The “In the Black” specialty license plate benefiting the Millennial Debt Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, is now the top-selling specialty license plate in Tennessee.
It is among about 100 specialty plates in the state benefiting causes such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.
Since the Millennial Debt Foundation’s all-black plate was launched in late 2022, it has raised nearly $1 million for the organization, which is focused on public education about the national debt and fiscal stewardship in government.
“It has been exciting to see so many Tennesseans embrace the black license plate and the commitment to government responsibility that it represents,” Wamp said in an email. “I look forward to watching MDF continue to advocate for generational stewardship both here at home and in Washington.”
In the 2025 fiscal year that began July 1, 2024, Tennessee drivers purchased 13,250 In the Black plates, which brought in about $214,555 in revenue to the foundation. The “Don’t Tread on Me” plate benefiting the Friends of Sycamore Shoals Historic Area, which was previously the top-selling specialty plate, dropped to second place with 11,250 plates sold, according to the Tennessee Department of Revenue website.
