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After Hesitation, Tennessee House Honors Renata Soto

Stratford High School in East Nashville is one of two schools benefitting from a $500
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The Tennessee House has approved a resolution honoring a Nashville immigration rights activist.

Renata Soto was congratulated Monday night for being elected chair of the board of directors for the National Council of La Raza. That’s the nation’s largest Latino advocacy group.

The measure passed 66-10, but it was unusual that there was a formal vote at all. Some Republicans
requested the vote last week for unspecified reasons. House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada tried to downplay those differences.

“There were questions about who and what this was,” said Casada. “To my understanding, those questions have been answered. So we’re now going to vote. Not a conspiracy. Not against anybody.”

Still, Soto’s supporters took the
need for a vote as a snub. Democrats in the legislature, including the resolution’s sponsor, were also displeased.

Soto is a co-founder of Conexion Americas and Casa Azafran, which work with immigrants in Tennessee.

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Chas Sisk, Senior Editor

Chas joined WPLN in 2015 and became an editor in 2018. Previously, he covered state politics for Nashville Public Radio and The Tennessean, and he’s also reported on communities, politics and business for a variety of publications in Massachusetts, New York and Washington, D.C. Chas grew up in South Carolina and attended Columbia University, where he studied economics and journalism.

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