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IN THE ISSUE
Contributor Board
Amber DuVentre, Chair • Christine Doeg, Secretary
Cathy Jennings, Demetria Kalodimos, O. Wade Nelson, Robin Kimbrough-Hayes, Jim Shulman, Drew Morris, Kerry Graham, Jenny Charles, Devin Graham, Yuri Cunza
LOCALES - POLÍTICA - INMIGRACIÓN - TRABAJOS - SALUD - ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS...
2026
La N ticia
Año 24 - No. 426
“DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”
G RATIS
Enero
8
4
17
Newspaper Nashville
19
www.lanoticianashville.com
Nashville, Tennessee
De Caracas a Brooklyn: por qué el caso Maduro nos toca en Nashville
La libertad no es un concepto lejano ni un debate de salón. Es algo profundamente personal: tiene rostro, nombre, familia, historia. Y en estos días, para millones de venezolanos dentro y fuera de su país, ese concepto se ha puesto a prueba frente a las cámaras del mundo.
Por Yuri Cunza Editor in Chief @LaNoticiaNews
En un video que se volvió viral en cuestión de horas, vemos al depuesto gobernante venezolano Nicolás Maduro, esposado, escoltado por agentes de la DEA en Nueva York. Con visible ironía —y quizás nerviosismo— se le escucha decir: “¡Estoy herido! Good night… Happy New Year”, mientras es trasladado al Centro de Detención Metropolitano de Brooklyn (MDC), una cárcel federal con un largo historial de condiciones duras y controversias. Apenas unos días antes, Maduro seguía en Caracas, aferrado al poder. Hoy enfrenta en Nueva York cargos de narcoterrorismo, conspiración para importar cocaína a Estados Unidos y posesión de armas de guerra, en el marco del caso United States v. Maduro et al. Su esposa, Cilia Flores, también fue trasladada a territorio estadounidense y está acusada en la misma causa. Ambos se han declarado no culpables ante la corte federal, insistiendo en que fueron “secuestrados” y que Maduro sigue siendo el “presidente legítimo” de Venezuela. Las imágenes de su llegada a Estados Unidos —con ese “Good night, Happy New Year” dirigido a los agentes y a las cámaras— son mucho más que un momento mediático. Simbolizan el quiebre de una etapa para Venezuela, plantean preguntas sobre la legalidad de la operación que lo trajo a Nueva York y abren un nuevo capítulo en la ya larga crisis política y humanitaria del país. Pero, sobre todo, nos obligan a mirar más allá del espectáculo y pensar en quienes han cargado con el costo humano de ese régimen.
International Feature
Vendor Writing
Amie endured poverty, parental mental illness and divorce. When she fell into depression, sewing helped her back out.
Vendors write about utopias, creationism, better shower access, addiction, .racism and the gibbous moon.
batallas legales y los intentos recientes por terminar esta protección han dejado a muchas familias al borde de la incertidumbre, sin saber si podrán permanecer en el país al que ya han aportado durante años.
Nicolás Maduro, esposado y escoltado por la DEA en Nueva York, junto a su esposa, Cilia Flores.
La Noticia + The Contributor Porque la historia no se queda “allá lejos”. La libertad no es un tema abstracto ni lejano: es personal. Tiene que ver con personas concretas, con familias, con vecinos. Según datos de ACNUR y plataformas regionales de respuesta, casi 8 millones de venezolanos han abandonado su país en los últimos años, huyendo del colapso económico, la inseguridad, la represión y la falta de servicios básicos. La gran mayoría —más de 6,8 millones— permanece en América Latina, especialmente en Colombia y Perú, reconfigurando el mapa social y económico de toda la región. ¿Qué significa este momento no solo para Venezuela, sino para los venezolanos que hoy viven en Estados Unidos y, en particular, para quienes han encontrado hogar en ciudades como Nashville? Venezuela no es solo un país en el mapa; son rostros que vemos en nuestras iglesias, escuelas, universidades,
restaurantes, empresas y vecindarios aquí mismo en Tennessee. Para muchos de ellos, la captura y el traslado de Maduro a una cárcel en Brooklyn despierta sentimientos encontrados: Alivio, porque el hombre asociado a años de represión y crisis ya no está en el Palacio de Miraflores. Esperanza, porque la caída de un líder autoritario podría abrir una posibilidad —todavía incierta— de transición democrática. Temor, porque el tablero geopolítico se ha movido de forma abrupta y el futuro sigue siendo frágil para familias divididas entre dos países. A esa mezcla de emociones se suma la realidad migratoria en Estados Unidos. En medio de esta crisis, alrededor de 600 mil venezolanos han dependido del Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS) para poder vivir y trabajar legalmente en el país. Aunque la administración anterior extendió el TPS hasta 2026, las
La Noticia, one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers in the nation, brings Spanish content to The Contributor. Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada? 1. Mantenerse callado 2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido 3. No mentir 4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos 5. No revelar su situación migratoria 6. No llevar documentación de otro país 7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrar la Tarjeta Miranda
Basados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.
Por eso insisto: no solo miramos la historia en la televisión; también la ayudamos a escribir. Lo que ocurre en Caracas, Nueva York o en la frontera sur se siente en Nashville. Se siente cuando una familia venezolana tiene miedo de acudir a una cita médica por temor a ser detenida; cuando un estudiante no sabe si podrá renovar sus documentos; cuando un pequeño negocio fundado por inmigrantes se convierte en el sustento de varias generaciones bajo un mismo techo. La caída —o el enjuiciamiento— de un dictador no resuelve, por sí sola, el drama de un pueblo desplazado. Pero sí abre una ventana para repensar políticas, escuchar a la diáspora y fortalecer los vínculos entre comunidades de acogida —como la nuestra en Nashville— y quienes sueñan con reconstruir su país algún día. Casi 8 millones de venezolanos en el mundo nos recuerdan que la libertad, la justicia y la democracia no son debates lejanos: son historias de vida que se cruzan con la nuestra, aquí y ahora. Mientras las imágenes de Maduro entrando al MDC de Brooklyn siguen dando la vuelta al mundo, vale la pena preguntarnos: ¿qué papel queremos jugar desde nuestras comunidades locales? Desde los medios de comunicación, las organizaciones comunitarias, las iglesias, las cámaras de comercio y la ciudadanía, podemos elegir entre ser simples espectadores… o contribuir a que la dignidad humana, la legalidad y el respeto por los derechos fundamentales tengan la última palabra. Lo que hoy vemos en la pantalla puede parecer lejano, pero mañana puede tocar la puerta de nuestra propia ciudad. Y ahí, como comunidad, tendremos que decidir de qué lado de la historia queremos estar.
Moving Pictures
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Among the tepid reviews and empty seats at the local cineplex, some unexpected treasures glimmered in 2025.
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Contributors This Issue Alvine • Amie • Gary B. • Norma B. • Maurice B. • Bill Carey • Mccollonough Ceili • Yuri Cunza • Chris Scott Fieselman • Angel F. • FreePressGma • FreForever • Amanda Haggard • Barbara Krysztofiak • M.E. Martin • Mr. Mysterio • Joe Nolan • Howard P. • Judith Tackett • Lora V. Contributor Volunteers Ann Bourland, Andrew Kuluk, Andy Shapiro, Deborah Narrigan, Jamie Dore, Logan Ebel, Loren Montoya, Marissa Young, Matthew Murrow, Michael Reilly, Susan Richter, Tyler Samuel Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors Brandon Battle Housing Stability Guide
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NEWS
News Briefs Nashville Hosts Vigils, Protests in Wake of ICE Shooting Minneapolis Woman In the wake of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shooting Minnesota woman Renee Good in her car as she tried to drive away from a chaotic ICE operation, multiple vigils, rallies and protests sprung up in Nashville on Jan. 8. Though videos and analysis show this to be false, President Donald Trump and his administration have attempted to say the agent shot Good in self defense. DHS’ Kristi Noem and Trump released statements almost immediately after the shooting openly contradicting video evidence and bystander accounts. In Nashville, Music City MigraWatch organized a morning rally outside of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building on Brick Church Pike where more than 100 folks came out and held signs in front of the local headquarters. The Party of Socialism and Liberation also held a rally outside of the federal building downtown in the afternoon. Later in the evening, hundreds of Nashvillians gathered at Centennial Park in front of the Parthenon as folks across the nation did the same. The night vigil was organized by the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition as well as Nashville Indivisible, SEUI Local 205, Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, Conexion Americas and Tennessee Justice for our Neighbors. Though the showing brought out several hundred people, many activists and organizers wished for more and demanded more of their community: “Numbers matter,” wrote longtime local activist and homelessness organizer Laurie Green. “A show of force matters. I left tonight not feeling fed, and that is on us, Nashville. The lawn in front of the Parthenon should have been packed. And I will repeat, a show of force is not violence but the presence of every single person claiming to give a damn showing up and saying this is the line and this is the hill we will die on. But we will not allow our brothers and sisters to be murdered in the streets by thugs in masks sent by 47 and a lawless administration determined to achieve a dictatorship. And we cannot do that nicely.” Green says after decades of activism, she does not feel afraid. “If I die tomorrow I’ve still lived longer than the long list of good humans murdered by law enforcement thugs. And absolutely I do treasure nonviolence but here is the issue I’m bringing forth. I seek nonviolence but that is not a promise I’ll give you so don’t put me in a corner. Don’t shoot people in the streets for no damn reason and we won’t have a problem.” State Report Shows Wide Range of Issues for Children in TN The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) has released the State of the Child in Tennessee 2025 Report, which shows a snapshot of how children, youth and families are doing in the state. The annual report uses public data to highlight trends and outcomes across a wide range of issues, from maternal and prenatal health to the experiences of young people transitioning out of foster care. This year, according to a release from the commission, their report showed that: Data collected from foodbanks across the state showed the rise in demand for food assistance during the temporary suspension of SNAP benefits. Child poverty rates slightly decreased from 2023 to 19.1 percent but remain higher than the national average. In 2025 the median market rate for center-based infant childcare childcare was $13,926
In the wake of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shooting Minnesota woman Renee Good in her car as she tried to drive away from a chaotic ICE operation, multiple vigils, rallies and protests sprung up in Nashville on Jan. 8. PHOTO BY ALVINE annually, making it more expensive than in-state tuition at all four of Tennessee’s public universities. Post-pandemic, the state has experienced steady improvement in the percent of elementary students meeting or exceeding expectations in TCAP English Language Arts, going from 31.4 percent to 43.4 percent. In 2025, 531 youth who aged out of foster care accepted placement into Bright Futures (formerly Extension of Foster Care Services), representing the largest number of youth ever served. In 2023, Tennessee had a child and teen death rate of 32.2 per 100,000, the state’s highest since 2000. “As we strive to create a brighter future for children, youth and families across Tennessee, it’s important to pause and celebrate the progress we’ve made,” said TCCY Executive Director Richard Kennedy. “At the same time, we remain committed to investing in the work that will make Tennessee the best place for every child and family.” Property Owners Can Request an Informal Review for the 2026 Assessment Year The informal review period for homeowners seeking a property assessment in Davidson County will open Jan. 20 for the 2026 Assessment year, according to a release from the Assessor of Property Vivian Wilhoite. In the release, Wilhoite says, “if you plan to appeal your property value or its classification, the Assessor of Property Wilhoite wants residential and commercial property owners to know the option to file an Informal Review for the 2026 assessment year is the time for property owners to share information regarding their property that could support a change in value or classification.” The best way to file an is to visit the Assessor of Property’s website at www. padctn.org. Access property records according to the directions, then click on the review/appeal tab. The deadline for filing an Informal Review for the 2026 Assessment year is April 17, 2026, at 4 p.m. If you need assistance in filing your Informal Review, please call (615) 862-6080. Decisions will be mailed by May 20, 2026. Wilhoite said in the
release that it is important to remember that any Informal Review Decision resulting in a change of value or classification will affect the 2026 tax bill and not the 2025 tax bill that was mailed by the Trustee to property owners in October 2025. Property owners cannot appeal the increased tax rates that were set by the Mayor and the Metro Council in June of 2025. Next Chapter Society Announces 2026 Book Club Selections The Next Chapter Society announced the selection of their 2026 book club titles. Selections for 2026 used audience-selected genres and recommendations from Nashville Public Library librarians, according to a release. The book club is free and open to all, and encourages folks to use NPL to borrow the books from their local library branch. NCS will be partnering with local businesses to host the book club gatherings on a rotating basis. In addition to being generous hosts, partners will be donating a portion of that evening’s proceeds to Nashville Public Library Foundation. July’s Book Club selection features the work of local Nashville author, Lyndsay Rush, who will join the group for discussion on her debut collection of poems A Bit Much. “As someone who used to think she didn’t like poetry (and then accidentally became a poet), I’m excited to invite more people into this surprisingly-fun genre of literature,” said Rush in response to her selection as the book club’s 2026 Author Ambassador. Lyndsay Rush is a comedy writer, cofounder of the branding agency Semiserious, and the poet behind the Instagram sensation, @maryoliversdrunkcousin. Her debut book of poems, A Bit Much, was an Instant USA Today Bestseller, and her writing has been featured in Reductress, McSweeney’s, New York Magazine, and The New York Times. The 2026 book club will kick off at Yazoo Brewing in Madison on Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m., and the group will be discussing The Wedding People by Alison Espach. The entire schedule, including dates, locations, and links to check out a copy of each book can be found on
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 3
NPLF’s website at: https://nplf.org/events/. The Contributor Receives $25,000 Community Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee The Contributor was awarded a $25,000 Community Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT). This support provides an opportunity for The Contributor to deepen its work and expand its impact in the community. With these unrestricted operating funds, The Contributor will advance its work in empowering our homeless neighbors to achieve income, dignity, housing and community. This support strengthens our commitment to ensuring that every resident has access to the resources and opportunities needed to thrive. Established in 2007, The Contributor is a Nashville-based nonprofit that offers individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty an opportunity to earn income. Following an interview and sales training, vendors become independent contractors who purchase each paper for $0.50 and sell them for $2, retaining the profit. Since its inception, vendors have sold over 8 million copies of the paper. In 2020, The Contributor Inc. added its supportive housing program to help reduce homelessness among its vendors. In 2025, CFMT’s Community Impact Grants deepened the foundation’s commitment to flexible, relationship-centered support that prioritizes intentional engagement and stronger, more responsive partnerships with nonprofits. “As we work together to build a stronger Middle Tennessee, we are honored to partner with The Contributor in this work,” said Adnan Karim, CFMT’s Vice President of Community Impact. “Organizations like this are at the heart of our region, and we remain committed to supporting their efforts to bring creative solutions and positive outcomes to the people they serve.” For more information about The Contributor and how the Community Impact Grant will further its mission, please visit thecontributor.org.
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Stitching together a stronger future
Amie endured poverty, parental mental illness and divorce, but when she fell into depression, sewing helped her back out. BY AMIE, INSP TRAINING ACADEMY WRITER I am a happy, independent woman. I have a life that I enjoy in my own way. But when I look back at the journey that landed me where I am now, it still gives me a sudden jerk. I believe my story needs to be told because those who are struggling today need to know that hard times don’t last forever. I was very young when I realized that my family had financial constraints. My father earned some money, but it was not enough for my family to lead a very comfortable life. My mother suffered from bipolar disorder as well as other mental disorders, but diagnosis was not easy back then. There was very little awareness around mental health back then too. Anyone going for therapy was considered crazy. I remember going to the mental hospital where my mother was being treated. I remember seeing her head shaved after she received shock therapy. For a child, it was very unsettling. My sister also began showing symptoms of mental health issues, and she too was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I ensured that my mother and sister got proper treatment, but on an emotional level, I did not know how to connect with them. I was young and inexperienced, and found it hard to handle such difficult situations all alone. I completed my schooling in my hometown, Kartong in the Gambia, and then stud-
ied fashion design in college. Although I enjoyed the subject, by the end of my college years I was too drained because of family pressures to continue. Besides, I needed to earn. My father was the only earning member of my family but did not earn enough, so I had to support my family. I took up one odd job after another, but nothing seemed to suit me. However, in one of these workplaces, I met T. He seemed like a lively, down-to-earth person, and we soon began seeing each other. Unfortunately, marrying T was one of the worst decisions of my life. Months into my marriage, I realized I wasn’t happy. T was a good human being but not a good husband. I was scared of his uncontrollable anger; I was an introvert and I could not fight back. He would go and stay abroad for months to set up a business, because he was not earning when we got married. But he would not contact me for months - I would find myself sitting at home with my two adopted girls, lonely and miserable. I even spent hours on my birthday waiting for his call, but it never came. I had wanted a life of my own, I had dreamed of a family I could connect to, and the very thought of going back to my father’s place was unbearable. But in my marriage,
I felt disrespected and demeaned. I learnt what a demon helplessness can be, and what mental damage it can cause. Although I had friends I could confide in, I was afraid to take the first step. Coming out of the life I had settled for was harder than it sounds. I felt like I had nowhere to go. I did not know what the way out of this maze was. As a result, I went into clinical depression. I told nobody in my family about it, but I saw a psychiatrist and was soon on medication. That is when I decided that I had to be happy. I had to live. If being happy at that moment meant living alone, I would do that. It took me months to wrap my head around the fact that I wanted a divorce, because I was afraid of the stigma. Nonetheless, I got divorced and came back home. Every time I went out, I was troubled by my neighbours’ eyes following me. I was troubled by their questions. During that time, my therapist told me that to pull myself out of the deep abyss, I must do something I love. I realized I wanted to sew, so I started to make clothes and to sell them. Nowadays, I do not depend on anyone for my happiness and peace. I am enough for myself. I talk about mental health openly, and I believe the stigma should be wiped out
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 4
completely, so that people going through a tough phase do not hesitate to see a mental health expert. I also believe that sticking to a partner and staying in an unhappy marriage because of the fear of society’s reaction causes massive emotional damage. It eats away at your confidence. I have made some bad decisions in my life, but I do not falter when people ask me about them anymore. I look them in the eye and tell them that my life was messed up, I was clinically depressed. I was lonely then, but today I am happy, because I have myself to pull me up every time I fall. So if you are struggling today, believe in yourself. Have faith. It does get better. This article is part of INSP’s Changing the Narrative series. It has been written as the result of the new journalism training academy, established in 2025 by INSP to provide people with direct experience of homelessness and poverty the opportunity to learn about journalism and the media, and to enhance their storytelling and written abilities. The training academy has two ambitions: to challenge media and public misconceptions about homelessness; and to tackle the lack of representation and diversity in newsrooms. Courtesy of INSP.ngo
PIECES OF POETRY - 68
Too Much Courage?
Written by Chris Scott Fieselman, Vendor #0015 Yes, I am still up to my old tricks. Still looking forward to, What could possibly happen? In “The Year” - 2026? That Would Take Too Much Courage? To every two weeks, come up with a page, In Nashville, Music City, Tennessee’s, Homeless, Street Sold Newspaper, “The Contributor” as your One and Only Stage. That Would Take Too Much Courage? To take an unknown, “Long Island Song Writer,” Down the Unexplored, Lost, Lonely, Long Way Around. Singing his songs - Quite regularly, In Nashville, Music City, Tennessee, Without ever making a sound? Always disposable, but handy to have around, With a far-fetched plan to stand his ground? Like a message in a bottle, just waiting to be found. That Would Take Too Much Courage? Someone might recite the words that I write. Right on target and right on time. To tell the truth, and make it rhyme. When it comes to Injustice in High Places, To the point of it Being a Crime? I get to speak every two weeks, And I appreciate The Freedom, To Speak My Mind. I can picture them - Doing better than, “Hey buddy have you got a dime?” Looking for something for nothing? Can’t you see me waving my sign?
Nothing Gained?
Written by Chris Scott Fieselman, Vendor #0015 Bound by the chains of Crack Cocaine, And all those years of tears and pain. That only a True Long Island Song Writer, Who has been - Through it - Himself, Could ever - Possibly - Explain. To make a statement and stake one’s claim, That whatever I do? That might benefit you? Is done now in Jesus Christ’s, Holy and Precious name. Like Puzzle Pieces, put together, And it’s all been pre-arranged. So, nothing will ever be the same again. I’ve been there and done that, And found my way back, And I Am Not Ashamed.
The Soul of Old Rock and Roll?
Written by Chris Scott Fieselman, Vendor #0015 Yes, I am still listening to? The same thing that I listened to? Back when I knew, I had something, Very important - That must get done, That I had to figure out - How to Do? Jack F.M. 96.3, Is now and always will be, There when you’re doing, The best that you can, Again, and again… And again, and again… And simply surviving, With a choice of the, Sound of the constant noise, Or lonely, total silence. Thank God… That we’ve still, Got that old stuff. For those of us, Still struggling with, Just getting by, And just barely, Having enough. Still listening to? The sound of those, Legendary Lost Souls. Who spent their lives, Living & Giving to? The History of Rock & Roll, The Mystery of Music, That never gets old. Songs that needed to be sung, And tales that needed to be told. Wisdom Freely Given, And Lost Thoughts, Never meant to be, Bought and Sold. So, they can never say, “They were never told.” There’s a difference between, Doing it for your fellow man, And/or doing it for all of the, Profit and Gold. Talk about the sound, Of a treasure, You can never, Actually hold? All for the sake of? Whatever it takes? And it doe’s end up taking, A Heavy Toll. All for the sake of, The Heart and the Soul, Of good old fashioned, Old Time Rock and Roll.
THEME: THE GR A MM YS ACROSS DOWN 1. Inundated 1. Parentheses, e.g. 6. Word before humbug 2. “Star Trek” speed 9. Jim Carrey’s 1994 disguise 3. Away from port 13. Rough, as in voice 4. Not be frugal 14. Kimono sash 5. What TikTokers are often 15. Misrepresent doing 16. Do like ivy 6. This and that 17. Go for the bronze? 7. Legal grp. 18. Poem of lament 8. Door holder 19. *Grammy nominee Bad 9. Mix together Bunny’s first language 10. Away from wind 21. *KPop Demon Hunters’ 11. Leo or Libra, e.g. nominated song 12. *Wonder’s “Songs in the 23. Sought at crime scene ____ of Life,” Album of Year 24. Lord’s worker (1977) 25. Rob Manfred’s org. 15. Where bats are? 28. Jab, in speech 20. Eurasian goat-like an30. *____.com Arena telope 35. Rowboat engine, pl. 22. Middle-earth dweller 37. ____ gum, ingredient 24. Pelican or albatross, e.g. 39. Cowboy’s cry of joy 25. Person in an ad 40. Big attraction 26. One of Florida Keys 41. Spring holiday honoree 27. Health food pioneer of 43. Live bait liquid aminos fame 44. Daytime moth 29. *Nominated “Drop Dead 46. Puerto follower Years” comedian Bill ____ 47. Finger move 31. Swerves 48. Colonnade 32. Sound units 50. Invitation letters 52. “Zip it!” 53. Trash bag brand 55. Polar helper 57. *Lady Gaga’s nominated album 60. *Tyler of CHROMAKOPIA, with The 64. Prejudiced one 65. Busy one 67. Do penance 68. Approves 69. Make a mistake 70. Sans-____ font 71. “I, Claudius” role 72. Jack and Jill did this 73. Changes to a manuscript
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 5
33. Synagogue scroll 34. Zing or pizzazz 36. *Justin Bieber’s nominated song 38. Fabled fliers 42. Red one, send somebody over! 45. Unalienable ones are in the Declaration of Independence 49. Draft pick 51. Give satisfaction 54. Spot for prehistoric fly 56. Doomed 57. *MCA, Ad-Rock and ____ D, Grammy-winning Beastie Boys 58. Culture-growing turf 59. Walk-the-dog toy 60. What concerning and discernable have in common 61. *Nine-time Grammy-nominated Amos 62. Fonzie’s comeback: “Sit ____ ____” 63. Whistle blowers 64. *____ Iver of SABLE, fABLE fame 66. Historical period
HISTORY CORNER
Tennessee’s Coal Creek War Tested 13th Amendment BY BILL CAREY
Many people believe the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlaws slavery, but that’s not exactly true. The Thirteenth Amendment bans slavery, “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” A long series of nationally publicized events known as the Coal Creek War tested this concept. The Anderson County town of Coal Creek was founded when the railroad first came in, around 1870. Like many towns on or near the Cumberland Plateau, it was a mining town where men walked underground in the morning, worked hard all day, and were paid based on how much coal they mined. People often assume coal miners were paid poorly. Barry Thacker, who has studied the area extensively and who makes presentations to teachers about its history, claims otherwise. “In the 1890s, wages that coal miners were getting for two days’ work would buy an acre of land in the Coal Creek area,” he says. “It was tough and dangerous work, but the miners were paid well, certainly by their standards of that era.” The use of inmates to mine coal near Coal Creek started in the mid-1870s, when the state operated a branch of the penitentiary there. However, in 1891, things went a step further. After a pay dispute, the Tennessee Coal Mining Company fired all its miners at Coal Creek and nearby Briceville and replaced them with inmates it leased from another company as part of a “convict lease” program. In the summer of 1891, the Tennessee Coal Mining Company sent more than 100 convicts, escorted by armed prison guards, to Coal Creek. The convict miners tore down the company-owned homes of free miners and built a stockade in which they would be housed. Free miners decided to fight for their jobs. The next day, about 300 armed miners surround-
ed the stockade. The guards surrendered without firing a shot. The convict miners and guards were marched to the Coal Creek train station and sent to Knoxville. Miners also sent a telegram to Tennessee Gov. John Buchanan, saying their action was, “a necessary step in the defense of our families from starvation and our property from ruin.” Gov. Buchanan responded by calling out the Tennessee National Guard and going to Briceville himself. The reception he got there from 600 miners, on July 16, 1891, will probably go down as the single most uncomfortable moment ever experienced by a Tennessee governor. “Gov. Buchanan said he had no speech to make, but also said that he did not make laws but executed them,” The New York Times reported. Under National Guard escort, the convict miners were sent back to Briceville. Again, the local coal miners took over the stockades, this
Kid’s Corner
time in both Briceville and Coal Creek, and sent the convicts back to Knoxville. In early September, Buchanan called the Tennessee General Assembly into special session and asked them to repeal Tennessee’s convict labor system. The legislature met, but did nothing of the kind. In November 1891, miners took action yet again by capturing stockades in Briceville, Coal Creek and Oliver Springs. Instead of putting the 460 convicts on a train, they turned them loose. Miners then set fire to the stockades in Briceville and Oliver Springs. The “war” was on. For the next few months, there were reports of company officials, prison guards and convicts being shot at by unknown snipers from nearby hills. There were also reports of the National Guard taking shots at local citizens and miners. In an attempt to placate the citizens of Coal Creek, the National Guard
built a fortress called Fort Anderson overlooking the town. These events were well publicized in national newspapers. Since more than half of the inmate miners in the middle of the controversy were African Americans who had been arrested and sent to East Tennessee from Memphis and Nashville, some newspapers pointed out that these black miners were no better off than slaves a generation earlier. “The leased convict is worse off than the oldtime slave, because the slave owner always had as much interest in keeping his slave in a workable condition and making him last as long as possible as he had in keeping his horses in that condition,” one New York newspaper said. State militia finally put down the rebellion and arrested several of the leaders of the free miners in August 1892. A few months later, after Gov. Buchanan was replaced by Peter Turney, the new governor chose not to renew the state’s contracts to lease convicts to private mining companies. Tennessee became the first state in the South to get rid of its convict lease program — one of the prison reforms that came out of the so-called Progressive Movement. The state of Tennessee replaced the revenue lost from convict leasing by building Brushy Mountain State Prison and Coal Mine in Morgan County. Convicts mined coal there until the 1960s. As for the town of Coal Creek, it still exists, but has changed its name twice in an attempt to improve its image and lure businesses — first to Lake City, and more recently to Rocky Top. Bill Carey is the founder and executive director of Tennessee History for Kids, a non-profit organization that helps teachers cover social studies. He’s also the author of several history books and a former Capitol Hill reporter.
How many clouds, mittens, trees and sleds can you see?
Created by Mccollonough Ceili
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A FEW QUESTIONS
Q&A with Judge Lynda Jones BY JUDITH TACKET T
Judge Lynda Jones was elected to the bench on Aug. 7, 2014, and serves as the Division 9 General Sessions Court judge in Nashville-Davidson County. The General Sessions Court docket hears dozens of defendants at one time and the 11 judges have to be able to make quick decisions on issues ranging from civil cases to misdemeanors, felonies, traffic, environmental and Metro Nashville ordinance violations. Jones is in her second eight-year term and has received accolades along the way from the Nashville Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) as their Advocate of the Year and the Nashville Business Journal’s Best of the Bar as well as a nominee of their prestigious Women of Influence Award — among other recognitions. She’s known for her active community engagement serving on several nonprofit boards over the years including for Dismas House and volunteering as a Girl Scout Troop leader. Prior to being elected as General Sessions Court Judge, you were in private practice for 22 years. What kind of law did you practice? I started out working for a bankruptcy law firm (the Offices of James A. Flexer), representing people who fell on hard times through major medical disasters, divorce or a lost job. Some of those clients became disabled which created a new reality in their world. I left that law firm after a few years and hung out a shingle on my own, doing a little of everything with a majority of the work still being bankruptcy. My family was lower-middle income and from a rural area, which is why I think I was always drawn to representing the voiceless, the “David” who had to face a Goliath (banks or insurance companies). Additionally, my father had a frightening temper when I was a child. He grew out of that temper eventually, but it left an impression on me. I usually represented women in the handful of divorce cases I took early in my practice. I represented plaintiffs injured in car wrecks as well. Insurance companies have teams of lawyers to preserve their wealth. I wanted to help individuals who could not go up on their own against a big company. You were elected to the General Sessions Court, Division 9 in 2014. What made you want to become a judge? I had a friend, Gloria Dumas, who was a judge at the time, and I was also inspired by Judges Barbara Haynes and Carol McCoy. Seeing their community impact made me think about becoming a judge. For more than 20 years, I did a great deal of volunteer work with several area nonprofits. Through my volunteer work, I saw how few people knew what resources were available to them. I saw single mothers who didn’t know they could get food
from Second Harvest or assistance with day care expenses. Nashville is rich in resources and philanthropy. I felt fortunate to be able to go to college, and so it was important to me to use my education to share my knowledge and lift others out of the despair of poverty and temporary setbacks in life. My parents demonstrated grit and resilience, and my mother was very strict. I took that grit to law school and used it in building my law practice. Then I was lucky to share office space with some wonderful friends at Bruce Weathers Corley Dughman & Lyle for 11 years. They taught me well. Eventually, in 2006, I decided to take all that and run for General Sessions Court. But I lost. People immediately encouraged me to run again. But first, I created an all-female working mom law firm in late 2006 and bought the location where I practiced until 2014, which is when I ran again and was elected. Nashville has been growing tremendously during that time. What are some of the changes you have seen in the past 11 years on the bench? I’ve seen the trend towards more problem-solving courts. Some people need a little guidance and encouragement with treatment, mental health treatment or housing. They can be successful and not rearrested with education. Many judges grow more compassionate on the bench because they see their courtrooms full of wounded people with tragic backgrounds. Most people do not want to go through the arrest process. They lack resources, grit, support and stability. We want to give them another chance to turn
their lives around. In 2019, you founded the Shelter Court in Nashville. What is the Shelter Court and how does it work? A homeless court was operated in New Orleans under the guidance of Judge Jay Zainey. Associates at Baker Donelson had volunteered in that program. I was invited by Baker Donelson to be a partner in their pro bono work in the community. They operated a legal clinic at Room In The Inn for decades, and I had volunteered in their program as a lawyer in the past. Homelessness has been close to my heart for years. My husband, Matt, temporarily experienced homelessness when his mother kicked him out of the house at age 17. He had clashed with his stepfather. My husband eventually reconciled with his mother a few years later. He shared many stories with me about those years. Building this court felt like a calling to me. It felt like a way to acknowledge and honor him after his death. Baker Donelson did not want to see a traditional recovery court built because Nashville already had two successful recovery court models. Approximately 40 percent of unhoused people suffer from mental health issues, are socially isolated and have no family support. They may not be eligible for Nashville’s Mental Health court for numerous reasons. The city and state also had no budget for it. So, prior to the COVID pandemic, we formed a working group with stakeholders like the Sheriff ’s Office, the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office, The Contributor, Room In The Inn, the Salvation Army,
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the Public Defender’s Office, the District Attorney, the Homeless Impact Division and Nashville Rescue Mission to facilitate ideas. The group met for 18 months before launching the pilot program. I invited other judges to share in the monthly caseload. We met at Room In The Inn. The court used RITI social workers for interview intake. The Public Defender and DA agreed upon which minor offenses could be expunged if the defendants simply showed up for an interview to learn what services could help them get back on their feet. Many defendants had lost their driver’s licenses, birth certificates and medical records due to evictions or a catastrophic event in their life. No driver’s license means no job. The pandemic started raging after a year or so, and Downtown businesses were having problems with aggressive panhandlers — who are vastly different than the average unhoused person. With the pandemic raging, the court had few defendants referred until downtown transportation congestion of party buses was regulated and lights installed on dark corners. The new mayor and the Strobel House entered the scene, which is where we have been holding court on a bi-weekly basis since the start of 2025. I had a serendipitous meeting at a Hispanic chamber breakfast with the head of the University of Tennessee (UT) College of Social Work Master’s program and the Shelter Court applied for two student practicum positions. The students receive school credit towards graduation and gain valuable knowledge under the volunteer supervision of a master’s level social worker. It’s a win-win situation. The Office of Homeless Services (OHS) and Park Center provide laptops and social workers to conduct intake. OHS looks for housing. Park Center assists those who are mentally ill. The two UT graduate students assist with any other needed service referrals. This court does not cost taxpayers anything. It saves money because offenders are nonviolent. Why house people in a jail cell if their offense is simply that they have no place to sleep? Each story is individual to the person coming to Shelter Court. No two people lost their housing for the same reason. In light of these stark federal policy changes that tend to increasingly criminalize homelessness, where should the focus of Nashville leaders be to continue to address the needs of the unhoused population? Temporary housing may work. More recovery beds may work. Our country definitely needs to put more resources into assisting the mentally ill and provide them with access to housing and the services they need. Mild depression can devolve into isolation and isolation is very damaging. Unhoused people literally feel invisible. See them. Speak to them. God calls us to love all our neighbors.
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Learn More About Shelter Court
Shelter Court Is Helping with Recidivism for People Living on the Streets. Is it Helping Them Get Into Housing? BY JUDITH TACKET T A few months ago, I was walking with one of my Contributor friends around a corner of the Downtown Presbyterian Church when we saw a woman change clothes behind a dumpster. She was fully exposed and hurried to get back into her clothes. My friend kept apologizing to me, but all I could think of was about the fact that if she had been in housing she would not have ever reached the point of dressing in a place where she was not completely obscured from public view. And secondly, I was concerned that if the wrong people ever see her changing in public, she may get arrested. About half of the 49 homeless arrestees held by the Davidson County Sheriff ’s Office between Dec. 25, 2025, and Jan. 5, 2026, were booked for non-violent offenses that were very likely related to their unhoused status. The following offenses were listed for 50 percent of the people jailed during that time period: disorderly conduct, public intoxication, trespass, failure to appear, failure to be booked, obstructing a passageway or sidewalk, resisting stop/frisk/halt/etc. In other words, their non-violent offenses were very likely related to their unhoused status. That’s why specialty courts that divert such offenses can help get people back on track. We’re talking about people who, if convicted, would have increased barriers to housing and employment merely by the fact that they have no other place to exist than in public spaces and were arrested for it. That’s what criminalizing homelessness means. Nashville has a specialty court called the Nashville Shelter Court, which tries to help alleviate this issue and stop piling up additional housing and employment barriers through the court system. In 2025, the Shelter Court in Nashville heard 87 cases for folks, and of those 11 were arrested again. These are great outcomes so far. Metro’s Office of Homeless Services (OHS) has yet to share how many of the 87 Shelter Court participants have obtained housing so far. The Shelter Court Steering Committee, of which I am a member, requested that number in November. The Contributor reached out to OHS to ask if they had housing placement data for shelter court participants and did not receive a response before deadline. Shelter Court is the term Judge Lynda Jones prefers for Nashville’s homeless court, which is a diversionary court that meets every second Friday afternoon
of the month at Strobel House on Jo Johnston Avenue to hear misdemeanor cases of people who struggle with homelessness. Jones (see our interview on Pg. 7) launched Nashville’s Shelter Court in 2020. Initially it started at Room In The Inn, but the initiative fizzled out a little in the aftermath of the pandemic. It fully relaunched last January with a move to Strobel House, the city’s first permanent supportive housing building. “We determined that more people could show up if court were held twice a month close to the courthouse,” Jones said. Nashville’s Shelter Court is based on a similar program that the law firm Baker Donelson helped start in New Orleans 15 years ago. Baker Donelson had been holding free legal clinics across town in locations like Room In The Inn for many years and decided in 2019 to explore the creation of a specialty court in Nashville that was based on their experience in New Orleans. Consequently, lawyers from Baker Donelson reached out to Judge Jones and asked her for her assistance to put it together and preside over it. Jones was in support of it and brought together several stakeholders, most notably the Office of the District Attorney and the Metro Public Defender’s Office. Court sentences pose a barrier to housing and employment for people experiencing homelessness. In fact, a 2020 report published by the Urban Institute noted that people living in unsheltered situations that were surveyed between 2015 and 2017 in California were “[nine] times more likely than people in shelters to report having spent a least one night in jail in the past six months.” The authors concluded that “such frequent interactions with the justice system can trap people in a homelessness-jail cycle, rotating them in and out of jails and emergency public services like shelters, emergency rooms and detox facilities. This cycle does nothing to help people access the housing and services they need, such as mental health or substance use treatment.” By dismissing misdemeanor charges and linking people with needed services, the Shelter Court’s goal is to help speed up the housing process and reduce homelessness in Nashville. The Nashville Shelter Court is a collaboration of agencies including District Attorneys, Public Defenders, the Criminal Court Clerk, Sheriff ’s Department, Office of Homeless Services, Park Center, The Contributor and other nonprofits that are linking people to services and work
with individuals as part of their condition for court diversion. Referrals to shelter court are originated by the Public Defender’s Office or an appointed defense attorney, but the District Attorney’s Office must agree before a defendant is placed on the Shelter Court docket. Currently, defendants with the following offenses are eligible to come before Shelter Court: • Criminal Trespass • Trespass – Motor Vehicles • Obstruction of a Passageway • Disorderly Conduct • Public Intoxication • Open Container Violation • Criminal Littering • Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia • Possession of a Legend Drug without Prescriptions • Aggressive Panhandling (first and second offense) • Soliciting rides or employment, loitering, or conducting commercial activity near a state highway median Homeless courts started in 1989 in San Diego, according to a report by the now defunct U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. These were based on an annual three-day homeless veteran event called Stand Down. Nashville’s Operation Stand Down events were held for years and launched the start of legal clinics for people experiencing homelessness as well as the expansion of the nonprofit called Operation Stand Down Tennessee. Since its inception in San Diego, homeless courts have evolved and are now spread across dozens of communities across the nation. The American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Homelessness & Poverty has developed educational resources and provided technical assistance to help communities establish homeless court programs. “To counter the effect of criminal cases pushing homeless defendants further outside society, homeless courts across the country combine a progressive plea bargain system, alternative sentencing structure, assurance of “no custody,” and proof of program activities to address a full range of misdemeanor offenses,” the ABA writes on its website. In 2006, the ABA adopted the following principles for Homeless Court programs (copied and pasted from the ABA website): 1. Prosecutors, defense counsel, and the court should agree on which offenses may be resolved in the Homeless Court Program, and ap-
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prove the criteria for individual participation, recognizing that defendant participation in Homeless Court Programs shall be voluntary. 2. Community-based service providers should establish criteria for individual participation in the Homeless Court Program and screen individuals pursuant to these criteria. 3. The Homeless Court Program shall not require defendants to waive any protections afforded by due process of law. 4. All Homeless Court Program participants shall have time for meaningful review of the cases and issues prior to disposition. 5. The Homeless Court Program process and any disposition therein should recognize homeless participants’ voluntary efforts to improve their lives and move from the streets toward self-sufficiency, including participation in community-based treatment or services. 6. Participation in community-based treatment or services shall replace traditional sanctions such as fines, public work service and custody. 7. Defendants who have completed appropriate treatment or services prior to appearing before the Homeless Court shall have minor charges dismissed, and, where appropriate, may have more serious misdemeanor charges before the court reduced or dismissed. Where charges are dismissed, public access to the record should be limited. Homeless Courts work differently in communities based on the local needs and available resources. Shelter Court Nashville is focused on building relationships with even more nonprofits to ensure defendants are given the right changes and opportunities to turn their lives around. The 2025 numbers speak for themselves. At 12.6 percent, the recidivism rate of Shelter Court is still far below the state and local average recidivism rate of close to 30 percent. More data, like the permanent housing placement rate, can help evaluate the success of the program and help determine where our local Shelter Court sees an opportunity to improve as it continues to build its program. Judith Tackett is a longtime homelessness expert and advocate for housing-focused, person-centered solutions. Opinions in this column are her own.
VENDOR WRITING
Saying Goodbye To More Than 2025 BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
The date: Jan. 1, 2026. I struggled to get out and about, but I’m SO glad I did! Not long after I arrived at my spot, John appeared out of the blue, as he has done SO many times before. There is never rhyme or reason to his visits, he just ALWAYS seems to show up at the right time. As usual, he parked and came over so we could have a chat. He told me he was glad I was out and went on to explain why. He said that he’d served as an ER surgical nurse at Summit Medical Center, driving from Shelbyville to Hermitage on a regular basis for 30 years because he loved his job and helping people, but today was different. He had officially clocked out for the last time. He is now officially retired! I asked what he was going to do with all his free time. He told me some of his plans for the future, which include a
medical missionary trip to Guatemala in February to help those in need, and a much anticipated cruise down the Riviera with his lovely wife. He concluded with the words, “Those are my plans, but then again, who knows what God has in store for me.” I nodded in agreement and said, “You know what they say, ‘if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans!’” While I may not know exactly what’s in store for him, I am confident that there will ALWAYS be a component of service to others in whatever he chooses to do. It’s just who he is. I’ve experienced it first hand on a regular basis for some time now. He has proven himself to be far more than just a customer, he is a true friend! He let me know he felt the same way when he mentioned how much he would miss our visits and The Contributor.
At this point, I typically offer to mail the paper just to keep in touch, but with all his travel plans, I realized this wasn’t an option so I did the next best thing. I told him that much of the paper is available online and that he could get a subscription to the digital edition. I’m not sure he’ll make use of it, he just said how much he would miss our visits, and all I could say was, “Me too,” with a big ol’ lump in my throat, and fighting back tears. When we finished talking we shared a hug (actually there were two, one for him to show gratitude for all he’d done for me, and another for him to give to his wife.) As I spent the day reflecting on the course of our friendship, it occurred to me that he was, in fact, one of my earliest supporters. Then it hit me, the sudden conflict of emotions, on the one hand being SO happy for him to have reached
this milestone in his life knowing how much he deserves the best of what’s to come, yet aware of how much I will miss his physical presence. I am certain that the impression he’s made on me will last a lifetime, and I will ALWAYS carry that with me. Thank you, John, for EVERYTHING! I wish you all the best in your future endeavors wherever they may take you. Vendors: If you are blessed to have customers who regularly show they care for you, let them know how much you appreciate them, because the day may come when you can’t. Customers/Supporters: Never underestimate the value of your visits, your acts of kindness, and generosity mean to the lives of those you come in contact with. You have the ability to make a REAL difference, to change people’s lives for the better!
Once Again, Racism is Hurting Us All BY FREEPRESSGMA, CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
The Trump administration has decided it wants to give its buddies in the private healthcare sector a boost by charging everyone in America a lot more money for healthcare. The Affordable Care Act has saved millions and millions of Americans by providing them with adequate healthcare. I am among them. And I am white. The resentment toward Black people remains unabated. There is a perception that Black people are getting a free ride. The fact is, they gave us a free ride for 500 years. Whether or not your ancestors owned enslaved people, you benefited from cheap goods and raw materials that came from the south and benefited the north. But what really chaps my [redacted], is as household costs for The Affordable Care Act rise by more than 100% for millions of Americans, many of those Amer-
icans have remained adamantly against Obamacare. Millions of Americans do not understand that Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are the exact same thing. In the Dec. 18 - 24 issue of the Tennessee Tribune, Stacey M. Brown of the Black Press USA writes, “When residents were asked their opinion of the Affordable Care Act , 70% approved and just 30% disapproved. When asked about Obamacare, support collapsed. Only 30% approved while 70% disapproved. The policy did not change. Only the name did. That pattern is not an outlier. National research has repeatedly shown that many Americans respond differently to the law, depending on whether it is associated with Obama himself.“ The fact that the voting public allows itself to remain ignorant of facts is alarming enough. But the emotional damage that has been done to all of us through
racism also remains unexamined. How long will we continue to stand by and allow ourselves to hurt each other while rich corporations benefit? It is important that you contact your representatives, even if they are a person you did not vote for and really explain to them how this is costing you, one of their constituents. If you are wealthy and this doesn’t really affect you, it is affecting your neighbors and your overall ability to make a profit. If you are middle class, the pinch is extreme. If you are poor, you don’t have much time to address this issue. Just take a few minutes to make one phone call or write one letter. Each phone call counts as at least 100 other people, and each letter counts as 1000 other people. So just one letter from you counts as 1000 people. Believe me, the people in office keep track of these numbers. Their staff assembles these types of
numbers daily or weekly, and the politician takes action accordingly. They don’t want to lose their office! They’re making too much money at it! So they will sidle and adjust. Resentment, racism and classism are eating away at our public health. Statistics show that in a group of people where there are those who are overly rich and those who are overly poor, everyone’s life expectancy goes down. When the well-being and health of those at the bottom is respected, the life expectancy for all classes goes up. And of course, the quality of life goes up for everyone. Go ahead and Google it. When we act as if there is enough, then there is more than enough. Note: if you want a cheap course in how to uproot your unconscious embedded racism, start reading The Tennessee Tribune.
Living With, Part 1 BY MAURICE B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
The womb — as created by Allah/ God — should forever be revered. The creation of life in the womb can never be duplicated by humankind’s works. It’s the area where family ties are created. Now, let me use the force of metaphors and the intensities of allegory. An infant begins their development of defense mechanism only because of other people’s forcefulness, like slapping that child on the backside after they are born until they make a noise. The noise
from that child is a sound that many assume means all is well, but that’s only an assumption of wellness. The process of assumption is not always the best option in life, although life continues regardless. For instance, if children that have been slapped on the backside as they exit from the utter most place of solitude and forced to interact with this external world do not have verbal sounds at that exact moment in time, is that an assumption of the norm
or is it considered to be of the abnormal? The concept of “living with,” normal and abnormal aspects and behaviors are central avenues of life and the basics of learning and growth. For instance, an infant struggles to simply keep it’s own head up until that time when its muscles develop and then on to it’s next chapter. The child doesn’t want to be left alone or behind so they move forward to the next challenging stage like trying to scoot or grasping their hand to hold on to some-
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thing. In all accounts that is where the cycles of life begin. Many people consider addiction to be an abnormal cycle in life, something with which they choose not to associate. However, from the perspective of those struggling with addiction, everyone can struggle with addiction. It can become a major component in how people live their lives. These cycles repeat.
COVER STORY
‘Tennessee Voices, American Stories’ Shows Tennessee’s Contributions to America’s History BY AMANDA HAGGARD
The Tennessee State Museum opened Tennessee Voices, American Stories on Jan. 13 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The exhibition, which is organized around three concepts from the preamble to the U.S. Constitution: “We the People,” “A More Perfect Union,” and “The Blessings of Liberty,” highlights items from the museum’s collection. Miranda Fraley Rhodes, Ph.D, is the assistant chief curator at the Tennessee State Museum. She curated this show, and says the exhibit shares artifacts and stories related to remarkable people who helped to build Tennessee and the United States. It asks visitors to consider how their current experiences might look in the future. “Some of these individuals are wellknown; others are not. However, they each
have made their own contributions to our shared past,” Fraley Rhodes said. “We hope that visitors will see themselves as part of the state and nation’s continuing narratives and invite them to consider, how will you make history?” Fraley Rhodes said the displays in the gallery focus on sharing artifacts and personal stories, but that throughout 2026 the museum is planning to host in-person and virtual programming. The museum will also feature a map online highlighting historic sites and museums throughout the state. The museum is free for everyone, and is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. As the exhibition runs, the museum will also act as headquarters of the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. The commission was
created to plan the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, and “recognize Tennessee’s integral role in that event and the impact of its people on the nation’s past, present, and future,” according to a release. The temporary exhibit at the museum is one part of that effort. Of the more well-known pieces featured in the show is a performance costume worn by Dolly Parton, which was created by Robért Behar. The ensemble, a white rhinestone number, naturally, was worn during a performance at the 1998 Dollywood Foundation Benefit Concert. Parton’s philanthropic work and business ventures like Dollywood are important pieces of why she, and Behar’s work, is in the exhibition. The exhibition also includes a sword presented by the state of North Carolina
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to Revolutionary War leader and Tennessee’s first governor John Sevier, as well as one of the earliest known dated Tennessee quilts, which was handmade by Rebecah Foster. Fraley Rhodes found this last piece particularly interesting. “It is hard to choose, but my favorite artifact in the exhibit would be the American eagle quilt Rebecah Foster made in 1808,” Fraley Rhodes said. “The quilt is a beautiful work of art and also an expression of Foster’s patriotism. Long before women gained the right to vote, they used creative means like this quilt to voice their sentiments.” The quilt features a striking image of an American eagle with 17 stars, the number of states in 1808. Beyond reflecting Foster’s political sentiments, the quilt also shows also shows a mastery of technical skill and artistry.
COVER STORY
Textiles feature heavily in the contributions shown from Tennesseans. “Objects like clothing, quilts, and samplers offer great opportunities to learn about the people who created and used them,” Fraley Rhodes said. “Tennessee has been home to incredible designers and textile artists like Manuel Cuevas, Ellen J. Weed Dennis, Sia Moua, and Lacie Thompson Bell.” A jacket made by legendary fashion designer Cuevas is featured in the exhibition, as well as on the cover of this edition. Cuevas is known for his one-of-a-kind, eclectic pieces and contributions to the stylized western wear at Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors. The jacket in the show is one from his 50-State Jacket Collection, which is a series of jackets he made after moving to Nashville in the ‘90s. There’s also a striking early ‘90s-era
coat by Sia Moua in the collection. Artifacts from Tennessee State Supreme Court Chief Justice Adolpho A. Birch, who was the only person to have served at all levels of the state judiciary, are also on display in the exhibition. Born in 1932, Birch’s career includes becoming the first African American to work as a prosecutor in Davidson County and he was the first African American in many offices, including his role as Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice. “Tennessee’s history offers countless examples of individuals whose courage, creativity, and determination have advanced our shared ideals,” Ashley Howell, executive director of the Tennessee State Museum, said in a release. “As America reflects on the last 250 years, this exhibit helps us under-
stand how the experiences of Tennesseans are woven into the fabric of the American story, and how the museum’s collection, built over 88 years, helps tell that story.” People might be surprised to see items from Mt. Juliet native astronaut Barry Wilmore’s historic 286-day mission. The exhibition features a Tennessee State Flag that he flew on the International Space Station, which ended with his safe return on March 18 of last year. “We are grateful to be able to share Wilmore’s inspiring story with visitors,” Fraley Rhodes said. The exhibit also includes a variety of artworks by members of the Bell Family, which reflect the Choctaw community in Tennessee where the family lived. “During the exhibit’s development, I had
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the privilege to work with a group of Choctaw advisors from Henning, Lauderdale County, Tennessee,” Fraley Rhodes said. “I appreciated their willingness to share knowledge about their culture and history.” The collection shows a wide array of viewpoints and narratives across a broad period of time, and it encourages visitors and Tennesseans to reflect on how their own lives will contribute to a narrative told in the future. “The exhibit centers on personal stories of individual Tennesseans, and the search for artifacts that would help share their voices with museum visitors was key,” Fraley Rhodes said. “Including a wide variety of artifacts reflects the many different ways Tennesseans have contributed to our shared past.”
VENDOR WRITING
A Utopia That is No Mere Dream BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
My Utopian society would include suitable housing for everyone designed specifically to fit the needs of its inhabitants (Isa 65:21-23). There will be no need for wheelchair ramps because here, good health will abound. Here no resident will say, “I am sick.” Instead their bodies will be healthy and sound (Isa 33:24).
DYSTOPIA I
BY FREFOREVER, CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR The perfect world for me may not fit the criteria of what you want to see or where you would choose to be. Maybe this is why Utopias are the ultimate ideal, but never manifest into anything that is real.
There will be no famine. No families wondering where their next meal will come from. No children going to bed hungry. Instead there will be plenty of food for EVERYONE because deserts will blossom as the saffron (Isa. 35:1; Ps. 72:16). Along with plenty of food, there will be clean, clear water to drink both physically and spiritually and best of all, it’s FREE! (Rev. 22:17)
How can I be SO sure of what I’m saying? Because Ps. 145:16 gives the assurance, “God [WILL open] HIS hand and satisfy the desire of EVERY living thing!”
So afraid of Tomorrow, will you still be there? In the raindrops, I feel your sorrow … And I’ll be there
Thoughts caving in You can’t bare Overwhelming feelings And despair It washes away only to return You push them away Only to be burned Feelings come and go Lost your love you don’t know Living a life like a lie Wearing a mask to survive
This peace will be extended to include both man and the animals, too. Picture this in your mind’s eye if you can. A wolf down with a little lamb. Or putting your hand upon the den of a poisonous snake. Yet you do not suffer a deadly fate (Isa 11:6-9; Isa. 65:25). Natural disasters that shatter lives of the people in their path, these too will be a thing of the past (Matt. 8:24-26; Mark 4:37-39; Lu. 8:24).
If ANYTHING I have said appeals to you, check out the Good Book and see for yourself that these things are true. These promises are made for the benefit of ALL mankind. These are REAL solutions to the problems we face every single day. They are brought about by God’s Kingdom. For which Jesus taught his followers to pray (Matt. 6:9,10). They are NOT just words on a page.
BY ANGEL F., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
Stop chasing your shadows Hiding behind pain Ignoring your feelings Swimming in shame
In addition to the wonderful things I’ve already mentioned there are other things too I want share. If you will try to imagine please. There will be true and lasting peace for every race, tribe, tongue, and nation when they beat their swords into plowshares (Isa. 2:4b; Ps 37:11; Ps 72:7). Then peace will flow continuously like the waves of the sea (Isa. 48:17,18).
There are even more benefits if you can believe. Close your eyes and think for a moment please. Of ALL of the loved ones you’ve lost in death in the distant past or even more recently. Some due to illness, others without warning, leaving a void, an emptiness no one else can fill. How nice it would be to see them again, no longer weak and frail, but happy and healthy, truly perfect, just as they were meant to be (Jo. 5:28,29; Ac. 24:15). Not in heaven, but right here on Earth (Matt. 5:5). I know to many these things seem like a fantasy, but I believe every one of them will become a reality, yes, these things and much more are coming soon! (Rev. 21:3-5)
Karma is a female she’s hot like fire.
You cant hide in the dark The light is brighter Exposing your truth And all your desires Karma is a female she’s hot like fire What goes around comes around Just wait and see time will tell Living in your hell filled with hate Angry because you took the bait
ACRYLIC PAINTING BY FREEPRESSGMA, CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
Now you took another life And you didn’t think twice Shot up in front of his house Do you think that’s nice? Now you wish you never did what you did Your family paying the consequences
Gibbous Moon BY FREEPRESSGMA, CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
I wake to light that glimmers blue like Dawn. Gibbous moon glides beside me as I wade the aquamarine mists She is in a talkative mood, sharing all the visions of the night. As I turn to return home, she keeps step with me a while until the liquid gold of sun begins to rise. Then gracefully like a lady at a tea party, she bids me well, for she is off to wake the armadillos, the rolling hills and marshlands, the desert, and the western Sea. Once I had a lover who walked this path with me.
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 12
Karma is a female she’s hot like fire What goes around comes around Just wait and see, time will tell. You wished ill will on me Time will tell And you will see Karma is a female she’s hot like fire What goes around comes around Just wait and see, time will tell How you wished ill will upon me. RIP Z
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 13
Over 75 Years of Combined Experience.
Where Trust Meets Results Our Team is Here for You 24/7.
406 11th Avenue North, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37203 visit BartDurham.com • call 615.242.9000 January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 14
FUN
HOBOSCOPES CAPRICORN
People around here like to complain about the other people around here. “Why am I the only person who knows how to drive in this kind of weather!” Everybody is pretty sure it’s everybody else’s fault. “When I was a kid, we’d get a storm three-times this bad and you think they closed the schools?” And we all agree and we wonder aloud what all the hubbub is about. But in my secret heart, Capricorn, I live for the forced slow-down. I wonder why we posture and push-through on a day when nature is telling us all to stop. Find a warm place and wait for this to pass. Sometimes it’s the same with the storms inside.
AQUA RIUS
I see that I’m invited to my high school reunion. The note has some impossibly-large number of years on it — that can’t be right! Honestly, I probably won’t attend. It’s a long way to go for small-talk catch-up around a cheese plate. Nothing particular against the attendees. The more time goes by, the more certain I am that we’re all more alike than I ever knew. But I was always too afraid to plug in much. What it makes me realize, Aquarius, is that the people in my life now will someday be the people from my past. And I wonder how I could connect with folks today in a way that would make a reunion of now irresistible. Stay cool, Aquarius.
PISCES
I’ve asked my phone to set a timer for five minutes, Pisces, and I’m afraid that’s all the time I’ve got to provide you with a flawless dose of astrological insight. It’s not that I have anyplace else to be, it’s just that I’ve found momentum to be a sure way to arrive at truth. When I have too much time, I’m careful and I hesitate and I might not tell you the thing you need to know the most. And I’m not trying to rush you, of course. But I think you’ve been putting off a decision or two. And I think you may have all the information that you need. And you might find that the best way to get to your final answer is to set a timer and know that when it goes off, you’re there.
ARIES
The eye doctor wanted a better look at my optic nerve, so she gave me those drops that dilate your pupils until that little black circle takes up nearly the whole iris. She said everything looks fine in there after all, but now I can’t really see the text you sent me. She said it would wear off in “a few hours,” which as I sit and stare at this blurry screen seems like a very long time. It makes me think, Aries, that we could all stand to cultivate more activities that don’t require perfect up-close vision. A conversation with a slightly-blurry friend is far more rewarding than struggling to read headlines that I’ll forget by next week. And you can even do that without those eyedrops.
TAURUS
You remember that part in the movie where the treacherous villain told the brilliant detective that both of the most important people in their life were being held captive and there was only enough time to save one of them? That’s how it feels every day lately, Taurus. Running from task to task, person to person, knowing that at the end of the day you will still let somebody down. But if I remember right, the brilliant detective never plays by the rules set by the treacherous villain. Make your time your own and then you can share it how you want instead of how you think you have to. Do it before the timer reaches zero!
GEMINI
Sometimes it feels like you’re in a videogame and your health bar is down to like 22 percent and you can see the supply cache from where you’re hiding and you know there’s at least one medkit in there. If you make a dash for it, you’re going to take some hits. How do you know if it’s worth the risk? I think this is a moment to reverse course, Gemini. Where else could you restore some health-points? Back out of that hiding spot slowly and head in a safer direction. The supply cache will still be there when your HB is higher.
CANCER
My new pillow has self-chilling Smoosh-Grip™ technology that allows it to conform to the shape of my skull while the head-soothing Micro-Mousse™ particles fetch heat away from my body and into a self-charging battery that powers a Jade Noise™ generator to create a “soothing strawberry hum.” At least, that’s what it’s supposed to do. I found the Micro-Mousse™ too itchy on my ears and I swear the Smoosh-Grip™ fiber-folds smell funny. And once I figured out that the Jade Noise™ generator was just playing “Rock-a-bye Baby” very quietly I found it pretty distracting. So I’m on the futon writing horoscopes. Hope you’re getting some sleep tonight, Cancer. But if your brain is spinning too fast, forgive it. That’s what brains do. Give it something easier to chew on till it slows down. Rest is rest, Cancer. It doesn’t even need a trademark.
LEO
All of science fiction has basically agreed that whenever humanity finally starts making lightyears-long space flights, everybody’s getting in their own suspended-animation cryo-pods for the long trip. Just sleeping in perfect stasis until you arrive at your intragalactic destination. But I’m pretty sure those pods don’t exist. And if they did exist, Leo, too many of us would gladly take the pod and skip the trip. Just put me in suspended animation until all this other stuff gets worked out, right? But we’re here and it’s now and I’m afraid we might have to face things as they are. Being awake for this whole trip isn’t easy, Leo, but it’s the only honest way I know.
VIRGO
kmmdfjssss 78yuuuuuuuiyh8. Sorry, Virgo, I think my cat walked across the keyboard while I was making tea. And, if I’m going to be honest, I was making tea because I couldn’t ascertain just what the stars wanted me to tell you this week. But when I came back and saw kmmdfjssss 78yuuuuuuuiyh8 everything made a lot more sense to me. Sometimes you just have to start. Get something on the page. Somehow my cat knows that better than I do. You might start with something that makes sense. You might not. But put a paw on the keyboard and see what happens.
LIBRA
I heard somewhere that you’re a poet. Don’t argue with me about this one, Libra. Even if you don’t feel like a poet today, I’m pretty sure you’re a poet. And what a poet does, as I understand it, is try to pile-up words into truth. That might be the truth of the world you see. It might be the truth of something you feel or just know without even feeling. Despite what you may have heard, it’s a good time to be a poet. Start stacking those words, Libra. You can do it for us or you can just do it for you but don’t forget you’re a poet.
SCORPIO
I was having a fine morning, really. I’m not usually like this. I was having a fine morning and I knew what I needed and what I needed to get done. And I stepped off the curb and my left foot splashed into a puddle. And I was having a fine morning until the water soaked through my shoe and into my sock and now every other step makes a squishing sound and my foot is cold and my toes are wet and I’m scared I’m not even gonna make it through this. What I’m saying, Scorpio, is that I get it. With my one wet foot, I can extrapolate all the pain in the whole world. Even yours. And I think we’re both gonna survive. It’s uncomfortable. It’s disappointing. But I think this might still be a fine morning. Even if this foot never dries.
SAGITTA R IUS
I set the cat food to autoship every four weeks. They said I’d save 10 percent! But after the second bag, the vet said Frittata was dehydrated and needed more fluids. So I ordered the canned food that she suggested. A case every three weeks. Subscribe and save! And in the meantime Stanton had to get on a new pill for his eczema — one bottle autoshipped every two months. And I’m a little backedup on the dry food but there’s another bag coming on Thursday. Maybe I can donate it somewhere? Frittata won’t eat the cans unless I put warm water on them, but Stanton won’t let her finish anyway. And I wonder, Sagittarius, if the automation is helping or just giving me one more thing to manage. Maybe right now we should just be taking things one at a time.
Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained all-weather tire, or a certified pillow tester. Want more? Visit mrmysterio.com Or just give him a call at 707-VHS-TAN1.
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 15
VENDOR WRITING
Letter to the Mayor’s Office M.E. MARTIN, CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
I am trying to improve on the way funding gets spent by non profits in regards to homeless people in Nashville. I have two things that I feel need sharing with the mayor. First, the hygiene situation that seems to have been caused by these charities have over time caused a problem of bed bugs and lice for the Nashville community. If homeless people are only allowed to shower once a week at a certain place, then that creates several problems for both those without homes and the community. If someone knows that they are better off in jail then they will commit a long list of crimes against merchants and property crimes to get put in jail. Birds carry lice; that is a fact of nature. If a homeless person gets lice for example, the shampoo is $20 a bottle. They can only shower once a week and those using the same shower will get the same lice. A large
percentage of the homeless population are in a mental state and are simply in need of care. They may not know they have lice until it is hard to rid themselves of them. By this stage they have been on the public bus, in the library and to the laundromat. Cheap motels are also a factor, so I hope that the mayor gets the message that tourists could get lice when they come here. Fluid Manufacturing makes a coin operated device for showers. You can set the device however you want. For example, $3 could get you 10 minutes of water and then it shuts off. They have them in the public park in Telluride, Colo. So even if you need to give a homeless person enough quarters to bathe, you have the keys to the coin box. And it will pay for itself in a short time. Fluid Manufacturing is reachable at 800-443-5843 or fluidoffice@comcast.net There is a new work program called
Time for Winter Cold and Flu Season
seem to affect anyone who is in charge of this funding. The FBI is investigating multiple charities in California for fraud and embezzlement. Nearly all of the civil attorneys in Los Angeles and San Francisco have full caseloads for lawsuits regarding the treatment of homeless Americans. So please pass this information along to our dear mayor Freddie, so that he can direct proper attention to these issues before it costs Nashville a lot of money and grief. Please understand I am only trying to help and to allow improvement if possible. In the 18 years that I have been working in this field, I have seen a lot of people who could have had happy productive lives, but instead have suffered and died being denied the simple assistance they needed. Years of their lives have been wasted because of greed and corruption on the part of those who hold the purse strings. This is a form of tyranny that needs to stop!
Joke of the Issue S U B M I T T E D B Y H O W A R D P. , C O N T R I B U T O R V E N D O R
BY L OR A V., CON T RIBU T OR VENDOR
It seems like germs can last forever in the winter. All the doctor’s offices and ER rooms are full of people with a cold or the flu. Maybe even the Corona is still going around. Maybe you have already got the flu bug. Go to the store to get cold medicine. It can be expensive to keep yourself full of meds in your body. Try to get plenty of rest. If you can’t eat much because you can’t keep it down, make sure you’re drinking plenty
Ground Score headed by Barbra Weber in Portland. They provide homeless people the opportunity to earn a fair wage and obtain insurance. They pick up trash and do all kinds of things for the Portland community. As you may recall, I tried to encourage this city to implement a similar program so that the tourists would not see all the garbage along the river here. There is no excuse for the city of Nashville to have 47 charities geared to the homeless and yet 151 people died last year and 203 the year before. And in my field study in the subject, not one of these charities enables anyone to obtain an accountable address, enough to open a bank account or insure a car, obtaining a driver’s license and even getting a job is impossible. So what are these people doing with all this money? One thing for certain they are not helping the city of Nashville. Human suffering and death don’t
of water and electrolytes so you’re not dehydrating yourself. In the house, keep the door knobs clean and disinfected. Wipe down the faucets in the kitchen and bathroom. Continuously wash your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands. It may seem like forever, but the cold and flu will go away. Pray for Spring.
A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy street. Suddenly, the light turned yellow just ahead of him, and he did the right thing — he stopped at the crosswalk. The woman behind him lost it. She laid on the horn, yelling and gesturing wildly because she missed her chance to make the light. Right in the middle of her rant, there was a tap on her window. She looked up to see a police officer. She was taken to the police station and placed in a holding cell. A couple of hours later, the officer opened the door and said, “I’m very sorry for the mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing up a storm. Then I noticed the “What Would Jesus Do?” bumper sticker, the “Follow Me to Sunday School” sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed the car was stolen.”
Fossil Fuel, the Flood, and Why it Matters BY GARY B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
There was a time in our country when origin, whether by evolution or by Biblical creation, was important. That era climaxed when the debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham in 2014 and then died even more with the focus on politics in 2016. The mystery of origin has haunted the human race at least as far back as Charles Darwin’s work in 1859. Although some believe God could have used evolution to make our world, the theory conflicts with the Bible’s authority which says God created, “every seed after its own kind.” One seed doesn’t evolve into another. But the theory of evolution was hit with other challenges from the very onset: the Cambrian Explosion (a layer in the Earth where the fossils of fully-formed creatures suddenly appear in time), complexities such as the eye that are difficult to attribute to evolution, the “missing link” not being found and intelligent-design scientists who chal-
lenged macro-evolution based on science rather than faith. But what if one final nail in the coffin of evolution was all around us, used as fuel in our cars? You see, the biggest question in the evolution versus creation debate has to do with the flood. Were the sedimentary layers of the Earth, where most of the fossils are found, laid down by millions of years of evolution or were they laid down by the flood? And what was the pre-flood world like that was suddenly buried, leaving an abundance of F-O-S-S-I-L fuel for us today? Let’s take a look at what that world might have looked like. But to do that properly, consider that there was a canopy of water protecting the planet from harmful cosmic rays, such as UV, that cause aging. In other words, this canopy had an incubator or greenhouse effect, allowing humans to live as many as 900 years. It made the world suitable for a naked man and woman, without extreme weather
conditions. And it created a world of such lush vegetation that both man and animals, including dinosaurs, were mostly vegetarian. Although the existence of the canopy is not embraced by all creation scientists, I believe it is revealed in scripture, “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life … all the fountains of the deep burst forth, and the windows of heaven were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” “Windows of heaven” obviously speaks of the canopy. The canopy makes one big mystery of the flood far easier to believe. Where did all the water come from? Although mountains such as Everest were formed by the moving of tectonic plates, perhaps both during and after the flood (see Genesis 10:25). We are told that the flood waters, “were on the face of the whole Earth” and took a full year to dry. The canopy would also affect carbon dating by changing Carbon-14 production. Today, oil deposits are found in places such
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 16
as Saudi Arabia in desert terrain. Millions of years of evolution is a poor explanation for how those deposits got there, but a single cataclysmic event that redistributed the frozen remains of the pre-flood world; or if that world was so different from the world today that a tropical rainforest was in the place of a deer today: that is a far more likely possibility. Nevertheless, in the spite of a litany of flood myths, legends and traditions — conservatively over 200 — worldwide, people struggle to believe the flood. Evidence such as thousands of mammoths frozen instantly while grazing in temperate vegetation and petrified forests should help us believe. But is the Bible authoritative? Coleridge said he believed the Bible was the word of God because, as he put it, “it finds me.” May we believe not only in the flood, but in Christ’s second coming; even as, “a thief in the night,” to rescue his own and to judge a lost and fallen world. God bless you.
LA NOTICIA “The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.
“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publication include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.
LOCALES - POLÍTICA - INMIGRACIÓN - TRABAJOS - SALUD - ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS...
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Año 24 - No. 426
Nashville, Tennessee
De Caracas a Brooklyn: por qué el caso Maduro nos toca en Nashville
La libertad no es un concepto lejano ni un debate de salón. Es algo profundamente personal: tiene rostro, nombre, familia, historia. Y en estos días, para millones de venezolanos dentro y fuera de su país, ese concepto se ha puesto a prueba frente a las cámaras del mundo.
batallas legales y los intentos recientes por terminar esta protección han dejado a muchas familias al borde de la incertidumbre, sin saber si podrán permanecer en el país al que ya han aportado durante años.
Por Yuri Cunza Editor in Chief @LaNoticiaNews
En un video que se volvió viral en cuestión de horas, vemos al depuesto gobernante venezolano Nicolás Maduro, esposado, escoltado por agentes de la DEA en Nueva York. Con visible ironía —y quizás nerviosismo— se le escucha decir: “¡Estoy herido! Good night… Happy New Year”, mientras es trasladado al Centro de Detención Metropolitano de Brooklyn (MDC), una cárcel federal con un largo historial de condiciones duras y controversias. Apenas unos días antes, Maduro seguía en Caracas, aferrado al poder. Hoy enfrenta en Nueva York cargos de narcoterrorismo, conspiración para importar cocaína a Estados Unidos y posesión de armas de guerra, en el marco del caso United States v. Maduro et al. Su esposa, Cilia Flores, también fue trasladada a territorio estadounidense y está acusada en la misma causa. Ambos se han declarado no culpables ante la corte federal, insistiendo en que fueron “secuestrados” y que Maduro sigue siendo el “presidente legítimo” de Venezuela. Las imágenes de su llegada a Estados Unidos —con ese “Good night, Happy New Year” dirigido a los agentes y a las cámaras— son mucho más que un momento mediático. Simbolizan el quiebre de una etapa para Venezuela, plantean preguntas sobre la legalidad de la operación que lo trajo a Nueva York y abren un nuevo capítulo en la ya larga crisis política y humanitaria del país. Pero, sobre todo, nos obligan a mirar más allá del espectáculo y pensar en quienes han cargado con el costo humano de ese régimen.
Nicolás Maduro, esposado y escoltado por la DEA en Nueva York, junto a su esposa, Cilia Flores.
Porque la historia no se queda “allá lejos”. La libertad no es un tema abstracto ni lejano: es personal. Tiene que ver con personas concretas, con familias, con vecinos. Según datos de ACNUR y plataformas regionales de respuesta, casi 8 millones de venezolanos han abandonado su país en los últimos años, huyendo del colapso económico, la inseguridad, la represión y la falta de servicios básicos. La gran mayoría —más de 6,8 millones— permanece en América Latina, especialmente en Colombia y Perú, reconfigurando el mapa social y económico de toda la región. ¿Qué significa este momento no solo para Venezuela, sino para los venezolanos que hoy viven en Estados Unidos y, en particular, para quienes han encontrado hogar en ciudades como Nashville? Venezuela no es solo un país en el mapa; son rostros que vemos en nuestras iglesias, escuelas, universidades,
restaurantes, empresas y vecindarios aquí mismo en Tennessee. Para muchos de ellos, la captura y el traslado de Maduro a una cárcel en Brooklyn despierta sentimientos encontrados: Alivio, porque el hombre asociado a años de represión y crisis ya no está en el Palacio de Miraflores. Esperanza, porque la caída de un líder autoritario podría abrir una posibilidad —todavía incierta— de transición democrática. Temor, porque el tablero geopolítico se ha movido de forma abrupta y el futuro sigue siendo frágil para familias divididas entre dos países. A esa mezcla de emociones se suma la realidad migratoria en Estados Unidos. En medio de esta crisis, alrededor de 600 mil venezolanos han dependido del Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS) para poder vivir y trabajar legalmente en el país. Aunque la administración anterior extendió el TPS hasta 2026, las
Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada? 1. Mantenerse callado 2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido 3. No mentir 4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos 5. No revelar su situación migratoria 6. No llevar documentación de otro país 7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrar la Tarjeta Miranda
Basados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.
por
w w w . j u a n e s e . c o m
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 17
Por eso insisto: no solo miramos la historia en la televisión; también la ayudamos a escribir. Lo que ocurre en Caracas, Nueva York o en la frontera sur se siente en Nashville. Se siente cuando una familia venezolana tiene miedo de acudir a una cita médica por temor a ser detenida; cuando un estudiante no sabe si podrá renovar sus documentos; cuando un pequeño negocio fundado por inmigrantes se convierte en el sustento de varias generaciones bajo un mismo techo. La caída —o el enjuiciamiento— de un dictador no resuelve, por sí sola, el drama de un pueblo desplazado. Pero sí abre una ventana para repensar políticas, escuchar a la diáspora y fortalecer los vínculos entre comunidades de acogida —como la nuestra en Nashville— y quienes sueñan con reconstruir su país algún día. Casi 8 millones de venezolanos en el mundo nos recuerdan que la libertad, la justicia y la democracia no son debates lejanos: son historias de vida que se cruzan con la nuestra, aquí y ahora. Mientras las imágenes de Maduro entrando al MDC de Brooklyn siguen dando la vuelta al mundo, vale la pena preguntarnos: ¿qué papel queremos jugar desde nuestras comunidades locales? Desde los medios de comunicación, las organizaciones comunitarias, las iglesias, las cámaras de comercio y la ciudadanía, podemos elegir entre ser simples espectadores… o contribuir a que la dignidad humana, la legalidad y el respeto por los derechos fundamentales tengan la última palabra. Lo que hoy vemos en la pantalla puede parecer lejano, pero mañana puede tocar la puerta de nuestra propia ciudad. Y ahí, como comunidad, tendremos que decidir de qué lado de la historia queremos estar.
Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper.com ó 615-582-3757
ABBY R. RUBENFELD Attorney at Law
arubenfeldlaw.com
810 Dominican Drive, Suite 215 Nashville, Tennessee 37228 Telephone: (615) 386-9077 Facsimile: (615) 386-3897
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 18
MOVING PICTURES
My Top 5 Films of 2025 BY JOE NOLAN, FILM CRITIC Just when cinema needed a Superman, James Gunn gave us JustOKMan, but 2025 was a middling year at the movies at overall. I wanted Paul Thomas Anderson to bounce back from the bad taste of Licorice Pizza, but One Battle After Another only gathered glimpses of PTA’s generational genius. James Cameron made another Avatar film. Among the tepid reviews and empty seats at the local cineplex, some unexpected treasures glimmered among quirky genre films, intimate dramas, historical throwbacks and true stories more frightening than fiction. 5. Eden Welcome to the Jude Law-less era. One of my picks for best ensemble, Ron Howard’s true story drama pits man against nature and Ana de Armas against all. European settlers flee 1930s fascism for a remote Galapagos island, only to discover paradise breeds its own varieties of violence. De Armas captivates as a flamboyant Baroness disrupting an already fragile community, while Law and Vanessa Kirby play philosophical hermits whose utopian experiment crumbles under the weight
of human nature. Sydney Sweeney and Daniel Brühl play a young German couple who struggle to maintain traditional family values amidst the chaos. Come for the sumptuous cinematography and poetic editing. Stay for a masterclass in welding seamless performances to smart, savage text about what happens when civilization tries to escape itself. 4. Frankenstein Gothic, Romantic, operatic, and visionary — Guillermo del Toro’s long-gestating passion project was one of the most anticipated films of 2025 and it didn’t disappoint. Writer-director GDT pays homage to the lit/ film Frankenverse while adding a uniquely monstrous chapter of his own. Frankenstein delivers the most theatrically artful horror costumes and makeup since Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Jacob Elordi’s portrayal of the Monster makes him an electrifying horror icon for the ages. Mia Goth’s Freudian dual roles add unsettling psychological depth to del Toro’s tragic opera, which highlights the humanity in Mary Shelley’s immortal tale of creation and consequence.
3. Eddington Eddington is the most politically sophisticated American film I saw this year. One Battle After Another is draped in radical window dressing, but Eddington’s politics put believable everyday characters inside a pressure cooker of psycho-social agitators during the pandemic era. Joaquin Phoenix’s Sheriff and Pedro Pascal’s Mayor wage personal war as conspiracy theories — antifa paranoia, leaking labs, QAnon rabbit holes — and big tech manipulation infect their community. Eddington — in the best way — reads like a big-screen television episode about a small town in Texas, where the risks and benefits of violence and extremism are splattered in crimson on the dusty streets of The Twilight Zone. 2. Bugonia Bugonia is another one of my picks for best ensemble. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are solid, with Aidan Delbis stealing scenes as Plemons’ guileless sidekick. Conspiracy theory culture, space invaders lore, class conflict and humanity’s role in the global ecosystem all tangle together in Bugonia. Often feeling like a
January 14 - 28, 2026 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 19
three-person play staged in a dingy basement, it’s a film that balances deep introspection and off-kilter humor. Yorgos Lanthimos transforms a kidnapping thriller into a cosmic meditation on whether we might be the aliens who’ve come to destroy the earth. 1. Friendship The best film of 2025 is director Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship. DeYoung and writer-actor Tim Robinson had a moment in 2025 with this movie and Robinson’s groundbreaking HBOMax cringe comedy The Chair Company. When Craig Waterman (Robinson) takes a mismailed package to neighbor Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd), Friendship blossoms into a black orchid of male loneliness, social isolation, awful awkwardness, and the funniest, most brilliant, most fearless black comedy of the year.
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.
Special Exhibition in 2026
Quilt, by Rebecah Foster, 1808, 78.92.1
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