Dear Memphis and Shelby County Family,

To the leaders who shape our policies, the parents who fight for their kids, the educators who give their all, and every neighbor who calls this city home —

My name is JR Robinson. I’m the CEO/Co-Founder of JustMy, and, before anything else, a proud son of Orange Mound. I’m the product of a Black single mom and a White dad. I struggle, too—with depression, with ADHD, with dreams that at times have felt out of reach. But if there’s one thing Memphis has taught me, it’s that struggle is not where our story ends. Around here, we grind.

When it comes to basketball, no city in America has our energy. Grit. Grind. Heart. We yell it in the stands, we chant with pride. We know how to rally, how to stand up when it matters most. Why not bring that same fire—the Grind City mentality—to something even bigger than the game? Why not use it to rebuild the foundation beneath our feet: our schools, our neighborhoods, our future?

Today, I’m writing to all of Memphis and Shelby County, and to every one of our elected officials, to ask for something bold. I’m calling on you to join me—and each other—in starting a movement: Project FutureForward MSCS: Where Learning Meets Community.

This isn’t just another plan or a fleeting idea. It’s a vision—a blueprint to turn our schools into the beating heart of our city.

• Imagine schools that aren’t just for kids, but are open hubs for the whole community.
• Imagine every child, no matter their zip code, having access to the very best teachers—because we pay them what they’re worth and treat them like the heroes they are.
• Imagine family workshops, evening programs, mental health support, career training, and entrepreneurship—all built right into our education system.
• Imagine learning that happens in schools, in community centers, in churches, even in homes, all united by innovation and a hunger for excellence.
• Imagine a Memphis where our children aren’t left behind by technology, but taught to master it—where their grit and grind makes them global leaders, not just local success stories.

Is it a lot to ask? Yes. I know this city. I know how worn out we get from promises, from fighting the same fights. I know how easy it is to say, “Memphis can’t pay for this,” or, “That’s just not how we do things here.” Some of you reading this are already feeling the exhaustion of one more battle.

But let’s be honest: City leaders—if you think you’re going to lose your seat by demanding something better, look around. Things aren’t working. Our hearts ache because we know we can do more, be more, dream bigger. Leadership is about risking comfort for a shot at greatness. Let’s grind for something worth losing sleep over: our children’s future.

To every resident—Black, White, Brown, rich or struggling, parent or mentor or student—this is your invitation. Don’t just talk about how bad things are. Don’t wait for someone else to save our city. Join the Facebook group. Get in the conversation. Make Project FutureForward MSCS the blueprint the whole nation wants to copy.

I can’t promise it’ll be easy. Memphis has never taken the easy road. But I do promise this: If we show up—if we grind for better schools, for empowered teachers, for programs that lift up every family—then the history books will remember us not for pain or problems, but for building a city where learning does what it’s supposed to do: change lives.

I know what it’s like for challenges to knock you down. I know the cost of not having the right support to reach for your own greatness. That’s why I’m all in. That’s why I’m asking you to join hands. Let’s put our name on the map as the city that grinds for tomorrow, not just for today.

Not another empty promise. Not another loss.
This is the Memphis comeback story. This is Project FutureForward MSCS.

With hope, with pride, and with grit,
JR Robinson
CEO & Co-Founder, JustMy