ENGAGE

In February 2024, the Memphis 13 Foundation launched Look Back, Launch Forward, uniting over 5,000 community members through film screenings, panel discussions, and facilitated dialogue at 15+ elementary schools. Thousands of students have had the rare opportunity to engage directly with history-makers. Through local media and an active social presence, this program has extended its reach citywide, creating space for compassionate, cross-generational conversation about inclusion, tolerance, and shared responsibility. At its core, this initiative is about bringing diverse audiences together to reflect on the past, embrace the present, and collaborate toward a brighter future.

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EXHIBIT

In October 2026, The Memphis 13 will celebrate their 65th anniversary. The Foundation is honoring this milestone with a dynamic, interactive exhibition currently in conversation with the National Civil Rights Museum. This work builds on the Foundation's proven model of meeting communities through art, as demonstrated by the murals at Bruce, Springdale, Rozelle, and Gordon, the legacy elementary schools where history was made. Art holds the power to inspire, transform, and unite, and the Foundation is committed to creating experiences that uplift and celebrate our collective stories.

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ENLIGHTEN

The Foundation is producing a documentary series that brings this history to life with rigor and care. A director has been identified, five in-depth interviews conducted, and a lead researcher and two research assistants are now working to amplify voices long excluded from the official narrative. Through oral history transcription, archival research, and collaboration with subject-matter experts, the team is ensuring the story is both historically sound and emotionally resonant. The result will be a film that connects the past to present-day conversations about equity in our schools.

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EMPOWER

The Foundation's education initiative has transformed how students and educators in Memphis-Shelby County Schools engage with local history and civics. In a district that is 90% minority and predominantly Title I, this work carries deep significance. In partnership with the University of Memphis, LeMoyne-Owen College, the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Teacher Residency, and Facing History and Ourselves, the Foundation has co-created curriculum that honors shared history while inspiring students to envision a more inclusive future and preparing them to lead it.

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