NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Often it’s the unsung heroes of history who leave the greatest impact. Equal parts nameless and faceless, their stories aren’t the ones made into movies, but one Nashville organization has taken a deep look into its past to honor an influential group of women.
For centuries, Nashville has been the backdrop for change, movements, and history. Inside the YWCA in Green Hills, you will find a history that’s been unlocked, telling the story of African American women on each wall.
“If it were not for the YWCA, I would not be alive today,” said Janie Greenwood Harris.
However, to understand what she went through, you have to go back to 1938 when she was born, and segregation was a part of everyday life.
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“You knew that you were missing out on a lot of things because of segregation. For example, one of the things that bothered me the most was the fact that I couldn’t go to the library. We had a colored library, and the wonderful main library that I could not go to, and the little Black library, I read almost everything in there,” Harris described.