Who's Involved
The Podcast
Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin
Host & Co-Producer
Dr. El-Amin is a researcher, cultural worker & lecturer at Agnes Scott College. She earned a PhD in Sociology at UT Knoxville. Her work explores the link between race, place and Black practices in defining contesting & re-imaginig of place.
Angela Dennis
Co-Host
An East Knoxville native, Angela Dennis is a journalist and literary activist. She is the Race, Equity, and Justice Reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
C. Lee Smith
Producer
With more than 25 years experience in public media & television production, Chris has written, edited, shot & produced programming for sports, news magazines, commercials & documentaries; PBS, FOX, ESPN, CBS, NBC and HGTV.
Research, Education & Support
William Isom II
Director
William Isom is a East Tennessee native & the director of Black in Appalachia. He coordinates the project's research, community data base development, documentary film & photography production, oral history collection and educational events with residents.
Alona Norwood
Community Achivist
A native of Elizabethton, Tennessee & graduate of Berea College. She received a Masters in Information Science at UNC Chapel Hill. Alona manages the digital community archive and is an expert in equitable community-based archival processes.
Misha Awad
GIS
Misha is a cartographer & environmentalist from the Shenandoah Valley of WV. Since attaining her bachelor' degree from Vassar College, Misha has focused on education, community development, & Afro-Asian relations in China & Japan. Her current work for Black in Appalachia documents migrations of Black & POC communities through Appalachia & beyond.
Kathleen Kelley
Historian
Kathleen received a Bachelor's in History at the University of Tennessee. She works with Black in Appalachia to chronicle African American families through Census data, narrative research and writing.
