Beginnings
    In 1989 Forrest Harris, a National Baptist pastor and Vanderbilt University faculty member, heard about Shelby County Interfaith (SCI) in Memphis, Tennessee. This Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) organization impressed him with its ability to link church members across racial and denominational lines. Rev. Harris invited Gerald Taylor, SCI’s first organizer who had previously worked in Baltimore and Brooklyn, to begin preliminary discussion with Nashville clergy about their interest in organizing in Nashville.
    Eventually three Nashville ministerial associations co-sponsored a gathering of 80 people to form the Nashville Sponsoring Committee (NSC). The committee included priests, pastors, and rabbis who tapped denominational sources for money and recruited potential lay leaders for the organizing effort. NSC signed a contract with IAF to assist local leaders in building a “broad-based, multi-racial, locally self-determining interfaith organization dedicated to involving the poor, working class, and middle class people dealing with the persistent urban problems of Nashville.” At this point NSC represented eight denominations and twenty-two congregations and neighborhood associations.                                       

Membership

The requirements for membership included

•   the decision of the clergy leader of a congregation or the presiding officer of an organization to join

•   the commitment by lay leaders to participate

•   a congregational/organizational vote in favor of participating and working in NSC’s “issue campaigns”

•   paying requisite dues 

The NSC espoused the “Iron Rule” formulated by Saul Alinsky and carried on by the IAF: “never do for people what they can do for themselves.” Therefore, the NSC worked to be self-sufficient through an established dues base. The rationale: no organization can negotiate with political and economic powers from a position of strength apart from its own capacity to mobilize resources.

Vision and Purpose
    NSC defined itself as strictly non-partisan, meaning it could not publicly endorse specific political candidates or permit elected leaders to hold organizational leadership roles. It identified its primary objective to be the training of local leaders to improve their community. It envisioned a locally lead organization which would “respond to the biblical imperative to create a just society....empower the poor and powerless to negotiate with corporate and elected powers....enable congregations to serve as places where democratic values are promoted and training for public life is provided....and afford continued training of skills of active leadership.” 
    SCI would be broad-based with a racially and economically diverse leadership and membership, composed of “moderate voices.” It would be engaged in multiple issues rather than focus on single issues, thus providing the possibility of developing power rather than dissipating after an issue is resolved. Issues get defined by face-to-face networks and involve a process of negotiation, compromise, and ongoing reflection.

Mobilizing Human and Financial Resources

    Leaders began mobilizing their organizations’ human resources through a vast number of “one-on-one” meetings to identify potential leaders and to determine their interests.  “Organizing Teams” in each congregation conducted one-on-ones with their own members to identify common interests. In 1991 NSC held its first Worship Service with themes of “rebuilding ancient ruins,” “restoration,” and justice.
    Over its first two years, NSC received substantial funding from the Catholic church’s Campaign for Human Development (CHD), the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, the Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Community Development, the First Unitarian-Universalist Church, the Jewish Fund for Justice, the Needmor Foundation, and the Dandridge Trust. From 1992-1993, NSC collected as much as $15,000 (CHD) and $17,500 (Needmor) from single organizations, $69,000 from all denominational sources, and $20,000 from foundations. Gerald Taylor, who moved to Nashville as the lead organizer for NSC, was instrumental in securing grants and other financial support. 

First Delegates Assembly

On February 11, 1993, 300 delegates representing 35 member congregations participated in the first “Delegates Assembly” at First Baptist (National) Church, Capitol Hill (a major Civil Rights Movement center during the 1960s). Like a political convention, each delegation was sectioned off with placards, microphones were placed at various stations in the sanctuary, a chair maintained order, and everything flowed according to the well-rehearsed agenda and procedure. The “action” was to replace the NSC with a “broad-based citizens organization” to be named Tying Nashville Together (TNT).

House Meetings and Public Action

In the Spring of 1993, TNT held 312 house meetings in which 4,400 people identified what would become TNT’s priorities: education, families, neighborhoods, public safety, and the economy. Research Action Teams determined specific, concrete, and winnable issues around these concerns, and TNT began to make positive changes in Nashville.
    On June 15^th, 1993, TNT held its first public action in the Catholic Cathedral. About 1,000 people from 43 institutions participated. That action called for walking neighborhoods and visiting public schools to identify problems. Mayor Phil Bredesen complimented TNT, challenged it to come up with “clear realistic goals”, and promised to work with TNT to solve problems discovered in the neighborhood audits and school visitations. By the Fall, TNT turned its results from the neighborhood audits over to Metro officials documenting over 950 items to be fixed (e.g., pot holes, streetlights, drug houses, dilapidated housing, etc.) On November 1, Metro officials reported that they had acted upon at least two-thirds of the items presented to them, and had reorganized part of the Mayor’s staff into a more efficient “Community Response Team.

Founding Convention
    On November 14^th, 1993 TNT held its Founding Convention. The theme, “Tying the Generations Together” emphasized new actions in nursing home evaluations that TNT was initiating. This gathering also coincided with IAF’s Ten Day Training in Nashville. 1,500 delegates participated in the signing of a covenant which formally gave birth to TNT. The diversity of the group was noted in one commentary: “African Americans, Hispanics, whites; Roman Catholics, all kinds of Protestants, Jews and others; person with disabilities; all ages; rich, poor and middle class. Thirteen religious traditions participated. IAF leaders attending [Ten Day Training]....reported that this was the most diverse meeting in the South of all the groups in the IAF network.” Gerald Taylor also noted that, according to IAF leaders, TNT seemed to be the most middle class of all groups in the network. TNT leaders estimated at that time that 52% of all members were white, 46% were black, and 2% were Hispanic.

Fifth Anniversary
By 1998 when TNT celebrated its 5^th anniversary, it had several successes to acclaim:

- the Metro Interagency Response Team created in response to TNT’s first round of neighborhood audits;

- an increase in the wages of the Bordeaux nursing home aides and the institution of a career path and method of career advancement for the workers which decreased turnover and improved the quality of patient care;

- the development of the Neighborhood Justice Center,  which provides mediation alternatives for conflict resolution and has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in court and jail costs;

- the Program for Neighborhood Aftercare (PNA), a neighborhood-based, academically-enriching, free after-school program serving over 700 Metro Nashville children and currently located in 9 schools, and funded by Metro government; and

- another round of neighborhood audits in nine Nashville neighborhoods which uncovered 1,100 infrastructure items needing attention.  After a public presentation of these items to various Metro department heads, 1,000 items were been completed.  (As a further result of TNT’s efforts, $422,000 was allocated to the 1999 Metro budget for demolition of abandoned and condemned properties.)

- At this celebration, TNT presented a new platform to implement and challenged everyone to “get on board” and to “leave no one behind” in its efforts to make Nashville a city where everyone counts.

Children and Youth

-Create 1 after-school program in every council district. Within the 35 districts, expand TNT’s Program for Neighborhood Aftercare from 7 to 15 sites, all happening over the next 4 years.

- Create and fund minimum standards of excellence in all Metro schools equally, to provide facilities, resources, services, and staff to ensure a quality education for every child in Metro schools.

- Within 90 days after the election, establish a Mayor-appointed citizens’ committee, that includes TNT, to monitor the Metro desegregation plan.

Crime and Public Safety

- In response to issues of juvenile crime, strengthen the existing community policing program, by establishing a youth-outreach worker project in 3 high-crime, high-unemployment neighborhoods (i.e., Boston Plan) <!--[endif]-->

Economic Development

- Within 9 months after the election, establish a Mayor-appointed committee to create a long-range economic development plan for Nashville neighborhoods. This group would include TNT, Chambers of Commerce, universities, colleges, economic development directors, and neighborhood associations.

Housing

- Add to the current housing supply, 1000 additional, net, new units of affordable housing, including home ownership and low-income rental units, each year, for the next 4 years.

- Expand the loan pool to rehabilitate and repair housing for the elderly and disabled.

- Broaden the economic and racial diversity of our neighborhoods, including your (the council person’s) district, by rebuilding and diversifying public housing sites.

- Within 90 days after the election, organize a Metro Council-TNT meeting to discuss funding and implementation

Neighborhoods

- To improve the quality of life in neighborhoods, establish a Mayor-appointed committee, to include Metro department heads and neighborhood leaders, to develop minimum standards of livability for each neighborhood, and to develop a master plan for funding and implementation.            

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Public Transportation

- Work with TNT to restructure the Nashville bus network to equal the best system of a comparably-sized city by

- Appointing 2 regular bus riders to the MTA Board;

- Creating schedules and routes that meet customer needs 7 days per week, 24 hours per day, including routes for 2^nd and 3^rd shift workers, and Sunday travel;

- Creating bus signs that display bus route name, number, and arrival times, and,

- Directing MTA to make scheduled route information more accessible to the general public.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->Five more years of accomplishments <!--[endif]-->

Since 1998 and with its 1999 platform guiding its work, TNT has an impressive array of accomplishments and applauds Metro’s response to its promise to support the platform:

Children and Youth

<!--[if !supportLists]-->-         <!--[endif]-->There are after-school programs in every council district. Nine are Project for

Neighborhood After-school (PNA) programs.

- TNT members surveyed 67 Metro schools to assess facilities and resources needed for a quality educational program.

- Over 120 parents and TNT members participated in the surveys.

- Over 1100 TNT members, principals, teachers, and public officials attended the follow-up Delegates Assembly, June 24, 2001, to hear commitments from school officials to fix within 90 days the items we identified as health and safety issues that needed immediate attention. These included fire safety issues, health code violations, bathroom conditions, environmental problems (e.g., mold), and heating/air conditioning problems.

- Other issues that we noted as problems included security problems, on-going and long-term maintenance (especially roofing problems), custodial issues, adequate number of textbooks and library books, copying equipment and supplies, equipment for the arts and sciences, staffing for English as a second language program, Special Education needs, and availability of nurses. These and the critical needs listed above will be part of the data for creating standards that we believe will bring about equity and excellence in our schools.

- Delegates Assembly on October 22, 2001 for accountability on the commitments made at the June 24^th Assembly concerning the school survey results

- 80% of the health and safety problems we identified for the June 24^th Delegates Assembly were fixed or in progress. The other 20% were included in future renovations, schools that were closed, or under extenuating circumstances.

- Responses were also made by the Operations and Maintenance Departments to many of the other items we had identified, but were not on the 60-90 day list.                        

Mayor’s call for a property tax increase and budget allocations to support education:

- TNT endorsed the property tax increase and the budget, because it supported our platform interests.

- Both the tax increase and the mayor’s and school board’s budget supported many of the findings that we had identified through our surveys.

            - Beginning with the 2000-01 school budget and each year thereafter, millions of extra dollars have gone into the schools to add new buildings, improve old buildings, increase salaries and resources, improve services, programs, and curricula, and adding additional staff. <!--[endif]-->

TNT Parent Organizing

- Public school parents from TNT congregations across the city played a significant roll in the school surveys. In January of 2002, TNT decided to focus attention on parents in the Maplewood, Pearl-Cohn, and Stratford school clusters to hear their issues about their children’s education and the school system.

- Among many problems parents identified was the environment their children encountered as they walked to school or waited on the school bus. They decided to do an audit on April 20^th to identify safety issues and potential dangers that their children face in walking to school or in waiting for their bus. About 85 parents and TNT members participated in the audit.

- On May 6, 2002 about 200 parents and TNT members attended the Delegates Assembly to present findings from the April 20^th audit and to ask respective Metro department heads to fix within 90 days items they had identified.  Approximately 600 items were indicated, and included lack of sidewalks or sidewalks in poor condition, safety and traffic concerns, stray dogs, overgrown lots, abandoned housing, dumping, and suspicious criminal activity, such as drugs and prostitution.

- On September 16, 2002 the follow-up Accountability Assembly was held to receive Metro’s report of their response to the items turned in from the May 6^th Assembly. About 85% of the items were fixed. Virtually all were given attention and some were in process of being “fixed” at the time of the report.

Crime and Public Safety

            - 1 million dollars for community policing has been allocated, and 113 officers on desk duty will move into the streets.
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Housing

- Over 5,575 affordable housing units have been produced.

- Funding has been expanded to rehabilitate and repair housing for the elderly and disabled: Year 2001: $235,000 and Year 2002: $335,000.

- Vine Hill and Preston Taylor public housing sites have been redeveloped through the Hope 6 Program.

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Neighborhoods

- TNT worked with the Nashville Neighborhood Alliance and with Metro department personnel to develop baseline standards for all neighborhoods. This project was known as the Neighborhood Livability Standards.

            - Developed a plan for 2003 audits of neighborhoods for compliance with the standards
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Public Transportation

- 5-7 member Bus Riders Advisory Board has been established

- Not only did we accomplish our objectives for transportation, but we beyond them in developing a 26-point plan for further improvement of the bus system.

Membership Recruitment

- As of February 2003, TNT has 66 member organizations.

- TNT also has assisted Rutherford County in the formation of a Sponsoring Committee: 15 churches are involved in the initial commitment to be a community-organizing organization.

- With TNT’s help, Wilson County is in its first step toward creating a TNT-like organization. Six to eight churches are engaged in the initial effort. <!--[endif]-->

House Meetings

- In the Spring of 2002, TNT held house meetings and surveyed members to identity top TNT issues for the organization’s 2002-2004 agenda. More than 2,000 people returned surveys and more than 100 house meetings were held. Among top issues identified were the following: to improve public school facilities, reduce school dropouts, evaluate school curriculum, make neighborhoods safer and cleaner, improve home ownership opportunities, improve children’s access to healthcare, and increase access to affordable prescription drugs for seniors.

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Moving to State Issues

- On October 27, 2002 at 15^th Avenue Baptist Church, TNT held an assembly to seek commitments from candidates running for Governor and for Congress and the Senate about issues related to concerns identified through TNT’s house meetings and survey of its members. Stories were told and commitments were asked for around education, health care, and housing. Governor Bredesen and Representative Jim Cooper who later were elected promised to meet with TNT to work with us on our agenda. Nine hundred members attended the assembly. This was TNT’’s first action with a scope beyond the local level.

- Over 10,000 “report cards” on the candidates responses to TNT’s issues were distributed to TNT membership, supermarkets, small businesses, etc.

- Following the assembly, TNT also organized a Get-Out-the-Vote effort in 4 precincts with historically low turnout rates. The vote increased 45% in those precincts.

Founding Members:

Assumption Catholic Church

Brookmeade Congregational Church

Capers Memorial CME Church

Cathedral of the Incarnation

Christ Episcopal Church

Downtown Presbyterian Church

Edgehill United Methodist Church

First Baptist Church – Capitol Hill

First Community Church

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville

Glendale Baptist Church

Glendale United Methodist Church

Greater Bethel AME Church

Hillwood Presbyterian Church

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

Jefferson Street Baptist Church

Metropolitan Interdenominational Church

Monroe Street Methodist Church

New Metropolitan Baptist

Organized Neighbors of Edgehill

Organized United Residents

People First

Pleasant Green Baptist Church

St. Ann’s Episcopal Church

St. Henry’s Catholic Church

St. Luke Primitive Baptist Church

St. Matthews Episcopal

St. Patrick

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church

The Salvation Army

Schrader Lane Church of Christ

Seay Hubbard United Methodist Church

South Nashville Action People (SNAP)

Temple Baptist Church

The Temple

Unamonos

Vine Street Christian Church

West End Synagogue

West End United Methodist Church

Westminster Presbyterian Church

(Please note that there are 44 signatures on the Founding convention.  There are four names that are unreadable. If we should be able to get more information as to who these signatures are, we will update this list.)