It’s been a while since I’ve reached out like this—but as your mayor, I want to make sure you’re hearing directly from me about the gerrymandering happening in Tennessee right now.
This week, the Tennessee legislature rushed through partisan gerrymandered maps in all nine of the state’s congressional districts ahead of this year’s midterm election.
Unfair redistricting maps don’t help us get dedicated funding for housing, expand Medicaid, or make childcare easier.
After the United States Supreme Court decision last week demolished the Voting Rights Act, I joined a rally at the state capitol—because none of our congressional representatives could. We don’t even have a congressional office in the city right now, and it’s bad for Nashvillians just like it’s about to be bad for Memphians.
For decades, we had rights that guarded against actions like what we saw in Tennessee this week: creating discriminatory maps by carving up districts based on race and diluting the power of minority groups to the benefit of one political party.
If you really want to understand how undemocratic this power grab is, you should know they literally had to repeal a law preventing redistricting more than once a decade. And to help their friends take advantage of the new districts, they waived residency requirements.
This moment matters. I know the news this week can make it hard to see our path forward. But there is a path. We are not alone.
Nashville has always been a city that believes in showing up for each other, even when things get complicated, even when the stakes are high. That doesn’t change now. We’ll stand together, James, and we’ll stand with communities across Tennessee.
Over the coming weeks and months, I’ll be in closer contact to keep you updated as things unfold and provide you with clear ways you can take action to keep looking out for your neighbors the way Nashville always does.
And if you have more questions on exactly what’s happening → Check out and share this article with more information.
In solidarity,
— Freddie
