors for Vazquez and Paz. Vazquez remembers the tensions associated with waiting on the Supreme Court decision in 2020: “The long three-year period between Trump’s attempt to rescind DACA and the June 2020 ruling created a constant stream of anxiety.” Vazquez adds that Trump’s anti-DACA rhetoric shaped her thinking about money and savings: “When you don’t know if protections offered here in the U.S. and the safety of home and community will be uprooted from one day to the next, you try to save more money — you never really feel completely safe.”

To a close observer of experiences like those of Vazquez and Paz, “potential” is the word that best defines DACA recipients.

For Vazquez (left) and Paz, Memphis is home — a place to grow with family, contribute to their communities, and follow their dreams. Mauricio Calvo, executive director at Latino Memphis, underscores Vazquez’s sentiments. He worries about the tremendous human potential that’s wasted as DACA is rescinded, then brought back — i.e., as the political process takes precedence over the needs and aspirations of young people living in our nation. “These DACA recipients have been in a state of limbo for so long. It’s a challenge, and it means people have to make really difficult decisions,” Calvo says. “Does a person decide not to attend law school, given that there is a question about whether she could actually practice law once she graduates? Does a company pass over someone for a promotion because there is a question of what will happen with DACA?” Paz does not dwell too much on DACA, but it is always lurking in the shadows. The 24-year-old comments how “the threats during the last few years were always there.” He diligently renewed his DACA eligibility documents this past January. He followed the 2020 presidential election, and though he cannot vote, he supported the candidate “who I thought would work to bring the nation together.” Stating the obvious, Paz says, “There’s just too much division here.” MAKING MEMPHIS HOME Family dynamics define the day-to-day life

of Vazquez here in Memphis. Vazquez’s family has taken full advantage of various opportunities here in the U.S. For example, her younger sister — following in Vazquez’s footsteps — graduated from Rhodes College on May 15th with a bachelor’s in pyschology. Vazquez’s mother no longer cleans homes for a living; instead, she opened a small restaurant here in the city, reflecting the determination, drive, and resilience of our neighbors. Her father has shifted his work from construction to property management and real estate. Her parents, especially her father, still retain the belief of so many first-generation immigrants that if you work hard enough in America, you will be successful. Vazquez’s experiences and the tenuousness of DACA, however, have left her a little bit skeptical of that notion. To a close observer of experiences like Vazquez’s and Paz’s, “potential” is the word that best defines DACA recipients. Daniel Connolly, a reporter and author, has been covering immigration and the local Hispanic community for more than a decade. Connolly authored the critically acclaimed 2016 work of immersive journalism, The Book of Isaias: A Child continued on page 14

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

— their friends and family, teachers and employers — breathed a collective sigh of relief. Durbin has not forgotten about the legislation he introduced 20 years ago. The Illinois Democrat remains determined to see the DREAM Act pass the Senate, and, speaking from the Senate floor on January 21, 2021, the day after President Biden restored DACA via executive action, he said, “Without DACA, hundreds of thousands of talented young people who have grown up in our country cannot continue their work and risk deportation every single day.” But even he recognizes how the prolonged battle has occurred while the lives of these kids continue to evolve, noting, “These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status.”

continued from page 13 of Hispanic Immigrants Seeks His Own America, which is a moving account of Kingsbury High School student Isaias Ramos and his family as they navigate life in the U.S. — in Memphis. “These young people — it’s in the interest of society to help develop their potential,” says Connolly. The hope, optimism, human capacity, and youthful promise of kids like Paz, who was also featured in his book, continue to inspire Connolly. Developing and nurturing the potential of DACA youth makes sense for purely

practical reasons: The 643,000 current DACA recipients arrived here on average when they were seven years of age and have lived more than 20 years in the United States. They are the parents of 250,000 U.S. citizen children. It is estimated that, over the next decade, Dreamers with DACA who continue to work legally in the United States will contribute $433 billion to this nation’s GDP and will pay more than $12 billion into Social Security. While the Dream Act languishes in Congress — 20 years on — and the politicians in Washington throw DACA around like the political football it has

become, the young DACA kids grow older and become adults. “While the political fight goes on, the DACA youth are moving on with their lives,” notes Connolly. The journalist gently brings up the Samuel Huntington paradox. In 2004, Harvard political scientist and cultural theorist Samuel P. Huntington (d. 2008) published a polemical book, titled Who Are We?: The Challenges to America’s National Identity. Huntington predicted a total social, linguistic, and cultural bifurcation in the U.S. based on immigration and data trends from Latin America. “Samuel Huntington,” comments Connolly, “wrote

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of a societal split and tried to frighten us by writing of a Spanish-speaking minority that never assimilates.” The journalist continues, “It’s actually the opposite of that — people are quickly finding their place in society, and this is a very hopeful sign for this nation.” Up until a couple years ago, Paz lived with his mother in Memphis, but he moved out on his own and settled in an apartment complex in Midtown. Ironically, his neighbor in the same complex was Daniel Connolly. This was a certain sign for the Memphis journalist that Huntington was simply wrong. Integration was prevailing past the Harvard theorist’s bifurcation. Paz — a newlywed — recently moved to East Memphis with his wife and has grown through his experiences. He has learned how the concept of family expands and evolves as the years progress and told us about gaining expertise in “budgeting, how to live and share with another person, how to be a better person.” Vazquez said she loves Memphis and wants to stay here as an educator. “I lived in a big city [Houston, Texas], and a small rural town in Mississippi — Memphis seems like a perfect balance between those two extremes.” She is getting ready to move into a rental home near the Crosstown Concourse in the city she has chosen as her home. Paz, together with his wife, plans to work in property investment here in the city; Memphis is home. “I see such great potential in this city, so much improvement and such opportunity for growth.” Paz has been here for a dozen years; as a two-year-old, he traveled with his family from Honduras to California and then to Memphis. Calvo reminds us why it is so critically important to listen to the stories of Vazquez and Paz. “You know, generally, as a society, we become less sympathetic to people as they grow older,” states the Latino Memphis director, a bit wearily. “We need to understand that DACA didn’t solve the larger problem, it merely cracked the door, and that door can be closed. It’s cruel to show them the possibilities in America while not finishing the [legislative] job and giving them a full and unhindered chance at life.” Like so many DACA recipients, Paz and Vazquez continue to move forward and have grown from young idealistic teenagers into adults confronting the realities of life’s challenges. They are our neighbors. They have chosen Memphis. As Paz says, “I can see myself staying here. I have only vague memories of Honduras. I want to build something in Memphis. … I want to contribute to Memphis.”

F I N A N C I A L F E AT U R E B y G e n e G a r d

Fishing for savings?

The 4 Percent Rule Or how much do I really pay for lunch?

In fact, when the 4 percent rule is examined over time, the Trinity Study points out that there’s a good chance there will be way more money than the beginning balance in the portfolio at the end of the period and only very rare failures where the money ran out. The reciprocal of 4 percent is 25, which you can use as a multiplier against annual spending to estimate a portfolio size needed to support your spending.

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Spending with the 4 percent rule

To support a lifestyle of, say, $50,000 a year, investments in the ballpark of $1.25 million are necessary to sustain that level of spending for decades into the future. There are lots of interesting implications from the rule to think about. Minimum wage of $7.25 and 2,000 hours worked per year indicates annual income of $14,500. Therefore, an investment portfolio of $362,500 could probably produce income like a minimum wage job more or less indefinitely (adjusted for inflation). Consider this milestone on the way to longer-term financial goals. The 4 percent rule can give you insight on spending decisions, too. Think about eating out for lunch at work. Imagine you could buy a laminated card that was good for today’s equivalent of a $15 lunch each working day, valid at any restaurant, for the rest of your life. How much is that worth? Assuming 262 work days in a year, the 4 percent rule would tell you it’s worth about 262 x $15 x 25 = $98,250. You could set $100,000 aside in an investment account, pay for these lunches out of it for the rest of your life, and probably never run out of lunch money. But consider converting an expense like that into time. If you net $50,000 after tax from your job, the 4 percent rule suggests you’d have to work two additional years to prepare to cover a $15-a-day, five-days-aweek lunch habit in retirement. That may or may not seem like a good deal, but at least this way of thinking helps translate something as innocuous as a small daily habit into a tangible estimate of time — the only truly limited resource. These examples are all hypothetical and are not a substitute for real comprehensive financial planning. Nevertheless, this might be a useful way to frame decisions about work, retirement, spending, and saving. Maybe you love eating out and two years of work is totally worth it, but maybe that fourth streaming subscription nobody watches at your house will get canceled when you convert it to the extra work to sustain it long term. Have a question or topic you’d like to see covered in this column? Contact the author at ggard@telarrayadvisors.com. Gene Gard is Chief Investment Officer at Telarray, a Memphis-based wealth management firm that helps families navigate investment, tax, estate, and retirement decisions.

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NEWS & OPINION

robably the most jarring transition from your working life to retirement is the switch from a periodic paycheck to the idea of living off investments that need to last, quite literally, a lifetime. Planning for this milestone involves a symphony of countless considerations too complex for one discussion, but there is a rule of thumb that can provide great perspective. A famous 1998 report called the Trinity Study inspired what is known as the 4 percent rule. (The paper was written by three professors at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.) It means that for a typical investment portfolio, an investor can take out 4 percent the first year, then continue to withdraw that same amount — adjusted for inflation — each subsequent year for decades and still have a strong chance of never running out of money.

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By Julie Ray

The month of May brought a lot of changes in Memphis’ Orange Mound community. Let’s go back so that we can move forward. The Collective (CLTV) was a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring and propelling African-American culture in Memphis. Primarily the focus for CLTV was on the arts. Note the verb “was.” In mid-May, the organization changed its name to Tone and expanded its mission to the community as a whole. By the end of May, it was announced that Tone had partnered with Unapologetic, a music-centric arts and culture organization, to develop the United Equipment tower and surrounding property on Lamar. Now, the partnership is having its first event at the Orange Mound Tower. The celebration will host musical performances, food trucks, games, and more to celebrate the legacy and freedom of those who came before. In a historically Black neighborhood, community-forward Black ownership definitely honors the Black community and ancestors. The emphasis on family for this Juneteenth celebration is intentional, says Victoria Jones, founder and executive director of Tone. “Family PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS reunions used to be a highlight of my year when I was a kid. The desire to The Juneteenth Family Reunion will be the expand that experience to include the artists and creatives I have grown first event at Orange Mound Tower. to call family through the celebration of freedom was a huge inspiration for our Juneteenth Family Reunion. We are inviting our ancestors into the space — it’ll be a real family affair as we celebrate their perseverance and hope that got us this far.” JUNETEENTH FAMILY REUNION, ORANGE MOUND TOWER, 2205 LAMAR, SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 5-11 P.M., FREE.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES June 17th - 23rd Novel at Home: Dr. Beverly Tsacoyianis with Dr. Sara Scalenghe Online from Novel, novelmemphis.com, Thursday, June 17, 6 p.m., free with registration Author and guest discuss Disturbing Spirits: Mental Illness, Trauma, and Treatment in Modern Syria and Lebanon via Zoom. Songs for a New World Online from Playhouse on the Square, playhouseonthesquare.org, opens Friday, June 18, 7 p.m., continues Fridays-Saturdays, 7 p.m., and Sundays, 2 p.m., through June 27, $25 A musical theater song cycle takes four singers through a journey of discovery. This livestreaming performance from POTS stage closes the online season.

Juneteenth Virtual Commemoration: BLKFreedom Online from National Civil Rights Museum, civilrightsmuseum.org, Friday, June 18, 11 a.m., free Virtually join nine leading Black museums and historical institutions and explore the historical influences on the evolution of being Black in America. Wine Down The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, 4339 Park, Friday, June 18, 6 p.m., $40 Enjoy summer wines from Buster’s Liquors & Wines and appetizers from Park + Cherry by Chef Phillip Dewayne.

Revenge of the Saturday Night Burn: The Best of the Burns Malco Summer Drive-In, 5310 Summer, Saturday, June 19, 7:30 p.m., $20 per car Time Warp Drive-In will screen Dazed and Confused, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke, and Reefer Madness. Vegan Festival Memphis Park (Fourth Bluff ), Front and Madison, Sunday, June 20, noon-5 p.m., free to attend Features vegan food, live entertainment, and a local marketplace with vegan-related items from local vendors.

MUSIC By Alex Greene

Lessons Learned Evolving through COVID-19, PRIZM Ensemble returns to teach Memphis youth.

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Rod Vester connects students through music. Still, Vester considers the in-person instruction to be the heart and soul of PRIZM. Taking place at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church from June 21st-July 2nd, the classes offer daily instruction on strings, woodwinds, and brass, as well as advanced music theory and history and master classes. The camp closes with all students performing in a final public concert alongside their peers and instructors on the last day of each week. As Vester explains, the focus on chamber music was very much a pedagogical decision. “It’s more about all the other soft skills that students develop. They can really develop in small groups, and that is why we chose chamber music — because you are all leaders in a chamber group. There’s no one conducting. There’s a lot of accountability. You have to learn your part, know your part, and then communicate with your group members.” These skills are valuable no matter what students pursue, Vester says. “Some have gone on to study music, but that’s not something we encourage or discourage, honestly. We simply use music as a tool to connect students.”

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

other year. … A lot of us know each other from all these other programs. So, essentially, what we’re doing is putting Memphis on the circuit.” Such a reach proved impossible during the pandemic, so, as Vester explains, “We have all local faculty this year, which is not the norm for us. Typically we have faculty coming from Sweden, from Africa, from everywhere. We’re always thinking about diversity in everything we do here — not just diversity in opinions and perspectives and gender, but also racial and ethnic diversity. So when we think about that, there is a shortage, in a sense, of people of color in classical music here in the city.” Yet the adaptations to a world of social distancing have also led PRIZM to grow in unexpected ways. Students this year will notice something new on the agenda: a third week of online courses in video production, music technology, and social justice and activism in music. “I started teaching online classes in music technology at the beginning of the pandemic last year,” Vester says. “Those virtual courses are now included in this year’s curriculum. We have our in-person summer camp and festival, which is intensive classical music study for two weeks. And then the virtual programming in week three.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Now in its 12th year of music instruction, the PRIZM Ensemble (prizmensemble.org), centered on the strings, woodwinds, and brass of chamber music, is one of the most respected institutions serving Memphis youth. Its absence last summer, due to COVID-19 concerns, was a heavy blow to many aspiring musicians, so students and parents alike are heartened by PRIZM’s return next Monday. But as the pandemic lingers on, class sizes are being limited to a fraction of what they were at the program’s height. “We have lowered our numbers significantly,” says Rod Vester, PRIZM’s executive director. “Our goal was 25 students, and as of yesterday we hit that number. Typically we have 90-100 students. So it’s a drastic decrease this year. But rightfully so.” The faculty has been trimmed back as well and limited to only local instructors, which has in turn affected what had previously been one of PRIZM’s defining qualities: its international character. In 2017, then-executive director Lecolion Washington was especially proud of the diversity of PRIZM’s instructors, drawn from around the globe. “There are so few African-American classical musicians in the country that most of us know each other,” he said. “There are certain programs that happen every year or every

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

June 17 - 23

More than 40 of Dr. Gopal Murti’s esoteric paintings are on display at Memphis Botanic Garden.

T H EAT E R

Songs for a New World

A musical theater song cycle composed by Jason Robert Brown takes four singers through a journey of discovery. Live-streaming performance from POTS stage. $25. Fri., June 18-June 27.

“Art of a Scientist”

66 S. COOPER, 38104 (726-4656)

Recent works by Dr. Gopal Murti. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Online on Stage

A Theatre Memphis Facebook group that serves as a clearinghouse for performers wanting to share their talents. Featuring storytime, readings, or performance art. Ongoing.

750 CHERRY, 38117 (636-4100)

“Arts of Global Africa”

Exhibition of historic and contemporary works in a range of different media presenting an expansive vision of Africa’s artistry. Through June 21.

630 PERKINS EXT., 38117 (682-8323)

1934 POPLAR, 38104 (544-6209)

“Color and Light: Nature’s Gifts”

P E R FO R M I N G A R TS

Fourth Bluff Latin Dance Series | Bachata on the Bluff A fun community dance class in the park taught by the staff of Cat’s Ballroom. Sat., June 19, 6-7 p.m. FRONT STREET, 38103

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com or P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY.

Freedom Soundscapes: The Music of the Underground Railroad

Experience authentic traditional African drums and musical instruments with Ekpe and Company. Sat., June 19, 1 p.m. 3050 CENTRAL, 38111 (636-2362)

ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

38th Annual Juried Student Online Exhibition Through Dec. 31.

142 COMMUNICATION & FINE ARTS BUILDING, 38152 (678-2224)

“Africa: Art of a Continent”

African art from the Martha and Robert Fogelman collection. Ongoing. 142 COMMUNICATION & FINE ARTS BUILDING, 38152 (678-2224)

Impressionistic paintings by Steve Nelson. Saturdays until June 30, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. 750 CHERRY, 38117 (766-9900)

“Folk Art”

Works from the collection of Judy Peiser, co-founder and executive director of the Center for Southern Folklore. Thurs-

days until July 31, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. 750 CHERRY, 38117 (636-4100)

“Going Places”

Over 70 works of art by 25 artists online at wkno.org. Live-viewing weekdays at Mid-South Artist Gallery in Bartlett. Free. Through June 30. 7151 CHERRY FARMS, 38016 (458-2521)

“IEAA Ancient Egyptian Collection”

Egyptian antiquities ranging from 3800 B.C.E. to 700 C.E. from the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology collection. Ongoing. 142 COMMUNICATION & FINE ARTS BUILDING, 38152 (678-2224)

“Measured Making: The 150mm Challenge”

Borne from the #150mmChallenge and curated by Delyth Done, features work by amateur and professional blacksmiths who each turned a 150mm x 20mm x 20mm steel rectangle into something spectacular. Through July 3. 374 METAL MUSEUM, 38106 (774-6380)

Through Darkness to Light:

Photographs Along the Underground Railroad

WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG

Exhibition Now Open

June 17-23, 2021

Memphis Museum of Science & History

JUN 18

JUN

JUl

CALENDAR: JUNE 17 - 23

4339 PARK, 38117 (761-5250)

“Memphis 2021”

New work by favorite and emerging artists emphasizing color, texture, scale, community, and an exciting look at what’s to come in Memphis in the 2020s. Through July 11. 4339 PARK, 38117 (761-5250)

“Micro-Aesthetic”

Microscopic images forming a connection to everyday life patterns presented by Dr. Amir Hadadzadeh. Through Sept. 30. 142 COMMUNICATION & FINE ARTS BUILDING, 38152 (678-2224)

“Play. Jazz. Color. Joy.” Work by Amy Hutcheson. Wed.-Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 5040 SANDERLIN, 38117 (767-2200)

“Signs and Wonders”

A variety of media by visual artist, textile designer, and leathersmith Brittney Boyd Bullock. Through June 20. 4339 PARK, 38117 (761-5250)

“Sketching Europe: A Tour through the Eyes of Memphian Samuel H. Crone” Sketches and watercolor paintings by Samuel Hester Crone in the permanent collection. Ongoing.

142 COMMUNICATION & FINE ARTS BUILDING, 38152 (678-2224)

“Structure-IdentityTransformation”

Photography, installations, sculpture, and video by six artists, exploring themes of race, identity, gender, language, and transformation. Through June 26. 97 TILLMAN, 38104 (767-3800)

“The Machine Inside: Biomechanics”

An immersive exhibit for all ages that takes visitors on an intriguing journey into the marvels of natural engineering. Through Aug. 31. 3050 CENTRAL, 38111 (636-2362)

“Through Darkness to Light: Photographs along the Underground Railroad”

Photographs by Jeanine Michna-Bales documenting the path of roughly 2,000 miles based on sites, cities, and places that freedom-seekers passed through. Through June 20. 3050 CENTRAL, 38111 (636-2362)

Tributaries: Andrew Meers: “Amalgamations” Exhibition which recognizes emerging and mid-career artists in the metals field. Includes a selection of knives and forged work. Through July 17. 374 METAL MUSEUM, 38106 (774-6380)

Vietnam Veterans & Desert Storm Veterans Exhibition Veterans’ work on view. Through July 31. 2945 SHELBY, 38134

ART HAPPE N I NGS

“Movement, Light, and Emotion”

Danny Broadway, participating artist in “Memphis 2021,” speaks about his art via Zoom. Wed., June 23, noon. 4339 PARK, 38117 (761-5250)

Snowden Spirit Series Writing Contest

Write your own historical fiction about the people buried at Elmwood. Prizes awarded. Visit elmwoodcemetery.com for full details. $20. Through July 6. 824 S. DUDLEY, 38104 (774-3212)

continued on page 20

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Highlighting Margaret and Hugo Dixon’s personal lives, collections, and legacy. Through Sept. 26.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“Meet the Dixons”

CALENDAR: JUNE 17 - 23 continued from page 19 WE Gallery

Gallery show benefiting artists. Through Aug. 31. 88 RACINE, 38111 (327-5661)

20, 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Wed., June 23, 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Virtual Dixon Book Club

Book club members read fiction and nonfiction to learn about nature, the arts, and history. Meet every third Thursday via Zoom. Thurs., June 17, 6 p.m.-7 p.m.

2085 MONROE, 38104 (274-7139)

Argentine Tango Society USA

All level dancers; everyone is welcome. $10. Wed., June 23, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

4339 PARK, 38117 (761-5250)

B O O K EV E N TS

C O M E DY

Memphis Reads

Speaking engagements at Christian Brothers University on Oct. 13, Rhodes College on Oct. 14, and at a Shelby County School will be scheduled along with parallel events for Thick: and Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom. Through Oct. 31. 650 E. PARKWAY S., 38104 (321-3335)

Novel at Home: Dr. Beverly Tsacoyianis with Dr. Sara Scalenghe

Author and guest discuss Disturbing Spirits: Mental Illness, Trauma, and Treatment in Modern Syria and Lebanon via Zoom. Thurs., June 17, 6 p.m. 387 PERKINS EXT., 38117 (922-5526)

Reader Meet Writer: Chris Offutt

Author discusses The Killing Hills via Zoom. Thurs., June 17, 6 p.m.

Open-mic style. Free. Tues., June 22, 8 p.m.-10 p.m.

A fun community dance class in the park taught by the staff of Cat’s Ballroom. Sat., June 19, 6 p.m.-7 p.m.

282 N. CLEVELAND, 38104 (278-8663)

PoundCake

Second performance at 9:30 p.m. $45. Thurs., June 17; Fri., June 18, 7:30 p.m.

FRONT STREET, 38103

1700 DEXTER, 38016 (421-5905)

FAM I LY

COM M U N ITY

Instructional Education Programs for Mid-South Students

Thistle & Bee Ambassador Program

WKNO is working with the Shelby County Schools to provide five hours of at-home learning programming for K-5 through high school. Visit website for programs and resource guides. Weekdays, noon-5 p.m.

Become a steward for the Thistle & Bee mission. Email Oriana for more information, oholmes@thistleandbee.org. Free. Ongoing. THISTLEANDBEE.ORG

DA N C E

Read In Peace Book Club

Argentine Tango

824 S. DUDLEY, 38104 (774-3212)

Fourth Bluff Latin Dance Series | Bachata on the Bluff

Live Weekly Comedy with John Miller

387 PERKINS EXT., 38117 (922-5526)

Read selected book and join in for discussion via Zoom. Tues., June 22, 5:30 p.m.

8085 TRINITY, MEMPHIS, TN

Learn, practice, and dance authentic Argentine tango with Memphis Argentine Tango Society (MATS). Sun., June

WKNO.ORG

KangaZoo Outback Experience

A Father’s Legacy, starring, written, and directed by Jason Mac, is set to premiere on Thursday, June 17th.

Experience the outback and meet one of Australia’s largest marsupials, the red kangaroo. Guests will stay on the designated path, but the kangaroos

will have free range so guests may take pictures if they come across any of the animals. Free. Ongoing. 2000 PRENTISS PLACE IN OVERTON PARK, 38112 (333-6500)

F EST IVA L

Bluff City Balloon Jamboree

Bring out the family to enjoy live entertainment, arts and crafts displays, and more. Balloon flights, glows, and tethered rides (weather permitting) add to the fun at dawn and dusk. Festival location is Maynard Way and Byhalia. Sat., June 19-June 20. MAYNARD WAY, COLLIERVILLE, TN 38017

Bluff City Brunch Festival

Try some of the best brunch items and drinks that Memphis restaurants have to offer while enjoying scenic views of the river from Fourth Bluff Park. Benefiting A Step Ahead Foundation. $30, $65. Sat., June 19, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. BEALE AND RIVERSIDE, 38103

GET LOUD Concert Series: David Ryan Harris

Outdoor music series in Handy Park on Beale Street’s biggest stage. Visit Handy Park’s Facebook page for more information. Thurs., June 17, 6 p.m. DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS, 38103

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CALENDAR: JUNE 17 - 23

1900 S. GERMANTOWN, 38138

Juneteenth: A Celebration and A Conversation

Food, health fair, symposium, live entertainment, re-enactment, and more. Sat., June 19, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 807 WALKER, 38126

Juneteenth Celebration: Lester Community

Performances by F1E (Family First Entertainment) DJ Prewitt. Sat., June 19, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 317 TILLMAN, 38112

Juneteenth Celebration: Shop Black Memphis Outdoor Juneteenth vendor fair celebration. Sat., June 19, 1p.m.-5 p.m. 498 W. MALLORY, 38109

Juneteenth Family Reunion

Citywide celebration of Black joy, freedom, and family featuring music and food trucks. Sat., June 19, 5 p.m.-11 p.m. 2205 LAMAR, 38114

Featuring entertainment by Earnest Pugh and Cherisse Scott. June 18-June 19. MADISON AND DUNLAP, 38103

Juneteenth Freedom and Heritage Festival Live music, games, food, fun, and fellowship. June 18-June 20.

FI LM

A Father’s Legacy

On the run from the law, a young man searching for his father forces his way into the life of a secluded old man in the woods. Also screening at Collierville Towne Cinema. $15. Thurs., June 17, 7 p.m.

1616 ASH, 38108

584 S. MENDENHALL, 38117

Juneteenth Inaugural Freedom Ride

Black Lodge Film Camp

ISLAND DRIVE, 38103

405 N. CLEVELAND AVE, 38104

Juneteenth Virtual Commemoration: BLKFreedom

Cemetery Cinema: Clue

Ride the distance and participate in a raffle. Complimentary lunch, snacks, and water for riders. $45. Sat, June 19, 6:30 a.m.

Virtually join nine leading Black museums and historical institutions and explore the historical influences on the evolution of being Black in America. Fri., June 18, 11 a.m. 450 MULBERRY, 38103 (521-9699)

Vegan Festival

Vegan food, live entertainment, and a marketplace. Sun., June 20, noon-5 p.m. FRONT AND MADISON, 38103

The basics of filmmaking. Weekly classes will be mix of instruction, demonstration, and hands-on experience. $500. Mon., June 21, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Outdoor showing of Clue starring Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, and Christopher Lloyd. Fri., June 18, 8:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. 824 S. DUDLEY, 38104 (774-3212)

Jerry Maguire: 25th Anniversary

Tom Cruise is Jerry Maguire. Also screening at Collierville Towne Cinema. $15. Sun., June 20, 3 p.m.; Wed., June 23, 7 p.m. 584 S. MENDENHALL, 38117

Of Animals and Men

Story of how the Zabinski family, Warsaw zookeepers, rescued and hid Jews from Nazis. Also screening at Col-

continued on page 23

JUNE 25-26

WATERFORD, MS

C A M P I N G AVA I L A B L E • K I D S U N D E R 1 2 F R E E

KENNY BROWN • DUWAYNE BURNSIDE • GARRY BURNSIDE LUTHER DICKINSON w/CEDRIC BURNSIDE & SHARDE THOMAS ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART’S MUSCLE THEORY•KUDZU KINGS RISING STARS FIFE & DRUM BAND • CEDRIC BURNSIDE ERICDEATON TRIO • KENT BURNSIDE w/JIMBO MATHUS •78 LITTLE JOE AYERS•ROBERT KIMBROUGH BLUES CONNECTION CARY HUDSON•R.L.BOYCE • BILL STEBER &LIBBY RAE WATSON MEMPHISSIPPI SOUNDS • ROCKET 88 • SOLAR PORCH T I C K E T S : N M S H I L L C O U N T RY P I C N I C . C O M

PER DAY

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Enjoy a perfect June evening relaxing and listening to familyfriendly live music. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Tues., June 22, 6 p.m.

Juneteenth Festival

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Groovin’ & Grillin’ featuring Soul Shockers

CALENDAR: JUNE 17 - 23

Youth ages 12-15 are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine!

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continued from page 21 lierville Towne Cinema. $15. Tues., June 22, 7 p.m. 584 S MENDENHALL, 38117

Revenge of the Saturday Night Burn: The Best of the Burns Features Dazed and Confused, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke, and Reefer Madness. $20. Sat., June 19, 7:30 p.m.

Dixon Gallery & Gardens will put on its first inperson Wine Down of the year on Friday, June 18th.

Wine Down

Enjoy summer wines from Buster’s Liquors and Wines and appetizers from Park + Cherry. $40. Fri., June 18, 6 p.m. 4339 PARK, 38117 (761-5250)

5310 SUMMER 38122

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Enjoy a guided evening sunset paddle on the lake followed by socially distanced cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, yard games, and music at Hyde Lake Pavilion. Fri., June 18, 7 p.m. 6903 GREAT VIEW, 38134

Father’s Day Lunch

Take a cruise down the Mississippi River, featuring live blues and jazz and a hot food menu including beef brisket and lemon herb chicken. $65. Sun., June 20, 10 a.m. 45 S. RIVERSIDE, 38103 (527-2628)

Forks & Corks

Enjoy a night of food, wine tastings, dancing, and music under the stars, benefiting Fayette Cares. Wine by the bottle will be available for purchase. $40. Sat., June 19, 6 p.m.-10:30 p.m. 605 JOYNERS CAMPGROUND, SOMMERVILLE, TN 38068 (465-7937)

Shell Yeah! Tasty Compositions: Yola

Performance by Yola. All proceeds support the continued preservation of the historic Shell. Seating for these events is limited to six person pods socially distanced under the stars. $400/ pod with provided picnic, $270/ pod without provided picnic. Thurs., June 17, 7:30 p.m. 1928 POPLAR, 38104

LECT U R E

Hollywood Feed University: “Separation Anxiety in Dogs”

Join Dana Rebaza, certified separation anxiety trainer at 8 a.m., noon, or 5 p.m. as she speaks on topic. Free. Thurs., June 17. HOLLYWOODFEED.COM

“There and Gone: A History of Working for the Dead”

Early Greek philosophers pondered why it is that we bury our dead with great care and reverence. The dead are our history, but at the same time, they are still with us. That’s where this presentation begins. $20. Thurs., June 17, 6 p.m. 824 S. DUDLEY, 38104 (774-3212)

Uncommon Threads Quilt Guild

First two meetings free to prospective members. Yearly membership is $25. Each meeting includes a lecture, snacks, and meet and greet. Tues., June 22, 6:15 p.m. 2331 GERMANTOWN ROAD (754-7216)

S P EC IA L EVE NTS

Best of Memphis Nominations

Vote online for your favorite local businesses. Show them some love. Tell them that they are the BOM. Through June 30. BOM.MEMPHISFLYER.COM

Sprinkler Day at the Garden

Bring your towel and splash gear and cool off with a variety of sprinklers. Concessions available for purchase. Free with garden admission; no reservation required. Sat., June 19, 10 a.m. 750 CHERRY, 38117 (636-4100)

Stargazing

Get a closer look at the night skies with Memphis Astronomical Society (MAS) on the Hyde Lake parking lot. Telescopes provided. Sat., June 19, 7:30 p.m. 6903 GREAT VIEW, 38134

Terrarium Planter Party Choose from a selection of houseplants to create an indoor, miniature garden in a terrarium. Add fairies, gnomes, rocks, and jewels to make it your own unique world. $45. Fri., June 18, 6 p.m. 750 CHERRY, 38117 (636-4100)

S PO R TS

Outdoor Total Body Burn

Enjoy the sunset over Downtown Memphis and the wideopen acreage at Grind City Brewing Co. for a high-energy 30-minute workout. $16. Thurs., June 17, 6:15 p.m. 76 WATERWORKS AVENUE, 38107

Sunset Yoga Downtown

Join Bridget Sisney of Universoul Wellness at Fourth Bluff Park. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Sun., June 20, 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. FRONT AND MADISON, 38103

TO U R S

Haunted Memphis Bus Tour

Informative and entertaining guides will share tales of murders, hauntings, and dark history. $25. Fri., June 18, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., June 19, 7:30 p.m. 546 S. MAIN, 38103 (497-9486)

Saturday, June 26 11 AM – 5 PM

Join us at the

Donor Fest Blood Drive!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

All participating blood donors will receive a Donor Fest T-shirt! When you donate blood, you provide a life-saving treatment for patients undergoing surgery, experiencing trauma or battling cancer and blood disorders. Learn more at vitalant.org/DonorFest

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

Overton Square Tower Courtyard 2102 Trimble Place Memphis, TN 38104

B O O K S B y J o n W. S p a r k s

Rounding Third Author shares insights on life, business, and baseball metaphors.

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ay Myers lives, learns, and teaches by example. And he loves to tell about all that knowledge he’s accumulated running his own successful business. He’s just published his third book on his adventures as a company man, first for other firms and then running his own show, a production that became so successful that he sold his business (even though he resisted, a little). The book, being launched this week, is Rounding Third and Heading for Home: The Emotional Journey of Selling My Business and the Lessons Learned Along the Way, and the grist for his tales are the obstacles that came at him like wild pitches — yes, he loves his baseball metaphors — and how he managed to use skill and a bit of luck to turn them into hits. Myers founded Interactive Solutions Inc. (ISI) in 1996, an “audio-visual integration firm” that developed expertise in the swiftly evolving field of videoconferencing. He recounts that in nine months, beginning with the day he got fired from his job, he put together his business starting with no money, secured/lost financing on the way, got a melanoma diagnosis, and endured a supplier embezzlement. It did get better. He got ISI into distance learning and telemedicine and grew the company. Still obstacles found their way. In 2003, the accounting manager embezzled $257,000 and nearly killed the business. Then the Great Recession came along and messed up everybody’s plans. Yet Myers — now a member of the Society of Entrepreneurs — was not going to suddenly turn risk averse. When the recession hit, he doubled down and doubled sales, coming out stronger than ever. He was deft at pivoting and reinventing. And he wasn’t planning to sell the business. There were plenty of inquiries, but when one of the top companies in the field came courting, he had to listen, and he liked what he heard. The process was both profound and instructive for him. “Selling the business is way more than a financial transaction,” Myers says. “It is a life-changing event.” After going through it, he decided he had another book in him. “I thought, ‘How did we get here? Why us?’ And that’s when I started reflecting on the lessons learned.” The book is as much an encouragement from a mentor (he loves doing that) as it is a

how-to when it comes to selling a company. The people he wants to reach are “working so hard every day to build their business and grow it. I want them to understand how you build value in that business.” And that could be to eventually sell it, or maybe to hand it over to the next generation or the employees. Rounding Third is an easy read, told in Myers’ engaging voice and chock-full of insights that have value whether you want to sell a business or just run a business well or even if you aren’t in business. Life presents obstacles no matter where you are and these are adaptable tips. “I think one of the advantages I had in writing this is that I went into a fairly good amount of detail,” he says. “I got educated about this process because I had to understand what the endgame was.”

Rounding Third is an easy read, told in Myers’ engaging voice and chock-full of insights. His first book, from 2007, was Keep Swinging: An Entrepreneur’s Story of Overcoming Adversity and Achieving Small Business Success. In 2014, he published Hitting the Curveballs: How Crisis Can Strengthen and Grow Your Business. “I feel like I’ve stepped up my game considerably with this book because it’s so instructive. The other ones were storytelling and fun and inspirational, but this one, you can take notes and a small business owner can be helped with some options.” Meanwhile, Myers is plenty busy now that he’s not in the CEO’s chair. He’s continuing to write for an industry magazine, he’s a volunteer mentor with the Service Corps of Retired Executives, and he also mentors through the Fogelman College of Business & Economics at the University of Memphis where he’s the executive in residence. And he’s started a podcast interviewing business executives, including local luminaries such as Duncan Williams, Dr. Scott Morris, and Carolyn Chism Hardy. The podcast is titled Extra Innings, but the content is all business. Again, the die-hard New York Yankee fan loves his baseball metaphors.

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Belief Created ‘Disbelef’ Memphians Banks and Golden sell their own tequila.

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

Then came the pandemic. His other businesses were suffering. “Money was stressed. We got all this tequila and money tied up. Bank loans to pay.” Majestic Wine and Liquor was the first liquor store to handle Disbelef tequila. It was a hit. “We sold maybe 1,000 bottles the first day.” But Banks says, “We were missing one number in our license. So we couldn’t sell from October 6th all the way up to December 9th.” They eventually got everything cleared up. “We were back rolling. Since then, Disbelef tequila sits on the shelves in over 100 establishments throughout the state of Tennessee.” Most people probably would have given up at some point, but Banks says, “I am a very driven person. Outside of the Lord waking me up in the morning, I push myself. It’s hard to tell myself I’m going to do something and not accomplish it.” And, he says, it doesn’t hurt “having a business partner like Ralf and a strong woman behind me like my wife Synettra Banks. She’s the infrastructure of the company. She does all the paperwork. She’s a partner.” Future plans? “We are going to have four flavored vodkas in the first quarter of next year.” Why vodka? “Sean Combs is doing very well with Ciroc. People are taking to vodka just as well as tequila, so I want in on that.” Does Banks take a nip of his tequila every now and then? “We do tastings a lot. So if we’ve had a successful tasting, I may take a shot later that night just to give myself a pat on the back.” But he says, “The less product I drink, the more money I make.” Visit disbelefspirits.com for more information. PHOTO BY DEMARRIS MANNS

Ralf Golden and Toriano Banks

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his is the South. This is where you make bourbon. Right? Not if you’re Toriano Banks and Ralf Golden. You make tequila. Banks, 47, and his business partner, Golden, 37, are founders of Disbelef Tequila. Banks came up with the idea when he worked in nightclubs. “Being in the industry, I saw that tequila was being sold in abundance,” he says. Banks, who also has his own clothing line, Baseball Rich, and owned a record label, Toriano Entertainment, saw where George Clooney sold his Casamigos tequila company for $1 billion. “That lit a fire up under us.” In 2017, Banks went to Mexico, where he met Jose Villanueva, who works at a distillery in Jalisco. “First thing he told me was I need to get a license,” Banks says, “but I didn’t know tequila could only be made in Mexico at that time. That killed the idea almost.” Villanueva said Banks could make the tequila in Mexico and ship it to Memphis. “I did studies on what was selling and what wasn’t. I studied market prices and things of that nature.” He decided to go with a clear “blanco” and an almost-gold “reposado.” The color “comes with the aging.” Bottles were expensive in the United States, so Banks told Golden, “Let’s go to China and find somebody who can make bottles for cheap.” That meant another trip to his bank. “I realized we were in over our heads. We made 100,000 bottles at the beginning.” Meanwhile, they tasted various tequilas, which their distiller shipped to Memphis. Banks didn’t want theirs to have the “burnt” or “harsh” taste associated with other tequilas. He wanted something people could drink in a cocktail or straight. Disbelef was the perfect name. “You drink it, and you’ll be in disbelief: [You’ll think,]‘This is not tequila,’ but it really is.” When their tequila was ready, Banks and Golden shipped the bottles from China to Mexico by sea. “It’s cheaper that way. So now you get to Mexico, you have to have someone pick up these bottles from the dock and take these bottles to the distiller to be filled.” Banks then had to find a distributor, but he couldn’t get a meeting with any local distributors. So he eventually got his own distribution import license.

FILM By Chris McCoy

A Nation of Immigrants In the Heights is a joyous musical return to movie theaters.

June 17-23, 2021

ne of the most stinging political critiques of the United States ever penned came from a musical. In the 1950s, the decade now lionized as our golden age, the country was fresh off saving the world from fascism in World War II and high on its own propaganda supply. Along comes West Side Story, the 1957 Broadway adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, set in the Hispanic immigrant quarter of New York City, where teenage race gangs challenged the idea of the melting pot. In a time when racism and discrimination were studiously avoided in pop culture, “America” laid out the country’s stark dichotomies of poverty and prosperity and set it to a jaunty beat. Presented as a dialogue between optimistic women and pessimistic men of Manhattan’s Puerto Rican immigrant community, every one of Stephen Sondheim’s couplets cut to the bone. “Free to be anything you choose / Free to wait tables and shine shoes.” “Life is all right in America / If you’re all white in America.” The West Side Story generation is represented in In the Heights by Abuela (Olga Merediz), the kindly grandmother who immigrated to America in the 1940s. She tells the story of what happened to the Anitas and Bernardos of the world with “Paciencia Y Fe,” just one of the show-stoppers in this fantastic musical. The first draft of In the Heights was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda in 1999, when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan University. In 2008, the future Hamilton made his Broadway debut playing the Usnavi de la Vega, the owner of a corner bodega in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan’s Upper West Side. In the long-awaited film adaptation, Usnavi is played by Anthony Ramos, and Miranda is demoted to the role of Piraguero, a shaved-ice vendor who witnesses the gentrification of the historic immigrant neighborhood.

Usnavi is proud of his bodega and the community it nourishes, but he longs to return to the Dominican Republic and reopen the beachside bar his late father left to bring them to America. But his plans for the future are complicated by his crush on Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), who works in the corner nail salon run by Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega). Meanwhile, Nina Rosario (Leslie Grace) is returning to the neighborhood where she grew up after her freshman year at Stanford. Nina’s father, Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits), a self-made man who owns a car service, has sacrificed much to send her to the expensive university. Nina, feeling guilty about the burden she had put on her family, has decided to drop out. Her movement between worlds is symbolized by her return to the salon, where she gets her straight hair permed like the neighborhood girls.

Transform your life

and our city.

Dancing in the street — Anthony Ramos (left) and Melissa Barrera star in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights. The subject of In the Heights, gentrification pushing out the natives of a long-ignored neighborhood in favor of higher-income, mostly white newcomers, turned out to be the defining fact of 21st century urban life. Daniela’s nail salon is being forced to move to the Bronx, and the private equity vultures are circling the Rosarios’ business. In 2021, what was a New York-centric driver of conflict when Miranda picked up his pen is now relatable content in comcontinued on page 28

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munities all over the country. Miranda’s distinctive, rapid-fire, rap-sing style of lyrical delivery made famous by Hamilton apparently emerged fully formed when he was but a wee polymath. But the sprawling ensemble and intertwining micro-narratives of In the Heights lack Hamilton’s focus and deep characterization. But while you’re in the hands of director Jon M. Chu, you’re not going to care about that very much. Chu comes out guns blazing with an epic dance sequence set to the overture, introducing the setting and

characters while choreographing hundreds of hoofers through the real streets of New York City. The film’s most gleeful show stopper is “No Me Diga,” an ensemble number set in the nail salon featuring dancing wig heads. In the Heights joins Moulin Rouge, Chicago, La La Land, and Rocketman on the list of great 21st century film musicals. If you’ve been waiting for something awesome to draw you back to the movie theater after a painful pandemic pause, this is the one. In the Heights is now playing at multiple locations and streaming on HBO Max.

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T H E L A S T W O R D B y Fr a n k M u r t a u g h

Crowded Comforts

THE LAST WORD

The pandemic began, for me, on March 10, 2020, when Harvard University announced it was shutting down its spring semester due to the coronavirus outbreak. Those folks in the Ivy League are (1) smart and (2) don’t cancel classes for the average flu scare. When we learned that baseball and softball seasons were not to be, that graduation ceremonies would be “virtual,” the novel coronavirus became quite real. Mankind would adjust to accommodate this new contagion or die trying. Fast-forward to May 26, 2021 — around and past the longest collective slog of our lifetimes — and I found myself sitting among hundreds of other people(!) on the grounds of Wesleyan University for an actual graduation ceremony. My daughter Sofia is among 700 members of a group Wesleyan President Michael Roth aptly described as “the mighty Class of 2021.” Roth opened his remarks with the following: “It’s so nice to see you all here, in person. Together.” Such a simple expression, a sentiment as easily understood by a child in her kindergarten class as a young adult capped and gowned for one of life’s turning points. (Already emotional, having marched in as professors and administrators stood and clapped, Sofia had to catch her breath after the remark.) The week before the ceremony, Wesleyan announced that graduates could double their invited guests, from two people to four. And again with thoughts of that Harvard shutdown in mind, I felt like this was a dramatic step out of the pandemic ooze. Not only would this fine New England university allow a crowd to attend its commencement; it would double that crowd. Both of Sofia’s grandmothers made the drive to Middletown, Connecticut, from central Vermont. If the return to “normal” has Sofia Murtaugh embraces her almost “normal” graduation. a symbolic image, it’s a hug between a grandparent and grandchild. I witnessed lots of those on May 26th. The pandemic isn’t over, friends. Particularly in states (like Tennessee) where vaccination rates have plateaued too soon and cases of infection continue to emerge. People continue to die. If you want to boost your anxiety level a notch or two, read about the Delta variant of the virus. It seems our enemy in this battle didn’t exactly throw in the towel upon the mass distribution of a vaccine. But — and this is a significant but — as vaccination rates do increase, so do comfort levels in and around gatherings of a few hundred people, even a few thousand if you glance at the current state of things in NBA and NHL arenas or MLB stadiums. On the subject of baseball stadiums, Wesleyan’s quad happens to be the university’s baseball field. (Yes, this is a perfect model.) I literally sat in centerfield as my favorite Wesleyan Cardinal marched to a platform in front of the school’s library to receive her bachelor’s degree. This obviously made me think of my home away from home here in Memphis: AutoZone Park. Upon returning from New England, my first outing was a Sunday matinee between the Redbirds and Toledo Mud Hens. The crowd at Downtown’s diamond was around the same size — 3,000, give or take — as the one at Sofia’s graduation. Like at Wesleyan, people were maskless when outside, mankind’s current honor code firmly in place: no need to wear a mask anymore if you’ve been vaccinated. The atmosphere felt right, the cheering a boon for spirits rather than a threat to our health and well-being. The Redbirds lost, but I left the ballpark knowing oxygen had reached deeper into my lungs than it had in several months. Between Sofia’s graduation and the Redbirds game, I did some serious reuniting with family and friends in Vermont. So many hugs. Each one seemed a bit tighter than the previous, and some lasted longer than good-to-see-you-again hugs should. But those hugs now have curative powers, a reminder that “the human touch” is often better in actual form than virtual. I hugged Sofia tightly after her graduation ceremony, knowing that moment — and all those people that shared it with us — is for a lifetime. But I hugged her even tighter a few days later, before returning to Memphis. Because there is life, indeed, ahead for both of us. For all of us. Together again. Frank Murtaugh is the managing editor for Memphis magazine. He writes the From My Seat and Tiger Blue columns for the Flyer.

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

Thoughts on returning to in-person events at the ball park — for a graduation and for ball games.

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