The Bottom

We're building community, celebrating culture, & engaging the creativity of black people through curated events, ongoing projects, shared resources and physical space. Our work is grounded in place based socio-historic explorations of black life in Knoxville.

Named after the Black neighborhoods and business centers in East Knoxville that were demolished in the 1950s by urban renewal and institutionalized racism, The Bottom now stands as a place to reclaim community. ​ Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin, a local sociologist studying race and place and Black communities, was inspired to build The Bottom after her research on Black Knoxville revealed resounding feelings of displacement and loss of space as dominant themes for participants. With the belief that Blackness is neither essentialist nor static, but relational, dynamic and changeable, The Bottom stands as a multi-use place to foster change and provide comfort.