The Legacy of Mr. Joe Calhoun: From Memphis to Selma (Part 1 of 2)

Local & National News | April 15, 2026 | 6:50 p.m. CDT

Edited: April 17, 2026 | 2:20 p.m. CDT

Edited: April 22, 2026 | 4:50 p.m. CDT

Written by: Gilbert Barnes Carter III

This article is the first in an exclusive 11-part story series to feature the life and legacy of Mr. Joe Calhoun and promote his personal memoir - 9 LIVES: REINVENTION OF AN INVADER. It will be released in 2026.

Mr. Yerby Joseph Calhoun was born a world away from a deeply segregated Selma, Alabama in Cheyenne, Wyoming on February 7, 1950 as the third oldest child of the late Master Sergeant (ret.) Samuel Calhoun and the late Mrs. Evelyn Calhoun. He spent his formative years in Nagoya, Japan and France and relocated frequently as an adolescent and preteen.

Mr. Calhoun has always held an affinity for the human condition. He was only 15 years of age when he received the news of the senseless murder of Italian-American freedom fighter and Teamsters Union member, Ms. Viola Liuzzo, at the hands of evil Klu Klux Klan members on March 25, 1965. That travesty took place just 18 days after Selma Foot Soldiers held their positions on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7.

* "There was one horrible event that happened during that time period. I remember the television news story about a white woman, Ms. Viola Liuzzo, who was murdered in Alabama in 1965 by Klu Klux Klan members. For some reason I felt so hurt and could not understand why they murdered her. That event truly made me feel Black and unwanted because of my skin color."

Mr. Calhoun lived in Bangor, Maine at that time. He received a profound act of kindness prior to his family leaving there in 1966. I hold the notion that the act is one of his defining origin story moments. He reserved hope for humanity and resolve for the missions that he would go on to accomplish.

* "When we were about to move to Kansas, the middle school faculty members hosted the very first dance. It was held in my honor. My family was invited and I was in tears. I felt seen as a person, but I also felt that some of the children saw that we were more alike than not. They also realized that one little Black child does not present a threat to them."

But, later on that night, Mr. Calhoun was overcome with a distinct sadness.

* "When I got home, however, I felt very sad because I still felt very Black and alone."

Mr. Calhoun's civil rights, environmental justice, and human rights crusade began after relocating to Memphis in 1967, right at two years after the fateful events in Selma. He studied for approximately six months at Booker T. Washington High School before transferring to Melrose High School. From there, he and several of his classmates received training from legends such as Mr. James Bevel, Mr. Tony Nelson, and Reverend James Lawson at the historic Centenary A.M.E. and Clayborn Temple A.M.E. Churches. He went on to define his service over the next five decades in a multitude of forms such as, but not limited to, marching during the famed March Against Fear from West Memphis, Arkansas to Little Rock for four days in 1969; serving as arguably the most effective advocate for Black LGBTQIA+ community members across the country in the 1980s; and enhancing guest experiences at the Withers Collection Museum & Gallery as the Operations Manager since 2020. He also currently serves as a Downtown Memphis Neighborhood Association Board Member.

61 Years Later in Selma...

I will always be able to recall when a group of allies from Memphis, including members of the second version of the Black self-defense organization, the Memphis Invaders, joined participants from various backgrounds and parts of the country to convene at a rally prior to the start of the mass march toward the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday, March 8. Ms. Tina Byrd at one point asked me to hold a bag of signs. I took one of the signs out, not knowing in that moment that it is one of several replicas of the iconic I AM A MAN signs that Mr. Calhoun and his classmates made in the basement of the union hall office adjacent to Clayborn Temple during the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike in 1968. Ms. Jennifer Edwards traveled to Selma from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She was the first individual to request to take a photo of the members of our number holding the signs. More excited groups and individuals moved in on our position like moths to a faint flame. A sizeable section of the rally was suddenly transformed into a 3-in-1 interview, meet and greet, and photo op session all for - as Ms. Allegra Thomas calls him - "International Joe." That moment was surreal in the least, as I deflected attention and redirected people constantly in order for them to have inspiring fellowship with Mr. Calhoun.

Mr. Yerby Joseph Calhoun - the idealistic and loving Black soul who once felt alone and sad in Bangor, Maine in 1965 is still completely - and gloriously Black - in 2026. He is no longer alone. He is no longer sad. And he was not just seen in Selma, Alabama on March 8. He was celebrated. The distinct gratification that I received on that day is me bearing witness to how he lived vicariously through the alternate version of his 15-year-old self in Bangor in real time. It is the alternate version of his 15-year-old self who felt happy and unified with everyone after that very first middle school dance that was held in his honor.

* "It was so inspiring to be acknowledged by so many strangers from diverse backgrounds. That was one of the highlights of this historic journey. I was moved from seeing fathers with their sons to take part in such a historic moment."

Photo Credits:

Cover Photo by: Mr. Nathan Watson - Bham Now

Body Photo by: Mr. Gary Whitlow - GSW ENTERPRISES

Body Image by: Gilbert Barnes Carter III

* Sources:

* The excerpts are from 9 LIVES: REINVENTION OF AN INVADER. It is the personal memoir of internationally renown Civil Rights Foot Soldier and icon - Mr. Joe Calhoun. It is currently being written by Gilbert Barnes Carter III. It will be available in eBook (PDF) and paperback formats exclusively via The Book Patch (Wilshire Press) in 2026.

Gilbert Barnes Carter III is a Memphis-based author, child welfare advocate, community organizer, emerging farmer, gardener, journalist, and social justice advocate. He began his social justice advocacy and work by serving as a Shelby County Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Board volunteer in 2005. He has worked since then to effectuate change for low-wage, immigrant, and migrant workers as a Temporary Workers Campaign Manager with Workers Interfaith Network; an advocate for Teamsters Local 667 sanitation workers; and a community / field organizer to uphold blight reduction, efficient public mass transit, environmental justice, food access, food justice, food security, narrative change, and public safety.