"The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them."
–Ida B. Wells
Margaret Vandiver is a retired professor of criminal justice at the University of Memphis. She holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in criminology from Florida State University. She has studied state and collective violence, ranging from the use of the death penalty in America to contemporary instances of genocide.
Phyllis Aluko is our Shelby County Public Defender. in that capacity, she leads the largest public defender's office in Tennessee and one of the oldest in the nation. Beginning in 2015 and apart from her professional duties, Phyllis Aluko led our community's efforts to commemorate the victims of the 1866 Memphis Massacre with a historical marker. Working with the support of the Memphis Branch of the NAACP and the National Park Service, she became part of a collective effort to increase our community's awareness of the massacre. In 2017, Ms.
Darius J. Young is a native of Detroit, Michigan. He attended Florida A&M University where he earned a BS in African American studies and a master’s degree in history. In 2011, Young completed his Ph.D. in history from the University of Memphis.