May 6, 2026: Tennessee Republican leadership unveiled the map during a special legislative session, redrawing the boundaries to carve up Memphis and dilute the majority-Black 9th Congressional District.

May 7, 2026: The legislature swiftly passed the measure through both chambers, and Governor Bill Lee signed it into law, effectively erasing Congressman Cohen's 9th District Congressional seat.

May 15, 2026: Congressman Steve Cohen officially announced in Washington that he would not seek re-election in any of the gerrymandered districts carved out of his historic seat.

In the case of Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen what happen to him and Black Memphis was a case of being "Legally Right and Morally Wrong." Dr. Martin Luther King wrote: "Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless."  There is also a moral question: "knowing what is right and failing to act is equivalent to committing evil." Just as the White Republican Tennessee legislators competed an "immoral act of erasing the 9th Congressional District" it is equally immoral for our U. S. Congressman Steve Cohen to remain silent regarding Orange Mound.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said many quotes about silence: "A time comes when silence is betrayal." "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."


 



 


 


 


 


 




In the case of our Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen he has a "Moral Duty" to show a debt of gratitude to Black Orange Mound via his going to halls of Congress to correct the history and culture of Orange Mound. Prior to being elected to Congress; Steve Cohen was a member of the Shelby County Commission. Congressman Steve Cohen served on the Shelby County Commission from 1978 to 1980, marking his very first elected legislative office. Congressman Cohen served in the Tennessee State Senate from 1983 to 2006.  

In January of 1889 the then Shelby County Quarterly Court passed a resolution to build the 1st School for African/Americans in Shelby County called "District 18" at the corner of "Spotswood and Boston". In December of 1989 a White Real Estate broker by the name of E.E. Meacham purchased 64 acres of land 1.8 miles away from "Spotswood and Boston." In May of 1890 E.E. Meacham registered plans to sell 984 plots of land 25 x 100 whereas he registered the plots of land via a name Blacks used called "Orange Mound." E.E. Meacham did not build a community he only presented plans to sell 984 lots of land, yet this White man is credited for Black achievement.

The 1883 Legal Deed: In 1883, the congregation of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church purchased the land at the intersection of Carnes Avenue and Boston Street (2634 Carnes Avenue). This specific parcel was carved directly out of the Deadericks' platted Melrose Station property.

Congressman Cohen and anyone associated with government know that governments build schools where there are tax paying citizens. In 1878 Memphis suffered the Yellow Fever epidemic whereas 30,000 Whites departed Memphis in 3 days wherein in 1879 two African American Churches were formed "Mt Moriah Baptist and Mt Pisgah CME." In 1883 Mt Moriah Baptist Church purchased the land where the Church sits at the corner of Boston and Carnes today in 2026. This is the area patted by William and Michael Deaderick.  By 1889 there were enough African/American living in OrangeMound whereas residents  petitioned the Shelby County quarterly court to build a school for African/American youth.

The historic record is clear Shelby County Government built a small unheated School in the community directly behind Mt Moriah Baptist Church. This proves that the Black Community of Orange Mound existed prior to E.E. Meacham registering plans to sell lots of land. There does not exist a historical marker at Boston and Spotwood noting the school.

What is unknown and untold is that William and Michael Deaderick the sons of Platation owner John George Deaderick after the Civil war in 1871 platted 150 acres of land the named "Melrose Station."  In  1883, the congregation of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church purchased the land at Carnes Avenue and Boston Street (2634 Carnes Avenue)-the very parcel carved directly out of the failed, abandoned "Melrose Station" plat created by William and Michael Deaderick in 1871.

The Land Deed Predates E.E. Meacham by Seven Years. The mainstream, sanitized version taught in Memphis claims that developer Elzey Eugene Meacham "founded" Orange Mound in 1890 when he purchased remaining acreage and laid out residential lots.

The fact that Mt. Moriah Baptist Church bought and held the legal deed to its land in 1883 proves that an organized, self-governing Black community was already acquiring property on the former Melrose Station grounds seven years before Meacham arrived.



 


 


 


 


 


 


 



We hold that Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen has a "Moral Responsibility" to correct Orange Mound's history whereas we post facts via our National Website he should not remain silent.    Memphis Congressman
Steve Cohen is not only the highest ranking democrat in the State of Tennessee, when you combine his work history Congressman Cohen has the longest combined legislative record of anyone in the history of Tennessee.

Whereas we are asking  Congressman Cohen via Federal Acknowledgement to bring attention to erased history of Orange Mound.  We are asking Memphis Congresssman Steve Cohen to publically acknowledge  the "African Cultural Embassy" whereas Orange Mound is the Birthplace of not only Independent Filmmaking in Memphis Congressman Cohen can assist in documenting that Orange Mound "The Birthplace of African Cultural Diplomacy" whereas Orange Mound has a clear history via the 1988 film produced in Orange Mound "The Contemporary Gladiator" is a tool and Birth of African Cultural Diplomacy.  The 1987 Orange Mound production of the film "The Contemporary Gladiator" lead to the film being  premiered in the Country of Kenya in 1990 whereas the film was not only "Black Culture" (The Contemporary Gladiator Film) is the 1st Trade deal between an African Goverment and an African/American business.

Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen as the duly elected Congressman of the 9th Congressional District has the "Moral obligation" to acknowledge the erasure of the 1988 film release "The Contemporary Gladiator" film is a "Heritage Asset" and part of American history via being "The 1st Kickboxing Film in World Film History."

Via Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen going to the floor of Congress to acknowledge "The Contemporary Gladiator " such makes Orange Mound  an inspiration for "filmmaking, education and cultural Diplomacy."

 "The Contempoary Gladiator" 1990 film playing in Kenya connects Memphis to both President Kennedy and President Obama whereas "The Tom Mboya Legacy District connects Memphis and Kenya most important; The Tom Mboya Legacy District launch October 24, 2026 Connects Orange Mound to United Nations days the Orange mound launch connect Orange Mound to America's 250th being Celebrated in America. Whereas we ask Congressman Cohen to assist in making our Celebration a documented part of America's 250th via the African Cultural Embassy.

A Manifesto and Strategic Initiative for Sovereign Cultural Diplomacy: Bridging Memphis, Africa, and the Congressional Legacy of Steve Cohen

For decades, Memphis, Tennessee, has stood as a city defined by a distinct paradox: holding an African American population exceeding 60%, yet operating largely without self-determined, sovereign Black cultural institutions, economic parity, or institutional ties to the African continent. The modern political trajectory of Memphis reveals a systemic pattern where Black elected leadership, constrained by entrenched local power structures or deliberate political calculation, routinely distanced themselves from Pan-African initiatives, robust minority economic set-asides, and sovereign historical preservation.

U.S. Congressman Harold Ford Sr. and later Harold Ford Jr. prioritized conventional constituent services and centrist alignment, deliberately steering clear of ethnic cultural expressions or African linkages. In 1991, when Dr. Willie W. Herenton made history as Memphis’s first elected African American mayor following the unified mandate of the People’s Convention, the hope for an aggressive empowerment agenda mirrored after Maynard Jackson’s Atlanta model was quickly dismantled. Mayor Herenton declared he was "not in the business of making Black millionaires," sidestepped the People’s Convention platform, and actively rejected formal overtures in 1992 to build direct trade and diplomatic bridges between Memphis and Kenya. The long-term domestic fallout of this conservative posturing was starkly codified in the 2010 Griffin & Strong Disparity Study, which exposed that despite decades of Black administrative rule, Black enterprise participation in municipal contracting remained virtually negligible.


Against this backdrop of municipal hesitation, an alternative diplomatic channel emerged through an unexpected alliance. When Congressman Steve Cohen was elected to represent Tennessee's 9th Congressional District in 2006, his identity as a White, Jewish progressive afforded him political independence from the local machines that historically policed Black political expression. Congressman Cohen recognized the vital imperative of direct engagement, demonstrating early national vision by endorsing Barack Obama on February 4, 2008, ahead of Super Tuesday—a moment when Mayor Herenton was actively backing Hillary Clinton and dismissing grassroots Pan-African momentum.
 
Over the course of nearly two decades, Congressman Cohen broke local precedent by consistently engaging with grassroots African cultural initiatives centered in historic Orange Mound at the residence and cultural headquarters of five-time World Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion, filmmaker, and historian Anthony "Amp" Elmore. Where municipal leaders feared political backlash, Congressman Cohen openly validated the foundational cultural ties linking Memphis, West Africa, and East Africa.

This contrast became undeniable during pivotal moments of international protocol. In 2019, when Anthony "Amp" Elmore orchestrated the historic diplomatic visit of Kisumu County Governor Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o and his delegation to Memphis, local municipal leadership faltered. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris hesitated to host the Kenyan dignitaries at county administrative offices, requiring State Representative Joe Towns to broker a secondary photo opportunity at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
 
In contrast, Congressman Steve Cohen departed vital congressional hearings in Washington, D.C., returned directly to Memphis, and formally received Governor Nyong’o and the African delegation with full diplomatic respect. This engagement cemented an enduring corridor between Shelby County and Kenya, culminating in Governor Nyong’o officially welcoming Anthony "Amp" Elmore to the FESTAC Africa cultural celebrations in Kisumu in 2024, and paving the way for future bi-national collaborations including the anticipated return of the delegation with Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o.

The architectural achievement of this two-decade movement reached national historic preservation status with the formal cataloging of the custom Ghanaian Bògòlanfini mud-cloth tuxedo—conceptualized and commissioned by Anthony "Amp" Elmore and personally delivered by Congressman Steve Cohen to the White House in 2009—into the permanent collection of the Barack Obama Presidential Library under the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Building on this global trajectory, the African Cultural Diplomat Exchange Network (ACDEN) was established following the 2024 mission to Kenya, directly founding the

Steve Cohen Center for Cultural Diplomacy within an educational institution in Kisumu, Kenya. This institution stands as a living testament to cross-cultural leadership, bridging an American congressional district with East African regional governance.


With Congressman Steve Cohen now entering the twilight of his legislative tenure, the imperative shifts toward permanently institutionalizing this legacy before his term concludes. The immediate strategic action plan calls for Congressman Cohen to execute a defining capstone in international cultural diplomacy:

  • Official Congressional Commendation & Record Entry: Secure a formal extension of remarks in the Congressional Record establishing the historic role of the African Cultural Diplomat Exchange Network, documenting the 2019 Nyong’o delegation, the NARA-cataloged Obama tuxedo, and the international designation of the Steve Cohen Center for Cultural Diplomacy in Kisumu.

  • Institutional Endowment & Bilateral Endorsement: Provide direct congressional patronage and facilitate federal agency alignment—via the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Smithsonian Institution—to support the ongoing exchange curriculum, youth educational summits, and trade dialogues linking Memphis educational institutions with Kisumu County.

  • Charter of Kinship Framework Ratification: Officially endorse the diplomatic framework connecting Memphis’s civil rights history and the historic legacy of Tom Mboya’s 1950s transatlantic student airlifts with contemporary trade, creative arts, and athletic exchanges between West Tennessee and the African Union.

  • Permanent Memphis Cultural Diplomatic Outpost: Formally designate the historic Orange Mound site as an recognized civic cultural hub, ensuring that the work initiated outside conventional political machines receives the permanent federal and municipal recognition necessary to anchor sovereign African American historical preservation for future generations.

     








 

aaaaaaaaaaaaiii