Kalil

So having these unique experiences where people can deal with clay and understand what an underglaze is or for them to try to make candles or to decorate a cake. Having those experiences to not think about the financial barriers of how am I going to purchase these items or how am I going to sign up for this class that I can just sign up and not give a cent, but know that my community is going to support me to bring this creative aspect to me.

Host

This is Kalil White, community development organizer, environmental steward and operations director for The Bottom.

Ty

A lot of our work now is two-fold. It is to make sure that that history still lives on and it's to make sure that we are doing what we can to reclaim Black place, Black safety and Black space.

Host

The Bottom was founded in 2019 by Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin, with their flagship programming engaging youth at the intersection of entrepreneurship and sewing. It has since grown into community-owned space with programs for Black creatives. So where's the name come from?

Ty

The Bottom is named after the first Black neighborhood in Knoxville that was destroyed by urban renewal. We were founded by a sociologist studying Black race and place in Appalachia. She discovered the history of The Bottom throughout her research. And a lot of her participants had feelings of displacement, like an overwhelming amount of displacement, and she was trying to uncover why is this, why do Black people not feel like they belong in Knoxville?

Host

This history highlights a pattern we've seen in so many places. Knoxville, like many cities across the US, faced waves of urban renewal that disproportionately uprooted Black communities, often under the guise of progress. It's not just about the physical destruction of homes, but the deep, lasting impact on people's sense of belonging.

Kalil

I think the unique challenges that Black Appalachians face is really around place justice. When we think about how place and having a sense of place and a sense of home and belonging is so important to building a community around. And a lot of communities throughout Appalachia has faced that ripping of their place being from them. So where they were either forcefully pushed out, homes were destroyed, or just environmental conditions provided them that they had to leave. Not having that sense of place was difficult for them to figure out how they can build upon or build anew.

Host

This idea of place justice is so central to the work being done at The Bottom. So how do you turn that idea into something tangible, especially when it comes to arts and culture?

Ty

So year round, our bookstore is utilizing literature as a tool for education and liberation. And our permanent studio spaces serve as long-term investments into Knoxville's creative ecosystem. I think all of that is how we preserve our identity, but also give space for folks to grapple and transform what our identity can mean in the face of erasure.

Host

It's more than just keeping history alive. It's about creating space for Black folks to imagine what their identity could be moving forward.

Ty

We're coming from a history where our humanity as Black communities has been physically denied and also socially diminished. So a lot of our work within our space, it starts with affirming our community, letting them know that they are human, that we see them. So sentiments like, "I see you. You are welcome here. You can take up space here. Your artwork is amazing. Your business is needed." That has been transformative.

Host

That affirmation piece is so crucial, especially when it's happening in a space where folks can feel truly seen and valued. But it's not just about acknowledging someone's presence. It's about actively creating room for Black stories and perspectives to thrive.

Ty

With having a Black empowerment bookstore, that was a very intentional choice. Within the narrative of US history, I think Black narratives have always been othered or pushed aside. And that is just from the origin of our country, which had been on the labor of slavery and chattel slavery, even how a lot of Black Americans got to the Americas.

Host

So it's not just about reclaiming history, it's about making sure these stories are accessible, especially now when so much is being erased from public education.

Kalil

There was people doing the work in the Appalachian regions that are notable and should be recognized that it's not being taught in schools, when we think about critical race theory and banned literature. So having access to knowing about the freedom fighters and knowing about the history before us is so important, especially when we think about this next generation. If they don't see how someone else before did it, how would they feel like they have the power to be in to take those steps?

Host

Your work stands at the intersection of place and narrative. You're literally using storytelling as a way to fight rapid urbanization.

Kalil

So when we think about gentrification, it comes with this sense of erasure. It's erasing not only a physical space, but people, stories, livelihoods, laughter. It's removing a culture of people out of a space. The existence of our organization addresses that historical idea of erasure throughout American arts, culture and narrative storytelling and the way that we share the kinship in our Black expression with others.

Host

Your presence is a testament to the resilience of this work in practice. How have you managed to make it through the challenges of the last five years?

Ty

The Bottom is not the first community organization in Knoxville who set out to do good work. However, there's not many spaces that could have autonomy to own their space. A lot of spaces, a lot of these organizations were booted out because they couldn't pay their rent. And knowing the changes of gentrification, there's a baseball stadium being built, and that is also coming with some larger changes for our communities, is knowing that we need to share space.

Host

Owning your own land and property is a critical foundation for building a sustainable future. But sustainability isn't just about financial independence, it's also about how we take care of each other in times of hardship.

Ty

When we speak about mutual aid, that's an Appalachian legacy. Because this region had been historically underfunded by the government, everyone had to take, you have three eggs, I have a bag of flour, they have a gallon of milk. We're combining all that we have together to create this bread. And I think we learned that in the pandemic, we actually have enough to care for ourselves if we really think about it. And if we all got in the spirit of sharing is caring, we would all be able to sustain ourselves and our communities a lot more than if we just tried to compact and compile all of our resources as an individual. So much more goes if we are coming together as a collective,

Host

[ ding sound effect ] For the Love of Radical Giving! Mutual aid isn't just a concept, folks. It's a long standing practice in Appalachia and across the world where communities have relied on each other to fill in the gaps left by systemic neglect. But here's the challenge for us listening in. Grassroots organizations like The Bottom don't just need our admiration, they need tangible support. This is where as allies, we step up.

Kalil

I say, if anything that I want them to take away from this call is to open your purse to grassroots orgs. Open your purse, don't ask questions about how it's getting gone, but let the community make the decisions.

Host

And the best way to ensure your gift goes as far as it can is to invest in communities for the long haul.

Kalil

The idea of actually doing multi-year commitments and funding a generation. Not funding a concept or a hot topic for the moment, but really funding a generation to move on to the next step. We're seeing what's happening of years and years in generational impact and trauma that's come through a lot of different communities. And if we want to make some real change, it has to be done on a generational scale.

Host

And as we look to the future generations in Appalachia, what's the lasting message that you carry with you? How do you hold on to that vibrancy, that unwavering light, even in the face of so many challenges?

Ty

I think gentrification comes with an element of erasure. And what we're doing is saying, "We're still here. And you might try to hide or whitewash, but we are still here. We're vibrant and our light has not been dimmed." And once you come and see how vibrant and how beautiful and how vast we are and how vast our culture has been and how vast and beautiful our culture will remain to be.

[ jazz music playing ]

Kelle Jolly

[ singing ] I ain't gon’ to let nobody turn me around, turn me around, turn me around.

I ain't gon’ to let nobody turn me around. I'm gonna keep on walking, keep on talking …

[ music fades and overlaps with host ]