Community leaders, elected officials and policy experts gathered Wednesday, June 3, at Southbrook Town Center for Tri-State Defender’s TSD In The Community: Government and Public Policy Forum, an event centered on civic engagement, education policy, public safety and the future of Memphis and Shelby County.
Moderated by Lori Spicer Robertson, the forum drew roughly 65 attendees, including newly elected Democratic nominee for Shelby County mayor Mickell Lowery, State Rep. London Lamar and several other elected officials and community leaders.
Panelists included State Rep. Karen Camper; Dr. Darrick Dee Harris, president of Political Systems & Solutions; Mike Carpenter, principal of Carpenter Civic Strategies; and Shelby County Commission Chairwoman Shante Avant.
The evening opened on a light note as Robertson asked panelists to introduce themselves, share something attendees may not know about them and reveal the “hype song” that keeps them motivated.
Avant selected Beyoncé’s “Who Run the World (Girls)” and said one thing that gives her hope about Memphis is seeing young people pursue opportunities.
“Seeing the number of youth that applied for summer jobs this year gives me hope because it paints a very different picture from what we sometimes think because of all the headlines we see about our young people,” Avant said.
Camper made sure attendees knew they were gathered inside District 87, which she represents, before sharing her song choice, “Promises” by Lisa Knowles and the Brown Singers.
“Everything the Lord promised, it’s going to come to pass,” Camper said. “Whether we see it or the next generation sees it. I’m the minority leader now only because somebody before me fought so it could happen.”
Camper briefly broke into song, drawing smiles, applause and laughter from the audience.
Before Harris could respond, Robertson jokingly told the remaining panelists she expected them to sing their selections as well, prompting more laughs throughout the room.
“How do I follow that up?” Harris joked before naming Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” as his motivational anthem.
“If you look at what he was singing about then and look at where we are now, you can play that song today, and it’s still appropriate for what we are dealing with,” Harris said.
Harris added that Memphis’ younger generation continues to inspire optimism.
“Young people have gotten out and actually run for elected positions,” Harris said. “Some have not won, but you will never get into a position if you don’t run. I think the future here is bright and we just have to reach for it and encourage that next generation.”
Carpenter humorously introduced himself as “a recovering elected official” before naming “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” as his choice.
“The thing that gives me hope is the new names and new faces that are on the ballot,” said Carpenter, a former Shelby County commissioner. “We have new people with some new ideas, and I’m very pleased to see that.”
The conversation later turned toward one of the state’s most controversial issues in recent weeks: Tennessee’s newly approved oversight structure for Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Robertson noted that legislation signed by Gov. Bill Lee grants the oversight board sweeping authority over budgets, contracts and personnel decisions.
“Shanti Avant, with you being a former school board member and also now a commissioner, does this change the budget plan process?” Robertson asked.
“It is a very difficult time for us as a community,” Avant responded. “Everything that has happened over the past 2 years with our school system has divided our community like nothing before. I don’t even think it was this divided during the merger and demerger. We’ve seen a lot of ups and downs in leadership at the district.”
Yet, Avant said, the thing that has challenged her the most with the oversight board, “is that it’s about contracts and personnel, but nothing about academics. There has not been anything stated about how we are improving academics for these children.”
“So, if the premise is that our kids are doing so badly and that our kids can’t read on a third grade level and there’s been no academic plan on how they are going to help our kids do better,” Avant added.
Robertson asked Harris: “Our school takeover as well as congressional redistricting really happened in the same session, so what does that say about power in the state of Tennessee?”
Harris responded: “Well I’ll be frank — power has shifted or is shifting from local to state. Luke 12:48 says to whom much is given, much is also required. I think the best way to handle this whole change is to hold the state, the school board, the appointed manager and the state accountable. If you want this power, then we need to hold you accountable.”
Beyond holding officials accountable, Harris said, the response should be continued civic engagement. “We need to engage ourselves; stop being disengaged until there is a problem.”
Harris suggested that those who think they know what’s best of Memphis should spend some time in the city.
“Come down here for 6 months and actually run it. Spend some time to get to know the people. Go to Orange Mound, Whitehaven, South Memphis, and Binghamton,” Harris continued. “You can’t say you’re in charge of something and you don’t spend time with it.”
Next up for discussion was public safety and the ongoing debate surrounding the Memphis Safe Task Force, which officials say has contributed to dramatic decreases in violent crime throughout the city.
Robertson asked panelists how the city should balance public safety gains with concerns from residents who fear civil liberties may be compromised by increased law enforcement presence.
Carpenter acknowledged the political challenges facing local leaders. “It’s a difficult question,” Carpenter said. “I want to acknowledge that the position (Memphis) Mayor (Paul) Young has been in is a difficult one. He’s been between a rock and a hard place.”
Carpenter contrasted the responses from Young and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. He described Young’s approach as more pragmatic while noting that his “heart” aligned with concerns raised by the county mayor regarding federal and state involvement.
“Our city mayor said, ‘OK, I need to step in here and make sure this can go as well as it can,’” Carpenter said. “And our county mayor said, ‘No, I’m going to fight it. I’m going to sue about it. We’re going to let the federal and state government know how we feel about it.’”
While supporting the practical realities of the city’s response, Carpenter said communication with residents must improve.
“If I could offer constructive criticism to Mayor Young, it would be in the communication of that,” Carpenter said. “He’s done a lot behind the scenes, but a lot of that is not getting communicated to the public. I think it needs to be louder, and I think it needs to be clearer that we don’t mess around with civil liberties.”
Carpenter also urged officials to think beyond the task force’s current role in the city.
“What’s next?” Carpenter asked. “The task force is going away. How are we going to better incorporate intervention and prevention into our crime strategy when the task force is gone?”
Before opening the floor for audience questions, Robertson shifted the discussion toward another major political issue dominating headlines across Tennessee: redistricting.
“Karen, you were in the chamber,” Robertson said. “Walk us through what happened and what this means for our city and for Memphians who feel like their vote got diluted overnight. What recourse do they actually have?”
Camper described the legislative session as one of the most difficult she has ever experienced.
“First off, let me just say this was a very challenging session to begin with,” Camper said. “We had been through a lot of knock-down, drag-out fights over some of the bills coming through, fighting to keep funding for Memphis in the budget. We had just come out of those discussions and also the death of one of our colleagues, Representative (G.A.) Hardaway.”
Camper said lawmakers then turned toward legislation involving mid-census redistricting efforts, which she argued violated long-standing principles tied to the census process.
“The law says every 10 years, after the census, we do reapportionment based on the numbers and where people migrated to,” Camper said. “The law says you cannot disrupt that mid-census.”
Lawmakers, she added, first passed legislation removing language that prevented redistricting during the middle of the census cycle. “And the next bill was the actual maps that were redrawn,” Camper said. “From a partisan perspective they say, but it was really about race.”
Camper said the experience strained relationships within the legislature and made the issue deeply personal.
“I told them they stabbed me,” she said. “But I’m over it now.”
Despite her frustrations, Camper urged attendees to respond through civic engagement and voter participation.
“There are a lot of people affected by this, not just Memphis — the entire state,” Camper said. “So what do we do? We turn that into political power. If this is important to you, you’ve got to get out and vote.”
Overall, the evening’s discussion underscored what many in attendance said communities across Memphis continue to seek from leadership: communication, transparency and direct engagement on the issues impacting residents most.
The next TSD In The Community Forum is scheduled for July 1 at the Alpha Memphis Education Foundation, 4122 Barton Dr., Memphis. The topic will be education.
