Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census,the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's 95 counties,both in terms of population and geographic area. Its county seat is Memphis,a port on the Mississippi River and the second most populous city in Tennessee. The county was named for Governor Isaac Shelby (1750–1826) of Kentucky. It is one of only two remaining counties in Tennessee with a majority African American population,along with Haywood County.
Mary Marsha Blackburn is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the senior United States senator from Tennessee. Blackburn was first elected to the Senate in 2018. A member of the Republican Party,Blackburn was a state senator from 1999 to 2003 and represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019,during which time the National Journal rated her among the House's most conservative members.
Briarcrest Christian School is a private,coeducational,Christian school in Eads,an unincorporated area of Shelby County,Tennessee. The school was founded as a segregation academy during the racial integration of public schools in Memphis,Tennessee. Today,it serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The school also offers "early school" for ages 2-4.
Julia Smith Gibbons is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Lois Marie DeBerry was an American politician who was a member of Tennessee House of Representatives and former Speaker Pro Tempore of the Tennessee House. She was elected to represent the 91st district,part of Shelby County,as a Democrat. She was first elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 1972 and was at the time of her death the longest serving member of the House.
Bill Gibbons is the Executive Director at The Public Safety Institute at the University of Memphis. Gibbons was previously Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security until 2016. He was appointed to the post by the Governor of Tennessee,Bill Haslam. He is a former District Attorney General of the 30th Judicial District of Tennessee,which includes Shelby County and the city of Memphis,Tennessee. He was a Republican candidate in the 2010 Tennessee gubernatorial election,but dropped out on March 26,2010 due to "lack of sufficient campaign funds to go forward."
Lee Ardrey Harris is an American politician who is currently the Mayor of Shelby County,previously serving as a member of the Tennessee Senate,representing the 29th district. Harris is also a law professor. Prior to his election to the state senate,Harris served on the Memphis City Council,representing District 7. He was born and raised in Memphis,and studied at Morehouse College,followed by Yale Law School.
Raumesh Aleza Akbari is an American politician and member of the Tennessee Senate for the 29th district since 2019. She was formerly a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 91st district. She currently serves as First Vice Chair of the Education Committee,and a member of the Commerce and Labor Committee,and the Ethics Subcommittee. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
James Steven Strickland Jr. is an American attorney and politician who is the 64th and current mayor of Memphis,Tennessee,serving since 2016. A Democrat,he previously served as a member of the Memphis City Council. Strickland is also an adjunct professor at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
David Frank Kustoff is an American politician and attorney serving as the United States representative from Tennessee's 8th congressional district. The district includes the bulk of West Tennessee,but most of its population is in the eastern part of the Memphis area,including the eastern fourth of Memphis itself. From 2006 to 2008,Kustoff served as a United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. He is one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress,alongside Max Miller.
Eleanor O'Donnell McCormack was an American educator and clubwoman from the U.S. state of Ohio. She was a teacher and principal in the public schools of Tennessee and was elected superintendent of public schools for Shelby County. When elected,there were 148 schools in the county. She increased the number and brought them to a higher standard.
John Williams Rose is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district since 2019. A Republican,he was commissioner of agriculture for Tennessee and president of Boson Software,LLC.
Memphis Greenspace Inc. is a non-profit corporation started in October 2017 in Memphis,Tennessee. The issue that led to its creation was the unanimous decision of the City Council of Memphis and Shelby County to remove statues of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest from public parks. However,under the new Tennessee Heritage Protection Act,they could not do so without permission from the Tennessee Historical Commission,which refused permission.
The 2019 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 3,2019. Jim Strickland,the incumbent mayor,was elected to second term in office. The mayoral election coincided with elections to all thirteen seats on the Memphis City Council.
London Lamar is an American politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and a member of the Tennessee Senate representing district 33 since 2022. She was previously a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022 representing District 91. During her time there,she was the youngest Tennessee State Representative in office. She was appointed to the Tennessee Senate in March 2022 by the Shelby County Commission after fellow Democrat Katrina Robinson was expelled due to her indictment on charges of wire fraud. Lamar was sworn in on March 8,2022,and effectively resigned her house seat.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Tennessee on March 5,2020. As of June 5,2022,there are 2,023,815 confirmed cases,26,103 deaths,and 12,825,885 reported tests.
The murder of George Floyd on May 25,2020,triggered a wave of protests throughout Tennessee in late May and early June 2020. These protests continued throughout the year.
Wendi C. Thomas is an investigative journalist and the founder of MLK50,a nonprofit digital newsroom with the goal of reporting on economic justice.
Altha Jeanne Stewart is an American psychiatrist. In 2015,Stewart was recruited by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to establish and direct the Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth. While there,she became the first African American president of the American Psychiatric Association.
Justin Jamal Pearson is an American activist and politician. He is a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing the 86th district,covering parts of the city of Memphis. He was elected in a January 2023 special election to succeed Barbara Cooper,who was posthumously re-elected in the November 2022 Tennessee House of Representatives election after dying in October 2022. When he was sworn into office at the age of 28,Pearson became the third youngest lawmaker serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
