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Rooted in 38126: Owner of Poor Man’s store rich with friends and neighbors

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “The Poor Man’s Store was built in 1947,” said Matthews. “I kept the original name of the store, and it became ‘Matthews Poor Man’s Store.’ I could have lived anywhere I wanted, but I chose to stay in this community. I felt it was God’s purpose for me to stay and do whatever I could to be a blessing to young people and their families.”

Published

5 years ago

March 30, 2019

Oakland Post

“Rooted in 38126” is a part of an extended look at life inside one of America’s poorest ZIP codes, just south of downtown Memphis, Tenn. From this perspective we tell stories of hope in the midst of hardship and poverty perched next to progress.

By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell, Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Defying the odds, Dave Matthews has operated his thriving business, Matthews Poor Man’s Store, in the heart of 38126 since 1978, serving as a beacon of light and achievement for the community’s impoverished children.

Earlier this month, longtime neighbors and friends joined the Matthews family in marking his 71st birthday with a luncheon at the historic Four Way Grill Restaurant.

March 9 is a day Matthews will always remember as those closest to the businessman showered him with words of appreciation for making a difference in his community.

“It was great being around all my loved ones and many friends who helped me celebrate my birthday,” said Matthews. “It’s always good when others recognize you for the good you have tried to do.

“The Lord has blessed me, and my business is still open after 40 years. But what is more important than that, I have tried to invest in young people’s lives. That is what I am most proud of and will continue to do as long as God allows me.”

The secret to Matthews’ success is his willingness to evolve with the times. Matthews came to Memphis, like so many others, from Mississippi.

“Well, everybody knows that the capitol of Mississippi is Memphis and Chicago,” he said. “We left Mississippi in search of a better life, and I believed that God would give me greater opportunities to provide for my family. He did just that.”

Matthews came to live in the South Memphis community in 1966. In 1968, he bought a home less than a block from Ballistroni’s Poor Man’s Store, 428 South Orleans. Ten years after purchasing his home, Matthews bought the Poor Man’s Store.

“The Poor Man’s Store was built in 1947,” said Matthews. “I kept the original name of the store, and it became ‘Matthews Poor Man’s Store.’ I could have lived anywhere I wanted, but I chose to stay in this community. I felt it was God’s purpose for me to stay and do whatever I could to be a blessing to young people and their families.”

Matthews’ middle daughter, Debra Ann, watched her father take a stand in those early years to help children and teens of the Foote Homes community turn their lives around.

“He would hire young boys and girls to work in the store, giving them their first paid job. Many were as young as 12 years old. My father wanted them to feel the dignity and pride of doing an honest day’s work and getting paid for that work. So many were headed for a life of crime because there were so few good examples for them to follow. Dad wanted to change all that,” she said.

Although Matthews received no formal training in business administration, he learned some tried-and-true business principles that have kept the Poor Man’s Store a continuously profitable business.

“When I first took over the store, it was a full-fledged grocery store with a meat market and full deli bar,” he said. “But you have to offer what sells. So I closed the meat market years ago and started selling beepers, cell phones, computer repair services, installed and sold satellites, income tax services, and opened a barbershop. I had to change with the times. If you want to stay in business, you have to identify the needs and then address those needs.”

Matthews paid the tuition to barber school for many young boys and allowed them to work in the barbershop he built. He has also counseled young married couples and aspiring ministers of the gospel. As a community store, Matthews’ store has employed former prostitutes, taking them off the corner and giving them gainful employment, all as part of his ministry, he said.

He sings a little song for customers who visit the store:

“God woke me up this morning and started me on my way,
He’s been doing it for 71 years, and that’s all I got to say.”

“Mr. Dave,” as he is known to some, will even challenge visitors to a game of checkers. But be forewarned, he hardly loses a game.

“These young fellows come in, and they think they can beat me in a checkers game,” said Matthews. “I let them know they can’t beat me, and then I show them. But the game is just a way for me to talk with these young men and give them the guidance they need.”
Matthews and his wife, Shirley, have nine children and eight grandchildren.

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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.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

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.

Stacy M. Brown

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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.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

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.

Stacy M. Brown

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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.