The role of Black churches in Middle Tennessee

From Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement to the present day, Black churches in the American South have historically been vital centers of culture and community. In this episode, we’ll look at the history of Black churches in Middle Tennessee, and the role they play in the community today.  

But first, we’ll examine a recent investigative report about the Middle Point Landfill.

Guests: 

• Levi Ismail, NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter
• Sylvia Edmondson Holt, author of “Between the Pews”
• Cora Alston, senior pastor at Faith Church, Inc.
• Rev. Davie Tucker, Jr., pastor at Beech Creek Missionary Baptist Church 
• Omaràn D. Lee, director of spiritual care at Nashville General Hospital
• Keialah Hampton, member of Born Again Church
• Morris Tipton, pastor at First Baptist Church of East Nashville

Additional reading: 

• Nashville Scene: Churches Go Last: An Influx of Wealth Has Remade 12South
• Harvard Gazette: How the Black Church saved Black America
• Pew Research Center: Black adults in the U.S. South more likely than those in other regions to attend a Black congregation