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November 23 - 29, 2023
VOL. 72, No. 47
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Giving thanks to our teachers and all publicschool educators by Curtis Weathers
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
During this season of Thanksgiving, it’s always a good time to reflect on the many aspects of our lives for which we are grateful. Few things in our lives, however, are as important as the teachers, administrators, and support staff that manage our public schools. They play such a vital role in our children’s growth and development and in shaping our society’s future. Public school educators dedCurtis icate their lives Weathers to nurturing young minds, imparting knowledge, and instilling values that help our children become well-rounded individuals. Their impact is felt in every aspect of society, from the economy to the arts to the political arena. While Thanksgiving season is a great time to reflect on and express one’s gratitude for any number of things, we as a society should be in a constant state of thankfulness for the hard work and dedication of our public-school educators. We don’t express our gratitude enough. I have, on many occasions, run into former students or colleagues who are quick to share odes of thankfulness for the support their teachers and staff gave during their time in our schools. It is incredible and immensely gratifying to hear their kind words of appreciation. A teacher friend recently shared on Facebook a letter she received from one of her elementary school students, and this was, in part, what it said: “Ms. ____, you’re the best teacher ever! Thank you for all the support and hard work you put in and provide for me. I just know it’s hard waking up every day but I love to see you here each and every day. To be honest you is my favorite teacher. I love science, and I try my best then I take the test, and then I score. I Love you…!” Notes or letters like this are what fuel the fire in great public-school teachers. Our schools are filled with a diverse group of educators who bring their unique talents, experiences, and perspectives to the schoolhouse and classrooms each day. They can inspire, challenge, and motivate young minds, shaping their views and attitudes and helping them reach their full potential. Many educators find great fulfillment in seeing their students succeed and knowing they played a role in
SEE TEACHERS ON PAGE 2
Michalyn Easter-Thomas
Pearl Walker
Lighting up for the Holiday…
The advent of Thanksgiving signals that it is time to get ready for the holiday season. That was the backdrop as the 7th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting took place in the Soulsville USA neighborhood last Saturday (Nov. 18). It was hosted by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, South Memphis Alliance Founder Reginald Milton and Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery. (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/ The Tri-State Defender)
Jerri Green
Runoff election was winning time for Green, Walker and Easter-Thomas Victories assure first majority for women on City Council by James Coleman The Tri-State Defender
MICR currently operates at the space. It is one of several abandoned properties owned by the Memphis-Shelby County Schools. The money for the construction would come from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). If passed, the money would be transferred to the general fund. After that, details become fuzzier. No one quibbled about the money, particularly in under-resourced South Memphis. However, the lack of access for teens living in other impoverished areas of Memphis raised concern from some commissioners.
For the first time since the current form of government was adopted 55 years ago, women will wield a majority on the Memphis City Council after a trio of female candidates won office during the runoff election held on Nov. 16. The first City Council took office Jan. 1, 1968 after the current City Charter was approved by Memphis voters in a 1966 referendum. Jerri Green, Pearl Walker, and Michalyn Easter-Thomas will join Janika White, Jana Swearengen-Washington, Yolanda Cooper Sutton, and Rhonda Logan on the 13-member Council. Easter-Thomas will serve her second term representing District 7. The incumbent handily defeated clothing store owner Jimmy Hassan, with a 966-504 vote. The other races were more competitive. After several lead changes during the runoff, Green claimed a 56-vote margin in the District 2 race. The attorney and special advisor surprised former council member Scott McCormick, with a 1,752-1,696 win. The race saw the biggest turnout. The district was once held by Gwen Aswumb, the first woman to be elected to the council in 1967. Walker defeated former Memphis Police officer James Kirkwood 781767 for a slim, 14-vote margin. It
SEE RUGBY ON PAGE 2
SEE ELECTION ON PAGE 2
Bringing Rugby to the old Vance Middle School site in 38126 is a work in progress by James Coleman The Tri-State Defender
With details to iron out and language to be added, Shelby County Commission members kicked a proposal for a $1.1 million expansion of Memphis Inner City Rugby (MICR) at the abandoned Vance Middle School campus back to committee. While generally viewed in the positive, the proposal drew plenty of questions from commissioners during the Nov. 13 meeting. “I don’t claim to be a rugby expert … but what I will say is, providing these types of opportunities
to our students, and also the coed nature of it, …we got to find more ways to invest in our youth, to find more opportunities,” said commission sponsor Michael Whaley. Reminiscent of American football – although lacking exposure stateside and a legal forward pass – rugby is a prominent sport throughout the globe. Founded in 2017, the co-ed K-12 program’s goal is to expand the reach of the sport into Memphis’ underserved communities. It eventually piqued the interest of local politicians. The investment would pay for the construction of a new facility to house the program.
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The Tri-State Defender
TEACHERS
CONTINUED FROM FRONT that success. When students achieve their goals, it is a testament to their teachers’ hard work, dedication, and care. Educators have the privilege of witnessing firsthand the growth and development of our children. They often feel a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to shape future generations, instilling values, knowledge, and skills that students will carry with them throughout their lives.
RUGBY
CONTINUED FROM FRONT One member used the item as an example of how many items passed by the body don’t serve Memphians overall, but particular communities. What about the teens at Hamilton High School? And Melrose High? “I can’t in good conscience actually say that we are actually serving all students when we have not factored in a plan to serve all students,” argued commissioner Britney Thornton. “It just dismays me that we continue to perpetuate this with this hope that it will somehow autocorrect itself. We are clearly investing selectively and there is a clear consequence when we continue to do it. It has to stop.” Many of the students in the city’s poorer communities also lack transportation. Some lack a ride home, much less an after-school trek across town. The combination of economic hurdles and dearth of opportunities can leave teens open to negative influences. Nevertheless, to the plan’s champions in the administration, one footprint is enough to give the sport – and its student athletes – an opportunity to succeed. Another commissioner
ELECTION
CONTINUED FROM FRONT was the Whitehaven activist’s second run at the office. She was active in the fight against the canceled Byhalia pipeline project, which was planned to run through historic Black neighborhoods in Southwest Memphis. “Still can’t believe it,” said Walker of her win. “For the run-off leg of my campaign I hired Lynn Whitney of Lynn Whitney consulting … who brought really good structure…. We were focused, we had specific goals and timelines, we raised money and we
Seeing students grow, both academically and personally, is a great source of satisfaction. Teachers take pride in their students’ achievements and feel gratified when they witness their development over time. Their dedication extends far beyond the classroom walls. They are the coaches who inspire our children to reach their full athletic potential, the counselors who offer solace and guidance during times of difficulty, and the community leaders who tirelessly advocate for the well-being of our children. found merit in both arguments but fell on the side of a bird-inhand pragmatism, along with across-the-board investment in lower-income communities. “I can’t look past the fact, though, 38126 (where Vance Middle was located) and South Memphis … being one of the highest Zip codes in poverty. These young kids and families need this,” said Commissioner Charlie Caswell. “I ask…that we really get strategic about having conversations about Orange Mound, Raleigh, Frayser and other communities that do not have a YMCA; that (youths) do not even have…anything to do but run those streets.” When the commission takes up the item again, one of the issues likely to be discussed will be the lease on the site. Commissioners want language included to guarantee MICR’s long-term access to the site. They want language included that insures the property won’t be sold to outside interests. “Once the memorandum of understanding is taken to our board and it’s approved, then we would be contractually obligated for whatever timeframe indicated in that agreement,” said Esther Sykes, administrator for Neighborhood & Economic Development for received help from various organizations. It was just a good team and everyone got along.” Green thanked her Team on Tough Mother team with a message that recounted that “this campaign was about creating a safer Memphis and bringing new perspectives to City Council. We are doing just that.” Noting that the Council will have a majority of women for the first time, Green shared that, “Bringing new ideas and fresh perspectives, we are sure to make a difference for the better for our community.” There are no runoffs in citywide races, while runoffs are required in the district elec-
November 23 - 29, 2023
Page 2
NEWS
But make no mistake about it, public school educators are thankful as well. They appreciate the job security and benefits that come with their profession, including health insurance, retirement plans, and a stable income, not to mention the extended breaks in the fall, winter, and summer. Teachers value the relationships they build with their students and colleagues. They cherish the collaboration with fellow educators and staff. These connections can be profoundly rewarding, providing a sense of community, and
belonging within the school. Working together on projects and sharing ideas, strategies, and experiences with colleagues can enhance teaching practices and create a supportive professional community. The knowledge, skills, and values educators impart to their students shape the future of our communities, our nation, and the world. Public school educators deserve our most profound appreciation for their dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to the education and development of our youth. They are the unsung heroes
of our society, and we are forever grateful for their contributions. So, to the dedicated public-school educators who tirelessly shape the minds and hearts of our future generations, a heartfelt thank you for your unwavering commitment to excellence. You dedicate countless hours to lesson planning, providing extra support, and attending to the individual needs of each of your students. You go above and beyond to ensure that every child feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential.
In a world that often underestimates the profound impact of education, you stand as beacons of hope and inspiration. So, THANK YOU for your unwavering dedication, passion, and belief in the power of education. You are the backbone of our society, and the driving force behind a brighter future for all. We truly appreciate you… HAPPY THANKSGIVING! (Follow me, TSD’s education columnist, on Twitter @ curtisweathers. Email me at curtislweathers@gmail. com.)
The goal of a proposal being weighed by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners is to bring Rugby to the former Vance Middle School property. Goal posts now are the only reminder of what once was. (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku/The Tri-State Defender) Shelby County. There also was a prelude to a future discussion about management of the facility. MICR currently maintains the fields. Sykes said, “It would actually probably be a part of any agreement between the two. Those two items are interrelated between Memphis Inner City Rugby and the Shelby County School Board. The tions, if no candidate receives 50 percent, plus one, in the general election. This year’s election was Oct. 5. Following a trend set last month, the races netted 6,477 (including write-ins) out of 157,534 potential votes in all three districts, for a 4.1 percent turnout. The citywide races, which included all council seats, gathered just 85,000 votes, less than a 23 percent turnout. When city government officials are sworn in for their new four-year terms on Jan. 1, Memphis will have a new mayor, Paul Young, and five new members on the 13-member City Council.
county has absolutely no obligations to pay for any maintenance on this property.” Affordable access to the
property by the greater community, while the program isn’t using the facility, was also brought up.
The item is co-sponsored by Commissioners Mickell Lowery, Shante Avant, Erika Sugarmon and Thornton.
The Tri-State Defender
November 23 - 29, 2023
Page 3
NEWS
“This decision by the appellate court is ill-advised, cannot stand, and should be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which we hope will reaffirm that citizens have a private right of action to bring forward lawsuits under Section 2 (of the Voting Rights Act.” – Congressional Black Caucus
Federal Appeals court deals blow to Voting Rights Act Ruling: Private plaintiffs can’t sue
Associated Press WASHINGTON — A divided federal appeals court on Monday (Nov. 20) ruled that private individuals and groups such as the NAACP do not have the ability to sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act, a decision that contradicts decades of precedent and could further erode protections under the landmark 1965 law. The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals based in St. Louis found that only the U.S. attorney general can enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires political maps to include districts where minority populations’ preferred candidates can win elections. The majority said other federal laws, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act, make it clear when private groups can sue but said similar wording is not found in the voting law. “When those details are missing, it is not our place to fill in the gaps, except when ‘text and structure’ require it,” U.S. Circuit Judge David R. Stras wrote for the majority in an opinion joined by Judge Raymond W. Gruender. Stras was nominated by former President Donald Trump and Gruender by former President George W. Bush. The decision affirmed a lower judge’s decision to dismiss a case brought by the Arkansas State Conference NAACP and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel after giving U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland five days to join the lawsuit. Chief Judge Lavenski R. Smith noted in a dissenting opinion that federal courts across the country and the U.S. Supreme Court have considered numerous cases brought by private plaintiffs under Section 2. Smith said the court should follow “existing precedent that permits a judicial remedy” unless the Supreme Court or Congress decides differently. “Rights so foundational to self-government and citizenship should not depend solely on the discretion or availability of the government’s agents for protection,” wrote Smith, another appointee of George W. Bush. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, called the ruling a “travesty for democracy.” She had argued the appeal on behalf of the two Arkansas groups. “By failing to reverse the district court’s radical decision, the Eighth Circuit has put the Voting Rights Act in jeopardy, tossing aside critical protections that voters fought and died for,” Lakin said in a statement. It was not immediately clear whether the groups would appeal. A statement from the ACLU said they are exploring their options. Barry Jefferson, political action chair of the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP, called the ruling “a devastating blow to the civil rights of every American, and the integrity of our nation’s electoral system.” The state NAACP chapter and the public policy group had challenged new Arkansas state House districts as diluting the influence of Black voters. The state’s redistricting plan created 11 majority-Black districts, which the groups argued was too few. They said the state could have drawn 16 majority-Black districts to more closely mirror the state’s demographics. U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky noted there was “a
Bloody Sunday – Alabama police attack Selma-to-Montgomery Marchers, 1965. (Photo: FBI via Wikipedia)
strong merits case that at least some of the challenged districts” in the lawsuit violate the federal Voting Rights Act but said he could not rule after concluding a challenge could only be brought by the U.S. attorney general. The Justice Department filed a “statement of interest” in the case saying private parties can file lawsuits to enforce the Voting Rights Act but declined to comment on the ruling. Monday’s ruling applies only to federal courts covered by the 8th Circuit, which includes Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Meanwhile, several pending lawsuits by private groups challenge various political maps drawn by legislators across the country. It’s likely the case eventually will make it to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the issue was raised in a 2021 opinion by Justice Neil Gorsuch. “I join the court’s opinion in full, but flag one thing it does not decide,” Gorsuch wrote at the time, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas. “Our cases have assumed — without deciding — that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 furnishes an implied cause of action under section 2.” Gorsuch wrote that there was no need in that case for the justices to consider who may sue. But Gorsuch and Thomas were among the dissenters in June when the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in another Voting Rights Act case in favor of Black voters in Alabama who objected to the state’s congressional districts. The Gorsuch and Thomas opinion was referenced less than two weeks ago in another federal court decision that
came to the opposite conclusion of Monday’s ruling by the St. Louis-based court. On Nov. 10, three judges on the conservative-dominated 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans rejected arguments that there is no private right to sue under the Voting Rights Act. In a Louisiana congressional redistricting case, the panel said the U.S. Supreme Court so far has upheld the right of private litigants to bring lawsuits alleging violations of Section 2, as have other circuit appellate courts. Fifth Circuit Judge Leslie Southwick, a nominee of George W. Bush, pointed to separate cases from 1999 and 2020 that reaffirmed that right. Election law experts say most challenges seeking to enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act are brought by private plaintiffs and that the Justice Department has limited resources to pursue such cases. Some voting rights experts also noted the apparent contradiction in the Alabama case decided by the Supreme Court last June and Monday’s ruling by the appellate court. “It doesn’t seem to make sense,” said Jon Greenbaum, chief counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “If the laws were that private parties couldn’t bring these cases, then the Alabama case would have never even gotten off the ground.” Lawsuits under Section 2 have long been used to try to ensure that Black voters have adequate political representation in places with a long history of racism, including many Southern states. Racial gerrymandering has been used in drawing legislative and congressional districts to pack Black voters into a small number of districts or spread them out so their votes are diluted. If only the U.S. attorney general is able to file such cases, it could sharply limit their number and make challenges largely dependent on partisan politics. It’s unlikely Congress will be willing to act. Republicans have blocked recent efforts to restore protections in the Voting Rights Act that were tossed out by the U.S. Supreme Court a decade ago. In the 2013 Shelby v. Holder decision, justices dismantled an enforcement mechanism known as preclearance, which allowed for federal review of proposed election-related changes before they could take effect in certain states and communities with a history of discrimination. In a statement, the Congressional Black Caucus noted that private individuals and civil rights groups have been successful in giving Black voters better representation through recent challenges to congressional maps drawn by Republican lawmakers in Alabama, Louisiana and Florida. “This decision by the appellate court is ill-advised, cannot stand, and should be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which we hope will reaffirm that citizens have a private right of action to bring forward lawsuits under Section 2,” the group said. (By Christina A. Cassidy and Ayanna Alexander. Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Kevin McGill in New Orleans, Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Mark Sherman in Washington contributed to this report.)
PERSPECTIVE The Tri-State Defender, November 23 - 29, 2023, Page 4
Memphis-Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights during their November 17th briefing in Washington, DC.
‘Bending the curve on crime – the most pressing civil rights issue of our time’ DA Mulroy testifies before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
by Steve Mulroy
Special to The Tri-State Defender
I have a diverse, unique perspective on racial disparities in the criminal justice system. I’ve been a Department of Justice (DOJ) civil rights lawyer and a federal prosecutor. I’ve practiced criminal prosecution and defense. I’ve legislated on civil rights and criminal justice issues, the two areas of my teaching and scholarship as a law professor. And I’m the elected DA (District Attorney General) of Memphis and Shelby County, which has significant crime issues and high-profile civil rights violations, including the tragic killing of Tyre Nichols this year. While stark, Shelby County’s civil rights-criminal law issues are sadly not unique. Shelby is slightly majority Black in population, but almost 90 percent Black in homicide victims. This echoes the national trend. DOJ data shows Black people as 13percent of the U.S. population but nearly 50 percent of homicide victims. A recent National Academies Press study showed that Black and Native Americans are by far the most likely to be victimized in severe violence. While inter-racial disparities in nonfatal violence have been narrowing, the murder disparity remains stubbornly high. Of course, these same racial and ethnic disparities are just as stubborn when it comes to the other end of the justice system. In our slightly majority-Black county, Black residents make up almost 80 percent of our criminal defendants. A few years back, DOJ sued our Juvenile Court for discrimination, citing statistics that showed that, even controlling for offense level and criminal history, a Black teen was 2 to 3 times more likely than a white teen counterpart to be arrested, detained, and transferred to adult court. Nationally, countless studies show persons of color are significantly more likely than whites to be stopped, searched, arrested, convicted, and sentenced harshly. This holds for offenses like traffic violations and drug possession, where whites offend at the same rate as other ethnic groups. The sad reality is that persons of color
District Atty. Steve Mulroy with members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. (Courtesy photo) are disproportionately represented among both victims and defendants: Crime is a civil rights issue. It is not paradoxical to conclude that minority neighborhoods are both overpoliced and under policed. Police often engage in racial profiling in such neighborhoods for minor offenses with little relation to public safety, while not focusing enough on intense public-safety-oriented investigations and crime prevention strategies given the crime rates. The former is the subject of a current DOJ pattern and practice investigation in Memphis. Just as it is not paradoxical to call for more help for crime victims but less racial profiling, there is no inherent conflict between criminal justice reform and public safety, despite the attempts by some to blame recent crime rises on reform. In Memphis, our consistent crime solu-
tion for the past decade or more has been to lock more people up and lock them up longer. It manifestly didn’t work. We saw steadily rising violent crime rates. In Tennessee, the prison population more than doubled from 1991 to 2018, with a 68 percent higher incarceration rate. The average sentence length also increased during this period. Our incarceration rate is 22 percent above the national average. But during that period, the crime rate rose and stayed higher than the national average, even as the national crime rate went down. America mirrors this dynamic. Until a few years ago, we’d been on a nationwide mass incarceration binge for decades with little to show for it. We have 5 percent of the world’s population, 25 percent of the global incarcerated population, and the highest homicide rate among developed countries. Comparing “reform” and “traditional”
criminal justice regimes belies any narrative that reform allows crime to breed. Per capita murder rates are 40 percent higher in “Red states” versus “Blue states.” Some discount this, saying the problem is Blue cities in Red states, but that doesn’t work either. As discussed last year in The Economist, hardly a progressive journal, crime rose at the same rate in cities with “reform” DAs as with “traditional” DAs. The Economist cited a 2021 study by scholars at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School (again, hardly harboring a progressive bias), which examined 35 jurisdictions where reform DAs implemented bail reforms, reductions in nonviolent misdemeanor prosecutions, etc., as well as a similar study on homicide rates conducted by esteemed Fordham Univ scholar John Pfaff. A 2022 University of Toronto study of 65 cities, plus all counties in Florida and California, reached a similar conclusion. Similarly, in the first 12 years of this century, crime rates fell faster than the national average in New York and New Jersey, even though they reduced their prison population by a fourth while the U.S. increased theirs by 10 percent. Time doesn’t permit me to rattle off the lengthy list of “reform” DA jurisdictions with dropping crime rates in recent years or the equally lengthy list of “traditional DA” jurisdictions with rising crime rates. Nor would I claim that all “reform” jurisdictions always outperform others in crime metrics. But the data’s clear that reform doesn’t raise crime. And there’s a plausible intuitive explanation behind these reams of stats, one that might suggest a course of action on the crime victimization disparities. Minority communities need the most help from law enforcement but are understandably the most skeptical of our system’s fairness. Reforms can restore community confidence in the system’s fairness, which in turn can get the community to cooperate with law enforcement – providing tips, reporting crimes, and serving as witnesses. In my view, community cooperation is the single most important thing we can do to bend the curve on crime – the most pressing civil rights issue of our time. (Reach the office of Memphis-Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy at info@scdag.com.)
Until a few years ago, we’d been on a nationwide mass incarceration binge for decades with little to show for it. Information • Inspiration • Elevation Published by The Tri-State Defender
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The Tri-State Defender
November 23 - 29, 2023
NEWS
Page 5
Farmers dig in as information is shared about federal funds for past discrimination TSD Newsroom Over 500 Black farmers and Black landowners gathered in the grand ballroom at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis on
Tuesday. They were eager to hear how to cash in on some of the $2.2 billion Congress has set aside for minority farmers, who experienced discrimination in the farm loan process before January 2021.
Thomas Burrell, president of the Black Farmers & Agriculturalists Association, headquartered in Memphis, provided the farmers with information about what the Association is doing to advocate for its members.
Burrell has filed several federal lawsuits to get a judge to reduce the 40-page application. A ruling is pending, including whether farmers can file an application on behalf of deceased relatives.
The Tri-State Defender, November 23 - 29, 2023, Page 6
Shelia Gaines reads a selection from her book, “Going Back: Poems by Shelia Gaines.” (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The New Tri-State Defender)
Blogger Shelia Gaines helps pitch National Novel Writing Month at LeMoyne-Owen
by Florence M. Howard Special to The Tri-State Defender
Accounting for nuances, Shelia Gaines knows from experience that “Writing has a process.” She shared that nugget last Friday (Nov. 17) to LeMoyne-Owen College students as she spoke on campus at Hollis F. Price Library in recognition of National Novel Writing Month. Gaines, who serves as head librarian at the University of Memphis’ McWherter Library, started a blog titled “Finding My Way; Living My Purpose” in 2007. As part of the local observance, Stacey J. Smith, director of Libraries for LeMoyne-Owen College, invited Gaines to speak to LOC students about “how most of her essays or poems stemmed from simple or random observations.” Smith and Gaines became friends after they met at a Library Conference in 2009. “She actually has the job I used to have at the Ned McWherter Library-Circulation Department,” said Smith. “We are also part of a small group called LOL (Librarians Out to Lunch).” The LOL group looks for unique places to go where they can “share, decompress, complain, destress, and always laugh.” The annual observance of National Novel Writing Month was begun in 1999 by the national writers group known as NaNoWriMo. The purpose is to encourage writers to write from November 1 through 31 as part of online and in-person writing groups. During her talk, Gaines said each individual has a process. Some use outlines, other uses notes. “Work from your own process,” she told her listeners. “The hardest part for me is to write a beginning, middle and end,” she said before explaining the use of dialects, Southern language or colloquialisms, and code-switching. Born in Mississippi, Gaines said that the vernacular of the South, the dialect, is in everyone raised in the South. For example, “door” becomes “doe.” She also shared that her mother used the term “fifty-eleven” as in “I told your 50-11 dozen times to stop tormenting that child.” Or the boy who said, “I ain’t got nothing” and then quickly regrouped to say to his grandmother, “I don’t have anything.”
Guest speaker Shelia Gaines explains her writing and blogging techniques to those attending NaNoWriMo observance held at Hollis Price Library on Nov. 17.
LOC library director Stacey J. Smith thanks guest speaker Shelia Gaines for sharing her stories and writing techniques with participants. Gaines told her audience that the purpose of her blog is to offer encouragement to her readers. Asked why she writes, Gaines said that it is usually in response to something or in defense of writing. She explained that creative writing is different from academic writing. In fact, she once turned a game of Scrabble into a short story. A lot of things that “happen with students” are put into her writing, especially humorous incidents involving their processes and emotions. “Academic writing does not have to be
boring,” said Gaines, who has found a way to balance academic writing and creative writing. Her secret is creativity. She also likes to hang onto any “random observations” by keeping a journal. Facts and the figures will tell the story, so “trust the process,” she said. Gaines used the NaNoWriMo session to encourage students to follow their passion regardless of whether it is academic or creative.
During a Q&A, she was asked about publishing, which she said was “alien” to her. She encouraged students to read articles on how to publish your work or look into the University of Memphis journalism class on publishing to get a professional perspective. She also pitched doing book reviews for journals, citing the Tennessee Libraries Journal (tnla.org) as one such opportunity because it has an open call for articles. A natural educator with a delightful, positive and refreshing outlook on life, Gaines calls herself “unabashedly Christian and directionally challenged.” On her website, you will find intermittent posts that include a Bible verse, along with her observations about life and living as well as encouragement and prayer. In telling about herself, she wrote this: Hello world. Welcome to the blog of a small town Mississippi girl still adjusting to life in the big city. Like many of you, I wear many hats (wife, mother, librarian, writer, to name a few). All of my favorite things combine faith, family and fun. I have chosen the tag line “finding my way: living my purpose because I am ‘directionally-challenged,’ which is a kind way of saying I do not have a good sense of direction and I get lost easily. However, with the aid of GPS, I have found navigating a little bit easier. I think this is a perfect analogy to our Christian journey in that even those with a good sense of direction need guidance. I wanted to write a book entitled Directionally Challenge but Travis Collins beat me to it many years ago. It is a great book, by the way, but I digress. I have since begun a book on spiritual direction (with a different title, of course) and you will find a little bit of the introduction to that book in my first post. Please make yourself at home, take a look around and visit often. I hope you will choose to follow me and share with anyone who needs a little encouragement or inspiration to follow the path laid out in Isaiah 30:21. (Visit Shelia Gaines’ blog, Finding My Way; Living My Purpose, at http://sheliagaines.com.)
The Tri-State Defender
November 23 - 29, 2023
LITERATURE
Page 7
Making your home a welcoming retreat is June Reese’ strong suit by Terri Schlichenmeyer Special to The Tri-State Defender
The sofa will go over there. Sitting slightly away from the edge of a rug, flanked by two chairs at an angle to the fireplace, it’ll be the focal point of the room. Add the right paint and that plushy blanket you bought on vacation last year, and you’ll never want to leave. Making your home a welcoming retreat is always a goal and in the new book “Iconic Home” by June Reese, BID, you’ll welcome some fresh ideas. As a young girl growing up in Texas, June Reese wished for a way to make her passion for art into a career. Few opportunities existed, “not many career paths,” but she saw design school as a way to her dreams. Still, it was hard and she thought about picking a different career until she met designer Kimberly Ward, founder of the Black Interior Designers Network, and everything fell together. Reese began to meet and collaborate with other Black designers, fifty of whom she profiles in this book. Designer Leah Alexander says scale and size are of the utmost importance when decorating a room. Alvin Wayne adds: take it easy with throw pillows. Arianne Bellizaire decides the color of a room after she notes “any historical and geographical parameters that are integral to the design.” Elaine Griffin says that “color reigns supreme...” Christopher Charles believes that “paint samples are a homeowner’s best friend.” What you hang on a wall is important, and Danielle Colding recommends “dynamic art!” Layer the room, say several de-
signers here. Some advocate having a focal point, while others say it’s unimportant. Use painter’s tape when you start furniture placement. Mix texture, but remember functionality. Catasha Singleton says that accessories should be the “very best” part of any room. Justina Blakeney reminds readers to “have an open mind.” Byron Risdon says, “Don’t overthink it.” Amhad Freeman says, “Don’t over do it.” Delia Kenza says, “Have fun, don’t be afraid to try, and make sure the space tells a story.” To paraphrase designer Linda Hayslett here, for many decades, the assumption has been that Black homeowners didn’t have taste, sophistication, or need for interior design. Absolutely, “Iconic Home” proves the opposite. The feature you’ll notice first about this book is the abundance of gorgeous pictures. Author and compiler June Reese includes many elegant examples of her subjects’ work in full-color photos that will satisfy anyone looking for ideas, wishing for their own special room, or merely hoping to satisfy home voyeurism. When you’re done with the photos, turn back to the beginning and start reading about design as a career and the legacies these designers hope to leave. It’s here where you’ll find plenty of hints on deciding what to add or subtract from your space, and tips to make any room in your home a place you’ll want to be. This is the kind of book for dreaming, the kind in which you’ll find something different every time you open it. Get “Iconic Home” and take it to the sofa over there.
Author and compiler June Reese includes many elegant examples of her subjects’ work in full-color photos that will satisfy anyone looking for ideas, wishing for their own special room, or merely hoping to satisfy home voyeurism. (Photo: Junereese.com) “Iconic Home: Interiors, Advice, and Stories from 50 Amazing Black Designers” by June Reese, BID, foreword by Amy Astley c.2023, Abrams $50 255 pages
COMMUNITY The Tri-State Defender, November 23 - 29, 2023, Page 8
Giving thanks for the Harvest – even in a food desert
One of five cherry tomato varieties at Green Leaf Learning Farm is ripe for the picking. (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)
by Candace A. Gray
Special to The Tri-State Defender
As families prepare to gather around the table and receive bounty, we can’t forget about food insecurity in our community. Knowledge Quest founder, Marlon Foster is doing all he can to combat food insecurity in South Memphis through the organization’s Green Leaf Learning Farm. “I’ve never had any other job,” said Foster, who started the non-profit Knowledge Quest (KQ) in 1998 to serve the entire families from an education, wellness, and economic stability standpoint. In recent years, with the departure of major grocery stores in high-poverty areas of Memphis (and in other major U.S. cities), we’ve heard the terms “food insecurity” and “food deserts.” An area is categorized as a food desert if its community members have poor access (more than one half mile away) to healthy and fresh foods. According to the Cecil B. Humphrey Law School at the University of Memphis, food deserts are usually concentrated in low-income and historically marginalized areas throughout the country with issues of longtime systemic racism, racial residential segregation, poor access to transportation and economic inequality woven into the history of these barren food landscapes. Foster proudly said he and his wife, both from South Memphis, live, work and worship in this neighborhood. As a business major at LeMoyne-Owen College, Foster remembered learning that his community ranked No. 1 in all wrong areas and began planning for all that he wanted to do in his neighborhood. “We started small,” said Foster. “We did one thing and did that well. And then folks started asking us to do other things.” The “small” start for Foster was youth development, with afterschool enrichment activities for youth, that now spans from early childhood to college, impacting more than 10,000 youngsters through the years. “We founded Green Leaf Learning Farm in 2010, and what started as a three-acre micro-farm has grown into a certified USDA organic farm that focuses on student education, community economic development and food access and security,” said Foster. As photographer Gary Whitlow, and I walked through the charming urban farm, Foster pointed out some of the crops, like asparagus, watermelons, greens, that had already been harvested or were nearing harvest. He picked and shared with us, right off the vine, two of the juiciest, sweetest, freshest grape tomatoes we’d ever tasted. Over our oohs and aahs, Foster said, “You can grow these! We host Urban Agriculture master classes every month.” (I’m still waiting for my green thumb to come in. In the meantime, I’ll continue to watch KQ’s Facebook page for upcoming classes.) The Green Leaf Learning Farm at 590 Jennette Place, near Mississippi Boulevard Walker Avenue, is used to teach the community growing techniques and strategies, and to host alternative therapies, like yoga, tai chi, and aerobics. The farm also is three miles from the nearest full-service grocery store, making its surrounding neighborhood a food des-
The Green Leaf Learning Farm is home to nutrient-rich crops that combat food insecurity.
Marlon Foster and Cydni Keel, one of the lead agriculturalists, inspecting the soil.
Knowledge Quest CEO, Marlon Foster, stands in front of KQ college dormitory, pointing out the next plots of land they plan to develop.
The Knowledge Quest property map illustrates where the magic happens.
Marlon Foster inspecting the bounty.
ert. “In 2010, we were among the top 10 most food-insecure cities,” said Foster. “Childhood hunger rates were climbing, but so was child obesity, meaning that what kids were eating was bad for them. So, we decided to grow the most nutrient dense crops.” From kale to carrots, beets, leafy greens, salad mixes, spinach, five varieties of tomatoes, you name it, they’ve got it. In addition to row crops, they plan to farm goats and chickens, and bees for honey. “People from all over Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas are coming here (and virtually) to learn how to do what we do,”
said Foster. The farm is one of several programs Knowledge Quest offers to benefit the community. Citizens can purchase vegetables for discounted rates using SNAP/EBT, cash and credit cards. They also are welcome to participate in other programs, like therapeutic groups, grief counseling, ag-tech education and so much more. “We are here for the community – to source the under-sourced, to create opportunity where there is a lack of opportunity,” said Foster. “We look at vacant lots and call those green assets. We hire our neighbors.” Community partners, like Memphis Grizzlies, International Paper, Valero En-
ergy, the Kresge Foundation, and the City of Memphis make it all possible. “Our greatest assets are those authentic relationships of trust that have been built over these last 25 years,” said Foster. “That’s what you can’t fabricate. When our community comes and pulls that carrot from the ground, it’s a magical moment.” It’s harvest time, Memphis. We give thanks for Marlon Foster, Knowledge Quest and others working to remediate food deserts and insecurity, like MIFA, South Point Grocery, Mama’s Sundry and local Farmer’s Markets, like Cooper Young, Memphis Farmers Market and South Memphis Farmer’s Market.
The Tri-State Defender
NEWS
November 23 - 29, 2023
Nashville, Shelby County withdraw challenge to Tennessee private school voucher law after long fight by Marta W. Aldrich Chalkbeat Tennessee
Nashville and Shelby County governments have pulled out of their more than 3-yearold legal dispute with the state over a 2019 private school voucher law. The paperwork to withdraw their latest appeal was filed quietly on Aug. 25 with the Tennessee Court of Appeals, according to court documents. The pullout by Tennessee’s two largest counties is the latest setback for efforts to overturn the controversial education savings account law, the signature legislation of Gov. Bill Lee’s first year in office. The law, which allows the state to give taxpayer money to eligible families to pay toward the cost of private school tuition, was declared unconstitutional by a Nashville judge in 2020 because, at the time, it affected students only in Nashville and Memphis, where local officials have consistently opposed vouchers. But after several appeals, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state in 2022 and resurrected the law, allowing the program to launch last year in the two counties. This fall, the state rolled out the program in Hamilton County after lawmakers voted earlier this year for expansion. On Friday, Nashville Law
Director Wally Dietz declined to comment about the decision to pull out of the suit, as did E. Lee Whitwell, chief litigation attorney for Shelby County government. But Dietz, whose office has been leading the charge on the Nashville-Shelby lawsuit, noted that the legal challenge remains alive through a second lawsuit filed in 2020 by the Education Law Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of 11 public school parents and community members in Memphis and Nashville. Their appeal is pending before the state’s appellate court. The state Supreme Court’s ruling in May 2022 rejected Metro Nashville and Shelby County’s argument that the voucher law violated a “home rule” provision in the Tennessee Constitution. The latest court battle has been over whether plaintiffs in both lawsuits have legal standing to pursue the case based on other legal claims, such as a constitutional clause that requires the state to maintain a system of “free public schools,” with no mention of private schools. In a split vote in late 2022, a three-judge panel of Davidson County Chancery Court dismissed those claims. Soon after, attorneys behind both lawsuits appealed that ruling to the Tennessee Court of
NNPA Newswire
There is no question how I will vote in a contest between President Joe Biden and the toxic prior President. Biden wins every time. But I’m just me, I’m not the pollsters, the young’uns, the rural votes, and the disaffected. Listing Biden’s accomplishments and comparing them to those of others might be instructive if people paid attention to facts. Too many voters are motivated by feelings, and they aren’t feeling good about their own economic circumstances, the uncertainty of recession, about our international involvement, especially in Ukraine, and even about his age and his health. Now, for a month Israel has been brutally bombing Gaza, bombing hospitals, refugee camps, schools and more. They say it is retaliation for the brutal Hamas on Israel on October 7, which no one condones, and most have repudiated in strong terms. But an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind, and in their bloodlust to retaliate against Hamas, Israel has slaughtered nearly ten thousand innocent Palestinians including thousands of children. They have denied the Gazan population the mere basics, like drinking water, electricity, fuel and health care, reducing doctors to performing surgery in the dark and without anesthesia. They have denied requests for a cease fire or even a humanitarian break, leaving as many as two million people stuck in Gaza without border openings. Whatever inhumanity Hamas perpetrated on October 7, Israel has increased it exponentially.
Saturday was a balmy pleasant day in my DC neighborhood. A friend and I were Dr. Julianne walking Malveaux toward a local restaurant when we encountered a group of young people who had just come from the Palestinian March to the White House. There were six or seven of them, diverse, a couple of Black folks, a white guy, and two women wearing the keffiyeh, the checkered black and whie scarf that Yasir Arafat wore, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. Another carried the Palestinian flag, the black, white, green stripes with a red triangle at the left. I asked them how the march went, and they were exuberant. But one woman, then another, then another said harshly, “I will never vote for Joe Biden. I voted for him before, and I won’t do it again.” What about the alternative, I asked. Would you rather have the Republican alternative? One young woman lowered her head and her voice. “I don’t care,” she said. “Biden has betrayed us.” Congresswoman Rashida Talib (D-MI) has said much the same thing, accusing President Biden of supporting the genocide of Palestinians. The first Palestinian to serve in Congress, Talib’s principled outspokenness has attracted the ire of her colleagues. Republicans have attempted to censure her for her pro-Palestinian comments. Meanwhile,
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Nashville Law Director Wally Dietz criticizes a Tennessee Supreme Court ruling upholding the state’s private school voucher law during a news conference on June 1, 2022, soon after the court’s decision. (Marta W. Aldrich / Chalkbeat) Appeals. Chris Wood, a Nashville lawyer helping to litigate the remaining lawsuit, said the pullout by Metro Nashville and Shelby County has no bearing on his case filed jointly with the Education Law Center, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the ACLU. “We’re still here,” Wood said Friday. “Our case has always been our case. And while it’s good to have other folks working with you, this really doesn’t have an impact on what we’re doing.” A spokesperson for the Tennessee attorney general’s office did not immediately respond when asked Friday
about the development. Currently, Tennessee’s education savings account program has fewer than 2,000 students enrolled in 75 state-approved private schools in the three counties where it operates, significantly below this year’s 5,000-seat cap. Rep. Mark White, a Memphis Republican who chairs a House Education Committee, has said he expects to file legislation next year to take the program statewide. (Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.)
Biden beware, young folks don’t care Dr. Julianne Malveaux
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Palestinians are dying, and our nation’s rabid support of Israel seems to sideline concerns about innocent Palestinian civilians who have been victims of the extreme Israeli response to the Hamas provocation. President Biden is walking on a tightrope, and his balancing act isn’t working well, especially for young Palestinians and other young people of color. He must, (and he has) condemn the Hamas attack. But many think he has bent too far backward to mollify Israel while minimizing Palestinian civilian losses. Given who he is, and how he is, he has, perhaps, done his best. But his best is not enough for those who cringe at Israel’s aggression, which did not start with the response to the Hamas October 7 attack. Between 2008 and September 2023, more than 6,400 Palestinians were killed by Israelis. You can push people so hard for so long before they respond. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin, while necessarily singing from the Biden hymnbook, offers a measured attempt to broker a peace, a cease fire, a time out. His very careful comments are a credit to the Biden-Harris administration, but they aren’t enough to quell the anger that many young people feel about the administration’s failure to call for a cease fire. How many Palestinians must die in hospitals, refugee camps, and in their homes to satisfy Netanyahu’s bloodthirsty quest for revenge? President Biden, beware. Many young people don’t care about all the good you’ve done. It doesn’t matter when you turn your back on people who are being decimated by the bloodthirsty despot Net-
anyahu. In the midst of a cordial impromptu sidewalk conversation, I saw an angry determination in the eyes of the young people, who’d driven from New York to participate in the protest on November 4. “I will never vote for Biden,” one of them said, with an edge to her voice missing from our prior cordial conversation. President Biden, what will you do about that? You need these young people to win in 2024. Don’t ignore them. (Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist and author. Reach her at juliannemalveaux.com.The post “Biden Beware, Young Folks Don’t Care” appeared first on Forward Times.)
Page 9
Shelby County Government has issued Sealed Bid number I000848, Employee Uniforms & Accessories (Shelby County Fire Department). Information regarding this Bid is located on the County’s website at www. shelbycountytn.gov . At the top of the home page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, Click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate the name of the abovedescribed Sealed Bid. BID-I000848 DUE DATE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2024 AT 2:30 PM CDT (SB-I000848), Employee Uniforms & Accessories (Fire Department) Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service. By order of LEE HARRIS, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT
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Information Package, including a description of the scope of services, the selection criteria, the required response format, and additional instructions may be obtained on the Authority’s website at www.flymemphis.com on or after November 16, 2023. All Respondents are responsible for checking the Authority’s website up to the submission deadline for any updates, addenda or additional information. The successful Respondent must meet the DBE participation goal for this project, which is 10%, and sign a contract with the Authority that includes Federal Aviation Administration provisions, if applicable, regarding Buy American Preference, Foreign Trade Restriction, Davis-Bacon, Affirmative Action, Debarment and Suspension, and DrugFree Workplace, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this request in whole or in part; to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions related to this request; and to reject responses on any other basis authorized by the Authority’s purchasing policies. The Authority is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination based on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, disability, marital status, military service, or sexual orientation in its hiring and employment practices and in the admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, and activities. By order of: Terry Blue, A.A.E. President Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
SPORTS The Tri-State Defender, November 23 - 29, 2023, Page 10
Respect-craving Tigers have opportunities in Bahamas by Terry Davis
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
The University of Memphis Tigers are looking to earn some respect. In the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll the Tigers were ranked 26th for the second consecutive week. In the coaches’ poll, the Tigers entered the Top 25 at 21. This week the Tigers will have opportunities to gain what the fan base is clamoring for – some respect that reflects a team they feel warrants higher Terry rankings. Davis The Tigers face the Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday (Nov. 22) at 4 p.m. CST in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. A win would pit them against the Arkansas Razorbacks. (With earlier print deadlines this week, check TSDMemphis.com for the story.) Memphis and Michigan both were set to welcome their head coaches. Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway served a three-game NCAA suspension that ended with the team’s win over Alabama State. Michigan’s Juwan Howard was set to return a medical procedure done this summer. Both coaches were star players for the team they now coach. Each had long and successful years as top-level NBA players. The Tigers may have one of their better teams since the 2008 Final Four run. David Jones, Jaykwon Walton and Jayvon Quinerly have raised the expectations for the fans and the team. The Bahama trip is part of a challenging non-conference schedule set by Hardaway. Jones has shown flashes of greatness; at other times he has played out of control and caused some disfunction. Walton can create his own shot. He can score from outside and he can
David Jones of the Memphis Tigers soars and scores against Alabama State. (Photos: Warren Roseborough/The Tri-State Defender)
Ring up a three for Jaykwon Walton as he rises up against Micah Octave of Alabama State University. score off the dribble. Quinerly has been the point guard that can control the offense and connect from outside to keep the defense honest. Jones’ accomplishments have drawn attention. He earned an American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor for his double-double performance in the win over Alabama State last week. Now comes a chance to show his skills against better competition. Michigan (3-1) is led by guard Dug McDaniel. He leads the team with 21 points and 6 assists average per game. Oliver Nkamhousa, a forward that averages 18 points per game and
8 rebounds, should give the Tigers their biggest test of the young season on the inside. The importance of the Battle Four tournament wasn’t lost on Quinerly. “It is extremely important. Being in the American Conference, we need every quad one win we can get. That’s why going to Mizzou and getting our first quad one win was big time. We are looking to do the same thing in the Bahamas. I think the guys have the right mindset going in. It is huge for us.” This early test will go a long way toward determining whether the Tigers get a better seed in the NCAA tournament in March. The last two
Jahvon Quinerly of Memphis shoots a three and scores on C.J. Hines of Alabama State. seasons the Tigers were seeded ninth and eighth respectively. They would like to like to get. Into the 4-6 seed range. The City of Memphis is hosting the
first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Since Memphis can’t play here, there is a chance they may be shipped to the Western Regional again
Grizzlies edge forward in loss against the Celtics by Terry Davis
Special to The Tri-State Defender
In a season that has tested even some of the Memphis Grizzlies’ most faithful fans, a 2-1 record on a threegame road trip was cause for celebration and a reason to think that maybe, just maybe, the winless-at-home Grizzlies could knock off the highly-regarded Boston Celtics. They didn’t but they came tantalizingly close, losing 102-100 at FedExForum last Sunday. And, yes, Boston now has a 13-1 record against over the last seven seasons. The bright spots included 30 points and 8 assists from Desmond Bane, who has led the Grizzlies in the absence of star point guard Ja Morant, who works his way through a 25game suspension for off-the-field misconduct. Much of the post-game talk was about a stellar performance by forward Santi Aldama, who had 28 points and 6 assists. “Spectacular. I mean, he’s continuing to get better,” said Bane. “I tell him all the time how happy I am for him and the things that he’s doing on the court now. What you see is dy-
Desmond Bane) takes a charge from Derrick White of the Celtics. (Photos: Warren Roseborough/ The Tri-State Defender) Santi Aldama of the Grizzlies scores on Jrue Holiday of the Celtics. namic. He can do a bunch of different things on the floor. … I mean … him being in a starting lineup just gives us more size, really helps us on the defensive end of the floor.” A turnover by Aldama in the final minute against Boston helped the Celtics escape with the win. On the turnover in the final minute
of the game head coach Taylor Jenkins said, “It’s one of those ones that I know he would love to have back,” said head coach Taylor Jenkins. “We would love to have back. He was playing a great game, and it’s a great learning opportunity. Immediately after, he was saying, ‘My bad,’ to his teammates and understood the impact, but we still gave ourselves a chance with one possession. He was a big part of why we even had a
chance to win tonight.” Aldama said, “Having more responsibilities was good. Not necessarily scoring, which obviously I took more shots today, but just trying to make the right read and trying to find the open teammate. For the most part, I do that, but today, there were certain shots that may have been a bit forced. I pride myself in trying to make the right reads, and I could probably be better in some other areas….” And while he knows there adjust-
ments to be made playing alongside Memphis two other big men, Aldama said, “but it’s fun.” Next up for the Grizzlies (3-10) will be a match against the Rockets in Houston on Wednesday (Nov. 22) at 7 p.m. The Rockets’ roster includes former Memphis fan favorite Dillon Brooks. Memphis will return home to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday (Nov. 24) at 4 p.m.