“Black Bottom” was one of the worst slums to exist in 1870 Nashville. Occupied predominantly by poor whites, the neighborhood was littered with brothels and saloons … until more freed Black people migrated to the city and changed everything.
In a post-Civil War world, Black folks were ready to live their best life, but a deeply impoverished and racist Black Bottom didn’t have much to offer. This didn’t stop our people, however. With few other places to go, they got to work building a community all their own.
A mere decade later, Black Bottom was a changed space - as the Black population increased, white flight quickly followed. And where decaying buildings once slumped, churches, businesses, and one of the first Black public high schools in the nation now stood.
Then came trouble.
As the neighborhood transformed and Black enterprises flourished, a racially-charged campaign to “Eliminate Black Bottom” ensued in 1907. That battle was lost, but the city continued to neglect the needs of residents fighting for better conditions.
Still, from absolutely nothing, Black people independently revitalized Black Bottom. And while a racist state wielded its power to claim the neighborhood after our people’s heavy lifting, the Black community never stopped fighting for what they built.