Sept. 9, 1957 was MaryAnne MacKenzie's first day teaching sixth grade at Hattie Cotton School in East Nashville. It was also the first day of Nashville's desegregation of public schools. One Black girl showed up for class at Hattie Cotton that day, and for the anti-integration crowd, one Black student was one too many. In the dead of night, 99 someone detonated 99 sticks of dynamite, blowing apart the east end of the building and knocking it off its foundation. No one was hurt, but the culprits have never been caught. Today, MaryAnne MacKenzie is the last living teacher who was working at Hattie Cotton at the time. Her husband, Stephen MacKenzie, has written a book describing the events of 1957 from her perspective, titled Hattie Cotton School: The last teacher's first-hand experiences of the 1957 bombing and aftermath. As you'll hear in this interview, the memories of that day, and what came afterward, are very much still with her. Guest: MaryAnne MacKenzie, the last living teacher working at Hattie Cotton school when it was bombed in 1957 Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

North Nashville is an important, historic area and home to some of the city's most significant institutions. But it's also a place that has seen disruption, unrest and neglect. Decades ago, the interstate cut the community in half — literally — displacing residents and shuttering businesses. But for those who have chosen to stay, North Nashville has always been a place that is more than the sum of its parts. That's why one resident has dedicated herself to lifting up the stories of people who live there. This week, we're bringing you a special presentation of the independent podcast We Are North Nashville. It's about the lives of nine elders who call North Nashville home, and it tells their stories of this place. The podcast is part of a larger storytelling project led by artist and community organizer M. Simone Boyd, who also co-hosts. Before they started working at the Banner, audio producers Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch had already begun this project. (Note: The Banner is an in-kind partner.) To learn more, visit the project website. Hosted by M. Simone Boyd and Andrea Tudhope Produced, edited and mixed by Andrea Tudhope Additional production by Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Smyrna native Gerold Oliver takes the stage, he has a way of winning over audiences. He's currently playing the role of Orlando in the Nashville Shakespeare Festival's production of As You Like It — which features plenty of music and Gerold on guitar. And soon, he'll also be starring in The Best School Year Ever at the Nashville Children's Theater, where he's artist in residence. Gerold keeps busy, both because he loves acting and because he has a young son at home to support. (Yes, he and his son run lines together sometimes — even Shakespeare.) Although there's always the lure of the coastal entertainment hubs, where there might be more chances to find film roles, he's found a way to make it work here in Nashville, and our theater scene is all the better for it. Guest: Gerold Oliver Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five-star recruit Morgan Price made headlines in 2022 when she decided to de-commit from an SEC program in order to join Fisk University's brand-new gymnastics team — a first for a historically Black university or college. It was a fortuitous decision for the Lebanon, Tenn., native, who not only moved closer to her hometown after years pursuing the sport in Texas, but also fulfilled a lifelong wish to attend an HBCU. In her second year, Morgan became the first gymnast from an HBCU to win a national collegiate all-around championship. It was a full-circle moment for her coach, Corrinne Tarver, who was the first African American woman to win an NCAA gymnastics all-around title. This year, expectations are high for the Fisk Gymdogs, but Morgan and the team are taking it all in stride, and in this episode she talks about her background, handling the pressure and how to come back from the twisties. Guest: Morgan Price, Fisk University gymnast, first HBCU student to win a national title Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a journalist and author, Amanda Little has written about the environment, energy, technology and the future of food production — traveling to far-flung locations, meeting people around the world and eating lab-created meat out of a bioreactor. As a professor, she's worked to pass along the skills she's learned along the way, by trial and error, of reporting and storytelling. Her newest endeavor, a multi-media engagement platform called Kidizenship, began with a question from her daughter: "What does democracy look like?" That question has turned into a treasure trove of kid-created flags, anthems and presidential speeches, to name just a few of the contests that Kidizenship has run — with cash prizes — to get young people interested in civics. Guest: Amanda Little Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Henry Martin thought he might spend a few years as federal public defender, then return to private practice as a slightly older and much wiser attorney. That was almost 40 years ago. Today, he's the longest serving federal defender in the entire country, and over his long career, he's worked alongside some of Nashville's finest legal minds. Henry has also had some fascinating clients — a list that almost included Timothy McVeigh — and has always worked to protect the rights of the accused. He's also argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, though that didn't work out too well for him. (It was a 7-2 decision, under Chief Justice William Rehnquist.) At the end of the day, he enjoys a good story as much as anyone. Guest: Henry Martin, federal public defender Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1990s Jeff Holmes, and his college buddy Scot Evans started a band called The Floating Men, which quickly became one of Nashville’s most consistent live acts — blending rock, pop and jazzy interludes. As the crowds that came to see them grew, they garnered lots of of attention from big-time record labels, even if executives didn’t really know what to do with them. As they watched talented peers get sucked into the industry machine only lose control of their own music, The Floating Men made a decision: If they couldn’t do it their way, they weren’t going to do it at all. So they got day jobs. Jeff found work in biodiversity conservation and traveled the world, leaving his guitar behind. But the fans, known as the Floatilla, would not let them give up. So now, decades later, Jeff and the band have found a way to make music their way. Guest: Jeff Holmes, singer, songwriter and guitarist, The Floating Men Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

María Magdalena Campos-Pons was born in Cuba, and spent her formative years in Matanzas, known as the "Athens of Cuba." It is perhaps fitting that her journey has brought her to Nashville, the "Athens of the South," where she teaches at Vanderbilt and makes art that is known around the world for its vivid storytelling around identity. Her work appears around the world, and is part of more than 30 collections including the Smithsonian Institution, The Whitney, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, to name just a few. And last year, she added another feather to her cap: a MacArthur "genius" fellowship. That hasn't slowed her down one bit. Guest: María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Art, Vanderbilt University Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Steve Haruch and Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With neo-Nazis demonstrating around Nashville, including at a Metro Council meeting from which they were eventually expelled, the city has been on edge. It's the second such group in as many weeks to bring their racist messaging to the streets of downtown and beyond, and some Nashvillians have shown up to oppose them publicly. Dr. Sophie Bjork-James is an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University and a cultural anthropologist who studies racism and white nationalist movements. In this episode, she talks about the historical context for these groups, what motivates them, and why they seem to be visiting Nashville more frequently as the election approaches. Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Additional recording by Jaylan Sims Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attorney Rose Palermo still keeps an office on Music Row, where she got her start in the ’70s representing musicians. When some of those musicians started getting divorced, she took on that work, too. It helps to know the business, after all. Eventually there was so much divorce work she had to choose, and she chose divorce — though not for herself. (She and fellow attorney Denty Cheatham remain happily married, as they have been for 50-plus years.) In the intervening decades, Rose has built a reputation as one of the toughest divorce attorneys in Music City. And her clients, including host Demetria Kalodimos, swear by her tenacity, sure — maybe you saw her come crashing into a lying huckster's office on an episode of 60 Minutes. But for the people she's guided through some of their hardest times, she's know just as much for her compassion and care.   Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the better part of a decade, historian Betsy Phillips has been trying to get the truth about three Civil Rights-era bombings in Nashville: Hattie Cotton school in September 1957; the Jewish Community Center in March 1958; and the home of attorney and councilmember Z. Alexander Looby in April 1960. It has been painstaking work involving archival searches, Freedom of Information Act requests for FBI files, and even a road trip to Alabama. The result is her new book, Dynamite Nashville, and in the process of writing it, what Betsy uncovered was not necessarily to the truth of who is responsible for these terrorist acts, but a wider and perhaps even more disturbing set of truths — that these bombings are likely connected, not only to each other but also to a wider network that, to some degree, is still with us.  Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early 1970s, the Metro Nashville Police Department had no women working patrol. Valerie Meece was one of the first two women to step into that work — even if there were no women's police uniforms available at the time. And while there were plenty of men on the force who didn't think women had any business doing police work, she was undeterred. And she found allies, working her way up and retiring as an assistant chief after a decades-long career. This being Music City, maybe it's not too surprising that becoming a cop was not what initially drew Valerie and her sister to Nashville. They performed around the city for a few years as a country duo called The Meeces, and they didn't fare too badly. But as someone who grew up fascinated by police work, Valerie didn't need much convincing when a recruiter encouraged her to apply to join the MNPD. She definitely had some close calls, but very little in the way of regrets. Guest: Valerie Meece, retired MNPD assistant chief, one of the first women to work patrol Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Steve Haruch and Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A historical marker commemorating the storied dance club Warehouse 28 was unveiled this month. The Warehouse began as a gay disco but was an inclusive environment that served as a refuge and hangout for Nashville's LGBTQ community starting in 1978 until its doors closed for good in 1995. It was also the place where Nashville CARES got its start, working to fight the AIDS epidemic. Macon Kimbrough started hanging out at Warehouse 28, and with owners Steve Smith and Mike Wilson, he took a trip to Washington, D.C., in 1979 — 10 years after Stonewall — to march for gay rights. That began a political awakening, and when he got back to Nashville he started working at the Warehouse, eventually becoming a manager. It's a chapter of his life — and Nashville's history — he'll never forget. Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2023, Phil Williams became the first Nashville reporter to receive the John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism from Columbia University. It was yet another piece of hardware to add to his already crowded shelf of accolades, full of numerous Peabody Awards, including one for his coverage of Franklin mayoral candidate Gabrielle Hanson. Investigative reporting is hard work, and it can rub people the wrong way, especially if they have something to hide. But if that's what it takes to get to the truth, then Phil Williams is OK with people not liking him. And there are plenty of people who don't like him. But for this veteran investigative reporter, it's never personal when it comes to the facts. Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Acclaimed music critic Ann Powers wasn't always sure this was the career path for her. In fact, she wasn't sure there was a path to making a living as a music writer. But after falling in with the right crowd — first at Tower Records in San Francisco and later at the Village Voice in New York — she found her calling and her voice. These days, Ann works for National Public Radio, but she calls Nashville home. Her new book, Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell, is a multifaceted look at a complex artist — chronological but not conventional. It was eight years in the making, as Ann balanced work, life, and parenthood with deep research and far-ranging interviews. She talks with Demetria about how she approached the book, how she listens to music, and what it's like as a critic in Music City. Guest: Ann Powers, NPR music critic; author, Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Steve Haruch and Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Richard Courtney was growing up in Columbia, Tenn., he went to visit a friend whose sister put "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles on the record player — a moment that changed his life. So much so, that all these years later he has a Beatles museum in the basement of his house in Nashville that houses more than 3,800 items, including obscure vinyl, autographs, rare artwork and even locks of the Fab Four members' hair. He's gotten to meet his favorite Beatle, and also struck up an unlikely friendship with a man many Beatles fans will never forgive. A graduate of Columbia Military Academy and Sewanee, Richard is a real estate agent (with a column called "Realty Check," naturally) and also a two-time cancer survivor. His second bout with the disease resulted in having his nose amputated. The story of how he got a new nose is one you'll have to hear to believe. Guest: Richard Courtney, real estate agent, two-time cancer survivor, Beatles superfan Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Steve Haruch and Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Long before Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album re-ignited the conversation, Frankie Staton was booking showcases aimed at highlighting Nashville's Black country music talent, which remained hidden in the mix. "I knew that I was not the only Black person that was being treated the way I was being treated," she says. A North Carolina native inspired to move to Music City by the likes of Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, Frankie has toiled in the shadows for decades, but not long ago she finally made it onto the stage at the Grand Ole Opry. And a new generation, inspired by her example, has both shined a light on her work and carried it on. Guest: Frankie Staton, pianist, songwriter, performer; co-founder, Black Country Music Association Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Steve Haruch and Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Jon Roebuck comes from a family of preachers, and for 17 years he was the pastor at Woodmont Christian Church. That experience laid the groundwork for what has become a staple on Nashville television: "A Moment That Matters." The one-minute bursts of inspiration air every Sunday and, while they're much shorter than the sermons he used to prepare every week, they've found a devoted audience. In this episode, Jon talks about his background, his faith, and the challenges of keeping that faith — and staying in conversation with our neighbors — in polarized times. Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Eden Wilkinson was less than two years old, she had a different name, and lived in an orphanage in Romania. At the time, the country, like many former Soviet satellite states, was struggling economically and, thanks to government policies mandating that women have at least 5 children, was filled with children whose families could not afford to raise them properly. It was estimated that 100,000 children were in need of homes. In 1994, Demetria Kalodimos accompanied Tennessee Congressman Bart Gordon on a fact-finding mission to Romania. She visited several orphanages, including the one where baby Eden was living. When her segment aired, a family in Nashville was watching. Thirty years later, that child, now grown, reunited with the reporter she first met half a world away. Guest: Eden Wilkinson Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Andrea Tudhope and Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of intimate partner violence and child abuse. Like other survivors of domestic violence, Mark Wynn has never forgotten what happened to his mother, his siblings and himself. In particular, he never forgot how the police who showed up at his house acted — or more importantly, how they didn't act. After a long career in law enforcement, which included helping start the Domestic Violence Division at the Metro Nashville Police Department, Mark has dedicated his life to training others — especially other men — to recognize and prevent domestic violence. Guest: Mark Wynn, domestic violence survivor and retired police lieutenant Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producers: Steve Haruch and Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices