The African American Equity Restoration Task Force (AAERTF) will study, review, and identify strategic solutions to improve areas of disparity and disenfranchisement in the Black community, work with existing agencies in the community, and develop policy, programs and recommendations that will establish opportunities for generational wealth building in the Black community.
The
Community Safety and Empowerment Department works with the African American Equity Restoration Task Force to identify solutions and develop policy and programs that will establish opportunities for generational wealth building in the Black community.
Click here to view the African American Equity Restoration Task Force Strategic Framework.
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COMMUNITY SAFETY &
EMPOWERMENT GRANTS |
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The City of Knoxville Office of Community Safety and Empowerment seeks to provide grant funding to non-profit and community-based organizations capable of implementing efforts in Knoxville, TN through five different grant opportunities. Grant Proposals should focus on the mission and objectives of the African American Equity Restoration Task Force, Empower Knox, or the Office of Community Safety.
View Grant Funding Information
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BACKGROUND
In December 2020, Vice Mayor Gwen McKenzie proposed and City Council approved a resolution to invest $100 million over the next seven years in Knoxville’s Black neighborhoods, which were largely destroyed during urban renewal projects of the 1950s and ‘60s. The resolution called for the creation of African American Equity Restoration Task Force to oversee the investments, which will mostly come from grants.
Click here to view the Resolution of City Council to Acknowledge and Apologize for Past Actions Hurting African Americans and to Address Equity Restoration
APPOINTMENT OF TASK FORCE MEMBERS
The Task Force is comprised of 11 members representing business, community, financial, education, faith, healthcare, youth and city leaders.
MEETINGS SCHEDULE
Task Force meetings are held quarterly on the second Monday at 5:30 p.m. at 5:30 p.m.
April 14: Pellissippi State Community College, 1610 E. Magnolia Ave. July 14: Knoxville Area Urban League, 1514 E. Fifth Ave.
Oct. 13: Knoxville Area Urban League, 1514 E. Fifth Ave.
CURRENT MEMBERS
City Representative: Tiffany Davidson
Stella Bridgeman
Stella Bridgeman, a native of Roane County, joined Pellissippi State on Dec. 1, 2021. Stella earned her Bachelor's, Master's, and Educational Specialist degrees from Tennessee Tech University. She is currently a doctoral scholar-practitioner in the Leadership and Decision-Making program at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. She has 22 years of experience in higher education, which includes tenures as an Academic Advisor in the College of Education at Tennessee Tech University, Assistant Director of the Student Success Center at the University of Tennessee, and most recently served as Director of First-Year Programs there. Currently, she is the Campus Dean for the Pellissippi State Community College Magnolia Avenue Campus. Stella is guided by and leads from her faith. At her core, she is a servant leader.
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Tanisha Fitzgerald-Baker
Strategist, analyst and community leader Tanisha Fitzgerald-Baker has spent most of her professional career in the educational arena focused on equity and access for those underserved and underrepresented from communities of challenging circumstances. The native Knoxvillian earned her B.S. in Actuarial Science from Florida A&M University and an M.S. in Education from UT Knoxville. Baker is a founding member and current president of the Five Points Up Community Action Group, a founding member of East Knox Lions Club, member of Volunteer Rotary of Knoxville, member of the steering committees for Eastside Sunday Markets and Community Voices Coalition and is on the board of directors for the YWCA. She received the “Woman 2 Woman” Community Outreach award from the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and the 2020 MLK Commission’s Award for Community Service.
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Mary Gitau
 Dr. Mary Gitau is an Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Practice at the College of Social Work, University of Tennessee. Her educational preparation encompasses Education and Social Work and earned a master’s degree in social work and a Ph.D. in Education, both from the University of Wyoming, USA. Her areas of expertise include social justice and anti-oppressive practices; social work practice with communities and organizations, policy & advocacy, domestic violence, and global/international social work. She is also a two-time recipient of a prestigious fellowship from The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP), funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Dr. Gitau’s research interests include social justice advocacy for minority and disenfranchised communities/population, best practices in working with refugees, and global/international engagement. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, walking while listening to music, and traveling.
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Brandon Hardin
Brandon Hardin grew up in Mechanicsville and East Knoxville, graduated from Austin-East Magnet High School. He earned a degree specializing in the study of aviation and business from Middle Tennessee State University. Currently a commercial airline pilot with Republic Airways, Capt. Hardin flew the KC-135 Stratotanker for several years to locations all over the world, flying missions in support of the Air Guard and United States Air Force. He is the founder and president of Joyce Development Inc. and owns several rental properties, mainly in the East Knoxville community. He volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Tuskegee Next, Knoxville Area Urban League, is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and serves on the Knoxville Botanical Garden board of directors.
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Vincent Jones
 Vincent Jones Jr. is the Pastor of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church and a Realtor for Wallace Real Estate. Jones received his Bachelor of Science from Morehouse, Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and is currently working toward a Doctor of Ministry with a Concentration in Holistic Community Development at Columbia Theological Seminary. He is in the Leadership Knoxville Class of 2024 and a Knox County Schools region 5 Strategic Plan Community Member and part of KCS Superintendent's Council for Accelerated Learning.
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Gwen McKenzie
Sixth District City Councilwoman Gwen McKenzie is executive director of Legacy Housing Foundation and has decades of marketing and customer service experience with CVS Health and Covenant Health as well as extensive community service and involvement. She enjoys volunteering and currently serves on the Knoxville Area Urban League Board (co-chair National Achievers Advisory Committee) and previous boards including Girl Talk, Inc, Knoxville Botanical Garden and Tanasi Girl Scout Council.
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Dave Miller
During his 27-year career with First Horizon (formerly First Tennessee), Dave Miller has held leadership roles in marketing and corporate strategy and investor relations, where he earned national honors from IR Magazine and Institutional Investor. He is currently First Horizon Bank’s East Tennessee region president. Miller has served his community as a board member of Covenant Health, United Way of Greater Knoxville, Knoxville Chamber, Knoxville Symphony, YWCA Knoxville Foundation, Tennesseans for Quality Early Education, and the First Horizon Foundation. He is also graduate of Leadership Knoxville’s Flagship and Introduction Knoxville programs (LK19/IK17).
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Anderson Olds
Memphis native Anderson Olds received his Political Science degree and MBA from the University of Tennessee in 2012 and 2019, respectively. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Haslam Family Campus with the Boys and Girls Club, overseeing the Regal Teen Center, Haslam Youth Facility and the Hollins Family sports complex. He also operates a Consulting company called 4Solutions Consulting that focuses on long-term strategic economic growth for startups, small businesses and nonprofit boards. As a board member, he serves Knoxville Fellows Initiative, the Zaevion Dobson Memorial Foundation and Girls on the Run of Greater Knoxville.
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Deborah Porter
Deborah Porter is a native Knoxvillian and a graduate of Austin-East High School and the University of Tennessee. Presently, she works for the Tennessee Small Business Development Center and is retired from Knox County Government and the Tennessee Valley Authority. She's been involved in the community for many years and serves on multiple community boards and projects, including Knoxville Branch NAACP; FAITH Coalition Chair; and Pellissippi State Community College's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. She is Chair Emeritus of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission and a Charter Member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. She is very active at Community Evangelistic Church where she serves as an Elder.
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George Underwood
 George Underwood, Esquire, graduated from Austin-East High School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville. George started his career as a high school teacher and coach in Knox County and in recent years operated his own law practice. He has also served as an Assistant City Attorney in Knoxville. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He now serves as the Executive Director of Equity and Compliance for Pellissippi State Community College. George is a member of the Knoxville Bar and the Tennessee Bar Associations. |