Protest to Progress: How a broken window led to unique collaboration

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Tuesday marks one year since George Floyd was killed while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Across the nation, people came together to discuss the progress that has been made fighting social and economic inequality.

The moment a group of protesters smashed the storefront window of a downtown business last summer was the moment Memphis Chamber Beverly Robertson realized she had to do something fast.

“I knew that it could easily kind of spiral out of control,” said Robertson.

She feared looting like other cities experienced would not only cause physical damage but long-lasting economic damage.

“You can’t attract new investment or higher wage jobs if the city is in a state of confusion and if there is looting and burning,” Robertson said.

Fortunately, the looting never spread.

But the pain protesters felt persisted, so Robertson started a group called Protest to Progress, gathering a group of activists, clergy, and business leaders together to begin work addressing economic inequality.

Business leaders participating include Richard Smith with FedEx and Chance Carlisle with the Carlisle Corporation.

Community activists participating include Pamela Moses, Keedran Franklin, and Devante Hill, who led many of the protests last summer.

The University of Memphis Poverty Fact Sheet shows about one in four Blacks and about one in three Hispanics in Memphis lives in poverty compared to just one in ten whites.

Robertson calls the meetings eye-opening for business leaders.

“If you come to work and you live outside of the urban core and you don’t see the suffering, the pain, the inequity, the health disparity, the lack of housing, no transportation, then you don’t have a sense of what people go through,” said Robertson.

Robertson says this led to meaningful conversations around building affordable housing in underserved neighborhoods, entrepreneurship, transportation, and helping people gain skills.

“You can’t develop economically in Memphis if you’ve got communities that have people that don’t have skills for the jobs, or there are no jobs available for them to secure, the housing is dilapidated, they don’t have decent places to stay, they don’t have transportation,” said Robertson.

Though some conversations have been uncomfortable, she hopes the open dialogue provides deeper understanding and action.

“So that’s why we called it Protest to Progress because, at the end of the day, that is the outcome that we seek,” said Robertson.

Robertson says in early June they will begin announcing some specific actions that have been taken and the next steps they plan to take.

“Most chambers don’t do this kind of work,” Robertson said. “Our purpose as a chamber is relentlessly pursuing prosperity for all -- that doesn’t mean a handful. That means for all.”

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