After graduating from Tennessee State University, Jamel Campbell-Gooch began working in the social justice sector of the non-profit industry and closely with the community. During the day, he worked at a public high school named Pearl-Cohn. Campbell-Gooch held peace circles with students who experienced the highest suspensions rates as a form of violence prevention and restorative justice. After school, he worked with elementary & middle schoolers at Easley Community Center. Both the teenagers at Pearl-Cohn and children at Easley community center dealt with poverty and targeted policing, which produced a destructive environment. Working with Black young people in neighborhoods that are over-policed and underinvested led him to conclude that the only thing that would change the conditions is organization. From there, Campbell-Gooch dedicated his time to organizing the community around violence interruption as a viable alternative to police and work to gain investment in public goods while divesting from cops, courts, and cages.  

Jamel Campbell-Gooch unapologetically believes in a future with participatory governance and restorative forms of accountability, a future where housing, health, and education are fully funded. He organizes transformative political power with the Black Nashville Assembly. Fights for dignified housing, education, jobs, community-led public safety, and a Guaranteed Basic Income via the city budget. He works alongside many gifted and talented organizers across Nashville. Jamel Campbell-Gooch’s organizing power is a testament to the  collaboration trust others have in him.