NASHVILLE, TN — The legacy of the late, great civil rights leader and judge Rickard H. Dinkins is being honored by the school system he fought hard to improve. Dinkin’s efforts directly helped desegregate Nashville schools and reshape its school system. To commemorate his impact, Brick Church Middle School is now renamed Judge Richard H. Dinkins Middle School. In his career, Dinkins spent time as the lead attorney for the Nashville school desegregation case, working on high-profile civil rights cases and discrimination cases, and working to create equity within Nashville schools. The dedication ceremony for Dinkins’ name was held at…
Author: Logan Langlois
NASHVILLE, TN — Elon Musk’s Boring Company is beginning excavation work outside Tennessee’s capital building on Rosa L Parks Boulevard for its Music City Loop project, which they’re proposing will connect to BNA Airport via an underground tunnel. However, Nashville citizens and representatives continue to loudly voice deep concern. Democratic District 51 Tennessee House Representative Aftyn Behn said she does not feel Musk or Boring are being transparent enough about the public concessions that would have to be made for the project. Behn said there are also major equity and community concerns, especially from Black neighborhoods in Nashville, about how…
NASHVILLE, TN – The battle for the health of Memphis’ citizens and environment continues as Elon Musk’s xAI power plant, built for the purpose of powering his Grok AI, continues to face endless backlash regarding its construction and significant pollution output. Community members and activist groups, along with public representatives, continue to speak out against the pollution and lack of transparency shared by Musk’s team since before the Memphis facility opened. Tennessee State House District 86 Memphis Representative Justin J. Pearson said the xAI power plant’s initial construction was illegal, and that when the facility first opened, the air pollution…
NASHVILLE, TN – Nashvillians celebrate an exciting event centered around building up our fellow citizens today, as the new Nashville PBS show The Good In Us is holding a live taping during the A Slice of Community event tonight at 7 pm at Nashville PBS, 161 Rains Avenue. The event is free, though reservations are needed, and taping will begin promptly at 8 pm. Host and producer Jerome Moore said, as someone who has done boots-on-the-ground work not only in his hometown of Nashville but also abroad with the Peace Corps in Paraguay and with Nongovernmental Organizations in Costa Rica,…
NASHVILLE, TN – The self-described “first-of-its-kind” Future Way Forward conference, an extension of the community outreach organization Everybody Versus Racism (EVR), was held last week at the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM). Organizers described those who participated in the event as creatives, founders, and professionals dedicated to progressing the conversation around how everyday people can build a more inclusive community in Tennessee. Dr. Gerald Onuoha, CEO of the Future Way Forward conference and Everybody Versus Racism, said announcing the event was very exciting. Onuoha said the purpose of the event is to stir conversation around what an inclusive…
NASHVILLE, TN – The infamous ‘Drag Ban Bill’ HB0884, proposed by Representative Chris Todd (R-Madison County) who has gone on record to say he has never seen a drag performance, passed the House Judiciary Committee last week, and is headed for a vote in the House today despite public outcry from civil right advocacy groups such as the Tennessee Equality Project. Jay Kill, founder and owner of Frankie J’s bar located in north Nashville, said as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a friend of the drag community for the entirety of his adult life, the news of the…
SEATTLE, WA – Mainstream Rock n’ Roll has a long history of excluding Black artists, despite the genre’s spawning from Black-culture and often the most pivotal voices in rock being Black themselves. Tina Bell is one such figure. Posthumously credited as “the Godmother of Grunge” and “The Queen of Grunge,” Bell’s rock band Bam Bam is often cited as one of the first ‘grunge’ pioneers. Despite being amongst many great musicians of their time, Bam Bam never enjoyed the recognition their contemporaries did. Bam Bam founding bassist Scott Ledgerwood said this was not because of the bands’ musical ability but…
NASHVILLE, TN – A historic announcement in the history of women’s sports in Nashville was made last week when Athletes Unlimited Sports, who host a network of professional women’s leagues in sports such as basketball, volleyball, and softball, announced they will be coming back to Music City next year to play in the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Chief Growth Officer of Athletes Unlimited Allie Kleva said that AU has received an overwhelming warm welcome from both the city of Nashville and Nashville sports fans alike, something that greatly influenced AU’s decision to come back another year. “It’s men, women, and children,…
NASHVILLE, TN – Civil rights advocacy groups have responded quickly to proposed bill HB0327, introduced by conservative District 61 House Representative Gino Bulso, which calls for the month of June, recognized nationally as “Gay Pride Month,” to be designated as “Celebration of Life” month in Tennessee. The legislation also proposes renaming July as “Celebration of Liberty” month and August as “Celebration of the Pursuit of Happiness” month, drawing from Thomas Jefferson’s quote in the Declaration of Independence. Nashville Pride President Tina Tousignant said she found the legislation absurd upon first hearing about it. She also reached out to the Tennessee…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Equality Project, TEP, announced that their ‘Freedom Together’ statement which is self-described as taking a stand “for Dignity and Freedom and Against Discrimination,” has gained over 100 signatures. These signatures include that of organizations, small businesses, and congregations, with the list of signees still growing. The TEP statement continued, “dignity of every person is the cornerstone of good public policy,” and “words and laws that divide us have no place as Tennessee looks to the future.” The statement concluded that “Bills that limit life-saving healthcare for transgender and nonbinary people, create obstacles for LGBTQ students…