By Logan Langlois
NASHVILLE, TN — The Memorial Foundation recently announced seven young Tennessean social justice leaders as members of its third Social Justice Fellows Program cohort. The eight-week-long program has 50 participants in total from across the nation and is taking place virtually. In these workshops, participants have been meeting together to network and share personal experiences and ideas. The program also invites special guests with much experience in civil rights to teach the lessons they’ve learned, in the hopes of helping sharpen a strong leadership class ready to fight for social justice for years to come.
A prominent social responsibility advocate with a successful career in blending grassroots tactics into her outreach, the Nashville-based Tamara Bates said she was very excited to be accepted into such a program. She said that being a part of the Social Justice Fellows to follow the organization’s mission statement of continuing the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is an honor. Bates said it’s largely the civic engagement that Social Justice Fellows say they strive for that leads to more engaged voters. She said that much of her job is spent trying to meet voters where they are so that she can encourage them to register to vote.
Bates said that the group sessions have been an amazing community builder, especially among those who live in the same state as her. She said that in the social justice line of work, big wins often come few and far between, and that working so hard to get them can often leave some feeling burned out. She said having a place for people to support each other’s mental health is a great help, and allows the leaders to explore new and creative ideas.
Tyler Finley from Memphis, an esteemed honors Dillard University senior who focuses on LGBTQ+ youth health and wellness, said the group discussion often lasts about an hour and is led by a moderator as well as an esteemed guest on occasion. He said the workshops allow for leaders to share the different perspectives and stories Bates was talking about as well. Finley said when first taking part in the discussions, he was happy to see that so many of the leaders wanting to cause real change were from his home state.
“It was a shock to know that many of us were from either Memphis or Nashville,” Finley said. “So that was kind of a little heartwarming moment.”
Finley, who served as a White House HBCU scholar with the Department of Education and White House Initiative on HBCUs this year, said the workshop has helped him feel equipped for the future. Having experience with advocating for LGBTQ+ youth of color living in the south, Finley said that listening to the guests coming to talk to his class has helped him to want to produce more equitable initiatives within his community.
“Now is a very critical time for us to be passing more initiatives that will be able to provide more resources and also to be able to see change within our communities,” Finley said.
Both Finley and Bates said they are excited to finish the course to see what the rest of the program has in store for them. Readers can choose to follow the Memorial Foundation to find out more about the Social Justice Fellows program.
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