In a Facebook post on Thursday, RISE Chattanooga - the local Black arts and culture nonprofit in Chattanooga - announced the loss of its founder, Shane Morrow.
A few reflections...
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Shane Morrow saw the possible, made it real - and above all, kept it real - for so many of us across Chattanooga and beyond.
To borrow a phrase associated with Duke Ellington, he was "beyond category."
I knew it from the first time I interviewed Shane in the summer of 2019, soon after I moved to Chattanooga to launch Scenic Roots.
A few years later, Shane approached me with the idea of a weekly show from RISE Chattanooga on WUTC.
At the start of Black History Month in 2022, the show AMPLIFY - a show of, by and for local Black voices produced by RISE - premiered on WUTC, and the most recent episode aired this week.
Shane Morrow was a friend "beyond category" to WUTC - as he was to me.
I'm ever grateful for him in my life - and I'm saddened beyond words about this loss.
For those asking how they can show their love and support for Shane’s family, please visit the link below:
https://www.supportnow.org/the-family-of-shane-morrow
Thank you.
Ray Bassett
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On Tuesday, September 1st at 7 PM, we will pay tribute to Shane Morrow on WUTC.
