Connecting Nashville to the world with Sister Cities Nashville

Have you met Nashville’s sisters? Sister cities, that is. If you didn’t know, the long-running Sister Cities Nashville program has formal partnerships with nine — and soon to be 10 — international cities.

These partnerships strive to connect the people of Nashville to the people of the world. And they follow a nationwide mission established in the 1950s to carry out what’s known as “citizen diplomacy,” under the belief that exchanging cultural ideas builds understanding and fosters international peace.

“We serve as the international arm for the city of Nashville,” says Sarah Lingo, executive director. “We connect people with real, honest, true relationships all over the world.”

Now, after many years of effort, the newest sister city relationship could soon be formalized.

Nashville will partner with Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A delegation — including Nashville Mayor John Cooper and former mayor Bill Purcell — traveled to the city in late May, and the board of Sister Cities Nashville followed their return with a unanimous vote in favor of the relationship. It now awaits adoption by the Metro Council.

“It’s a mutual benefit, both sides,” says Nawzad Harami, a Nashville Kurd who co-founded the Salahadeen Center and took part in the Erbil trip.

“The welcoming nature of Nashville — people see it,” says Purcell. “Getting this information out around the world for Nashville is a win every time.”

First up today, we’ll hear the latest from the Southern Baptist Convention with Tennessean religion reporter Liam Adams.

This episode was produced by Tony Gonzalez.

Guests:

• Sarah Lingo, executive director of Sister Cities Nashville
• Nawzad Hawrami, co-founder of Salahadeen Center
• Bill Purcell, former mayor of Nashville and board member with Sister Cities Nashville
• William Watson, student participant with Sister Cities Nashville
• Valentina Boulin, educator at Colegio ICEI in Mendoza, Argentina