File #: RS2024-377    Name:
Type: Resolution Status: Passed
File created: 4/8/2024 In control: Metropolitan Council
On agenda: 4/16/2024 Final action: 4/16/2024
Title: A resolution recognizing Scarritt Bennett Center's 100th year in Nashville.
Sponsors: Tom Cash, Joy Styles, Ginny Welsch, Burkley Allen, Zulfat Suara, Delishia Porterfield, Kyonzte Toombs, Brenda Gadd, Terry Vo, Quin Evans-Segall, Sandy Ewing, Jennifer Webb, Emily Benedict, David Benton, Russ Bradford, Clay Capp, Mike Cortese, Thom Druffel, Tasha Ellis, Jeff Eslick, Erin Evans, Jennifer Gamble, Tonya Hancock, Deonte Harrell, Olivia Hill, Rollin Horton, Jordan Huffman, Courtney Johnston, Jacob Kupin, Antoinette Lee, Bob Nash, Jeff Preptit, John Rutherford, Sandra Sepulveda, Jason Spain, Sheri Weiner
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A resolution recognizing Scarritt Bennett Center's 100th year in Nashville.

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WHEREAS, originally established in Kansas City, Missouri, as Scarritt Bible and Training School for Women Missionaries in 1892, Scarritt College for Christian Workers trained young women missionaries, equipping them for global leadership in the church during a time when women were prohibited from other forms of leadership across most denominations; and

WHEREAS, in 1924, the school relocated to Nashville, and between 1924 and 1927, with funds raised by the Women's Missionary Societies of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and local donors, Scarritt Hall, Bennett Hall, Wightman Chapel, the historic Bell Tower, and Susie Gray Dining Hall were constructed; and

WHEREAS, the inspiring setting of the original campus, which expanded and grew over the subsequent decades, served as the context for a young and culturally diverse student body, who were educated in the cultures, languages, and traditions of those whom they would later serve overseas; and

WHEREAS, in 1952, Scarritt College became one of the first white, private colleges in the state of Tennessee to integrate, and in April of 1957, the College famously hosted Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who preached in Wightman Chapel; and

WHEREAS, the college eventually became co-ed, and in 1980 Scarritt College for Christian Workers became Scarritt Graduate College; and

WHEREAS, the College closed in 1988, after which the campus became home to Scarritt Bennett Center, a nonprofit, dedicated to continuing the legacy of the school through the work of women's empowerment, racial justice, spiritual enrichment, and transformative education; and

WHEREAS, on April 2 of this year, in recognition of 100 years in Nashville, Scarritt Bennett Center hosted Rev. Dr. Bernice King, speaking at Wightman Chapel 67 years after her father; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council recognize Scarritt Bennett Ce...

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