Kenneth Dious was born in Athens, Georgia and attended Athens-Clarke County public schools. After graduating from high school, he attended Savannah State College and later transferred to the University of Georgia. At UGA he earned a degree in…
Dr. Walter Allen, Sr. grew up in Allendale, South Carolina where he learned how to play the trumpet in his high school band. He began his music career as a teenager by playing in a variety of bands, including the military band during his service in…
Having served as a Representative in Georgia State House, the director of DFACS, chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, and Georgia Commissioner, Michael "Mike" Thurmond discusses his early life in Athens, his education, his experience…
Jenniffer Jones interviews her mother, Dawn Bennett-Alexander, about her early life in Washington D.C., including Bennett-Alexander's experiences during segregation and her memories of attending the March on Washington in 1963. Bennett-Alexander also…
Jenniffer Jones interviews her mother, Dawn Bennett-Alexander, about first loves, how relationships change and grow, and "the gender of love." This interview is part of the Georgia Narratives series.
Geneva Johnson Blasingame discusses the Linnentown, also known as Lindentown, community and Black neighborhoods in Athens, Georgia. She recalls the University’s efforts to push out black communities in 1962. Blasingame comments on the children…
Fannie Jordan discusses being born in Athens on Hull Street in 1922 and subsequently moving to Church Street, Finley Street, and Hancock Street. She reflects on playing basketball in school and attending a two-story school on Finley and Reese Street.…
Bennie Tillman discusses his early life, family, education, and career. He recalls working for contractor J.W. Davis, Snelling Dining Commons, and for St. Mary’s Hospital as a cook. Tillman reflects on living in Rocksprings, raising and keeping…
Thurman talks about his experience growing up as black kid in Panoramic City, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. He talks about riding VMX dirt bikes with his older brother. Thurman talks about his process of becoming race conscious while…
In this interview, Dawn Bennett-Alexander talks about her work in order to attend the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the importance of the convention to her, and her experience at the DNC. This interview is part of the Georgia Narratives…
Homer Wilson grew up in Madison County. He earned a certificate in forest from Fort Valley State College. In this interview, he discusses how he began working in his father’s barbershop, Wilson’s Styling Shop, in downtown Athens, Georgia. He talks…
Bennie McKinley was born in Athens, Georgia in 1945 and grew up in segregated neighborhoods in Athens. She attended Reese Street School and Athens High and Industrial School. In this interview, she discusses her early experiences with segregation,…
Archibald Killian was born in Athens, GA in 1933. He studied at the Burdett School of Business in Boston, and served as a police officer overseas in the U.S. Air Force. In this interview, Killian discusses the process of desegregation of the…
Lemuel LaRoche, also known as a Life The Griot, is a poet, community activist, and founder of the Athens non-profit, Chess and Community. He grew up in New York, and moved to Georgia where he attended Gordon College and later transferred to the…
Hattie Heflin was born in Oglethorpe County, Georgia in 1954. She grew up on a family farm in Comer, Georgia as one of eleven children. Heflin’s family moved to Athens while she was in the fourth grade. She came to attend the then recently-integrated…
Broderick Flanigan was born in Athens, Georgia in 1983. He attended Gaines Elementary School and later Clarke Central High School. During this time, Flanigan lived in the Nellie B neighborhood, a historically prominent neighborhood in Athens.…
Neal Lester is a professor of English at the University of Arizona focusing on African-American literature and theater. He discusses growing up in the South, his increasing awareness of race with age, and his views regarding white allyship,…
Knowa D. Johnson and his wife, Mokah Jasmine Johnson, moved from Orlando, Florida to North Atlanta, Georgia in 2009 to expand their network reach and business experience. After 2yrs of co-producing a magazine, working as publicist and operations…
Knowa D. Johnson and his wife, Mokah Jasmine Johnson, moved from Orlando, Florida to North Atlanta, Georgia in 2009 to expand their network reach and business experience. After 2yrs of co-producing a magazine, working as publicist and operations…
Linda Davis was born and raised in the Brooklyn Community of Athens, Georgia. She is president of the Bethlehem Cemetery Society and has been honored by The Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation. In this interview, Davis details her experience growing up…
Harry Sims grew up in Athens, Georgia and received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He taught at David C. Barrow Elementary before retiring and served as Athens City Commissioner before running for mayor. In this interview, Sims…
Walter Allen Jr. has lived in Athens his entire life, graduating from Cedar Shoals High School and attending the University of Georgia for two years. He left the university to work full-time for a local radio station and later started a successful…
Bennie Roberson was born in Athens in 1947 where he attended Union Baptist Institute and, upon its completion, Lyons Middle School. In this interview, he recalls historically significant areas such as The Bottom, East Athens, and Hot Corner and…
Thomas Griffith was born in Madison County and moved with his family to Athens as a young teen. Throughout the interview, he stresses the importance of his mother’s Christian faith in instilling strong morals in him and his brothers and her…
Bennie Lee Coleman III was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He grew up with a single mother, his aunt and his grandmother in a little house on Oconee Street. In this interview Coleman shares how his values were shaped by listening to the advice…
Donarell R. Green III was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1946. His family moved to Athens shortly after his birth to start a medical practice for Black Athenians. In this interview he remembers the Susan Medical Center, growing up as the son of a…
Julia Jones was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. She attended West Broad street School and Athens High and Industrial School before furthering her education at Albany State University. In this interview, Jones reflects on her childhood and…
Michael Middlebrooks was born in Athens, Georgia in 1956 and lived there for the majority of his life. He attended the University of Georgia and later worked for Georgia Power for 40 years. In this interview, Middlebrooks recalls his upbringing, the…
Ken Dious was born and raised in Athens, Georgia, where he attended the University of Georgia and earned a law degree. After spending some time doing civil rights litigation with the NAACP, Dious returned to Athens to establish his own law firm. In…
John Clark was raised in Oglethorpe County in a family of twelve siblings and moved to Athens upon the death of his father in 1965. After completing Burney-Harris High School, he served in the military before returning to Georgia and studying law at…
Walter Allen Jr. was born and raised in Athens, GA during the city’s period of integration. In this interview he recalls his experiences with the integration process, attending seven different public schools, and being bused to schools on the other…
James Deadwyler was born and raised in rural Winterville, GA, just outside of Athens. His parents passed when he was young and he was forced to drop out of school to make a living. In this interview, he describes his professional career working with…
Tommy Brown was born in Athens in 1940 to a family of seventeen children. Growing up as a sharecropper, he learned much about self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship. In this interview, Brown shares his experiences with the Ku Klux Klan, workplace…
Fannie Smith was born in Oglethorpe County, GA and, as a child, moved with her family to Athens, GA, where she remained the rest of her life. In this interview she talks about integrating Clarke County schools, working through high school and…
Pearl Hall was born in Rocksprings Homes in Athens and has lived a life dedicated to serving the public. She attended West Broad Street School, Burney-Harris High School, and was a part of the first class to formally integrate into Clarke Central. In…
Billy Wade was born in Athens in 1954. An active member in the community, he was influenced by figures such as athletes, coaches, and elders that helped shape his career into one of the most impactful coaches in Athens history. In this interview,…
Marion Stroud was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He attended Union Baptist Institute and Athens High and Industrial School before receiving a football scholarship to Allen University. While in college, Stroud served in the U.S. Air Force in…
James Sims, Jr. was born and raised in rural Oglethorpe County, GA, attended secondary school in Athens, GA, and spent his adult life in Augusta and Atlanta. He is the eldest of six children, in a family of community leaders and groundbreakers. In…
Lora Smothers, though not born and raised in Athens, felt compelled to do something about the Black education crisis in the community. Her own experiences in school, college, and graduate school made it clear to her that Black education was becoming…
Arthur Sims, Sr. moved from rural Georgia to Athens with his family when he was young and attended segregated Athens High and Industrial School. In this interview he talks about his teenage years participating in Civil Rights movements and jobs he…
Wilucia Green is the second youngest of Dr. Donarell R. Green Jr.’s six children. Wilucia and her sister were two of the five Black children to integrate Athens Clarke County Public Schools in 1963. In this interview she talks about the process of…
Marjorie Green Turner is the youngest daughter of Donarell R. Green Jr., a notable doctor for Black women in Athens, Georgia. Marjorie and her sister were some of the first Black children to integrate local public schools. In this interview she…
Shelia Neely-Norman was born in Athens in 1948 where she attended East Athens Elementary School, Lyons Middle School, and Burney-Harris High School before continuing her education in sociology and early childhood education at Paine College and Troy…
Barbara Sheats was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. She attended Timothy Road Elementary, Clarke Middle School, Clarke Central High School, and Athens Academy before completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia. In this…
Candace Sheats was born in Crawford, Georgia in 1943 and later moved to Athens, Georgia in the fourth grade. She attended West Broad Elementary, Reese Street Middle School, and Athens High and Industrial School before attending Morris Brown College.…
Lillie P. Stewart was born in Athens in 1946 to a family of nine children, herself being the second youngest. She attended East Athens Elementary School and Athens High and Industrial before dropping out, later acquiring her GED. In this interview,…
Tiffany Taylor was born in Athens in 1988 and grew up on the East Side. She was raised by a single mother, and the community provided assistance in her upbringing. In this interview, she recounts her experiences through her various careers and…
Julita Sanders was born in Athens-Clarke County in 1974 and was raised by a single mother. In this interview, Sanders shares her experience in school and how it led to working with at-risk youth as an adult. Sanders discusses Juvenile Offender…
Charles Hardy was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He is the current co-founder and executive director of Athens Alliance, an Athens-based organization that strives to give opportunities and provide resources for the community. In this Interview,…
Content Warning: This interview includes references to sexual assault. Asia Thomas was born in Athens, Georgia. She is a former candidate in the Athens- Clarke County Commissioner race and has played an active role in the Athens community through her…
LaKeisha Gantt was born in Athens in 1978, where she attended elementary through high school. In her undergraduate years, Gantt knew that she wanted to help people, but wasn’t sure how; through graduate school and upon completing her Ph.D in…
Barnard Sims was born in Barrow County to a family of four. Once he started school, he realized that Black people were systematically treated differently than white people and felt that he lacked understanding of Black history. In this interview,…
Charles Campbell was the fifth of six children in his family, growing up on hand-me-downs and often being looked after by his eldest sister in Paldo. In this interview, shares how his upbringing has affected his self-image and the importance of youth…
Patricia Clifton was born and raised in Miami, Florida, moved frequently during her early adulthood, and moved permanently to Athens in 1976. In this interview, Clifton shares about her experiences working for Clarke County Public Schools and as the…
Content Warning: This interview includes references to substance abuse, prison violence and murder, and domestic violence.Shannondore “Shane” Sims was born and raised in Athens, Georgia, in a two-parent household until the age of 12. After this…
Earnest Elder was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He is the founder and president of the Community and Youth Development Organization, an Athens-based organization that focuses on building capacity and creating programs for the youth. In this…
Ethel Johnson was born in Athens in 1940, where she grew up and attended West Broad, Reese Street, and Athens Industrial and High School. In this interview, Johnson relates her experiences from grade school to graduate school. She talks about her…
Continuing from her first interview, Ethel Johnson discusses her time in graduate school and from her career. In this interview, Johnson shares her experiences with integration as a teacher and how she became more involved in social services as her…
Jessica Johnson was born in Athens in 1969, where she attended Alps Road Elementary School, Burney-Harris Middle School, and Clarke Central High School. Johnson earned her undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central University and her graduate…
Larry Green was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He attended West Broad street School, Lying Junior High, Burney Harris High School, and Clarke Central High School before furthering his education at Albany Technical School and DeVry University. In…
Phyllis Juliette Quick Stewart was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina but has spent the majority of her adult life in Georgia. She was a life-long educator, beginning as an elementary school teacher and retiring as elementary school…
Valdon Daniel was raised in Broadacres Homes and attended West Broad Elementary School, to which he walked every day with his older siblings. Daniel loved math, and spent much of his adult career teaching mathematics in elementary school. In this…
Isaiah Ellison was born to a large, rural Georgian family in 1948. During childhood, his family moved to several cities across the state of Georgia until they ended up in Athens, where Ellison still resides. In this interview, Ellison shares memories…
Venus Jarrell was born in Athens in 1946, where he attended West Broad Elementary School, Lyons Junior High, and Athens High and Industrial. He was an active band member in school and, after graduation, continued playing in the band at Mississippi…
Joyce Ervin was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. She has dedicated her life to working in education and community outreach. Ervin is the current CEO of Joyce Ervin’s Open Heart Center, an organization focused on providing assistance and education…
Content Warning: This interview includes references to sexual assault.MyKeisha Ross grew up and attended school in Athens, though her family has its roots in Ohio. Raised by a single mother, Ross had to look after herself and got her first job in the…
Content Warning: This interview includes references to addiction, sexual abuse, and domestic violence.Tlayra Jordan was born in 1981 and grew up in Ohio with her great aunt and uncle before moving to Athens as a late teen. In this interview, Jordan…
Randy Watkins was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He is the current Director of Sales and Operations of More than Blinds as well as an umpire and an officiator of various different sports. In this interview, Watkins talks about the racial divide…
Linda Stephens was born and raised in Siloam, Georgia before moving to Athens. Stephens has served the Athens community through her work as a registered nurse, public housing community leadership roles, and her current position as an Ambassador for…
Alvin Sheats was born in Waynesville, North Carolina in 1958. After living in Atlanta for several years, he and his family moved to Athens, in time for him to start the 8th grade. Today, Sheats continues to live in Athens, where he serves as the…
James Russell Smith was born in 1941 and moved to Athens as a child. He currently leads The Athens Voices of Truth choir, and has done so since it was organized in 1979. In this interview he discusses his upbringing as the son of a sharecropper, his…
Angela Jackson was born in Athens in 1960 and attended several schools around the county growing up. Many of Jackson’s family were educators, and so education became an important part of her life. In this interview, Jackson discusses her experience…
Xernona Thomas was born in Athens in 1969 to a loving home in which she admits she was spoiled by attention. She was the first Black student to be enrolled in Athens Academy, but she finished her education within the Clarke County school system. In…
Melvin Stroud was born and raised in Athens and has worked in the city for decades. Stroud attended Union Baptist Institute and Athens High and Industrial before furthering his education at Fort Valley State University. In this interview, Stroud…
Aurelia Scott was born and raised in Linden, New Jersey before moving to Athens, Georgia. Scott has devoted her life to being an educator and an active member of her community. In this interview, Scott discusses her childhood in New Jersey, her…
Terry Bennett was born in Athens in 1968 and attended local schools until he graduated from Clarke County High School. After graduation, Bennett immediately went to work and eventually began work for Food for the Soul and, later, at the Sparrow’s…
Content Warning: This interview contains racial slurs.Barbara Barnett was born in Athens, Georgia in 1950. Barnett is an active member of the Athens community who has dedicated her life to working with youth. In this interview she remembers her early…
Barbara Barnett is an active member of the community who has dedicated her life to working with the youth. Barnett has served as a Program Director of Rites of Passage, an organization focused on empowering Black youth through Black history…
Charles Stroud was born in Athens in 1939 to a tight-knit community. Stroud describes many of the neighborhood figures of his childhood as cousins, uncles, or aunts, even if they weren’t related by blood. Stroud was an educator in Macon and Athens…
Harold Rittenberry Jr. was born in Athens, Georgia in 1938. As a young man he joined the Army and was deployed to Germany. He returned to Athens in 1957 and worked several jobs throughout the years before he was able to make a living as an artist. In…
Content Warning: This interview includes details of graphic death.Harold Rittenberry Jr. was born in Athens, Georgia in 1938. As a young man he joined the Army and was deployed to Germany. He returned to Athens in 1957 and worked several jobs…
Willie Hull was born in Hull, Georgia in 1949 and moved to Athens in 1958, giving him childhood experiences in both rural and urban areas. After graduating from Burney-Harris High School in 1967, Hull participated in several Civil Rights protests in…
Content Warning: This interview contains references to police brutality and murder.Willie Hull was born in Hull, Georgia in 1949 and moved to Athens in 1958, giving him childhood experiences in both rural and urban areas. After graduating from…
Charlotte Sosebee was born in Gainesville, Georgia in 1966. Sosebee attended school at White Sulfur Springs Elementary and East Hall High School. In this interview, Sosebee discusses childhood memories of family and recalls her experiences in…
Charlotte Sosebee was born in Gainesville, Georgia in 1966. She moved to Athens in 2016. In this interview, She discusses elections in Hall County, where she worked her way up from an elections clerk to interim director despite hardships with the…
Edward Sterling Gardner was born in Athens in 1963, and currently works as the VP of Workforce Development Programs for the Boys & Girls Club. In this interview he discusses his experiences with race relations in the community and his academic…
Horace Edward King was born in March 1953 and grew up on Henderson Extension in Athens. King went to West Broad Elementary School, Burney-Harris High School, and Athens High and Industrial School which was integrated during his senior year. King…
Mary Inez McKinney was born in May 1939 in Athens. She attended West Broad Street Elementary School, Reese Street Middle School, and Athens High and Industrial School. In this Interview, she discusses her experience growing up in Athens and getting…
James Fair was born in 1946 and grew up in Broad Acres Public Housing in Athens. After graduating with a business degree from Southern University, Fair worked in the Housing Authority, but was well known for coaching youth football and becoming…
Shanna Sheats was born in 1975 in Athens and grew up off Timothy Road. In this interview, Sheats recalls her integrated education at Timothy Road Elementary, Clarke Middle School, and Clarke Central High School. She discusses attending several…
Content Warning: This interview contains racial slurs.Richard Dunn was born in 1952 in Washington, D.C., and was raised by his mother and grandmother. Dunn first came to Athens to pursue a television internship in the summer of 1971, but transferred…
Content Warning: This interview contains racial slurs.Thomas Oglesby was born in Athens in 1951 and grew up on Minor Street between Rockspring and Broad Acres. In this interview, Oglesby discusses his early life, experiences in Youth Development…
LaTasha Sheats was born and raised in Athens in 1979. She attended Clarke Central High School and Albany State University for two years, eventually receiving an accounting degree at Athens Technical College. In this interview, Sheats discusses her…
Lydia Burden is a published author born in Athens, Georgia in 1969. She spent the majority of her childhood living in Oconee County before briefly joining the military. At 21, she was discharged due to kidney failure and eventually began writing…
Terence Johnson was born in Athens-Clarke County in 1961. During his youth, he lived in both New York and Athens, and attended an array of schools including P.S. 189, Epps Road Elementary School, and Clarke Central High School. In this interview,…
Willie Green Sr. was born in Athens in 1966. He was raised in an Athens community called Pauldoe, and attended Oglethorpe Elementary, Clarke Middle, and Clarke Central High schools. He also attended Tennessee Military Institute in Sweetwater,…
Content Warning: This interview contains racial slurs.Tony Rucker was born near Commerce in 1953 and grew up playing piano and saxophone. He attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate and masters’ degrees before attending Florida State…
Cassie Evans was born in Athens, Georgia in 1991. Her youth was filled with creativity, writing poems, short stories, and raps that are tied to her current music career. In this interview, she talks about her experiences in athletics growing up and…
Charles Worthy was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama. He attended Alabama State University in Montgomery, meeting his wife during his time there, and later moved to Athens for work. In this interview, he talks about his journey from a youth in…
Content Warning: This interview contains racial slurs.Mildred White was born in 1947 in the Rabbit Eye community of Athens near the current Oconee Heights area. In this interview, she discusses growing up in a rural community, her education, and the…
Annie Mildred Sims Lyle was born in Athens, Georgia in 1944 and was raised in the Eastside. In this interview, she talks about her experience of earning an education amidst many obstacles. She describes how she was treated as a result of her becoming…
Janice Turner Roundtree was born in Athens, GA in 1942 and raised in the Timothy Road community. She worked in the Athens-Clarke County School System for over 28 years and now enjoys retirement with her husband of 57 years. In this interview, she…
Danny Ronell Davenport was born in Athens, Georgia in 1965 and was raised in the Pauldoe/Jack R. Wells Community. In this interview, he details a history of his life, from childhood to his long-standing career with the Athens Housing Authority,…
William James Breeding, Jr. was born in Dalton, Georgia and spent his youth there. He experienced how the schools in Greene County handled integration, and found success in athletics there and beyond at the University of Georgia. In this interview,…
Deryl Bailey, born in 1960 in North Carolina, was raised by a single mother and his grandparents. He attended the University of Virginia, among other institutions. In this interview, Bailey reflects on his academic journey, from disliking school as a…
Patricia Barron was born in 1954 and raised in Atlanta. She attended Mercer University and Georgetown Law. In this interview, Barron recalls her journey to law school, mentioning that she knew from young she would be a lawyer. Additionally, she talks…
Betty Brown-Williamson was born in Dublin, Georgia in 1942 and graduated from Stillman college in 1964. She is a charter member of the Delta Sigma chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Stillman and the Eta Xi chapter at the University of Georgia.…
Earnest Thompson was born in 1935 in Charleston, South Carolina. He was raised through the Great Depression and gives a look into what childhood was like in that era. In this interview, Thompson details his life, his career, and his views, providing…
Odella Thompson was born in Athens, Georgia in 1942. She attended West Broad School, Reese Street School, and graduated from Athens High and Industrial School. She received a degree in English from Oakwood College. In this interview, Thompson…
Barbara McRae was born the oldest of six and grew up in a variety of places around the Southeast including Clarks Hill, SC and Augusta, GA. In this interview she discusses her education, meeting her husband and helping him start McRae Family Dental…
Matthew McRae was born in McRae-Helena, Georgia and attended Twin City Elementary and High Schools. After attending Fort Valley State University and dentistry school he, along with his wife Barbara, started McRae Family Dental in Athens, which now…
Tracy Smith was born in 1963. Her childhood was shared between Athens and Atlanta, and she constantly moved between the two. She attended Athens Technical School and interned at WXAG radio in Athens which began a long career in marketing and…
Johnny Hutchens was born in 1938 in the Normaltown neighborhood of Athens. He attended segregated schools throughout his youth before starting his career in automotive body repairs and then eventually as a janitor for the University of Georgia.…
Gwendolyn Stevens was born in Athens, Georgia in 1961. She is currently enjoying retirement after a long career in education. In this interview she discusses her upbringing in Athens, including her experiences with desegregation in elementary school…
Quaison Payne was born in 1965 in Athens, Georgia. He attended Fowler Drive Elementary, Lyons Middle School, and Cedar Shoals High School before going to Georgia Tech and earning a degree in civil engineering. Upon returning to Athens, Payne began…
Peggy Norman was born in 1945 in Jackson County, Georgia, and has lived in Athens for over 50 years. She grew up visiting places like Hot Corner and the Bottom, before moving to Athens and starting her career in home healthcare. In this interview,…
Dwain Segar was born in 1957 in New York City and moved to Athens with his partner, staying in the area after they separated. With past experience from his work in security, Segar founded the Kids Feel Safe program in Athens, partnering with local…
Arthur Hinton, Jr. was born in 1957 and grew up in Aliceville, Alabama. He went through the school system there, starting at a small country school run by his family and graduating from Aliceville High School following integration. He continued his…
Bessie Little Hinton was born in Aliceville, Alabama in 1956 into a large family. She went through the Aliceville education system, participated in Upward Bound at Stillman College, and after graduation from Aliceville High School, pursued a degree…
Larry Walter was born in Athens, Georgia, five minutes before his twin brother in 1958. Walter worked several jobs throughout his life, notably in broadcasting for the University of Georgia and Georgia Public Broadcasting, and in factories in Athens.…
Shundra Caldwell was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1969. She was raised there alongside her cousin by her aunt, mother, and grandmother. In 1987 she graduated from Callaway High School and enrolled in Tougaloo College. In 1992, Caldwell and her…
Content Warning: This interview contains references to domestic violence and murder. Jesse Ward was born in 1933 in Farmington, Georgia, and raised in Athens as the oldest of seven, among two sisters and four brothers. He spent a large amount of his…
Lamar Robinson was born in 1941 in Athens, Georgia. He received his education in the Clarke County School District and graduated from Athens Technical College. Throughout this interview, Robinson focuses on Athens, talking about Hot Corner,…
Raymond Winfrey was born to a large family in Clarke County in 1951. He was raised there, and spent time on the family farm throughout his youth and attended the segregated schools Lyons Elementary School and Burney Harris High School. He was…
Deloris Hester was born in Athens, Georgia in 1947. She went to West Broad Elementary and Lyons Middle School before attending Athens High and Industrial School. After graduating high school she worked as a nurse at Athens General Hospital and…
Joe Lewis Marshall was born in Washington, Georgia in 1937 and moved to Athens as a child. He attended East Athens Elementary School and Athens High and Industrial before dropping out to work full-time. He worked briefly at the NuGrape/Budwine…
Harvey Jerry Wilson was born in Bogart, Georgia in 1931. Throughout his life he has performed with two gospel groups, worked in radio, and retired from Westclox/General Time clock factory in 1997 after 30 years there. In this interview he discusses…
Ola Jennings Stevens was born in Athens in 1944. After graduating from Athens High and Industrial School she went on to Fort Valley State University, and then received her Master’s degree from UGA and her Doctorate from the University of Tennessee.…
Dr. James Washington, Jr. was born in 1950 in Perry, Florida, and was raised there throughout his early education. This first part of his interview provides a look into segregated Florida and his lived experience of Jim Crow and racism in the South.…
Dr. James Washington, Jr. was born in 1950 in Perry, Florida. In this second interview, Washington talks about his life post-high school, and remembers his time at Florida A&M University, where he majored in mathematics. He also talks about his…
Dr. Frankie Hill was born in 1950, and was raised in Florida alongside a large family. In this interview, Hill tells her story, beginning from entering first grade at an early age to serving in administrative positions in the Clarke County School…
Sharon Cooper was born in Athens, Georgia in 1956. She was a member of the second class to graduate from Cedar Shoals High School, and after graduation she married her husband and they have been together ever since. She attended the University of…
Marcel Mincey was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1970. In this interview, Mincey talks about his family, detailing the life of his mother in Detroit, the unique success of his uncle, and his aunt Christine “Pat” Crowder Hooks. He also details some of…
Evelyn Barrow was born in Athens in 1947 and has spent her life there. She grew up in Newtown, graduated from Burney-Harris High School in 1965, and spent 33 years working at Hope Haven before moving to her current position of driving buses. In this…
John Barrow was born in Athens, Georgia in 1946 and was raised on Waddell Street. He graduated from Alabama State College with a degree in business administration before returning to Athens and starting his own business, Barrow Stone and Masonry. In…
Deborah Weaver was born in Athens, Georgia in 1952. She graduated from Athens High School in 1970 and worked in the medical field until getting a job with Delta Air Lines in 1977. In this interview she discusses her childhood, her early education at…
Willie G. Pope was born in 1947 and grew up just outside of Athens in Watkinsville, Georgia. He attended the segregated E.D. Stroud School, before moving to Athens High and Industrial after seventh grade, where he graduated the same year the school…
Wilbert Pope was born in 1957 and spent his youth in Augusta and Lincolnton, Georgia. He attended Lucy C. Laney High School, where he was a part of the band, and afterwards attended the University of Georgia, graduating with a degree in Biological…
Larry Johnson was born in Athens in 1951 and grew up in Rocksprings Homes. After graduating from Burney-Harris High School, he enlisted in the U.S Navy and went on to have a career in human resources before becoming a minister. In this interview he…
Kenneth Little was born in 1955 and grew up in Athens. In this interview, Little talks about his time at East Athens School, Hilsman Middle, and Clarke Central High School in the early 1970s, including topics of segregation, integration, racism, and…
Dr. Cshanyse Allen was born in 1973 and was raised in Athens. She went through school in Clarke County and graduated from Cedar Shoals High School before enrolling at Florida A&M University. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Clark Atlanta…
Tammie Foote was born in Athens, Georgia in 1972 into the Bethel Homes community. Her family moved from there to Knottingham when she was beginning the first grade at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School. She then attended Clarke Middle School and…
Patricia Huff was born in 1948 in Athens, Georgia. She was raised in the Reese Street community and attended Reese Street Elementary and North Athens Elementary. She then went to Athens High and Industrial / Burney-Harris High School, before…
Tershant Rhodes Smith was born in Greene County in 1974. She graduated from Greene-Taliaferro High School in 1993 before enlisting in the United States Army. After becoming pregnant with her daughter she decided to leave the army to begin a more…
Gloria Little was born in Athens, Georgia in 1932, and grew up on John Street in East Athens. In her youth, she attended historic Athens Black schools like East Athens Elementary, Reese Street School, and Athens High and Industrial before enrolling…
Scott Killian was born in 1955 in Athens and grew up in the Morristown neighborhood of Athens and in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1963, Killian was the first person to integrate Chase Street Elementary School and was one of the first five Black…
Harrison Dowdy was born in 1947 and was raised in Madison County, Georgia. He attended Wagner Grove Church School and Southside High School in Comer, Georgia before attending technical school. He then joined the Air Force as a machinist during the…
Joyce Littel Jackson was born in 1960 in Athens' East Side Community. She is currently a radio host of The Quiet Storm on V-103 and brand manager of WAOK radio station. In this interview she describes her education and upbringing in Athens, the…
Phyllis Drayton was born in Athens, Georgia in 1956, and raised in the East Side neighborhood. In this interview she discusses her childhood on the East Side, her family, and her experiences in segregated and integrated schools. She also talks about…
Hull was born in Athens, Georgia where he was first introduced to music through the Hill Chapel Baptist Church. Hull has worked with music his whole life, though his degree is in Education and Family Development. He currently works as the Clarke…
Eugene Willis, Jr., aka Blacknerdninja, talks about working at an early age doing odd jobs, drawing comics, and spending a lot of time in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Athens where his grandmother lived. He talks about starting to write raps,…
Larry Gresham, Jr., aka LG, grew up in Athens, Georgia, and fell in love with music very young, when he sang in the church choir and was influenced by his father's music tastes. He started writing his own songs around 1996. Gresham recalls trying to…
Carlos Jones, who performs under the name Lo' Down, talks about his early performances in Athens, releasing his first album Between the Hedges with friend Ken Richardson (Duddy Ken), and leaving college to pursue his music career in Atlanta. Jones…
Ismeal Cuthbertson talks about the culture shock he experienced when moving to Athens, Georgia, and compares the violence between Athens versus the other big cities he's lived in. He talks about his early hip hop influences like Canibus and Fort…
Montu Miller talks about growing up in a culture of hip hop, his early involvement in the Athens hip hop scene, and while in college founding the group Dreaded Mindz which hosted weekly poetry and rap events in his apartment. Miller discusses the…
Benjamin Edwards, who performs under the name Big Body, talks about his childhood in the West Athens neighborhood of Newtown, his early hip hop influences, and starting to record music in college. He talks about dropping out of school, going to…
Earl Arnold, aka Big Earl, talks about his early life in Harlem, collaborating with rapper Big Al, living in the Bethel Homes apartments (known as B-Town) in Athens, Georgia, and releasing music with the group Big Earl and the Twin boys. He compares…
Darrison Ellison was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He discovered hip-hop and rap while in middle school, where he was active in school performances. Ellison served in the military from 1989-1995, after which he was involved in the Athens music…
Ken Richardson was born in Athens, Georgia and grew up in the Nelly B neighborhood on the eastside of Athens. He wrote his first rap while in middle school and later adopted the performance name Duddy Ken, through which he wrote and produced music…
Walter Allen, Sr. grew up in Allendale, South Carolina, in the era of Jim Crow. The area was a close knit farming community, and Allen recalls learning principles of responsibility and discipline from his parents, neighbors, and teachers at Allendale…
Edwards was born in Florida, where her first introduction to music was her father’s love of jazz. In high school, Edwards played the guitar and occasionally sang in a small band. Edwards eventually moved to Athens in the early 1980’s where she played…
Sylvanus Zeke Turner was born in Clarke County, Georgia, and has lived in Athens his entire life, currently performing as a solo Gospel singer. In this interview, Turner discusses the details of his early life, including his participation in choirs…
Sylvanus Zeke Turner was born in Clarke County, Georgia, and has lived in Athens his entire life, currently performing as a solo Gospel singer. In this interview, Turner shares his experience with music in Athens and popular places in the black…
Dr. Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje grew up in Jesup, Georgia, learning piano from an early age. She attended Boggs Academy, Fisk University, and the Hampton Institute. She is currently a professor and the Chair of Ethnomusicology at the University of…
Vernon Thornsberry was born and raised in New Orleans. He taught himself to paint and play several instruments. He moved to Athens, GA in 1986 where he has become a local legend and familiar face, especially around The Grit and Jittery Joe’s. During…
Bernard Anderson aka Pharaoh Gottie grew up in Athens. He became involved with hip hop at a young age, and he helped manage various artists. Anderson has owned numerous businesses in Athens including a record store, beauty store, and restaurant. In…
Jabriel Winfrey (Billy D. Brell) was born and raised in Athens, GA. He took an interest in rap and hip-hop at a young age and began writing his own music, becoming a part of the original wave of hip-hop in Athens. In his interview, Winfrey discusses…
Cedric Huff (Amun-Ra), born in Athens, Georgia, is an influential member of the Athens hip-hop scene. He began recording music at age 14 and was introduced to the industry early. In his interview, he discusses musical influences, growing up in…
Tarik Camp, also known as Top Cat, was born in Athens, Georgia. His mother worked as a singer and his father as a DJ. Growing up, Camp worked as a D.J and music creator before he formed the band, Mascom. Camp currently has a wife and two daughters…
Gregory Jones was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. His first introduction to music was his mother’s records. Growing up and throughout adulthood, Jones left Athens many times before he eventually returned to work on his music. Jones served in the…
Anthony Hill was born in Athens in 1982 and was raised on East Broad Street. His career as a hip-hop artist began in 1994 when he wrote his first rap. Since then he has been writing, rapping, performing, and producing under the name P.O. The…
Showyn Walton, who goes by the name Al Gorjus Buddah, was born in 1971 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He got his start in the Athens artist scene through breakdancing and hip-hop before expanding into stand-up comedy and painting. In this interview…
Kenya Bloodsaw was born in Athens in 1970 and was part of the early hip-hop community in Athens. In this interview he talks about his early life on Athens’ East Side and Old Lexington Road. He describes his early exposure to and interest in creating…
Ahrmard Stovall, who goes by the name I Am God’s Child, was born in Athens in 1981 and grew up on the East Side. In this interview he discusses his early life, personal influences, and his introduction to the Church. He explains his early interest in…
Robert Lawrence has worked as a music teacher at Clarke Central High School for many years. Despite originally majoring in marine biology at Troy University, Lawrence has found joy in the teaching profession throughout his years. In this interview,…
Zandra Bell-McRoy is a band director at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Georgia. Dr. Bell-McRoy discusses the demographics of the school, the school’s band program, and her path to teaching music. She also talks about her teacher training, why…
Verna Miller Smith was born in 1946. She grew up on a family farm off Brooklyn road in Athens, Georgia. In this interview, she discusses her family history and describes the Brooklyn neighborhood which was historically African American. She…
Reverend James Williams is the Church Historian for Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. He grew up in El Paso, Texas before moving to Elbert County, Georgia at age ten. In this interview, he focuses on his education. He compares his integrated school in…
Reverend James Williams is the Church Historian for Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. He grew up in El Paso, Texas before moving to Elbert County, Georgia at age ten. In this follow-up interview, he focuses on his time at the University of Georgia. He…
