The Office of the Metropolitan and Davidson County Trustee Erica S. Gilmore announces the 4th Annual Diane Nash Commemorative Walk on Sunday, April 19, 2026, along with other community programming. Events highlight preparation, leadership, and civic courage under the theme “Prepared for the Moment.” The Walk itself is on Sunday, April 19, 2026, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, and it is the centerpiece of activities celebrating Diane Nash and her leadership in the movement.
New this year, the inaugural Diane Nash “Prepared for the Moment” Oratory, Music & Arts Creative Competition invites students from across Nashville to honor the courage and leadership of civil rights icon Diane Nash through original creative work in Speech, Song, Visual Art, and Digital Art categories. Inspired by Nash’s extraordinary impact as a young female student, it empowers participants in Junior and Senior Divisions to explore themes of justice, community action, and moral courage.
The competition celebrates youth voice, artistic excellence, and the enduring legacy of one of Nashville’s most influential leaders. Winners are recognized during the city’s Annual Diane Nash Commemorative events, with top entries showcased across community platforms. Get more information on the competition at: www.ericagilmore.com/diane_nash26 Please note that there is an underscore between “diane” and “nash” in the link (diane_nash26). The Deadline to enter is Tuesday, March 31 before Midnight.
Judges for the competition include Trustee Erica S. Gilmore (Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson Co. Trustee and MNPS Alumni), Metanoya Webb (Creative Content Executive & former Editor Essence Magazine), David Jon Walker (Graphic Designer & Educator Yale University and MNPS Alumni), Dr. Learotha Williams Jr. (Davidson County Historian, Professor of History Tennessee State University), Rev. Dr. Jason Curry (Associate VP for Institutional Effectiveness & Dean of Chapel Fisk University), and Rabbi Shana Mackler (Rabbi & Scholar The Temple Nashville, Congregation Ohabai Sholom).
Leading up to Sunday’s Walk, Thursday, April 16 through Saturday, April 18, daily from 3:00–5:00 pm, the “Prepared for the Moment” Mobile Exhibit showcasing Diane Nash’s preparation and leadership will be on display at various locations around Metro.
And early on Sunday morning, April 19, 2026, at 5:30 am, “Ringing of the Bell” at 2012 Meharry Blvd., at the site where civil rights attorney Z. Alexander Looby lived when his home was dynamite-bombed by cowardly members of the Ku Klux Klan early in the morning of April 19, 1960. Later that day, over 3,000 protestors marched silently from North Nashville to the Davidson County Courthouse in response to the bombing of Looby’s home. That march led to a defining moment when student leaders C.T. Vivian and Diane Nash confronted Mayor Ben West, prompting his public statement that segregation was immoral. Their courage helped pave the way for desegregation in Nashville and beyond.
The Walk retraces those steps from First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill (FBCCH), concluding at the old Nashville Courthouse at 1 Public Square. FBCCH is now located at 900 Nelson Merry Street, also 625 Rosa Parks Boulevard, not far from the location of the historic original FBCCH on the corner of Charlotte Avenue and the then Eighth Avenue, North, where the 1960 march began.
Sunday at 2:30 pm: “A Celebration of Courage” at First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill will have the Winners of the “Prepared for the Moment” Creative Competition on display and / or perform.
At 3:15 pm, the Silent March will proceed from FBCCH to Diane Nash Plaza, 1 Public Square.
