We would like to announce "Rubber to Racism" as the call to challenge Memphis White Supremacy, Racism and Black on Black Racism whereas it is not just the Whites who are racist and betraying "Black Agency" in Memphis it, is also some "Black Memphis leaders" who are not only silent the record shows that some Black Memphis leaders joined in the White Supremacist Act of Betrayal to the African American Community regarding putting a jail in a Black Community.
On Monday, August 8, 2028, history turned a corner in Shelby County. The Black majority on the Shelby County Commission voted to remove the deeply racist proposal—initiated by Kemp Conrad—to build a jail complex in the heart of New Chicago. This plan, rooted in White supremacist disregard for Black communities, was met with fierce resistance. Residents, activists, and leaders rose up in unified protest, refusing to let New Chicago be further criminalized and erased.
Click here to here to see the News StoryRegarding them taking New Chicago out as a site for a New Jail.
This victory was not just political—it was spiritual. In Japanese, the phrase Hendoku Iyaku means “changing poison into medicine.” That is precisely what Attorney Linda Nettles Harris and a coalition of truth-tellers did. They transformed a legacy of industrial abandonment and systemic neglect into a rallying cry for justice. Firestone Tire and Rubber may have come and gone, but the racism and environmental degradation it left behind still linger. Rubber to Racism is our response—a movement that exposes the toxic residue of institutional betrayal and reclaims the dignity of New Chicago.
This website is more than a platform. It is a digital footprint—a living archive of resistance, resilience, and truth. We document the voices, victories, and visionaries who stood and still stand on the right side of history. From community elders to legal warriors, from grassroots organizers to digital architects, we honor those who refused to be silenced.
By taking New Chicago off the table for incarceration and exploitation, Shelby County opened the door for a new narrative—one rooted in restoration, recognition, and radical truth-telling. Rubber to Racism is not just a slogan. It is a blueprint for transformation.
We invite you to explore, engage, and amplify. This is New Chicago’s story. This is our movement.
Racism is measured by disparity and inequality. One clear-cut fact is the story of Memphis "White Supremacy" whereas a White man can have the nerve to present a plan to build a Jail in an African American community unabated.
It would be unthinkable and beyond belief that anyone would dare discuss putting a jail complex in a "White Community," whereas this issue is considered for the African/American Community of "New Chicago." It was the late Civil Rights leader "John Lewis" who said: "When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble." This website is a call for those who desire to get into "Good Trouble."
This website is not just about "New Chicago" it is about those of us who have a "Moral Conscience."
The creation of this website *Rubber to Racism*, marks a powerful leap forward to amplify the fight against the proposed jail complex in Memphis's historic Black community of New Chicago. This digital platform transforms protest into permanence-bringing the movement into the 21st century with a 24/7 hub where truth, history, and community voices converge.
Unlike fleeting headlines or scattered social media posts, *Rubber to Racism* offers a living archive: cataloged stories, historical context, vivid images, and direct access to registration, resources, and ways to join the cause. It documents not only the pushback against environmental and racial injustice but also the legacy of the former Firestone Tire and Rubber plant and the systemic patterns that have long targeted Black communities.
Our website amplifies the movement by making it accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time-whether you're a local resident, a policymaker, or an ally across the globe. It's a tool for education, mobilization, and accountability, ensuring that the fight doesn't fade when the protest ends. *Rubber to Racism* this website was created to preserve the truth, empower the people, and provide a platform where the community's vision-not incarceration-defines the future of "New Chicago."
Memphis, Tennessee is the most populated city of Blacks in America whereas Memphis has a "Cotton Museum" and no Black Memphis history Museum. What Memphis does have is the Kukutana African/American history Museum whereas "Rubber to Racism" while there will be no Jail at the old Firestone Plant it is the old Firestone Union hall located 1036 Firestone Avenue that Dr. Carnita Atwater converted into the "Kukutana African America Museum."
Anthony "Amp" Elmore Memphis 1st Independent 35mm Theatrical Filmmaker and the 1st to Create Memphis 1st Digtal Museum created not only this digital website. Anthony "Amp" Elmore was called upon by Attorney Linda Nettles Harris to use his skills as a "Content Creater" to give New Chicago an International Digital Foot Print.
