From the award-winning PBS series American Experience comes We Shall Remain, a mini-series and multi-media project that establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. The series will premiere on WTCI-TV beginning Monday, April 13, at 9 p.m. and will air each Monday at 9 p.m. through May 11.
Episode 3, focused on the Trail of Tears, will air on April 27, featuring footage from Red Clay State Park.
The series includes five 90-minute documentaries spanning 300 years that tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native American perspective. Each of the episodes focuses on historical events, telling five little-known stories. The series is the product of a collaboration between Native and non-Native filmmakers, advisors, historians, and community leaders, placing Native American voices at the heart of the series.
Last year, WTCI was chosen as one of five PBS stations from across the country to receive a $20,000 grant to create a community coalition to make local and regional connections to the national story presented by We Shall Remain. WTCI is working with more than 12 partners who are developing programs and outreach activities to help deepen public understanding of Native American history of the region.
“WTCI is recognized as a leader among PBS stations in engaging the community beyond what is seen on the television screen,” said Paul Grove, WTCI president and CEO. “It is our hope that we will be able to extend the reach of the series and its crucial message: that Native history is our collective history.”
WTCI is also producing a local companion documentary for the series, The Ground Beneath Us, which focuses on the important work being done today to remember and celebrate the rich Native American history of the region. The documentary will air on April 27 at 10:30 p.m. following We Shall Remain Episode 3: Trail of Tears.
The We Shall Remain episode schedule includes: Episode 1 – After the Mayflower (April 13); Episode 2 – Tecumseh’s Vision (April 20); Episode 3 – Trail of Tears (April 27); Episode 4 – Geronimo (May 4); and Episode 5 – Wounded Knee (May 11).
Additional details about the series and episodes can be found at wtciTV.org or pbs.org/weshallremain.
Local Events for We Shall Remain
WTCI-TV and its coalition partners have several screening and outreach events planned to celebrate the We Shall Remain premiere and Native American history of the region.
Coalition partners include: Friends of Moccasin Bend, Red Clay State Park, Tennessee Trail of Tears Association, Chattanooga History Center, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library, Southeast Tennessee Tourism Association, Hamilton County Schools, Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, Museum Center at 5 Points, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga Indigenous Resource Center & Library, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Read 20.
Screening Events
April 7 at 7 p.m. Screening of American Experience We Shall Remain Episode 3: Trail of Tears. Museum Center at 5 Points (200 Inman St E, Cleveland): Russell Townsend, tribal historic preservation officer for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, will lead a facilitated discussion after the screening. Scenes from We Shall Remain: Trail of Tears were filmed at Red Clay State Historic Park. The screening is free; seating is first-come, first-served.
April 16 at 7 p.m. Screening of The Ground Beneath Us and American Experience We Shall Remain Preview. The Chattanoogan Hotel Ballroom (1201 South Broad St.). Screening event hosted by WTCI-TV featuring The Ground Beneath Us, WTCI’s locally-produced companion documentary to American Experienc's We Shall Remain series. In addition, the screening will feature the 30-minute We Shall Remain series preview. A facilitated discussion led by Jack Baker, Tribal Council member of the Cherokee Nation and president of the National Trail of Tears Association, will follow the screening.
April 17 at 3 p.m. Screening of American Experience We Shall Remain Episode 3: Trail of Tears. Red Clay State Park Auditorium (1140 Red Clay Park, Cleveland; (423)-478-0339). A reunion and Joint Council of the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee is set to take place in Bradley County, April 16-18. WTCI will partner with Red Clay State Park and both Cherokee Councils to screen We Shall Remain Episode 3: Trail of Tears on April 17 at 3 p.m. (limited seating, first come, first served). This 3-day event commemorates the 25th Anniversary of the 1984 Joint Council and lighting of the eternal flame of the Cherokee Nation that burns at Red Clay. The event will feature several activities at Red Clay that will be open to the public, including cultural festival activities
featuring storytelling, arts, traditional dance and more.
April 28 from 6-9 p.m. Screening event for American Experience's We Shall Remain Episode 3: Trail of Tears. WTCI-TV (7540 Bonnyshire Dr.). Screening event hosted by WTCI-TV and the Chattanooga History Center. Screening of 90-minute film begins at 6 p.m.; facilitated discussion begins at 7:30 p.m. led by Dr. Daryl Black, Executive Director and Curator for the Chattanooga History Center. Space is limited to 35 participants and a reservation is required to participate. To reserve a seat for the event, contact Marlene Payne (423) 265-3247 ext. 10.
Other Events to Celebrate Native American History
April 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Cultural Fair 2009 at Cleveland State Community College. This event will feature storytelling and other activity including a Cherokee dancer an Cherokee weaponry demonstration. The event will be held on the CSCC campus on Adkisson Drive. Contact: Bryan Reed at (423) 472-7141.
April 16-18: Red Clay State Park. A reunion and Joint Council of the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee is set to take place in Bradley County, April 16-18. This event commemorates the 25th Anniversary of the 1984 Joint Council and lighting of the eternal flame of the Cherokee Nation that burns at Red Clay. Bradley County, which encompasses the cities of Cleveland and Charleston, Tenn., is home to Red Clay State Park, the last Eastern capital of the Cherokee Nation before their tragic removal on the Trail of Tears. The event will feature several activities at Red Clay State Park that will be open to the public, including cultural festival activities featuring storytelling, arts, traditional dance and more. Contact: Carol Crabtree at (423) 478-0339.
April 17 at noon: Cleveland Bradley County Public Library Book Club Review. (833 Ocoee Street NE Cleveland). The group will focus on the Robert J. Conley book, Mountain Windsong: A Novel of the Trail of Tears. The club will meet at noon at the Library’s History Branch. Contact: Andy Hunt at (423) 472-2163.
April 19 at 2 p.m.: Special guest Jack Baker, Tribal Council member of the Cherokee Nation and president of the National Trail of Tears Association, will speak at Rattlesnake Springs. Baker will be visiting from Oklahoma and is hosted by the Charleston-Calhoun-Hiwassee Historical Society. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at 2 p.m. Rattlesnake Springs is located on the privately-owned Moore farm on Dry Valley Road. Carpooling is recommended. Contact: Melissa Woody, Vice President Convention & Visitors Bureau, Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce; 1-800-472-6588
April 23 at 7 p.m.: Special Lecture “The Trail of Tears and Beyond” presented by Dr. Dudley Gardner, historian and archaeologist at Western Wyoming College. Lee University and Cleveland State Community College are hosting this event which will be held at 7 p.m. in the Johnson Lecture Hall in Lee University’s Humanities Building on Parker Street. The lecture is free and open to the public. Contact: Dr. Murl Dirksen at (423) 614-8000.