KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Black History Month is a time for people to honor and focus attention on African Americans who made contributions and sacrifices that helped shape the nation.

East Tennessee has many stories of how African Americans made improvements within its region. 

Here’s a look at some historically Black stories from East Tennessee.

James Hodge adored his mother, who adored her community. 

“She was family-oriented,” Hodge said. “Just one of the most loving sweetest people you ever want to meet. She loved her community. She loved East Knoxville.”

Hodge’s mother, Geraldetta Hodge Dozier, spent 26 years of her life helping the people of Knoxville reach their destinations. It’s a feat that began by happenstance.

“She was headed to nursing school and walking and she noticed a female driving the bus,” he said. “She decided to go fill out an application. She walked down there actually, and took the test. And, you know, history is made from there.”

In May 1976, Geraldetta became the first Black female driver for KAT, then known as K-Trans. A single mother, she used her new job to give her and her new son a better life.

“We moved immediately out of the projects, and it just went up from there,” Hodge said. 

Geraldetta spent the majority of her time in the driver’s seat in her neighborhood in East Knoxville.

“Her main bus route was Dandridge—right in our own neighborhood,” he said. “She ran it for probably 15 years. She got up at 5 a.m. and got up at 1:30 a.m. every day, Monday through Friday.”

Throughout her career, Dozier honed her driving skills—allowing her to compete in events called Bus Rodeos.

“All the drivers come together from different cities in one state,” Hodge said. “They all compete against each other to see who can drive the best, ultimately at the end of the day. She won several of those, to the point to where she was able to go compete with the other men because there weren’t too many women.”

Geraldetta retired in 2002 and finished with over 2 million miles under her belt. She died in November 2023 but her son hopes she’s remembered for more than just the roads she traveled.

“I hope that she’s remembered for the love, how funny she was, how she cared about others—almost more than herself,” he said. “And how she just helped people and just the beautiful woman that she was when she was driving that bus and the beautiful woman that she was period.” 

Shanna Gaona began her business “Cliffside Soaps” a little over a year ago. After retiring from the military after 15 years in 2014, she was diagnosed with PTSD and fibromyalgia. So, she began dabbling in essential oils to help heal some pain.

It was from this that Gaona discovered soapmaking. She said that she takes what she learned in the Marines and applies it to her new passion. 

“For me, as a veteran, I take pride in what I do,” Gaona said. “There’s so much attention to detail as a Marine and I love to have the extra incentive in the things that I’ve learned and the skills that I’ve learned and try to apply them into the skills that I’m using now.”

Gaona’s case manager from the Semper Fi & America’s Fund recognized her passion for soapmaking and recommended a program for her to help create her business.

“They gave me the opportunity to go about researching and to sign up for some classes to really learn how to market my stuff,” she said. 

Although Gaona is still dealing with PTSD symptoms, she doesn’t let that stop her. 

“When you get something from me, you’re gonna get 100% quality and you’re gonna get somebody that, you know, is going to do a little dance when they get an order,” Gaona said. 

Gaona’s business is currently online only. You can find more information about Cliffside Soaps here.

In a time when white world champions refused to fight Black boxers, a title was established to battle segregation and bring prestige to fighters that may have otherwise faded into obscurity.

The title was the World Colored Heavyweight Championship and one of the men honored with holding that championship was Bob Armstrong.

Armstrong was born on Sept. 4, 1873, in Rogersville—about 70 miles east of Knoxville. The son of an ex-slave, at the age of 3, his family moved to Iowa where he stayed through adolescence.

You can read more about Armstrong’s story here. 

The Dunbar Rosenwald School in Loudon is one of hundreds of schools built for the advancement of Black education in the early 1900s. But, it’s only one of a few dozen still standing.

After the schools closed after integration, it’s taken on new life thanks to efforts from alumni and community support who are working to preserve the building and the history behind it. 

The school garnered new recognition from the Tennessee Historical Commission and East Knox Heritage in 2021.

Beyonce’s father, Matthew Knowles, attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1971 and 1972. 

Matthew was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and even played on the Mocs basketball team, wearing the number 22. 

After his sophomore year at UTC, Knowles transferred to Fisk University in Nashville to finish out his college career.