NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The Metro Human Relations Commission hosted the inaugural Randy Rayburn Friendsgiving Feast last week at Nashville’s Farmers Market to launch its “Humans Over Hate” initiative. The host’s Executive Director Davie Tucker Jr. said MHRC was extremely excited about the event and the impact the initiative can make in communities in and around Nashville.
“We’re interested in the general health, safety, peace and general welfare of all mass millions,” Tucker said. “This seems one of the things that we need to do.”
Tucker said Humans Over Hate launched the “No Hate On My Plate” initiative, which will be working with community organizations to provide communal meals promoting togetherness and conversation. He said these dinners are an effort to help people who may not normally talk realize they have far more in common than they may have originally thought, as most people aspire for the same things such as stable living, work, security and a sense of belonging.
Tucker said people can find it easy to hate each other when they do not have the chance to communicate, and that these dinners will allow people to expand their understanding by learning from the perspectives of others. As a member of the Imagine Nashville Steering Committee that surveyed 10,000 Nashvillians, he said although Nashville presents itself as a welcoming place, a significant number of people say they don’t feel they belong.
“When you start thinking about ways in which people internalize a feeling of not belonging, a lot of that often has to do with the treatment that they’re receiving in a micro or even macro type level,” Tucker said.
Tucker said he was inspired to take a stance against hate by watching an all-around rise of hateful rhetoric across his state. He said an example of hate being on the rise in Tennessee includes the recent rise of nazi and white supremacist marches taking place in downtown Nashville over the past year. Tucker said this problem is not limited to Tennessee, as acts of hate and sympathy for hateful rhetoric has been on the rise for several years throughout the country.
“You can even look at some groups that are victims of hate that can very well be perpetrators of hate themselves,” Tucker said. “So how does MHRC make Nashville or help to make Nashville more aware and sensitive to these events in our own community?”
Tucker said the Friendsgiving kick off saw people eating good food with a Thanksgiving theme served by multiple local chefs and vendors. He said the event also featured several speakers who spoke about the person the meal is named in honor of – Randy Rayburn.
“He recently passed, and I knew him originally through others and particularly through the Midtown Cafe,” Tucker said. “Just his large personality, his welcoming spirit, ‘Nobody was a stranger,’ type demeanor fits well with this anti-hate campaign. You can’t hate and be hospitable at the same time.”
Tucker said that speakers talked about the impact that Rayburn had on both themselves as individuals and in Nashville as a whole with “his magnanimous hospitality.” Guest speakers also discussed the local and international rise of hateful rhetoric and how to avoid both the participation and perpetuation of hateful acts.
Tucker said that No Hate On My Plate is still gathering community organizations to take part in the dinner.
