Soros Justice Fellowships

Urban EpiCenter

Like many mid-sized American cities, Nashville struggles with youth poverty and violence.  For many young Nashville residents, becoming associated with a gang is seen as one way to survive in a difficult environment.  By some estimates, 10 percent or more of all low-income youth in the city are involved in one of a dozen different gangs.  While some consider the youth involved in gangs to be "problems" that must be "solved," others, like Clemmie Greenlee, see the potential that these young people have for self-transformation and for becoming positive agents of change.  

Greenlee will train current and former gang members in Nashville to advocate for criminal justice reform. She will engage youth who are working to transform their lives and change the system that contributed to their involvement in gangs and gang violence.

Greenlee's own life is a testament to the possibility for change and self-transformation.  For nearly three decades, she was involved in drugs, prostitution, and gangs.  Not until her early 40s was she able to begin the recovery process.  But just as she was turning her life around, Greenlee's son was murdered in gang violence.  Since that time, she has become a community organizer, advocate for homeless and formerly incarcerated people, and the founder and co-director of a network of transitional living homes in Nashville.  In 2007, Greenlee was declared "Nashvillian of the Year" by the Nashville Scene.  Recently, USA Today ran an article featuring her life and work.

Nashville, TN |