Uptown & The Pinch

Uptown and The Pinch got their start in the mid-1800s as Memphis' first planned subdivision and business district. From the beginning, they were uniquely diverse, with dozens of different nationalities, religions, races, and incomes levels mingled in just a few square miles. Heavy disinvestment starting in the 1970s left the neighborhood virtually gutted, but efforts in the early 2000s brought reinvestment and new possibility. Today the legacy of historic Uptown-Pinch continues as the community works towards a multicultural, mixed-income, mixed-use revitalization.

High Ground embedded our On the Ground team in Uptown-Pinch from April through July 2018. 

Feature Story Improvements to Morris Park were underway in January 2022. (Shelia Williams)
Feature Story cozycorner1.png

Video: Barbecue and bouncing back with Cozy Corner


Feature Story Archie "A.W." Willis, Jr. stands at center. Seated are members of the Memphis State Eight. These students were the first to integrate what is now the University of Memphis.

Black Memphis, Black History: The legacy of A.W. Willis


Feature Story Starkisha James, 32, is a teacher at Newberry Elementary. (Shelia Williams)
Feature Story Geraldine Williams, 63, sits on her porch in North Memphis. Williams is a bus driver Durham School Services who says she'll be back in the driver's seat as soon as she can. (Shelia Williams)
Feature Story Crab legs with Drop Sauce is a best-seller at Straight Drop Seafood in North Memphis. (Straight Drop Seafood)

New Straight Drop Seafood is the right thing to crave


Feature Story Lance Banks is a first grader at Perea Elementary School in North Memphis. (Submitted)

Kids speak on life and learning in the pandemic


Feature Story Derotha Payne-Obie mounts a recently completed puzzle at her dining room table. Prior to the pandemic, she attended the Lewis Senior Center. It closed in March under local and state mandates. (Tamara Cunningham)
Feature Story Memphis jooker Ryan Haskett dances for onlookers

In Photos: The Last of Our Neighborhoods Revisited


Feature Story Jolie Shaw, a 2020 Bickford-Bearwater High Ground News Community Correspondent. (Cole Bradley)

Authors

Read more articles by Andy Meek.


Read more articles by Brandon Dahlberg.

Brandon Dahlberg is a documentary photographer based in Memphis. A lifelong resident of the city, he earned his B.A. in English and M.F.A in Creative Writing from the University of Memphis. He has worked as a photographer in various capacities throughout the city, and loves telling visual stories.  

Read more articles by Cole Bradley.

Cole Bradley is a native Memphian and graduate of the University of Memphis. Cole's worked locally as a researcher and community engagement strategist and began contributing to High Ground in Jan 2017. 

Read more articles by Forever Ready.

Forever Ready Productions is based in Memphis. It specializes in fast paced, timely content for non profits, small businesses and start-ups. The production company's founder, Lauren Squires Ready, has more than a decade of award-winning video journalism experience and uses that skill to help create an impact narrative for any mission driven organization. Visit www.foreverreadyllc.com for more information.    

Read more articles by Kim and Jim Coleman.

Kim Coleman is a journalist with over 20 years of experience in newsrooms as a reporter, editor and graphic designer, including ten years with The Commercial Appeal as Design Director/Senior Editor and Print Planning Editor. 

 

Jim Coleman is a freelance writer, covering a variety of topics from high school sports, community news and small business. He has written for different news organizations over the past 20 years, including The Commercial Appeal, Community Weeklies, Lexington Herald-Leader and The Albuquerque Journal.


Read more articles by Tamara Williamson.

Tamara is a native Memphian and has a B.A. and M.A. from UT Knoxville. She has previously written guest posts for I Love Memphis blog.