We Are Nashville™

In the summer of 2017, we heard hateful language concerning our country’s past and our present.  As we watched the news of hate groups gather in Middle Tennessee unfold before our very eyes, we saw intolerance, bigotry, hatred, and violence at work nearby.

It was time we sent another strong message that we stand behind our community and resolve to do our best to protect it from those who might attempt to tear it apart.

We could not stand idly by as the vitriol and vortex of hatred grow.

That was not the Nashville way and, lest we forget: WE ARE NASHVILLE!

In an effort to take a stand in support of ALL Nashvillians, we took out a full page ad in The Tennessean of The Power of Nashville resolution alongside signatures of more than 2,400 community members and organizations.

After the publication, the resolution gained additional traction, and by early September 2017, The Power of Nashville resolution was signed by nearly 3,600 individuals and organizations. It stated:

THE POWER OF NASHVILLE

Whether you arrived here decades ago or just yesterday, you stayed because there is something
unique here that unites us, and has made this the vibrant, welcoming, and growing city it is today.

We are a city with a generous spirit and an open door.

In our best moments, we embrace openness, honesty and a deep,
collective desire to strengthen the community we share.

We are a city that is powerful beyond measure when we think and act together; no matter
what we believe, where we come from, or what our differences might be.

And together we stand today to say there is no room here
for the kind of bigotry, hatred and violence we saw in Virginia.

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TODAY, WE MUST BE CATALYSTS FOR UNITY:

We resolve that if fate leads someone to Nashville, we will embrace them as our own.

We resolve that if someone speaks ill of our neighbors, we will remind them that is not our way.

We resolve to challenge ill-informed or hateful speech before it becomes reality.

We resolve that where there is conflict, we will settle it peacefully.

No matter what the rest of the world may say or do, let us remember one thing:

WE ARE NASHVILLE.

PLEASE JOIN US.
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.

Thank you to all who took a stand with us and signed The Power of Nashville resolution.