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…
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…
John Evans grew up in Blairsville, Georgia, surrounded by the sounds of country, bluegrass, and rock and roll. His start in music was on the electric guitar, trying to emulate the sounds of Van Halen and popular 90s grunge rock, and then entered the…
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,…
Cynthia Terry taught public school music for 29 years, 27 years in Atlanta and 2 years in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Terry also served as Director of Fine and Performing Arts for the Atlanta Public Schools for 9 years.This interview was recorded…
Bennie Gantt was born in Comer, Georgia in 1937. His parents were sharecroppers for most of his life, but they also ran a small restaurant in Comer in the late 1940s. Gantt attended the Comer Colored School through 11th grade. Madison County built…
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…
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…
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,…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Dick Daniels was raised on jazz music and chose trombone as his first instrument, followed by guitar and later electric bass. He attended Rutgers University where he joined a band called Redwood Trunk and took a music theory class before picking up…
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…
Susan Staley was born and raised in Indiana and moved to Athens in 1992 where she quickly found community within Athens’ folk and old time music scenes. In this interview she talks about her experiences with music in Athens, which include playing…
Antoon Speters was born in the Netherlands and raised in Salt Lake City. He started playing music and singing at a young age with friends. During his time in Utah he played and toured the western US and Canada with multiple groups before moving to…
Joe Willey is a long-time Athens resident and a multi-instrumentalist who has played banjo, guitar, and fiddle on solo projects and in collaboration with other Athens musicians. He currently operates under his music project “Joe Willey and the Movin’…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Diana Fairbairn has lived in Athens since the early 90s and has had a substantial impact on the local scene of soul food. In this interview, Fairbairn talks about her introduction to food, her experience opening Five Star Day Cafe, and what she’s…
Nasrin Rouhani and her family left Iran because they are members of the Baha'i faith. They arrived in Georgia in August 1984. In this interview, she speaks about the process of reestablishing her professional career and proving her nursing…
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…
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…
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…
Nasrin Rouhani and her family left Iran because they are members of the Baha'i faith. They arrived in Georgia in August 1984. In this interview, she speaks about the process of reestablishing her professional career and proving her nursing…
Robbie Buller was one of the first volunteers at Jubilee Partners and became a partner soon after. He speaks of his Mennonite upbringing and desire to live in Christian community, as well as his work at Jubilee. He discusses his marriage to Chou Ly…
Chou Ly left Cambodia during the reign of Pol Pot and lived as a refugee in Thailand before moving to the United States in the early 80s. She and her family lived at Jubilee Partners before moving to Lilburn, Georgia. Chou returned to Jubilee as a…
Born in 1942, Craig Barrow, III is the ninth generation of his family to manage his ancestral home, Wormsloe, near Savannah, Georgia. Barrow is a direct descendant of Nobel Jones, one of the first settlers in Georgia. Barrow attended the University…
Michael Kobito is Director of Bands at Woodland High School in Cartersville, GA and the 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year.This interview was recorded remotely.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Yiceth Caicedo was born in Colombia and fled to Ecuador with her husband before she arrived in the United States in spring 2017 with her two young children. She had been in college studying sociology before she had to leave Colombia. Her husband…
Isabel Gonzalez Whitaker was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to Cuban refugees before they settled in Atlanta. Throughout her career, Whitaker has worked various jobs in journalism, with one of her earliest positions being booker and producer of…
This interview was recorded remotely. Maritza Soto Keen is an associate director and senior public service faculty at the Fanning Institute at the University of Georgia. Keen has also spent many years leading the Latin American Association as the…
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…
Jonathan Grantham is a high school band director at Amador High School in the Pleasanton Unified School District in Pleasanton, California.This interview was recorded remotely.
Anoa Green is Director of Wind Studies at the Baltimore School for the Arts in the Baltimore, Maryland City School District.This interview was recorded remotely.
Tonna Carbaugh-Dieter is a high school orchestra director in the Twin Valley School District in Elverson, Pennsylvania.This interview was recorded remotely.
Mr. Jackson is a retired Orchestra Teacher from the Kirkwood School District in Kirkwood, Missouri, after having taught there for 30 years. He currently teaches strings part time in the same school district.
Lori Schwartz Reichl has been a public school music educator for 15 years. She has successfully led middle school band programs in Pennsylvania and Maryland.This interview was recorded remotely.
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…
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,…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
Jennifer Floyd was a high school orchestra teacher in Georgia for 16 years. She taught at Lovejoy High School in Clayton County, Brookwood High School in Gwinnett County, and McEachern High School in Cobb County.
Jeffrey Tapia is the former Executive Director of the Latin American Association (LAA) as well as the former Director of Hispanic Services at Catholic Social Services. Tapia has dedicated her life to serving the Latino community through outreach. In…
