JOURNALISTIC ARTICLES
Arnold Edwards at 2018’s Indie Memphis Film Festival. He has planned to attend again this year. (Photo courtesy of Arnold Edwards)
Local film director makes big plans for 2019
By Jacob Simmons
Jan 26, 2019
Native Memphian and independent filmmaker Arnold Edwards II recently opened up about his new job in the industry, as well as his plans to better the arts community with his and other directors’ projects.
Having made his mark on several independent production groups in Memphis, Edwards’ notoriety has earned him a new position in the Indie Memphis group’s mentorship program, allowing him to give back to younger storytellers. The students, all in middle or high school, collaborate with Edwards and other mentors to produce a short that will be screened at the reputable Indie Memphis festival at the year’s end.
“We can’t make the films for them,” Edwards said, “but we oversee the whole process. We oversee the budget, how they go about formulating their ideas, we give them goals to put their projects together...”
Edwards and the Indie Memphis group have a strong mutual respect for one another. Last year, a short film by Edwards was screened at the festival, and Edwards cherishes the opportunity to improve upon their firm foundation together.
“They’re a valuable asset to the community, they do an awful lot… I want to show as much support for them as possible.” Edwards said.
Also on his mind is the 2019 Memphis Film Prize competition: another film festival where ten shorts are selected to be judged for a $10,000 prize. Edwards’ submission last year, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, was an audience favorite.
“Our crew has been working on script ideas and we are definitely going to make a film,” Edwards said when asked about his plans to submit again in 2019. He highly anticipates the upcoming workload.
The 2019 Memphis Film Prize contest officially kicks off on February 7.
Refusing to stay idle in the meantime, Edward’s has been ensuring growth in another of closely-knit circles, a screenwriting group called Write Club Memphis. According to Edwards, members “give constructive feedback and criticism” to guest writers bringing their work for peer review, and this is of great benefit to the writing community.
A member for almost a decade, Edwards has seen the effects of Write Club reach beyond writers and into other realms of filmmaking in recent years.
“Directors come in with material that they have looking for feedback and actors come in to get experience with table reads and to meet local writers and filmmakers.” Edwards said. “So it’s just awesome.”
Mayor Mike Cunningham and three of the four board members discuss budget cuts at a meeting on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Susie Richardson)
Lakeland Board of Commissioners considers parliamentarian hire after sparking controversy
By Jacob Simmons
April 4, 2019
Lakeland Mayor Mike Cunningham and the Board of Commissioners discussed hiring a parliamentarian to mediate debate on Thursday after budget cuts to the local fire department and proposed high school created controversy in the community.
After being met with hostile opposition to the cuts, Cunningham suggested hiring a parliamentarian to mediate conflict. Commissioner Josh Roman objected to the idea, saying another voice in the discussion does not substitute for revising the counsel’s infrastructure.
“I think what would be more beneficial is to, as a body, go through some sort of exercise where we determine our own standing rules,” Roman said. “I think with jumping to a parliamentarian, it says two things. It says, one, that we’re willing to give over some control here. The second thing… it says that we can’t necessarily govern ourselves.”
Roman also said that the board is composed of members who are hardly familiar with each other, and that introducing an extra voice would make it more difficult to mend emotional divides in the community.
Since his election in 2018, Cunningham’s budget cuts have sparked controversy among many Lakeland residents and officials. He stands by his decisions regardless of how the conflicts will be resolved in the future.
“I believe smarter has prevailed,” Cunningham said after Thursday’s meeting. “From an expense standpoint, there were a lot of things being done that didn’t make sense financially...”
Near the session’s end the board discussed the rules of conduct for future proceedings. A document was put into development that would allow the mayor and other board members to police each other and limit any confrontation or stress. Commissioner Michele Dial approved of the document’s passing.
“There have been some emotional topics recently that were uncomfortable for all of us,” Dial said. “I do believe there’s room for work to get us on the same path and understanding.”
The board was presented with four ordinances and five resolutions over the course of the meeting. They also addressed a city contract with the chemical company Herbi-System, Inc. and honored two Eagle Scouts, Conor Koesterman and Joe Miller.
More information on the Lakeland Board of Commissioners and future meetings can be found on their website.
A full recording of the meeting was uploaded to a Facebook forum.
Jemele Hill speaks to students and faculty at the University of Memphis. She encouraged young journalists despite to push through the atmosphere of doubt. (Photo credited to Jacob Simmons)
Sports analyst Jemele Hill shares professional experiences during lecture
By Jacob Simmons
March 14, 2019
Former ESPN analyst and SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill shared work experiences and discussed the politics and conflicts of media broadcasting in a lecture honoring Memphis journalist Norm Brewer at the University of Memphis on Tuesday.
Hill specifically referenced an incident in October of 2017 when President Donald Trump Tweeted about Hill following her public statement that the president is a “white supremacist.” The incident led to ESPN placing her on suspension later that month. Hill said she does not regret her statements.
“If I were them, I would have suspended me too,” Hill said. “But that’s not going to stop me from saying what I have to say.”
Hill was invited by the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media to deliver a speech at the Eighth Annual Norm Brewer First Amendment Lecture conducted in the University Center Ballroom. For more than an hour she spoke to the large gathering of students and faculty about what she has learned from the changing landscape of American press.
“Real journalists live for the day that the establishment comes after them,” Hill said. “That’s because journalists, at our very core, we are disruptors.”
Since leaving ESPN in September, Hill has utilized her credibility and training in less traditional ways. She voices the narration of the Showtime original documentary series “Shut Up and Dribble”, which tells the intertwined history of sports and society. Hill said opportunities like these have led her back to her passion for analyzing sports culture.
“I did ‘Shut Up and Dribble’ because I believed in the content,” said Hill. “I believe sports is deeply intertwined with race, politics and gender and it always has been.”
Hill also made statements about the importance of integrity in journalism when discussing pressing matters. She encouraged young journalists to stand for their truth, not back down from a controversial story, and to challenge social wrongs.
Sports broadcasting major Jacob Rice, 19, said her success is a testament to her truthfulness.
“She stands before a room filled with college students and she speaks about how to become, not only better journalist, but a better person,” said Rice. “So the appropriate life response now is to go out and just begin doing what you think is correct.”
Hill told the crowd she believed that athletes and journalists alike can’t be expected to stay quiet as the world around them evolves, even though the public expects them to. Now that Hill makes more creative decisions for herself, she is free to discuss and address public issues without corporate regulation.
“I’m not an activist,” said Hill. “I’m just a journalist who is committed to finding ways to bring awareness, attention, and disruption to the issues that I think are central to us, frankly, being a better society.”
Students gather to eat at Free Lunch On Wednesdays. Attendance has been down, but that doesn’t keep staff or students from enjoying a free lunch. (Photo credited to Jacob Simmons)
Baptist ministry’s weekly free-lunch event undaunted by low attendance projections
By Jacob Simmons
Feb 13, 2019
Students from across the University of Memphis will migrate to the Baptist Collegiate Ministry building on Patterson Street for a free lunch Wednesday, though attendance may be lower than administrators had hoped.
The event, titled “Free Lunch on Wednesdays”, is a volunteer-orchestrated service for students looking to relax and enjoy a stress-free meal near campus. Ashely Yates, a Ministry Assistant at the ministry and overseer of public events such as the free lunch, will be present at the weekly held event.
“FLOW is a really cool thing that we do,” Yates said, “Just to be able to invite the entire campus, and whoever will come, to come get free food every week.”
Yates said that this spring 2019 semester has seen fewer students come in and out for a free lunch, but with attendance still being approximately 250 guests each week, she and the other workers are unconcerned that the drop spells any bad news for the upcoming event.
The mission has been serving free lunches to students for close to four years and has had its share of highs and lows like any recurring event Yates said. On Wednesday, the mission will partner with Evangel Church to bring free food to students. They are confident that what keeps them afloat is the positive impact they make in the community in and around the university, and not as much the numbers.
“I think what makes FLOW relevant is the opportunities it gives students to connect with each other while enjoying a free lunch,” Business IT major Isaac Russell, who regularly attends ministry events, said. “It just makes my Wednesdays a lot more fun.”
In the fall semester, Russell served as a student volunteer with other young adults who give of their free time to make sure the free lunch and other fun, on-campus events run efficiently. Students who volunteer on Wednesday will prepare the food for presentation, serve it to guests and clean the building before and after the meal.
Yates and the other staff members at the ministry see these volunteers as the key to Wednesday’s success. These students are frequent ministry attendees chosen to fulfill the most important function of the event: showing kindness to others.
“Even if it’s just filling a cup with water,” Yates said, “getting to do that for other students and serve them, and getting to see that myself, is really cool.”
Each week, no matter how many people make it to Wednesday’s lunch, Yates said the students who volunteer hope that events like these will allow the ministry to remain a ray of positivity and welcoming to students at the University of Memphis.
People can find more information about the Baptist Collegiate Ministry and its Free Lunch on Wednesdays program at on their website.
HUMANS OF MEMPHIS
“I love the experiences you can have here, all the things you get to do. The NBA, the Barbeque, and just the love of Memphis from the other people who live here, all of those things just make the city what it is and make me love being a Memphian.” Lon Logan, 17, High School Junior, Bartlett
