For 25 years, BLDG Memphis (Build. Live. Develop. Grow.), has been a community development association focused on creating self-sufficient neighborhoods by supporting its Members, advocating for equitable policies, and promoting civic engagement throughout the Memphis region. Continuing in our tradition of being Memphis' community development convener, we are excited to launch the Memphis Small Business Ecosystem Building Project.

Strong leaders support strong neighborhoods. BLDG Memphis along with our partners MICAH Memphis, NAACP, Frayser CDC and LISC Memphis will host a nonpartisan candidate forum in the lead up to the Shelby County Municipal election in August. The questions posed to the candidates during the forum will focus on issues of neighborhood investment. Prior to the event on July 19, candidates submitted a questionnaire responding to questions related to affordable housing, transit & mobility, solid waste & litter, and racial equity. Here are the responses from candidates running for County Commissioner. 

Monday, October 28th, BLDG Memphis attended a meeting called by Mayor Young alongside the Better Transit for a Better Memphis Coalition and other transit advocacy groups such as the Memphis Bus Riders Union, Citizens for Better Service, and the Memphis Aging Commission regarding the ongoing public transit crisis. Mayor Young welcomed the group, giving a short introduction to the purpose of the meeting; to reach an understanding of the challenges faced by bus riders and to give the community an update on the city’s next steps.

We saw the headlines in the local news: Memphis is ranked #1 as the most dangerous city for pedestrians. The comment section of those headlines mentioned fast cars, potholes, uncontrolled drivers, the lack of traffic enforcement, and even, shamefully, the victims themselves as the sources of the increase in pedestrian deaths. However, one of the greatest contributors to pedestrian fatalities was never mentioned: design.

Wednesday, January 17, 2024, the United States Department of Justice reached an agreement with Patriot Bank regarding claims of lending discrimination and redlining in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee. To resolve these allegations, Patriot Bank has been charged to invest $1.9 million in local communities of color.

Complaints against Patriot Bank allege that between 2015 and 2020 the bank "avoided providing mortgage services to majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Memphis and discouraged people seeking credit in those communities from obtaining home loans" (U.S. Department of Justice, 2024). It was found that Patriot's mortgage lending disproportionately occurred in majority white communities in Memphis. Further, it was found that other banks "received nearly 3.5 times as many loan applications [in Black and Brown communities] compared to Patriot" (U.S. Department of Justice, 2024).