Tennessee Voices, Episode 359: Andrea Conte, founder, You Have the Power
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Andrea Conte, the former First Lady of Nashville and of Tennessee, said she didn't understand the justice system until she was in it.
Her husband Phil Bredesen was mayor of Nashville in the 1990s, and during that time period, she was kidnapped and assaulted. While she managed to get away, she experienced the sense of helplessness, confusion and fear felt by other crime victims in trying to process the trauma and obtain justice in the courts.
That is why she founded You Have The Power in 1995 to advocate for victims and prevent violent crime.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, Conte spoke about her passion and mission for advocacy, and her desire to create a greater sense of understanding and support for crime victims.
In 1996, YHTP dedicated the Children's Memory Garden to remember child victims of gun violence. There were 35 names then. Today, there are more than 230 children's names remembered.
Bredesen served as Tennessee's 48th governor from 2003 to 2011, and Conte continued her advocacy work then and to this day.
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About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee. He is of Colombian and Cuban descent, has studied or worked in several Spanish-speaking countries, and was the founding editor of Gaceta Tropical in Southwest Florida. He has lived in Tennessee since 2014. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Video podcast: Andrea Conte, founder, You Have the Power
