Join us for a presentation with William Isom II, director of Black in Appalachia. Isom will discuss the broad history of Emancipation Celebrations across Appalachia and how communities have continued to commemorate the hope for freedom through reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Great Migration. BIA works to highlight the history and contributions of African Americans in the development of the Mountain South and its culture. Through research, local narratives, public engagement and exhibitions, BIA is a community service for Appalachian residents and families with roots in and through the region.

William Isom II is a 6th generation East Tennessean and Director of Community Outreach at East Tennessee PBS in Knoxville. As the director of the Black in Appalachia Project for PBS, he coordinates the project’s research, community database development, documentary film and photography production, oral history collection and educational events in conjunction with local residents. He is also the proud father of two boys, Devin and Isa. In his role of Director of Community Outreach, he teaches an after-school media training program with Knoxville high school students (PBS Newshour’s Smoky Mountain Youth Media), hosts free community screenings of Independent Lens documentaries, produces and directs short historical films under “Blacks in Appalachia Films.” That documentary series is aimed at preserving and raising up the narratives of Black history and culture in Central Appalachia.

This program is part of the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts and Ideas, running through June 19th, 2023.