Memphis is a city with serious momentum and serious ambition. Neighborhoods that were written off are being reinvested. Families who have been here for generations are choosing to stay and build. Leaders across sectors are making long-term bets on the city’s future — not just on downtown, but on the communities that have always been the real foundation of Memphis. 

Memphis is growing. But who gets to shape what this growth means? And what does it take to ensure the people who are already there — and the children growing up there now — inherit a city where they can thrive long-term?

In this first episode of our Memphis city series, Kresge President and CEO, Rip Rapson, interviews Memphis Mayor Paul Young on location at Cossitt Library, the city’s original public library. 

They discuss:

• Mayor Young’s “Memphis Story” – from growing up as a preacher’s kid, to going to school for city planning, and then later becoming the city’s housing director before being elected mayor in 2024.

• The importance of civic commons, creative hubs, and inclusive public spaces for cross-community connections.

• His programs supporting youth employment and family economic mobility, including partnerships with local businesses and holistic support for families.

• His dual approach to community safety that has resulted in a 42% reduction in crime in the last 2 years.

• His vision for Memphis becoming one of the nation’s fastest-growing and most equitable cities, ensuring that long-term residents benefit from the city’s growth and revitalization.

Next episode (out July 15th) we head into Memphis neighborhoods. First stop: South Memphis, where we meet Marlon Foster, Founder and Executive Director of Knowledge Quest – a neighborhood-based community development organization whose foundational belief is that you can’t stabilize the life of a child without also stabilizing the life of the family around that child. Stay tuned!

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Learn more about Mayor Young: https://memphistn.gov/government-mayor/

Preview all of Season 2 at https://pathbreakers.kresge.org

Host: Rip Rapson, President & CEO, Kresge Foundation

Co-Hosts: Tracey Pearson and Jamie Bennett

Producer: Juliet Hinely

Managing Editor: Krista Jahnke

Production support: Jennifer Kulczycki and Tracey Pearson

Video interview captured by IFS Productions

Interview Video Editor: Mark Marx and Carmel Flanagan

Logo animation: Collin Leix

Special thanks on this episode to everyone at the Cossitt Library, to Kresge’s American Cities Program, especially Chantel Rush Tebbe and Anand Sharma, and to the Human Services Program, especially Dr. Raquel Hatter. 

Thanks for listening! And please stay tuned for more from Memphis.