TANNER CULTURAL CENTER
In 1997, CHC located its offices in the former Tanner School building which
served as Newport and Cocke County's African American educational center from
1924 until the racial integration of schools in the late '60's. This location
on Jones Hill, Newport's historic diverse neighborhood, is shared with HeadStart
administrative offices, Senior Citizens & Office on Aging, the county
Veterans Services Office and the Neighborhood Center which distributes food
commodities, energy assistance and clothing to the needy.
CHC and Cocke County Collaborative member groups have clearly identified the
repair, restoration, remodeling, and expansion of the Tanner Building as fundamental
to all its program strategies and to sustainability.
CHC and collaborators offer exciting, meaningful and effective opportunities
for designing multiple partnerships among local, regional, state, national and
global entities to address generations of injustice suffered by Cocke Countians.
These engaged and committed residents have: fended off a major retailer that wanted to purchase and demolish the Tanner Building to further short-sighted marketing plans, opposed politicians, road-builders and tourism proponents by successfully resisting a highway route plan which would have ghettoized the Jones Hill neighborhood, and have become renowned and respected in the region for successfully countering KKK activity by organizing community members and supporters in celebrating diversity and promoting peace in communities. The Tanner computer lab is an extraordinary facility where technological miracles are happening every day for elderly quilters, young "thugs" and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The hoped-for future will entail the preservation
of tradition and of historic structures, the positive integration of technology
and scientific design models, the development of a sound local economy that
produces businesses and jobs worthy of support and dedication, and a community
environment that fosters healthy life styles for healthy children and families
in communities where people can live in decent, respectable homes and circumstances.
Importance of Collaboration
CHC utilizes a holistic approach that fosters interdisciplinary participation in COLLABORATION for community improvement in Newport and Cocke County. Since the progress of any individual, household or group involves a great range of economic, social, political, ecological and personal factors, the work for justice in Cocke County must be both place-based and people-centered. CHC 3-pronged strategy consists of: (1) identifying, coordinating and supplementing existing local programs and community organizations that support families; (2) establishing and maintaining partnerships, affiliations and working relationships with regional & national organizations, agencies, corporations and funders in order to maximize local opportunities to secure technical, informational, and financial resources for Cocke County; and (3) developing organizational capacity to implement, continue, expand and sustain successful efforts.
The Allen's Chapel School building, also a Rosenwald School, is currently used as a fellowship hall in the Parrottsville community.