Urban renewal projects in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s did more than tear down buildings and build highways. What was branded as a push to end blight uprooted families, killed businesses, scattered Black neighborhoods and disrupted unique traditions and cultural connections.
On the next Dialogue, we explore what urban renewal did in three Knoxville Black neighborhoods. Host Brandon Hollingsworth will be joined by two guests:
WUOT News freelance contributor Heather Duncan, who has been interviewing former residents of the areas affected by urban renewal.
Rev. Renee Kesler, President of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. A major part of Beck's mission is documenting and preserving how urban renewal affected Black neighborhoods. The Center has also hosted in-depth conversations about racial justice that have been shared on the Beck Center YouTube channel.