FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2025
CONTACT
bstaten@edtrust.org
NASHVILLE— Yesterday, hundreds of Tennesseans gathered at Public Square Park in downtown Nashville before marching to the State Capitol to show their support for public education for all students regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or immigration status.
“Yesterday, we chose courage. We chose to show up for our children, for our communities, and our state because we believe that every child, no matter their race, income, or immigration status, deserves access to a high-quality public education,” said Lisa Sherman Luna, Executive Director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC). “We have seen the power of people coming together throughout history and today, we draw hope and courage from the trailblazers that came before us to continue fighting for our vision of a Tennessee where every child thrives, where communities lead, and where education is a tool for liberation, not oppression.”
Organized by the Education for All Tennessee campaign, the march and rally featured speakers from campaign partners TIRRC, Education Trust Tennessee, The Equity Alliance, and Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM), along with students and educators from across the state.
“I want to be clear, when you target our children, you awaken the movement in all of us. I’m proud to stand alongside partners in this work, to ensure every student in Tennessee has what they need to succeed,” said Alexza Bajaras Clark, Executive Director at EdTrust-Tennessee. “EdTrust-Tennessee exists to close opportunity gaps and advance justice in education for ALL students—because we believe every student, no matter their race, background or where they were born, deserves access to a great education. Education is not a privilege for the few—it is a right for all.”
This legislative session, Tennesseans have shown widespread, unwavering support for students’ access to public education in the wake of SB836/HB793, legislation that is attempting to deny enrollment and/or charge tuition to certain immigrant students based on their ability to prove immigration status. Though the legislation has received significant bipartisan opposition, SB836 passed the full senate last week. Yesterday, the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee placed the bill behind the budget, making its path uncertain as the legislature begins to wind down business. The bill has gained widespread opposition, especially as it highlights a continued attack on fully funded public education and implications for civil rights.
“We’re here today because we know our children are not disposable, and our movements are bound together by this simple fact,” said Rachael Spriggs, the Statewide Director of Power Building for The Equity Alliance. “This is a moment for unity — a fight for our futures. A future that is not dependent on a zip code, a status, or your proximity to whiteness and power—but a future that is rooted in our right to freedom, which starts with the right to a safe, free, and quality education.”
Also opposed by numerous businesses owners, faith leaders, and educators, hundreds of Tennesseans have taken action by showing up at the state legislature, sending over 3000 emails and making over 2000 phone calls to lawmakers. Additionally, multiple local school boards have adopted resolutions, including the Murfreesboro City Schools Board of Education and Franklin County School Board, opposing the measures at the response of localized, on the ground organizing.
“Our members have been on the ground, talking with their neighbors, and urging their local school boards to join the call to reject this deeply unpopular and backwards legislation,” said Austin Sauerbrei, Executive Director of Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment. “Parents, educators, and students in our communities have real hopes for what our public schools can be, and they’re ready to fight for that. There’s a lot of work to do and real change has to come from the ground up, from those most affected by the laws our legislators are passing. Along with our Education for All Tennessee campaign partners, we are helping ensure that the voices of everyday Tennesseans from Memphis to Mountain City are heard.”
Representatives from the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), a national network of state based immigrant rights organizations, including the Alabama Immigrant Justice Center, NAKASEC, and the Florida Immigrant Coalition, also attended the march. Numerous national education and immigration organizations, along with other state based groups, have been deeply invested in the fight for education for all in Tennessee, as they recognize the national implications should this legislation pass and lead to a challenge of the Supreme Court precedent set in Plyler v. Doe that guaranteed education for undocumented students.
“Do not think for one second that this will only impact immigrant children in Tennessee. Understand that HB793’s passing here will impact all children in the country. It will impact more than 200,000 new American children in our Florida school system, who just like all children aspire to learn, be curious, make new friends, and become part of a community,” said Tessa Petit, Executive Director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition and co-chair of the Fair immigration Reform Movement. “Tennessee, this is your chance to make a difference and say no more attacks on innocent people. Do not become the state that deprived millions of kids of access to basic education. Do not become the state that promoted inequity and injustice toward children.”
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