Scenic Roots

"Scenic Roots" offers conversations that matter in the heart of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley.From the mountains to the river, our conversations are rooted deep within every corner of our community - reflecting who we are, who we were and who we can become.We engage with the news that affects our community, behind and beyond the headlines. We build bridges that span from creators and innovators to storytellers and the outdoors. We focus on our challenges as many communities in one - as we celebrate what inspires us. We resonate with countless voices - in words and spaces, sounds and songs.We are "Scenic Roots."Ray Bassett hosts and produces "Scenic Roots" at WUTC.

The Field Revisited: Tom Lee On “Your Brother’s Blood”

WUTC | By Ray Bassett

Published May 29, 2025 at 8:20 PM EDT

Outside Chattanooga, there is The Field.

Thousands of people - most of them, Black - were buried there from the late 19th into the early 20th century in a cemetery known as a “potter’s field,” the final resting place for those who could not afford to buy their own plot.

And then, the cemetery was abandoned - and forgotten - until this century, when it was rediscovered during the construction of the White Oak Connector Trail from Stringer’s Ridge in Chattanooga to White Oak Park in Red Bank.

Attorney Tom Lee is a partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Nashville.

He wrote about The Field in “Your Brother’s Blood” for “The Bitter Southerner” - with photos by Megan Ledbetter, an artist and educator in Red Bank.