When President Donald Trump announced he would send the National Guard to Memphis, the order landed like a thunderclap — another reminder of how outsiders often see the city’s problems as ones to be contained by force.
But inside Christ Missionary Baptist Church on Sept. 14, the mood was different. Instead of soldiers and Humvees, there were choirs and clergy, mothers and tenants, immigrants and youth. And from the pulpit came a defiant statement, read aloud by MICAH clergy:
“We are troubled that our national leaders, the president, Governor Lee, believe that military intervention is the answer to the challenges we face in Memphis. … True peace in Memphis is only possible with real justice.”
That contrast, troops in the streets versus neighbors organizing in the pews, defined the 7th Annual Public Meeting of MICAH, the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope. The coalition gathered hundreds to highlight its 2025 priorities: transit equity, affordable housing and transformational justice. Public officials in attendance were pressed for clear “yes or no” commitments on those demands, while community members poured out stories of struggle and survival.
‘40,000 strong’ for better transit
Speakers underscored how public transit touches lives across class and circumstance. One advocate, leaning on crutches, told the crowd she relies on MATA Plus.
“Riding the bus isn’t about the have-nots,” said Allison Donald of Disability Connection Midsouth. “It’s about every mother trying to get to work, every father rushing to pick up his kids. Forty thousand people ride MATA every day. We are 40,000 strong.”
Coalition leaders pushed for a referendum to establish dedicated funding for MATA — a move Mayor Paul Young has acknowledged but not yet embraced. A wave of applause swept the sanctuary when the audience was asked if they would back such an investment.
Housing crisis hits home
Few sections drew more murmurs of agreement than the one on housing.
LaFrancine Bond described the stress of unsafe, unaffordable housing: “It reduces your peace, increases your stress and makes your day-to-day life feel like work.”
Christine Hall of the Memphis Tenants Union spoke of tenants living with mold, leaks and broken A/C in subsidized apartments. “They were fed up,” she said. “They started organizing a tenant union to demand dignified housing.”
The Rev. Sandra Summers, inter-faith officer at MIFA (the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association), put it bluntly: “Public housing should be a safety net. Instead, too often it is inhumane.”
MICAH called on the Health, Educational and Housing Facilities Board, which grants millions in tax breaks to developers, to meet with tenant groups. To press the point, attendees were asked to scan a QR code and flood the board chair’s inbox with emails.
“Housing is a human right,” declared co-chair A.T. Harrison, as the crowd roared it back to him.
Injustice inside the jail
Perhaps the most searing testimony came from those who had endured Shelby County’s justice system.
Ethel Kilgore recounted how her son was jailed after a traffic violation and was left without showers for 16 days, losing 70 pounds in custody.
“They’re talking about building a new jail,” she said. “But sunshine doesn’t make trash look better. A new building won’t fix what’s rotten inside.”
Josh Spickler, executive director of Just City, added the case of Rockez McDaniel, who died in July after being jailed during a mental health crisis. “He was never accused of hurting anyone,” Spickler said. “He should have been taken to care, not a cage.”
MICAH’s demands include halving booking times, ensuring court appearances within 72 hours, and diverting people with mental health conditions to treatment within 24 hours.
Immigration and fear
The most hushed silence of the evening came when 24-year-old Erika Alegría spoke. An immigrant raised in Memphis, she described losing her stepfather and uncle to deportation and the toll it has taken on her siblings.
“My uncle was the father I never had,” she said, choking back tears. “He was deported, and later he was killed in Honduras. I felt that pain twice.”
She also recounted a cousin detained by ICE in July, leaving two children behind. “The fear is real,” she said. “The fear of going to work, the fear of taking our kids to school. I encourage you to be like Queen Esther, to courageously speak truth to power.”
MICAH’s Immigration and Inclusivity Committee framed those stories as part of a larger call: to end the dehumanization of undocumented neighbors and to resist policies that tear families apart. The committee announced an event later this month, Listening to the Voices, Writing the Stories, in partnership with Evergreen Christian Church, as a step toward amplifying immigrant voices.
“As Matthew reminds us, ‘I was a stranger and you invited me in,’” said committee co-chair Sandra Pita. “Our city must treat immigrants not as outsiders but as beloved members of the community.”
Youth voices at the center
The loudest cheers of the evening may have been reserved for MICAH’s Youth Council, a group of middle- and high-schoolers who presented their own research on issues that affect students directly.
In 2023, they launched a petition against gun violence that gathered more than 500 signatures, sent their demands to the state legislature and published a voter guide based on candidate responses. In a mock referendum organized by the students, nearly 80 percent of participants supported tougher gun safety measures.
This year, the students turned to education. Branding their survey “for youth, by youth,” they gathered more than 60 responses from across Memphis-Shelby County Schools. A third of students reported their schools don’t offer all the classes they want; a quarter said they lack the clubs and activities they seek. Only about a third felt their input is heard by school leaders.
“They tell us education is about us,” said Marc Williams, a sophomore at Hollis F. Price Middle College High School. “So why aren’t they listening to us?”
The council is continuing to collect data through an online survey, urging young people to add their voices. “This isn’t about minor inconveniences,” said White Station High senior Alsahra Altareb. “It’s about the obstacles that keep us from learning and growing. Through this survey, we are both raising our voices and proving that youth can lead.”
Raising resources, building power
Beyond testimony, MICAH launched a fundraising drive toward its $100,000 goal for the year, including $10,000 that night to support organizing work.
“Action is not free,” said Curtis Davis Jr. “From canvassing neighborhoods to speaking at the legislature, it all costs money. When you invest in MICAH, you invest in justice.”
The road ahead
MICAH leaders stressed that its task forces meet the first Monday of each month and invited the public to stay engaged.
“We gather at a time when the air is thick with anger and division,” said the Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart, senior pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church. “But Memphis is made up of people who love this city. Together, we can ignite the change we envision.”
