Dr. Richmond, a minister and national director of Commission of Religion and Racism (CORR), said, “The corner is my pulpit.”

On Monday evening at the busy intersection of Lamar and Airways, motorists could hear Dr. Isaac Richmond explaining why he wants to unseat U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen in the Democratic primary on Aug. 7. 

Using a bullhorn to amplify his voice, Richmond implored motorists to help him “take back” the 9th Congressional District. “It’s time for a change,” he bellowed.

While pacing the sunlit corner of the Exxon Tigermarket, Richmond shouted, “We need to reclaim the 9th Congressional District,” a slogan he’s using on the campaign trail. “We gave away the seat two years ago,” he said.

Believing a grass roots effort is germane, Richmond’s campaign workers — Maxine Thomas, Sandra Hebron and John Bowen — distributed more than 2,000 flyers between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Maxine Thomas (left) and Sandra Hebron pass out campaign flyers at the intersection of Lamar and Airways. Dr. Richmond, on his bullhorn, says he can take the incumbent congressman in the Democratic primary.

“We’re going all over the 9th district,” Richmond said. “Our goal is to put 100,000 flyers in the hands of the people. If we can energize the masses, we can take this campaign.”

Richmond, 69, said he’ll stump for votes at each of the district’s 159 precincts. “If we hold these political education rallies, I figure we’ll win,” he said. “But we got to get the people involved who have never voted before.”

This is Richmond’s third bid for Congress. He ran against Harold Ford Sr. twice as an independent candidate and again as a Democratic candidate. But this election, he said, will be different.

Five Democrats are vying for the district seat. Besides Richmond and Cohen, James C. Gregory, Nikki Tinker and Joe Towns Jr. are on the ballot. Jake Ford, Mary “Taylor Shelby” Wright, and Dewey Clark are running as independents.

“I’m not worried about the incumbent,” Richmond said. “The bourgeoisie are politically connected. But they’re going to split the vote between Cohen and Tinker.

“We plan to take Cohen out in the primary. If he makes it past the primary, it’s going to be hard to beat him,” Richmond contends. “But we’re in it to win – to take power for the people.”

Richmond, a minister and national director of Commission of Religion and Racism (CORR), said he doesn’t have a problem taking his message to the street. “The corner is my pulpit,” he said. “I’m out of my element in the [church] pulpit.”

Dr. Isaac Richmond has been a fighter all of his adult life. This is his third attempt to win the 9th Congressional District seat. (Photos by Wiley Henry)

The candidate said he’s unrestrained and can make as much noise on the street corner without his message being filtered and censored by the people he refers to as the “system.”

That message, he said, is included in his platform for the district. “My candidacy, campaign platform, and position on the issues take into account the social, economic and cultural realities of chronic and longstanding problems that are characteristic of, and endemic to, the broad and diverse constituency of the district,” he said.

If elected, Richmond said he’d call for an immediate withdrawal of troops from the war zone in Iraq. It is unjust and unwarranted, he said. He also said he’d support education and innovative, self-help programs.

A universal health care plan is also on Richmond’s agenda if he’s elected to Congress. It should be affordable and available to everyone, he said, regardless of income or immigration status.

A fair and just amnesty program, he added, is necessary for immigrants seeking a better way of life in America.

Crime in Memphis is rampant, according to law enforcement.  Richmond said he hopes to eradicate crime in the 9th district by developing a district-wide job training and placement program for school dropouts, ex-offenders and individuals with felony records. This will help to modify behavior, he said.

“The people are stopping, pulling into the parking lot, saying they’ll get with our campaign,” he said. “If we can solidify the grass root vote, we’ll take the campaign.”