By Monique Gooch
NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Civil Rights Movement Project, hosted at First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill, has embarked on a transformative journey to document the city’s civil rights history from 1944 to 1966. Supported by funding from the National Park Service, the Metro Historical Commission’s two-year grant project will spotlight key aspects, particularly the Nashville Students Movement and the impactful sit-ins that defined an era.
The project’s culmination will be the creation of documentation for the National Register of Historic Places, including historical context on a nationwide scale and National Register nominations for two pivotal locations: Clark Memorial United Methodist Church and First Community Church. These sites served as hubs for local training, workshops, meetings, and events led by passionate activists and civil rights leaders, contributing significantly to the movement’s success.
While achieving National Register listing is an honorary designation, the project strives to consolidate existing scholarship on Nashville’s civil rights movement into an accessible public document. This documentation will serve as a valuable resource for researchers, educators, and the general public interested in understanding the city’s rich civil rights history.
Recognizing the importance of public input and community engagement, the Metro Historical Commission, in collaboration with Richard Grubb & Associates, is actively reaching out to various stakeholders. These include Nashville’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), local educational institutions, churches, historians, the Nashville branch of the NAACP, and other community organizations.
The commission hosted a gathering at FBCCH on December 14. During this event, the project’s findings were presented, and light on the extensive research conducted over the two-year Nashville Civil Rights Movement Documentation Project.
The core program featured Dr. Kelly Miller Smith Jr., Pastor of FBCCH and Linda Wynn from the Tennessee Historical Commission. Natalie Bell and Robbie D. Jones from Richard Grubb & Associates delivered a comprehensive presentation, providing insights into the historical significance of the documented sites.
This event was open to the public. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with the historical narrative, share their perspectives, and learn about the vital role Nashville played in the national civil rights movement.
Natalie Bell, a journalist and PR professional, shared a personal connection to the civil rights movement, having grown up in Nashville. Bell’s roots in the city are intertwined with the movement, as her parents actively discussed its impact.
In her interviews, Bell had the privilege of conversing with individuals who actively participated in the movement, including Bernard Lafayette, who recounted a childhood incident in Tampa, Florida, that ignited his commitment to challenge Jim Crow Laws.
“He was on streetcar with his grandmother. She motioned for the driver to slow down, she wanted to get off the streetcar. The driver just drove on and jerked on and his grandmother fell, and after he saw that he decided then he wanted to do something to change the Jim Crow Laws,” Bell said.
Lafayette, later attended American Baptist College in Nashville, participated in non-violent workshops at Clark Memorial United Methodist Church, under the influence of the late Congressman John Lewis. The training process involved simulations of sit-ins, preparing activists for the challenges they would face. The first sit-in in Nashville occurred on February 13, 1959, marking a pivotal moment in the city’s civil rights history.
Historian Linda Wynn emphasized the critical role of African-American churches in the civil rights movement, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s. “One cannot envision the civil rights movement without the key role of the African-American church” Says, Wynn. The religious leaders associated with these churches, including Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy, and Rev. James Lawson, played a galvanizing role in mobilizing communities and shaping the course of American history.
As the project moves forward, the Metro Historical Commission invites the public to actively contribute to this historic documentation effort.
For more information or to offer support, please contact: Metro Historical Commission Caroline Eller, (615) 862-7970 x797806, Caroline.Eller@nashville.gov or Richard Grubb & Associates, Robbie Jones (615) 237-1001, RJones@rgaincorporated.com
