#IBelieveinNashville …but why?

by Josh Farris – March 23, 2020

With the spread of COVID-19 causing fear and separation amongst Americans, which can quickly slip into anger and division if we’re not careful,  I’d like to tell y’all about my experience in Nashville earlier this month.  Early in the morning on March 3^rd, a series of tornados pummeled the Middle Tennessee area. One tornado, an EF-3 at its strongest, was on the ground for 60 miles through the heart of Nashville and its suburbs. The other major tornado, an EF-4, obliterated an entire neighborhood in Putnam County.Once the dust settled, 25 people were dead, several were missing, and thousands of people were displaced or severely impacted across the mid-state area. Even in the midst of this tragedy, however, I saw a community come together in inspirational ways that are worth sharing.

Before the news cameras were on the ground to report the damage, Tennesseans were already getting to work helping out those affected. Before the true scope of the 60-mile track of destruction through Nashville was realized, Nashvillians were creating Facebook groups to support recovery efforts and sharing the hashtag “#ibelieveinNashville.” Before anyone realized how high the death toll was in Putnam County, citizens of Cookeville and the surrounding areas were already headed towards the hardest hit town of Baxter.

Within a few hours of the skies clearing, the sections of impacted neighborhoods fortunate enough to avoid damage were fully mobilized, caring for their neighbors. Within four days, conservative estimates had over 20,000 volunteers deployed around Middle TN, clearing debris, repairing homes, or providing healthcare, shelter, and food services.

I was home on leave on the 5^th and 6^th and was fortunate enough to be able to help out just a little; y’all, when I say I was amazed to the point of tears by the sheer numbers of Tennesseans determined to help, I mean it. I helped move a downed tree piece by piece from on top of a North Nashville home to the street with a man named Ed, a Nashville transplant from Australia. Later, I cleared brush from a woman’s car with two coworkers who were originally from Michigan and Florida. The only two things all 20,000 of us had in common? We were Tennesseans, and we wanted to help in any way possible.

So how, in light of all of the division and anger in our country, was this possible? Why were so many different people with different priorities and different beliefs able to come together for a common purpose?

First, it’s important to be clear: Tennesseans aren’t inherently different from any other humans on the planet. We’re all broken humans in need of grace. However, this doesn’t change the fact that they still responded to the tornado disaster with unprecedented compassion in unprecedented numbers. Why? I believe they did it for three reasons: 1) They believe in a collective identity. 2) They had been tested before, and they stayed true to that same identity. 3) They reminded themselves, and each other, of their identity when the going got tough.

Here’s what I mean by “collective identity.” In today’s culture, people identify themselves by any number of varying or fixed categories: race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, political associations, economic class, etc. In the age of social media, it is possible to surround ourselves with people who only identify exactly as we do; the problem, however, is we are forced to interact with ‘different identities’ every day in our work, our neighborhoods, and even our families. To get past these boundaries, people often ascribe to higher identities focused on common beliefs or values. One such identity that became evident to me this month is that of a “Tennessean.”

Tennesseans have always prided themselves on their volunteer spirit and hospitality, a concept dating back to our involvement in the Mexican-American war. This identity has been tested again and again, most recently for Middle Tennesseans during the flood of 2010. Even though much of the nation wasn’t aware, due mainly to other major events in our country, the floodwaters reached levels along the Cumberland River that experts believe had not been reached in centuries. Despite the lack of national awareness, churches, non-profits, and neighborhood associations went out in force helping those affected clean up, repair, and ultimately rebuild. These efforts were actually what gained attention, and many local and national news outlets have attributed Nashville’s population boom to the successful rebuilding effort after that tragedy.

Tennesseans remembered this success. After the storm had passed on the 3^rd, social media lit up with encouraging posts, memes, murals, and any number of other posts, all with the same message: “watch and learn, America. We’ll show you what volunteer spirit is all about.” This message didn’t provide any new inspiring information, and it didn’t ask Tennesseans to get out and volunteer. It simply pointed to what Tennesseans believed about themselves, a belief that had proven again and again to be true, including just a decade earlier.

I have more thoughts on how this applies to America in this crisis specifically, but that’s another post that will come soon. Here’s what I want to emphasize today: Tennessee was inspiring because they came together, put aside their differences, and immediately made a difference in the lives of their neighbors. America can do the same thing, but we’ve got to do it together. We have to stop focusing on what divides us, and that starts with each of us. What are we sharing on social media? What are we saying to our friends? What are we doing with our time and our money? Just some things to think about. Like I said, more to come. Thanks y’all for reading, I hope it was worth your time!

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Joshua is a son, husband, father, Air Force officer, and public policy enthusiast currently living in Montana with his wife and daughter. The views expressed in this post are his own and do not necessarily reflect the official views or positions of the Air Force or the Department of Defense.