Demonstrators Show Support for Lipscomb Academy's Dean of Intercultural Development

On Thursday night, dozens of protesters gathered outside Lipscomb Academy to rally in support of Brittany Paschall, the school’s dean of intercultural development. Demonstrators say Paschall has been treated unfairly by the administration, and many called out her most prominent critic, country musician John Rich.

“John Rich has used his celebrity, power and wealth to slander and harrass Dean Brittany Paschall,” said Allie Wallace, the organizer of the rally, in a speech to fellow demonstrators. Wallace, who went to Lipscomb University for undergraduate and graduate school, worked with Paschall in the past. They were both graduate assistants at Lipscomb's Hazelip School of Theology.

Many protesters were activists who worked with Paschall in youth programs or in Black Lives Matter Nashville. Some were alumni of Lipscomb Academy and/or Lipscomb University.

“Brittany is my comrade, I’ve known her for a few years,” said Denzel Caldwell, a member of Black Lives Matter Nashville. “I know that she is a thorn in the side of white supremacy, and I was elated to know that she would be able to take a position like this at Lipscomb.”

There was some dispute about Paschall’s status at the school. Demonstrators say Paschall’s employment was ended this Tuesday; the school says that Paschall is still an employee and still the dean of intercultural development, a statement they’ve repeated since the Scene first reported on this issue.

According to protesters, Paschall is currently on a work trip in Indianapolis related to her role in Lipscomb’s youth theology initiative. Later that evening, Paschall tweeted about the event.

Paschall, the first dean of intercultural development at Lipscomb Academy, was hired in 2019. When anti-racist school materials circulated in classrooms, some parents — including Rich, who has two children at the K-12 school — complained about her employment and how teachers were discussing sensitive topics like discrimination and white privilege.

“This whole situation has shown us that Lipscomb is willing to be taken hostage by the demands of a person who comes with a lot of dollar signs,” added Wallace.

The protest was held outside the school shortly before the start of a prayer service for Lipscomb students and parents. The academy had set up a barricaded area on campus for the protesters, but the group opted to rally on the sidewalk in front of the gates instead. Some cars driving by honked in support — but one pick up truck, stopped at the light, decided to do a burnout, leaving the protesters in a cloud of exhaust.

The prayer service was announced in an email from Lipscomb officials to parents. That same email listed the school’s takeaways from a series of 11 parent town halls hosted in January, and announced that the current head of school would be stepping down. Some of the town hall discussions seemed to concern Paschall and the teaching of anti-racist videos and writings. 

Members of the NAACP spoke with school officials, according to a statement from Lipscomb. The statement reads:

We are grateful to have had the opportunity to meet this afternoon with Rev. Keith Caldwell as well as other members of the NAACP. We remain unequivocally and irrevocably committed to embracing ethnic, cultural and economic diversity, showing the love of Christ to all and to building a diverse community where every student, faculty and staff member is valued, respected and loved.