The Nashville Intercollegiate Activism Conference brought in prestigious figures from the Nashville community to discuss the past, present and future state of activism. The conference, put on by the Vanderbilt Political Review, highlighted student and local activists, as well as multiple political campaigns.

The event was kicked off with the student activism panel, which featured seven student leaders who have made a difference in the community through their activist efforts. Brittany Johnson, a freshman, discussed the strategy and motivations that led her to raising $32,000 for children in Kenya.

“It is our job as Americans, not necessarily to bring in aid and just leave or just bring people here, but to help them achieve their dreams on their own,” Johnson said.

The campaign recruitment portion of the event brought in 15 candidates to speak about how public service has shaped their lives and how students can get involved in local campaigns.

“The question is can both parties be better and, for the right reasons, challenge the next generation to be involved,” said Congressman Zach Wamp, a current Tennessee gubernatorial candidate. “That’s my heart, and that is my message.”

John Lachs, professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt, spoke on the Professor’s Panel, which brought together academics from Vanderbilt, Lipscomb and Tennessee State University to discuss their backgrounds and the activist trends in the world today.

“The fundamental point I wanted to make was that what we do today feels so natural to us, and we declare it to be the right way, but it’s only the customary way, and the customary way may not in the end be unchangeable, and it may not even be the right way,” Lachs said.

The event, however, did not go without issue. During the tribute to the Nashville sit-ins panel, Keith Caldwell from American Baptist College publicly criticized VPR for not representing the black community enough in planning the conference.

“The way that this was structured didn’t include the folks who are the historical black colleges and universities,” said Caldwell. “It is important to have those most directly affected at the front of the struggle.”

Linda Peek-Schacht, a professor at Lipscomb who spoke on the professor panel said after the event that if she were to offer constructive advice for VPR’s future conferences, it would be that they have more integrated panels.

“We were disappointed with how two panelists expressed negative sentiments towards VPR and Vanderbilt University. We are optimistic about the positive contacts we have made with other schools and look forward to working more closely with them in the future,” the VPR executive board members said in a statement.

The group added that overall, it was pleased with the outcome of the conference, especially the positive message it delivered and the student, faculty and community member turnout.

To end the conference, John Seigenthaler, former chairmen of The Tennessean and co-founder of USA Today, delivered the keynote address. In his speech, Seigenthaler referenced the “Ripples of Hope” speech delivered by Robert Kennedy as the most important part of his message.

“If any student took anything away, it was to remember that you can make a difference if you care enough.” Seigenthaler said.