Senate Democrats: Universities should be safe for student protest without political interference

Tennessee Senate Democrats
1 min readFeb 23, 2021
The ETSU men’s basketball team kneeled during the national anthem this month.

NASHVILLE—Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus released a joint statement in support of students who are protesting peacefully at Tennessee colleges.

“Our public colleges and universities should be a safe place for students to express themselves and advocate peacefully for change in our country without interference from the legislature or university administrators. In fact, student organizing on college campuses is a perfect reflection of the American values embedded in our First Amendment. Rather than silencing the voices of students who are peacefully bringing attention to injustice in our country, we should all be working together to address the inequities that brought them to a knee.”

From movements like the lunch counter sit-ins of the ’60s and war protests to advocating for better campus living conditions and gender equality, there is a long history of student-led organizing for change at Tennessee colleges and universities.

Democratic members of the Senate are proposing bills this session to increase police accountability, end police brutality and erase other inequities in the law.

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Tennessee Senate Democrats

Fighting for everyday people in the Tennessee General Assembly