A.R. Wheeler & Son funeral home was the largest in East Tennessee, established in 1922 into the 1940s, met its demise through Urban Renewal aka Urban Removal. KNOXVILLE, TN (February 2021) – A.R. Wheeler & Son was…
By Dr. Franklin Tate, Esquire, ETE contributor, is a Knoxville College graduate and serves on the Board of Trustees. To correspond with Dr. Tate by email, click here. February 1, 2021 KNOXVILLE, TN – ‘The Hill’ is located at the…
By Dr. Franklin Tate Patricia Williams contributed KNOXVILLE, TN (September 2020) – Exactly 100 years ago, the first worldwide pandemic outbreak– detected two years earlier in 1918 — finally subsided. Tennesseans experienced their share of suffering and death. Knoxville College began educating freed slaves and…
(December 2020) – This is the first year for Tennesseans to officially commemorate December 1st as Rosa Parks Day. Legislation sponsored by Tennessee Senator Raumesh Akbari and Representative Karen Camper was signed into law last year (2019). In Tennessee…
Charlotta Spears Bass was born on February 14, 1874, in Sumpter, SC; graduated high school in Providence, RI. She was an educator, journalist, newspaper publisher-editor, and political activist. She is the first African-American woman to own and…
Nineteen years after the attacks of 9/11, some American veterans of the war in Afghanistan wrestle with the idea that Pres. Trump’s pull-out of U.S. troops was born out of a deal struck, with the enemy, more than…
The world is reeling from the loss of iconic actor Chadwick Boseman, who died Friday, August 28, after fighting a 4 year battle with colon cancer. Boseman died at home surrounded by his family. Worldwide (August…
First issued in 1976, the State of Black America® is one of the most highly-anticipated benchmarks and sources for thought leadership around racial equality in America across economics, employment, education, health, housing, criminal justice and civic participation. Each annual…
One of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, John Lewis continued to fight for people’s rights since joining Congress in 1987. NATIONWIDE (July 20, 2020) – Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) was…
Statement from Cup Foods owner Mahmoud Abumayyaleh affirms that George Floyd did not resist arrest and that they tried to stop police from murdering him. Brooklyn Park, MN (May 31, 2020) – “Cup Foods would like to extend its…
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has charged Gregory McMichael, 64, a former police officer, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, with murder and aggravated assault in the Feb. 23, shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. The local Georgia Glynn…
WASHINGTON, (May 7, 2020) – Before the arrest, of the McMichael clan, Vanita Gupta, president, and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights issued a statement on the shootings of Ahmaud Arbery and Sean Reed…
OP-ED (The day – April 4, 1968 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died in Memphis was Maya Angelou’s 40th birthday. That intersection was observed recently by social change advocate John Burl Smith, a former Memphis Invader, as…
With the interruption and closures of non-essential businesses Beck Cultural Exchange Center offers this tribute to Knoxville’s Women’s History Month. KNOXVILLE, TN (March 31, 2020) – Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture,…
OAK RIDGE, TN (March 2020) – The community encouraged to visit a special exhibit “Secret Growth” at the American Museum of Science and Energy. It tells the story of some of the contributions of African-Americans to the Oak…
International Women’s History Month: Hidden History in Oak Ridge, TN By Rose Weaver Lila Smith, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission holds a B.S.Degree in Mathematics from Lemoyne College and an M.S. degree in Physics from Howard University. Her…
By Patricia Williams Today March 10th is Harriet Tubman Day, a National holiday signed into law on March 9, 1990, by President George HW Bush. This is the date of her death. Born into slavery her birthdate is unknown….
AMERICAN HISTORY THAT TIME JORDAN ANDERSON SENT HIS “LETTER FROM A FREEDMAN TO HIS OLD MASTER” By Karl Smallwood June 22, 2016 – During the 19th century, there were many freed slaves that went on to lead extremely…
The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre destroyed America’s wealthiest black neighborhood. The city was never the same. American History – In 1921, Tulsa had the wealthiest black neighborhood in the country. On Sundays, women wore satin dresses and…
The Art of Delaney: Redeeming, Reconciling & Healing Monday, 6:30 pm, Feb 24. 2020, at The Bijou Theatre in downtown Knoxville. TICKET PRICE: $10 ADULT | $5 STUDENTS (K-12). Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster (fees apply) or Bijou Tickets can…
The 75th anniversary of World War II’s D-Day was recognized on June 6, 2019. Over 2,000 black soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy on that day. NATION-WIDE (June 2019) – One of them was SSgt. Waverly Bernard…
By Josh Flory Knoxville, TN (January 2020) – His musical talent brought Dexter Murphy to Knoxville and earned him acclaim, but Murphy’s second act — as an educator — was recognized during celebrations of the 2020 Dr. Martin…
The contributions of black people to America’s history across various fields have, over the years, been largely forgotten and this is also evident in the spirits industry. The story of how Jack Daniel began his distillery through…
Washington, DC (January 2020) — Popular American philanthropist and entrepreneur Jay Cameron has launched the Black History Before Slavery campaign initiative with the aim of shining the light on the vast history of the African diaspora before the Arab…
The women’s suffrage movement had many heroines who bravely fought for the rights of women in the United States. As the nation celebrates the 170th anniversary of the first major convention for women’s rights at Seneca Falls and the…