The Metro Minority Caucus, an organization formed to seek the fulfillment of the goals and aspirations of disadvantaged Americans, hosted its “Bridging the Gap” workshop and lunch at Belmont on Saturday, Feb. 28.
With approximately 90 people in attendance, the event included speakers from the Nashville Career Advancement Center, Goodwill Industries, Urban League and Council Members Karen Johnson, Fabian Bedne, Frank Harrison, Lonnell Matthews, Sandra Moore, Erica Gilmore and Walter Hunt. CEO of Nashville General Hospital at Meharry Dr. Joseph Webb was the luncheon’s speaker and presented a workshop for attendees.
Historically, the Caucus has been held as a reception, but with a focus on engaging community members and furthering the conversation on how government impacts the community, the Caucus’s workshop/lunch format was adopted for this year’s meeting.
Council Member Frank Harrison said the day’s activities focused on ensuring community members were familiar with services offered by Metro, as well as the role Council Members play in local government. Featured sessions highlighted a variety of government aspects to educate attendees on Metro’s place in Nashville and how it affects minorities.
“Everything revolves around the health of a community,” Harrison said. “We wanted people in the community to know how accessible we were…and how we could affect change.”
Harrison went on to comment on how pleased he was with hosting the event at Belmont because of the University’s hospitality. Belmont’s Director of the Office of Community Relations Joyce Searcy said the University was honored to host the Caucus for the third time. “We are so happy to have the event on campus again this year, because as an institution, we are committed to partnering with the Metropolitan Council Minority Caucus to improve our community for all residents,” she said.
