Mechanicsville, one of the oldest and most historic Black neighborhoods in Knoxville, held its 20th annual community homecoming under beautiful sunny skies over the last weekend of August. Within its borders lies Knoxville College, one of the oldest HBCUs in the country. The neighborhood is named for its early history of the “mechanics,” the skilled tradespeople after the Civil War who lived there: carpenters, masons, and iron workers. Mechanicsville is on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States, and that tight-knit small-town community spirit has never dissipated.
Early Saturday morning, before the sun could heat the day, a neighborhood parade featuring dancers, organizations, and neighborhood leaders stepped off from historic Saint Joseph’s House of Prayer, ending at Danny Mayfield Park, where vendors, musicians, food trucks, and community groups spent the day fellowshipping. The three days of activities include crowning the King and Queen of Mechanicsville from the community youth, and gospel in the park Sunday afternoon. The homes surrounding the park also participated in the festivities as grills were fired up, and the sounds of laughter and greetings flowed as people, young and old, gathered from near and far. Some came home from other states.
Across the street from the park, one particular neighbor opened her home for a special purpose. Carolyn McElroy and the ladies of the Knoxville Zeta Amicae sisterhood were holding a fundraiser, as they do every year, to raise funds for scholarships for Black nurses. Amicae, which means friends, is sponsored by the Nu Zeta graduate chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
The annual fundraiser is just one of the many projects of the organization. The women concentrate their efforts on community outreach through service, sisterhood, and scholarship, working to celebrate Black achievement and uplift local organizations that are working to bring change to communities. Over the years, they hold citywide diaper drives, community galas, prom dress giveaways, and partner with Mobile Meals, the Angel Tree Project, and local homecoming events, like the one Mechanicsville faithfully holds every year.
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