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The residents of East Jackson, Tennessee know what it’s like to weather the storm.
When tornados ripped through Tennessee in 2003, this area was hit the hardest. Homes and local businesses were destroyed, yet the community was overlooked by the city of Jackson as redevelopment money was dispersed. Six years later, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment, or SOCM, is empowering the community to hold the city accountable for its irresponsiveness to the disaster.
East Jackson residents meet to develop a plan after their community was overlooked in disaster-related funding.
SOCM was founded in 1972 by residents of Tennessee’s Cumberland Mountains to empower members to address problems in their communities. In 1974, they received their first grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), which helped enable SOCM to win important victories to better protect local communities from toxic waste from coal mining in the Cumberland Mountains. CCHD’s continued support for SOCM throughout the years has enabled the organization to address a broad range of issues affecting minority and low-income communities—including the need to hold policy-makers accountable when they fail to protect the common good.
The unresponsiveness of the government to East Jackson’s needs in the face of the 2003 tornadoes was one such failure of responsibility. In the wake of the tornadoes, the City Council had developed a Community Redevelopment Agency to survey the affected areas and distribute development aid accordingly. But six years after the disaster, the working-class and African-American neighborhood of East Jackson had yet to see any aid. Many destroyed businesses in this low-income area of town still hadn’t been revived, including a pharmacy, an auto parts company, and other businesses essential to the well-being of the community’s residents. The loss of these businesses also meant a loss of jobs, leading to high unemployment and no new job growth. While leaving East Jackson in virtual destruction, the CRA had instead devoted its resources to rebuilding more affluent communities.
Amy Anderson, a SOCM community organizer for the Jackson chapter, explains that the Community Redevelopment Agency withheld funds because it had little faith in the community’s recovery. “A contractor said East Jackson was in too devastated a position to benefit from the redevelopment money,” she recalls. The city was dispersing aid where it thought it would see the best returns, while ignoring the vulnerable communities that needed funds the most.
To urge a change in priorities, 80 members of SOCM called a public meeting. As the residents spoke out about the neglect, the mayor and city council members showed signs of remorse. But the hope was short-lived: by the next city council meeting, there was talk of building a $4.3 million parking garage downtown, where business was thriving—with redevelopment money designated for low- and moderate-income communities. SOCM members decided to hold a “Save Our Community Day” to put this issue on center stage.
East Jackson residents at a
city council meeting demanding
accountability for the lack of
assistance after the 2003 tornadoes.
Victory is on the horizon. Due to constant pressure from members of SOCM, city officials have now committed to reevaluating the dispersal of funds for East Jackson, designating $85,000 for a study. At a recent city council meeting, there was zero support for the parking-garage project—a complete change of heart from the previous meeting.
The residents are in high spirits; after six years, they believe that their voices have finally been heard. In addition to much-needed repairs, SOCM members are developing a plan to dedicate some anticipated funds to a community center that will support job training, tutoring and the arts, which would greatly benefit the area at large.
Though low-income residents in East Jackson have long been ignored, the community is finally rebuilding its home