Best Activist Action

Photo: Matt Masters

Nashville saw a summer full of Black Lives Matter activism, but the longest-running and most visible action was easily the 24/7 occupation of Legislative Plaza. Protesters maintained a site in the downtown plaza near the state Capitol — which they called both the Ida B. Wells Plaza and the People’s Plaza — for 62 nights, frequently facing arrests as they called for Gov. Bill Lee to meet with them to discuss racial injustice in Tennessee. Republican state lawmakers responded to the protest by passing a bill that increases penalties for camping on state property — a violation of free speech. Lee signed the embarrassing bill into law and never met with the protesters, who for two months braved inclement weather, ever-present state troopers and a pandemic. The activists have since ceased the plaza occupation, but they’re still hosting events and demonstrations around town under the banner People’s Plaza, aiming to keep their movement and community going. ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ