Arts & Culture

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.

“It’s In The Action”: Lessons Of A Civil Rights Pioneer

WUTC | By Ray Bassett

Published June 14, 2021 at 2:34 PM EDT

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called him “the greatest preacher to ever live.”

The Rev. C.T. Vivian was one of the leaders of the civil rights movement alongside Dr. King and others in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

When Rev. Vivian tried to register Black voters in Selma, Alabama in 1965, Sheriff Jim Clark punched him - a scene caught on camera and broadcast on television nationwide.

Rev. Vivian died last year at the age of 95.

Steve Fiffer is the co-author of his posthumous memoir, “It’s In The Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior,” published by NewSouth Books in Montgomery.