NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A simple classroom assignment laid the groundwork for Middle Tennessee State University political science major Yusuf Dogan to contribute to a nonbinding resolution later passed by Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County.

During the spring semester of his freshman year at MTSU, Dogan was required to write a mock piece of legislation for a project. That experience would translate from the classroom to the real world as part of his internship with Metro-Nashville Councilwoman Delishia Porterfield.

“I’m putting what I learned into practice. It’s come full circle,” said Dogan, a rising sophomore who resides in Nashville.

In May, he worked on a rough draft of a resolution condemning white supremacy that was adopted by Metro Council.

The resolution was a response to flyers promoting racist, xenophobic, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ ideas that were distributed in early May in historically Black areas of North Nashville.

“It was very harmful and hateful rhetoric. So we wanted to go on record and speak out against it,” Porterfield said. “I wanted to do a resolution so the community would know we saw what was happening and this was unacceptable.”

‘Good opportunity’ for MTSU student

Allowing Dogan to help with writing verbiage for the resolution was a “good opportunity,” the councilwoman said.

“I wanted him to get as many experiences as he could,” Porterfield said. “He’s a very capable and smart young man. I wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to write legislation and give him a way of getting real-world experience.”

To prepare for his assignment, Dogan talked with neighbors where the leaflets were scattered.

“I wanted to know how people were feeling and how it affected them,” said Dogan, who served on the Nashville Mayor’s Youth Council at one time. “As a Black person, we have a shared history. To see what our grandmothers were fearing in real life in 2024 — it was shocking.”

Dogan spent four hours working on a rough draft of the resolution.

“He submitted his version of the legislation to me and from there, I drafted changes and submitted it to the council office,” Porterfield explained. “We presented the final version of the legislation to Metro Council and we voted on it. I spoke about it on the council floor.”

It read: “A resolution condemning White Supremacy and the recent display of hatred and bigotry in Nashville and reaffirming the Metropolitan Council’s commitment to supporting and protecting all residents and visitors, regardless of race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.”

“He did an amazing job writing the basis of the resolution,” Porterfield said. “I was very impressed with him.”

Sekou Franklin, a political science professor who has taught Dogan, said the incident impacted him on a personal level. The flyers were found near his former residence.

“Yusuf has already made a big impact on politics and society,” Franklin said. “Nashville is grateful for the role he and his councilmember played in countering hate with tolerance and justice. As Yusuf exemplified, students can make a huge difference in changing their local communities. My hope is that his peers and classmates will follow his example and help shape local decision-making.”

To learn more about MTSU’s Department of Political and Global Affairs, visit https://pga.mtsu.edu/.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)