Programmed in conjunction with our current exhibition, An Invisible Current: Engaging with History, join Michael Gilliland for The People’s History of Chattanooga, a walking tour titled “The History of White Supremacy and Anti-Racist Resistance in Chattanooga”. This walking tour covers history from the founding of the city in the 1830s through the modern day. Topics include enslavement in early Chattanooga, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the establishment of Jim Crow, the 1911 change in city government, white supremacist violence, the Civil Rights movement, the Wilson Pickett riots, the 1980 Klan shooting on MLK Blvd., Brown v. Board of Commissioners of the City of Chattanooga, and more.
Details:
Guide: Michael Gilliland – public historian, activist, and Organizing Director of CALEB
Meet outside the main entrance to the Read House
Duration: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes
Covers the distance of five city blocks
Wheelchair accessible with stops mostly on wide sidewalks
People's History of Chattanooga: Retelling the story from the bottom up
There is a well-known narrative of Chattanooga history; Civil War battlefields, the "Dynamo of Dixie," "Dirtiest City in the U.S.," the Chattanooga Renaissance. A sanitized picture of progress for a mid-sized Southern city, this tale tends to focus on the political establishment, business leaders, and other movers and shakers while often ignoring the real perspective of marginalized communities, agitators, and working-class folks whose bitter fights for a better city have left an indelible mark. We want to tell this story; one that highlights the social movements, radical activism, dirty conflicts and everyday heroes that have often remained hidden from cultural awareness. Whether it is the legacy of white supremacy and anti-racist resistance, the rise of unions and industrial struggles, the complex battles for women's liberation, the strengthening of networks in the LGBTQ community, or the mobilization of citizens around numerous and diverse environmental issues, the time is right for a more full and honest portrayal of Chattanooga.