Community History 365 tells stories from Johnson City’s rich multicultural history, stories you’ve probably never heard.
Community History 365 respects the past so we can recognize the present and realize the future. We’ll be sharing stories from across Johnson City and its history, from a black physician who helped found Langston High School in the 1800s to the Negro Music Festival in 1947, and more. Pull up a chair and stick around.
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CH365 is distributed by LEAD (Langston Education and Arts Development), a nonprofit created by Langston High School alumni. Seeking to preserve the school building’s integrity, legacy, and historical value, LEAD helped the building open up as the Langston Centre, a multicultural facility that serves the community as part of the City of Johnson City Parks and Recreation Department. This podcast is produced in the Langston Centre’s Media Lab.
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history. Season 2 is all about "Villages."
This second episode is full of stories from TR Dunn. He grew up near Carver Rec, graduated from Science Hill High School, and lives in Johnson City today. This is our second episode about Carver Rec, which is a parks and recreation facility that’s been around since the 1950s. Today we hear from TR about his years growing up in the Carver projects, the bunch of kids he hung around town with, how things changed in his high school years, and how Carver influenced his later years.
Season 2 is all about villages in Johnson City. It'll be like a road trip around town and across decades, with one question guiding us: "Langston was a village. Where are the village now?" This season will be full of stories about neighborhoods, businesses, and centers of community. Exploring the spaces and places in Johnson City that have created a sense of belonging.
Listen to Season 1 of CH365 to learn about the history of Langston High School and the Langston Centre.
Tap the "Follow" button so you'll be notified when new episodes are released.
1 Jul 2026
Villages Ep. 2 | Saving Carver Rec
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history. Season 2 is all about "Villages."
In this second episode, learn about Carver Park — an important community center in Johnson City — and the forces that threatened its existence. Kenneth "Herb" Greenlee shares memories about growing up around Carver, his first job at 8 years old, challenges Carver faced in the 1970s, and what has happened since then.
Season 2 is all about villages in Johnson City. It'll be like a road trip around town and across decades, with one question guiding us: "Langston was a village. Where are the village now?" This season will be full of stories about neighborhoods, businesses, and centers of community. Exploring the spaces and places in Johnson City that have created a sense of belonging.
Listen to Season 1 of CH365 to learn all about the history of Langston High School and the Langston Centre.
Tap the "Follow" button so you'll be notified when new episodes are released.
28 May 2026
Villages Ep. 1 | De-segregation in Johnson City
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history.
We're back with Season 2, which is all about Villages in Johnson City. It'll be like a road trip across decades and around time, with one question guiding us: "Langston was a village. Where are the village now?" This season will be full of stories about neighborhoods, businesses, and centers of community. Exploring the spaces and places in Johnson City that have created community belonging.
In this first episode, hear from Langston High School alumni share memories from their time at the school and from Dr. Jean Swindle, who's Assistant Professor in the College of Education at East Tennessee State University, about villages and the historical context of de-segregation.
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16 Feb 2026
Village Leadership | MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history.
Today we hear from Dr. Jean Swindle. She celebrates the work of women in the Civil Rights Movement and describes what it looks like to be a leader in a village. Dr. Swindle is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at ETSU.
This is the final episode of a 5-part mini-series called MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia. It's a conversation. Five people, all connected to Johnson City, TN, talking about MLK, his legacy, his work in the Civil Rights Movement, and what it all means for us now.
Tap the "Follow" button so you'll be notified when new episodes are released.
9 Feb 2026
Master Communicator | MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history.
Today we hear from Dr. Ron Roach from East Tennessee State University. He’s talking about the masterful rhetoric MLK used in his speeches. Dr. Roach is the Chair of the Appalachian Studies Department at ETSU. Through the years he’s also taught rhetoric to college students. If you've ever wondered what makes Dr. King's "I Have a Dream Speech" so powerful, then you'll like this episode.
This is a 5-part mini-series called MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia. It's a conversation. Five people, all connected to Johnson City, TN, talking about MLK, his legacy, his work in the Civil Rights Movement, and what it all means for us now.
Tap the "Follow" button so you'll be notified when new episodes are released.
2 Feb 2026
Surveillance | MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history.
Today we hear from Dr. Daryl A. Carter from East Tennessee State University. He’s talking about surveillance and the way it was used to keep tabs on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This is a 5-part mini-series called MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia. It's a conversation. Five people, all connected to Johnson City, TN, talking about MLK, his legacy, his work in the Civil Rights Movement, and what it all means for us now.
Dr. Carter teaches political history. He is an Associate Dean and Director of Black American Studies at ETSU. He’s here to discuss the government surveillance of MLK and the political dynamics that went into it. You’ll also get to hear the broader historical context of surveillance in the United States.
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26 Jan 2026
Poor People's Campaign | MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history.
For decades, George Brosey has been involved in Appalachian studies and campaigns. In this episode he tells about how he got involved with the Poor People's Campaign, led by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Have you ever wondered where all the Civil Rights leaders went to school? Dr. Ron Roach, from the Appalachian Studies Department at East Tennessee State University, joins George to give some Appalachian context to the Civil Rights Movement, including the East TN founding of the Highlander Folk School. The school was attended by a lot of people, including MLK and Rosa Parks.
This is a 5-part mini-series called MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia. It's a conversation. Five people, all connected to Johnson City, TN, talking about MLK, his legacy, his work in the Civil Rights Movement, and what it all means for us now.
Tap the "Follow" button so you'll be notified when new episodes are released.
19 Jan 2026
King's Critics | MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history. Today is the first episode of a 5-part mini-series called MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia. It's a conversation. Five people, all connected to Johnson City, TN, talking about MLK, his legacy, his work in the Civil Rights Movement, and what it all means for us now.
In this episode, listen to the first perspective from Dr. Elwood Watson. Dr. Watson is Professor of History at East Tennessee State University, and in this episode he tells about some of King's goals, and some of his critics.
Tap the "Follow" button so you'll be notified when new episodes are released.
14 Jan 2026
MLK: Perspectives from Appalachia
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history, stories you've probably never heard. This month we honor the memory of Callie Redd, who attended Langston as a student and returned as a teacher.
Throughout Season 1 of CH365, we've heard about the history of Langston and what it was like to be a student there---the care and joy alumni experienced while they attended Langston. None of that would have happened without dedicated teachers. Callie Redd was one of those teachers. She passed away in July of 2025. In this episode, we hear from several people who knew her well. Listen to hear the memories they share about her kindness, hard work, and humor.
18 Sept 2025
Callie Redd: Student, Teacher, Servant
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history, stories you've probably never heard. This month we honor the memory of Callie Redd, who attended Langston as a student and returned as a teacher.
Throughout Season 1 of CH365, we've heard about the history of Langston and what it was like to be a student there---the care and joy alumni experienced while they attended Langston. None of that would have happened without dedicated teachers. Callie Redd was one of those teachers. She passed away in July of 2025. In this episode, we hear from several people who knew her well. Listen to hear the memories they share about her kindness, hard work, and humor.
21 Aug 2025
Golden Tigerettes: A Legacy of Women's Basketball
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history, stories you've probably never heard. This month we hear about women's basketball---at Langston High School and beyond.
In the last five years, Alasia Smith played basketball for Science Hill High School and two NCAA Division I teams: Gardner-Webb University and the University of Memphis. And her success has a backstory. This story goes back several generations to tell the history of a basketball family, of the Langston Golden Tigerettes, and of women's basketball itself.
17 Jul 2025
Rhythm of Excellence: Veral Jean Neal, Evelyn Fields Debro, and the Langston Band
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history, stories you've probably never heard. This month we hear from two former majorettes in Langston High School's marching band.
Both Veral Jean Goddard Neal and Evelyn Fields Debro remember marching downtown with the rest of the Langston band. All sorts of people lined the streets to hear them play. In this episode, hear Jean and Evelyn tell stories of the complex relationship Langston students had with downtown Johnson City.
19 Jun 2025
Johnny Russaw: Student, Athlete, Trailblazer
Johnny Russaw recounts his experiences as a student and athlete at Langston High School and East Tennessee State University, highlighting his trailblazing journey as the first Black football player at ETSU in this interview.
15 May 2025
Langston Football: A Broken Leg & Billy Gene Williams
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history, stories you've probably never heard. This month we here from Billy Gene Williams. Billy played football at Langston High School and graduated in 1958.
Billy's uncle played for Langston in 1936, when they had one of their greatest seasons ever. When Billy was old enough, he decided he wanted to play too. In this episode you'll hear about that 1936 season, Billy's most impressive game, and a game where Langston scored more points than you'll believe.
So far this season of CH365 has covered a lot of Langston history---from its founding to its closing to its rehabilitation. For the next few episodes, we zoom in to what it was like to be a student at Langston.
17 Apr 2025
Hezekiah Hankal: A Life of Service
Welcome to Community History 365! CH365 tells stories from Johnson City's rich multicultural history, stories you've probably never heard. This month Donald Shaffer tells the story of Hezekiah Hankal, a beloved figure in Johnson City's African American history.
Hezekiah was born in 1826 in Washington County. Somehow he managed to receive his education and learn to be a physician, all before Emancipation. Listen to find out how, and to hear all the work this man did for the Johnson City community.
20 Mar 2025
Mildred Ellis: Music to the Masses
Mildred Ellis was born in 1906 in Johnson City, a couple blocks from Langston School. Mildred went on to travel all over the country teaching, performing, and composing music. She earned an impressive list of accomplishments. A former National Security Advisor once called her "a wonderful, proud African American pioneer. Someone who had helped make the path a little bit easier for all those who came after." This is the story of a trailblazing woman who grew up in Johnson City and, despite the restraints of segregation, made it big. But there's one particular event that she thought of as the most significant. Listen to find out.
Unfortunately we don’t have recordings of any of Mildred performances. But as a tribute, in February 2025 the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, in what is to believed to be the world premier, performed Mildred’s original composition called “Keep Singin.” Her work continues to inspire the community where she was raised.
20 Feb 2025
Langston School: Travail to Triumph in the African American Community
Welcome to CH365! In 2019, hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the building that used to be Langston High School, right off of I-26 in Johnson City. After decades of educating black children, the building had found itself in a state of disrepair in the 21st century. In the first episode of CH365, Adam Dickson tells the history of the building and the role it played in Johnson City's black community. Find out what makes this building meaningful to so many people and what ended up happening to it.
30 Jan 2025
Welcome to CH365!
Welcome to Community History 365! Here's a sneak peak into what CH365 is all about. Take a listen, follow this feed, and stick around if you want to learn more about Johnson City and its multicultural history!
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 24 / 100
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Quality
34
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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