The New Tri-State Defender

01/15/2026

Honoring a true civil rights pioneer. Today we remember Claudette Colvin, who at just 15 refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus — nine months before Rosa Parks — helping ignite the modern Civil Rights Movement. She has passed at 86, but her legacy of courage and justice lives on.

By Kimberly Chandler MONTGOMERY, Ala — Claudette Colvin, whose 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement, has died. She was 86. Her death was announced Tuesday by the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation. Ashley D. Roseb...

01/14/2026

Tomorrow, former Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Memphis for her 107 Days book tour — and none other than Carmeon Hamilton will be moderating the conversation.

Will you be in attendance?

01/14/2026

Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo stopped by Invictus Academy and surprised students and staff with a $20,000 donation to the MSCS Adolescent Parenting Program. The youth advocacy program supports teen parents with education, parenting resources, and free childcare — something Moneybagg Yo says he personally understands from lived experience. A powerful moment of giving back to the city that raised him.

01/14/2026

A historic Mississippi synagogue was heavily damaged in a predawn fire, and authorities say the suspect allegedly confessed to targeting the building because of its “Jewish ties.”

Learn more about the incident and the ongoing investigation. Read more: https://tri-statedefender.com/mississippi-synagogue-damaged-in-fire-suspect-allegedly-confessed/01/13/

By Molly Minta and Michael Goldberg The man suspected of setting fire to Mississippi’s largest synagogue allegedly confessed his crimes to law enforcement and referred to the building in northeast Jackson as the “synagogue of Satan,” according to a federal court document filed Monday. Stephen ...

01/14/2026

Happy Founders Day to the ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated! ❤️🤍

Honoring 113 years of sisterhood, service, scholarship, and social action.

#1913

01/12/2026

Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy through action. Join the MLK Day Grand Finale Blood Drive and help save lives while giving back to our community.

📍 National Civil Rights Museum
📅 Monday, Jan. 19, 2026
⏰ 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
📍 450 Mulberry St., Memphis, TN 38103

All donors will receive a blood drive T-shirt and two front-of-line admission tickets to the National Civil Rights Museum.

Sign up and learn more here:
https://www.vitalant.org/mlkspiritofservice

01/12/2026

Ann C. Perry brings the spirit and genius of Zora Neale Hurston to life in Live Rich, Die Poor: Zora’s Awakening — a powerful one-woman theatrical journey exploring legacy, creative independence, and the life of a literary icon.

Read more: https://tri-statedefender.com/live-rich-die-poor-ann-c-perrys-journey-bringing-zora-neale-hurston-to-life/01/12/

When she first encountered “Their Eyes Were Watching God” in the 1990s, Ann C. Perry had no idea the novel would quietly shape the next two decades of her life. At the time, Perry was in her 20s and living in Chicago. Like many readers of her generation, she had never been formally introduced to...

01/12/2026

The killing of Tyre Nichols forced Memphis — and the nation — to confront hard truths about policing, accountability, and justice. This breakdown looks at 10 key things we’ve learned so far, from the role of the SCORPION unit to the ongoing fight for reform and accountability.

Read more: https://tri-statedefender.com/10-things-we-learned-from-the-killing-of-tyre-nichols-so-far/01/09/

01/11/2026

Explore new mental health books that dive into how we think, feel, and process the world around us. These powerful reads offer insight, healing, and a deeper understanding of the mind.

Books for Mental Health by various authors, c.2025, various publishers, $29.99 – $34.95, various page counts For months, your brain has been full. Full of holidaying and end-of-year-ing and remembering all the things that needed done by the new month. Full of gifts and celebrations and news and we...

01/11/2026

Memphis-Shelby County Schools board wins a temporary restraining order that pauses key preparations for the 2026 school board elections as a legal challenge unfolds. The ruling halts the issuance of candidate petitions for five seats while the case moves forward.

Read more here: https://tri-statedefender.com/memphis-school-board-wins-temporary-restraining-order-on-2026-election-prep/01/10/

01/09/2026

Beyoncé has officially joined the billionaire ranks—becoming part of a rare circle of Black American wealth built on ownership, control, and vision. From music to business, this milestone is bigger than a number—it’s a blueprint.

Read how she built it and why it matters:
🔗 https://tri-statedefender.com/beyonce-becomes-billionaire-joining-rare-circle-of-black-american-wealth-built-on-ownership/01/08/

What does ownership mean to you? Drop your thoughts below 👇🏾

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has joined the small and closely watched group of Black American billionaires, a milestone that places her alongside a handful of individuals who built vast wealth in a country where Black ownership has long been restricted, delayed or denied. According to Forbes, Beyoncé is...

01/09/2026

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