Author

John Partipilo

John Partipilo

Working as a photojournalist for 40 years, Partipilo has won awards such as NPPA Best of Photojournalism and nominated for two Pulitzers. His photography has also been featured in national and international publications. Most importantly Partipilo’s work is about people — people in their different environments and people in their different stages of life. That’s the heart of his work. To him people are so important, because they all have a unique story.

Gov. Bill Lee at the Factory in Franklin, Tenn., the night before the 2022 election on Nov. 7, 2022. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Election 2022 in photos

By: and - November 12, 2022

Throughout the 2022 election cycle in Tennessee, photojournalists John Partipilo and Karen Pulfer Focht documented candidates — and incumbents — debating, speaking at rallies and working polls, culminating on the Nov. 8 Election Day. The pair, with an Election Day assist from Nick Fantasia, captured the stress, excitement and tension of campaigning.    

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn speaking Friday at a rally sponsored by right-wing media personality Matt Walsh. (Photo: John Partipilo)

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn headlines anti-transgender rally in Nashville

By: and - October 21, 2022

Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn joined several other Tennessee lawmakers at a rally to protest gender-affirming care for transgender youth, which drew more than 2,500 activists to Nashville’s War Memorial Plaza on Friday afternoon. Billed as “The Rally to End Child Mutilation,” the event was hosted by The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh. Walsh started a political […]

A protest of a Tennessee law criminalizing camping on public property kicks off Friday. (Photo: John Partipilo)

New Tennessee laws take effect, with protests accompanying

By: and - July 4, 2022

Dozens of new laws passed in the last session of the General Assembly took effect on Friday, most of which haven’t captured the public’s attention. There’s little controversy about a law that requires utility companies to provide the estimates of connection fees to potential customers, for instance, for instance, or one that allows defendants for […]

Actor and Chattanooga native Leslie Jordan served as Grand Marshal of the Nashville Pride parade on Saturday. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Nashville Pride 2022

By: and - June 27, 2022

Members of Middle Tennessee’s LGBTQ community, friends and supporters gathered Saturday and Sunday in Nashville to celebrate Pride Nashville. The event came just a day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 law legalizing abortion at the federal level, and has raised concerns the court could overturn Obergefell v. Hodges. […]

A sign marks the entry to the Music City Freedom Fest Sunday at Nashville's Hadley Park. (Photo: John Paritpilo)

Juneteenth 2022

By: and - June 20, 2022

Tennesseans across the state celebrated Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the date in 1865 when enslaved Texans learned they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, over the weekend. Photojournalist John Partipilo covered the Music City Freedom Fest in Nashville, which, like other events, featured speakers discussing the history of Juneteenth, food trucks and […]

Protesters marched from the Nashville Courthouse to Legislative Plaza during the March For are Lives rally. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Gun safety advocates take to Tennessee streets

By: and - June 11, 2022

Laura Brown stood by a table surrounded by red, white and blue posters with drawings of the U.S. Capitol and a message: “Send a letter to Congress.” “Hello, would you like to send a letter to the Senate?” she called out. “I love these things, but people in Congress never seem to hear about them,” […]

Tears roll down Stephanie Shepherd's face outside Gov. Bill Lee's office during a vigil for gun violence victims on June 1. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Tennesseans petition Gov. Bill Lee for gun reform

By: and - June 1, 2022

More than 70 Tennesseans, including several pastors, walked from Nashville’s Legislative Plaza to Gov. Bill Lee’s office on Wednesday to make a plea for gun reform. The rally comes in the wake of several high profile mass shootings, including last week’s slaughter of 19 elementary school children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in […]

Trees lined up for distribution at Nashville's Earth Day celebration Saturday. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Earth Day 2022

By: - April 24, 2022

Earth Day, first celebrated in April 22, 1970, was rolled to April 23 in Nashville and photojournalist John Partipilo staked out the event at Centennial Park. Hundreds turned out on a beautiful day to pick up free trees that were being distributed, listen to live music and attend presentations from environmental and conservation organizations. Packets […]

A group of young people celebrating the coming of spring with the Hindu holiday Holi. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Nashville Hindus celebrate Spring with Holi

By: and - March 21, 2022

Members of Nashville’s Hindu community celebrated the coming of Spring over the weekend with Holi, a Hindu holiday also known as the Festival of Spring, the Festival of Colors or the Festival of Love. About 400 people gathered at Sri Saibaba Temple in Antioch, dancing and splashing each other with colored powder dye. Pink, blue, […]

Ira Tsykovska and her husband Bogdan Chornomaz, natives of the Ukraine, at their Nashville home. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Ukrainians in Tennessee worry for safety of family and friends

By: and - March 1, 2022

Ira Tsykovska’s iPhone kept alerting her with the familiar Apple text tone ring every few minutes while her husband Bogdan Chornomaz looked over her shoulder and worriedly read texts from their families and friends in Kyiv and Kharkiv, two of the largest cities in Ukraine. “The Russians have surrounded the cities but we are fighting them”, said […]

Nashville official Fabian Bedne signs the wedding license. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Metro Nashville official makes Valentine’s dream come true for couple

By: and - February 15, 2022

Metro Nashville official Fabian Bedne loves officiating weddings, so much that he wondered if it was possible to organize a free wedding on Valentine’s Day for the Latino community. The former two-term Metro Councilmember talked to Veronica Salcedo, founder of the Spanish-speaking news outlet Nashville Noticias, about his idea and she began making calls to Latino […]

Odessa Kelly, Democratic candidate for Congress in District 5, speaks Monday at a protest of new congressional district maps. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Crowd protests GOP-drawn congressional maps on MLK Day

By: and - January 18, 2022

Concerns over COVID-19 and lingering snow from a weekend storm halted several Middle Tennessee events traditionally held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to honor the late civil rights leader, but more than 100 people turned out in Nashville to protest new GOP-drawn congressional and legislative district maps. The Nashville Justice League, which is comprised […]