The People's March 2025

I had the honor of helping organize the Nashville, Tennessee People's March on January 18th. I also had the opportunity to speak and share one of my poems in a powerful moment outside the downtown courthouse.

Being with so many passionate Tennesseans was empowering.

My people (and so many more!) marching together down Broadway!

I got to stand with a few fabulous women like Ailina Corona and Gwen Levey!

My Alma Mater interviewed me after the rally!

I got to meet (and hug!) Allie Phillips! What a hero.

This was my first speaking engagement, and although I was incredibly nervous, I wanted to share my passion for bringing up the next generation of Tennesseans right.

Speech Transcript:

Before I share a poem with you, let me take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Paige DeLozier. Middle Tennessee has always been my home. I grew up in Hermitage, attended MLK for high school, and earned my degree at MTSU. For six and a half years, I taught in Metro Schools, and my daughter was born right down the road at St. Thomas Midtown.

And today, I’m honored to stand here with you on the Capitol steps at the People’s March.

And I tell you all of that because as a Tennessean woman, mother, educator, I’m and human being, I am now standing here to fight.

But those who came before us have already had to fight this fight. We shouldn’t still be here, on the capitol steps, doing this. But, as we know, an uneducated society is doomed to repeat its mistakes. So my hope is not only to continue the fight FOR better but to continue to actively teach the next generation to BE better. 

I often hear people speaking to kids saying things like, “when you get into the real world" this and "well, in the real world" that, but I’ve come to realize kids ARE already in the real world. They’re living full, human, emotional lives parallel to ours every single day. In this real world. And they learn everything they know from us.

So what then? What is it exactly we’ve been teaching them?

Because I don’t know about you, but I want my daughter to grow up to BE a person and BE AMONG people who lead through love…not hate. And I want to see her peers set a high standard for how we treat one another in Tennessee. 

With equity, empathy, and empowerment. 

So now I’d like to share with you a poem that has become something of a guiding motto for my family since my daughter inspired it in 2019.

Feel Love Give Love

What are my hopes and dreams for you?

Do I hope you’ll be an astronaut

exploring all the stars?

Do I dream you’ll be a writer

telling stories to the world?

Do I hope you’ll be a doctor

healing broken bones?

Do I dream you’ll be a teacher

inspiring little minds?

Maybe you will do those things,

But what I want for you is much simpler than that.

What are my hopes and dreams for you?

I hope you feel love and give love.

I hope you feel love from the world.

From your community.

From your family.

From your friends.

AND FROM YOURSELF!

I hope you give love to the world.

To your community.

To your family.

To your friends.

AND TO YOURSELF!

Feel love and give love.

Feel love and give love.

Every single day.

Let’s raise the next generation of Tennesseans to love themselves, to love each other, and to love loudly. Because they’ll have to be loud to drown out all this other noise. 

Thank you.