Evolving portrayals of Nashville’s Black history episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 8, 2026 · 50 MIN

Evolving portrayals of Nashville’s Black history

from This Is Nashville · host WPLN News - Nashville Public Radio

How do we honor people who were enslaved when the enslavers are at the center of so much of our history?For generations, Nashville’s portrayals of its Black history has lacked accuracy, as institutions have shied away from the legacy of American slavery.Today, we look at three well-known historical sites in Middle Tennessee: The Hermitage, Fort Negley and Travellers Rest. All have made recent efforts to adjust how they portray their history — but not everyone is satisfied with the approach.This episode was produced by Cynthia Abrams.Guests: Jamel Campbell-Gooch, community organizer and descendant of Esquire Hayes, who was enslaved at The Hermitage Dr. Aisha Francis, president of Franklin Cummings Tech and descendant of Hiram and Eveline Overton, who were enslaved at Travellers Rest Dr. Angela Sutton, Vanderbilt historian who studies Fort Negley Eola Lewis Dance, ethnohistorian and former CEO of James Madison’s Montpelier

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 8, 2026

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Evolving portrayals of Nashville’s Black history

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