Georgia Southern recognizes integration of the University with commemorative marker | Newsroom

Georgia Southern recognizes integration of the University with commemorative marker | Newsroom: A new commemorative marker on Georgia Southern University’s campus pays tribute to a special part of Georgia Southern’s history and the University’s first African-American students who courageously paved the way and provided hope for a better way of life for students who followed. The Integration of Georgia Southern marker, prominently placed on Sweetheart Circle in

The Strength of Southwest Georgia

Southwest Georgia is a predominantly African American part of the State. It includes communities like Dawson, Moultrie, Thomasville, Leesburg, and Cuthbert, with  Albany being its flagship city. It has an abundance of African American farms, landowners, and a beautiful historically black college.  SOWEGA made a name for itself during the Civil Rights Movement as it was thrust into the national spotlight. Although beset by poverty and neglected by those in leadership positions, the area survives and holds its head high.

Yesteryear

Had we been adults in the fifties and sixties, we would have fought in the Civil Rights Movement in Georgia, joined SNCC in college, and participated in the Albany Movement.

We would have ventured into the outlying areas to register voters or get them involved in the Great Society.  Our lives would have been threatened as we attended mass meetings in area churches in search of converts. We would not have feared anybody or anything because the mission was too great.  

I greatly admire what they accomplished during those days. Civil Rights workers, ranging from national figures to everyday citizens, changed the future for those like me who followed in their footsteps.

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