The MVA Community Engagement team recently attended NOAH's "Rekindling Democracy" Banquet with Cha'koya Smith (MMC MSPH student) and Sherill Atkins (community partner).
NASHVILLE, Tenn. The Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) Community Engagement team was in attendance at the NOAH (Nashville Organized for Action and Hope) “Rekindling Democracy” Banquet held on Thursday, May 12, 2016, at the Cal Turner Family Center of Meharry Medical College.
The Keynote Speaker for the evening, Rev. Anthony Batiste Thompson, is a published poet and author of an upcoming book, The Power of Forgiveness. His wife, the late Myra Singleton Thompson, was one of the victims in the 2015 shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. He spoke to those gathered at the banquet on forgiveness and hope.
NOAH’s goals for Nashville centralize social justice, a mission they take on by striving to increase public awareness.
NOAH’s 53 member organizations include congregations (Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Unitarian), labor unions and community non-profit organizations. The faith led coalition has three issue-oriented task forces: Affordable Housing, Criminal Justice and Economic Equity and Jobs.
Accompanying the Community Engagement team were representatives of Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance’s Faith and Health group, a subcommittee of the Nashville Health Disparities Coalition. The Faith and Health partnership focuses on engaging faith-based institutions in collaborations focused on health improvement and research.
About the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
Founded in 1999, the Alliance bridges the institutions of Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University. Its mission is to enrich learning and advance clinical research by developing and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships between Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University and the communities they serve.