Nashville, TN– Stand Up Nashville is proud to announce the first cohort of2021 Change Leaders through its newly created Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI).BCLI strives to reimagine policymaking for the common good by training and supporting individuals from Black, Brown, Immigrant, and working-class communities to serve on boards and commissions with the explicit goal of advancing equitable policies.
Nashville has the ability to improve lives through its boards, commissions, and authorities by creating good jobs, improving schools, investing in affordable housing, protecting immigrants, and supporting climate justice. Yet, corporations and developers have been prioritized over people for the sake of profit.
A vast majority of people appointed to boards and commissions do not come from low-income, working-class, or communities of color. BLCI seeks to change this by advocating for more diverse board selection and providing cohort members with a framework to deepen their understanding about economic development, employment, housing, land use, and transit through an intersectional lens that includes race and class.
The participants selected for the 2021 Change Leaders are:
● Brenda Waybrant
● Sherleta Sanders
● Sam Malick-Petschulat
● Timothy Hughes
● La’Kishia Harris
● Makayla McCree
● Teagan Stewart
● Maxine Spencer
● Larry Turnley
● David Aguilera
● Honey Hereth
● Celeste Malone
● Charmin Bates
● Callie Jennings
Odessa Kelly, Executive Director of Standup Nashville said “A key aspect of the progressive movement was electing representation that reflected who we are as a city, individuals who are bold enough to reform the systems that govern us all, systems that to this day increase the gap between our residents instead of bridging them.”
For additional information, visit https://standupnashville.org.
