Author
Building on years of archival work to uncover Nashville’s Black history
Old family friends in Nashville have been connected by a painful shared history for generations without knowing the source, but Angela Sutton, Ph.D., is putting together the centuries-old puzzles pieces. Sutton, an assistant professor of communications studies at Vanderbilt University, is director of the Fort Negley Descendents Project and uncovered the names of 255 Black […]
Waverly residents still struggle to recover from flooding as local unions help out
Following devastating flooding that killed 20 people in Waverly, TN, in late August, volunteers from local unions are helping fill in the gaps in rebuilding efforts. AP News reported that 17 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours on August 21, 2021, on the small town in Middle Tennessee and took out homes, […]
Nashville-based property management company investigated for elder abuse
Taliafaro, a Nashville-based property management company that oversees a senior living facility in New Orleans, LA, has been accused of abandoning and allegedly abusing residents before and after Hurricane Ida. Many residents at Boyd Manor have chronic illnesses and say the heat, lack of water, power and medicine made their conditions dire for almost two […]
Tennessee professors and historians uncover history of convict leasing in the state
The mostly-forgotten history of Tennessee’s convict leasing, which used prison labor to mine coal in the mountains during the 1800s, is being brought to light by a team of professors and genealogists across the state. Dr. Camille Westmont, a postdoctoral fellow in historical archaeology at Sewanee, is searching for answers to the Lone Rock Stockade’s […]
Memphis HIV/AIDS nonprofit gets boost from Lil Nas X
Representatives for the Memphis-based nonprofit Relationship Unleashed (RUNL) announced Friday the group has been chosen for rapper and singer-songwriter Lil Nas X’s “baby registry” to celebrate the release of his new record. Montero is the artist’s debut full-length album; he’s worn a pregnancy belly and called the new album his “baby.” Lil Nas is asking […]
Bredesen company brings renewable energy to small companies
Following a groundbreaking ceremony held earlier in September, solar startup Clearloop is set to bring economic and workforce development to Jackson, TN. The new project, co-founded by former governor Phil Bredesen, offers companies the chance to invest in renewable energy and offset their carbon footprint. Because there’s no minimum investment, Clearloop gives smaller companies and […]
“The thought of having to sit up was like climbing Mt. Everest”
Lesa Schultz has been sick for about 17 months. One of the “first wavers,” Schultz got COVID-19 on a trip home from Los Angeles in March of 2020 before the first pandemic lockdowns began in Tennessee. Schultz, a self-employed consultant, joins many Tennesseeans in suffering from long COVID. According to the World Health Organization, patients […]
Musk nonprofit is union-busting its Memphis organization
Big Green employees in Memphis are pushing back against union-busting tactics they say the nonprofit is using to keep them from organizing and having more direct communication with the communities they serve. The gardening nonprofit teaches school children about growing food and spending time in nature, but employees say they’re up against corporate lawyers hired […]
Preds’ prospect coming out good news for Tennessee
Earlier this week Nashville became home to the National Hockey League’s first active, openly gay player after Predators’ prospect Luke Prokop came out. Prokop posted the personal announcement in an Instagram post on Monday and later did an interview with ESPN—making history for himself, for fellow players and for Music City. In his post, Prokop […]
A South African sportswriter’s influence on anti-transgender legislation
In the last six years, Tennessee has passed more than 70 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation. This year the state surpassed nearly every other in the country, becoming the first to require businesses and government buildings to post a sign if they let transgender people use bathrooms. Previous Lookout reporting covered the far-right and conservative groups […]
Tennessee’s anti-LGBTQ bills supported by national conservative groups
With dozens of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this legislative season around the U.S., human rights groups and nonprofits have been busy fighting discrimination—perhaps only surpassed in productivity by the vast and well-funded networks of nonprofits that lobbied for, and helped write, discriminatory bills in the first place. Three of the heaviest hitters have been the Heritage […]
State could lose millions in business and tourism over discriminatory legislation
Since Tennessee Republicans passed a bill prohibiting transgender student athletes from competing on teams that affirm their gender identity, at least three conferences have backed out of coming to the state. Oracle, the tech giant expected to bring thousands of new jobs to Nashville, joined 86 other businesses in signing an open letter against the […]