Civil Rights in Nashville Tour

SENHE is not holding classes on MLK Day, but we are offering special field trips this year on the topic of Civil Rights History in Nashville in order to honor MLK.  Take a journey with us through African American history in Nashville. From the early arrival of free persons of color in the city through Emancipation to hard-fought battles for voting rights in the 1940s and 1950s to the classic country music scene in Music City today, you'll learn about people who overcame barriers and made their mark on Nashville. Explore how Nashville was one of the most important cities for marches, arrests, and bombing stories to learn about John Lewis and the African American student-led peaceful nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins to desegregate downtown eating establishments in 1960 in Nashville. 

We are offering 2 tours:

• 1 -2 PM - Elementary Students and Parents
• 2-4 PM - Middle/High School Students and Parents

Both tours will cover age appropriate content with the rare chance to hear directly from an expert on the topic.  The elementary tour will be one hour and the middle/high school tour will be 1.5-2 hours.   This will be a walking tour where we visit several different spots around downtown Nashville that were important spots during the Civil Rights movement, such as the Woolworth Lunch Counter.    We plan to end the tour at the National Museum of African American Music to let the kids explore the exhibits inside.   This part of the field trip will be self guided.   SENHE is heavily subsidizing this event for families because we believe it is an extremely important part of history for our students to understand.  

ABOUT OUR GUIDE

David Steele Ewing is a ninth-generation Nashvillian, historian, tour guide, and history consultant.   David graduated from the University School of Nashville, Connecticut College, and Vanderbilt School of Law.  He frequently speaks about Nashville to locals and visiting groups.  David was interviewed recently by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times for his expertise regarding Nashville history.  David Ewing served as the historical consultant and featured expert for the 2021 Nashville Public Education Foundation documentary “By Design: The Shaping of Nashville’s Public Schools.”  David led the effort to honor the leader of Tennessee and the National Women’s Suffrage Movement, Anne Dallas Dudley, by renaming a street in her honor, where she organized the first Women’s Suffrage parade in the South.  He also served as a historical consultant for the Nashville Public Library Civil Rights Room and Votes for Women Room.    We are thrilled to have David leading our tour and look forward to learning from him.