Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin first moved to Knoxville in 2019 to pursue a doctorate in sociology. Little did she know then that she would build a community that move the city as a whole in a positive direction. The Bottom is an education-focused bookstore, a community center and a welcoming space for people of color.
El-Amin grew up in the South American country of Guyana before moving to Atlanta when she was 12. Before calling Knoxville home, she also lived in Syracuse, New York, and New York City. In her career as a sociologist, El-Amin has focused on race and ethnicity.
When she arrived in Knoxville, El-Amin realized East Knoxville needed a place where people of color can create, collaborate, educate others and build a community. “Growing up in Guyana, we had community. We had people to support each other who were people of color.” And thus The Bottom was born.
Named after the area of Black neighborhoods and businesses in East Knoxville that were subjected to segregation, institutionalized racism and, ultimately, urban renewal in the 1950s, The Bottom strives to be a place of education, hope and healing for the city and its surrounding towns.
“I’ve not known community in this way as an adult until I moved to Knoxville.” says El-Amin. Laughing, she adds, “Making friends and finding a group is hard!” But she persevered, acknowledging how several groups within Knoxville’s Black community raced to her side to see The Bottom come to life. “When I lived in New York, I needed a place like The Bottom to embrace me,” says El-Amin, giving due credit to other Black community makers for the center’s success.
Open Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Bottom is home to three permanent projects. Sew It, Sell It is a program for young entrepreneurs who want to learn the art of sewing and the science of business. The Community Podcast studio, where aspiring podcasters and storytellers can interview, edit and share their podcasts, is, according to El-Amin, “a space where Black artists can tell their stories and bring the community together through word.”
The third is the Bookshop, a home to Black authors – both local and world renowned. It features a subscription service that both children and adults can join and discuss what they read on a Zoom call held on the third Sunday of each month. The Bottom is working with local Knoxville schools to bring Black books and artists into schools. In addition, El-Amin hopes to organize a book fair to support those schools. “We want anyone to come by and check out a book,” she says of the venture. “We want to educate those who are new to the Black community and share our voices.”
While no events are currently scheduled due to COVID-19, The Bottom has been able to adapt and grow with new social distancing guidelines. Moving some events from in-person to virtual, The Bottom has hosted open-mic nights and has witnessed an influx of new folks joining the community. “We have had a great turnout due to social media,” El-Amin says. Many others have privately messaged The Bottom to ask about Knoxville and its black community before moving here.
Besides being a community maker, bookstore owner, visionary and leader to the East Knoxville community, El-Amin hosts “Black in Appalachia,” a podcast extension of the East Tennessee PBS show of the same name. On it, she and Knoxville News Sentinel writer Angela Dennis discuss black history and society in Appalachia. The podcast received national attention late last month when The New York Times included it a list of must-listens.
tamer@blanknews.com
