By Ashley Benkarski
NASHVILLE, TN— State Senator Charlane Oliver will be holding the first of four planned town halls beginning Tuesday, June 6 and again June 12-14.
Tuesday’s town hall will be held at Meharry Medical College’s Cal Turner Family Center (1011 21st Ave N, Nashville) at 6 p.m. The event will give entrepreneurs and small business owners information about new funding under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act that is being provided for Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individuals (SEDI) and Very Small Business (VSB) owners.
Tennessee has been allotted $116.9 million under the State Small Business Credit Initiative
(SSBCI 2.0) through the U.S. Department of Treasury, with half going to SEDIs and VSBs. The initiative has been named Fund Tennessee (FundTN).
FundTN, launched by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, consists of three parts: InvestTN, LendTN, and AssistTN, all of which serve to provide entrepreneurs and small businesses with the tools they need to become capital ready. Sen. Oliver said that includes making sure proper paperwork is filed, an issue that too often keeps businesses from thriving or, if they’re just starting out, getting off the ground in the first place.
But that isn’t necessarily their fault; bureaucratic red tape and a lack of information regarding these programs make it hard to keep up. And racism in the banking industry has been blocking the ability of minority-owned businesses to compete for generations.
That’s exactly why Sen. Oliver is holding these town halls, she said: To connect taxpayers with the services they pay for.
Sen. Oliver said that the initiative, which seeks to provide equity in access to capital, would help ensure the integrity of District 19’s historically diverse business culture while boosting its presence.
Then, beginning June 12 and ending June 14, Sen. Oliver will host three town halls each day to give constituents a chance to have their voices heard.
Sen. Oliver will speak about the recent legislative session, including topics such as the effects of the third-grade reading retention law, the Relative Caregiver Assistance Program, transportation and gun safety.
Now, more than ever it’s important for people to show up, she said, pointing to recent attacks by a Republican supermajority on women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and education.
The attempted ouster of “The Tennessee Three” shocked the nation with its blatant disregard for the will of voters in its goal of silencing dissent. Sen. Oliver said she was proud to stand with Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson, and proud of the work she’d been able to do in her first term so far despite the chaotic nature of politics in the state.
The June 12 town hall will be held at Lee Chapel AME Church; the June 13 event will be held at East Park Community Center; and the June 14 event will be held at Southeast Community Center. All events take place at 6 p.m.
Sen. Oliver partnered with the Urban League of Middle Tennessee, The Nashville Black Market, the Nashville Business Incubation Center, TSU’s Business Incubation Center, Black Business Boom, and Corner 2 Corner to hear from representatives from the FundTN initiative.
To register for the June 6 FundTN town hall, visit bit.ly/BizTownHall19. To register for the June 12-14 town halls visit bit.ly/OliverEvents19.
For more information on FundTN, visit https://www.tn.gov/ecd/small-business/ssbci.
