Why should we care?
SCS’s ability to provide a quality, equitable education is being undercut by high teacher turnover and year-long teaching vacancies, as well as significant maintenance deficiencies within the schools, all of which leads to higher financial, educational, and health costs. A lack of access to wraparound services provided by qualified social workers, psychologists, and nurses inhibits the successful treatment of trauma or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). Abuse, neglect, and trauma significantly increase the likelihood of suspensions, juvenile criminal behavior, and incarceration. With a median age four years below the national average, Memphis’s population can support economic development, but only if we provide children in our community access to opportunities and support.
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Equipping people of faith and goodwill to organize communities for systemic change through collective action.
We show our POWER for JUSTICE through ACTION!
In 2018, MICAH held its first convention, a gathering where we come together to identify and prioritize key community issues. We narrowed down 10-12 issues to three central ones to focus on for the next six years. As community concerns evolve, new issues emerge, and our 2025 Issues Convention will build on the energy from our Re-Covenanting Ceremony. We aim to unite 1,000 leaders, organizations, and advocates to vote on the next issue that will guide our work moving forward.
Check our our toolkit and read below to learn more about the issues convention and our issues we'll be voting for, and make sure to rsvp today!
Final List of Issues to be Voted on
Affordable and Accessible Healthcare
This issue revolves around ensuring all individuals have access to affordable healthcare, especially mental health services. This includes addressing how police respond to calls for mental health emergencies A key concern is also addressing the refusal to accept federal subsidies by some healthcare providers and ensuring that healthcare is inclusive, equitable, and affordable for everyone.
Economic Equity
Economic equity focuses on addressing the systemic impacts of racism on economic opportunities, ensuring that all communities have access to fair wages, jobs, and opportunities. This issue highlights the need for just, living wages, the fight against poverty, and efforts to address the rising cost of living, including grocery expenses, to ensure economic stability for all.
Education Equity
Public School Funding, prioritizing increased funding for education, and securing adequate funding for academics and building maintenance. Also aims to address Public School Disorganization and increase support for Public Education. This issue also aims to improve student’s literacy, college and career readiness, address the inequity within the education system, and secure resources for Family and Children
Housing Equity
Addressing the shortage of affordable housing, particularly for low-income families, and holding housing developers accountable. This includes the creation of new affordable housing developments and ensuring that there are enough subsidies to support those in need, and efforts to reduce homelessness.
LGBTQ+ Rights
LGBTQ rights focus on advocating for the protection of the civil rights and freedoms of LGBTQ individuals. This includes fighting against discrimination, ensuring access to gender-affirming care, and protecting the rights of trans individuals. The issue also addresses the need for policy reforms that safeguard the LGBTQ community from discriminatory laws and practices, promoting equality and respect for all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Livable Neighborhoods
This issue calls for equitable development and infrastructure improvements to create healthy, safe, and thriving neighborhoods. That includes accessible communal spaces such as parks and green areas. Environmental justice is a key concern, ensuring that all communities, particularly those historically marginalized, have access to clean air, water, and safe spaces to live, work, and play.
Public Safety
Concern over Public Safety looks at gun violence as critical issues centered on the need for stronger gun regulations to ensure the safety of all communities. This also includes other aspects of public safety that need attention, such as break-ins, community policing, crime prevention strategies, or reforms to how emergency services handle public safety concerns.
Reproductive Justice
Reproductive justice focuses on ensuring equitable access to reproductive health services, and for women's rights and bodily autonomy. It addresses systemic barriers to care, such as discrimination and accessibility issues. This includes pushing for policies that protect and expand access to medical care for all women, regardless of income or background.
Transformative Justice
Transformative Justice looks to change how our justice system operates. This includes addressing the need to reform oMPD in light of the DOJ report on MPD Civil Rights Violations, Negotiating a Consent Decree)and other police Accountability/justice measures. However, this issue also encompasses further criminal justice system reforms and reentry reform.
Transit Equity
Aimed at improving access to reliable and affordable public transportation. This includes securing sustainable funding to better buses and expanding routes, reducing wait times, and making sure transit options are equitable and accessible to all communities.
Voting Process
We presented a possible voting process and that our goal is to turn out 1000 people. Our proposed voting process is as follows:
Throughout the 2024 Listening Campaign, about 10 community concerns were lifted up as priority items. During the Issues Convention, active partner organizations will vote to select the top three community concerns which will guide our work moving forward.
During the Issues Convention, we will hear presentations of the top 10 community concerns. Afterwards, your partner organization will have three rounds to caucus and cast your votes for the top concern that MICAH will focus on. After each round, the winning concern will be removed from the voting list and you will only be able to cast votes for concerns that have not won.
Each partner organization will be designated a certain number of votes they can cast during the Issues Convention. To account for ongoing organization participation as well as day-of attendance, votes are allocated based on the following formula:
Spread the word!
we need your support to unite 1,000 leaders, organizations, and advocates to vote on the next issue that will guide our work moving forward.
Help us bring leaders together for our 2025 Issues Convention will be on Sunday, March 23 at 3pm. ​​​