Black History Month: Honoring Memphis men who fought for civil rights

February is nationally recognized as a month for digging deeper into the history of African-Americans who have had a positive impact on the development of this country. Although Black History Month has been in place officially since 1976, few people know how it actually came to be.

According to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Black History Month was developed through young African-Americans who wanted to learn more about their culture and heritage.

Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard graduate in 1912, attended a 1915 national celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of slavery emancipation in the state of Illinois. Inspired by the thousands upon thousands of people who came out for the event and by the exhibits highlighting the history of black people in America, he started the movement that would press for a nationwide acceptance of a week-long celebration of African American history. Woodson had no idea it would grow into what it has become today.

In Memphis, there are many historic people that helped in the Civil Rights Movement and African American History. Though not as well known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., they still have contributed locally and even nationally.

Benjamin Hooks was one of these men. Born in Memphis in 1925, Hooks was the grandson of the second African-American woman in America to graduate and the son of a man who co-owned a photography business. Even though the Great Depression hit his family hard, his family insisted on keeping up their appearance, attitude, and academic performance. He went from being a law student to a civil rights worker, conducting sit-ins during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He also later became an executive director of the NAACP and the first African-American board member of the Federal Communication Commission.

Another one of these revered men was Ernest Withers, a photographer from Memphis. He was the most notable photographer of the Civil Rights movement. He took pictures of Civil Rights leaders, marches, and protests. He was also seen close to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and was even in his room on the night he was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee.

Robert R. Church Sr., though he died before the Civil Rights Movement, was another prominent African-American Memphian. As the South’s first African-American millionaire, he contributed largely to the Memphis area, building Church Park on Park Ave, which features an auditorium that seats 2,000 people. He first started business as a saloon owner and later went on to own hotels, restaurants, and larger real estate. After the yellow fever epidemic, he was the first citizen to buy a $1,000 bond to restore the city’s charter and keep the city from over-taxing. Church was shot during the Memphis race riots of 1866, but he didn’t let this run him out of town. Later in life, he founded the Solvent Savings Bank and Trust Company which became the largest African-American bank.

“It may be said of Robert Church that his word is as good as his bond. No appeal to him for the aid of any charity or public enterprise for the benefit of Memphis has ever been made in vain. He is for Memphis first, last and all the time,” said the Memphis Press-Scimitar.

What would Memphis be without its blues? One famous African-American man who lived in this town was W.C. Handy, known to many as Father of the Blues. Born in Hunstville, Alabama, Handy started as just a school teacher but later dropped that career for one in music. His debut song “Memphis Blues,” called “Mr. Crump,” before became widely popular though he didn’t make any money off of it because he sold the rights. Not one to make the same mistake twice, Handy published his next successful song, “St. Louis Blues,” using his own company which later became known as Handy Brothers Music Company. More of his successful songs included “Yellow Dog Blues” and “Beale Street Blues”. After some success in Memphis, Handy moved on to New York where he wrote his biography “Father of the Blues,” and later died there.

The remains of many of these men lie in Elmwood Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Memphis. They will offer a tour called “The Civil Rights Movement: A Special Tour of Elmwood,” on February 5 and 19. The tour begins at 10:30 a.m., and admission is $12. Visiting the cemetery for these tours will be a great way to expose ones self to Black History Month in Memphis.

News Brief: Memphis in May returns

The 33rd annual Memphis in May International Festival kicks off the month with the Beale Street Music Festival on April 30.

Four stages will be filled with over 60 musical artists, including Mutemath, Colbie Caillat, Goo Goo Dolls, The B-52s, Boys Like Girls, and 3 Doors Down. Tickets purchased at the gate cost $37.

Also, Memphis will be honoring the country Tunisia May 3-9. Tunisia is located in Northern Africa, and many members of the country will present lectures of the lifestyle there.

Then, on May 13, the annual Championship BBQ Contest begins where over 200 teams will compete for over $110,000 in prizes and ultimate bragging rights. The event will take place in Tom Lee Park.

To end this spectacular festival, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra will be performing at the Autozone Sunset Symphony on May 29. Beginning at 6 p.m., families and friends will gather by the Mississippi River to enjoy great music and fellowship.

Recent earthquakes cause tremors of fear in Memphians

The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile have caused endless damage, some of it irreparable. Plus, countless numbers of people have died, and many more are now homeless. The devastation resulting from these catastrophes, however, causes Memphians to consider this: What is the possibility that an earthquake just as horrifying could strike Memphis?

Historical precedent says “very high.” Memphis lies on the New Madrid fault line, which became the site of four major earthquakes in 1811 and 1812, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). People from as far away as Washington, D.C., and Charleston, SC, felt the earthquakes, which caused damage over an area of 600,000 square kilometers.

These earthquakes hit Memphis particularly hard. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) said that “the crew of a steamboat mooring overnight along a Mississippi River island reportedly awoke to find the island had disappeared below the water.” ABC also reported that the quake was “so strong the Mississippi River reportedly flowed backward.”

Conflicted views abound in the city about whether or not any earthquakes of this magnitude will hit the region.

Some citizens remain skeptical that the wreckage of Haiti and Chile could possibly ever reach the city of Memphis. They may believe that earthquakes of truly devastating magnitude only happen on the Pacific Coast and in other places west of the Mississippi. However, the fact remains that the New Madrid fault line on which Memphis lies “is among the most active in the country,” according to ABC.

In preparation for such an event, Shelby County Schools has regularly-scheduled earthquake drills during the school year.

However, some people may question the validity of holding earthquake drills. After all, Memphis has not had a major earthquake in several years.

“Seismologists sometimes have a hard time measuring earthquakes,” assistant principal Ken Demetriou said. “We could have one tomorrow; we could have one 200 years from now.”

Not only Memphians are beginning to worry, but also scientists and citizens worldwide, and for a more severe reason. Officials from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that the earthquake in Chile was so strong, and occurred at just the right place, that it has literally shifted the Earth’s balance, which is centered around the figure axis, not the north-south axis.

NASA research scientist Richard Gross’ findings from the Chile earthquake reveals that the figure axis has shifted approximately three inches, potentially shortening a regular Earth day by 1.26 milliseconds.

Concern remains high as scientists and world leaders ponder what actions they should take to minimize the damage that future earthquakes may cause.