About The Coalition
The Coalition exists to create opportunities for racial justice in our city and beyond. We seek to explore where, how, and why inequity exists across racial lines, as well as our individual and collective role in enabling or dismantling the systems that support it.
We are hopeful that in Christ, all things are being made new, including our relationships with each other and our own long-held beliefs.
We partner with local churches, faith-based nonprofits, and other equal justice initiatives to establish and/or reclaim an evangelical foundation committed to cultural humility and racial equity.
About The Coalition
The Coalition exists to create opportunities for racial justice in our city and beyond. We seek to explore where, how, and why inequity exists across racial lines, as well as our individual and collective role in enabling or dismantling the systems that support it.
We are hopeful that in Christ, all things are being made new, including our relationships with each other and our own long-held beliefs.
We partner with local churches, faith-based nonprofits, and other equal justice initiatives to establish and/or reclaim an evangelical foundation committed to cultural humility and racial equity.
Why our work is critical for Nashville
Nashville is considered an “It” city but the disparity within our education, workforce, and criminal systems show that Nashville is not an equitable place for all. As our city grows and experiences “progress” many of our most vulnerable are further marginalized. According to Nashville’s 2016 Community Needs Assessment, the white population was almost twice as likely to have a bachelor’s degree than the black or African American population. Using data for families, the poverty rate for black or African American families was highest at 28.7% among racial categories, more than three times as high as the 8.6% for white families. The Color of Justice reports that the racial composition by incarceration rates for all (male plus female) in Tennessee is 316 white and 1,166 black. That means that more than 3 1⁄2 times as many blacks are incarcerated as whites.
Why our work is critical for Nashville
Nashville is considered an “It” city but the disparity within our education, workforce, and criminal systems show that Nashville is not an equitable place for all. As our city grows and experiences “progress” many of our most vulnerable are further marginalized. According to Nashville’s 2016 Community Needs Assessment, the white population was almost twice as likely to have a bachelor’s degree than the black or African American population. Using data for families, the poverty rate for black or African American families was highest at 28.7% among racial categories, more than three times as high as the 8.6% for white families. The Color of Justice reports that the racial composition by incarceration rates for all (male plus female) in Tennessee is 316 white and 1,166 black. That means that more than 3 1⁄2 times as many blacks are incarcerated as whites.
Although the data is clear, there is still a perception gap among races. The Pew Research Center studied these differences in 2016 in a report called On Views of Race and Inequality, Blacks and Whites are Worlds Apart. Briefly, Blacks were much more likely than whites to say that the U.S. needs to continue making changes for blacks to have equal rights (88% compared to 53% of whites who said this). On Views of Race and Inequality explained that there are “widely different perceptions” among black and white adults about what life in the U.S. is like for black residents.
The Coalition commits to journey together with an understanding that the anti-racism journey will look different for each of us. We will confront, confess, lament, and repent against racism with the truth and good news of the Gospel together. We believe that only God changes hearts, and we arrive knowing that ours are broken and in need of a Healer.
Although the data is clear, there is still a perception gap among races. The Pew Research Center studied these differences in 2016 in a report called On Views of Race and Inequality, Blacks and Whites are Worlds Apart. Briefly, Blacks were much more likely than whites to say that the U.S. needs to continue making changes for blacks to have equal rights (88% compared to 53% of whites who said this). On Views of Race and Inequality explained that there are “widely different perceptions” among black and white adults about what life in the U.S. is like for black residents.
The Coalition commits to journey together with an understanding that the anti-racism journey will look different for each of us. We will confront, confess, lament, and repent against racism with the truth and good news of the Gospel together. We believe that only God changes hearts, and we arrive knowing that ours are broken and in need of a Healer.