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SUMMER/FALL 2020 AT THE PINK PALACE

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Fall Plant Sale at Lichterman Nature Center .... 18Scarecrows at Lichterman Nature Center ........ 18

UPCOMING EVENTS

Race to the End of the Earth .......................... 14Tiger Hoops ................................................. 15

EXHIBITS ON DISPLAY

Jaws .......................................................... 16 Dinosaurs of Antarctica ............................... 16 Superpower Dogs (Closes Sept.18) .............. 16Great Barrier Reef (Opens Sept.19) .............. 16Harry Potter Movie Series ......................... 16

MOVIES

Black Holes (Closes Sept.11).......................17 Two Small Pieces of Glass (Opens Sept.12) ...... 17Seasonal Stargazing ................................... 17 Legends of the Night Sky ............................... 17

PLANETARIUM SHOWS

A Closer Look ........................................... 04 Curator's Choice ....................................... 05 Digital Tours ................................................ 07 Tributaries ................................................ 07Explorer Challenge ........................................ 07Activities at Home ......................................... 08A Closer Look Article .................................... 10

MUSEUM TO GO FEATURES

Linda Foster, PresidentTariq Hasan, Vice PresidentChad Boyd, TreasurerLaura Lee Woods, Friends President/SecretaryBertha Gilmore, Friends Vice President

Nick Walker, Parks DirectorPaul Sciubba, General CounselKevin Thompson, Executive Director

Chuck BlatteisDr. Beverly BondTom ClevesJan ColemanMark Colombo, Immediate Past President Duncan GalbreathMike Lauderdale

Janet LyonsJamey MakiBill MaloneRichard MarshTerilyn McChristonStacey RichardsMike RodriguezSarah Hunter Simanson

OFFICERS

EX-OFFICIO

TRUSTEES

Bill Walsh, Editor, WriterNoah Miller, Art DirectorKevin Quinn, Digital Media

MUSEUM SCOPE STAFF

Peggy Bodine

TRUSTEE EMERITA

SUMMER / FALLBOARD OF TRUSTEES

MUSEUM SCOPE • SUMMER + FALL 2020| 2

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, we have struggled to operate. All of our revenue sources came to a complete

stop. We estimate a loss of over $2.1 million through the end of December related to the pandemic.

Our focus has been to manage our cash carefully while planning for long term survival. Employees and their family’s well-be-

ing are our first concern and continuing to move forward on our strategic goals is secondary.

For those of you who have supported us financially, we cannot thank you enough. Your gifts have helped us offset our losses

and came at a time we desperately needed the cash. We continue to need your ongoing support as we expect the pandemic

crisis to continue through June/July 2021.

In July of this year, the crisis unfortunately affected staff. We were able to use our operating reserves, a PPP loan and donations

to keep our full staff employed through the end of June. In July, we laid off or furloughed 37.5% of our privately funded full

time employees and 80% of our privately funded part time staff. We hope to secure grant funding to allow a partial return

of staff in mid-October. And we ask for your patience as we operate with significantly reduced staffing.

We have not let COVID beat us down though. As this issue of the Scope shows, our staff has worked incredibly hard to bring

quality content to you through the creation of Museum to Go, our online content source. All of this was created from scratch

by a group of museum leadership sitting around a conference room table the week we were planning closure and an excellent

team of staff committed to bringing the idea to life. I could not be more proud of our team and the hard work they have put

forth to bring Museum to Go to you.

And we’re not stopping. We have opened most of our facilities. We have plans to continue to bring you new content and

new programming through the Fall. We’re also hard at work behind the scenes on our strategic initiatives to reshape the

museum. Much of this work is nuts and bolts, boring infrastructure needs. But we also have a few fun things in store in the

next six months.

So please keep up your support in whatever way you can. Visit. Renew a membership. Join one of our virtual or in person

programs. Donate. Or just send us an encouraging word. We need it and appreciate your help. Together we will get through

this and remain a vibrant part of our City.

Kevin Thompson,

Executive Director

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Back in March, the Museum was closed temporarily due to the increasing health concerns related to COVID-19. While the Museum did have to close its doors, in many ways the pandemic opened new doors to expanding the Museum’s digital programming through Museum to Go.

Driving new and interesting ways to digitally engage parents, children, teachers, students and the public in general, Museum to Go continues to expand and diversify. MTG started simple with Curator’s Choice which highlights curator favorites, along with Activities at Home offering fun and educational experiments to do at home, and a deep dive blog appropriately named A Closer Look.

More recently, digital tours, Tributaries podcast, movies and planetarium shows, and Explorers Challenge have been added. Museum to Go has also created Spanish versions of Curator’s Choice and Activities at Home.

Click to enjoy the full Museum to Go experience.

A FULL DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

MUSEUM TO GO

MUSEUM TO GO

A CLOSER LOOK

CURATOR'S CHOICE

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While COVID-19 has taken its toll on Memphis, it was not the f irst epidemic to affect Memphis. Yellow Fever left its mark on Memphis with epidemics in 1855, 1867 and 1873. In April, A Closer Look gave a close eye to Yellow Fever with posts about early responders, economic effects, discovering the cause and other aspects of the epidemic. The series brought to light eerily similar conditions experienced now during today’s pandemic.

In June, spurred by protests following the George Floyd murder and the subsequent surge of the Black Lives Matter movement, the blog featured a no-holds-barred review of racism past and present in a series about Systemic Racism. (See Systemic Racism article on page 10)

During July and August, A Closer Look has focused on the theme “neighborhoods,” as posts highlighted the history, geography and nature of Memphis communities. The Blog was accompanied by neighborhood-themed Virtual Trivia Nights and Community Scavenger Hunts.

DIVING DEEP INTO HISTORY

A CLOSER LOOK

DIGITAL TOURS

TRIBUTARIES PODCAST

EXPLORERS CHALLENGEACTIVITIES AT HOME

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Parakeets on the Mississippi River, wooden hats, the International Space Station, Curator’s Choice has a little something for everyone. Whether you’re a space nut, history buff or nature lover, you’re sure to find something to peak your interests with Curator’s Choice. Here are a few sample posts to rouse your curiosity.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

CURATOR'S CHOICE

Many of our Curator's Choices have been featured on social media platforms. Check out Memphis Museums on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram to see what we're featuring this week!

In 1921, Memphis had two main Negro baseball clubs, the Memphis Union Giants and the A. P. Martin's Barber Boys Baseball Club. The teams combined in 1922 to become the Memphis Red Sox. Dr. J.B. Martin and Dr. B.B. Martin, members of one of Memphis’s most prominent African American families, bought the team in 1929 and established Martin Park. In 1937, the Red Sox became a charter member of the Negro American League. They were one of the few teams in the league to have their own ball park. The Negro League gave the black community a source of pride in a time of segregation and inequality. This glove belonged to infielder Marlin “Pee Wee” Carter. Carter was one of the stars of the team in the 1930s, and played in the 1942 East-West All-Star Game. Although Carter returned to play until 1951 and the Red Sox continued to flourish into the early 1950s, the Negro Leagues declined after Jackie Robinson integrated major league baseball in 1947.

MEMPHIS RED SOX

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SINKING OF THE SULTANAThe sinking of the Sultana was one of the most dramatic and heartbreaking episodes in the Civil War. On April 21, 1865, the steamboat left New Orleans and was already having problems with leaky boilers, which continued to plague the vessel on its way up the river. Union soldiers who had just been released from Confederate prison camps such as Andersonville and Cahaba boarded the Sultana in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The steamboat was severely overcrowded, filled to over six times its capacity. On April 27, when the steamer was a few miles north of Memphis, a boiler exploded. The explosion propelled passengers and cargo into the chilly Mississippi River. Many people in Memphis heard the explosion and sent out rescue boats. They were able to save hundreds of passengers who made it to shore before the Sultana finally sank around Marion, AR. About 1800 men died, over 300 more than perished on the Titanic. It was the worst maritime disaster in American history. The disaster did not get as much national news coverage as would be expected because on the same day as the explosion, Union soldiers shot and killed John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s assassin. This tintype photograph shows Albert Norris. He survived the Sultana explosion, and rescuers took him to Gayoso Hospital in Memphis to recover. The tintype was taken at the hospital in 1865.

CAROLINA PARAKEETIn January of 1827, British writer Mrs. Francis Trollope landed in Memphis on her way to Neshoba, a utopian community east of Memphis. Later Mrs. Trollope wrote about Memphis in her book, Domestic Manners of the Americans. Here are some excerpts from her experience in our city. “The remainder of the day passed pleasantly enough in rambling round the little town, which is situated at the most beautiful point of the Mississippi; the river is here so wide as to give it the appearance of a noble lake. The town stretches in a rambling irregular manner along the cliff, from the Wolf River, one of the innumerable tributaries to the Mississippi, to about a mile below it. Half a mile more of the cliff beyond the town is cleared of trees, and produces good pasture for horses, cows, and pigs; At either end of this space the forest again rears its dark wall, and seems to say to man, "so far shalt thou come, and no farther! Behind this long street the town straggles back into the forest, and the rude path that leads to the more distant log dwellings becomes wilder at every step. The great height of the trees, the quantity of pendant vine branches that hang amongst them and the variety of gay plumaged birds, particularly the small green parrot, made us feel we were in a new world.” The “small green parrot” was the Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis), which became extinct by 1904. You can find this specimen in the Cossitt Gallery in the museum. You can read more about the decline of Carolina parakeets on the Smithsonian Magazine’s website.

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The more you listen, the more you stand to learn about Memphis history when you tune into the Museum’s Tributaries podcast. Hear interesting stories about Memphis during the Yellow Fever epidemics and the parallels of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Enjoy intriguing narratives about the Bluff City and how the Pink Palace got its name. You’re invited to close your eyes, open your ears, and drift back into time.

TRIBUTARIES

Looking for something fun and educational to do on your own, with your family, or with a friend? Join the Explorers Challenge. The Explorers Challenge includes scavenger hunts, crafts, experiments, and more which are bundled into individual Challenge packets. Each packet includes f ive intriguing, individual challenges for just $10. Those who complete a challenge earn an explorer certif icate for that subject. These challenges are excellent learning tools for school age students. All proceeds help to support programming at the Pink Palace Museum. Explorers Challenges are available for purchase by phone at Pink Palace Reservations, 901-636-2362, Tuesday - Saturday, 10:30 am - 5:30 pm or at www.memphismuseums.org.

Explorer Challenges:•Sustainability Challenge - Explore sustainable living in our homes and neighborhoods. It is great for students grades 4-8, and was developed in collaboration with the National Informal STEM Education Network.•Constellations Challenge - Explore the night sky's constellations, including their stories and how to find them.•Nature Challenge - Developed by Lichterman Nature Center. Explore birds, trees/leaves, insects, pollinators, and clouds as you connect with nature.• Fun With Physical Science Explorers Challenge Kit - Explore the states of matter and forces at work in our world. This Explorers Challenge comes with a kit containing supplies for experiments to try at home.

EXPLORERS CHALLENGE

Learn about animals in your neck of the woods, take a tour of an exhibit, learn more about how the Museum works. You can discover all this and more at Digital Tours in Museum to Go.

DIGITAL TOURS

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You’ve probably heard, “Don’t try this at home” more than a few times. But, the Museum wants you to try this at home… “this” being experiments of all kinds. How does gravity work? What causes an Eclipse? Why does the Earth bulge at the equator? Activities at Home gives you the answers through eye-opening, jaw-dropping experiments that can be done with things around the house. Activities at Home is a welcome break from the ordinary for anyone curious about science, mechanics, biology and nature.

ACTIVITIES AT HOMEPROCEDURE: • Place both boxes on an even surface so that their f laps are a foot apart.

• Cut all of your pipe cleaners in half. Taking 1 pipe cleaner, wrap it around a clothespin and twist the ends so that the pipe cleaner is secured. It should look like your clothespin has 2 fuzzy legs. Wrap another pipe cleaner around it so that it has 4 legs. This is going to be your ant! Repeat this process with the rest of the clothespins to make an army of ants.

• Your goal is to connect your ants together to create a bridge between the 2 boxes. You may use the “legs” or “mouth” of the ant to connect them together. How many ants did it take to connect the 2 boxes? Is your bridge sturdy? How could you make it stronger?

• Retry this experiment as many times as you want. Try changing just one thing about the experiment at a time or testing your bridge by placing “ants” on it.

WHY: Army ants are nomadic ants that, despite forming colonies numbering in the millions, never build a perma-nent home. Instead, these ants create temporary struc-tures using just their bodies. While marching along in search of food, these ants will lock themselves together to create bridges over gaps in their path. With extremely poor eyesight and a tiny brain, these ants use just their instincts to coordinate construction and deconstruction, deciding where and when to build, and calculating how many ants they have to spare to build the bridge.

Ants can create bridges with their bodies to travel between objects. This is an activity that covers both life science and engineering that you can conduct at home, using a few objects you'll find around the house to emulate an ant bridge.

AMAZING ANIMAL ARCHITECTURE: ANT BRIDGES

MATERIALS: • 2 cardboard boxes with f laps (any size)• 10-20 clothespins• 10-20 pipe cleaners• Scissors• Something heavy to weigh down boxes or testing your bridge by placing “ants” on it.

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If you’re disappointed about annual Pink Palace Crafts Fair and Cooper-Young Festival being cancelled due to the pan-demic, the Museum is giving you reason to smile by offering you a chance to shop and experience arts and crafts created by local artists and craftspeople.

- Pink Palace Crafts Fair Crafters onsite at Museum- Pop-Up Artists Shop- Make & Take Crafts - Workshops- Gallery Activities- Scarecrow Exhibit & Building Contest - Lichterman Nature Center- New Create themed scavenger hunt

Visit memphismuseums.org for updates on “CREATE” events and activities.

CREATE EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER

During September and October, the Museum will be embracing the theme “CREATE.” Join the Museum as we explore creativity in its many forms. Marvel at the creations of nature and science. Learn about the creations of humankind and how they affect our lives. Discover ghost stories created in Memphis. See and shop for creations by local artists and craftspeople at pop-up sales. Who knows, you may be inspired to create something amazing yourself.

MUSEUM FOCUSES ON “CREATE” AS THEME FOR SEPT. AND OCT.

As many people are staying home during the pandemic, the Museum created Virtual Trivia Nights that began July 7. The trivia nights included a family trivia night on Tuesdays and an adult trivia night on Thursdays. The first week’s trivia questions focused on astronomy under the theme “Celestial Neighbors” hosted by the planetarium, followed by “In Your Neighborhood” hosted by the Lichterman Nature Center and “Won’t you be My Neighbor” hosted by the Museum’s education staff. Virtual Trivia Nights will now be held on Thursdays at 7PM weekly during August.

VIRTUAL TRIVIA NIGHTS

The Pink Palace Museum's Community Scavenger Hunts are a fun way to get to know your neighbors. The self-guided scavenger hunts, modeled after the hit TV show The Amazing Race, challenge participants to explore Memphis neighbor-hoods through solving puzzles, learning about neighborhood history, taking selfies at local landmarks, and meeting community partners. Participants will find great deals on food, drinks, and more from community partners. All participants under the age of 18 will receive a limited edition Pink Palace Museum patch.

Participants can choose from three fascinating areas of the city: Midtown (Vollintine-Evergreen, Cooper-Young, and Binghampton), Downtown (Soulsville, Victorian Village, and Frayser), and South Memphis (Chickasaw Gardens, East Buntyn, Orange Mound, and Whitehaven).

Registration is $20 per team (1-4 people) at Neighborhood-ScavengerHunt/bpt.me For more information and answers to questions, email explorer.challenge.info@gmail.com

COMMUNITY SCAVENGER HUNTS

Starting July 1, 2020, the Museum introduced its new series of thematic programming beginning with a “neighborhoods” theme. The Museum dedicated its A Closer Look blog to the theme, along with launching Virtual Trivia Nights and a Community Scavenger Hunt Challenge all relating to Memphis neighborhoods.

MUSEUM FOCUSES ON “NEIGHBORHOODS” FOR JULY AND AUG.

SCAVENGER HUNT WINNERS: 1st Team Steinmetz, 2nd Team Gibbons, & 3rd Team Halford

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Systemic racism has institutionalized norms of exclusion both covertly and overtly within our society, from Jim Crow laws to housing discrimination to food deserts, that negatively and disproportionately affect black neighborhoods. In this story, we will explore some of these issues and their roots. Although Memphis has a rich history of prosperity in black neighborhoods, these areas also face an alarming rate of poverty, blight, and disenfranchisement compared to white neighborhoods.

The Beginnings: Before the Civil War, the majority of the black people living in Memphis and Shelby County were enslaved to urban white households or farming plantations outside the city. There was also a small population of free black men and women, many of whom migrated to the area from other states, bought their freedom, or were freed by family or previous owners. Despite the privileges of being documented free black persons, they lived with the constant threat of mistreatment and violence and the greater fear of being captured and enslaved. White residents were often suspicious of free African Americans. On January 9, 1846 the Memphis Weekly Eagle published one resident’s concerns: “How long will our citizens quietly permit free negroes to remain among us, demoralizing and ruining our slaves and endangering the lives of our families . . . The truth is, the free negroes do more to injure our slaves than all the abolitionists in the world.”

Both Tennessee and Memphis passed laws and ordinances to restrict the movement and activities of free black persons by subjecting them to fees, physical retribution, forced labor, or expulsion from Memphis.

In spite of this, a small free-black community in Memphis included land owners, entrepreneurs, and businesspeople. Joseph Clouston, a barber and later City Council member, and Milly Swan Price, an entrepreneur, were among a cluster

NEIGHBORHOODS: BY NUR ABDALLA (CURATOR) -THE PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES OF SYSTEMIC RACISM

A CLOSER LOOKof free black Memphians who owned property in South Memphis around Linden Street during the mid-19 century. Land ownership provided additional economic security, stability, and opportunities for these individuals and their families. South Memphis later grew into a thriving black neighborhood, home to several of the city’s prominent black Memphians. It remains a neighborhood of historic and cultural importance but also serves as an example of the effects of systemic and institutionalized racism.

Migration and Growth of Black Communities: During the Civil War, thousands of enslaved people fled to Memphis after it became Union territory on June 6, 1862 and this continued into 1865. These individuals, considered “contraband” of war, were not free in the legal sense, thus “contraband.” More properly, they should be referred to as refugees. Thousands of black men enlisted in the Union Army in Memphis. Families, having nowhere else to go and seeking the protection of Union soldiers, formed “contraband camps" near Fort Pickering and Presidents Island, south of Downtown Memphis. The camps were cramped, cov-ered in make-shift shelters with limited supplies and food, and had poor hygienic conditions, leaving people more susceptible to the elements, malnutrition, and sickness. By 1863, 1900 refugee slaves resided in Memphis.

After the end of the war, black neighborhoods sprung up south of Beale Street. Businesses, schools, shops, boarding houses, and churches also emerged. Working-class white Memphians, particularly Irish immigrants, also lived in this area, often in the same building. Consequently, racial tensions escalated into an event later known as the Memphis Massacre of 1866: three days of violence, murder, rape, and property destruction. Many black Memphians fled the city in the aftermath.

Refugee slaves moving toward Union camp in Virginia 1864Courtesy of the Library of Congress

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In 1890, black Memphians constituted 44% of the city’s population. South Memphis’s black community had rebuilt after the Massacre and included a tight-knit working class, many of whom were former Civil War refugees. There was also a black middle class of small business owners. Wealthy black Memphians, such as Robert Church Sr., lived in prosperous, majority white areas around Lauderdale Street, south of Downtown. A network of black businesses, schools, churches, fraternal and political organizations continued to grow. In North Memphis, Klondyke and New Chicago developed into early black neighborhoods with Klondyke boasting a black homeownership rate of approximately 95%. In 1890, white real estate developer, Eugene Meacham, saw a unique economic opportunity to develop Orange Mound, a subdivision that catered to working-class black families. In 1907, Rev. William Plummer founded Douglass in North Memphis. Unlike more economically diverse neighborhoods such as South Memphis, at the time areas like Douglass and Orange Mound suffered the extra burden of being poor, isolated, and lacking indoor plumbing and electricity. At this time, Beale Street became the center of black commerce.

It is no accident that these neighborhoods were or became almost entirely black. Reconstruction Memphis was quickly replaced with a “Jim Crow" city. Black residents were excluded from white neighborhoods, which felt threatened by their presence. Violence was also a concern. South Memphis has brutal examples of this, starting with the 1892 People’s Grocery lynching. Between the 1930s-1950s the Crump political machine authorized the burning and destruction of dozens of black homes, mansions (including the Church family’s), and businesses. Two black-only pub-lic housing complexes, Foote and then Cleaborn Homes, were built in their place. This was a clear message against rising black political power, homeownership, and black Memphians encroaching on white neighborhoods. Increasing racial segregation (including reducing black homeownership) and violence produced social and economic barriers that grouped black residents in clusters. This shifted the economic spectrum toward a mostly black working class, fueled a large inf lux into public housing, and caused a steady rise of white f light and blight.

Public Housing : Public housing complexes were originally a segregated New Deal program to provide affordable housing in inner cities. Though Memphis originally had white complexes, like Hurt Village, and black complexes, like the Dixie Homes, by the time public housing was integrated in 1965, residents had become majority African American. Over time, massive housing complexes became concentrated pockets of poverty and crime and developed into slums. In 1992, the Federal Government introduced the HOPE IV to alleviate rampant issues with public housing. The program provides grants for cities to demolish blighted public housing and replace it with new, mixed income single family homes. The program provides Section 8 vouchers to move to qualifying Section 8 housing. The Memphis Housing Authority has redevel-oped Lauderdale Courts, LeMonye Gardens, Lamar Terrace, Hurt Village, Dixie Homes, Greenlaw Place, Magnolia Terrace Senior Facility and Cleaborn Homes with HOPE VI funds. HOPE VI has faced criticism locally and nationally, due to concerns of gentrification and displacement. Residents who cannot qualify or afford to stay at new developments are forced to move outside the inner city to areas like Frayser and Raleigh. This also impacts social networks, transportation, jobs and adds additional expenses. Critics say these new developments do not address the core issue of poverty, crime, and racism in Memphis that caused concentration of blight and slum housing in the first place. Instead of poverty decreasing, it just moves to new neighborhoods.

Church family mansion 1899Courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Property and Home Ownership: Stable homeownership provides a sense of long-term economic and social security and stability. As discussed briefly above, there have been high points in the history of black homeownership which in some ways continue today, as shown in a 2019 study that found approximately 35% of owner-occupied homes in Memphis are owned by black citizens. However, black Memphians have had to deal with a disproportionate number of challenges in attaining homeownership, contributing to low homeownership and a wealth gap compared to white families.

According to the 2016 US Census, nationally, the number of black citizens who own homes compared to the total population of black Americans, was at 41.7%. Although in neighborhoods such as Whitehaven black homeownership remains steady, data from U.S. Census’ 2017 American Community Survey reveals that while 35% of owner-occupied homes owned by black Memphians is high compared to other cities, it is not as proportionally high as one might expect from a city in which nearly 60% of the population is black. The Great Recession (2007-2009), predatory lending, credit issues, subprime mortgages, and gentrification have made it harder for black homeownership to stabilize.

Majority black neighborhoods are greatly affected by the legacy of segregation laws, such as exclusionary zoning and redlining. Redlining is the practice of refusing loans and prac-ticing predatory lending in neighborhoods of color, initially instigated by the Federal Housing Association. The term re-fers the red outlined maps used by the Home Owner’s Loan Coalition to highlight these neighborhoods. A 1930’s map of Memphis highlights swaths of southeast and northeast Memphis and Orange Mound in red. The 1968 Fair Housing Act outlawed redlining but it is now a common but hidden practice and remains a major issue. In 2012, the City of Memphis, along with other cities, won a suit against Wells Fargo for predatory lending practices that targeted majority black zip codes. In 2016, suits were won against First Tennessee and BankCorp South for similar racially discriminatory practices.

NEIGHBORHOODS CONTINUED: THE PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES OF SYSTEMIC RACISM

A CLOSER LOOK (CONT.)

Bankruptcy status is another major impediment to home-ownership. Memphis has one of the highest rates of Chapter 13 personal bankruptcy filers in the country, and the majority of filers are low-income African Americans. Since the 1970s, Memphis’ bankruptcy filing culture makes filing for Chapter 13 easiest for low-income filers and fosters a vicious cycle of re-filing.

Cycles of poverty contributing to low homeownership manifests in blight, a rampant issue in working-class black neighborhoods like South City, Binghampton, Orange Mound, and Douglass. The Memphis Blight Elimination Steering Team defines blight as “vacant or derelict structures and unmaintained property, usually characterized by litter, dumping, and abandoned personal property.” Blight aggravates the situation by lowering property values further. As discussed later in our series, the Memphis Housing Authority deemed dozens of properties as blight during Beale Street Urban Renewal in the 1960s-1970s, the majority of which were black homes and businesses.

Integration and Neighborhood Change Over: During the 1950s-1970s, the inner city was hit with white flight, due to a combination of housing and education integration, affordable and larger housing, G.I. benefits, and increased car ownership. “Blockbusting,” a tactic used by real estate agencies to scare white homeowners into selling cheaply because of integration and then resell at higher value to African Americans, was another factor. These conditions especially affected older neighborhoods, causing a “changeover” from white to black residents in neighborhoods like Glenview, upper South Memphis, and Whitehaven. Vollintine-Evergreen was one notable exception to this trend.

Hurt Village DedicationCourtesy of the Library of Congress

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Other Ongoing Issues: Organizations like the Binghampton Development Cooperation and Binghampton Community Land Trust are working toward equity between the two sides of Sam Cooper. In the 1970s, in North Memphis, black residents faced a similar issue and cited racial discrimination when West Drive was closed and a barrier constructed. Hein Park Civic Association (an adjacent, strictly white neighborhood) pushed for the closing, stating high levels of traffic on the residential street. In 1981, the issue was brought to the Supreme Court in Memphis v. Greene which ruled against the closure and barrier, stating it adversely affected the black community and was a clear move to separate from them.

Gentrification is defined as “the process of repairing and rebuilding homes and businesses in a deteriorating area (such as an urban neighborhood) accompanied by an influx of middle-class or affluent people and that often results in the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents.” Minority working-class peoples have a higher chance of becoming further marginalized and not benefiting from redevelopment projects in inner cities, causing “gentrification” and “revitalization” to have the same implied meaning. In Memphis, working class African Americans are the largest marginalized group. While the removal of blighted property can be inherently good, if the new property replacing it has higher rent it can force current residents to move elsewhere. Critics also point out that poverty and lack of policy changes are the root problem that creates the cycle of neighborhood decline. Redevelopments in Binghampton, Crosstown, Uptown, the Pinch, Edge District, and South City have all faced such criticism. Plans such as Memphis 3.0 attempt to get input from and include community members before such projects to offset any negative impact on the communities. Still, some residents of New Chicago felt black neighborhoods were left out of the plan and filed a lawsuit in May 2019. The suit was dismissed shortly after, being ruled as “premature.”

Environmental racism refers to harmful environmental living conditions that disproportionately effects impoverished communities and communities of color. It is often associated with industrial sites located in these communities and is linked to high rates of serious health issues, damage to the ecosystem, and contributes to blight and lower property values. In Memphis, low-income black neighborhoods are most impacted. Since members of these communities are underrepresented on govern-mental and corporate committees that decide where hazardous sites should be located, low income communities are often viewed by boards as the “lowest impact” areas to build these projects.

However, the impact these have on the people who live in these communities is anything but low. In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency designated the former Memphis Defense Depot site, located in the Alcy-Ball neighborhood, as a superfund site (an extremely polluted area). The site contains over 75 years of chemical waste that has contaminated groundwater. Other Memphis neighborhoods with current or former industrial or waste sites suffer from similar issues, from Frayser to Whitehaven. Doris Bradshaw, who grew up in Alcy-Ball, experienced firsthand the high rates of cancer, birth defects, and other chronic illnesses that affected residents. Bradshaw is a leading local and national activist in the environmental justice movement.

Further Readings:“Milly Swan Price.” In Tennessee Women: Volume 1 edited by Sarah Wilkerson Freeman & Beverly BondMemphis in Black and White by Beverley G. Bond and Janann ShermanThe Color of Law by Richard Rothstein “In the Hands of the Lord”. In An Unseen Light edited by Aram Goudsouzian and Charles W. McKinney, Jr.“After Stax.” In An Unseen Light edited by Aram Goudsouzian and Charles W. McKinney, Jr.“Memphis Burning” by Preston Lauterbach https://placesjournal.org/article/memp

Industrial plant in early 20th Century MemphisCourtesy of the Library of Congress

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Relive one of the most stirring tales of Antarctic exploration: the contest to be the first to reach the South Pole. In 1911-1912, two South Pole-bound explorers — the Englishman Robert F. Scott and the Norwegian Roald Amundsen — led teams through harrowing conditions against a ticking clock. Who would reach the pole first? And would either make it home again? This exhibition brings history to life and explains how these dangerous journeys paved the way for modern-day polar research.

First Glimpses: Enter through an immersive simulation of the icy, windswept landscape of Antarctica. Meet the two expedition teams, then explore an interactive map and historical globe, paintings, and ship’s log.

The Race Begins: Learn about each team’s approach to the journey, and examine artifacts that bring the excitement of the expedition to life.

Two Teams, One Goal: Life-size recreations of the base camps by each team reveal how they lived through the winter on the ice.

To the Pole and Back: A re-created tent and flag left by the Norwegians illustrate their victory. Discover the outcome of the British team, and how the world reacted.

Antarctica Today: Find out what it’s like to explore the continent today, and see a modern explorer’s habitat and garments. Explore weather systems and ocean currents at a multi-user interactive.

Join Steve Masler, Pink Palace Museum, Manager of Exhibits, on a digital tour of Race to the End of the Earth.

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TIGER HOOPS EXHIBIT

For more than a century, basketball at what is now the University of Memphis has in many ways mirrored the struggles and successes of the city of Memphis itself. Sometimes, for better or for worse, Tiger Hoops tells a story about Memphis.

Tiger Hoops is a story of striving for success, struggling from self-inflicted wounds and battling racial divide. It is also an inspiring story of racial unity and civic pride.

The University of Memphis men’s and women’s basketball teams have been a vehicle for relevance and respect for Memphis since the school’s founding as West Tennessee Normal School in 1912 to its evolution to Memphis State University in 1957 and later to the University of Memphis in 1994.

From the days of legendary coach Zach Curlin, to the 1928 women’s team winning the initial tournament of the Mississippi Valley Conference, to the glory days of Larry Finch, Ronnie Robinson and Gene Bartow, to the unforgettable era of Penny Hardaway, Memphis basketball has oftentimes been the glue that has held this diverse city together and provided common ground.

The exhibit features eclectic memorabilia, photos and artifacts from Tiger fans, former players and coaches. See life-size standees of a few of your favorite players, and the personal uniforms worn by legends.

Tiger Hoops is a story rich in history both on the court and off. Whether you’re a Memphis Tiger fan or not, you’ll find this exhibit enlightening and inspiring.

Tiger Hoops is guest curated by Dr. Aram Goudsouzian, professor of history at the University of Memphis.

The CTI Giant Screen Theater is reopen and back with a bite! Jaws (2D) will be showing weekends through August at 4:00pm. "We're

gonna need a bigger boat." A giant great white shark wreaks havoc

on the shores of a New England beach, until a local sheriff teams up

with a marine biologist and an old seafarer to hunt the monster down.

Dinosaurs of Antarctica 3D shows daily in the CTI Giant Screen

Theater, check memphismuseums.org for showtimes. Viewers of all

ages will enjoy meeting the newest dinosaurs and other creatures in

the film. The film uses computer graphics to recreate the spectacular

appearance and movement of the newly discovered species.

Join an immersive Giant Screen adventure to experience the

life-saving superpowers and extraordinary bravery of some of the

world’s most remarkable dogs. Superpower Dogs 3D showing

until September 18th.

Every year millions of visitors travel by way of fins, flippers and feet to

see one of the 7 wonders of the natural world: the Great Barrier Reef – a

living treasure trove of biodiversity. Learn how this amazing sanctuary

has endured for thousands of years and will continue to do so far into

the future. New Movie opens September 19th on the Giant Screen.

It's off to Hogwarts! Grab your broom, Thestral, Hippogriff or

hop in your flying Ford Anglia so you don't miss eight weeks of

the original Harry Potter series, weekends in September and

October. Relive the magic like never before, see them all on our

Giant Screen! Check memphismuseums.org for showtimes.

CTI GIANT SCREEN THEATER

SUPERPOWER DOGS 3D:Sponsored by Taming the Wild, Hollywood Feed,

the Doghouse, and Coca Cola

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF Opening September 19th

DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3DSponsored by Delta Dental, Trustmark Bank

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showingall 8 films

Black HolesBlack Holes takes you on a fully immersive journey through one

of the most mystifying, awe-inspiring phenomena in the universe:

a black hole. Where do they come from? Where do they go? How

do we find them? Is there one on Earth’s horizon?

Black Holes closes on September 11th.

Two Small Pieces of GlassGaileo did not invent the telescope, but he was the first person

to use the newly invented device to observe the sky. He observed

lunar mountains, phases of Venus, Jupiter's moons, and even

sunspots. His two small pieces of glass revealed a Universe that

was far more complex than previously assumed. Telescopes have

advanced considerably since Galileo's time. Humanity now has

large observatories and even a couple in outer space. Two Small

Pieces Of Glass shows how telescopes work; and how astronomers

have used them to scrutinize the structures within our cosmos.

Two Small Pieces of Glass opens on September 12th.

Our Sky TonightFind out more about “what’s up tonight” in just a few minutes

than some people do in a lifetime! Hop through constellations,

learn cool star names, and groove to planetarium space music in

this full dome audiovisual experience. Our Sky Tonight - Autumn.

Legends of the Night Sky Legends of the Night Sky takes a lighthearted and imaginative

look at the myths and stories associated with the constellations.

The show brings the myths to life in a fun-filled, animated

adventure. Learn how the constellations were placed in the sky,

forever turning overhead throughout the seasons.

SHOWING IN THE PLANETARIUM

SHOWING DAILY THROUGH AUGUST & SEPTEMBER

Visit www.memphismuseums.org for showtimes.

MUSEUM SCOPE • SUMMER + FALL 2020 | 17

WHAT’S IN THE SKY THIS SEASON?

This summer and fall look for f ireworks in the night sky.

In August, the annual Perseid meteor shower, or as it’s

been called “nature’s f ireworks” will rain across the late

evening sky as early as August 11 and as late as the 13th.

These meteors are pieces of the comet Swift Tuttle which

last passed this way in 1992.

The impressive colors these meteors display reveal a bit

about their composition. Iron makes a yellow streak,

red streaks are nitrogen and oxygen, calcium will look

violet, sodium is orange and magnesium flares a blue

color. These same chemicals produce the brilliant colors

present in manufactured f ireworks.

With October comes the end of a f ifteen-month wait for

the return of Mars to our evening sky. The reappearance

of Mars occurs when earth catches up to the red planet

after our race around the sun. As Earth has the advan-

tage of traveling the shorter inside track, Mars always

loses this race. During this time, Mars’ brilliant orange

color outshines even the largest planet, Jupiter. Mars is

closest to Earth on October 6 and exactly opposite the

sun from us (called opposition) one week later on the

13th. On this day, Mars can be seen all night long, rising

at sunset and setting at sunrise.

August & September

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LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER

The Lichterman Nature Center Fall Plant Sale is the perfect opportunity to get hearty, locally-grown plants for your winter and spring gardens. These aren’t your average plants. Everything for sale is grown at Lichterman’s plant propagation center.

The sale begins Saturday, October 3. This year, for the first time ever, cool season vegetable seedlings such as leafy greens, peas, radishes and carrots will be for sale. For those planning a windowsill garden as a winter kitchen creation, perennial herbs will be on hand. To get a head start on spring, there will be a variety of native perennial trees & shrubs to plant now. Shop early for the best selection.

FALL PLANT SALE

Make sure to put this year's Scarecrow Building Contest & Exhibit on your calendar. Each year, individuals, families, senior centers, scouts, clubs, classrooms, artists, and others create scores of scarecrows that are life-sized, ecological, green, scary, silly, funny and educational. Put your talent and imagination into creating a scarecrow for Lichterman's annual Scarecrow Building Contest & Exhibit. A free Virtual Scarecrow Building Seminar will be held Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10 am. Registration forms are due Sept. 25. Scarecrows will be judged and displays open to the public Thursday, Oct.1. Each entry receives a free group self-guided visit. The Scarecrows Exhibit ends Nov. 28. For more information please contact our reservations desk at Nature.Reservations@memphistn.gov or call 901.636.2221

SCARECROWS AT LICHTERMAN

What better way to start your day than with a leisurely morning stroll around Mertie’s Lake and through the forest at Lichterman Nature Center. Amble through nature and meet your wilder neighbors along the way on a guided nature walk with a Lichterman Nature Center naturalist. The guided nature walks will take place Wednesday and Saturday mornings through October 31st. Check-in for the tours is at 9am at the Visitor Center. The tours begin at 9:15am.

“We scheduled the guided tours before we’re open to the public to take advantage of cooler morning temperatures, and fewer guests on site to scare off wildlife on the trails,” said Andy Williams, Lichterman Nature Center manager.

Cost of the tours are $10 for adults and $8 for youths. Members receive a $1 discount on adult and youth tickets. Each tour group will include from five to a maximum of 10 participants. Tours will take place rain or shine, and are approximately 45 minutes long. Walks conclude with a live animal ambassador visit.Preregistration is required by 3pm the day before the walk: Click here to register.

MEET YOUR WILD NEIGHBORS,LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER GUIDED WALKS

MUSEUM SCOPE • SUMMER + FALL 2020 | 19

Ask about our Pandemic Rental Packages at Lichterman Nature Center, 901.636.2213

Call 901.636.2394 for more information on rentals at the Pink Palace Museum and Mansion.

VENUE RENTALS

FOR MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION: 901.636.2406

• Free or discounted admission to over 378 ASTC

Science & Technology Museums around the world

• CTI Giant Theater & AutoZone Dome Planetarium passes

• Museum passes for guests (Club Level and above)

• 10% discount at Metro Eats (currently closed)

• 10% discount at the Museum Shop (excluding audio,

video & sale merchandise)

• Museum Scope Digital Publication Emailed

MEMBERSHIP

198 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103

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652 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38105

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