Knoxville Soul

08/08/2024

07/08/2024

25/07/2024

NEW! On July 23, over 650 Black women from across Tennessee, including participants from Knoxville, joined a phone call with The Equity Alliance to motivate voters as Vice President Kamala Harris suddenly became the Democratic presidential nominee. The call raised $100,000 for her in just three hours.

Rachael Spriggs, director of powerbuilding for The Equity Alliance
told Knox News the statewide call was inspired by a July 21 national call with more than 44,000 Black women and organizers just hours after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. During the national call, thousands of Black women raised $1.5 million for Harris' campaign.

On June 23, over 650 Black women across Tennessee joined a phone call to help boost voter turnout and raise $100,000 for Kamala Harris.

22/07/2024

BREAKING: Jessie Hodge has pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide as part of a plea deal in the death of 63 year old motorcyclist Dwight Woods. Officers testified in 2021 that after the crash, Hodge ran away without attempting to call 911 to report the crash. Woods died at the scene.

She will be sentenced Sept 20. Criminally negligent homicide is a felony punishable by one to six years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000.

Jessie Hodge pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in the crash that killed Dwight Woods of California.

18/07/2024

NEW. Young scholars, parents and staff from the East Tennessee Freedom Schools program marched in downtown Knoxville July 17 to protest literary censorship in public schools and libraries across the country.

The march - part of Children’s Defense Fund’s (CDF) National Day of Social Action - began at the intersection of Gay Street and Union Avenue and proceeded to Market Square. Participants shared their perspectives on censorship and read excerpts from banned books at the event.

Recent legislation in Tennessee has fueled concerns about literary censorship. In May, Governor Bill Lee signed into law an expansion of the “Age-Appropriate Materials Act.”

Opponents fear the new law might exclude the perspectives of marginalized groups in educational materials. The Knox County Schools Board recently revised its library policy to align with the new state law, further fueling debate.

Young scholars, staff and parents from the East Tennessee Freedom Schools marched to protest book bans in schools and libraries.

17/07/2024

The trial for Jessie Hodge starts next Monday 7/22.

Sixty-three-year-old Dwight Woods was traveling through Knoxville on his Gold Wing motorcycle around 3:40 a.m. Sept. 4 from his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, when he was knocked from behind on Interstate 40.

The driver, 30-year-old former Knox County Sheriff's Office employee Jessie Hodge, was traveling westbound on I-40 near Pellissippi Parkway, according to court records, when she struck the rear of Woods' motorcycle, which was pinned against the front of her SUV and carried 300 yards.

Hodge fled the scene.

Attorney for Jessie Hodge speaks after court appearance, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021.

17/07/2024

The trial for Jessie Hodge starts next Monday 7/22.

Sixty-three-year-old Dwight Woods was traveling through Knoxville on his Gold Wing motorcycle around 3:40 a.m. Sept. 4 from his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, when he was knocked from behind on Interstate 40.

The driver, 30-year-old former Knox County Sheriff's Office employee Jessie Hodge, was traveling westbound on I-40 near Pellissippi Parkway, according to court records, when she struck the rear of Woods' motorcycle, which was pinned against the front of her SUV and carried 300 yards.

Hodge fled the scene.

"We would like to see manslaughter or vehicular homicide on the table. We don't want to see a slap on the wrist," said Dwight Woods' sister.

24/06/2024

19/06/2024

NEW! Though Knoxville has often been described as a more racially tolerant Southern city, its history of depending on the labor of enslaved people is deeply intertwined in the fabric of Tennessee's third-largest city and has often been neglected.

In Knoxville, the number of people exploited by slavery was never vast in raw numbers, but the significance of the contributions of enslaved people became apparent when viewed as a percentage of the city's population.

“When you add the population of free blacks to the 1850 figures, you have 41% of the Knoxville population being free Blacks or enslaved. That says so much,” said Lisa Oakley, vice president and curator of education at the East Tennessee Historical Society.

Some point to Knoxville's history as evidence it's a more racially tolerant town, but the exploitation of enslaved people is often overlooked.

20/05/2024

BREAKING: When a woman arrested was forced to remove her hijab by Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies when she was booked after being arrested with her husband and 10 other pro-Palestinian demonstrators the night of May 15, it marked her inaugural interaction with the American justice system.

It was her first time in handcuffs, her introduction to jail and the first time her religious rights were violated in a way that brings trauma to Islamic women.

“As a Muslim woman it is a major violation,” Soliz, on the verge of tears, told Knox News.

When she and others arrested on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus reached the Knox County Detention Facility late that night, following hours waiting in a dark van with their hands bound by zip ties, she had no inkling that sheriff’s deputies would violate her constitutional religious rights. Several federal lawsuits have been filed after police departments forced the removal of religious headwear during custody, and the plaintiffs have secured substantial settlements in some cases.

The Knox County Sheriff's Office posted a photo of a woman's jail mug shot showing her without her hijab, running afoul of constitutional protections.

16/05/2024

NEW: Yassin Terou shared his encounter with police during his arrest last night at the University of Tennessee. Terou received the 2018 Peace Award from the Rotary Club of Knoxville and he was named the Knoxville News Sentinel Person of the Year in 2018. His restaurant was named the "Nicest Place in America" in 2018 by Reader's Digest. Terou is a refugee from war-torn Syria and earned his American citizenship on 2020.

He was among the 11 pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested for criminal trespass after they stood their ground when police asked them to leave.

16/05/2024

BREAKING NEWS: Police once again arrest demonstrators including Knoxville restaurant owner Yassin Terou of Yassin's Falafel House on the University of Tennessee Campus.

After days of lawful demonstrations at the Student Union, police have arrested activists outside the College of Law.

10/05/2024

NEW! When Eugene and Patrice Chandler first crossed paths at Vine Middle School, they never imagined that decades after their first kiss they would reunite, get married and open up a restaurant in the same neighborhood where they grew up.

Billie Rae's BBQ & Soul Food nestled in the heart of East Knoxville, represents the culmination of Eugene's years spent mastering the art of the smoke pit and honors his mother's unfulfilled dream.

The new restaurant on East Magnolia Drive specializes in BBQ, chili dogs and a special Sunday soul food menu.

03/05/2024

University of Tennessee students demonstrate on campus on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

03/05/2024

BREAKING!! Police arrest Pro Palestine demonstrators on University of Tennessee campus ahead of posted deadline.

Link: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2024/05/02/university-of-tennessee-pro-palestinian-students-demonstrate-israel-hamas-war/73541170007/

03/05/2024

NEW: University of Tennessee and Knoxville Police Department officers swarmed a group of seated demonstrators on campus this evening, arresting them ahead of a posted 10 p.m. deadline.

Throughout the day, administrators posted signs and distributed flyers about campus rules and a Tennessee law against camping after 10 p.m. on state property, a move by the Tennessee legislature designed to limit political demonstrations.

Pro-Palestine demonstrators had peacefully assembled for most of the day and were in talks with university administrators over demands that they identify and divest from assets with ties to Israel.

University of Tennessee at Knoxville students are demonstrating over the Israel-Hamas war on the College of Law lawn as they study for finals.

29/04/2024

Should a $42 million federal grant awarded to the city count toward the African American Equity Restoration Task Force's initiative of atoning for urban removal?

We wanted to hold this so that the community’s voice can be heard and that they can understand the scope of this $42 million grant. We also want to bring awareness to what is going on in our city and that the community understands the role of this task force,” said Tanika Harper, CEO and founder of the Shora Foundation.

Community members have set a meeting for 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 1 at the Shora Foundation, 2119 E. Magnolia Ave., to gather public input on that question.

"If these funds are going to the $100 million initiative the task force was predicated on, the community should have a say in that," an organizer said

25/04/2024

Through its Keys of Hope Capital Campaign, the YWCA of Knoxville plans to offer more resources and a safe place for women.

23/04/2024

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2024/04/23/austin-east-pre-prom-stop-red-carpet-parade-expands/73250158007/

23/04/2024

NEW! Meet the visionary behind the Pre Prom Stop tradition.

“I drove by one day and saw all of the kids out there having a good time and God just gave me this vision. I saw the Grammys, I saw the Oscars. I saw the red carpet. I saw a big event and that’s when I decided to make it happen for these students,” Yvette Rice said.

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2024/04/23/austin-east-pre-prom-stop-red-carpet-parade-expands/73250158007/

15/04/2024

More than a thousand people attend Justice Knox's annual Nehemiah Action Assembly on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

10/04/2024