Nehemiah Action
Margaret Bickley • June 2, 2021

NEHEMIAH ACTION ASSEMBLY - The Justice Knox annual Nehemiah Action Assembly was held Monday, May 3rd, at the World’s Fair Amphitheater and via Zoom. The official headcount for this year is 1,270. 164 people attended in person, and 1,106 attended via Zoom. This is the highest attendance we have had since our first Nehemiah Action in May 2017 when 1,236 organized packed Central United Methodist Church. 


St. James brought 130 people to this year’s Nehemiah Action. We exceeded our stated goal of 125 and made this the largest St. James’ attendance at a Nehemiah Action Assembly! 


We heard many “Yes” responses from our community officials.  Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon and several city council members were there to say, “Yes!”  that they would vote for the affordable housing trust fund that is proposed in the city budget. 


Knox County Schools superintendent, Bob Thomas, said, “Yes!” that the school system will provide more consistent and more transparent data regarding school discipline to the public and that he would meet with Justice Knox leaders and staff from the International Institute of Restorative Practice. 


KAT director, Isaac Thorne, said, “Yes!” that he will meet with officials from VIA to discuss making public transportation more user-friendly, especially for working people. 


With all those “Yes!” responses, there is much to celebrate. The annual Justice Knox Celebration will be held Monday, June 14th, 6:30-8:30 pm, at Church of the Good Shepherd, 5409 Jacksboro Pike, Knoxville, 37918. There will be a boxed dinner, and folks will be able to physically distance on the grounds of the church. We will celebrate 

this year’s successes, learn about updates to the ongoing work since the Nehemiah Action Assembly, and kick off our annual investment drive. All Network Members are asked to pre-register for the Celebration at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-justice-knox-celebration-tickets-154444286017. 


If you have questions or want to learn more about Justice Knox, please contact one of our Justice Knox team leaders at St. James: The Rev. John Mark Wiggers, Brian Austin, Mark Abell, Nick Simson, Carol & Butch Yates, or me.  Margaret Bickley Mbick7@gmail.com, 865-384-7422

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