The Nashville Village

Every level in the Roots & Reach Founding Donors Circle carries a name.

Mr. Yusef Harris created spaces where people could exchange ideas, build networks, and find their way.

Freshman year at Tennessee State University, Erika explored every corner of campus. When she walked to the bright yellow building facing the entrance of the university, Alkebu-Lan Images, Nashville’s only independent, Black-owned bookstore, a whole new world opened. The owner could tell she was on a mission, hungry for knowledge, thirsty with curiosity.

Mr. Yusef handed her a book and invited her on a lifelong journey of wayfinding and meaning making.

We named this level for Mr. Yusef because the people who give here are choosing to carry what he built forward: community architecture that creates the conditions for someone else’s becoming.

Donors at this level are recognized as Ambassadors of the movement. Because that is exactly what he was.

Join the Roots & Reach Donors Circle today.

https://www.nashvillevillage.org/roots-and-reach

Conflict is inevitable. Knowing how to navigate it is a skill.

Join us Thursday, June 18 for a hands-on session on Conflict Resolution with Nicole Rowan, CEO of Press Play on Purpose. We are gathering at the McGruder Center from 11:30AM to 1:00PM for a real conversation about how to handle conflict in ways that protect your relationships, your team, and your mission.

This is the kind of training your organization needs. Come ready to learn and leave with tools you can actually use.

RSVP. https://tr.ee/5rMOJaSOjA

You should not have to choose between growing your organization and taking care of yourself.

At The Village Nashville, capacity building and healing go hand in hand. We are the go-to resource for Black nonprofit and foundation professionals in Nashville who want both. Real tools, real community, and programming that honors the whole person behind the mission.

Come see what we are building.

https://linktr.ee/nashvillevillage?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=f23decb1-eeb1-4906-aa4a-5884ca8850db

No Village Call this Wednesday, June 10th! We are taking a brief pause and will be back the following week. Rest up, stay connected, and we will see you soon.

Every level in the Roots & Reach Founding Donors Circle carries a name.

Dr. Helen R. Houston taught generations of students to think critically and lead responsibly. She believed Black students deserved more than education. They deserved expectations, accountability, and a future big enough to grow into.

She once said that there is pleasure in teaching students and helping them acquire skills that will carry them not just through the present, but into the future, and that Black educators should become role models for their communities. If you ever sat in her classroom or her office hours, you felt both of those things equally. The joy she took in pushing students intellectually was just as present as the expectations she held for them: think critically, show up responsibly, engage as civic leaders.

We named our $55/month level for Dr. Houston because this investment funds an ecosystem of both support and accountability, a Village where leaders don’t just receive resources but rise to meet each other.

Join the Roots & Reach Donors Circle at the Dr. Helen R. Houston level at https://www.nashvillevillage.org/roots-and-reach

We are kicking off June with a powerful conversation. This Wednesday we are joined by Clifton Harris, President and CEO of the Urban League of Middle Tennessee, for our Village Call. If you are a Black-led nonprofit leader looking for insight, connection, and a real talk about what it takes to build and sustain in this landscape, you do not want to miss this one. Wednesday June 3rd at 11AM on Zoom. Note — we have a new Zoom link so be sure to grab it at the link in our bio. Free to join.

Every level in the Roots & Reach Founding Donors Circle carries a name.

Ms. Ruth T. Young showed us what it means to get it done and get it done right.

“How you!?!” If you knew Soror Young, you know those two words were never just a question. They were a greeting, a curiosity, an invitation, and a celebration all at once, from a woman small in stature and mighty in everything else.

Ruth Young’s shop was the workshop and masterlab for custom attire, gifts, decor, and signage. Her commitment to making sure generations of HBCU students, alums, and families looked good, felt good, and showed up properly with pride was only matched by her servant heart and her infectious laugh.

We named our $30/month level for her because this investment makes sure The Village has the basic operational foundation that lets the real work happen.

Join the Roots & Reach Donors Circle at the Ms. Ruth T. Young level at the link in bio.