Mayor David Briley and Renata Soto

Guest Columnists

David Briley is the eighth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

Renata Soto is the executive director and co-founder of Conexión Américas.

Nashville’s commitment to opening our doors and embracing our diversity might seem like a given in 2019. We thrive on the ideas, innovations and opportunities Nashvillians bring here from all over the world.

But it wasn’t a given just a decade ago.

When the sun came up 10 years ago Tuesday on January 22, 2009, our city’s reputation was on the line.

Just two days after our nation’s first African-American president was inaugurated, Nashville voters were heading to the polls to decide if we would move in a much different direction and tie our future to “English only,” a proposal to require that Metro government do almost all business in just one language.

It was a terrible, cynical idea – and a huge test of our values. Failing the test would have compromised our ability to serve thousands of people who made the choice to pursue their dreams in Nashville. It would have thrown up countless barriers and created needless divisions, forcing many residents to wonder, “Am I truly a part of this community? Am I welcome here?”

Nashville's boom would have been threatened if voters said "yes"

Failing the test would have sent the worst possible message, and the world’s businesses and entrepreneurs, from Fortune 500 companies to the much smaller enterprises that are the backbone of our economy, would have heard it loud and clear.

We doubt that Major League Soccer would have wanted to come to Nashville to play in a stadium that will be built in the heart of our international community along Nolensville Road, and Amazon probably wouldn’t be bringing 5,000 jobs here.

But good people tend to enjoy a good test, and Nashvillians responded beautifully. A big, diverse coalition of seemingly unlikely allies came together to campaign against the English-only measure.

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce linked arms with the American Civil Liberties Union. Leaders from all faiths united. Corporate executives and union chiefs found common cause, as did Republicans, Democrats and independents.

Nashville For All of Us helped pull it all together. And then-Mayor Karl Dean used his bully pulpit early and often to say that Nashville, one of the friendliest cities anywhere, should continue to represent hope and unity, not fear and division.

We must affirm our commitment to be a welcoming city

Voters agreed 10 years ago today, easily rejecting the English-only proposal. After the votes were counted that night, we celebrated. We exhaled. Then we redoubled our efforts as a city to welcome everyone who chooses to live here, work here or come here for a visit.

In celebrating this milestone anniversary of the victory of the Nashville for All of Us campaign, we’re reminded of the power that lies in each of us to come together to build the welcoming community we aspire to be.

Given today’s challenging environment for immigrants, we must affirm our commitment to be a city where all individuals and families can belong and pursue their version of the American Dream. If we ever cease to be a place where immigrants feel welcome to seek jobs, open businesses, start families and chart their destinies, we will have hurt them and hurt ourselves.

But we don’t expect that to happen. While the work of being a welcoming city never ends, Nashville doesn’t really consider it work.

We passed that test 10 years ago today, and we’ve never looked back.

David Briley is the eighth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Renata Soto is the executive director and co-founder of Conexión Américas.



