Civil Rights
Supreme Court ruling allows TN voters with certain pre-existing conditions to vote by mail
The state of Tennessee has failed to comply with a Tennessee Supreme Court instruction to educate voters with pre-existing conditions making them vulnerable to COVID-19 of their right to vote by mail for the November election. The charge came in filings with the ongoing legal dispute over absentee voting rights during the deadly pandemic. The […]
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, […]
Prague Points the Way to Museum of Racist Rebellion
Last summer I was in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, and visited the Museum of Communism. The museum had compelling exhibits on secret police interrogation, censorship, show trials, state propaganda, political labor camps, and the valiant but crushed 1968 uprising known as Prague Spring. The statues of Lenin and Stalin are by the toilets. […]
In-person voting rule challenges Rutherford County voter ill with COVID-19
On July 29, Brittney Whidden received a phone call from the Rutherford County Election Commission. While her husband’s absentee ballot had been approved, hers would not be. Whidden pushed back, and the election commission made an exception. Whidden, who tested positive for COVID-19 and is recovering, received her ballot via mail July 31, but reached […]
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 […]
Nashville Mayor John Cooper: Chief Anderson’s last day is Thursday
Nashville Mayor John Cooper drastically moved up the planned retirement of Police Chief Steve Anderson, announcing Thursday will be Anderson’s last day on the job, following the arrest of a homeless Black man for failing to abide by the city’s mask mandate. Anderson had been with the department for 45 years and served as police […]
Students work to better Black history and slavery education in TN
When Mariah Toennies was temporarily on crutches and sitting out of gym class, she said she was able to speak with her teacher at Nolensville High School a little more than usual. During one conversation her teacher learned Toennies was adopted by a white family, and that her birth father was black. Toennies said her […]
Top Homeland Security official vows federal agents ‘will not back away’ from violent protest
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s number two at the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday defended federal law enforcement officers’ intervention in protests in Portland, Oregon, and other cities this summer. Characterizing some of the protests as “mob rule,” Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told lawmakers that federal agents could exert force in […]