A study showed inflation being a 'serious concern' for Tennesseans.

Spend your Sunday browsing our list of don't-miss stories of 2025: reporting that led the political conversation, analysis that unraveled deep mysteries, and meditations on our evolving culture.

We interviewed over a dozen youth who say they were held in solitary confinement inside the Youth Justice and Education Center. Seven of these children say they were held in isolation even though they hadn’t started a fight, cursed at guards, or violated any of the center’s other rules.

Commentary: Tennessee is making a huge bet on artificial intelligence with an Elon Musk-backed data center in Memphis and 27 data centers in Memphis, but is this what we want, writes columnist Ren Brabenec.

Our journalism shines a light on poverty, power & public policy— issues we know matter to Memphians & matter to you. We partnered with Bright Black to create a signature scent for our candle, “Forever, Memphis.” These candles are a reminder that the journalism we do lights a pathway toward justice.

The number of measles cases is continuing to grow, threatening to undo next year the United States’ status as a nation that has eradicated the disease, according to a report released Dec. 17 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From @timhenderson.bsky.social with @stateline.org

When police returned Reggie Williams’ wallet, an officer told him: Don’t do anything bad and keep your ID on you. To Williams, the warning echoed a slavery-era requirement that free African Americans carry documents to prove they weren’t enslaved. (Published Nov. with @mlk50.com)

Since Trump returned to office, the Education Department’s civil rights office has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. NOT ONE. It sends a message that “people impacted by racial discrimination … don’t matter,” one attorney said.

Undercovered by national outlets? Sure. But me and my colleagues at @mlk50.com have been busting ass covering the federal task force in Memphis since it arrived in late September. October dispatch: mlk50.com/2025/10/22/a... November dispatch: mlk50.com/2025/11/25/s... More coverage: mlk50.com 👀

Did you know that MLK50 is Memphis’ sole Black-led, award-winning nonprofit newsroom? We have built a team of exceptional journalists delivering exceptional coverage you can trust. This holiday season, we invite you to invest in the future of MLK50 at mlk50.co/3Md4nc0

Less than two months after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, a Black law student in Nashville named Rita Geier set off a series of events that ultimately reshaped higher education in Tennessee and around the country.

In #ShelbyCountyTN, eviction hearings rarely turn out well for tenants. Judges grant evictions about 80% of the time, according to a recent study. To have a chance at being spared, tenants need legal help, but it’s often tough to find that assistance.

Pauline Copes Johnson, a descendant of Harriet Tubman, has died at 98. She spent a lifetime guarding that legacy from the small city where Tubman spent her final years www.kolumnmagazine.com/2025/12/11/t...

Shelby Co Mayor Lee Harris gets daily Memphis Safe Task Force arrest info, but fears retribution for sharing it “Based on their previous actions they seem willing to do whatsoever to who they perceive as their enemies, including investigations and indictments” tennesseelookout.com/2025/12/15/f...

Some say prospective service members should find another path. Others think that it could be dangerous to cede the military to the current administration.

When freezing temperatures arrive in #Memphis, they can create hazardous conditions for people without shelter or whose homes don’t have heat. If you need help staying warm this winter, overnight shelter may be available. mlk50.co/3KMocXc

The two students who were killed in a shooting at Brown University on Saturday were identified by friends and family as an 18-year-old man from Virginia and a 19-year-old woman from Alabama. Officials released a suspect late Sunday after they could not connect him to the shooting.

A year ago, the Department of Justice released a pattern and practice findings on the Memphis Police Department that documented systemic abuses and discriminatory enforcement that harmed Black residents. #Memphis

Thanks to our incredible supporters, we have already raised half of our $50,000 goal this holiday season! 🙌 Will you help us close the gap? Every gift, no matter the size, helps sustain journalism that’s rooted in Memphis and committed to truth and accountability.

Phoebe Memorial, the sole hospital in Albany, GA, was founded on the idea that all patients be treated, regardless of their ability to pay. So why do some residents — including many hospital staffers — turn to a free clinic for care? THREAD 🧵

What civil rights action looks like 70 years after the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Many incarcerated women and trans people are forced to choose between maintaining their dignity and health — or facing penalties.

“I really believe that if I didn’t have [my] birth certificate, I would be somewhere in a facility,” one resident said, recalling that one of the armed federal agents who stopped him on the street aggressively asked if he was from Ethiopia or Ghana. With @mlk50.com

Memphis’ library workers seek to unionize and become civil service workers and are doing so in what they see as a time of increasing anti-union sentiment. Read more here 👇

Stay warm, Memphis! The Hospitality Hub is operating an overnight warming center. Here’s what to know:

The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored all previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge "Restoration of these grants is a massive win for libraries of all kinds in all states."

Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon says he didn’t know about solitary confinement until June. MLK50 reporting appears to contradict his statement. Read more here 👇

New from me @mlk50.com: Union push is about more than pay, library workers say mlk50.com/2025/12/03/u...

It’s Giving Tuesday! Will you consider making a gift to @mlk50.com? All donations matched today up to $4,250. givebutter.com/rootedinmemp...

The Guatemalan brothers — both longtime Memphians — are known in national Pentecostal Christian circles as well-traveled worship singers, performing at churches from New York to Florida. Read more here👇

It’s Giving NewsDay at MLK50! Today, your gift goes twice as far thanks to a generous match from John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health, and the Central Labor Council of Memphis & West TN.

1/THREAD: A surge of traffic stops in predominantly immigrant neighborhoods in #Memphis has given state troopers & federal agents broad power to decide residents’ fates. Over 2 nights, MLK50 documented traffic stops initiated for minor violations that escalated into immigration checks & arrests.👇

Two National Guard members from West Virginia were shot Wednesday afternoon near the White House in Washington, D.C., officials confirmed. The suspect, who was also shot and is in custody with non-life threatening injuries, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social and @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social.

Powerful community journalism does more than tell stories — it illuminates injustices, advocates for action, and sparks lasting change in the community. With your support, MLK50 is fighting for the future of Memphis. Give now at 👇 mlk50.co/3K1gHuX

Use "Ain't It Mane" and "Tha Garden" seasoning blends for a very Memphis cornbread dressing recipe from Mane Street Seasonings.

1/ THREAD: This year ICE has sent a record 600 immigrant kids into federal shelters, more than in the previous four years combined. Data suggests some are being separated from their families. For one 15-year-old, it began with a cracked windshield 👇

Our new collaboration with @mlk50.com reports that an upcoming Supreme Court ruling could weaken the Voting Rights Act and upend power in West Tennessee. “If there were not those legal consequences to make the county do right, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Oh God. I wasn’t even expecting this. I really thought that nothing was going to happen. It’s only me and my sisters” said Elizabeth Leao, 21 Leao's mom was detained at the Robertson County courthouse after appearing in traffic court. She's now in ICE custody. tennesseelookout.com/2025/11/24/i...

The Supreme Court will soon decide the fate of the Voting Rights Act. If the justices weaken it further, it could have huge effects on local governments in Tennessee and across the country. Don’t miss our new collaboration with @mlk50.com: boltsmag.org/voting-right...

Just in: A group of 10 Tennessee parents and taxpayers filed a lawsuit Thursday against Gov. Bill Lee, Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds and the Tennessee Board of Education challenging the constitutionality of the state’s new “universal” private-school voucher program.

The impact of the ‘Memphis Safe Task Force’ on citations remains unclear as the county grapples with a backlog of paper tickets from Tennessee Highway Patrol. Read more here 👇

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said Tuesday the state will challenge a Davidson County chancellor’s decision temporarily blocking Gov. Bill Lee from continuing to deploy the Tennessee National Guard to the city.

We need a public, unequivocal commitment to end solitary confinement in the juvenile detention center — and children must have a seat at the table, writes Naya Chadwick of Stand For Children. Read more here 👇

MLK50 exists to shine a light on injustices, advocate for transparency, and amplify voices that far too often go unheard, but we can only do so with your support. Give now at 👉 mlk50.co/3K1gHuX

Roughly 1 in 4 domestic violence homicide victims in Tennessee’s five biggest cities were allegedly shot by a suspect who was barred from having a gun. And some suspects were being monitored by probation officers before the homicide. Read more here 👇

From North Carolina to Mississippi, small businesses work to feed their communities while benefits are paused. capitalbnews.org/snap-crisis-...

Tennessee’s new 25-foot “buffer” law is beginning to reshape how the public interacts with police. One Memphis woman’s arrest calls into question whether documenting officers is still a protected right. Read more here 👇

Independent, local journalism has never been more critical — and we’re only able to do this work because of supporters like you. Donate today to fund the future of independent news in Memphis by heading to the link below 👇 givebutter.com/rootedinmemp...

The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide

"Growing up, I thought I was just like every other kid. I never knew I was undocumented until I reached middle school. One of my uncles had been deported back to Honduras. He was only a few years older than me. I remember my mom telling me then about my immigration status."