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Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Think you love Nashville? Then pay attention to the Music City history
In Nashville, we pride ourselves on growth — the cranes, the condos, the country music glitz — but too often, we forget to look down at the very streets that built it all. We speed past landmarks without context, walk on cobblestone that once echoed with marching boots, and sip lattes in buildings that once housed radicals, revolutionaries, or survivors. We're told that history lives in museums, but in truth, Nashville's history lives in the open. On sidewalks. Beneath parking lots. Behind the neon signs. And when we don't know our city's history, we lose more than just facts — we lose identity, empathy, and the opportunity to build something with roots. Nashville's history is more than country music and honky tonks I give history tours for a living in Nashville. It started as a passion project after leaving the military. Now I lead veterans, tourists, corporate teams — and even the occasional bridal party — through the streets of downtown. And the most consistent reaction I get, no matter who I'm with, is: 'I had no idea.' Reenacter Gary Burke tells the history at Fort Negley while wearing a Civil War uniform of the U.S. Colored Troops on Sept. 22, 2021, at the Civil War historic landmark in Nashville. No idea that Union forces occupied Nashville for nearly the entire Civil War. No idea that freedmen built entire neighborhoods from scratch during Reconstruction. No idea that some of the greatest voices in music history recorded on Music Row long before there was a Broadway honky-tonk scene. No idea that Jefferson Street once rivaled Beale and Bourbon. And that lack of knowledge isn't just a gap in trivia — it shapes the decisions we make today. More: Hallowed Sound: Artists who played a role in the former Jefferson Street Music District When we don't know about Fort Negley, we're less likely to protect it. When we don't know about the enslaved labor that built the Capitol, we miss an opportunity for honest civic reflection. When we reduce our heritage to bumper stickers and beer koozies, we sell a version of Nashville that's hollow. Learning about Nashville's history is important, and easy I'm not against growth. I'm for it. But growth without memory is gentrification with no soul. Understanding our city's past — the hard parts, the inspiring parts, the parts we'd rather not face — allows us to be better neighbors, better citizens, and better stewards of what's to come. This isn't about memorizing dates or idolizing old buildings. It's about recognizing that we come from somewhere — and that where we come from affects where we're going. Every time I guide a group past a statue or forgotten building and someone says, 'Why doesn't anyone talk about this?' — I hear opportunity. We can make Nashville the kind of city that honors its full story. A city that doesn't just build for tomorrow but builds on what came before. We can start in simple ways: Take a walking tour of your neighborhood. Visit the Tennessee State Museum (it's free). Talk to elders who've lived through the city's transformations. Support local historical organizations, like Historic Nashville and the Preservation Society of Nashville. Ask questions about what used to be here — not just what's moving in next. Because if we don't tell our story, someone else will. And they might not tell it right. History isn't a relic. It's a living guidebook. And in a city like ours — where culture, conflict, and community have always collided — knowing our story isn't optional. It's necessary. Paul Whitten, founder of Nashville Adventures Paul Whitten is a U.S. Army veteran, former Peace Corps Volunteer, and founder of Nashville Adventures, a veteran-owned tour company dedicated to bringing Nashville's hidden history to life. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville's has a wealth of history that's often ignored | Opinion
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon lawmakers celebrate 50 years of Native American legislative commission
Rep. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, holds a sign and stands alongside fellow lawmakers and tribal leaders to acknowledge Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Day outside of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem on May 5, 2025. (Mia Maldonado / Oregon Capital Chronicle) Chairman Gary Burke of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation sang a song in his language to Oregon senators on Tuesday as the lawmakers celebrated the 50th anniversary of the state bringing Native American voices to the lawmaking table. 'We have a tradition that we honor people that come to visit us,' he said. The Oregon Senate on Tuesday passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 31, which celebrates the establishment and the contributions of the Legislative Commission on Indian Services. The commission was created in 1975 so Oregon's nine federally recognized tribes could advise state officials and agencies on the needs of Oregon's Native American communities. Oregon tribes are some of the largest employers in their regions, providing jobs in hospitality, entertainment, forestry and health care. In a 2019 report, the state of Oregon estimated tribal gaming provided more than 10,800 jobs and contributed to the sale of more than $780 million in goods and services. Some tribes are also regular contributors to philanthropic needs in their communities — donating to schools, nonprofits, charities, local governments and other needs. The resolution is sponsored by Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, who told senators that they should engage with the tribes and consider their wisdom about their ancestral homelands. 'We must commit to consultation, listening and working to understand, and doing our best not to just make blanket assumptions about tribal needs,' Wagner said. 'We must commit to continue to advocate to Congress and to our president to honor our treaties and continue to live the promises that we have made to our Oregon tribes.' The resolution passed unanimously in the Oregon Senate. It now heads to the House side. Oregon was first state to establish Native American commission of its kind Oregon was the first state in the country to establish a commission to formally invite tribes to contribute to the legislative process. The commission is composed of 13 members, nine of whom represent each of Oregon's federally recognized tribes, and four Oregon lawmakers split between House and Senate members. Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, spoke in support of the resolution, adding that he enjoyed serving on the commission when he was a House member. During his first meeting as a commission member, he said he learned about the Treaty of 1855 from a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. That treaty forced the Tribes to cede millions of acres of their ancestral land to the federal government in exchange for reservation and cultural rights. 'It's important that we honor that,' Bonham said about the treaty. 'It's important that we are citizens of our own word, and when we make an agreement, we stand by it.' He said the state of Oregon has gotten better at including tribal voices in policy discussions, but he said lawmakers often talk about the nine sovereign tribes 'as if they are speaking with one voice.' This is a mistake, he said. However, Native Americans still face the issues many Oregonians face, such as aging infrastructure, housing needs, school district needs, behavioral health issues and addiction. 'We can always do better,' he said. 'There's more that we can do to engage, consider and show respect to our friends, our colleagues, our neighbors and the nine treaty tribes.' The nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon are the Burns Paiute Tribe; the Confederated Tribes of Coos, the Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians; the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation; the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians; the Coquille Indian Tribe; and the Klamath Tribes. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
