The importance of ownership 101

While some complain and others ask the government to the do the right thing, most of us know the only way change will come is if we make it happen ourselves.  Van Turner is the President of Memphis Greenspace Inc. as well as an attorney who worked diligently to ensure two park statues were legally removed from his organizations’ park.

Anonymous donors contributed money the nonprofit organization to purchase the parks. And as owners of the park this gave the organization the right to remove statues of Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest, the founder of the KKK.  In a press conference Turner spoke about how helpful the city’s attorney office was throughout the process. Turner stressed the importance of legally removing the statues.

A group of black men pulled their money together to make sure THEIR park did not contain racist history and/ or sentiment.  We must be the change we want to see in the world. Ownership is key! Not only did they go through the proper channels to purchase the property, they also made sure they did the same with the removal of the statues.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lf4dOQ7dJM]