A 25% community benefits agreement related to Elon Musk’s xAI facility in Memphis does the Black community no favors, writes Rev. Earle Fisher. (Photo: John Partipilo)
Memphians in the predominantly Black Whitehaven and Westwood are asked to celebrate a 25% “community benefits agreement ” tied to Elon Musk’s xAI project. But we need to be honest: what does that number really mean, and how did we get there?
This isn’t about the spirit of the Community Benefits Ordinance. I believe in the idea of codifying corporate accountability and setting a floor for how developments should reinvest in the communities they impact. That’s progress. But the substance of what’s been agreed to in this case falls short…