A look back at English Only
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Fifteen years ago this month, Nashville voters rejected a ballot measure to make English the official language of Metro and to bar the use of other languages for government business in many instances.
- Leaders of the opposition's coalition, including several former Nashville mayors, attended a reunion celebration and press conference at the historic courthouse last week to mark the anniversary.
Flashback: By the time the English Only referendum came before voters in 2009, the idea had been debated in Nashville political circles for years. Legislation effectively accomplishing the same thing cleared Metro Council in 2007 but was vetoed by then-Mayor Bill Purcell.
- In response, English Only's chief supporter, Councilmember Eric Crafton, gathered voter signatures and put the proposal on the ballot.
- Some public polling indicated English Only would pass with ease.
Yes, but: An unprecedented and far-reaching coalition formed instead, consisting of immigrant activist groups, political leaders, faith leaders and the vast majority of the business community.
- The proposal was rejected by voters 57% to 43% on Jan. 22, 2009.
Why it matters: Tom Negri, the prominent hospitality executive who co-founded the Nashville for All of Us group created to lead the resistance effort, says the defeat of English Only served as a public statement about the city's status as a diverse and welcoming place.
- The connections made in the lead-up to the referendum have ripple effects to this day. Leaders of the Nashville for All of Us movement continue to serve as activists on issues ranging from affordable housing to civil rights.
What he's saying: "I know this sounds large. But I think it set Nashville on a great path of community and understanding," Negri tells Axios. "When you think of the initial polling — 82% of folks in Nashville thought English Only was a good idea. It was quite the turnaround."
- "The coalition was just unbelievable. We had almost every sector of our community represented, from businesses to the ACLU, from every religious group imaginable, all 11 universities, the nonprofits."
Reality check: The template of that sweeping and diverse coalition has never been duplicated, even as the legislature has lurched far to the right since 2009.
- Negri pointed to the fight for gun control laws in Tennessee as an example of an issue that needs a similarly organized effort as English Only.
- "If only we could have a coalition like that today, we wouldn't have to worry about the gun situation," he says.