Week of: September 24, 2026
The latest from tsdmemphis.com
Tay Keith
Memphis honors producer’s legacy, commitment to the 901 — Pages 7–9
PERSPECTIVE
NEWS
SHELBY COUNTY’S YOUNGEST RESIDENTS STILL BENEFIT FROM DOLLY PARTON’S LEGACY OF PHILANTHROPY AND IMPACT
TONI WALLACE FRANKLIN STEPS INTO AKA REGIONAL LEADERSHIP WITH MEMPHIS BEHIND HER
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Volume 75, Issue 38
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■■ NEWS T.J. Hardaway departs District 93 race; Gilkey ruled ineligible TRI-STATE DEFENDER
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Editor Stephanie R. Jones
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Week of: September 24, 2026
Hardaway ends write-in campaign to pursue law school as his endorsed successor is blocked by state election law By Lee Eric Smith
TSD Contributing Writer
Change of plans — again. Interim state Rep. T.J. Hardaway has ended his write-in campaign for Tennessee House District 93. Instead, Hardaway announced Sept. 15 that he will pursue law school to prepare for future opportunities in public service. Hardaway was appointed by the Shelby County Commission in May to the seat previously held by his late father, G.A. Hardaway. After announcing his departure from the race, he threw his support behind Kyler Gilkey. But that plan unraveled almost immediately when Gilkey was declared ineligible to have write-in votes counted in the Nov. 3 general election. Tennessee election law prohibits a candidate defeated in a primary election from subsequently filing a request to have write-in votes counted in the general election. Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins ruled Gilkey ineligible on Monday, Sept. 14, the write-in filing deadline, because Gilkey had been defeated in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary for House District 84. Five other write-in candidates qualified for the District 93 race. That leaves Hardaway’s exit — rather than a handoff to Gilkey — as the latest major development in a District 93 race that has already seen several turns. Before Gilkey was disqualified from running in the general election, Hardaway had said Gilkey brought the right experience and temperament to succeed him in District 93. The disqualification comes because Gilkey challenged longtime District 84 Rep. Joe Towns Jr. in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary, finishing second with about 27% of the vote. Towns later resigned from the Legislature after win-
ning election as Shelby County Criminal Court clerk, opening the door for Democratic officials to select a replacement nominee for the November ballot. Gilkey sought that nomination, but the party chose former Shelby County Commissioner Matthew Szalaj. Days later, Gilkey announced plans to seek District 93 as a write-in candidate with Hardaway’s backing, but acknowledged that his quick shift from District 84 to District 93 could raise questions. For Hardaway, his announcement closes a whirlwind political chapter — at least, for now — that began suddenly after the death of his father, a fierce
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advocate for Memphis and West Tennessee, who died in April after serving 20 years in the Tennessee House. But Hardaway, who has worked as an event organizer and athletic coach, said his brief tenure in Nashville convinced him that he needs more preparation. “My time in the legislature showed me how much strong, prepared and knowledgeable leadership matters,” Hardaway said. “I know public service will remain part of my life. But before deciding what my next chapter in elected service may look like, I want to strengthen the tools I can bring to that service. That is why I have decided to pursue law school.”
TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com
■■ PERSPECTIVE
Shelby County’s youngest residents still benefit from Dolly Parton’s legacy of philanthropy and impact Partnership between Porter-Leath and singer’s Imagination Library introduces reading to nearly half of the county’s children up to 5 years old.
Groundwork: Mission Critical By Judith Black Moore TSD Contributing Writer
Country music icon Dolly Parton often called her father, Robert Lee Parton, the smartest man she had ever known, although he was unable to read. Parton also acknowledged his illiteracy probably kept him from fulfilling some of his dreams. In 1995, as a tribute to her father, she launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an initiative that encourages families to read to their babies and spark an early love of books long before they enter a classroom. What began in the legendary singer’s birthplace, Sevier County, Tennessee, extended far beyond the mountains where she was raised. Today, the program reaches children in five countries and has given away more than 300 million books. In Shelby County, Porter-Leath, an early childhood education and family services agency established in 1850, is the sole local affiliate of Parton’s book giveaway, operating Books From Birth for the past nine years. The local literacy program mails free children’s titles every month to more than 30,000 newborns to 5-year-olds of the 63,000 living in the county, making it the library’s second-largest affiliate, said Wynett Jones, director of Books From Birth. The Tennessee Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation covers half of the operating costs, and Porter-Leath raises the other half through local foundaWeek of: September 24, 2026
tions, state grants and private donations. About $25 covers the cost of one book for one child every month for a year. “The purpose of the program is to Judith Black impact kindergarten Moore readiness,” Jones said. “The pun is intended when we say it places all of these children on the same page.” In Shelby County, that mission carries exceptional weight. According to the Memphis-Shelby County Schools District Scorecard, an academic and operational performance report released in March 2026, only 33.2% of third graders achieved a proficient score on the English language arts section of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, the statewide standardized test commonly called TCAP. The district has made some progress in recent years. But current proficiency levels still underscore the need for literacy interventions such as introducing children to books for early reading before kindergarten to give them an important advantage. Porter-Leath partners with hospitals to enroll newborns in the program so they start receiving books soon after birth. Parton’s favorite, “The Little Engine That Could,” is the first title sent to every child. “What all of this means is that the child is receiving a book in the home with their name on it,” Jones said. “We have heard from families who say that it helped their child recognize and spell
Then 6-year-old Sam White of Memphis signs copies of his book “You Can Be ABCs,” which was selected for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. “I am proud to be tied to her legacy through my book,” said Sam, now 12.
their name. Some of them even learn their address from the mailing package.” In addition to Porter-Leath’s Books From Birth, another notable connection to Parton’s literacy legacy resides in Shelby County, and his name is Sam White. When Sam was 6 years old, his parents helped him write “You Can Be ABCs,” a children’s book that encourages young readers to imagine what they might become when they grow up. His book was selected for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Before Sam released his book, he and his father drew national attention for their “You Can Be ABCs” rap video, which went viral and led to two appearances on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and garnered other media attention. Now 12, Sam has his own collection of Imagination Library books, including “You Can Be ABCs,” the book he authored. But it took some time for him to grasp the significance of his book’s inclusion in the collection. “I can just remember it taking a while before I really realized how cool it was
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to be selected,” Sam said. “I was still really young when we got that news.” But he understands it differently now. “I am proud to be tied to her (Dolly Parton) legacy through my book,” Sam said. As the tributes for Parton continue — celebrating aspects of her life from her music and acting chops to her kindness and philanthropy — her most consequential legacy may very well be the Imagination Library. After all, learning to read goes beyond enjoying a good book. Literacy opens the door to education, opportunity and economic mobility. In a city focused on building generational wealth, making sure our children are proficient readers is one of the first places we must start. — Judith Black Moore is a nonprofit consultant and the founder of Taking Back the Future, a youth-focused nonprofit. With decades of leadership experience at nationally recognized nonprofit organizations, she brings a seasoned, strategic lens to the issues that matter most in the nonprofit sector. TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com
■■ NEWS
Toni Wallace Franklin steps into AKA regional leadership with Memphis behind her By Lee Eric Smith
TSD Contributing Writer
Memphis turned out in force recently to celebrate one of its own as Toni Wallace Franklin stepped into leadership as director of the South Eastern Region of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Franklin, however, spent much of her remarks talking less about what she had achieved than about what she hoped to do with the opportunity. “Becoming the regional director of the South Eastern Region is an honor,” Franklin told the crowd on Sept. 12 at Brown Missionary Baptist Church. “It was never just about reaching a destination. It was about the journey — a journey that has never been about a title. It has been about service.” Franklin now leads AKA chapters in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. She arrived at the regional post after years of service at the chapter, regional and international levels, including leadership in Memphis’ Phi Lambda Omega Chapter, now presided over by now led by Carmen R. Patton. The theme of Franklin’s term is, “Together We Flourish: Cultivating Champions,” a phrase repeated throughout the reception. For Franklin, “cultivating champions” is more than a slogan. “I believe there’s a champion in every chapter. There’s a champion in every member. There’s a champion in every generation,” she said. “And sometimes, all a champion needs is someone to see her, believe in her, encourage her and give her an opportunity to serve.” She said her goal is to cultivate leaders who serve with compassion, Week of: September 24, 2026
Toni Wallace Franklin, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s new South Eastern Regional Director, was the guest of honor at a Sept. 12 reception at the Esplanade Ballroom in Cordova. (Courtesy photo)
Carmen R. Patton, president of Phi Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., takes part in the Sept. 12 celebration honoring new South Eastern Regional Director Toni Wallace Franklin.
embrace innovation and help prepare the next generation. “Leadership isn’t about having a spotlight on you,” Franklin said. “Leadership is about using your life to help someone else see theirs.” That emphasis on developing others also shaped the spiritual tone of the afternoon. During meditation, Phi Lambda Omega Chaplain Antoinette Harvey tied Franklin’s theme to the idea that people do not flourish alone, but by investing in one another. “Sometimes the greatest evidence of a champion is not how she rises,” Harvey said, “but how many others rise because she was willing to pour into them.” The Rev. Bartholomew Orr, senior pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church, offered a prayer asking that Franklin be given wisdom, strength and compassion and that her time in office be marked by success and cooperation. Franklin reflected on the path that
Toni Wallace Franklin celebrates with her AKA sisters during a reception honoring her elevation to South Eastern Regional Director.
brought her to the regional office. Looking back over years of assignments, conferences, committee work and leadership responsibilities, she said what once appeared to be obstacles look different in hindsight. “What I thought were detours were actually divine direction,” Franklin said. “What I thought were delays were actually divine preparation.” The reception also included an announcement intended to extend Franklin’s impact beyond her term in office. Organizers announced the establishment of the Toni Wallace Franklin Endowment through the Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foun-
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dation. The presentation focused on the rising cost of higher education and the gap that can remain between financial aid and what students actually need to stay enrolled. “We’re not simply contributing to an endowment,” the presenter told attendees. “We’re investing in the student who dreams, but needs financial support to get there.” The announcement was consistent with Franklin’s own history in education and service. Before becoming regional director, she served as the region’s coordinator for the sorority’s Educational Advancement Foundation and as president of Phi Lambda Omega chapter. She also served as general chair when the 90th South Eastern Regional Conference brought thousands of members to Memphis in 2022. Franklin said she wants the region under her leadership to be measured not simply by internal accomplishments, but by what happens in the communities its members serve. “I foresee a South Eastern Region that is known not only for what we accomplish,” Franklin said, “but a region that leaves every community we touch better than we found it.” TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com
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■■ NEWS
Smiley to roll out amended data center moratorium; council asks city mayor and county health department for answers By James Coleman
TSD Contributing Writer
Memphis City Council delayed a final vote on a data center moratorium during committee meetings, Tuesday, Sept. 15, after members agreed to combine two proposed ordinances introduced two weeks ago to regulate the computing facilities’ water, energy and property demands. Council member JB Smiley said he will introduce an amended version of the moratorium at the Oct. 6 meeting, which drew no objections. “I think we need to slow things down a bit. Sometime next week, I will send out an amended temporary hyperscaled data center moratorium,” said Smiley. “It’s going to have support by the majority of the members of this body. We’ve been trying to consolidate what we saw from Councilman (Jeff) Warren, what we saw from Councilman (Philip) Spinosa.” Council members are also expecting updates at the Oct. 6 meeting that address the impact of data centers from Mayor Paul Young’s administration and the Shelby County Health Department.
Hey, City of Memphis, where is your plan? Council members are eager to hear the city’s proposal for $3.2 million in tax revenue collected from the Community Benefit Ordinance, which is expected to generate $100 million. The property tax is specifically tied to the SpaceXAI Colossus I supercomputer to fund capital improvements in the 38109 zip code for a five-mile zone near the Paul R. Lowery Road facility and a similar zone in the 38116 zip code. The law requires 25% of the tax revenue to be spent on investments in public buildings, facilities, infrastructure and equipment, as well as economic
Week of: September 24, 2026
development projects in the targeted zip codes. And $1.4 million will be set aside for homeowner repairs. Eligible applicants can receive loans up to $30,000. But JB Smiley no plans have been shared since a July 21 presentation announcing the proceeds. ”It has not been on the agenda one time,” said Council member Pearl Eva Walker, who chairs the MLGW committee and co-chairs the libraries and neighborhood improvement committee. “And the second allotment — it’s on the way.” Walker’s concerns were supported by Council member Edmund Ford Sr., the elder statesman who defended the introduction of data centers in Memphis by pointing to the boost in revenue. He also urged Young’s administration to use tax dollars as designated, instead of “paying for things two times” and “filling potholes.” Smiley clarified Ford’s argument. “The services provided with the $3.2 million need to be different than the services the city is already providing,” he said.
It’s not all about the money. We’ve got to breathe too. The council also would like to hear from the Shelby County Health Department — in person, following a pollution report recently issued by the agency. Council members are looking to ascertain the limits of their legislative power. The council wants answers to three questions. How is air being monitored? What are the current areas of concern? How are residents notified when pollution levels may affect their health?
“(The health department) also confirmed that its former partnership with MATA, which provided discounted transportation during air quality advisories, ended because grant funding is no longer available.” — Yolanda Cooper-Sutton According to the county health department, air pollutant levels are monitored hourly. If they exceed safe levels, residents are typically notified by media reports, health department notifications and Tennessee Department of Transportation messaging boards. “It also confirmed that its former partnership with MATA, which provided discounted transportation during air quality advisories, ended because grant funding is no longer available,” noted Yolanda Cooper-Sutton. The transit agency is currently operating on a shoestring budget of $32 million, which falls short of its estimated need. The council set this limit after an outside forensic audit uncovered years of financial mismanagement. Particularly troubling, however, is the increase in the number of days that Memphis has experienced hazardous ozone levels. In the past year alone, 13 “extended stays” — the presence of elevated concentrations of ozone gas over a longer period of time, instead of brief spikes — have been documented in Memphis. In 2025, federal levels were exceeded in just five days. The main contributors are weather, along with local and regional emissions. Data centers are undoubtedly a contributing factor. “Written responses do not replace a public presentation where council members can ask questions, review neighborhood-level information and discuss how residents are being protected,” said Cooper-Sutton.
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One of the authors of the competing data center proposals noted that an in-person health department report will help guide members as they seek to merge the ordinances.
What are the current data center proposed ordinances? Council member Philip Spinosa’s proposal attempts to strike a balance between laying the groundwork for a quickly emerging industry and shielding the public good. The ordinance would ask the city to create a digital infrastructure district, along with a “strategic large-load development” to handle future property and energy demands. Data centers, which are currently largely unregulated, would be held to enforceable, predictable standards through a “source-neutral” operating system. In addition to advancing qualified applicants and collecting tax revenue, it also attempts to “protect citizens, neighborhoods, utility reliability, public finances and several other concerns.” Locally, one of the biggest worries over data centers is water consumption. Council member Jeff Warren’s counterproposal aggressively pushes for data centers to provide their own resources through zero emissions technology. It would also prohibit the use of potable water for cooling servers that run 24 hours a day, in favor of closed-loop cooling systems. The progressive use of renewable energy would also be required, obligating data centers to phase out carbon-based sources of energy.
TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com
■■ NEWS
Tay Keith Day: Memphis honors producer’s legacy, commitment to the 901 By Brianna Smith-Herman TSD Contributing Writer
Memphis made Tay Keith. Tay Keith helped change the sound of popular music. Now, his hometown has made sure his name will forever have a place on the city’s calendar. Sunday, Sept. 20, would have been the Grammy-nominated producer’s 30th birthday. In Memphis, it also marked the first Tay Keith Day, a permanent recognition of the producer whose beats traveled from the 901 to some of the biggest records in music. The observance comes three months after Keith’s sudden death at age 29 and just days after the Nashville Medical Examiner’s Office released new details about his death. Keith, whose legal name was Brytavious Lakeith Chambers, was found dead in his Nashville apartment June 18 after police conducted a welfare check. He died from the combined toxicity of ketamine and compounds associated with kratom, according to the medical examiner. His death was ruled accidental. The findings answer a question that had remained unresolved since his death. But in Memphis, the days surrounding what would have been his milestone birthday are also bringing renewed attention to what Keith accomplished in 29 years — and what he had hoped to do next for the city that raised him. Memphis Mayor Paul Young presented Keith’s family with a proclamation during the city’s 901 Day celebration declaring Sept. 20, Tay Keith Day in the
Week of: September 24, 2026
Keith’s longtime partnership with fellow Memphis rapper BlocBoy JB helped introduce both artists to a national audience. Their breakthrough came in 2018 with “Look Alive,” featuring Drake. City of Memphis. When Young spoke about Keith during the presentation, he remembered more than the hit records, chart success and unmistakable producer tag heard on songs around the world. He remembered a young Memphian who wanted to give back. Young said Keith had spoken with him about his love for Memphis and his desire to help women and children and to provide mental health services. “He wanted to do so much that he began calling me every week, because he wanted to make sure he made an impact on this city,” Young said. “He wanted to figure out how to support the 901.” Some of his vision will now continue in his name. On Monday, Sept. 21, at 11:30 a.m., Memphis Public Libraries will dedicate its music production room at Cloud901 inside the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library as the Tay Keith Music Lab. The dedication follows a donation from the Tay Keith Legacy Foundation. The lab will provide a space for young people to learn music production and develop their creative skills. Cloud901 serves teens ages 13 to 18 and provides access to technology and training in music production, photography, videography, robotics and other fields.
“The funding of this music lab is an investment in the next generation of Memphis talent and a fitting tribute to Tay Keith,” Young said. Long before Keith’s producer tag became one of the most recognizable in contemporary hip-hop, Keith was developing his sound in Memphis and completing his college education. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 2018, the same year Keith’s career broke nationally. He also co-founded the record label DRUMATIZED with Cambrian Strong to create opportunities for emerging artists and producers. Keith’s longtime partnership with fellow Memphis rapper BlocBoy JB helped introduce both artists to a national audience. Their breakthrough came in 2018 with “Look Alive,” featuring Drake. He went on to produce Drake’s “Nonstop” and co-produce Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” which became a No. 1 hit and earned him a Grammy nomination. His production credits grew to include records by Beyoncé, Drake, Travis Scott, Eminem and Lil Baby. No matter how far those records traveled, Memphis remained embedded in Keith’s work. His production carried forward elements associated with generations of Memphis hip-hop — booming bass, hard drums, dark textures and
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Tay Keith onstage at BMI’s How I Wrote That Song – GRAMMY Edition at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA on February 2, 2024. (Courtesy BMI)
Southern bounce — while reshaping those influences for another generation. Keith also used his growing profile to help push Memphis artists beyond the city. BlocBoy JB was an early example. Years later, Keith worked extensively with Sexyy Red, producing records including “Pound Town.” His work with Memphis and regional artists existed alongside collaborations with some of the biggest names in popular music. By the time of his death, Keith had accumulated 11 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and four No. 1 records, according to BMI. He earned a second Grammy nomination for Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex.” Keith was also a three-time BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year, earning the honor in 2019, 2023 and 2024. In 2025, he shared BMI’s R&B/ Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year honor for his work on “First Person Shooter,” “Get It Sexyy” and “MELTDOWN.” The recognition continued after his death. At the 2026 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, Keith was remembered as a friend and mentor as well as a songwriter and producer.
TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com
■■ NEWS
Tay Keith Music Lab turns Grammy nominee’s legacy into opportunity for young creators By Lee Eric Smith
TSD Contributing Writer
The world knows Tay Keith as a native Memphian and hitmaking producer who worked with music industry luminaries such as Beyoncé and Drake. But Keith’s sister, Lisa Austin, remembers him as the little brother whose typical childhood foibles gave way to a deep passion for music. “We were taking all the clothes out of the bedroom closet to turn it into an actual studio. Putting a sock over the microphone, even ruining my very first college laptop making beats and putting viruses on it,” Austin said with a smile. On Monday, Austin attended a formal dedication ceremony inside the Cloud901 Teen Learning Lab at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library for the newly updated music production space honoring her late brother. Cloud901, a two-story, 8,300-squarefoot facility launched in 2015, is a technology-driven production studio for music, video, arts, robotics, coding and stage performance with professional equipment for use by teens 13 to 18 years old who have a valid library card. “This lab is more than just putting Tay’s name on a room,” Austin said. “It’s about access and opportunity.”
From Memphis kid to hitmaker Born Brytavious Lakeith Chambers in Memphis, Keith attended White Station High School and graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2018, when his music had already become more than experimental noise Week of: September 24, 2026
Lisa Austin tears up as she reminisces about her late brother, Memphis producer Tay Keith, during the dedication of a Cloud901 music production lab in his honor.
coming from a makeshift bedroom studio. Keith, who died in June at age 29, would go on to become one of the industry’s most recognizable producers, releasing four No. 1 records, including Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” and Drake’s “First Person Shooter,” and 11 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. He also earned two Grammy nominations for his work. His family had watched him for years as he developed his talent, Austin said, so his rise initially felt almost natural. Their father, a locksmith, had encouraged entrepreneurship while they were growing up, she said, and Keith approached music with the same mindset. Around the time of his college graduation, Austin said, Keith and his family began to grasp the scale of what was happening. By then, the little brother making beats at home was earning accolades in the music industry, where
Memphis Mayor Paul Young recalled Tay Keith’s determination to invest in his hometown: “He called me literally every Monday … because he wanted to figure out just how to maximize his impact on the city that made him who he was.” (Photos: Lee Eric Smith/Tri-State Defender)
commercial success is hard to achieve.
A place to make the next beat The Tay Keith Music Lab is part of a broader partnership between Memphis Public Libraries and the Tay Keith Legacy Foundation aimed at preserving Keith’s story and creating opportunities for aspiring musicians. “Cloud gives young people a place to learn, experiment, produce and find their own voices in a state-of-the-art instructional environment,” said Dr. Eric Harris, director of Memphis Public Libraries. The Tay Keith Legacy Initiative, part of the musician’s eponymous foun-
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dation, will also include a permanent archival collection of materials from Keith’s life and career, along with oral histories from family and friends for the library’s 901Voices project. And courses aimed at helping would-be musicians explore their creativity will be offered. “(Beatmaking 101) is going to help people create their own beats, develop their own sound and understand the craft behind music production that Tay developed and became so good at,” Harris said. Memphis Mayor Paul Young, who spoke at the dedication ceremony, said Keith and his team reached out to him TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com
■■ NEWS
PUBLIC NOTICES / CLASSIFIEDS
“He understood firsthand what could happen when a young person has the tools that they need, along with an opportunity and somebody who believes in them. There may be no better way to carry Tay’s legacy forward than to give the next generation a place to create.” — Mayor Paul Young
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An artist’s rendering shows the planned look of the Tay Keith Music Lab inside Cloud901 at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. The finished space will carry Tay Keith’s name and branding while providing young people with a dedicated place to learn music production, experiment with sound and develop their own creative voice.
shortly after he was elected because the producer wanted to talk about ways he could invest in the city. After one of their first conversations, Young said Keith told him: “I’m going to call you every Monday.” Keith was especially interested in creating opportunities for young people. “And he called me literally every Monday,” Young said. “So a world superproducer was calling the mayor every week because he wanted to figure out just how to maximize his impact on the city that made him who he was. “He understood firsthand what could happen when a young person has the tools that they need, along with an opportunity and somebody who believes Week of: September 24, 2026
in them,” Young said. “There may be no better way to carry Tay’s legacy forward than to give the next generation a place to create.” Austin said Keith never stopped identifying with Memphis, even as his career took him onto larger stages. “He just took his city wherever he went,” she said. “He showed love. He always, always repped Memphis.” And she believes the lab reflects that part of him. “Our hope is that a young person walks into the Tay Keith Lab and creates their first beat,” Austin said. “And, one day, we’re watching the next great producer or creative come out of Memphis.” Page 9
TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com
■■ NEWS
Cases of Black people found hanged in the US South are a reminder of nation’s lynching history By Corey Williams and Kristin M. Hall Associated Press
The death of a Black Mississippi woman found hanging from a tree has stirred distressing memories of the grim history of lynchings across the U.S. South. The body of Tasia Fortune, 29, was found behind an abandoned home in Jackson, the state capital, on Aug. 3. Jarques Ratliff, 51, who is also Black, pleaded not guilty to murder on Monday, Sept 14. Police and prosecutors haven’t given a suspected motive and say more arrests are expected. Regardless of the circumstances of the case, for many Black people, the imagery of a rope and noose evokes the legacy of lynching and vigilante violence against Black people in the U.S. and brings with it deep pain and trauma. “Black folks down here in 2026, we are feeling and experiencing some of the same things we felt in 1956 and 1966 and that should not be happening,” Jackson activist Brad Franklin said of Fortune’s death. Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, told The Associated Press that she doesn’t believe race had anything to do with her daughter’s death. Spivey is white. She said Fortune’s father is Black. “I think this is something very personal, very personal,” Spivey said, insisting that someone who was acquainted with Fortune was involved.
Recent cases have triggered skepticism Over the past two years, about a half-dozen Black women and men have Week of: September 24, 2026
EDITOR’S NOTE: September is National Suicide Awareness Month. This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
The body of Tasia Fortune, 29, was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home in the state’s capital city, Jackson, on Aug. 3. (Associated Press)
been found hanged across the South. Police in some of those cases quickly deemed them suicides — often eliciting historically grounded skepticism when investigators provide limited evidence ruling out foul play. “I say let the evidence show,” said Sean Joe, a professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis and a nationally recognized authority on suicidal behavior among Black people. “But if ... you go into a definition or a conclusion of suicide, you have to show some evidence for that.” Spivey says she is certain her daughter would not have killed herself. “Absolutely not. Even if she could climb that tree, no, no, she would never, ever, ever,” Spivey said. In Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, police are investigating the Aug. 21 death of Demetrius Eugene Fleming, 38. Police Chief Lawrence Wiggins said Tuesday that his office is waiting on reports from a medical examiner. In February, police in Cobb County, Georgia, found the body of 21-year-old Kyle Bassinga in a park. While investigators said there was no indication of foul play, Bassinga’s death “caused many to think of the days of slavery and of Jim Crow,” said Cobb County Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid.
The September 2025 death of 21-yearold Black student Trey Reed at Mississippi’s Delta State University was ruled a suicide, as was that of Dennoriss Richardson, 39, in September 2024 in Alabama’s rural Colbert County. Richardson’s wife, Leigh, has said she doesn’t believe he killed himself and, as has occurred in other cases, a private autopsy was conducted, finding his death consistent with a hanging, according to news reports.
Group has chronicled thousands of lynchings in US More than 4,400 lynchings occurred in the U.S. between Reconstruction and World War II, according to the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative. The 1955 lynching of teenager Emmett Till in Mississippi over accusations he flirted with a white woman helped catalyze the civil rights movement. “These were public, intentionally public in order to convey terror, not just to the individuals and their families, but to a whole community,” said Karlos Hill, professor of African and African American Studies at the University of Oklahoma and author of “Beyond The Rope: The Impact of Lynching on Black Culture and Memory.” Nearly 60 members of Congress signed a letter in September demand-
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ing the Justice Department investigate hanging deaths of Black individuals and enforce the 2022 Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which made lynching a federal hate crime. The Justice Department confirmed it received the letter but has not responded, according to the office of Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat and the letter’s lead author.
‘I know the skin I’m in’ Trent Thompson, 58, of Florence, Alabama, says the recent hangings and deaths of Black people led to talk in the Black community about the death this summer of Nolan Xavier Wells. Wells, 18 and Black, joined friends on a Fourth of July boat excursion to an island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast but did not return with them. His body was found two days later. Scrutiny of the investigation has deepened with the state’s history of racist violence and distrust of law enforcement — triggering suspicion in the Black community toward many cases involving deaths of Blacks, Thompson said. “I know the skin I’m in,” he said. Williams reported from Detroit and Hall from Marion, Kentucky. Associated Press writer Matthew Brown in Washington contributed to this story. TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com
■■ NEWS
Nolan Wells’ family pushes back after grand jury declines to recommend charges in his death By Sophie Bates, Claudia Lauer and Dave Collins Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. — A grand jury has declined to recommend charges in the death of Nolan Wells, a Black college student who was found dead two days after a July 4 boat trip and party on an island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The district attorney announced the grand jury’s findings late Monday, Sept. 22, after months of intense speculation about how the 18-year-old went missing from the party and why Wells’ friends left the island without him. Wells’ family immediately pushed back on the findings that said there was no evidence of criminal conduct, saying they still didn’t have answers about what happened. Scrutiny of the investigation started almost immediately, as a photo of Wells surrounded by white friends on a boat from the day he went missing fueled online speculation that racial dynamics played a role in his death. People launched accusations and rumors as they grappled with Mississippi’s history of racial tension and what it means to be a Black person in a majority-white setting. The day had started with the group of friends piling into boats and heading to the popular, uninhabited Horn Island for a gathering of a few hundred people. It’s still unclear what happened after several of the friends left around 3 p.m. because their boat was taking on water. They said Wells decided to stay behind.
Wells’ family rejects report’s findings The grand jury said in a redacted report posted to the district attorney’s office Facebook page that Wells’ death was “consistent with drowning.” The grand jury noted the state’s autopsy Week of: September 24, 2026
report, which hasn’t been made public, and an independent one commissioned by Wells’ family both found bruising on the back of his head but couldn’t determine the cause of death. Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said at a news conference Tuesday that she didn’t understand how the grand jury concluded that her son had likely drowned given the autopsy findings. Lawyers for Wells’ family, including civil rights attorney Ben Crump, said the grand jury’s report yielded more questions than answers. They accused District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath of ending the investigation despite not determining what caused blunt-force trauma to Wells’ body. “All other causes must be ruled out prior to certifying a death as drowning,” Crump, whose team released the final version of the independent autopsy report Tuesday, said at a news conference. “What is another cause the district attorney failed to rule out? Blunt force trauma. ... Common sense tells you that this child did not just drown.” A witness testified to the grand jury that he saw Wells slip awkwardly off the side of a boat around 3:30 p.m. on July 4, but that Wells continued to socialize after the fall and didn’t appear injured, the report said. The panel said it couldn’t determine whether the fall caused the bruising on Wells’ body. Attorneys for friends of Wells who are white and have been the subject of online accusations hailed the report’s findings, with one saying a weight has been lifted off his clients. “He said that he felt like he could breathe for the first time,” attorney Tyler Cox said of one of Wells’ friends. “This doesn’t bring Nolan back at all, but this can at least put them on a path where they can finally mourn Nolan now that they’ve been officially cleared of any wrongdoing.”
The report renews calls for transparency and more investigation Crump and others renewed their request Tuesday for the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an independent investigation, and they called on McIlrath to release the investigation file and the state medical examiner’s full autopsy report. Representatives from both McIlrath’s office and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which oversees the State Medical Examiner’s Office, declined to release the autopsy report to The Associated Press. Robert Knochel, the chief prosecutor in McIlrath’s office, said case file information is exempt from public records laws. Kristen Clarke, general counsel for the NAACP and a former head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said the NAACP supports their call for further investigation, adding that it would make sense for federal authorities to step in because the island is federally maintained and patrolled. At Wells’ funeral, the Rev. Al Sharpton invoked the state’s racist history during his eulogy, including the lynching of Emmett Till and assassination of Medgar Evers. “Mississippi’s history painfully teaches us exactly why families should never be expected to simply accept unanswered questions surrounding the death of a young Black person,” Sharpton said in a statement Tuesday. “Transparency and accountability matter.” In her 15-minute video announcing the grand jury findings, McIlrath expressed frustration about speculation. She also said lawyers for Wells’ family told her office last month that their own investigation found no evidence of crimes. “What I cannot accept, what I cannot ignore, is that false narratives that No-
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lan’s death was somehow racially motivated, and that this is a case of another young Black man denied justice by a racist, corrupt system, were perpetuated and allowed to spread. There is not a shred of evidence to support these narratives,” she said.
Questions remain about what led to Wells’ death Wells’ parents and their lawyers voiced suspicions after Wells’ friends left the island on a boat without him, saying he wanted to stay behind. Wells’ phone was on the boat, and Crump and Wells’ parents have cast doubt on why a teenager would choose to stay on an island without his phone. They also speculated that messages on his phone had been tampered with and alleged that his friends were reluctant to turn over his phone and keys. The contents of Wells’ phone were included in the evidence reviewed by the grand jury but were not detailed in its redacted report. The grand jury found that it wasn’t unusual or suspicious for people to return from the island on boats they didn’t take to get there, according to the report. It also noted that Wells’ phone wasn’t the only one to travel back to the mainland without its owner that day. The report also said that although alcohol was found in Wells’ body, the result was highly unreliable because the testing involved decompositional fluid, which may include alcohol generated after death by microbial fermentation, it said. The grand jury report concluded with the panel expressing sympathy for Wells’ family. “The evidence received in this matter convinced the Grand Jury of Mr. Wells’ outstanding character,” it said. Associated Press reporter Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report. Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut, and Lauer reported from Philadelphia. TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com
■■ ENTERTAINMENT Eriq La Salle’s ‘Laws of Solomon’ brings a child soldier’s violent past into a gripping new thriller Book review By Terri Schlichenmeyer Finally, after lots of mental effort on your part and the passage of time, you’ve left the shameful parts of your past behind. At least, that’s what you tell yourself. What’s done is done and history cannot be undone. It’s over. You try not to think about last month, last year or a decade ago. Why does it even matter? In the new novel, “Laws of Solomon,” author Eriq La Salle captures why some memories are just too painful to hold. The monsters that come early in the night as main character Solomon Nangobi sleeps are easy to overcome. It’s the late-night demons – the spirits of the people Solomon killed when he was a child soldier in Uganda and, later, a fixer in New York as an adult – that steal his sleep. Their ghosts still call out to him with urgent voices, though he has left that life behind. Now he spends his days working the soil in gardens near Malibu, California. He loves the quiet life. But he has kept his guns. And he’s glad he did. When Solomon recognizes two hitmen stalking a well-dressed man, woman and child through the gardens he tends, he cannot walk away. He stops the gangsters with bullets, but the adults and their bodyguards are already dead. The child, an 8-year-old boy named Gaby, is safe but unable to explain the situation to Solomon. Still, it is now clear that Solomon has become Gaby’s guardian and the crime boss who sent the hitmen wants them Week of: September 24, 2026
Eriq La Salle (Crown Media US LLC, Photographer Allister Foster)
dead, too. When Solomon was Gaby’s age he had witnessed the murder of his parents, the destruction of his homeland and the atrocities committed by dictator Idi Amin’s soldiers. He was hardened by his experiences, learning to kill, understanding as a small boy that revenge was often necessary and knowing that blood would be shed. But Gaby is just an innocent child. Solomon reaches out to his contacts to get the boy to safety, but the contacts of a marked man are also dangerous. “Laws of Solomon” will take even the most jaded reader on a wild ride. This thrilling work of historical fiction delivers an authentic perspective on the past. And La Salle makes it impossible to dislike Solomon, a man who has lost
nearly everything dear to him and has faith in almost nothing. But we never really get to know him, although we do meet and get to know those who support his quest to find safety for the boy, which will keep your heart racing. Partially set in 1970s Uganda, violence is a central feature of this story, so few people live. If you can handle it, you will be riveted till you’ve read every single page.
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“Laws of Solomon” by Eriq La Salle c.2026, Poisoned Pen Press $18.99 304 pages
TRI-STATE DEFENDER | tsdmemphis.com