Why Nashville?
Why Nashville?
Current Events Response
April 19, 2023
As we prepare for the 103rd NCSS Annual Conference, some are asking, Why Nashville? Nashville is the capital of Tennessee and is a vibrant and culturally diverse city. In addition to the world-renowned music scene, Nashville is home to key moments and movements in our nation’s history; for example, the demand for women's suffrage and the fight for civil rights. In 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was formed in Nashville by college students, including Diane Nash. As chairman of SNCC, John Lewis, civil rights icon, former member of Congress, long-time friend and speaker at prior NCSS conferences, has many of his roots in Nashville. He graduated from Fisk University in Nashville in 1963, and in 2019, the John Lewis Center for Social Justice was founded to continue “Fisk University’s legacy of producing some of the greatest African American intellectuals, artists, organizers, activists, and political leaders in the world.”
There are many factors a national organization such as NCSS takes into account when choosing a conference city. These factors include its capacity to host a large conference and accessibility for a large number of teachers. According to data from MDR education, which maintains a database of educators, there are approximately 25,000 social studies educators within a 500 mile radius of Nashville. Social studies educators in Tennessee and surrounding states have an abundance of expertise to offer educators from all over the country and world. Moreover, NCSS seeks to host its conferences in diverse locations to reach as many social studies educators as possible, and the last time our conference was located in Nashville was in 1993. The thousands of educators, their family members, and guests associated with our conference will have a significant impact on the economy of Nashville, and we will elevate minority-owned businesses. We are actively seeking partnership with the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce, and Tennessee Pride Chamber of Commerce.
NCSS is dedicated to providing high-quality programming at each annual conference, so the process of planning and choosing host cities for our annual conference begins years in advance. Our state affiliate, the Tennessee Council for the Social Studies (TCSS), brought a proposal to our Board of Directors in March 2017. The Board approved the proposal after deliberation, and contracts between NCSS, Music City Center, as well as our conference hotels, began in earnest. These plans include many behind-the-scenes processes which most members are not privy to, such as commitments and contracts to hotels and conference hall rental fees, field trip experiences booked for educators, and programming schedules secured for the entire NCSS community. We remain committed to TCSS, who is planning to co-locate their conference alongside ours, and to the thousands of educators who have been looking forward to a conference in their backyard for six years. We remain committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all social studies educators to come and learn with us in Nashville.
The NCSS Conference Planning Committee is actively working with Nashville representatives and organizations such as the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and GLSEN Tennessee to provide additional support and opportunities for educators from all backgrounds to have a meaningful and safe experience. The mission of NCSS is to advocate and build capacity for high-quality social studies by providing leadership, services, and support to educators. Teaching social studies is inherently political; however—regardless of the political environment—social studies teachers need access to high-quality professional development. NCSS is committed to supporting all social studies educators, regardless of location or any other identifying factor. We reaffirmed this stance in our April 17, 2023, statement NCSS’s Continued Commitment to Inclusivity.
We enter Nashville as an organization committed to inclusivity and look to support social studies educators who might be grappling with how to navigate the myriad of challenges associated with social and political contexts. For example, on April 10, 2023, the NCSS officers released a statement on the Recent Expulsion of Tennessee Lawmakers. Among many concerns expressed in that statement, we “urge lawmakers in Tennessee and across the country to adhere to the constitutional principles of our republic, uphold the principles of democracy, and respect the rights of all elected officials to express their views without fear of retribution.” Nashville's Metro Council shares our concerns, as shortly after his expulsion, they unanimously voted to reinstate Representative Jones, who represents part of Nashville, to his seat in the Tennessee House. As John Lewis reminded us, “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp is ready to welcome us. They remind us that “Nashville is an open, welcoming city that respects and embraces the differences among us. We believe that our differences make our community stronger.”