Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Opinion

Opinion: 'The joy doesn't lessen the grief'

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Mon, 8 Jun 2026 16:05:54 -0500

“The universe isn’t obligated to make sense to us. There’s no requirement for rhyme and reason. Things just happen, be they good or bad, and the burden is on us to find a way to make it work.”

Echols: Jaylen Wells’ assist that never showed up in the box score

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Mon, 8 Jun 2026 16:00:33 -0500

Opinion by Candace Echols: “Behind the scenes — when no one is watching — that same man is quietly using his talent and fame to give attention to those who might otherwise be overlooked.”

Opinion: 'Poverty is never just economic'

david.jordan@agapemeanslove.org (David Jordan) — Thu, 4 Jun 2026 06:23:20 -0500

Opinion by David Jordan: “If we align our efforts across sectors and remain rooted in both compassion and accountability, Memphis can become a national model for what human flourishing looks like in practice.”

Opinion: Memphis’ zoning rewrite will reshape development, property rights for a generation

editor@dailymemphian.com (James Maclin) — Wed, 3 Jun 2026 09:59:35 -0500

James Maclin says, “The best version of this rewrite would do two things at once: Modernize Memphis’ land use rules and protect the public’s trust in the process. That means clear notice, clear explanations, clear transition rules, and clear lines of decision-making.”

Opinion: Memphis music depends on people willing to build something larger than themselves

jared@crosstownradiopartnership.org (Jared Boyd) — Tue, 2 Jun 2026 16:01:39 -0500

Carla Thomas and Stan Bell are among the legendary artists who will be honored at the DOWD Awards ceremony Thursday at the National Civil Rights Museum. The event is free to attend with an RSVP at DOWD.WYXR.org.

Opinion: 'A garden is the remedy to the human condition'

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Sat, 30 May 2026 22:25:01 -0500

“Gardening is a chance to connect with something basic, even primal. It’s dirty work, literally, but it puts us in touch with the most fundamental elements of nature from which we all came and depend on for sustenance, beauty and sensory pleasure.”

Opinion: People — not dogs — have created our stray problem

editor@dailymemphian.com (Sabine Langer) — Sat, 30 May 2026 22:25:31 -0500

“There is no shelter system, rescue network or group of volunteers large enough to absorb endless human irresponsibility. Memphis cannot rescue its way out of this.”

Opinion: Why is the state's focus on redistricting not matched by equal attention to BlueOval City?

andre@jonesurban.com (Andre Jones) — Mon, 25 May 2026 04:00:14 -0500

“The same people who can summon a special session to redraw congressional maps in service of a national political project have had remarkably little to say about how that same national political project cost thousands of jobs and four years of economic momentum in Tipton, Fayette, Haywood and Shelby counties.”

Echols: Music as a metaphor for God

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 24 May 2026 17:30:55 -0500

“The person that invites me to a posture of praise is likely not the same person that brings other people to that place, which is why writers and musicians and artists and creators need to keep doing their thing.”

Opinion: Redistricting highlights the real crisis — the ‘devastatingly low’ voter turnout

erica.a.middleton@gmail.com (Erica May) — Sun, 24 May 2026 14:46:25 -0500

“People struggled, marched, bled and died so Black people could exercise the right to vote. They did not die for us to have the right to vote Democrat. They died for us to have the right to choose.”

Opinion: 'The Bible gives us good reasons to stand up for democracy'

editor@dailymemphian.com (Michael Rhodes) — Sun, 24 May 2026 04:00:07 -0500

“Opposing such blatant gerrymandering isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. It’s a democracy issue.”

Opinion: How connections between Memphis and Ireland give us a language for staying

frankblanigan@gmail.com (Frank Lanigan) — Fri, 22 May 2026 08:04:53 -0500

“Ireland being honored in Memphis as part of Memphis in May looks like the usual cultural exchange on the surface. But beneath that is something more interesting: two vastly different places that recognize structure in each other.”

Opinion: Beyond redistricting rhetoric are reality and results

john.covington@memphispoliceassociation.org (John Covington) — Fri, 22 May 2026 08:03:59 -0500

“To hear many Tennessee Democrats tell it, partisan redistricting is some unprecedented assault on democracy itself — a historic political crisis unlike anything the state has ever experienced.”

Calkins: John Isner and Sam Querrey to play a special exhibition in Memphis

gcalkins@dailymemphian.com (Geoff Calkins) — Wed, 20 May 2026 16:08:54 -0500

Back in 2010, John Isner and Sam Querrey met each other in a memorable ATP final at The Racquet Club. On July 25, they’ll be back in Memphis for an exhibition to help celebrate the return of professional tennis to the city.

Opinion: With redistricting, 'Memphis is defined by the people who stay and fight for it'

editors@dailymemphian.com (Preston Battle) — Sun, 17 May 2026 04:00:11 -0500

“Memphis has never been defined by the people who pass through it or pass judgment on it.”

Opinion: Tennessee law — not federal lawsuits — may stymie redistricting

editors@dailymemphian.com (Jack Richbourg) — Fri, 15 May 2026 04:00:12 -0500

“The speed and confidence with which the legislature acted on redistricting does not guarantee the map’s durability. This time, state courts – not federal courts – may have the final word.”

Opinion: Memphis is angry about redistricting, but secession is a 'worthless' suggestion

sathorp414@gmail.com (Susan Adler Thorp) — Fri, 15 May 2026 04:00:12 -0500

“If Memphis cuts ties with the state, where does anyone think we’re going? I can assure you Mississippi doesn’t want a Democratic stronghold on its northern border.”

Opinion: Seeking answers on redistricting in the National Civil Rights Museum

mckinneyc@rhodes.edu (Charles McKinney) — Thu, 14 May 2026 07:06:00 -0500

“Studying history yields a dividend: It brings us to a clearer understanding of who we are, what we believe, and what we do when the promise of our national creed does not measure up to the reality of our lives.”

Echols: Will we recognize each other in Heaven?

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 10 May 2026 04:00:05 -0500

“The musicians among us will be familiar with the concept of ‘tonic chord.’ It’s that set of notes in a musical score that leaves the ear — and therefore the mind and even the body — feeling settled, complete, finished, at rest.”

Opinion: 'What have I learned today?'

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Sun, 10 May 2026 04:00:05 -0500

“I don’t need to sing. I don’t need to dance. I don’t need to be the best writer. In short, I don’t need to chase who and what I’m not; it’s enough to be thankful for what I am and work to be the best I’m capable of being.”