By David Jordan Jr

One fact about any type of history will always remain: it can’t be changed. As time passes, places change, societal norms and issues may change, but the events, people, and places from the past will never change, regardless of whether they are continuously acknowledged or seemingly forgotten. Memphis, Tennessee is a city of worldly cultural significance.

Memphis is renowned globally for numerous unmatched and significant firsts in the world of music, culture, African American history, and hospitality. One of the most well-known streets in the world can be found in Memphis, Tennessee: Beale Street. Now known as primarily an entertainment district of the city (similarly to Bourbon Street in New Orleans), Beale Street housed its roots in being a financial hub and district for black citizens that not only resided in the Memphis area, but also for black people who were visiting or traveling through Memphis.

“Beale Street: Unforgotten” is a book that chronicles the dynamic history of Beale Street and its pivotal role in the African American community and the history of Memphis, Tennessee. Published by GrantHouse Publishers in 2021and written by George C. Grant, a retired University Library Dean and photo journalist and radio broadcaster Mark Stansbury, with added scholarly research from the late educator, writer, and activist Dr. Miriam DeCosta-Willis, “Beale Street: Unforgotten” talks about how the street came to prominence and revisits the pinnacle of the street in the 1960s. As black citizens of Memphis lived in the Jim Crow era of the South, there were no options for them to have a consistent home base for financial development, consumer spending, entertainment, medical facilities, and educational institutions. Robert Reed Church, born into slavery, would become the first black millionaire in the United States. Hailing from Holly Springs, Mississippi, his migration to Memphis during the Civil War would spearhead him and entrepreneurial ways, which would foster the development of Memphis and the Beale Street area. Church would  establish Solvent Savings Bank, the first black-owned bank in Memphis, which would help black citizens secure funding for homes and businesses, leading to the growth and development of Beale Street.

Robert Church Jr with W.C. Handy and Lt. George W. Lee on Beale Street in the 1930s.

As this book highlights the 1960s and the prominent businesses in on the street at that time, the books also shines a historical light on how the street flourished during the years before the 1960s as segregation and Jim Crow laws locked black citizens into their own world of financial freedom and professional excellence as doctors, lawyers, educators and entrepreneurs from various backgrounds cultivated and uplifted Beale Street to global notoriety and recognition. There are many exclusive photographs of businesses and community events that were located and/or took place on Beale Street.

Reading this book will not only enlighten a person about the unique history of Beale Street, but it will also inspire the reader to understand the importance of self-development and community development, as these things can solidify a history and legacy for a person, city, or country that can never be erased.

For Copies of this book, contact:

GrantHouse Publishers

P.O. Box 25181

Memphis, TN 38125

Telephone: 901-218-3135

Email: Granthousepub@aol.com