The road has been bumpy for Nashville’s Jefferson Street throughout its history. As referenced in NPT’s Facing North: Jefferson Street, Nashville, 2020 brought a series of disasters that further threatened this historic Black community on the city’s north side. In NPT Reports – Jefferson Street, Nashville: Curve Ahead, Nashville Public Television talks to residents and business owners to find out how events of the past year have affected continuing efforts to preserve the neighborhood’s legacy.
NPT Reports – Jefferson Street, Nashville: Curve Ahead premieres Friday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m., and will be followed by a broadcast of Facing North: Jefferson Street, Nashville at 8 p.m. Both shows will be available to stream at video.wnpt.org.
For the new show, Facing North producer LaTonya Turner checked in with three people featured in the original documentary: Ed Kindall, an attorney and former Metro council member, author of A Walk Down Historic Jefferson Street; Aleathea Harris Little, an educator whose home on Jefferson Street has been in her family for generations; and Elisheba Israel Mrozik, visual artist and owner of One Drop Ink Tattoo, a Jefferson Street-based business.
The NPT Reports – Jefferson Street, Nashville: Curve Ahead panelists also include the Rev. Lisa Hammonds, pastor of St. John AME Church, one of several historic churches in the Jefferson Street community; and Odessa Kelly, executive director of STAND UP Nashville, a community-based organization aiming to help North Nashville residents and business owners retain their properties.
NPT Reports – Jefferson Street, Nashville: Curve Ahead was recorded April 1, 2021, with Turner in the studio and the guests participating via Zoom. An encore presentation of the show will air Sunday, April 11, at 6:30 p.m.