This document provides an overview of the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope's (MICAH) second annual public meeting to highlight their work on issues of economics, education, and immigration/intercultural equity in Memphis. It outlines the agenda, guest speakers, and goals to garner support and commitments from community representatives and political candidates on solutions to these issues, including investing in education, public transportation, economic opportunities, and building trust between law enforcement and communities of color.

2. What does God require of us? Three years ago, a handful of clergy gathered
in the basement of St. James AME to answer that question. We saw the
inequity in Memphis and the need for justice, and we decided to answer the
question of Micah 6:8 by starting Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and
Hope. This call for justice was answered by a diverse group of Memphians
from every faith and race. We wanted to speak up for those who hadn’t given
up on hope because of suffocating poverty and relentless racism. We surveyed
the people and realized that they wanted equity in three areas: Economics,
Education, and Immigration/Intercultural. We are determined to Move
Memphis Forward so that we can actualize the dream of Dr. King by Breaking
Through the nightmare of inequality.
Dr. Stacy Spencer
President, MICAH
Rules of the Day
Today is our second annual public meeting between MICAH and community
representatives and will highlight the work of all three of our issue areas. Since
the meeting last October at Mason Temple, MICAH has spent hundreds of
hours meeting with elected officials, and other business and community
leaders, to develop strategies and partnerships to address some of the most
challenging issues facing our community. All of the community
representatives here today have been informed about our issue platforms, they
know ahead of time what questions will be asked of them, and many of them
have worked in direct partnership with us to arrive at today’s
accomplishments.
Due to time constraints, community representatives will not be given time to
speak, outside of answering whether they agree to work with MICAH on
solutions to the issues we will outline today. Candidates for City Mayor who
are present and confirmed their attendance with us by September 8 will be
given an allotted time to directly address the body today. Any representatives
present for Mayoral candidates will be recognized, but not be given the
opportunity to speak.

3. MICAH is nonpartisan. Candidates have been asked to not distribute
campaign materials or campaign at the meeting or on the Mt. Vernon Baptist
campus. All City Council and Mayoral candidates have been invited to the
event. Any other official called upon today is being brought forward based on
our work in one of our three issue areas.
Finally, no questions or remarks will be taken from the floor. If you are eager
to get involved in the process today, we encourage you to get engaged in the
work of our task forces which shape public meetings like this. Thank you for
your presence today and for engaging in this civic life together.
JOIN US!
MICAH Monthly Meetings, see website for locations
2nd
Tuesday of every month, 7-8:30 PM**
MICAH Issue Nights, Lindenwood Christian Church
4th
Monday of every month, 6-8 PM
**October’s meeting (at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral) will be on
Monday, Oct. 7 due to the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope
P.O. Box 40852, Memphis, TN 38174
info@micahmemphis.org
www.micahmemphis.org Facebook: @MICAH901 Twitter: @MICAH_901

4. Breaking Through
Program
Prelude Music Memphis Jazz Workshop
(Musical selection by Temple Israel Teen Team)
Welcome Rev. Ayanna J. Watkins
Opening Prayer Pastor Melvin D. Watkins
Who Is MICAH? Dr. Stacy Spencer
Rules of the Day Rev. Lucy A. Waechter Webb
Acknowledgement of Guests Ruth Abigail Smith
Partner Roll Call Janiece Lee
Presentation of MICAH Platform:
1. Education Equity
Alexis Gwin-Miller & Rev. Lloyd Stovall, Co-Chairs
2. Immigration & Intercultural Equity
Dr. Sherry J. Compton & Adam Nelson, Co-Chairs
3. Economic Equity
Samantha Bradshaw, Acting Chair
4. Youth Council
Ximena Villa & Marco Villa, Members
Ask of City Candidates
Rev. Will Christians & Rev. Vahisha Hasan
Address of Issues City Mayoral Candidates
Ask of Community and Membership Rev. Cetrea Jimerson
(Musical selection by AngelStreet)
Call to Action Dominique DeFreece & Youth Council
Closing Prayer/Reflection
Imam Ma’Hajj M. Abdul BaaQee & Rabbi Bess Wohlner
#MICAH901
#Breaking Through

5. Economic Equity
Co-Chairs: Samantha Bradshaw, Britney Thornton
What’s the Problem? Memphis has suffered from economic inequity and
systemic racism with adverse effects in housing, business development,
transportation, opportunities for returning citizens, and living wage jobs. In
spite of modest improvements, Memphis still ranks second poorest among
cities in the U.S., especially among children and families of color.
Why Should We Care? Economic equity is an issue of justice. Memphis will
not see far-reaching economic growth without addressing the underlying
issues of disparity that have historically undermined the economic well-being
for communities of color. Economic prosperity is not being shared equitably,
resulting in a city still divided by racial and economic lines.
What Have We Done? On June 2nd
, we
held a Public Meeting at Promise Land
Church in Frayser to announce the
commitments received to promote
economic stability and upward mobility
for the citizens of Memphis.
Wealth Equity
 Established a partnership with
First Horizon Bank (formerly
First Tennessee Bank) to assist
them with engagement in low- to
moderate-income (LMI)
communities to invest the $1.5
billion -- as mandated by the
Community Reinvestment Act to
invest in formerly redlined
communities.
 Identified seven beta neighborhoods in LMI communities in need of
reinvestment via mortgages, home improvement, small business loans,
etc. The beta neighborhoods are: Orange Mound (Juice Orange
Mound), Frayser (Promise Land Church), Raleigh (Golden Gate
Cathedral), Hickory Hill (New Directions Church), South Memphis
(St. Andrew’s AME) and Downtown (St. Patrick’s Catholic).
 Held the 1st
beta neighborhood Public Meeting with 100+ Orange
Mound citizens to address their needs, including increasing and
improving First Horizon’s financial products and services, alternative
credit scoring and public reporting of beta neighborhood progress.

6.  Stood in solidarity with the Office of Shelby County Mayor for
$15/hour living wage increase for SCS workers.
 Working with Greater Memphis Chamber to secure jobs and job access
for LMI area residents.
Transportation Equity
 MATA president Gary Rosenfeld signed an agreement with MICAH to
be publicly transparent and accountable for the funding received to
implement the Transit Vision portion of the Memphis 3.0 Plan as part of
MICAH’s commitment to promote transit funding.
 MICAH met multiple times with County Mayor Lee Harris and County
Commissioners to discuss short- and long-term sustainable funding
options for transit funding. Mayor Harris committed to present his
funding plan by September 2019.
 At our June 2019 public meeting in Frayser, with 400+ MICAH members
present, Mayor Harris affirmed funding for Transit Vision and
Commission Chair Turner pledged to support County funding this year.
 A Commission resolution added $2.5 million toward the $10 million
required to the county budget, contingent upon MATA allowing Shelby
County to appoint two board members.
 MICAH is now approaching the City of Memphis to provide more
funding for the $7.5 million balance of the $10 million needed to fund
year one of Transit Vision
 With the Chamber of Commerce, we will also engage corporations and
foundations to provide initial “gap funding” for transit improvements.
 Fully funding the transit portion of Memphis 3.0 will greatly reduce
average transit time for workers, students, and others who must take the
bus, help make successful the Chamber’s new jobs initiative by
increasing access to workplaces, and more broadly provide dependable
and timely transit for all Memphians.
Housing Equity
 Held Memphis Housing Authority accountable to their commitment
for the return of former residents of Foote Homes into the new
Foote Park at South City.
Re-Entry for Returning Citizens
 Established partnership with Shelby County Office of Re-Entry to
provide allowable transparency, share authorized dashboard data
and metrics, and hold quarterly update meetings to further the goal
of providing employment opportunities and navigating a network of
community services for returning citizens.
 Assisted in the recruitment of two volunteers for front desk and
client data entry work at Shelby County Office of Re-Entry.

7. Education
Co-Chairs: Alexis Gwin-Miller, Lloyd Stovall
What’s the Problem? The City of Memphis invests over $270 million
annually to police and $0 to K-12 education. Despite the merger of Shelby
County Schools and Memphis City Schools, Memphians believe that the City
should invest in our future through investing in education and youth
programming.
What Should Be Done? We want to proactively invest in the children who
are growing up in Memphis and ensure that they have access to opportunities
and a future they deserve. The MICAH Education Equity Task Force wants
to see the creation of a Youth Fund. This fund would be recurring City (and
County) dollars available for grants for programs and schools doing the most
critical work. We believe this fund should target programs that invest in high
school success and early literacy because these are key levers in closing the
opportunity gap and ensuring students are set up for long-term success. The
City of Memphis should invest in recurring funds from the city budget in a
Youth Fund that would provide for equitable, targeted investments towards
high school success and early literacy in SCS. The fund would not impact
maintenance of effort requirements and the grant application process will
ensure equity and monitor for efficacy of each grantee.
The MICAH Education Equity Task Force knows that proximity is crucial in
order to understand and advocate for communities. We want to cultivate a
culture of elected officials who are willing to visit schools and get a personal
sense of what is great in our schools and what needs additional
intervention. City and county officials should visit at least five public schools
each year in their District to stay engaged in the education system.

8. Pre-K is another key lever in connecting young people with an equitable
playing field. We are grateful that the City and County have created a plan for
needs-based Pre-K to be fully accessible by 2022. We also know that
political agreements can be fragile. As such, the City needs to commit to
maintain the Pre-K funding schedule of 6 million per year, to ensure it does
its part to ensure that 13,000 needs-based seats are available by 2022 for the
kids in Memphis who need it most.
One in three black Memphis youth (ages 16 to 24) aren't connected to work
or school. The Education Equity Task Force sees connecting youth with high-
wage, high-growth jobs as a critical way to reduce poverty and empower the
next generation. In 2019, only 1,750 of 10,000 eligible applicants were
included in the MPLOY Summer Program. The number of available jobs
needs to be increased within the next two years to begin catching up with the
demand within the community.
What Have We Done:
 Breakfast with the Shelby County School Board
 Advocated at SCS Community Budget Meetings
 Hosted Budget Accountability Forum, in partnership with 9-0-
ONE
 Attended SCS & County Commission meetings related to
education spending
 Met w/ SCS Cabinet, including Supt. Joris Ray
 Hosted FUND STUDENTS FIRST RALLY, in partnership
with Stand for Children and 9-0-ONE

9. Immigration and Intercultural Equity
Co-Chairs: Adam Nelson, Dr. Sherry J. Compton
What’s the Problem? What’s the Problem? For some in Memphis the
sight of law enforcement brings comfort and security. But for others,
particularly black and brown Memphians, seeing an officer conjures real fear-
-fear of arrest, detention, brutality, deportation, even death. There are
Memphians in this room for whom those fears have been realized, in the
absence of loved ones who never came home from their interactions with law
enforcement. Naturally, in the course of a difficult job, police officers find
themselves in situations with no good solution--but when mistakes happen,
our communities don’t consistently receive the transparency and
accountability we desire. Further, there are no public defenders for
undocumented people; toddlers are deported in our courts without legal
representation. Legal asylum-seekers are detained less than two hours from
Memphis, in Tallahatchie, a private criminal prison with inadequate food,
medical care, and oversight.
Why Should We Care? Mistrust between the police and the community
works to the detriment of civilians and police alike, engendering cycles of
violence and fear. A transparent, accountable police department receives the
enthusiastic cooperation of civilians in reducing crime and responding to
community needs. Fear of deportation keeps many families from participating
openly in Memphis life, hurting our economy and making life more difficult
for all. Beyond these practical concerns, the subjection of nonviolent people
to emotional and physical abuse is an assault on our values.
What Should Be Done? In order to break through the fear and build trust
between the community and law enforcement, Memphis should commit to: 1)
Allocate city funding for deportation defense for immigrants; 2) Continue to
limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement as much as
possible within the confines of state law; 3) Visit detention facilities like
Tallahatchie Prison to raise our collective awareness of the injustice being
done in our name; 4) Expand community policing practices that address crime
via collaboration between law enforcement and civilians; 5) Expand MPD’s
Crisis Intervention Training program, which teaches officers alternatives to
intimidation and violence; 6) Increase penalties for officers who violate
community trust, such as by turning off body cameras inappropriately; and 6)
Publish MPD policies as a show of commitment to transparency.
What Have We Done?
 Secured ongoing meetings with the Memphis Police Department
 Successfully pressured County Commission to condemn local
judge’s racist posts
 Obtained Memphis Police Department Training Manual Summary
 Held clergy demonstration after the shooting of Brandon Webber

10. MICAH Youth Council
Who: Open to all current 6th-12th grade
students (even if you are NOT currently
connected to a MICAH partner)
What we do: Just like the adult council, we
meet monthly focusing on the issues the
youth selected (community and policing relationships, environmental justice,
and access to resources). We learn, plan, and act to create change in
Memphis.
Why: Youth are a source of power and insight in our
community. This group offers opportunities to make
tangible change in our community, while having fun
along the way.
When: 2nd Sunday of the month, 4pm-5:30pm (Oct
13, Nov 10, Dec 8)
Where: Lindenwood Christian Church (2400 Union
Ave.)
How: No application! Just come and join the conversation and action!
Huh?: Contact youth@micahmemphis.org for more information.
Upcoming Voting Information - Know Your District
Memphis is holding its upcoming City elections on October 3, 2019. Early voting
is open through September 28, 2019.
If you live in Memphis, please find your City Council District and Super District
by going to https://gis.shelbycountytn.gov/ElectionDistricts/and then:
1. Type in your address in Shelby County.
2. Include the city after the address. (123 Main Memphis for example.)
3. Click on the little blue square to the left of the box that appears in the
center of the screen. Hit the + sign in the upper left-hand corner of the
screen several times to zoom in. This will make sure that your cursor is
actually on your address.
4. Click on the map just next to your address and a list of your voting
districts will come up. Find your City Council District and Super District.
5. Be sure your address on your ID matches your voter registration! Check
at https://tnmap.tn.gov/voterlookup/
Get out and vote! See you at the polls!

11. MICAH Executive Team
Executive Officers
President Dr. Stacy Spencer
Vice President Rev. Lucy A. Waechter Webb
Secretary Janiece J. Lee
Executive Committee Chairs/Vice-Chairs
Structure Rev. Walter Henry
Partnership Meggan Kiel, Ryan Lee
Training Rev. Will Christians, Rev. Vahisha Hasan
Communications Dr. Sara First, Marcos Villa
Fundraising Beverly Robertson, Katy Spurlock
Power Analysis Ruth Abigail Smith
Youth Council Liaisons Rev. Sandra Summers, Brandon Shaw
Lead Organizer/Exec. Director Rev. Ayanna J. Watkins
Acknowledgements
MICAH would like to thank the following for their generous contributions and
support for the public meeting:
Video Production: Kim Bledsoe Lloyd
Graphic Design: Jessica Willis/Seven30Designs
Media Relations/Branding: KQ Communications
Thank you to the following for their participation in today’s event:
AngelStreet – AngelStreet mentors young women through musical training
in areas with limited access to the arts. We empower young women to
understand their value, discover their purpose, and become creative leaders
throughout the Memphis community.
Memphis Jazz Workshop – Founded by Steven Lee, the Memphis Jazz
Workshop was founded to fill in gaps that have developed in public school
music education.
Temple Israel Teen Team – Teen Team is the elite music leadership group
at Temple Israel. Through mentorship, weekly teaching, and performances,
this group focuses on finding meaning through prayer and action.
Southwind High School FBLA Students – Assisted in the voting education
for attendees by helping them find their council districts
Freedom Preparatory Academy – Provided essential volunteers who help
set up, greet and clean up for this MICAH event
Special thanks to our host church, Mt. Vernon Baptist-Westwood. Mt.
Vernon Baptist Church, founded in 1902, has touched the lives of countless
people locally, nationally and globally. The vision of the church includes
transforming lives, serving the community and developing leaders to impact
the next generation.

12. PARTNERS
1. AGAPE Child and Family
Services
2. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
– Alpha Delta Lambda Chapter
3. Beth Sholom Synagogue
4. Born Again Christian Center
5. Calvary Episcopal Church
6. Campaign Nonviolence
Memphis
7.CEFIMEX
8.Center for Transforming
Communities
9.Christ Missionary Baptist
Church
10. Church Health Center
11. Church of the River- First
Unitarian
12. Citadel of Deliverance –
COGIC
13. Constance Abbey
14. Diversity Memphis
15. Evergreen Presbyterian
Church
16. Facing History and Ourselves
17. Fellowship of Avalon
18. First Congregational Church
19. Freedom's Chapel Christian
Church
20. Germantown Alumni Chapter
of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity,
Inc.
21. Golden Gate Cathedral
22. Greater Works Fellowship
23. Hope Church
24. Idlewild Presbyterian Church
25. Journey Christian Church
26. JUICE Orange Mound
27. Just City
28. Latino Memphis
29. Lifeline to Success
30. Lindenwood Christian Church
31. Masjid Al-Mu’minun
32. Memphis and West TN
AFL-CIO Labor Council
33. Memphis Catholics for Social
Justice
34. Memphis Center for Urban
Theological Studies (MCUTS)
35. Memphis Interfaith
36. MIFA
37. National Civil Rights Museum
38. Neshoba Unitarian
Universalist Church
39. New Direction Christian
Church
40. New Testament Church
41. Olivet Fellowship
42. Pax Christi
43. Perfecting Love Community
Church
44. Promise Land Church
45. Shady Grove Presbyterian
Church
46. St. Andrew A.M.E. Church
47. St. James A.M.E. Church
48. St. John’s United Methodist
Church
49. St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral
50. St. Patrick Catholic Church
51. Stand for Children
52. Teamsters Local 667
53. Temple Israel
54. Temple of Judah Apostolic
Ministries
55. The COMMON- Orange
Mound
56. The Urban Child Institute
57. United Methodist
Church - Memphis Metro
District
58. Voices of Reason
59. Mt. Vernon Baptist -Westwood
#MICAH901 #BreakingThrough