High Ground News On The Ground Podcast

The Mid-South Coliseum will soon see revitalizing events inside the building for the first time in 14 years. Marvin Stockwell and Chooch Pickard with the Coliseum Coalition discuss the history, significance, and condition of building, and how you can see inside the Coliseum before the first event.

High Ground’s Emily Trenholm and Cole Bradley along with our podcast producer, Natalie Van Gundy, reflect on our first year of our On the Ground Podcast, including favorite moments and biggest impacts.

On the Ground lead writer A. J. Dugger talks with the family behind B Chill Lemonade about how they got started and what's next for the luxury lemonade brand.

A few years ago, Gaisman Park was seedy and neglected. Now there are hundreds of kids and families there each week. Chris Collier, founder of Friends of Gaisman, and Christina Crutchfield, community coordinator with Heights CDC, discuss the turn around and the power of passionate people investing in their neighborhoods.

If there’s no one investing in you, invest in yourself. Britney Thornton, founder of JUICE Orange Mound, is on a mission to mobilize residents to revitalize the neighborhood on their own terms.

World Relief Memphis’ PJ Moore and Basuze Madogo speak to the experiences of refugees resettling in Memphis, why immigrants are critical to a robust local economy, and new national policies resulting in historic lows in the number of new refugees entering the U.S.

Justin Merrick and Lenell Burton from Center for Transforming Communities join High Ground to discuss CTC's expansion into new neighborhoods, the role of artists in connecting neighbors, and the power of storytelling as communities experience change.

The High Ground News team welcomes Veronica Johnson, On the Ground project manager for Issue Media Group, to discuss how the On The Ground embedded journalism program is being implemented in other cities.

Kristin Fox-Trautman with Inspire Community Cafe in Binghampton talks about the growing business and its unique model to build community that includes a living wage, supporting area nonprofits and sourcing produce grown in the neighborhood.

We talk history, industry, and community in Hickory Hill and get the details on the upcoming Hickory Hill resource and career fair on October 19 from guests Davida Cruthird with Agape Child and Family Services and Candace Taylor with Power Center CDC.

Meghan Medford and Mirna Garcia from the Summer Avenue Merchant's Association join High Ground to talk about the recent installation of international flags on the commercial corridor, as well as SAMA's efforts to remove blight, reduce crime, and make Summer a destination for dining and shopping.

John Paul Shaffer with BLDG Memphis and Greg Love with The Works Inc. discuss BLDG Memphis' survey of Memphis mayoral and city council candidates, the biggest issues facing Memphis' neighborhoods and the importance of responsible and responsive policy.

Marquiepta Odom with the YWCA of Greater Memphis and Sherica Hymes, founder of Total Woman Summit, discuss this year's summit on September 30, the YWCA's work to support families fleeing domestic violence and how the summit and the YWCA are working separately and together to empower women to put themselves first.

Jared Myers from The Heights CDC joins the team to discuss High Ground's new Community Contributor training program, which aims to attract and train residents to become neighborhood-based freelance writers.

Chris Coleman and Bianca Delgado with Teach for America discuss how TFA is training passionate educators and education advocates across the country and gush with High Ground's Cole Bradley over Treadwell Elementary here in Memphis.

Rain or Shine umbrella-share is part public art, part community service. It debuts August 28 in Madison Heights. Cat Pena and Stacey Early with Creatives in Research reflect on the months of community listening that led them to umbrellas as a way to serve all of the neighborhood's diverse communities and needs.

Ellen Roberds and Nibaruta Fidel with Play Where You Stay talk soccer, competition and how to make the game fun and accessible for all kids in any neighborhood, regardless of financial need.

Meet A.J. Dugger, our newest core team member and On the Ground’s lead writer, and hear the team’s first thoughts on our newest On the Ground neighborhood, Hickory Hill.

Paul Young, director of the city's division of housing and community development and John Paul Shaffer, executive director of BLDG Memphis, discuss the recent creation of a local trust fund that will help support the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

Yancy Villa-Calvo and Mauricio Calvo, local coordinators for the national Gateways for Growth initiative, discuss the economic, cultural and civic contributions of local immigrant communities, and how Memphis can harness and grow those impacts by making institutions of all kinds more welcoming and accessible.

The High Ground team welcomes Mark Fleischer, founder and editor of Storyboard Memphis, a year-old monthly newspaper focused on stories and issues of local interest.

Continuing a series of discussions on homeownership, Tennessee Housing Development Agency's Ralph Perrey and United Housing's Amy Schaftein join High Ground to talk about down payment assistance programs, homebuyer education, and other state-supported initiatives making a difference in Memphis.

Habitat for Humanity’s Jessica Hord and Habitat homeowner Brandi Hunter talk homeownership and building community in Memphis’ Uptown neighborhood and beyond.

Angela Garland and David Jordan dive into Agape Child and Family Services' mission to keep kids out of foster care and reduce poverty by working alongside some of Memphis' most at-risk youth and families. This summer they're hosting camps in Frayser, Whitehaven and Hickory Hill that take their kids around the world with a global curriculum.

High Ground News' Emily Trenholm hosts Abby Miller and Susannah Barton from the Memphis Medical District Collaborative for a discussion about assets, opportunities and story ideas in High Ground's latest focus neighborhood.

Andy Nix and Khalil Castal of MyCityRides join High Ground’s Cole Bradley to discuss how there lease-to-own scooter program is helping Memphians access personal transportation, see more of their city and save thousands of dollars in annual transportation costs.

High Ground News editor Madeline Faber interviews Tamara Hendrix and Dana Brooks, who provide services to Memphis' homeless population. They weigh in on the lack of resources available to women and their hopes for a new emergency shelter that will serve women Downtown.

High Ground's Cole Bradley sits down with Stephanie Reyes, director of development for OUTMemphis, the region's largest LGBT+ resource center, to discuss its holistic youth services and Metamorphosis Project.

Federico Gomez and Brigitte Billeaudeaux speak about the Mariposas Collective, a grassroots group of Memphians who provide supplies and support to asylum seekers who are traveling across the U.S. in Greyhound buses.

High Ground News hosts Josh Campbell from Spillit Memphis for a discussion about storytelling and its power to build community and elevate resident voices in Memphis neighborhoods.

The High Ground News editorial team reflects on their four months of embedded research and reporting in the University District with neighborhood leader Cody Fletcher.

Roshun Austin of The Works, Inc. and Austin Harrison of Neighborhood Preservation Inc. examine a redlining map from the 1930s, its implications for modern-day Memphis and local strategies to breakdown housing inequality 85 years after redlining was introduced and 50 years since it was outlawed.

Justin Gillis of the Crosstown CDC and Porsche Stevens of Crosstown Arts reveal more about the greater Crosstown neighborhood, from its long history to its diverse mix of small businesses.

Professional actors Ann Wallace and Leslie Jones of Playback Memphis share how their live improv theater is being used to help kids improve social-emotional learning and reduce bullying.

Can youth engagement be a crime prevention technique? In the North Memphis area of Hollywood-Hyde Park, community leaders have used city funds from the Memphis Police Department to sponsor free meals and activities for neighborhood children.

Ebony Archie from UrbanArt Commission and local artist Khara Woods discuss new public art installations that are being designed around themes of sustainability and environmental issues.

Cole Bradley sits down with two members of a planning team working on a playbook for community development in the University District that puts the University of Memphis at the center of equitable neighborhood growth.

Dr. Krista Johnson, the executive director of ALLMemphis, answers if children in poverty and other adverse circumstances learn differently and how Memphis schools can adapt to meet their literacy needs.

Angelica Carey of the Office of Planning and Development and Trey McKnight from the Greater Whitehaven Economic Redevelopment Corp. talk about how Memphis' new comprehensive plan is laying the groundwork for the potential redevelopment of Whitehaven Plaza.

Lawrence Matthews (AKA Don Lifted) and James Dukes (AKA IMAKEMADBEATS) join Madeline Faber to discuss how a Black-owned arts space nourishes the existing arts scene and complements the surrounding neighborhood of Orange Mound.

High Ground News publisher Emily Trenholm welcomes Steve Lockwood from Frayser CDC and Amy Schaftlein from United Housing to discuss why homeownership is so important to stabilizing Memphis neighborhoods, and what strategies community development organizations are using to turn long-time renters into homeowners.

The On The Ground team kicks off its coverage of the University District and learns more about the neighborhood's assets, opportunities and issues from a community leader working on the area's revitalization.

High Ground News and guests discuss great holiday gift options from local black businesses and the growing infrastructure to support minority entrepreneurs.

Cole Bradley, Madeline Faber and Emily Trenholm recap two years of High Ground News' embedded neighborhood reporting project, On The Ground. Christina Crutchfield weighs in on a recent High Ground News-hosted art gallery in The Heights area of Memphis.