Our first endorsements in the Nashville Election

As immigrants and refugees face unrelenting attacks from the federal and state governments, cities have a powerful role to play in protecting our communities and defending our values.

On August 1, voters in Nashville are going to the polls for the first major Metro election in the Trump era. In this historic moment, we need to elect bold and progressive candidates who reflect our community and our values. That’s why we’re excited to announce our endorsements of Burkley Allen, Fabian Bedne, Gicola Lane, Bob Mendes and Zulfat Suara in the race for Metro Council Members At-Large and Vice Mayor Jim Shulman for re-election.

This election, we’re proud to have two first-generation immigrants running to represent our communities in countywide seats. Originally from Argentina, Fabian Bedne, the outgoing representative for District 31, is the first immigrant to have served on the Metro Council. Zulfat Suara, who is originally from Nigeria and a longtime advocate for immigrant rights and social justice, would be the first Muslim to be elected to Metro Council.

In 2017, Bob Mendes introduced a measure, co-sponsored by Burkley Allen, Fabian Bedne, and Jim Shulman, to disentangle local government agencies from efforts by federal immigration enforcement agents to deport and detain Nashvillians. Gicola Lane was a leading force behind the successful 2018 referendum to create the Community Oversight Board.

It’s clear these candidates understand the powerful role that cities must play in protecting and investing in immigrant communities, especially in this historic moment. They earned our endorsement because they are serious policy makers who are focused on solving problems and have proven their commitment to ensuring equity and inclusion for Nashville’s growing immigrant community.

We’ll be sharing additional endorsements for the other races on the ballot in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Will you help us elect pro-immigrant candidates to the Nashville Metro Council?