Banner & Company

When he took over as executive director Fisk University's John Lewis Center for Social Justice last year, Dr. Sekou Franklin knew he was stepping into a big role, and one steeped in history. "He has demonstrated a deep commitment to social justice, education and community — values deeply ingrained in Fisk's mission and legacy," the university's president, Agenia Clark, said when he was hired in Ju...

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Mikeie Honda Reiland sit down to talk about Mikeie's reporting on the case of Estefany Rodríguez, the Nashville Noticias reporter who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 5. After our recording, Estefany was released on bond on Thursday, March 19. In this episode, we talk about her background as an immigrant and a reporter as well as the dis...

Growing up in Johnson City, Tenn., Mo Sabri could look out the window of his parents' house and see cows. He grew up listening to Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. He played baseball and football. It was an all-American childhood in many ways. Add a guitar, and all of this sounds like the perfect backstory for a country music singer — except for a detail or two. Mo's parents immigrated from Pakistan,...

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Stephen Elliott sit down to talk about the fairgrounds, the property's fascinating role in Nashville politics over the past 15 years and Stephen's story about the latest tensions surrounding its development. They also discuss last week's Metro Council meeting and Oscar-nominated movies. Produced by Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

"Is God really a boy?" That's a question that the Rev. Margie Quinn says she found written in her very first diary. Growing up in Nashville — and eventually taking up Ultimate Frisbee, which she still plays seriously — it took many years before she began to see herself as pastor material. But early questions like this showed her eagerness to wrestle with the messy workings of the world and search...

Banner reporter Steven Hale sits down with statehouse reporter Sarah Grace Taylor to talk about several immigration-related bills currently under debate at the state legislature. They discuss the proposed policies, including one that would require schools and other public entities to track and report immigration status, and how they might play out in the context of the Trump administration's ongoi...

From the beginning, Musica — the massive ring of dancing figures that towers nearly 40 feet above Buddy Killen Circle just off Music Row — was meant to be more than a sculpture: It was also supposed to be a fountain. Few know the original vision for Musica better than Andrée LeQuire, whose husband Alan LeQuire created the piece. Now, she's helping bring that vision to life, finally, with the help...

In May 2025, Tennessee Highway Patrol teamed up with ICE for a sweeping joint operation that resulted in more than 600 traffic stops, largely in immigrant communities around the city. The Banner reviewed more than 50 hours of body and dashboard camera footage and found that agents routinely profiled people before pulling them over, treated drivers differently once it was clear they were not immigr...

Growing up with two artistically minded parents, Sai Clayton never wanted for something to fill her time — using her imagination wasn't just encouraged, it was expected. Creativity runs in the family, and it permeated her early life. That included many days spent at the Frist Art Museum, exploring the galleries and, in her childhood years, hanging out in the ArtQuest area. Life has come full circl...

Banner reporter Steven Hale sits down with education reporter Lillian Avedian to talk about the education-related bills she's following at the state legislature, from vouchers to curriculum about communism. Lillian explains the policy debates and reflects on her first week on the hill. Steven catches her up on the various romance-related storylines at the Winter Olympics. Produced by Andrea Tudhop...

In his role as Davidson County Juvenile Court Clerk, Lonnell Matthews Jr. sees his share of the kind of youth we have become accustomed to calling "troubled," Often they've come through life without the kind of guidance and support that can keep them on a better path. Lonnell understands all too well what the stakes are, because his own life was profoundly changed by violence: His younger brother...

The Banner's Steven Hale sits down with Metro reporter Stephen Elliott to talk about Tuesday's Metro Council meeting and the various upcoming reviews of Nashville's winter storm response. Stephen talks about an unusually muted night for the council and the issues that came up in the meeting's brief public hearing about the budget, and Steven asks how he and councilmembers interpret the public feed...

The Banner’s Steven Hale and Araceli Crescencio talk about Nashville's historic winter storm, power outages and their personal slip-and-fall counts. Araceli shares what she's heard from Spanish-speaking Nashvillians trying to access Metro resources and Steven encourages her to watch Sister Act and Sister Act 2. Produced by Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Working as a fact-checker is great training for any writer. But especially so when one's subject is a notorious teller of tall tales. This was the case for Jonathan Bernstein, who was tasked with writing a biography of the late Justin Townes Earle. Known for his soul-searching songs and keen delivery of them, Earle also lived his short life negotiating the shadow of his father Steve's legend, as w...

The Banner’s Steven Hale and Stephen Elliott talk about the first Metro Council meeting of the year. It was a late and action-packed night for our Metro reporter. The council discussed how to use a $15 million state grant for downtown safety, and deferred legislation to add a commercial compatibility overlay along Buchanan Street in North Nashville — a proposal that triggered ferocious debate at a...

Before Nashville Hidden Gems was a hit Instagram page, it began as a food tour, taking a small group of guests through a series of creator Anas Saba's favorite local spots. The audience is much larger now — more than 130,000 followers as of this writing — and many of those beloved eateries less "hidden" than they once were. One thing that's remained constant through it all is his dedication to loc...

The Banner’s Steven Hale and Sarah Grace Taylor talk about the return of the Tennessee legislature, what they've done so far and what to expect in the coming months. Sarah Grace discusses bills related to immigration policy, some newly proposed and others carried over from last year. She also highlights a likely debate over expanding vouchers and proposals targeting LGBTQ+ rights. Steven wonders w...

Craig Havighurst's new book Musicality for Modern Humans: How to Listen Like an Artist aims to talk about music theory in a non-theoretical way — to get at how and why music affects us, and to help foster a deeper appreciation for its many forms. That includes experimental, instrumental and orchestral works, which move beyond the familiar verses and choruses that make up the vast majority of strea...

Although Nashville is known as Music City, some of the most important history — songwriting sessions, recordings, rehearsals — took place in either nondescript houses you'd never think were remarkable in any way, or in buildings that were demolished long ago. That can make piecing together the many stories a bit of a detective game. Enter Brian Mansfield and his page, Nashville Musical History Tou...

At the end of every Banner & Company episode — the very end, after the credits have rolled and the theme music fades out — there's a little hidden feature that regular listeners are likely familiar with. We call it "the final question," and it's when we ask our guest to pull a slip of paper from a fish bowl (fish not included) and read what it says. On that paper is a question, left by a previous...

Growing up, Stephen Bargatze got into plenty of trouble. He wasn't a very good student. His home life was rocky at best, and he had a terrible relationship with his mother. But with some help from family, he got a chance to turn his life around. And when he found he had some skill at magic tricks, his world brightened a bit. Then he discovered that with clown make-up on, "talking funny" was actual...

This bonus content was created in partnership with the podcast Niche to meet you. Shedrich Webster is Middle Tennessee’s premiere Black Santa. For three years in a row, he has done the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the National Museum of African American Music. But he also travels all around the country. And along the way he’s learned that there’s great need for Santas like him, for k...

What started as an ordinary ride home from a track meet changed Cathy Carillo's life. When Metro Police stopped her father for a broken taillight in 2009, they arrested him, and he was later deported. Cathy, who was 14 years old at the time, was left stranded on the side of the road and wondering: “Is this really home?” That night set Cathy on a 15-year path that recently led to helping found The...

Before The Store opened, Jasmine Ledsinger would drive by and wonder what this new business was going to be. When she learned it would be a place for those in need to shop for free food, she quickly became interested — and before she knew it she was the first employee hired by founders Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Today, Jasmine is The Store's program director. It's not exactly wher...

A familiar face to many, Joe West is the "house band" at Nashville International Airport. In this role, he performs regularly for ever-changing crowds as they arrive in the city for the first time, or return home from far-flung travels. His regular gigs at the airport have also earned him high-profile spots on other stages in Nashville and beyond. Joe comes from a musical lineage. His parents, Sar...