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Editor’s notebook: Democracy requires the media to hold candidates, officials accountable
Even as three of Nashville’s major cities — Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville — have either recently elected or will soon elect mayors, I’m already looking ahead to the next election cycle. Today is International Day of Democracy, established in 2007 by the United Nations to promote and uphold principles of democracy, and there’s no better […]
Immigrant, Black voters play key role in Metro Nashville elections
Immigrant and Black voters played a critical role in Metro Nashville’s municipal elections. Of the 26 candidates endorsed by TIRRC Votes, the political arm of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, 21 won their races — including Mayor-elect Freddie O’Connell. Other winners include Delishia Porterfield, Olivia Hill and Quin Evans Segall, who claimed seats […]
American Baptist College lands $3 million technology grant for minority communities
American Baptist College, the Nashville school responsible for educating a generation of civil rights leaders, has landed a grant of almost $3 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce through its Connecting Minority Communities pilot program. The funding, which comes from the department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, is designed to eradicate digital deserts within […]
Satire and smears: Third-party groups enter Nashville elections
With a week left in Nashville’s mayoral race, filmmaker and political satirist Toby Morton has launched a website aimed at candidate Alice Rolli, who faces Freddie O’Connell in the runoff. In recent years, Morton has created satirical websites for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, as well as […]
Young, Gifted and Black PAC launches in Nashville
A group of African American business owners in Nashville have launched the Young, Gifted and Black (YGB) Political Action Committee to foster economic empowerment and political engagement for the area’s Black families. “Everything about us, especially as Black people, is attached to a policy,” said Carlos Partee, one of 10 founding members of YGB. Partee […]
Tennessee Rep. Gloria Johnson announces U.S. Senate bid
Tennessee Rep. Gloria Johnson confirmed rumors that have swirled most of 2023, announcing she will run for the U.S. Senate in front of a hometown crowd outside Knoxville Central High School on Tuesday morning. “We don’t have leadership that respects the dignity of every human being,” said Johnson. Johnson joins Marquita Bradshaw, the Democratic candidate […]
Editor’s notebook: The rot in America’s soul
There are many things I could write about the First Extraordinary Session of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly, called by Gov. Bill Lee ostensibly to address public safety. I could write about the House’s restrictive rules package, or that Lee was missing in action, or the dysfunction between the Republican-dominated House and Senate. But the […]
Former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist dies at 87
Don Sundquist, former U.S. Congressman and two-term governor of Tennessee, died Sunday at the age of 87 in Collierville. At the request of the Sundquist family, Gov. Bill Lee’s office announced the Republican leader’s death. “Gov. Sundquist was a connector. He delighted in bringing people together from all walks of life to work for the […]
Prayer vigils, marches, and swearing-in ceremonies: Day one of the 2023 special legislative session
A long-awaited special legislative session to address public and gun safety issues began Monday with Tennessee’s Republican leadership limiting access to the Capitol and input from lawmakers and the public. Tennesseans began filling the streets around the Capitol and the Legislative Plaza hours before House Speaker Cameron Sexton gaveled the session into order at 4 […]
Veteran Tennessee reporters pen book on state’s political scandals
In “Welcome to Capitol Hill: Fifty Years of Scandals in Tennessee Politics,” veteran political reporters Joel Ebert and Eric Schelzig review decades of corrupt and sordid behavior in state politics, from bribery to sexual harassment and assault. The pair cover the single term of Gov. Ray Blanton, whose tenure was marked by a series of […]
Tennessee community and gun safety groups organize special legislative session activities
As the Tennessee General Assembly prepares to convene Monday for a special session dedicated to public safety — spurred by a mass shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School in March — community and faith groups have organized activities to call attention to gun safety. Rise and Shine TN in partnership with Together Collective 2 p.m., Legislative […]
An undemocratic circus act
“Is Tennessee a Democracy?” read the headline in the July 18 online edition of The Atlantic, a magazine that covers topics including politics, health, culture and technology. The story, written by Anne Applebaum — who has written extensively about the history of Communism, authoritarian oppression and about disinformation and propaganda internationally — didn’t break new […]