Memphis’ civil rights landmarks are not simply monuments to a completed past. They remain living places where culture, memory, labor, faith, and collective action continue to shape the city. Led by writer, producer, and cultural strategist Anasa Troutman and The BIG We, this tour will guide participants through Memphis’ civil rights landscape while examining how the city’s cultural identity has been formed through the intertwined histories of Black organizing, artistic expression, sacred space, labor, and resistance.
Through the places visited and the stories held within them, participants will look beyond commemoration to consider how the values embodied by these sites continue to inform Memphis’ civic life and its efforts to build a more just and imaginative future. This tour offers an essential grounding in Memphis as a living text: a city where historic struggles remain visible in the landscape and where culture continues to serve as an instrument of dignity, belonging, and collective transformation.
Hosted by: Anasa Troutman (The BIG We)
Expectations: This cultural tour includes transportation by bus and multiple stops at sites throughout Memphis. Participants should expect periods of walking, standing, boarding and exiting the bus, and moving between indoor and outdoor spaces. Routes may include stairs, uneven surfaces, or varying distances between stops. GIA and our local partners will work to keep the group connected and ensure that all participants can engage meaningfully in the tour. Please share any mobility, seating, transportation, or other access needs with our team at GIAAccess2026@gmail.com.
Cost: $100