PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY CLAYBORN REBORN

The Historic Clayborn Temple served as the home base for Memphis sanitation workers organizing and striking against unsafe and inhumane working conditions faced by Black garbage collectors in 1968. It is being rebuilt by a Community Leadership Council made up of 23 members from historic Black neighborhoods to house and support Restorative Economics work in South Memphis.

""While it is hard to imagine economic models beyond present-day capitalism, it is becoming clearer that our current economic system is deepening the chasm between the haves and have nots at the expense of communities on the frontlines of climate justice, economic disinvestment, and state-sanctioned violence.

""Restorative economics invites us to envision what a just economy might look like—to remake society with structures and systems that honor our humanity, invest in our collective healing and well-being, and help us transition towards a model of democratic governance where all communities can live and thrive together.""

Article: Restorative Economics: A Values-Based Roadmap to a Just Economy