Griffin African American Oral History Project

Dublin Core

Subject

Georgia--History, Local
African Americans--History
Georgia--Communities

Description

The Griffin African American Oral History Project is a collaboration between the Griffin Branch NAACP, the Griffin Campus Library of the University of Georgia, and the Richard B. Russell Library. The seed was planted in the meetings of the Educational Prosperity Initiative which is also chaired by the president of the Griffin Branch NAACP, Jewel Walker-Harps. Collaborators on the project include: Griffin Housing Authority; Spalding County Collaborative; Fairmont Alumni Association; University of Georgia—Athens and Griffin campuses; and the Educational Prosperity Initiative, which is an affiliate of the Spalding County Collaborative and others. Interviewers on the project include: John Cruickshank, librarian at UGA-Griffin Campus Library; Jewel Walker-Harps, President of the Griffin, GA Branch of the NAACP; Art Cain, coordinator of Continuing Education for UGA-Griffin; Be-Atrice Cunningham, project manager for College of Agricultural and Environmental Science for Griffin; and Ellen Bauske, senior public service associate at the Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture in Griffin. Rich Braman was the sound engineer for this project.
The Griffin African American Oral History Project intends to document the experiences of people who lived in Fairmont Community in Griffin, Georgia during the civil rights era and through its transformation to the present day.

All interviews in this collection have been indexed in OHMS.

Creator

Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies

Publisher

Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies

Date

2015-2018

Identifier

RBRL418GAA

Coverage

Griffin, Georgia

Interviews in this Collection (24):

(RBRL418GAA-001)

Jimmy Jones was born in 1936 in Henry County, Georgia. Upon moving to Spalding County, Georgia at an early age, Jones attended Broad Street Elementary School. Jones lived through the desegregation of Fairmont High School and later became involved in…

(RBRL418GAA-002)

Johnny Goodrum was born in Griffin-Spalding County in Georgia during the years of segregation. As a child, Goodrum attended multiple schools in the area including Broad Street School, Cabin Creek Elementary and Fairmont High School. Goodrum later…

(RBRL418GAA-003)

Jean W. Reid was born in 1935 in Griffin, Georgia and is the wife of the late Civil Rights activist Gary Reid. Jean Reid attended a segregated Fairmont High School, where she practiced cheerleading and was a majorette. In 1965, Reid participated in a…

(RBRL418GAA-004)

Jean Walker-Harps was born in 1939 and grew up on a farm in Glenville, Georgia. She attended Morris-Brown College and in 1961, she moved to Griffin, Georgia where she worked as a teacher at Fairmont High School. During the Civil Rights Movement,…

(RBRL418GAA-005)

Tommy Lee Harps grew up on a farm in Griffin, Georgia. As a child, Harps worked at the Georgia Experiment Station along with his father under Dr. H.P. Stuckley, during which he attended Mount Pleasant Church School and later Vocational High School.…

(RBRL418GAA-006)

Robert Dull was born in Dearborn, Michigan, though his family moved around many times along the west coast throughout his childhood. Dull worked in public housing administration for many big cities before he eventually became the CEO of the Griffin…

(RBRL418GAA-007)

JoAnne Phinazee was born in Griffin, Georgia in 1943. Phinazee grew up during segregation where she attended Annie Shockley Grade School and later Negro Vocational High School. As an adult, Phinazee worked at Pomona Products. In this interview,…

(RBRL418GAA-008)

Freddie Phillips was born in Spalding County in 1938. As a child, Phillips attended Anne Shockley grade school and later Fairmont High School where he was a member of the marching band and basketball team. Phillips was active in the Civil Rights…

(RBRL418GAA-009)

Robert Dull works at the Griffin Housing Authority as the Chief Executive Officer. In this interview, Robert Dull discusses his work in the Fairmont community through the Griffin Housing Authority, as well as the effect of segregation and poverty on…

(RBRL418GAA-010)

Born in 1940, Haskell Ward grew up in the segregated Griffin, Georgia. Throughout his childhood, Ward was encouraged by peers and friends to attain an education. Ward has held a multitude of positions throughout his life including working as Peace…

(RBRL418GAA-011)

Gail Reid Hackbart grew up in Griffin, Georgia as the daughter of Gary Reid, a prominent Civil Rights activist in Georgia. Gail attended Georgia Tech, where she started the Alpha Kappa Alpha chapter and participated in marches over the unfair…

(RBRL418GAA-012)

(RBRL418GAA-013)

Love Maddox was born in Griffin, Georgia and served as one of the first African American policemen during the integration of the Griffin community police force. Throughout his career, Maddox also served in the city of Atlanta. In this interview,…

(RBRL418GAA-014)

Juanitress Morris Cofield was born in 1966 in Griffin, Georgia. As the daughter of a farmer and teacher, Morris Cofield lived in the predominantly African American area of Griffin near the peak of the civil rights movement. In this interview, Morris…

(RBRL418GAA-015)

Cheryl Head Rashied and Raymond Head III were born in Griffin, Georgia in 1948 and 1950, respectively. Cheryl and Raymond are the children of civil rights activist Raymond Head Jr., and experienced first-hand the effects of discrimination on the…

(RBRL418GAA-016)

Curtis Jones grew up in Griffin, Georgia during segregation. As a child, he was one of the first students to integrate into Sacred Heart Elementary and later was one of the first to integrate into Griffin High School. Jones attended West Point…

(RBRL418GAA-017)

Kenda Suzette Fuller-Woodard was born in 1959, and grew up in the community of Fairmont, Georgia. In this interview, Fuller-Woodard discusses living in Griffin, Georgia during the 1960s and 70s. Fuller-Woodard touches on a variety of subjects…

(RBRL418GAA-018)

Charlotte Eady was born in Blackshear, Georgia, and grew up during mandatory integration, being one of first three African American students at her high school. Eady works as an associate professor of education leadership at Jacksonville State…

(RBRL418GAA-019)

William Walker was born in Wetumpka, Alabama and came to Griffin, Georgia in 1959 to teach at Moore Elementary School. Walker later became the first black president of the newly integrated Griffin Middle School before he took a position in the…

(RBRL418GAA-020)

Walter Pyron was born in Griffin, Georgia and attended Anna Shockley Elementary during the years of segregation. Pyron additionally worked as the band director for Griffin High School before becoming the assistant principal of Futral Road Elementary…

(RBRL418GAA-021)

Larry Caldwell grew up in Springhill, Georgia during the era of segregation. He served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and when he returned, attended Griffin Technical Institute before he attained employment at General Motors. In this…

(RBRL418GAA-022)

Howard Wallace grew up in the 1930s in Griffin, Georgia. As a young adult, Wallace joined the Biracial Committee where he worked on the integration process of Griffin. In this interview, Wallace talks about his upbringing, the racial aspects of…

(RBRL418GAA-023)

Harvey Pilkenton grew up in rural Griffin, Georgia in the 1950’s during desegregation. Pilkenton currently works with the Griffin Housing Authority. In this interview, Pilkenton talks about his experiences during desegregation, his family, and his…

(RBRL418GAA-024)

Wyomia Tyus grew up in Griffin, Georgia where she attended Anne-Shockley Elementary School and Fairmont High School. She later attended Tennessee State University where she ran, and competed in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics. In this interview Tyus talks…

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