NewEarth trustee answers questions about planned Hawkins County micronation
HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Residents of Hawkins County continue to voice their concerns via online petitions and social media posts about the NewEarth Micronation Tennessee from NewEarth Nation Coalition.
Concerns over planned 'micronation' in Hawkins County
NewEarth's Tennessee trustee, Marcia Willardson, said she is here to listen to residents.
'NewEarth is mainly volunteers that see the vision of what the earth can be, how we can work together, and how we're coming together to reunify ourselves from all the separation that has occurred in our societies,' Willardson said. 'My job is to listen. What does this community want? What does the community need? What can we bring to enhance the community? Not, 'We're bringing a plan that you have to live with.''
One of the main concerns of residents is the expansion plans of the micronation. According to the deed obtained by News Channel 11, 60 acres of land were purchased by NewEarth off of Stanley Valley Road.
Willardson said the micronation will only expand if the community wants it.
'What I'm here for is to really listen to the community. This is an agricultural community. I grew up in an agricultural community. My grandparents were Iowa farmers.' Willardson said. 'I know in agricultural communities, they don't want to drop something like San Francisco in the middle, in the heart of your community.'
Residents have also voiced concerns over NewEarth creating a sovereign micronation. Willardson says NewEarth defines 'sovereign' as a personal relationship with the divine.
'Sovereignty is an understanding your own relationship with the divine and being fully available to express that. The relationship with the divine is a personal relationship.'
'It's through our religions. Everybody has their perspective, and we have a variety of ways to realize that, to see that, to feel that. I can't define your relationship with the divine.'
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Willardson said the micronation is not designed to be cut off from the rest of the world.
'We intend to pay every tax that we owe and be as much of a contribution to the community and to the state and to the nation as we possibly can be. We're not talking about, you know, sitting down and being isolated from humanity. You know, we're talking about unifying and bringing whatever gifts we can possibly bring to all levels.'
Instead, they are focused on uniting different perspectives.
'New Earth is the idea that we can all have the prosperity, we can all be economically independent. We can all have the ultimate health that we've envisioned that we really deserve. To bring the full fullness of our health, of our religion, of our political, of our relationship with our neighbors.'
Despite plans on the NewEarth website for what will be included in the micronation, including a residential area and a Regenisis Health Center, Willardson said the land is a blank slate and NewEarth will use the property however the community sees fit.
'We're still now just gathering information. We don't even have the first ink on the page of the plan. And for the most part, we purchased the land we're looking now to see how do we fit into the community and over time, how can we continue to bring benefits as the community really wants them?'
Willardson said that NewEarth picked Hawkins County due to the kindness of the people there.
'The people are down home and friendly in the communities,' said Willardson. 'Large cities, people are so disconnected that it isn't the same quality of relationships that we can build. And there are so many dividing factions. And really our heart is to unify not only ourselves with the community, but to bring what the community needs in order to flourish.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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