One of the progressive nonprofits opposing the Music City Loop, a tunnel connecting the Nashville International Airport with downtown Nashville to be built by Elon Musk’s Boring Company, receives a portion of its funding through the Tennessee Department of Revenue (DOR) Specialty License Plate program.
The Equity Alliance (TEA), identified last week by State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) as an activist group that plans to oppose the Music City Loop, was admitted into Tennessee’s specialty plate program in 2021. A description for the license plate reveals proceeds will be, “Used to equip Tennesseans with tools & strategies to engage in the civic process & empower them to take action on issues affecting their daily lives through civic engagement, voter registration, voter education, [and] other related programs.”
Though stopping short of using the term Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the TEA website states that it is “the leading Black-led organization in Tennessee that takes bold action to mobilize the Black electorate to be civically engaged, challenge systemic inequities rooted in white supremacy, and stand up against attacks on our democracy.”
Specialty license plates in Tennessee must be approved through legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Despite the financial arrangement with Tennessee DOR, where the group receives $35 per specialty plate issued, at least one TEA leaders has already spoken publicly in opposition to the Music City Loop, as the nonprofit uploaded a clip to Instagram which shows TEA Community Engagement Organizer Shani Glapion condemn the State Building Commission for its decision to lease of a downtown parking lot to the Boring Company at no cost.
“This tunnel that Elon Musk is building is not public transit, and is not what the people have asked for and fought for,” Glapion told the commission last Thursday, shortly before she insinuated the lease demonstrated corruption on behalf of Tennessee government officials.
“You all sit up there, smugly, knowing that you already made your decision,” said Glapion. “I’m curious about how your pockets are being lined.”
TEA’s opposition to the Music City Loop is not its first clash with Tennessee, as the group previously was among the coalition of activist groups that sued Tennessee over congressional redistricting in 2022. The lawsuit was dismissed last year.
Governor Bill Lee and Boring Company CEO Steve Davis announced the Music City Loop last month during a press conference, which included other state and federal officials, revealing the project will come at no cost to taxpayers, and is expected to be completed in two years. The company held its initial hiring event in Nashville last week.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “The Equity Alliance Rally” by The Equity Alliance.Â
The Faker – I am nowhere close to being called a leftist but I do not believe that the Musk tunnel makes a dime’s worth of difference. Just an effort to get publicity. Cannot let Las Vegas get ahead of Nashville. So people get dumped near the capital. You move congestion from the airport a few miles. Big deal. What is going to be the real cost of implementing this and who maintains the terminals?
More money going to non-profits who work again the good of the general population.
It is past time to stop government funding of all non-profits. They will survive on their own if they ae worthy of being in operation.
So they received 35.00 for every plate issued? That is ridiculous and wrong. Defund this trouble making group.
All these idiots know how to do is complain and hate on anyone remotely associated with Trump. Give it up, already. If they weren’t so ignorant, they might want to do a little research on the project. Other cities have already done projects like this. I reached out to a few folks who have this, and they couldn’t praise it enough, that it was a spectacular success. And these are lefties, who don’t like much about Musk, but are giving credit where credit is due.
Nashville is so far out over their skis with development. Anything that will speed up travel and reduce traffic should be embraced. But no, the victimhood indiustial complex has to keep on harping. Incredible.