Oppose American Renaissance at Montgomery Bell
The American Renaissance (AmRen) conference is an annual white nationalist gathering held at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, TN - only 40 minutes from Nashville. This meeting gathers up to 300 white supremacists who meet to present their harmful views on racial hierarchy, the supposed decline of American society due to integrationist policies, and plans to form a white ethnostate. They disguise their racist propaganda by using pseudo-intellectual language, attempting to portray their views as serious scholarship. The conference historically hosts neo-Nazis, eugenicists, Ku Klux Klan members, and members of extremist alt-right groups, and it continues to be a gathering point for white nationalists, with attendees often expressing a sense of empowerment and a desire to advance their agenda.
Despite its recognition as a hate group, this gathering is welcomed to a Tennessee state park at the expense of the community's safety and taxplayer dollars. Join the movement to OPPOSE American Renaissance, say NO to hate in our state, and build community in the face of divisive rhetoric.
While the attendees of the AmRen conference share plans to divide us, we will build even stronger solidarity to uplift a community that values diversity. This work continues beyond the conference.
— AmRen staff reporting on the 2025 conference"American Renaissance is now an institution at our regular location, and this stability means we can move beyond theory into practice."
This statement reminds us more than ever that this organization is not merely a fringe platform for participants to share hateful rhetoric in isolation - it is an established institution using its stability move ideology in action.
These events provide a space for white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups to coordinate and advocate for political violence, as confirmed by recent reporting by investigative journalist Phil Williams.
This reality demands that we confront these events with the same seriousness, organization, and commitment they are bringing to advance their agenda, making clear that their beliefs and actions have no place in our communities.
What About Free Speech?
Free speech is a right we take seriously. However, when a gathering exists to amplify and normalize political violence against our communities, we do not welcome it — and neither should the state. Courts have long held that speech constituting a direct incitement to violence falls outside constitutional protection, as established in Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969). AmRen's conference has been documented as a space where speakers and attendees coordinate advocacy for political violence, crossing well beyond the expression of offensive views into the coordination of targeted harm. The fact that a state-funded venue continues to host this event after 13 years is a stark reminder that the state has never been a neutral party when it comes to white supremacy. At a time when white nationalist ideology is being used to justify violent anti-immigration policies at the federal level, platforms like this one do not exist in a vacuum. While we continue to hold the state accountable for its complicity, we do not trust it to solve this for us. We will show up to counter white supremacy wherever it arises. We go where they go.
Take Action Today
Contact the Lodge at Montgomery Bell State Park
Express your disagreement with their approval to host an event that promotes racial discrimination. Tell them you will not support their business when they welcome white supremacists.
View phone scriptPost and Share Information on Social Media
Tag park accounts and officials to tell them they should reject this event and take a stand against bigotry.
Express Your Opposition on Review Platforms
Leave reviews for Montgomery Bell State Park and Lodge on Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor to express that you will not support them because they perpetuate hate speech.
/// NOTE: these platforms tend to filter specific language, so double check that your review is visible.
Share This Information with a Friend
Call, email, and post your opposition together. The more people who know about this gathering and speak out, the stronger our collective voice becomes.
Plan for Action Throughout 2026
Assemble your team and commit to expressing resistance throughout the year. We will continue to stand together to send a message that we do not welcome hate in our state!
Why Should We Oppose the AmRen Conference?
Meetings like AmRen do not happen in isolation. They amplify false and harmful views that lead to a normalization of racial discrimination, changes in political legislation, and a justification of violence. This has consequences for all of us. It is no coincidence that Stephen Miller, the current White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and US Homeland Security Advisor, has referenced AmRen to support his immigration policies.
Known affiliates of the conference include:
- David Duke — former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
- Don Black — founder of Stormfront, Imperial Wizard in the KKK, and member of the US Nazi Party
- Helmuth Nyborg — prominent "scientific" racist and misogynist
- Gavin McInnes — founder of the Proud Boys
- Richard Spencer — neo-Nazi, head of the white supremacist National Policy Institute, prominent alt-right figure
- Amy Wax — Penn Law professor sanctioned for racist remarks
- Thomas Rousseau — head of Patriot Front
- Martin Sellner — prominent Austrian neo-Nazi
The neo-Nazi shooter Dylann Roof, who killed nine people at a church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015, was influenced by white supremacist propaganda sites similar to those promoted at gatherings like AmRen, as documented in his manifesto.
We cannot sit by idly while white nationalists gather in middle Tennessee. We cannot allow them to feel comfortable while they amplify racial discrimination and hate speech. We must abolish AmRen.
Hateful rhetoric emboldens violent acts and threatens the safety of our friends, family, and neighbors.
When a State Park hosts the AmRen conference, your tax dollars support white supremacy.
Nazis should not feel safe in our state!