MLK50: Justice Through Journalism

A peaceful anti-ICE march turned ugly when the Tennessee Highway Patrol drove into the crowd, hitting at least three people

Tennessee State Troopers yell at demonstrators after detaining Rebecca Leathers during the "ICE Out for Good" demonstration along Summer Avenue on Jan. 11 ...
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A collective deep breath as the struggle against xAI continues

An xAI employee wearing a hat with the company logo stands for a photo during the Dec. 15 public meeting considering an appeal for gas turbine permits at the University of Memphis. Photos by Kevin ...
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Union push is about more than pay, library workers say

Some of the library workers who are a part of the Memphis Public Library Workers United union sit for a portrait at Crosstown Concourse. Photo by Kevin Wurm / MLK50 / CatchLight Local / Report for ...
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State troopers and federal agents decide Memphis residents’ fates during traffic stops

After a traffic stop on Nov. 18, a man sits in the back of a Tennessee Highway Patrol vehicle. Photo by Andrea Morales / MLK50 In the heart of Berclair on the evening of Nov. 18, a traffic stop for a ...
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Use our interactive map to find food pantries open near you

A food pantry guest loads up his car after getting a box of pantry staples in 2020. Photo by Andrea Morales / MLK50 As grocery costs rise and federal funding for food banks runs dry, food insecurity ...
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A day and night in Memphis: Trump’s task force expands surveillance

A child sitting in the backseat of a car pulled over by the Tennessee Highway Patrol peeks through the window during a traffic stop at an Exxon located at Airways Boulevard and Winchester Road. Photo ...
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Bill Lee said people arrested by task force are “violent criminals and known gang members.” Data show that’s not true.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks during a Tuesday morning press conference with Memphis Mayor Paul Young at the temporary command center for the Memphis Safe Task Force. Photo by Andrea Morales / MLK50 ...
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2025 Creator-In-Residence: Amber Sherman

Inspired by a similar program launched by the national news outlet Mother Jones, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism has launched a creator-in-residence program for Memphis creatives. The program seeks ...
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No school, no fresh air and isolated

David spent eight months incarcerated at the Youth Justice and Education Center. Center portrait by Kevin Wurm / MLK50 / CatchLight Local / Report for America; Image of the Shelby County Youth and ...
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‘We are far down this road of losing our democracy,’ says Harris as leaders mull sending troops to Memphis

National Guard armored vehicles were lined up along Riverside Drive in May 2020. Gov. Bill Lee, like 29 other state governors at the time, called on National Guard troops to “maintain order” in the ...
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Riders still have questions after Memphis names trustees to oversee MATA

Council Chairman J. Ford Canale (right) chats with Council Attorney Allan Wade (second from right) during a private attorney-client session as seen through the glass panes in the committee room at ...
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Inside the Memphis Chamber of Commerce’s push for Elon Musk’s xAI data center

Photo illustration by Shoshana Gordon/ProPublica. Source images: Andrea Morales/MLK50, screenshot by MLK50, U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley via Wikimedia Commons Marilyn Gooch was already ...