How Nashville can preserve and amplify the city's African American history | Opinion

The signatories and partner organizations listed below are endeavoring to realize two long-awaited dreams: the creation of a museum dedicated to Nashville’s African American and civil rights histories and the preservation of the historic Morris Memorial Building.

Often referenced and celebrated as fundamental to Nashville’s development into a welcoming, world-class community, the local civil rights movement and the brave individuals who risked everything have not been adequately memorialized. The city must do more to tell the comprehensive story of the movement within the context of Nashville’s African American history. Our community should take every opportunity to show its pride in how this era shaped the future of Nashville and, ultimately, the nation.

Although information about the important role Black Nashvillians played in the Civil Rights movement is more accessible, stories about their contributions to Music City's history and development remain elusive or unacknowledged.

A substantial amount of the city’s infrastructure, policies, and social reforms were shaped by African Americans, either in response to their actions and/or to punish/marginalize them. African American culture has played and continues to play a vital role in Nashville’s story, and it is time to honor and memorialize this history.

Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee. 

Support is growing for an African American history museum in Nashville

The Morris Memorial Building opened in 1926 and was named for Elijah Camp Morris, National Baptist Convention USA Inc.'s first president. Born enslaved in Georgia, Morris studied at Nashville Normal and Theological Institute. This five-story building was designed by the prominent, Black-owned architectural firm of McKissack & McKissack and constructed for the National Baptist Convention, an African American Christian denomination.

Baptist Sunday School Publishing Board, McKissack & McKissack, Citizens Savings Bank and Trust Company, and Atlanta Insurance Company's Nashville location were all housed there. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 for its significance in architecture and Black history.

The Metro Human Relations Commission has made a capital request to purchase and rehabilitate the building to hold a civil rights and African American history museum and Metro offices. In tandem with this, a community campaign is coalescing individuals and organizations that agree it is time to canonize African American presence in Nashville before more of it is lost.

This initiative is raising awareness and funding to cover the development and short-term viability of the museum. The Community Foundation has initiated a fund and events are being organized for June 17 and July 15 by Rosedale Collective.

To be clear, the immediate goal is not to decide what exhibits will be in the museum. A committee made up of historians, archivists, and curators is assembling to develop community input processes to be implemented when the funding to create the museum has been raised. The initiative’s focus is providing the optimal environment for the museum to thrive while being accessible and affordable to all.

The signatories look forward to working with organizations, elected officials, government agencies, historians, historically marginalized neighborhoods and communities, academic institutions, houses of worship, and all neighbors who are committed to a just and inclusive Nashville to make this dream a reality.

Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.

Here is how to take action and share your support

1. Let the Mayor (mayor@nashville.gov) and Council Members (councilmembers@nashville.gov) know you support Metro saving the Morris Memorial Building.

2. Go to the following link to support fundraising efforts for the museum: www.cfmt.org/civilrightshistory.

3. Attend/support the upcoming events on June 17 and July 15. For more info, visit: www.SavetheMorris.org.

Individual signatories:

1. King Hollands

2. Aisha White

3. Betsy Phillips

4. Charles Bone, Sr.

5. Charles Robert Bone

6. Chief Public Defender Martesha Johnson Moore

7. Chris Sanders

8. Cindy Politte

9. CJ Sentell

10. Council Member Angie Henderson

11. Council Member Bob Mendes

12. Council Member Brandon Taylor

13. Council Member Brett Withers

14. Council Member Burkley Allen

15. Council Member Courtney Johnston

16. Council Member Delishia Porterfield

17. Council Member Emily Benedict

18. Council Member Erin Evans

19. Council Member Freddie O’Connell

20. Council Member Ginny Welsch

21. Council Member Jeff Syracuse

22. Council Member Jennifer Gamble

23. Council Member John Rutherford

24. Council Member Joy Styles

25. Council Member Kyontze Toombs

26. Council Member Russ Pulley

27. Council Member Sandra Sepulveda

28. Council Member Sean Parker

29. Council Member Sharon Hurt

30. Council Member Zulfat Suara

31. County Clerk Brenda Wynn

32. Courtney Vrablik

33. Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry

34. Dr. Carole Bucy

35. Dr. Gatluak Thach

36. Dr. Forrest Harris

37. Dr. Learotha Williams

38. Dr. Marisa Richmond

39. Erica Perry

40. Hal Cato

41. Hon. Megan Barry

42. Hon. Sheila Calloway

43. Jamel Campbell Gooch

44. Jennifer Oldham

45. Jerome Moore

46. Jim Gingrich

47. John Lasiter

48. Juvenile Court Clerk Lonnell Matthews, Jr.

49. Kaki Friskics- Warren

50. Kasar Abdulla

51. Keith Caldwell

52. Kristen Keely-Dinger

53. Maryam Abolfazli

54. Matt Wiltshire

55. Metro Trustee Erica Gilmore

56. Michelle Johnson

57. Mike Smith

58. Odessa Kelly

59. Pastor Aaron Marble

60. Pastor Davie Tucker

61. Phyllis Hildreth

62. Ralph Schulz

63. Raquel Barlow

64. Renata Soto

65. Rep. Bob Freeman

66. Rep. Harold Love, Jr.

67. Rep. Jason Powell

68. Rep. John Ray Clemmons

69. Rep. Vincent Dixie

70. Rev. Venita Lewis

71. Rosetta Perry

72. Sabina Mohyuddin

73. Sen. Charlane Oliver

74. Sen. Heidi Campbell

75. Sen. Jeff Yarbro

76. Sharon Kay

77. Tasha French Lemley

78. Tequila Johnson

79. Terry Vo

80. Timothy Hughes

81. Tom Negri

82. Vivian Wilhoite, Davidson County Property Assessor

83. Vanessa Lazon

84. Yuri Cunza

Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee. 

Group signatories

1. Nashville Civil Rights Veterans

2. American Baptist College

3. American Muslim Advisory Council

4. AWAKE TN

5. Black Nashville Assembly

6. Community Foundation

7. Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival

8. Entrepreneur Latina Leaders of America

9. Faith and Culture Center

10. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

11. Humanities Tennessee

12. Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship

13. Metro Arts Nashville

14. Metro Human Relations Commission

15. Metro Nashville Community Oversight Board

16. Mosaic Changemakers

17. NAACP Nashville

18. Nashville International Center for Empowerment

19. Oasis Center

20. R.H. Boyd

21. Rosedale Collective

22. Stand Up Nashville

23. The Equity Alliance

24. The Nashville Food Project

25. TN Equality Project

26. TN Justice Center

27. TN Latin American Chamber of Commerce

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville must preserve and amplify its African American history