Apr 19, 2022 - News

Fisk University getting shattered civil rights plaque

Adam Tamburin

Pieces of the broken plaque at Fisk University — Photo: courtesy of Alan Poizner and Mayor John Cooper's office

Broken pieces of a plaque commemorating civil rights activists in Nashville will be donated to Fisk University on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The plaque was broken in May 2020, when a march protesting George Floyd's death was followed by a burst of vandalism at the courthouse. Some in the crowd shattered the plaque and used the pieces to break windows, according to the mayor's office.

Many of the broken shards were collected and will be part of a new, permanent exhibit at the Fisk library.

Driving the news: Mayor John Cooper's office is donating the plaque, while K&L Gates law firm is sponsoring the exhibit.

The exhibit will include a documentary about desegregation in Nashville.

Flashback: On April 19, 1960 — after months of protests against segregation — Black Councilmember Z. Alexander Looby's home was bombed. Several thousand activists marched to the steps of the historic courthouse in protest.

The plaque described an exchange between then-Mayor Ben West and Diane Nash, a Fisk student at the time. At Nash's urging, West told the crowd he believed segregation at downtown lunch counters was wrong.
Lunch counters were desegregated the next month.

Between the lines: Metro Council voted last year to name the plaza outside of the courthouse in Nash's honor.

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Fisk University getting shattered civil rights plaque

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