The Equity Alliance has launched a partnership with the Black Progressive Action Coalition (BPAC), BlackPAC and grassroots organizations across the country to promote Black Citizenship In Action. On Saturday, Nov. 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., they’re holding the next installment of their Black Citizenship in Action “Citizenship School” at Nashville School of Law, 4013 Armory Oaks Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37204. Lunch and childcare will be provided, and the event is free and open to Black community members. Advance registration is required, however, and you can register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/ 2m5HH_38CkG9izu1vxUOUQ2.
Their initial program dealt with the topic “Bridging the Past and Our Desired Future.” The goal of that session was to explain what strategic civic action is and how to use it to effect change. They discussed the impact of citizen communication with public officials and explored opportunities for citizens to participate in the political process, monitor government action and influence policy.
The new session on November 16 will address “Movement Building.” In this session, they will explore the history of political movements, the implication of action and how that affects their movement for change today. They will welcome back their veteran facilitators Adrianne Shropshire, Dr. Charlene Sinclair and Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown.
Black voters in Tennessee have been disenfranchised through systemic means. Representation matters, and it is important for black voters to see themselves in the democratic process through the appointed, civic, and elected leaders in their community.
The Equity Alliance advocates for Civic Leadership by encouraging people of color to take leadership roles in shaping policy on the local, state and national level. Through intensive 4-6 week learning workshops, their Black Citizenship in Action Academy will develop the next generation of Black civic leaders. They work to ensure that Black people can exercise their full rights as citizens, and can shape our democracy to its fullest potential.
The Equity Alliance joins BPAC, BlackPAC and partners in states across the country, from Michigan to California and from Louisiana to Ohio, to hold local events that deepen our community’s shared understanding of our past and present, our rights as citizens, sharpen our analysis of the political landscape in which we are operating, and collectively develop winning strategies to demand a country that values our Black lives and strives toward justice and equality.
The Black Citizenship in Action program is designed in the spirit of the Citizenship Schools founded during the Civil Rights Movement by Septima Clark and offered between 1957 and 1970. These independent schools were established throughout the Deep South but started in the State of Tennessee at the Highlander Folk School to serve two purposes: 1) to give participants the skills to return to their communities and motivate others, and 2) to teach them literacy and Constitutional understanding so that they could qualify to vote. The Equity Alliance will continue the great legacy and model of Ms. Clark’s Citizenship Schools in offering the Black Citizenship in Action strategy sessions.
