Shownotes
We speak with historian and journalist Betsy Phillips about her new book, Dynamite Nashville: Unmasking the FBI, the KKK, and the Bombers Beyond Their Control. She spent nearly a decade trying to uncover the truth about three bombings in Nashville by segregationists in the civil rights era that all went unsolved: the Hattie Cotton School in 1957 as it was set to integrate; the Jewish Community Center in 1958, which had held integrated activities; and the home of leading civil rights lawyer and city councilmember Z. Alexander Looby in 1960. In the book, Phillips writes, “Just as Nashville was where Civil Rights icons like John Lewis, James Lawson, and Diane Nash began, Nashville is also where a network of racial terrorists began.” She discusses her revelations, the lasting impact of the attacks, and how Nashville’s mayor has announced a cold case review.