Historic African American Culture in Rural Georgia

When we think of African-American culture in Georgia,  Atlanta usually comes to mind with its beaming skyline and dynamic hip-hop scene. 

It is also the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King,  Jr.,  the charismatic leader of the Civil Rights Movement, the Atlanta University Center, and historic Auburn Avenue, where black businesses once flourished.

However, thriving black communities exist in rural areas like Southwest Georgia, which many people of color call home.

Known for its flat terrain and high humidity, Southwest Georgia prospered during Slavery,  as slaveholders moved their slaves westward in search of fertile soil.  Over time,  the black population began to overtake that of whites in many counties,  which continues to this day. African-American communities soon developed around churches,  schools, and businesses. African Americans have also farmed the land for generations, with a record number of black-owned farms.

Growing up in Southwest Georgia,  I experienced African American culture firsthand and what it's like to be black in a small Georgia town. African Americans crowded downtown on weekends and holidays,  spending hard-earned wages from textile plants, peanut mills, and the auto industry on groceries,  clothing, and other necessities after putting some aside for a rainy day.  Others mingled with friends or greeted customers in businesses they owned.

Downtown also hosted the homecoming parade on chilly Fall evenings. Thanks to the local majority black high school, black and white citizens lined Main Street in the '60s, '70s, and '80s to get a glimpse of the funkiest marching band for miles around. It was something we all looked forward to.

 Lastly, it was the perfect place to get a nice high-top fade haircut in the 1980s and '90s on Thursday evenings at the celebrated African-American barbershop. Yo! MTV Raps or Rap City played in the background as country boys got stylish for the weekend.

Like most small towns, life centered around the church on Sunday.  Many African Americans worshiped at a different congregation each week, likely due to the large number of black houses of worship in the community and the chance to experience a new pastor or choir.

A week-long revival dominated religious service during the Summer. Powerful preaching and soul-stirring singing took place to bring out the Holy Ghost and win over new converts. A baptism followed the following Sunday.

When someone black died,  the church that he or she joined or got baptized in was proudly mentioned in the obituary,  which still happens today.

We not only revered God but also education.  Young people were pressured to complete high school by their parents and others and enroll in college,  preferably near historically black Albany State College.  Many adults even enrolled in adult education to get the high school diploma that eluded them in their youth.

The blacks in my hometown exhibited strong ethics, too.  Virtually every person of color who desired a job had one, even if it meant working on a farm.  Most,  however,  worked in the peanut, poultry, textile, or auto industries. Many others sought better-paying jobs in the nearby larger city.  A professional class of black teachers,  doctors,  and business owners lived alongside their working-class neighbors.

Additionally, Nothing could beat being a kid where I grew up.  We seldom skipped school because it was where our friends were, and we participated in sports while getting a good education, something our parents insisted upon.  Also, at least ninety-eight percent of us lived in two-parent households and did not do drugs or drink alcohol except for the occasional joint or shot of liquor at the prom or other once-in-a-lifetime events.

During the Summer,  youngsters played in open fields, walked barefoot down hot dirt roads, and were kept abreast of the latest Soul or Funk like the Temptations,  Al Green,  Earth, Wind And Fire, and  The Ohio Players that no teen or adult could resist.

My hometown today is at a crossroads.  Although African Americans control the local government and school board, have built new schools, enticed new businesses, and improved infrastructure,  the city has still witnessed a flurry of jobs going abroad with a steep population decline.  Despite such setbacks, the place where I was raised and inspired to dream and similar communities in Southwest Georgia, with overwhelming black populations, are striving toward the future with an eye on progress.

Anthony Hamilton - Comin' From Where I'm From

Once Upon A Time When We Were Republicans

African Americans once voted Republican in large numbers.  We rallied behind Lincoln, who ended slavery,   Teddy Roosevelt, who invited Booker T. Washington to the White House, and Eisenhower for sending Federal troops to integrate Little Rock High School in Arkansas when many Democrats fought against equal rights for people of color.

We even carried ourselves in a different light in those days.  We championed education as millions of  African Americans completed high school and college. We started scores of businesses in a segregated society and backed the institution of marriage to the fullest.

However, the Civil Rights Movement changed the course of history in the black community as African Americans looked desperately for a way out of Jim Crow throughout the land.

 Ironically, the Democratic Party answered the call or picked up where the Republicans left off.  At the historic Democratic National Convention of 1948,  President Truman staked the outcome of his presidency on the right of all Americans to live in peace without regard to race,  creed, or color.  It may have made a difference for Democrats in northern cities.

Later in the 1960s,  President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat from Texas,  pushed for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the War on Poverty, and a host of other social programs in what was called the Great Society that became law.  Johnson also forced Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964,  which barred discrimination in employment and public places in an attempt to integrate African Americans into the rest of America.

Sadly,  too many African Americans misunderstood integration.  Its purpose was to uphold the Constitution.  We instead saw it as a chance to abandon most black institutions or a competitive two-party system.  As a result, black people are left, at least for the moment,  with rising crime, high unemployment, and single-parent households that cut to the very core of our existence.  

In politics,  African Americans are caught between a rock and a hard place today.  Democrats placate us, while Republicans ignore our vote altogether.  It's a far cry from a generation ago.

Death of The Mall

I remember the hustle and bustle of Main Street in my hometown in the sixties and seventies.  It served as a meeting place, especially for African Americans,  who shopped till they dropped,  mingled with friends, or got a jump on the night ahead at the bar or corner clubs.

Then, in the early Seventies, they built a massive strip mall on the edge of town,  and to add insult to injury,  a neighboring community erected an indoor facility with seventy-six stores that nearly destroyed both cities' downtown.

Today, the mall's heyday has ended due to modern technology and changing trends in the U.S. economy.

Online shopping has boomed in recent years.  It beats mall traffic and pushy store clerks,  especially during the holiday season.  Most importantly,  it allows a customer to shop without leaving the comforts of home.  With the proliferation of smartphones,  shoppers can browse the store shelves of businesses while on break at work or on the subway headed home.

Moreover, stiff competition in a shaky retail market is having an impact on the future of malls.  For example,  Dollar General Stores and similar shops have siphoned off a share of the retail industry,  with small, well-designed stores on virtually every corner.  They specialize in decent,  affordable merchandise and serve as a crucial source of employment for those living in hard-hit rural and inner-city areas.

Similarly,  Walmart has threatened the future of malls since its transformation into a supercenter.  The retail giant, which boasts billions in annual sales, captivates customers with a wealth of fashion and household products.  Walmart also sells affordable meat and produce. Like Dollar General,  Walmart employs thousands.

To survive,  it's been recommended that malls diversify or reevaluate how they do business.  It's been suggested that they add supermarkets to their host of stores or offer something for everyone, regardless of age or gender, like Discover Mills or the Mall of Georgia in suburban Atlanta.  These malls survived the Great Recession when others went belly-up.  Moreover, opening chain stores and galleries in urban areas has proved successful in New York City and Baltimore,  where residents live in food deserts and nice clothes are hard to come by. 

Jim Croce - I Got a Name (1973)

Blue Magic - Chasing Rainbows

J. Cole - Apparently