Celebrating Senator Brenda Gilmore ‘The Lady, Her Love and Labor’ See page 8
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volume XXXvII, Number 4
People Are Talking
Nashville, TN
January 27, 2023
Gov. Lee holds 2nd Inauguration Ceremony and Worship Service
Tenn. Democrats mark the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade decision in ‘forced-birth’ state
Tennessee Democratic lawmakers last Friday marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision (Jan. 22, 1973), the landmark case that guaranteed a private right to an abortion in America. In a state where Republican politicians have now banned all abortion procedures, even in cases of rape, incest and to protect the health of the mother, Democrats resolved to restore access to safe and legal reproductive care. Sen. London Lamar, DMemphis, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus said: “Under Republican control, Tennessee is a forced birth state. They are forcing women to give birth in a state where we are not doing a good job of taking care of the children we already have. Our state is not safe for many children. “What would be the 50th anniversary of Roe is a reminder that Tennessee Democrats are working to build a future where all Tennesseans have access to safe and legal reproductive care. If the state wants to discourage women from accessing abortion services, do a better job of giving women the tools and resources to have a healthy pregnancy and raise children free of harm and poverty.” “Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a state where women and families are suffering from the most restrictive, forced-birth bill in the entire country,” said Rep. John Ray Clemmons, DNashville, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. “The law that exists today in Tennessee is not only harmful to women, but it’s harmful and adversely impacts every Tennessee family.” New state senator Charlane Oliver said: “This is a bad choice that our state is engaging in to force women to have babies. This is cruel. It’s authoritarian to tell women what to do with their bodies from people who have never birthed a baby. “Let’s do the real people’s business and make sure that every woman in this state who wants to have a baby has choices and options available to them: healthcare, paid family leave, gender equity in the workplace.” The Nashville PRIDE Newspaper is on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @pridenews
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Governor Bill Lee speaking at his second inauguration. On January 21, Gov. Lee took the history of Tennessee including tours of Immediately following the worship oath of office for his second term at an the Tennessee state Capitol and service, Gov. Lee took the oath of inaugural ceremony with the theme, Tennessee state Museum, and a recep- office at the Inauguration Ceremony at ‘Tennessee: Leading the Nation.’ tion at the Wildhorse Saloon. Legislative Plaza. The oath was “Tennessee is leading the nation as Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis administered by Tennessee Supreme a guiding light for opportunity, securi- Chapman, Chris McClarney, Nicole C. Court Chief Justice Roger Page. ty and freedom,” said Gov. Lee while Mullen, Chris Tomlin, the Fisk Jubilee Following taking the oath, Gov. preparing for the ceremony. Singers from Fisk University and other Lee gave a speech in which he outlined Leading up to taking the oath of acclaimed performers headlined the his priorities for his second term: office, the Lee administration held a Inaugural Worship Service at the legContinued on page 5 series of events, celebrating the rich endary Ryman Auditorium.
Tenn. House Democrats looking for improvement in Lee’s second term
Karen Camper Tennessee Democratic Leaders say Gov. Bill Lee’s second term needs to improve in order for Tennessee to live up to its full potential. Lee was sworn
John Ray Clemmons in outside the State Capitol on the Legislative Plaza in Nashville. The theme of the Inaugural was ‘Tennessee: Leading the Nation.’ However,
Democrats say the state is leading the nation in too many of the wrong categories. Some of those include: • third highest ranking state in violent crime and gun deaths • 39th in the nation in teacher salaries • 42st healthiest state • 12th highest in child poverty • fifth highest in bankruptcies and loan defaults • third highest in opioid abuse • 10th highest in drug overdose deaths • 46th in voter turnout House Minority Leader Karen Camper (D-Memphis) said: “While there have been accomplishments in the past four years, such as Blue Oval City in West Tennessee, our state cannot truly be a success until every child can sleep safely and soundly at night Continued on page 5
BNA unveils new 200,000 sq. ft. Grand Lobby; reopens Central Terminal at Nashville International Airport Grand Lobby includes 24 TSA security lanes, immersive displays, art installations Nashville International Airport (BNA) has unveiled the new Grand Lobby in the completely renovated and reimagined 200,000-square-foot space in the center of the terminal, including 24 TSA security screening lanes and multimedia digital and visual art. A core component of the BNA Vision plan, the Grand Lobby officially opened to the public on the morning of January 24, marking the return to a single terminal at Nashville International Airport. BNA Vision is Nashville International Airport’s bold growth and expansion plan to provide world-class facilities for business and leisure travelers in Tennessee and surrounding
The new Grand Lobby features a five-story sculpture from artist Jacob Hashimoto called ‘The Unscalable Ramparts of Time,’ an installation crafted with 8,000 washi paper kites suspended from fiberglass rods. states. “Since the launch of BNA Vision in 2017, we’ve been hard at work
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building and renovating Nashville International Airport to meet the travel Continued on page 5
