Klondike Smokey City

Klondike and Smokey City are two of the oldest and most historic neighborhoods in North Memphis. Numerous civil rights leaders have called the area home, including two of the Memphis 13, the first children to integrate Memphis public schools. Tom Lee, the African-American man who rescued 32 people from a sinking steamship in 1925 near the park that now bares his name, was awarded a house in Klondike for his heroism. Today, the neighborhoods struggle with disinvestment and high vacancy rates but continue their legacy of civic involvement with community gardens, CDCs, and grassroots organizations.

Feature Story Attendees of the Being Black in College workshop break for lunch and informal discussions about the challenges they anticipate in their educational careers post-high school. (Our Grass Our Roots)

The power of knowledge brings power to the people in North Memphis


Feature Story Teen boys practice their basketball drills and skills at Manassas High School. (Ziggy Mack)

Photos: Welcome to (western) North Memphis


Feature Story podcast
Feature Story Volunteers plant a garden as part of a cleanup effort organized by Klondike Smokey City CDC and supported by Hope City Church. (Submitted)

Faith in Action: Showing up for Klondike-Smokey City


Feature Story University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are four of the anchor institutions partnering with the Memphis Medical District Collaborative for Hire Local 901. (Submitted)

Hire Local 901 helps Memphians work closer to home


Feature Story A view from 2017 of a boarded-up house on Bellevue Boulevard in the Klondike neighborhood. (Andrea Morales)
Development News Volunteers installed planters that form a dividing wall to passing traffic on National Street.
Development News Heights Line enhancement project
Feature Story Young men play basketball in Booker T. Washington park.
Development News Readbox

Memphis Public Libraries use Readbox to build awareness


Development News MLK Day of Service

City fights blight for MLK Day of Service


Feature Story Accelerator programs hosted by organizations such as EPICenter Memphis, Memphis Bioworks and Start Co., help entrepreneurs launch businesses and   connect them with pathways to capital. To date, EPICenter has raised more than $16 million in capital.

Authors

Read more articles by Lance Wiedower.

Lance is a veteran journalist with more than 16 years of experience in newsrooms in the Memphis area as a reporter and editor, including most recently as managing editor of The Daily News. He regularly contributes to The Daily News, including a biweekly travel column, The Daily Traveler. 

Read more articles by Andrea Morales.

Andrea Morales is a documentary photographer based in Memphis. Born in Lima, Peru, she grew up in Miami, earned a B.S. in journalism from the University of Florida and an M.A. in photography from Ohio University. Working for different newspapers moved her to cities and newsrooms of all size, including the El Sentinel in South Florida, the Lima News in NW Ohio and The New York Times in NYC. Most recently, she was on staff as a photographer at the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire, where she covered barn dances, ox pulls and presidential elections, all with equal joy.

Read more articles by Forever Ready.

Forever Ready Productions is based in Memphis. It specializes in fast paced, timely content for non profits, small businesses and start-ups. The production company's founder, Lauren Squires Ready, has more than a decade of award-winning video journalism experience and uses that skill to help create an impact narrative for any mission driven organization. Visit www.foreverreadyllc.com for more information.    

Read more articles by Thelma Balfour.

Thelma Balfour has been a freelance writer for USA Today and Newsweek. She also worked as a reporter for The Commercial Appeal, the daily newspaper in Memphis. She is the author of two books, Black Sun Signs: An African American Guide to the Zodiac and Black Love Signs.