MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Today, Stand for Children Tennessee and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the city of Memphis for unlawfully denying access to public records that would shed light on the police department’s use of force policies and practices. The request, sent in May 2025, seeks to uncover whether the Memphis […]
This King Day, Memphis is once again at a crossroads. The policies shaping our schools, our streets, and our democracy reflect deeper, prejudiced beliefs about who does and does not deserve freedom. In his speech honoring Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke clearly about how oppression is sustained through false narratives […]
This December, we celebrated the launch of the Shelby County Early Literacy Plan! Developed with a diverse group of partners, this plan is a county-wide roadmap to help every child become a confident reader. Stand for Children Tennessee is one of the co-conveners of the Early Literacy Consortium, working alongside First 8 Memphis, Literacy Mid-South, […]
Today, Stand for Children Tennessee and the ACLU sent an open letter calling on the Memphis Police Department (MPD) to reverse its denial of a public records request submitted in May 2025. The request is part of the ACLU’s Seven States Safety Campaign — a national push for transparency in cities where the Department of […]
The City Council and County Commission had a big opportunity to raise revenue and invest in what we need most–but instead, they chose austerity and left our communities underfunded in the final budgets. By sticking with the state’s insufficient certified tax rate, they left hundreds of millions of dollars on the table, which could have […]
Juneteenth reminds us of a hard truth: freedom has always been delayed; and it’s still being denied for too many in our communities. More than 160 years after emancipation, Black families in Memphis are still being targeted by systems that punish instead of support. Public schools are under attack. Police violence goes unaddressed. Budgets prioritize […]
