Weekly Update: A Better Memphis

Friends, 

After my election in 2015, our transition team developed a multi-faceted plan to reduce poverty, restore neighborhoods, and enhance communities. Many people talk about reducing poverty; we have taken action by executing and expanding on our plan from day one.

At my swearing-in as mayor on January 1, 2016, I said “the great challenge for the next Mayor of Memphis will be addressing the unacceptable level of poverty that is crippling Memphis’ progress and leaving another generation without the opportunity to thrive and succeed. Memphis is a stark “Tale of Two Cities” where the disproportional gap between the wealthy and the poor has grown exponentially”.

At that time:

29.8 percent of Memphis residents lived below the poverty line.
47 percent of children in Memphis were living in poverty.
191,609 of the population in Memphis lived on less than the federal poverty level.

Pre-COVID-19, those numbers had dropped slightly to

27.8 percent of Memphis residents live below the poverty line.
44.9 percent of children in Memphis are living in poverty.
176,764 of the population in Memphis lives on less than the federal poverty level.

These numbers are too high, and too many of our neighbors are still suffering. We still have much we must accomplish.

To see the original plan and the full update, go here.

Enjoy your weekend!

Yours,