DIVERSITY
“Our Diversity Is Our Strength” A BY MAYOR ANDY BERKE
s many of you know by now, early Sunday morning, the Walnut Street Bridge and portions of the Bluff View Art District, two of our city’s most beloved and beautiful public spaces, were defaced with swastikas. The Chattanooga Police Department is investigating and I have every confidence that the vandals will be identified and brought to justice soon. Our Public Works crews worked diligently to remove these symbols of hate from our bridges and walls. While we do not know the intent of those who perpetrated this act, we know that the end result is residents feeling less comfortable in their home. Our city is resolved, as it always has been, to condemn anyone who seeks to intimidate, discriminate, or foment violence against any ethnic or religious group. The first thing we all must do when we see hate speech and hate symbols is call them out. These symbols and this behavior have no place in our city, our state, or our nation. A few years ago, I created the Mayor’s Council Against Hate because I wanted the Chattanooga area to be known as the 8 •
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most civil, safe, and welcoming community in the country, and a place that honors freedom of expression, protects marginalized populations, and regards diversity as an essential strength. Please visit cha.city/ againsthate to join this effort. Building an inclusive community means ensuring opportunities for all of our residents to succeed and breaking down the barriers that prevented them from doing so in the first place One way we’re doing this is through our Styles L. Hutchins Diverse Talent and Recruitment Fellowship. We launched the Styles L. Hutchins Fellowship last year, which focuses on helping students build a plan to make Chattanooga a city where talented young people of color can create prosperous futures after college.
