KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The leader of an organization that works to preserve Black history in Knoxville is preparing to take the next step in her career.
Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin came to Knoxville about 10 years ago. In 2019 she opened The Bottom, named after one of Knoxville's historic Black neighborhoods.
"I came in doing environmental sociology and pivoted and started studying race and Black Knoxville, Black Appalachia," said Dr. El-Amin.
She said what she found led to her wanting to discover know more.
"So I learned about The Bottom," she said. "And some of the stories stood out to me."
The Bottom was a thriving neighborhood in Knoxville with Black business owners and teachers. The predominately Black neighborhood was effectively cut off from the rest of the city as a result of a federal urban renewal program, which was meant to revitalize cities and build new infrastructure.
At first, residents of The Bottom welcomed these improvements during the 1950s. For many families, it meant having electricity for the first time and easy access to the new national highway system. Knoxville also had the chance to build the Civic Coliseum as part of the project.
During this time, families would be uprooted from their homes and lives. They would never have the chance to enjoy the improvements made in their former communities. For many people in Knoxville, Urban Renewal came at the cost of their place in Knoxville’s bright future.
Black businesses shuttered and their owner moved on, leaving the area.
"Andrew's Hotdog Stand, it used to be on the corner of Willow and Patton,” said Dr. El-Amin. "I believe the first publicly-built elementary school for Black kids in Knoxville was Heiskell elementary".
Over the years, urban renewal changed The Bottom.
"And obviously, the new baseball stadium will be situated there. We're very proud of the work that Beck is doing, and has been doing, and will continue to do to preserve that rich history," said Renee Kesler, the CEO of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center.
Kesler said they are working with developers of the baseball stadium to preserve that history.
"With information, oral histories, all kinds of wonderful things to tell the stories of what The Bottom was all about these extraordinary people who live there, and what life was like all those years ago," she said.
Dr. El-Amin believes people should focus on The Bottom’s early years.
"To tell a story of The Bottom that is not a destruction story,” she said.
Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin's time has ended in Knoxville, as she's accepted a position at West Virginia University. As a farewell project, she is hosting a tour of the original neighborhood of The Bottom.