by Daniel Johnson
8 September 2024
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Memphis Mayor Paul Young discussed different ways they are working to create change in their majority-black cities in a conversation hosted by the Change Collective.
In a conversation hosted by the nonprofit community organization Change Collective, Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Memphis Mayor Paul Young discussed different ways they have worked to bring about change in their majority-black cities.
According to the Clarion Ledger, the conversation between the two focused on the similarities they have as mayors of their respective cities. Although Jackson and Memphis both struggle with poverty, infrastructure problems and crime, the mayors of both cities are determined to make change.
The two-day event took place September 6-7 at the Jackson Convention Complex in Jackson, Mississippi.
“What I see in Memphis is this tenacious spirit where despite the odds stacked against us, there are systematic structures in the South that hinder progress,” Young said. “But we keep going anyway.”
The two agree that it takes the wisdom of older generations and the energy of younger people to drive positive change in their respective cities.
“They are here and now,” Lumumba said of the younger generation. “They contribute to the view or the quality of life that people enjoy in places like Jackson … I think there is a spirit among young people that they are no longer satisfied with the status quo.”
Lumumba further stated that retaining Jackson's youth is crucial to counteracting the loss of this population in the city.
“The population we are losing the fastest is our younger residents, our young professionals. We need to start asking that question and engaging them in the process of figuring out why this is happening. Because we are a college town and we have more than five institutions in the city of Jackson, our biggest exports are our talent and our money,” Lumumba said. “We are trying to figure out how to turn that around.”
When the topic turned to crime, Young talked about how public safety could change in the future.
“Memphis is all about crime and people's fear,” Young said. “Everyone talks about their fears about public safety. My goal was to figure out how we can change the narrative so that we're not just prisoners of this negativity, but actually proactively trying to improve public safety in our communities.”
Young also spoke about his meeting with Memphis gang members to discuss how to reduce crime in the city.
“I came to the negotiating table and said, 'Look. I want to know what it's going to take for us to enforce a ceasefire in our community for seven days. No shooting,'” Young said. “And they said a couple of very simple things. One, you need to tell the other people not to shoot at us. Two, they said, 'Well, our kids need something to do, because the reason our young people are going out and breaking into these cars is because they're bored.'”
Young continued, “Sitting with the mayor in Jackson, Mississippi, with all these amazing people, these are things that are unimaginable for some kids in our communities,” Young said. “I know this isn't just about Memphis. This is about the whole country. That means we all have a responsibility to not only talk about them, but to talk to them and hear from them.”
Lumumba also spoke about how the prevailing view of funding the police to maintain public safety is not necessarily the right answer.
“When we talk about public safety, we often behave like a carpenter with a single tool: a hammer,” Lumumba said. “Everything looks like a nail, right? We come up with the same solution: police, police, police, police.”
Lumumba continued: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result,” Lumumba said. “We need to look at this and understand what the unique challenges are and what other nations are doing. What other investments should we be making to create safer conditions?”
According to Mayor Young, the two will continue to work together to bring about further positive change in their communities, as they have done throughout their political careers.
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