As we draw closer to the end of the year, we’re excited to share the final Voices from the Region entry for 2025, featuring Pastor Tyrone Nelson.
Pastor Nelson is a member of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors, representing the Varina district. He’s a three-time Chair of the Board, and he’s currently serving his fourth term. Nelson is also the pastor at Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in historic Jackson Ward and serves on a variety of local boards, associations, and commissions, including as Chair of the GRTC Board.
You can learn more about Pastor Nelson, a proud and lifelong Richmond region resident, in this video he shared on Instagram.
With his unique background as an elected official, religious leader, and civic advocate, we wanted to pose our five questions to Pastor Nelson to learn more about how he views and takes steps to strengthen health and racial/ethnic equity in the Richmond region.
When discussing his own personal definition of health and racial/ethnic equity, Pastor Nelson shared what they look like in action.
“It shows itself,” he explained, “in providing space for everyone to have access to all kinds of health options, whether its resources, primary care, or care for children and adults. It shows itself by being able to get what you need wherever you are, for whomever you are.”
In his capacities as a longtime member of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, a local religious leader, and an engaged member of the Richmond region, Pastor Nelson made it clear that no matter your role, there are always opportunities available to prioritize health and racial/ethnic equity.
Within every opportunity, there is the possibility of creating or re-creating a new opportunity,” he said, “so we make sure that equity is a part of everything we do.”
He specifically identified the needs in the Eastern Half of Henrico County, where inequities have shown themselves in education, housing, and health concerns.
Pastor Nelson expanded on this point by identifying both affordable housing and health disparities as two of the most pressing challenges, making it difficult to achieve health and racial/ethnic equity in Eastern Henrico.
He went on to share how he’s worked with his fellow Supervisors and his church leadership to substantively address these issues.
“I was proud to lead the charge to create a $60 million affordable housing trust fund in Henrico County,” he said. “As a pastor, we have conversations with members of the community to help them understand the best strategies to use when approaching state and federal officials.”
His church, Sixth Mount Zion, has also contributed to organizations that help residents with rapid rehousing needs.
From his vantage point, Pastor Nelson has seen significant progress on the health and racial/ethic equity front, especially when it comes to mental health support. Much of this has applied to the work he has been a part of on the Board of Supervisors.
“Henrico County has been focused on the mental and emotional health of both adults and children and youth,” he explained. “We have committed to balancing opportunities and presenting resources that serve everybody, and we have almost doubled our funding to support the mental and emotional health of our residents.”
Specifically, Pastor Nelson outlined two policy changes the Board of Supervisors has embraced: partnering with local police to ensure mental health services are a part of all police calls involving an emotionally distressed individual, and an effort to ensure schools can provide 24 hour mental and emotional health services to Henrico County Public School students.
Given his unique perspective and his community service roles, it makes sense that Pastor Nelson is primarily focused on identifying specific, actionable ways to expand health and racial/ethnic equity.
Our closing questions about what he would like to change in his community to improve health and racial/ethnic equity outcomes highlighted this point
“I’d like to have more public and private avenues for physical and mental health,” Pastor Nelson said. “I would like to see more health care facilities in Eastern Henrico. We are working on this, but it definitely takes public-private partnerships.”
Ultimately, despite wearing many different hats as a part of the wider Richmond region, he views his many roles as just different avenues to serving people and building community.
As Pastor Nelson shares in his introductory Instagram video: “It is work, but it is service.”