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Tennessee ACLU launches voter turnout project
Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Jason Isbell is working with the ACLU Tennessee on a campaign to mobilize Tennesseeans to vote via mail-in ballot or early voting for the November election. The campaign, called “Vote Like Your Rights Depend on It,” will feature a video from Isbell, virtual events, educational materials, social media tips and the […]
Commentary: Vigilantes not wanted
This summer of political upheaval, protests and occasional violence has given Americans many troubling images –– the most recent of which was video of 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse freely walking the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin with an assault rifle last week both before and after shooting three people and killing two of them. Rittenhouse was apparently […]
Memphis coalition pushes District Attorney for DNA tests in death penalty case
A coalition of victims’ and civil rights groups, churches and professional organizations held a press conference Monday at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis to urge District Attorney General Amy Weirich to permit DNA testing in the death penalty case of Pervis Payne. Payne was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death […]
Black Caucus rips state’s top two leaders
In a Wednesday press conference, members of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators sharply criticized the state’s top two elected officials’ handling of racial issues. Specifically, caucus members denounced Gov. Bill Lee for ignoring an Aug. 2 caucus letter asking him for an emergency meeting to discuss treatment of protesters at the Tennessee Capitol […]
Historic Hermitage Hotel hosts 19th Amendment celebrations
By the time the 19th Amendment passed on August 18, 1920, efforts for women to gain the right to vote had been in progress for over 70 years. In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention adopted a Declaration of Sentiments, which included a resolution urging women to get the right to vote. After a number of […]
With Harris keynoting DNC, Tennessee’s elected women of color react
The selection of Sen. Kamala Harris as vice-presidential running mate to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden last week has been lauded for its historic nature. Harris is the first woman of color to be named to one of the top positions on a presidential tickets and one of only a few women of any […]
Franklin protest of recent legislation draws hostility from Confederate statue supporters
A protest in Franklin of a controversial bill the legislature passed recently devolved into shoving when counter protesters became agitated over chalk graffiti on the Confederate statue in the town’s square. The “My Voice, My Right” protest was organized by a coalition of groups and individuals including the Franklin Equity and Justice Coalition, Franklin Teens […]
Commentary: The spirit of Bull Conner is alive and well in Tennessee
If you wonder why many Americans, white as well as Black, distrust law enforcement, you need only visit the Tennessee State Capitol and the Cordell Hull Office Building to get an answer. Over the last couple of years, Tennessee Highway Patrol officers tasked with keeping law and order for the General Assembly, have devolved to […]
Pulaski holds weekend Equality March
The sumner’s Black Lives Matter protests and marches calling for an end to police brutality have extended past Tennessee’s large cities to small communities in rural areas. Saturday, Pulaski joined the roster of towns to hold what organizers termed an “Equality March,” an event particularly fitting to some participants: The county seat of Giles County, […]
Special session bill criminalizes camping on state property and threatens voter rights
The Tennessee General Assembly Wednesday passed a bill that makes camping on state property a felony. House Bill 8005 appears to target Black Lives Matter protesters who have been camping on Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville since mid-June. One portion upgrades the punishment for camping on property not specifically designated for camping from a Class […]
Gallatin lands Facebook data center
Facebook, the California-based global technology company, is building an $800 million data center in Gallatin, Gov. Bill Lee, Facebook officials and Bob Rolfe, Commissioner of Economic and Community Development have announced. The announcement, which came just after midnight Wednesday, confirms months of speculation about discussions for a major project known publicly as “Project Woolhawk” and […]