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Union Row developer rolls out pledge for 28 percent MWBE participation
NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER — A massive $990 million development is taking shape in Downtown Memphis that promises opportunity and innovation for the entire city. On Thursday night during an event at 341 Union Avenue, developer Big River Partners, along with Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, announced Phase I plans for Union Row, the largest mixed-use development transformation in Memphis.
By Dena S. Owens
A massive $990 million development is taking shape in Downtown Memphis that promises opportunity and innovation for the entire city.
On Thursday night during an event at 341 Union Avenue, developer Big River Partners, along with Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, announced Phase I plans for Union Row, the largest mixed-use development transformation in Memphis.
Nearly 500 guests gathered for details in the space that was once a Cadillac dealership – organizers showcased vintage Cadillac cars in the building for the occasion.
Union Row, which covers 29 acres in the city’s gateway, is bounded by Union Avenue and Beale Street on the north and south, and Danny Thomas and Fourth Street on the east and west.
Phase I site plans include two new hotels, two apartment buildings with attached parking garages and 100,000 square feet of space for retail, office and lab use. The site will also include a grocery store. Mammoth site drawings were hung along a wall at the event.
Phase I also contains a comprehensive strategy to include Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) with the goal of 28 percent participation. A representative from the city’s Office of Business Diversity & Compliance was on hand to assist interested MWBEs.
Big River Partners recruited long-time businessman Carl Person to lead MWBE inclusion over the life of the project.
“I’m taking this personally,” says Person. “We’re developing a strategic plan on the front-end to keep minority businesses in the planning from the beginning.”
StartCo, a business developer and start-up accelerator, is assigned as Innovation Partner to assist small, medium and large startups with access to capital and other resources that increase capacity.
“We’ll guide entrepreneurs to capital resources and ensure that diversity and inclusion are weaved into the practice of innovation,” stated StartCo president, Andre Fowlkes.
StartCo will also provide direction to growing startups at Union Row so that they can remain sustainable and create hundreds of new jobs.
“I’m so excited I could pinch myself,” says Kevin Adams, Big River Partners’ managing partner.
Adams is leading redevelopment of the blighted area, which will increase density through high-rise housing. Union Row will unfold with construction of the parking garages followed by 711 residential units. Among mid-range and luxury-level units, Union Row will provide 20 percent affordable apartments, according to Adams.
Next, the hotels will be built — the brands may be announced as early as next week.
Phase I is expected exceed $500 million of the total $990 million price tag.
“We couldn’t do this without our partners and financial incentives,” says Adams. “The biggest obstacle to overcome was pulling together the land.”
Union Row Phase 1 is supported by $100 million in tax increment financing (TIF) dollars from Shelby County and a $50 million loan from the Downtown Memphis Commission for parking garages. The State of Tennessee approved a modification to extend the TIF for 30 years.
Big River Partners is also seeking New Market Tax Credits, a federal program to spur business and real estate investment in low-income communities across the U.S. Adams noted that he’s collaborating with partners to consider future redevelopment in parts of Whitehaven and North Memphis, and is finalizing a plan for new senior living units in East Memphis.
“This will be something great that all of Memphis will be proud of,” Strickland said of Union Row. “The City Council and County Commission are equal partners … none of this could happen without them.”
At the close of the event, Strickland invited local and out-of-town financiers to invest dollars in Memphis during its economic development renaissance.
(For more information about Union Row, visit URMemphis.com.)
This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender
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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.
Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.
Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”
Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.
“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”
The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.
Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.
President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.
Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.
Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.
Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.
Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.
Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.
Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.
The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.
In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.
The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy
May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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