The Power of Student Organizing Forced Change in Tennessee

By Amber Sherman, TN Regional Organizer, Black Voters Matter As an organizer and activist in the state of Tennessee, I am painfully aware of the oppressive tactics used by the majority party in the Tennessee General Assembly to deny progress in Black communities. In recent months, the Republican-led legislature launched a baseless attack on the only public HBCU in the state, resulting in huge gaps in the university’s institutional knowledge and severe financial deficits. In a recent press conference, student organizers, alumni, and local and national leaders came together to demand that Tennessee State University (TSU) be immediately funded by the state. Without this funding, the impact of this devastating loss would be irreparable to our community. Black voters understand what’s at stake. If our demands are not met, we will shift the balance of power in the Tennessee legislature come November.& For weeks, TSU students and organizers worked around the clock to raise awareness of the impending takeover. They organized numerous actions, including petitioning the governor and the legislature to stop the takeover, holding protests at the capitol, working to educate the campus community about the situation and launching multiple phone banking and text campaigns. Despite their efforts, last...