A Conversation on Community Engagement with Derrick Solomon, Hard Bargain Association Executive Director

In this episode of Applaudable Perspectives, host Pamela Lewis walks the historic Hard Bargain neighborhood of Franklin, Tennessee with Derrick Solomon, Executive Director of the Hard Bargain Association, for a powerful, place-based conversation about history, housing, and hope.As they move through the neighborhood they’re discussing, Solomon shares the story of Hard Bargain—a historically Black community shaped by resilience in the face of post-Reconstruction challenges, including its designation as a sundown town. He explains how the Hard Bargain Association is working to preserve the neighborhood’s legacy while building a future rooted in opportunity, stability, and belonging.Through home renovations, the construction of high-quality affordable housing, and community-centered programs, the organization is helping families remain in the neighborhood they call home and grow alongside it. Over the past five years, the association has built five new homes and rehabilitated ten others, continuing a long-standing commitment to preservation and community investment.The episode also highlights the association’s impactful backpack giveaway program, which has provided more than 1,100 students—and their teachers—with fully stocked backpacks, made possible through the support of local foundations, churches, municipalities, and local businesses teaming with the Hard Bargain Association to offer them.This episode offers a moving, on-the-ground look at what’s possible when community, collaboration, and purpose come together.