To Host Elbert Williams 80Th Anniversary Celebration

Longtime activist and community organizer, John Ashworth has been elected as the new president for the Tennesseans for Historical Justice (THJ). Ashworth enters this role accompanied by David Johnson and Brittany T. Paschall who joined the THJ Team in May to support fundraising and operations respectively. The newly formed team will join the NAACP-Brownsville Haywood County TN Branch and community partners in hosting an 80th Anniversary Celebration for Elbert Williams, on Saturday, June 20, 2020, beginning at 10 AM CST at the memorial marker (31 East Main St. Brownsville, TN 38012) and via live-streaming on THJ’s Facebook Page. More information can be found at
https://www.tnhistoricaljustice.org/.

A decorated Vietnam veteran, Ashworth currently serves as the Executive Director of the Memphis Lynching Sites Projects and is co-founder of the Dunbar Carver Museum in Brownsville, Tennessee. Johnson is a Brownsville native and graduate of The University of the South in Sewanee, TN. In March of 2019, he was selected as 1 of 41 Thomas J. Watson Fellows throughout the United States, for the project he independently designed exploring how countries reconcile with their past in Northern Ireland, Germany, Rwanda, South Africa, Chile, and Peru.

Paschall is a native Nashvillian and the Founder of We Remember Nashville. An educator, organizer, and minister, she was a 2017-2018 ELLA Fellow with the Sadie Nash Leadership Project and Recipient of the 2019 TLOD/TTA Alumni Humanitarian Award for the Status of Women.

“Created as a result of Tennessee State legislation, we are ideally positioned to be the catalysts that help public and private entities develop strategies and action for the courageous conversation that all of America needs to have. THJ’s board is blessed with an extraordinary cross mix of talent and an in-depth understanding of the judicial and criminal legal systems. Into that mix, we are endowed with the talents of 21st Century leaders,

Brittany Paschall of We Remember Nashville and David Johnson involved in a global study of Transitional Justice,” said John Ashworth, THJ Board President.

THJ is excited about the leadership of Ashworth and the addition of Johnson and Paschall. Community members and the public are invited to join an 80th Anniversary Celebration for Elbert Williams on Saturday, June 20, 2020, beginning at 10 AM CST at the memorial marker (31 East Main St. Brownsville, TN 38012) and via live-streaming on THJ’s Facebook Page.

ABOUT THJ
Created in 2019, Tennesseans for Historical Justice’s mission is to uncover the truth about racial violence in Tennessee to achieve justice, conciliation, and healing.