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Public commenter urges Hadley Park branch be renamed for civil-rights activist Wame Lillard
Summary
During public comment a union representative urged the board to rename Hadley Park branch for Wame Lillard, highlighting his leadership in Nashville's 1960s civil-rights sit-ins and protests; the comment was made as part of the director's report public-comment slot and the board offered thanks but did not take action at the meeting.
During the public-comment portion of the Nashville Public Library board meeting, Kyle Cook, who identified himself as chief steward for SEIU Local 205, asked the board to rename the Hadley Park branch in honor of Wame Lillard.
Cook said Lillard "played a pivotal role in Nashville's student-led 1960 civil rights movement," recounting his organizing of downtown lunch-counter sit-ins, freedom rides and protests to desegregate public swimming pools. "Our library is a sanctuary for truth, memory, and civic engagement," Cook said, arguing that naming the branch after Lillard would signal local history and sacrifice to residents and visitors.
The board thanked Cook for speaking; the item was presented as public comment and no board action to rename the branch was taken during the meeting. The transcript contains variable spellings of the name (examples include "afterwame Lillard" and "Wame Lillard"); the article uses the spelling as it appears in the speaker's remarks in the transcript. Any formal renaming would require a separate agenda item and likely additional public notice and institutional approvals.
