Great times! Last week our Business Fellows group visited Memphis, Tennessee to see why the Memphis Jubilee Catholic schools were so good. Hopefully, learning from their success and bringing some their tools to our client St. Lawrence Catholic School.

Fun day
First, I am going to talk about the fun part. The first night, was like we were celebrating just making it there. 8 hour drive hommies! 8 HOURS!

First we had a cocktail at The Peabody’s Lobby Bar, kicked it, cracked jokes and took pictures. We even spotted some “big timers” with “escorts” we got a kick out of that.

Then we went over to The Pig On Beale and had a smoked pork sandwich! Oh, so good. Of course I acted a fool make in jokes, even busted a freestyle rap while we were waiting on our food. Yeah, and Carrie jumped in the cipher, she got mad skills. Then the team just chilled out on the strip listening to blues music by some street performers. They rocked it. Good music, good food, good people… all good. Other fun things went down but what we do in Memphis stays in Memphis.



Work day
The next was all work. We had an appointment with Dr. Mary McDonald, superintendent of Jubilee Catholic Elementary Schools , to discuss why their school program is so successful. How they took several closed urban schools and reopened them.

When we visited the schools the students were so impressive. They loved school and they loved learning. Majority of the students were Latino or African-American. It was a goal of the Memphis Catholic Diocese to have catholic schools in communities that needed them. Every student was so respectful to us. Every room we visited they stood and welcomed us in unison. Can’t find that in a public school!

Dr. McDonald was great her hospitality was second to none. She took so much time out of her day to tell us about why and how the Jubilee Schools project was successful and how community business leaders are supporting them.

After the day was over she invited us to the Comedy Tennessee comedy club and saw Tim Walkoe who was ridiculously hilarious! If I repeat the jokes I’ll just mess it up, but he was funny as hell. Before that we had delicious char-broiled dry rub BBQ ribs from Charles Vergo’s Rendezous Ribs. Holla at cha boy! My clothes still smell like BBQ I love it! There BBQ sauce was a little salty but still outstanding.

Cultural day
Are last day there we visited The Civil Rights Museum which is located at the same place where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. It was an eerie place to be at first. Inside the museum is based on a timeline starting from slavery. And you move through the museum like traveling through time. There are many interactive pieces. For example, one was a bus from the 1960s and when you set down a voice in the bus says, “Get to the back of the bus.” The longer you sit the more agitated to voice becomes. The preserved some riot scenes as exhibits and even interactive phone conversations that President Kennedy had with various governors.

Strangest moment was being on the balcony where King was shot and when you look to the left or right they preserved the room exactly how it was left when he was murdered. The bed was messed up, the breakfast he didn’t finish was moldy and the coffee was old. It was definitely to close for comfort. In addition, to the slow gospel hymns in the background. And directly across the street was where the supposed killer shot King from.

In that building they displayed the investigation, evidence and the various conspiracy theories surrounding King’s death.

What was humorous is that the museum has plans on expanding and some citizens are boycotting the CRM claiming that it fosters hate. However, the CRM is a testament how hate was overcame and how our civil rights movement sparked others across the world; Germany, Beijing and South Africa.

Then, we had lunch at the world famous Arcade Restaruant even though I thought food as alright not fantastic, not like Rendezvous Ribs. I had a taco salad.

Finally, 8 hours back. 8 HOURS SON!