It started with fear. In late 2017, white nationalists announced an anti-refugee rally in downtown Murfreesboro — just weeks after Charlottesville had ended in death. The city braced for what was coming.

What came instead was a coalition. MMY's team called together community leaders, faith partners, and activists to meet that week. Out of that meeting came a movement: Murfreesboro Loves. The strategy was peaceful presence over confrontation — a citywide show of unity that would let love speak louder than the people coming to spread hate.

On the day of the rally, the Public Square looked like a city expecting the worst. Stores were boarded up. Police presence was heavy. Snipers stood on rooftops. But the streets surrounding it filled with neighbors holding signs of love, refusal of hate, and solidarity with refugees. The day ended without violence — and with a city that knew something new about itself.

In 2018, the founding coalition voted to pass the Murfreesboro Loves name to MMY. We've carried it ever since. Each year, our Love Your Neighbor event commemorates what happened — and reaffirms the choice we made together: that this community will always choose love.