Tirzah Statewide Convening Recap

We held our Tirzah Statewide Convening on Saturday, August 10th in Nashville. Marco and NOAH helped organize the action at Fifteenth Street Baptist Church, and members from across Tennessee gathered to discuss the next steps for Tirzah. We reviewed and made suggestions to the Bylaws that will govern us, and broke off into issues areas for to begin visioning actions for the rest of the year and 2025.  

There are many that ask why we picked the name “Tirzah.” Tirzah, of Zelophehad can be found in the Book of Numbers (Numbers 27:1-11, 36:1-12) and was a trailblazer in her time. Belonging to the tribe of Manasseh, she and her sisters bravely approached Moses to request an inheritance. That bold move led to significant changes in inheritance laws for women in Israel.

Tirzah was not alone in her plea. She and her sisters — Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, and Milcah —were part of the strong and united community, a community that stood together in the face of adversity, making their request within the context of the laws and traditions of their people.

The way Tirzah organized her sisters thousands of years ago symbolizes the unity and determination we aim to embody in our organization's mission in 2024: to claim our equal rights as Tennesseans. Like Tirzah, we are standing up to state powers that have controlled our local government and divested resources, necessary to rebuild our cities. 

The Tirzah Convening in Nashville was our second and a testament to the power of unity. It was a platform for us to begin the incorporation process and identify issues statewide to change the powers that be to support our cities' local efforts to thrive. Your input and thoughts on statewide change are invaluable. Stay tuned for our next convening to share your voice and be a part of this movement.