The Neutral Ground: A Town Hall Discussion 

WTCI, in partnership with POV, television’s longest-running showcase for independent nonfiction films, and local community stakeholders, will host a participatory moderated community forum that will allow for a unique exchanging of dialogue, fostering understanding around topics and histories relevant to Chattanooga citizens, and building understanding of diverse perspectives that can ground the community in our collective story.  We invite you to join us!

The event will take place at Stove Works on Saturday, March 5th at 1:30PM and will feature a community discussion about the recent POV film, The Neutral Ground, directed by CJ Hunt, which documents the 2015 battle in New Orleans over the removal of Confederate monuments.

The community conversation will be centered on the following themes:

What do we choose to remember and memorialize and why?
What histories are we choosing to forget, what histories are we choosing to uplift?
What are our gaps in understanding our own history?
What implications does the past have on our communities today?
What community movements and social justice initiatives are taking place in our city as it pertains to the topic of memorials, histories, and remembrance?
How do we think about Confederate monuments and symbols today? What does reconciliation look like in this context?

To view a preview of the film, please CLICK HERE.

Clips from the film will be shown as the catalyst for discussion and reflection.  The community conversation will be co-facilitated by Donivan Brown, Chattanooga-based speaker, consultant, organizer, equity trainer, and facilitator, and Dr. Michelle Deardolf, the Adolph S. Ochs Professor of Government and Department Head of Political Science and Public Service at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC).

Discussion panelists include Isaac Duncan III, Dr. Alicia Jackson, Kris Bespalec, Alex Paul Loza, Charlie Newton, and Chyela Rowe.

There will be a brief intermission during which refreshments and light snacks will be served.  Participants will have the opportunity to interact with UTC student artists in a maker space.  

Due to social distancing guidelines, admission is limited to 65 guests.  Masks are also required.  

Funding for this event provided by POV, the Grandview Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga. 

Register Now!