League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County

Looking for ways to get involved in your community? Love volunteering?📒✍🙋
Join us for Observer Corps at the 6/9 City Council meeting! Please email Margaux Cowan-Banker ([email protected]) if you can attend.

More volunteers trained in how to register voters. Thanks to everyone who attended yesterday’s Voter Registration Training. A huge thank you to Margaret Massey Cox for leading another engaging session.

Our Youth Engagement Team had a blast this morning playing Civics Trivia with Summer in the City Interns. We talked about how the different branches of government impact state and local policy, how to find your districts and officials, and how to make a plan to vote this August! The League of Women Voters is honored to be a part of encouraging the next generation of civic leaders. You may even see some of these interns in elected office some day!

Did you miss the 6/4 Board of Education meeting? The LWVKKC Observer Corps was there to observe, take notes, and report. Check out the top observations:

1. Ms. Templeton’s resolution requesting the TN General Assembly amend the Age Appropriate Materials Act passed in a 5-4 vote. It specifically asks to allow for contextual review of entire books, return to grade-band standards, and extend the review window from 60 to 90 days. The Board will continue discussing policy changes that can be implemented under the current law at its next Policy Review meeting, July 22.

2. Although Ms. Bike’s resolution recommending a student-centered approach to technology use in schools did not pass, it sparked a timely discussion. The proposed resolution brought numerous parents forward to share concerns, students' stories, and ideas for how technology should be used in schools. Input from this discussion will help shape a technology policy that will be developed prior to the start of the new school year in August.

3. The community packed the room, with twenty-four (24) people speaking during public forum. While perspectives and topics varied, a consistent theme emerged throughout the evening: a strong call for greater transparency and accountability. From how decisions are made to how information is communicated with the public, speakers repeatedly emphasized the need for clearer processes and meaningful community engagement both of which would increase public trust.

Check out the full report and previous reports on our website: https://www.lwvknoxville.org/observer_corps

Yesterday, we stood in solidarity with 14 community partners, speaking in support of the freedom to read and questioning the current book review processes under the Age Appropriate Materials Act. We will continue to elevate our voices advocating for transparency and access. Your voice is powerful and deserves to be heard. Contact the members of KCS Board of Education before they vote this Thursday!

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

Pride is more than a celebration, it's a recognition of the courage, advocacy, and progress that have helped move our communities toward greater equality and inclusion.

We celebrate the diversity, courage, and joy that make our communities stronger. Everyone deserves the freedom to be themselves and the opportunity to thrive.

Today and every day, we stand for respect, inclusion, and belonging for all.

While we applaud Superintendent Rysewyk for making the right decision to return Roots to school library shelves, this moment exposed a much larger issue: the lack of transparency in the book review process.

Who serves on the Library Review Committee? How are members selected? What qualifications do they have? When and where do they meet? Where are the meeting minutes and public records?

A process that impacts more than 60,000 students should not operate behind closed doors. Our community deserves transparency, accountability, and a meaningful voice in decisions affecting access to books and information.

That’s why we stand united with 14 community partners in calling on the Board of Education to reevaluate its book review policies and procedures to ensure they are transparent, consistent, and inclusive of community input.

Join us:
Monday, June 1 – BoE Work Session
Thursday, June 4 – BoE Regular Meeting

Both meetings will begin at 5 p.m. in the Summer Place Board Room (across from Market Square Parking Garage)

The work continues. Stand with us in supporting the freedom to read and access to diverse books and perspectives.

What a beautiful evening at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center celebrating together at the LWVKKC Annual Meeting. Thank you to everyone who joined us for an inspiring night of community, connection, and civic engagement.

From the incredible historical storytelling of Rev. Renee Kesler to celebrating our accomplishments and enjoying Civics Trivia together, the evening was a reminder of the power of coming together in support of democracy.

Please join us in welcoming our newly inducted board members:
• Tunisia Holley – 2nd Vice President
• Amy Seifried – Treasurer
• Directors Jennifer Cox, Roxane Figueiredo, and Kathryn King

We also welcomed new members of the Nominating Committee:
• Margaret Massey-Cox – Chair
• Tanya Phillips
• Susan Martin

Let’s keep the momentum going as we continue empowering voters and defending democracy.

We have joined forces with 13 community organizations to demand the KCS Board of Education amend their policy and procedure for potential book removals. Now is the time to speak up! See you, June 1 & June 4.

Our Observer Corps attended today's Knox County Election Commission meeting. During the meeting's public forum, an attorney for Knox County Sheriff candidate, Mike Davis, announced plans to challenge the results of the May 5th Sheriff's Republican Primary, citing that lack of public knowledge of the indictments of candidates J.J. Jones and David Amburn before the election "tainted" the results. Davis' lawyer asserted they intend to file a formal contest in Chancery Court by Tuesday, May 26th, which is the legal deadline to challenge election results once they have been certified. The Knox County Election Commission did vote unanimously to certify all results from the May 5th primary.

Full Observer report here - https://www.lwvknoxville.org/observer_corps