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Biden immigration reform bill gives faster path to citizenship
President Joe Biden sent a sweeping immigration reform bill to Congress on his first day in office, and immigrant-advocacy groups have been preparing individuals for a faster path to citizenship. “Today ushers in a brighter, more hopeful future for immigrants and refugees. After four years of harsh immigration policy under Trump, President Joe Biden and […]
Curbside booze sales save restaurants and retailers in 2020
Curbside alcohol sales were the saving grace in an otherwise dismal year for many restaurants and beer retailers, as Tennesseans drowned their sorrows during a socially-distanced pandemic year. In Nashville, the Metro Beer Board was the first entity to pass rules allowing for curbside beer pickup, with the support of its board members and Mayor […]
Education reform advocates weigh in on Lee’s education plans
Leaders of Better Student Outcomes Now, including a Metro Nashville Schools Board member and advocates of school reform, used the opening of Gov. Bill Lee’s special legislative session on education to say the COVID-19 pandemic gives an opportunity to reset education goals. “Not so long ago, Tennessee made national headlines for rapid education improvement, but […]
Shelby County officials vaccine plan to address racial disparities
Shelby County Health Department officials say they have long term COVID vaccination plans to address any potential racial disparities, a particular concern in Memphis, a majority minority city. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, current data shows less than 4% percent of Tennesseans who have received the COVID-19 vaccine identify as Black – and […]
First Latino MNPD captain to head diversity efforts
The Metro Nashville Police Department’s new Chief Diversity Officer, Captain Carlos Lara, plans on spending 2021 improving relationships between the police and minority communities. “There are communities with which we have had a good relationship, communities that we have not gotten in contact with, and communities that we used to have a good relationship with […]
Nashville community group holds ‘public lamentation,’ calls on Lee for COVID-19 relief
Faith leaders and physicians called on Gov. Bill Lee to institute a mask mandate and to use Tennessee’s $741 million earmarked for families to assist Tennesseans on the verge of eviction from COVID-19-related financial losses. Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) organized the Tuesday event, which was held at St. John AME Church in […]
Nashville extends COVID-19 outreach to new Americans
Amid concerns that COVID-19 outreach would be halted to immigrant communities, Metro officials say services will be extended into 2021 while funds last. “[Metro Council] decided to allow Metro to continue to fund the COVID-19- related expenditures beyond Dec. 30, the end of the CARES Act funding. We expect to continue this route as long […]
Tennessee environmental groups, Cooper, release climate change report
A report released by U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper in collaboration with Tennessee climate-advocacy groups details the long-terms effects unchecked global warming will have on Tennesseans. On Nov. 4, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, a unified effort from participating nations that focuses on mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas […]
Community mistrust of COVID-19 vaccine challenges health care officials
For many Tennesseans, the COVID-19 vaccine is a one-size-fits-all solution to returning to pre-pandemic normalcy, but for Black and immigrant Tennesseans, the trials and pending vaccinations are exposing long-standing health inequities in minority communities. The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Tennessee and is being distributed to health care workers first. It’s expected to become available […]
Data shows pandemic anxiety and depression impacts children as well as parents
Recent data showed that parents are experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression, which will ultimately impact children as well, according to the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY). The U.S. Census Bureau has been collecting information on households with children since the start of the pandemic, and over the summer Tennessee ranked second […]
Biden election gives hope for DACA, immigrant rights organizations
President-elect Joe Biden’s election win renewed hope for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA,) but advocates with immigrant-rights organizations say there will still be many challenges in the next few months. During President Donald Trump’s tenure, DACA applications were closed as the administration sought to roll back the program. Although limited in its […]
Cooper passes Nashville flood prevention bill
In 2010, Tennessee experienced a devastating flood, and Friday the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Jim Cooper to prevent future flooding in Nashville. “A decade ago, all of Nashville – East, West, South, and North Nashville – suffered a devastating flood, costing more than two dozen lives and billions of […]