MEMPHIS, Tenn. — National Good Neighbor Day is a time to celebrate the people who make up our communities all across the country. It started in 1978. But for the first time ever, Memphis will be taking part in the special day.
What makes Memphis, Memphis, is its neighbors. What makes a good neighbor is a sense of pride, connection and love for the community. When it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood.
“If there’s anything I can do to help someone, I will. That’s just the way I was raised,” said Ann Yates with The Bazaar on Madison.
Yates is the daughter of Katie Sexton, a civil rights activist, leader, and a force in Memphis. The Sexton Community Center is named after her.
“Just the hope, and values that my mother held about this city, keeps me involved. I can’t help but be involved. I was raised to love my city and love my people,” said Yates.
She has dedicated her life to helping her community, starting with the Bazaar on Madison - which goes beyond fashion.
“I’ve left the front part of my store open so people can gather, where we can discuss things to make the neighborhood better,” said Yates.
It is a needed think tank that’s not about questions but solutions.
“When you go in the heart of the city and you are asking the question, ‘How do I keep my city going? How do we keep our city going?’ You often find that every day residents have the answer,” said Lakethen Mason, Memphis Film Works Executive Director.
Mason is the author of Our Neighbors, Our Stories with interviews from 100 Memphians. He is leading Memphis’ first celebration of National Good Neighbor Day building bonds amongst neighbors.
“It’s very important for us to share these types of stories or stories because it gives us a context of home,” said Mason.
In a time where many struggle with poverty, better education, and crime, home can be forgotten.
“By bringing communities together, by bringing community members together, we get a chance to challenge each other’s confidence and our capabilities to thrive,” said Mason. “No matter what street we turn on, no matter what road we go, we’ll know that love and that there will be a good neighbor there to make sure the love continues and goes further.”
It is a love for neighbors that goes beyond generations building togetherness.
“When you need somebody to talk to or need somebody to tell you everything is going to be alright, who do you talk to? You talk to your neighbor,” said Yates.