On a Tuesday in March, four buses pulled up at the state Capitol in Nashville filled with people — multiracial and ranging in age — most wearing yellow T-shirts that read “KIDS NOT CORPORATIONS.”
They were union workers, faith-based advocates and parents from Knoxville, Chattanooga, Brownsville, Memphis and more. Some had been to the Capitol before to rally for issues that were important to each group.
But that day, they came together around common key issues of concern: stopping private school vouchers, asking for an end to the grocery tax and urging that corporations pay more in taxes.
Advocates among those gathered on March 12 said the groups realized they were able to better fight for working families by fighting together; the event, the second Day on the Hill hosted by Tennessee For All, was just one example of increased collaboration between smaller groups of organizers.
Although not a new approach, smaller groups are increasingly coming together to advocate for common issues at a state level, organizers said. The goal is to make their voices heard at a time when legislators continually block local decision-making.
“We, as individual organizations, were doing work locally, and we realized we have to go beyond local. We have to take it statewide because a lot of the issues that were hitting us, we needed to address in the House, Senate,” said Sweetrica Baker, digital and operations coordinator with the Memphis Central Labor Council.
‘We have to come together and have one voice‘
At a rally toward the end of the day, speakers and attendees described the importance of abolishing the state’s 4% grocery tax, something Democratic lawmakers are seeking in Nashville.
And, they urged corporations to pay more taxes, money they said could be used to fund universal pre-kindergarten and other educational initiatives.
Then, they marched to Amazon’s corporate offices.
Collaboration between groups of organizers has increased in recent years, Baker said, particularly as the groups collectively opposed the Right-to-Work constitutional amendment approved in 2022. The amendment, opponents said, weakened the power of unions by requiring them to represent all employees in a workplace without requiring membership dues in return.
“The messaging (about the amendment) was created by the authoritative voice, not the voice of the people. So we decided to bring our coalitions together to allow that voice to become louder than our small little towns, and here we are now in Nashville on the steps being loud,” Baker said.
Now, there’s more coordination as people realize they can’t function alone, she said.
“Is that not community, right? Is that not the village?”, Baker said. “In order for us to make it with all the corporations that are pushing money in our House and in our Senate, we have to come together and (have) one voice.”
On one of the two buses traveling from Memphis to Nashville, Bennett Foster, executive director of Memphis For All, said recent polling has shown people feel motivated to make a difference, whether via voting or disruption.
These aren’t new organizations uniting. But Foster said they “sees more of a constellation forming of people connecting and networking more across organizations.”
The groups present included the Memphis Central Labor Council, United Campus Workers, Service Employees International Union, Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope, Blue Oval Good Neighbors, Votes for All, and similarly-oriented groups from across the state, such as a Nashville teachers union and Nashville Organized for Action and Hope.
The last few years have been important ones for labor movements, with multiple strikes, historic contract wins and the first time a sitting president ever walked a picket line.
While the number of workers represented by a union has increased (by 191,000 from 2022 to 2023), the share of workers represented by a union has decreased slightly, from 11.3% to 11.2%, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
As for non-union advocates, an analysis by Independent Sector, reported by Philanthropy News Digest, found that the number of U.S. nonprofits engaging in advocacy has declined by more than half since 2000.
But, the report included another finding: Nonprofits belonging to wider coalitions are “far more likely to advocate or lobby for legislation,” 57% compared to 12% of groups not in a coalition.
The coalitions “represent the fact that the attacks are impacting all of us,” Foster said. “When you attack public education, it impacts everybody, everybody, who is interested in a future where kids can access education and not be segregated.”
‘You’ve got to keep fighting’
Earlier in the day, the groups split up, some going to lobby their representatives, others attending committee meetings or going to an education session at First Baptist Capitol Hill.
As Tikeila Rucker, political director at Memphis For All, led a group of Memphians through the Cordell Hull Building, they ran into State Rep. GA Hardaway, D-Memphis.
Hardaway urged them to speak to his colleagues about their needs. “Let’s let them hear what Memphis has to say,” he said.
Later, Hardaway said he, too, has seen an increase in groups advocating together and that he especially values the diversity in groups like the one gathered through Tennessee for All.
“It’s refreshing to see it,” Hardaway said. “I think if we are expecting our elected officials to collaborate, to compromise and deliver the best possible legislation, then we’ve got to see it start in the community, economic diversity, ethnic diversity, cultural diversity, age.”
After the impromptu meeting with Hardaway, that group went to a scheduled meeting with State Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis.
As about 20 Memphians crammed into his office, Deana Washington, a teacher in the Memphis-Shelby County School System, described to White how vouchers would only benefit a handful of students.
Cinthia Torres, 16, a student at a private school in Memphis, described how vouchers might benefit her but that the financial burden would remain on her mother.
Torres’ aunt, Gisela Guerrero, lead community organizer at MICAH, explained that her niece is now the second generation in the family that has had to choose between underfunded public schools and the difficulty of paying private school tuition.
“If it’s really about helping low-income families, these are two really bad choices that you’re giving us,” Guerrero said. “And really, the only true and easy choice you could give us is fully funded public schools.”
White said he understood the group’s points but also wanted to provide “a little bit of rebuttal,” describing private schools around Memphis where low-income children have excelled.
After that meeting, Washington said she’s sure any decisions about the voucher bill are already made — but it was worth speaking to White anyway. Her sentiment echoed that of many people gathered for the Day on the Hill.
“There’s always the chance that you change somebody’s mind,” she said. “So you can’t stop. You’ve got to keep fighting. It’s hard, I feel that way a lot of times. Sometimes I just want to give up, say forget it. It’s all a losing battle.
“But you know what I do? I go to sleep, I meditate and I get back up, pray and say OK, let’s go. As long as I have breath in my body, there’s always a chance. You can’t give up. You can’t stop fighting.”
This article has been updated. An earlier version didn’t accurately capture Sweetrica Baker’s quotes.
Katherine Burgess is the government accountability reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Contact her at katherine.burgess@mlk50.com
This story is brought to you by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit newsroom focused on poverty, power and policy in Memphis. Support independent journalism by making a tax-deductible donation today. MLK50 is also supported by these generous donors.