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A resolution recognizing the month of March as “Women’s History Month” in Nashville and Davidson County, and further recognizing the contributions of Diane Nash as part of the month-long celebration.
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WHEREAS, the month of March is nationally recognized as “Women’s History Month”, and “International Women’s Day” is annually marked on March 8th, both providing the opportunity to honor and celebrate the vital role of past and present women in American history, celebrate women’s achievements, and raise awareness about women’s equality; and
WHEREAS, in 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, the United States Congress passed Public Law 100-9 which designated the month of March as “Women’s History Month”; and
WHEREAS, International Women’s Day was first celebrated in 1911. The United Nations began recognizing International Women’s Day in 1975 as a day for women’s rights and world peace; and
WHEREAS, this year, the Metropolitan Council Women’s Caucus is highlighting the important contributions of Diane J. Nash in celebration of Women’s History Month; and
WHEREAS, Diane J. Nash was born on May 15, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois, eventually making her way to Nashville, Tennessee when she transferred to Fisk University during her college career; and
WHEREAS, her experiences of the Jim Crow system in the South led her to become a notable civil rights activist, as well as a leader and strategist of the student-led wing of the Civil Rights Movement; and
WHEREAS, Nash strongly supported the direct nonviolent-protest philosophy and was elected chair of the Student Central Committee, and was part of the small group of students who “tested” racial discrimination at Nashville’s lunch counters before the full-scale coordinated sit-ins; and
WHEREAS, notably, Diane Nash asked then-Mayor Ben West if he felt it was wrong to discriminate against people solely based on race or color, to which he replied “yes”, leading Nashville to become the first southern city to integrate lunch counters a mere three weeks later on May 10, 1960; and
WHEREAS, Nash was one of the founding members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), later becoming the director of their direct-action wing, and was one of the Freedom Riders who helped desegregate interstate transportation facilities; and
WHEREAS, Nash was also an instrumental figure in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom through her work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 through her work with the Alabama Project and the Selma Voting Rights Movement; and
WHEREAS, women of every race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of the Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways; and
WHEREAS, women continue to play critical economic, cultural, and social roles in every sphere of life in America by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home; and
WHEREAS, in Nashville and Davidson County, women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and the LGBTQ rights movement; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council recognizes “Women’s History Month” and honors the countless contributions of women, and further recognizes Diane Nash and her historic and significant contributions to the city of Nashville.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. The Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as recognizing the month of March as “Women’s History Month” in Nashville and Davison County, and further recognizes the contributions of Diane Nash as part of the month-long celebration.
Section 2. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.