Statistically, Memphis is a traumatized city. It is ranked as one of the worst cities in the nation for violent crime. The homicide rate is the third highest among the country’s largest cities, one in every 30 black males in Tennessee are incarcerated, and sits at the top of the list for overall poverty and childhood poverty. Memphis is also the place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated more than 50 years ago — and these lasting wounds are amplified by increasing violence, racial discrimination and the continued criminalization of poverty.

As artists, musicians, dancers, filmmakers and students, Grounded empowers their community through collaborative expression. Currently working in Memphis neighborhoods within youth detention facilities and local high schools, they inspire youth with artistry and mindfulness techniques that leverage the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh. Grounded's shared purpose is to create conscious content that is impactful, meaningful and inspiring, while serving the larger mission of using creativity as a means of connecting and galvanizing communities around important social issues.