We Shall Remain: America Through Native Eyes Premieres April 13

WTCI-TV (PBS) leading several local screening events and activities throughout April to help deepen public understanding of the Native American history of our region From the award-winning PBS series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE comes We Shall Remain, a ground breaking mini-series and provocative multi-media project that establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. The series will premiere on WTCI-TV (PBS) 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 important historical events, telling five sometimes heartbreaking, but always inspiring, little-known stories. The series is the product of a tremendous 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 byWe Shall Remain. WTCI is working with more than twelve partners who are developing programs and outreach activities to help deepen public understanding of Native American history of our 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 our 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 pbs.org/weshallremain

Local Events for We Shall Remain

WTCI-TV (PBS) and its coalition partners have several screening and outreach events planned to celebrate the We Shall Remain premiere and Native American history of our 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, TN 37311): 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 Street Chattanooga, TN 37402). Screening event hosted by WTCI-TV (PBS) featuring The Ground Beneath Us, WTCI’s locally-produced companion documentary to AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’S We Shall Remain series. In addition, the screening will feature the 30-minute We Shall Remain series preview. A facilitated discussion will follow the screening. Location: The Chattanoogan Hotel Ballroom.


April 17 at 3 p.m. Screening of AMERICAN EXPERIENCEWe Shall Remain Episode 3: Trail of Tears. Red Clay State Park Auditorium (1140 Red Clay Park, Cleveland, TN 37311; (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, Tenn., 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 (PBS) (7540 Bonnyshire Dr., Chattanooga, TN 37416). Screening event hosted by WTCI-TV (PBS) and the Chattanooga History Center. Screening of 90-minute film begins at 6:00 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 and 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, Tenn., 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, TN 37311). 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.


Additional details about the We Shall Remain series and episodes can be found at pbs.org/weshallremain


WTCI, PBS for the Tennessee Valley, has been helping the community “Be more connected” for nearly 40 years. Through quality programming and educational outreach services, WTCI can help you “Be More!”

Click here for more information on We Shall Remain.



What people are saying about this program:

  

Emily

It's about time some truth comes out, the only way this land is going to heal is by the truth. To many things have been brushed under the rug,(so say). I'm so happy for this, that my heart is made glad. Thank you much everyone who is in the making of this series. But mainly I would like to thank you for listening with your heart, for the healing of this nation. So that Our Creator will once again bless this nation.

  
  

Fay L. Claus

We Shall Remain looks intriguing. More info needed. Please E-mail schedule for WTCI, SE TN/GA.

  
  

Jennifer Hoff

Fay, Thank you so much for your comment! We Shall Remain will premiere on WTCI Monday, April 13 at 9 p.m. and will continue airing each Monday through May 11. Episode 3, dedicated to the Trail of Tears, will air April 27 at 9 p.m. (it includes footage shot at Red Clay State Historic Park). There is actually more information available on our site but for some reason it may not have shown up when you initially visited. Try to visit: http://wtcitv.org/programs/wsrupdate or http://wtcitv.org/news/wsr-press - you may need to refresh your webpage to pull up the more recently added information. We have several upcoming events you may be interested in, which you will find at both links. I hope you enjoy the series! Jennifer Hoff WTCI Director of Public Relations

  
  

Mary Brien

I am looking forward to watching this series. I have a keen interest in Native American experience... a largely unexamined history of this country

  
  

steve stapleton

I am looking forward to this series, I don't see it on tonight's schedule????

  
  

Dana & June Sappier

It is good to see truth- not the romantic version of the pilgrims and the so called 1st thanksgiving. We shall remain- in spite of all we have been through! Great series- I hope they repeat this event over and over!

  
  

Stanley Applegate

We were delighted to learn of the series. Unfortunately, we missed the first program which aired on Monday, April 13. 2009 Will you be showing it again?

  
  

Voni

I am very proud of my Native American heritage and I have always been so disgusted by the twisted tales that have somehow been turned into "history". They portray our People as ignorant savages who slaughter women and children for no reason. The truth is that the US government wanted to exterminate Native Americans so badly that they pretended to help them by giving them blankets--that were contaminated with smallpox and taken off dead bodies! I didn't learn that from a text book--I guess that was just another selective alteration of American history to save face! Then, when Hollywood decided to feed those images to children who would remember more about the movies than the truth, it made us monsters to be feared--how many times did you play "cowboys and Indians" and actually CHOOSE to be an Indian? I hope this series finds its way into classrooms--at all grade levels, so it can be used as a teaching tool for the TRUTH! I'd also like to see this series cause people to see that Native Americans deserve to be celebrated and honored--It bothers me that our government has not seen fit to honor any Native American's with a holiday to recognize their strength, sacrifice, spirit and contribution to American history. I hope this series will also show the horrible conditions on the "modern" reservations so many of our People are living on now.....perhaps it will show people that there's still so a lot of work to do in order to make things right--and it has to begin with the TRUTH.

  
  

Sheila

My daughter was learning about Native Americans in history class, so I thought it would be educational for her to take a field trip to see some Native American sites. I took her to the Chief Vann house for one stop and that is where we learned about "We Shall Remain" series. Both my daughter and I are so amazed with this series. We can't wait for more. Thanks WTCI for being a part of it and making the series available for us to enjoy!

  
  

jj

i was disappointed in the trail of tears, you only showed the very tip of the story, there was so much more that could have been brought out, the wealth that they had, large farms, gris mills, ferry`s,, large herds of cattle and john walker was killed at calhoun the the case was held at mcminn county courthouse also at one time i had a map that when overlayed on a modern map showed some were marched up now hwy 11 to athens then west on 30 across the river.

  
  

Rick

When will The Ground Beneath Us be reaired on WTCIHD? I caught just a few minutes of this locally produced documentary and it appears to be a very good show highlighting our area and its rich history.

  
  

L. M. Hall

I have been touched greatly by the series thus far. I have much regret for the way the Native Americans have been divested of the most beautiful and abundent parts of the country. It is indeed time for all of us to reflect on what has been taken from the culture that was here long before Europeans came here. I have a small amount of Native blood, but I truly feel the pain they have been through.

  
  

A.J. Strauss

I've lived in this area for 25 yrs. I have hunted,Fished all over this area From Monteagle To Cherokee National Forrest in Polk County to Tellico Plains..I Love this Place as Much as the Cherokee did Because I Have Walked Where They Walked, Hunted Were they Hunted & Fished Were They Fished. I Consider it A Great Honor. But I am Troubled by What They Are doing Still to this land. The Deforestation of The Lower Parts of The Cherokee Forrest .;250.000 acres of Forestland being Removed & the Destruction of our rivers & Watersheds By the Petro Chemical Industrys here. You Can't Eat the Fish , I've see less & less Wildlife .Mainley The Geese Migrations on the Rivers & Whitetail Population in the Cherokee Forrest. My Favorite Hunting Place on Chilohowee Mountain Got Taken over by Mountain Bikers. I only Saw 1 Whitetail Buck in the Forrest Last Year & I Let Him Walk away out of the Sadness of my heart for Him. It makes me Sad to see the Destruction of this Wonderful Land that once belonged to Them. I want to say the Twra are Doing What they can to preserve the Wildlife & Forrest But it's not Enough. The Local Industry Should be Held More Responsible & Should Be Made to Help Restore & Protect The Land & Wildlife.

  
  

Leissa Gaye Bankston

I was born in Chattanooga, I grew up in Las Vegas. The rendition of the events and the sequence in which they occurred that is taught as American history in the school systems, is a sickening and horrific case of omitting the genocide that actually took place. The obvious crime against humanity should be addressed in an arena as global as a United Nation's criminal court. Unfortunately there is not an individual or even an entity that can be held responsible. I am curious as to how often and why so many North American Native historical sites, both ancient and contemporary are now lost under redirected rivers or man made lakes. When I think of how humankind was harmonious with nature and all of nature's inhabitants here, for thousands of years, I am disgusted by the foul and criminal blatant disregard for and destruction of human and natural life, that the American government has so shamelessly displayed. I can only pray that this project is successful in it's endeavor. My heart is heavy

  
  

HaysElsa21

This is well known that money can make people free. But what to do if one does not have money? The one way only is to get the <a href="http://lowest-rate-loans.com/topics/business-loans">business loans</a> or just car loan.

  
  

Teri

Americans owe a debt to the native Cherokee peoples of this land who came before us and Thank God have remained.

  

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