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I'll Take You There
Exploring Nashville's Social Justice Sites
Edited by Amie Thurber and Learotha Williams Jr.
Before there were guidebooks, there were just guides—people in the community you could count on to show you around.
I'll Take You There is written by and with the people who most intimately know Nashville, foregrounding the struggles and achievements of people's movements toward social justice. The colloquial use of "I'll take you there" has long been a response to the call of a stranger: for recommendations of safe passage through unfamiliar territory, a decent meal and place to lay one's head, or perhaps a watering hole or juke joint.
In this book, more than one hundred Nashvillians "take us there," guiding us to places we might not otherwise encounter. Their collective entries bear witness to the ways that power has been used by social, political, and economic elites to tell or omit certain stories, while celebrating the power of counternarratives as a tool to resist injustice. Indeed, each entry is simultaneously a story about place, power, and the historic and ongoing struggle toward a more just city for all. The result is akin to the experience of asking for directions in an unfamiliar place and receiving a warm offer from a local to lead you on, accompanied by a tale or two.
I'll Take You There is written by and with the people who most intimately know Nashville, foregrounding the struggles and achievements of people's movements toward social justice. The colloquial use of "I'll take you there" has long been a response to the call of a stranger: for recommendations of safe passage through unfamiliar territory, a decent meal and place to lay one's head, or perhaps a watering hole or juke joint.
In this book, more than one hundred Nashvillians "take us there," guiding us to places we might not otherwise encounter. Their collective entries bear witness to the ways that power has been used by social, political, and economic elites to tell or omit certain stories, while celebrating the power of counternarratives as a tool to resist injustice. Indeed, each entry is simultaneously a story about place, power, and the historic and ongoing struggle toward a more just city for all. The result is akin to the experience of asking for directions in an unfamiliar place and receiving a warm offer from a local to lead you on, accompanied by a tale or two.
Introduction
Chapter One: Downtown
An Introduction to Downtown
1. Nunna-daul-Tsuny (Trail Where They Cried)
2. Public Square
3. Maxwell House Hotel
4. Juanita's
5. Ryman Auditorium
6. Tara Cole Memorial Bench
7. Black Bottom (Country Music Hall of Fame)
8. Downtown Incinerator / Ascend Amphitheatre
9. Tent City / 2010 Flood
10. James Robertson Apartments
11. Nashville Public Library Civil Rights Room
12. Walgreens Lunch Counter
13. Tennessee State Capitol
14. The Hermitage Hotel
15. Legislative Plaza
16. Music City Central Bus Station Bathroom
17. The Nashville Globe
18. Duncan Hotel
19. The Nashville Farmers' Market
20. First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill
Chapter Two: Northwest
An Introduction to Northwest Nashville
1. Gateway to Heritage / I-40
2. American Baptist College
3. Clark Memorial Methodist Church
4. Fisk University
5. Jubilee Hall
6. Tennessee State University
7. Hadley Park
8. Meharry Medical College
9. Nashville Greenlands
10. Pearl High School
11. Planned Parenthood
12. The Tennessee State Penitentiary
13. William Edmondson Park
14. John Henry Hale Apartments
15. Z. Alexander Looby's home
16. Bordeaux Landfill
17. Southern Publishing Association
18. Beaman Park / Bells Bend
Chapter Three: Northeast
An Introduction to Northeast Nashville
1. John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
2. Greenwood Cemetery
3. Edgefield House
4. Sunday Night Soul at the 5 Spot
5. QDP
6. Hattie Cotton Elementary
7. First Baptist Church of East Nashville
8. Winfrey's Barber Shop
9. Stratford High School
10. Cornelia Fort Park
11. Nashville National Cemetery / US Colored Troops National Monument
12. Mansker Station
13. Gass's Store / Cinco de Mayo Mexican Restaurant
Chapter Four: Southeast
An Introduction to Southeast Nashville
1. Nashville International Airport / Nashville Metro Taxi Drivers Alliance
2. The Camps of Saint Cloud Hill
3. Wilson Park
4. Nashville Fairgrounds
5. Casa Azafrán
6. Clairmont Apartments
7. The Buddhist Temple
8. La Hacienda Taqueria y SuperMercado
9. Workers' Dignity
10. Global Mall at the Crossings
11. Hands On Nashville Urban Farm
12. Salahadeen Center
13. Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
Chapter Five: Southwest
An Introduction to Southwest Nashville
1. Capers Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
2. Local 257 American Federation of Musicians
3. Nashville Songwriters Association International
4. Music Row / Quonset Hut
5. Edgehill United Methodist Church
6. Edgehill Village
7. Scarritt Bennett Center
8. Roger Williams University
9. Vanderbilt Divinity School
10. Confederate Memorial Hall
11. Memorial Gymnasium
12. Vanderbilt Kirkland Hall / Occupy Vanderbilt
13. Centennial Park
14. The Parthenon
15. Fannie Mae Dees Park
16. International Market and Restaurant
17. Carver Food Park
18. CCA/CoreCivic
19. Glendale Baptist Church
20. Radnor Lake
21. Gordon Jewish Community Center
22. Aaittafama' Archeological Park
Chapter Six: On the Road
Introduction
1. Promise Land
2. Wessyngton Plantation
3. Coal Creek Miners Museum
4. Highlander Research and Education Center
5. Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
6. The Town of Old Jefferson
7. The Farm
8. Giles County Trail of Tears Interpretive Center
9. Walnut Street Bridge, Chattanooga
10. Mound Bottom
11. Fayette County Courthouse
Chapter Seven: Thematic Tours
1. "It City"
2. Athens of the South
3. Music City
4. Southern Hospitality
Recommended Reading
Chapter One: Downtown
An Introduction to Downtown
1. Nunna-daul-Tsuny (Trail Where They Cried)
2. Public Square
3. Maxwell House Hotel
4. Juanita's
5. Ryman Auditorium
6. Tara Cole Memorial Bench
7. Black Bottom (Country Music Hall of Fame)
8. Downtown Incinerator / Ascend Amphitheatre
9. Tent City / 2010 Flood
10. James Robertson Apartments
11. Nashville Public Library Civil Rights Room
12. Walgreens Lunch Counter
13. Tennessee State Capitol
14. The Hermitage Hotel
15. Legislative Plaza
16. Music City Central Bus Station Bathroom
17. The Nashville Globe
18. Duncan Hotel
19. The Nashville Farmers' Market
20. First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill
Chapter Two: Northwest
An Introduction to Northwest Nashville
1. Gateway to Heritage / I-40
2. American Baptist College
3. Clark Memorial Methodist Church
4. Fisk University
5. Jubilee Hall
6. Tennessee State University
7. Hadley Park
8. Meharry Medical College
9. Nashville Greenlands
10. Pearl High School
11. Planned Parenthood
12. The Tennessee State Penitentiary
13. William Edmondson Park
14. John Henry Hale Apartments
15. Z. Alexander Looby's home
16. Bordeaux Landfill
17. Southern Publishing Association
18. Beaman Park / Bells Bend
Chapter Three: Northeast
An Introduction to Northeast Nashville
1. John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
2. Greenwood Cemetery
3. Edgefield House
4. Sunday Night Soul at the 5 Spot
5. QDP
6. Hattie Cotton Elementary
7. First Baptist Church of East Nashville
8. Winfrey's Barber Shop
9. Stratford High School
10. Cornelia Fort Park
11. Nashville National Cemetery / US Colored Troops National Monument
12. Mansker Station
13. Gass's Store / Cinco de Mayo Mexican Restaurant
Chapter Four: Southeast
An Introduction to Southeast Nashville
1. Nashville International Airport / Nashville Metro Taxi Drivers Alliance
2. The Camps of Saint Cloud Hill
3. Wilson Park
4. Nashville Fairgrounds
5. Casa Azafrán
6. Clairmont Apartments
7. The Buddhist Temple
8. La Hacienda Taqueria y SuperMercado
9. Workers' Dignity
10. Global Mall at the Crossings
11. Hands On Nashville Urban Farm
12. Salahadeen Center
13. Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
Chapter Five: Southwest
An Introduction to Southwest Nashville
1. Capers Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
2. Local 257 American Federation of Musicians
3. Nashville Songwriters Association International
4. Music Row / Quonset Hut
5. Edgehill United Methodist Church
6. Edgehill Village
7. Scarritt Bennett Center
8. Roger Williams University
9. Vanderbilt Divinity School
10. Confederate Memorial Hall
11. Memorial Gymnasium
12. Vanderbilt Kirkland Hall / Occupy Vanderbilt
13. Centennial Park
14. The Parthenon
15. Fannie Mae Dees Park
16. International Market and Restaurant
17. Carver Food Park
18. CCA/CoreCivic
19. Glendale Baptist Church
20. Radnor Lake
21. Gordon Jewish Community Center
22. Aaittafama' Archeological Park
Chapter Six: On the Road
Introduction
1. Promise Land
2. Wessyngton Plantation
3. Coal Creek Miners Museum
4. Highlander Research and Education Center
5. Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
6. The Town of Old Jefferson
7. The Farm
8. Giles County Trail of Tears Interpretive Center
9. Walnut Street Bridge, Chattanooga
10. Mound Bottom
11. Fayette County Courthouse
Chapter Seven: Thematic Tours
1. "It City"
2. Athens of the South
3. Music City
4. Southern Hospitality
Recommended Reading
Amie Thurber is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Portland State University.
Learotha Williams Jr. is a professor of African American, Civil War and Reconstruction, and Public History at Tennessee State University and coordinator of the North Nashville Heritage Project.
"I'll Take You There is a compelling and inclusive guidebook through a more complete telling of the history of Nashville. In weaving the diverse voices of Nashville's residents, it is both enchanting and edifying. I love this book and this approach to how we think about and engage in travel!"
—Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism
"A guide to the Nashville you may not have been taught about in schools, I'll Take You There provides a thorough indexing of the city through the lenses of history, social justice and the struggles for racial and economic equality."
—Steve Haruch, editor of Greetings from New Nashville: How a Sleepy Southern Town Became "It" City and People Only Die of Love in Movies: Film Writing by Jim Ridley
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