It was a red-letter day in Historic Orange Mound Wednesday. The first neighborhood built by and for Black families in the 1890's received tremendous financial and real estate support.
But make no mistake, these fruits aren't just granted to the community, who has been diligently working to empower itself. The $10,000 award from ADT Community Foundation will help Juice Orange Mound continue its mission of funding community projects four times a year.
Britney Thornton of Juice says this recent grant was not one the organization applied for, and she's grateful their work to reclaim Orange Mound's self-sufficiency is being recognized. But it also brings to mind the question of where resources are outside of crisis like COVID.
"It just makes you realize there's always been this dormant potential or misaligned resources that we are just now getting access to. And it's like wow, we didn't just start doing the work," said Thornton.
That work includes Juice's Change for Change program, which collects spare change from residents, and is then matched by donors outside of Orange Mound.
Right down the street from Juice headquarters, Mayor Lee Harris signed a forever lease of 50 years to the Orange Mound Arts Council, which will help promote and generate vibrant important art in the community.
Orange Mound arts Council Executive Director, Mary Mitchell says: "Our communities first cultural center will present activities from this sacred place that will transform the city, county, and the world, just as Orange Mound has transformed since its conception in 1890."
Thornton says recognizing all Orange Mound contributions to Memphis builds pride in the community. She says if there are no residents, there is no work.
"People that we don't see showing up, we're not going to continue doing work without them. And we're going to figure out what their barriers are and help them work, through them, to do resident-centered work," said Thornton.
