Finding A Voice To Speak Out Against ICE
10 Bullets: A cartoon by award-winning cartoonist Bill Day. The National Guard members who appear...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 29, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Federal Government, Federal Policy | 1
10 Bullets: A cartoon by award-winning cartoonist Bill Day. The National Guard members who appear...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 22, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Memphis History | 0
Thumbnail: It’s incredulous that we are still working to shake off the vestiges of the Confederacy and incredulous even more that some fanatically hold up traitors who fought to destroy the United States so they could own human beings as property. Southern states not only lost the war but by clinging to racist myths of the Confederacy, they also sacrificed the future. In light of the continuing discussions about Confederate statues and the Confederacy itself, I’m posting this column written for MLK50.com on July 27, 2017.
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 19, 2026 | Civil Rights, Federal Policy, Leadership, Uncategorized | 0
Thursday of last week was Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday – the 58th since he was murdered in...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Nov 25, 2025 | Civil Rights, Criminal Justice, Shelby County government | 0
It’s déjà vu all over again, but when it comes to the crisis in the Shelby County Jail, there’s no...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Oct 20, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Criminal Justice, Federal Government | 0
LA Photo: Only bad guys wear masks. The National Guard members who appear to be wandering...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jul 24, 2025 | Civil Rights, Memphis History | 1
By John Branston Two big news stories with local angles: Trump’s libel suit against The...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Mar 24, 2025 | Civil Rights, Federal Government, Federal Policy | 2
This column by Gayle Rose was previously published by The Institute for Public Service Reporting...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 20, 2025 | Civil Rights, Federal Policy | 0
Wednesday of last week was Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday – the 57th since he was murdered in...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 5, 2024 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Shelby County government, Tennessee Legislature | 1
There’s a tendency in our community for pessimism to overwhelm signs of progress and for negative...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jul 11, 2024 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Poverty, Uncategorized | 4
By Ava Crofford (they/them) croffoaa@mail.uc.edu This article is to bring awareness to digital...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jun 27, 2024 | Civil Rights, Poverty | 0
All of us of a certain age have special memories of Rev. James Lawson, who died June 9 at the age...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | May 20, 2024 | Civil Rights, Education | 0
By John Branston Things could be worse. And they have been, for Memphis and for the country. May...
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by Bill Day. Memphian Bill Day is two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award in Cartooning. His cartoons are syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons. Cartoons Archive →
Since 2005, this has been Smart City Consulting’s blog with the aim of connecting the dots and providing perspective on issues and policies shaping Memphis. Editor and primary author is Tom Jones, City Journal columnist at Memphis magazine, author of two books and a museum exhibition, and consultant on public policy and strategic planning. He has written articles for MLK50, The Commercial Appeal, and USA Today. The blog was called one of the most intriguing blogs in the U.S. by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal said it “provides some of the most well-thought-out thinking about Memphis’ past, present, and future you’ll find anywhere,” and the Memphis Flyer said: “This incredibly well-written blog sets out to solve the city’s ills – from the mayor to MATA – with out-of-the-box thinking, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ideas.” If you have questions, submissions, or ideas for posts, please email Tom Jones, at tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.