Sweet Grass and Sassafras: African Americans Head for the Mountains - Sassafras Ridge, Tennessee, an African American community - Brief Article

American Visions, August, 2000 by Patricia Mines

Many splendors await you at Sassafras Ridge, an African-American family retreat in southeastern Tennessee: a spectacular sunset followed by a crisp blanket of dew the next morning; the magnificence of a natural habitat of wildflowers, sweet grass, sassafras and rhododendrons; a brisk hike over trails that slaves once trekked; the breathtaking experience of white-water rafting. Just two hours northwest of Atlanta,

Sassafras Ridge is a 650-acre community nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. The heavily wooded enclave, with its many creeks, trails, lakes and breathtaking views, is a nature lover's paradise, designed to accommodate families over long weekends, during the summer months or all year round.

Cherokee National Forest--abundant in natural resources--makes the perfect backdrop for Sassafras Ridge. Waterfalls and wildlife add to the region's dramatic landscapes. One of the world's best white-water rivers--the Ocoee (home of the 1996 Summer Olympic slalom canoe and kayak competition)--is only minutes away from Sassafras Ridge. A truly spectacular sight is the profusion of wildflowers, trees and plants (many with medicinal properties). Springtime delivers a delicious variety of flowers--bloodroot, trout lilies, pale blue hepatica-that blanket the meadows. Deep rosy pink lady-slippers grow under the pine trees, and trailing arbutus grows on open banks. There are many landowners within

the confines of the Cherokee National Forest, making it not unusual to find privately owned land intermingled with public National Forest tracts.

Just a decade ago, husband-and-wife team Arike Logan-Kusaidi and Shaka Kusaidi began developing Sassafras Ridge from untapped wilderness into a small nucleus of civic-minded individuals. The Kusaidis describe the retreat as a place where people of African descent can come together in the spirit of ujamaa, which means cooperative economics. "As African Americans, we must work to put aside our distrust for each other--a problem that often undermines our ability to be successful in business together," says Arike, who is a Memphis native and a family practitioner based in Atlanta. Today, the community boasts a close-knit group of landowners and visitors that includes educators, health professionals, artists, lawyers, ministers, students and builders. They come to walk along Marcus Garvey Road; watch birds; fish in the Nia and Imani lakes, which are stocked with trout; camp on the ridge's majestic slopes; or just plain relax.

Gathering precious herbs has become a favorite pastime of Mansa and Titilola Parker, the owners of Mansa's Juque Joint, a 2,000-square-foot entertainment center. Mansa's also serves as a lodge, gathering place and eatery for the retreat's residents and visitors. When the night grows old, they head to Mansa's for good food, music and merriment.

In their downtime, the Parkers go hiking. "This is such a pristine setting that we often walk for miles while gathering all kinds of herbs along the way," says Titilola. "It is such an enjoyable thing to do." The natural herbs found at Sassafras Ridge are almost too numerous to name. In all, there are about 40 species; the most prominent are bloodroot, burdock, ginseng, goldenseal, wintergreen, yellowroot, and, of course, sassafras. The Parkers, who purchased their land nearly a decade ago, are now considered old-timers by the other residents of Sassafras Ridge.

Charles and Janice Dena--the enclave's only permanent residents-prefer the year-round serenity of mountain living to the grind of city life. "I enjoy the peace and quiet of living at Sassafras," says Charles, a native of Belize who has lived in the Sassafras Valley for six years. "Wherever we go, there's just one traffic light."

Many of the community's summer residents and weekenders point to the area's special historical significance as a major attraction. The area was originally settled by Cherokee Indians, and many of its rivers, mountains and towns have Cherokee names, including Nantahala ("noonday sun") and Ocoee ("apricot vine"). The mountains of the area were a sanctuary for blacks who escaped from slavery in Georgia and Alabama. (Even though Tennessee was part of the Confederacy, the eastern part of the state had strong antislavery sentiment.) Nearly everyone visiting Sassafras Ridge walks along Harriet Tubman Trail, which leads to the retreat's nature trail. Legend has it that slaves and American Indians used this well-worn path to escape to a safer haven.

A few yards into the trail, the cool setting of a natural stream carries pure mountain spring water gently down into the Ocoee River. Moss-covered flat rocks conjure images of runaway slaves, pausing, just for a moment, to savor the clean crystal water before quickly moving on to freedom.

"Sassafras is a very exciting project," states Shaka Kusaidi. "We give thanks to God for this rich and beautiful land, this experience and this opportunity. Our potential is enormous! People come for the serenity, the escape, and the soothing peace of the mountain that lifts them up and beyond all their cares. They come to relax and start healing from the stresses of fast-living city life."