In our ongoing celebration of Black History Month, we look back at some of the leaders, icons and pop culture juggernauts that helped to bring diversity, equity, inclusion and representation to the forefront of the American landscape — like these men and women who left their indelible mark on the…
Tag: Tennessee
‘Hideous’ Statue of Former KKK Leader Near Nashville Finally Taken Down and Destroyed After 2 Decades
A monstrous statue of former KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest that stood alongside a highway outside Nashville has finally been demolished, much to the relief of the surrounding community. Tim Fitzsimons of NBC News reported that “a statue of an early Ku Klux Klan leader and Confederate general that long…
A Black Man in Tennessee Awarded New Trial After His Jury Reportedly Met in a Room Filled With Confederate Memorabilia
A Tennessee man has been awarded a new trial after an appeals court ruled that the room where the jury for his trial met led to a biased and unfair judgment against him because it was filled with Confederate memorabilia. Tim Stelloh of NBC News reported that “a Black man’s…
20 States Sue US Government for Legal Right To Discriminate Against LGBTQ Individuals
President Biden issued guidelines earlier this year telling employers and schools that illegal discrimination against LGBTQ individuals had no place in the country and wouldn’t be tolerated. Still, not everyone appears to believe those recommendations apply to them. The Advocate’s Trudy Ring has reported that in a new court filing,…
Tennessee Judge Stops New Transphobic Bathroom-Sign Law From Going Into Effect
In their ongoing attack of transgender citizens within Tennessee, lawmakers have attempted to enact a law that would require businesses to post signs outside their restrooms “warning” customers they supported transgender rights — thereby potentially turning customers away from their businesses. However, just days before the bill was set to…
California Bans State-Funded Travel to 5 States It Considers Anti-LGBTQ; Total of 17 States Now on List
Lawmakers in California are taking a stand against other states it considers to be unfair, discriminatory and biased against LGBTQ citizens. California has compiled a list of U.S. states it is reluctant to do business with and has even compiled a list of places it refuses to pay state employees…
Tennessee Lawmakers Move to Ban Education Against Racism in State’s Public Schools
In recent months, Republican-led states have already moved to enact racist and hyper restrictive voter registration laws, strip rights from LGBTQ individuals and attack trans students and their families — but their ongoing efforts to attack Democrats, populations of color and other diverse individuals don’t appear to be stopping there….
Transgender People in Ohio Can Now Change the Gender on Their Birth Certificate; Tennessee Becomes Only State to Not Permit Such Changes
In a historic judgment, an Ohio court has ruled that the state must allow transgender individuals the right to change the gender marker on their birth certificate to match their gender identity. Ohio becomes the 49th state overall to pass such a law, leaving Tennessee as the one holdout state…
Sevier County Republican County Commissioner Loses It in Racist, Bigoted Rant Caught on Video
A county commission meeting in Sevier County, Tenn., took an ugly turn on Monday when County Commissioner Warren Hurst lost it on video and let loose a racist and bigoted rant. It began when the main resolution for the evening — a measure to make the county a so-called Second…
Cyntoia Brown is Free After Spending 15 Years in Prison
After serving 15 years — half of her life — in prison of what would have been a life sentence, Cyntoia Brown is now free. She left the Tennessee Prison for Women on the morning of Aug. 7. The now 31-year-old was tried as an adult at 16 years old…