As we look ahead to a new year, I have asked some Memphians who care deeply about their city’s future for their resolutions or reflections for 2024. I am deeply grateful for their thoughtful submissions.
Today’s post is by Tomeka Hart Wigginton and Russ Wigginton, Jessica Taveau, and Elizabeth Rouse.
Tomeka is founder and principal of The HarWigg Group. She is an expert on educational and social and economic mobility issues and previously was managing director and special advisor to Blue Meridian Partners, senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, former president/CEO of Memphis Urban League and president of Memphis City Schools Board. Russ is president of the sacred ground that is the National Civil Rights Museum and he was formerly vice-president and dean of students at Rhodes College after serving as vice-president for college relations/vice-president of external programs, special assistant to the president, and assistant professor of history.
Jessica is president and CEO of Epicenter Inc., which fuels economic development in Memphis with inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship. Elizabeth is president and CEO of ARTSmemphis, the primary arts funder in Memphis region where she has worked in various roles for almost 18 years.
Dr. and Mrs. Wigginton:
Our hope for Memphis is that we will accelerate our progress of stepping fully into our greatness. Essential to reaching our full potential is a strategic and clear plan for how every desiring Memphian has a legitimate chance for economic prosperity for themselves and their families. Because of the demographic makeup of our city, that translates into the framework for the implementation of a Black wealth strategy. Our new Mayor, Paul Young, has begun his tenure talking about owning who we are as a city and controlling our individual and collective narratives. In many ways, his words harken back to the economic justice fight that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had begun to espouse shortly before his untimely death in our city. Dr. King reminded us that all labor has dignity; that addressing the needs of the least of us was better for all of us; and through love and unity there were no barriers we could not overcome. Sustained economic progress will not happen overnight—we have a tremendous amount of deep work to do before we get there. But as OneMemphis we can get there. Now is the time. Our people are dynamic. Our people are bold. Our people are resilient. If you need a reminder of what we can accomplish with passion and purpose, come back to the National Civil Rights Museum and have your spirit refreshed and renewed. Let’s get to work.
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Jessica Taveau:
One of my primary goals this year is to further amplify the uplifting stories and voices of Memphians building impactful, scaling businesses in our region. There are far too few citizens who know about the world-changing and culturally relevant ideas and products flourishing here. More than that, I want our fellow citizens to know how to support local entrepreneurs – how to find them, how to listen to them, how to purchase from them, how to invest in them, how to advocate for them, and how to tell their stories, too. The Epicenter team and I know these entrepreneurs, and I want our entire community – and those outside of our community – to know who they are and feel pride that they’re here, working hard, hiring locally, making our economy stronger, and representing the authentic vibrancy of Memphis.
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Elizabeth Rouse:
I have entered 2024 with an energy that I honestly have not felt in years.
Our new Mayor Paul Young has proclaimed Thriving Arts & Culture as one of his administration’s primary pillars.
Believing in the power of our city’s culture as a tool to move Memphis forward and put Memphis on the map is one thing. Formally recognizing its value on an administrative level is another. This proclamation is a huge step forward for our local arts industry, one that just revealed its nonprofit annual economic impact of $192.9 million. Having been at the table with arts leaders around Tennessee and across the nation, the lack of Arts & Culture representation in City Hall has not gone unnoticed. Simply put, it has been a barrier to funding and attention.
The City pillar of Thriving Arts & Culture, backed up by actionable strategies that are being developed as we speak, reflects a holistic response that Memphis is embracing in this new year versus a segmented one. As we all know, education, transportation, public safety, and neighborhood development are inextricably and systemically linked. Mayor Young’s formalization is a huge testament to the fact that Memphis and Memphians are turning to the arts as both a solution and pathway to solutions.
From education, to engagement, to exposure, to access, we, ARTSmemphis, are about working behind the scenes to ensure these tools are supported, achieved, and sustained. With potential policy changes to enable more access, and more opportunities unlocked to secure dollars for Memphis’ arts and culture sector, I look forward to witnessing what greater awareness of the arts can do for our community. It can open up a whole new world of meaning for Memphians. It’s energizing knowing that their 2024 will be enriched directly because of arts experiences in their backyards that they didn’t even know existed!
The world has always been watching Memphis. We have culturally and creatively shaped genres, movements, and history. Now, the world is really watching Memphis as we stand at this critical juncture of leadership and vision. It is time we acknowledge to ourselves and the rest of the world exactly who we are. We are figuratively and literally setting the stage for our future.
Arts and culture’s integration into other areas of impact is essential. This year, especially, may we see it realized in ways we never thought possible.
