On July 18, Tennessee Senate Minority Leader Sen. Raumesh Akbari and House Minority Leader Rep. Karen Camper hosted their second summer legislative field hearing in Nashville to showcase the value of initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
In addition to Akbari and Camper, the legislative hearing at Fisk University’s Jubilee Hall featured Sen. Heidi Campbell, Sen. Jeff Yarbro, Rep. Vincent Dixie and Rep. Harold Love.
Lawmakers heard from representatives from Middle Tennessee’s business, medical, education, and music communities testifying about their experiences with diversity initiatives in the workplace. The discussion focused on the impact and importance of inclusive policies.
The hearing comes at a time when when they say the Republican-controlled Tennessee General Assembly and G.O.P. state attorney general are actively targeting these programs and conservative activists are targeting companies that employ these initiatives, such as Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor Supply Co.
Also, the legislators say that Gov. Bill Lee tells delegates at the Republican National Convention that his voucher plan, which threatens to re-segregate Tennessee schools, is a “civil rights issue.”
“This hearing is a critical opportunity for lawmakers to hear directly from community members and leaders in business, education, law and healthcare about the positive effects of inclusive policies in the workplace,” said Sen. Akbari. “It’s about understanding the real-world benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion and ensuring that all voices are heard in the policy-making process.”
In recent years, Tennessee’s Republican Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has also threatened legal action against private businesses for hiring practices that promote diversity and threatened the American Bar Association for standards that encourage diversity in admissions and hiring. Republican lawmakers passed a law to root out affirmative action policies at state colleges, several ‘divisive concepts’ laws targeting speech at K-12 public schools and colleges, and established a process to ban books in schools. Republicans have also proposed outright bans on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in government.
The Nashville Freedom to Be Heard Field Hearing is part of a series of community meetings being organized by Leader Akbari and Leader Camper. In June, they hosted a field hearing in Memphis at the National Civil Rights Museum. Details will soon be announced for a third field hearing in East Tennessee.
