FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | JULY 3, 2018
CLAYBORN TEMPLE NAMES ANASA TROUTMAN FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Transition team to guide community engagement process for this National Treasure
(MEMPHIS, TN) – Clayborn Temple announces today that cultural strategist, writer and
producer Anasa Troutman will lead the organization as its first executive director. Memphis
Business Journal broke the news with an exclusive story this morning.
Troutman first joined the Clayborn team for ‘Union: The Musical,’ which she co-wrote, produced,
and presented in the church for multiple performances around the 50 th anniversary of the
assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. earlier this year. The musical tells the story of the
1968 Sanitation Workers’ strike that led to Dr. King’s fateful visit to Memphis, illuminates
Clayborn’s critical role in that movement, and draws parallels between America in 1968 and
America in 2018. The development of ‘Union’ was born from the feeling of Clayborn’s leadership
that the full story of this sacred space wasn’t widely known, and that sharing it was part of a
critical foundation to building Clayborn’s future.
The building has been home to myriad arts and culture events since reopening its doors in 2015
after being shuttered for 20 years. It was purchased as a philanthropic investment by Memphis
entrepreneur Frank Smith, who became interested in the property while scouting for a new
home for Downtown Church, where he is a member. To lead the work of developing Clayborn’s
next iteration, Smith brought in Rob Thompson, who’s led Clayborn’s team for the past two
years.
With a background in real estate development and nonprofit leadership, Thompson says his role
was never intended to be permanent. In fact, he says three things became clear early on: first,
that an artistic use of the space felt important and authentic; second, that a robust and
intentional community engagement process was necessary; and finally, that this sacred African-
American space demanded a visionary African-American leader to move it into its next phase.
“When I first started talking with Anasa, I was thinking about how we could plug her in and utilize
her talents,” Thompson says. “But pretty quickly my thoughts changed to, ‘We need Anasa to
lead this whole thing. Is there any chance she would be interested in that?’”
As it turns out, Troutman was more than interested – and she sees what’s ahead of her at
Clayborn as a natural continuation of the work she’s been doing for the last 20 years.
Troutman builds and executes culture-based strategies for artists and organizations that are
aligned with the vision of love as justice and equity in action, and her belief in creativity as a
pathway to personal, community and global transformation. She is best known for her work as
the long-time friend, thought partner and executive producer for GRAMMY®-winning artist
India.Arie, and has worked with many artists and organizations to intensify the strategic impact of art and narrative storytelling on social and political realities. She is sought after for her
innovative thinking on the transformative role of art, culture and creativity, and infusing love as a
fundamental core value, an ethos she brings to her work at Clayborn.
“We want this to be a place where people have the space to heal, transform and create,”
Troutman says. “The transformation of a city requires the transformation of the people who live
there, and we know there is no more transformative force than love. It’s critical for us to embody
love, particularly in conversations about justice and equity. We believe that love was the core
value that Rev. James Lawson and the Sanitation Workers carried with them in 1968. In that
spirit, Clayborn will be a place where people come together to heal, vision, and co-create the
future of Memphis.”
Thompson will continue to advise Clayborn on real estate development, and a transition team
will help guide Troutman’s first 90 days in her new role. Troutman says the transition team is
another important element of Clayborn’s intentionally collaborative approach and reinforces that
the space is a community asset. The transition team will focus on a few key areas during the
transition period, including finalizing the vision for the organization; helping to install a more
permanent board of directors; fundraising and development; and building out other essential
infrastructure.
Transition team members include Roshun Austin, Tonya Dyson, Gayle Rose, Elaine Turner,
Michael Rhodes, Justin Merrick, Stuart Harris, Montgomery Martin, and Kirk Whalum.
Troutman’s first priority in the executive director role is to begin that extensive community
engagement process.
“Starting this fall, we will host a series of community-based conversations that will determine
how we develop the space as related to our core goals of historic preservation, cultural
expression and racial and economic justice,” she says. “We will continue the legacy of Clayborn
Temple and the Sanitation Workers and be committed to bold and innovative approaches to
economic justice, while acknowledging that the power and ability to transform our communities
lies with the people who live in them. Our number one goal now, is to let Memphians know that
we are here, that our doors are open and that we are working to build relationships that
communicate the truth that everyone is welcome here. We want to be a contribution to the
future that works for all of Memphis and we know that starts with love and inclusivity.”
Troutman says she will work closely with partners including the National Trust for Historic
Preservation – which recently named Clayborn Temple a National Treasure – throughout the
transition and community engagement process to think about institutional storytelling and how
the Clayborn story can be told in Memphis as well as around the world. Clayborn will soon begin
raising funds to fully restore the building, and in the meantime, it will continue to host local and
national groups in the space, a key source of income for the nonprofit to keep the building
operational long-term.
‘Union: The Musical,’ where Troutman’s time with Clayborn began, also remains a priority.
There will be several more performances of the current production this fall while the Clayborn
creative team, led by civil rights scholar Greg Thompson and writer/composer Justin Merrick,
continue to engage Memphians to complete the story.
“We have a responsibility to retell the story, and use it not just to learn from history, but to
inspire and reframe how we think about the present, the future, and what’s possible,” Thompson says. “‘Union’ was compelling and risky but it was a manifestation of our desired outcome: Keep
telling the story. Music and art has the power to help people make connections between 1968
and 2018 that are powerful and important. We were struggling to figure out how to do that, and
we meet Anasa and realize ‘This is what she does!’ We’re so grateful to have her in this role.”
Troutman adds: “This is a powerful moment for Clayborn Temple. We’ve all spent the last
several months with MLK50, Dr. King and the Sanitation Workers, and that work has taught us
to see ourselves not at the end of a 50-year journey, but in the middle of a 100-year journey. We
learned that we had to look to the past to prepare ourselves to look forward to the future. We
understand now that our work at Clayborn Temple is about the next 50 years of manifesting
equity, of justice, of love and we are ready to do that together.”
########