Reimagine All of Memphis
“North Memphis was the talk of the town,” boasted Brown, who lived there the late 60s, 70s, and 80s.” This version of North Memphis that you’ve witnessed above is a version of Memphis that Zellner Brown knows well. It’s an image of North Memphis often forgotten. The North Memphis that we know today is a story of ruin according to stories that are told by the news media today.
That’s not the story Brown recalls and she insists that “People have truly forgotten about the beauty of the lower spectrum called North Memphis where 7th street, Bearwater, 3rd street, and 2nd street meet. Brown fondly recalls first learning how to swim near the now slightly deserted Washington Park. She also remembers this being the area where famous wrestler Andre the Giant used to be a lifeguard.
Brown encourages us to reimagine all of Memphis including North Memphis. She insists there is beauty every and it’s still in North Memphis.
Don’t rewrite the story, add to what is already there, because what was there was before it’s decline was and still is beautiful.
