This week in my oral history class, I shared with students some oral histories collected in 2007/8 with survivors of the 1918 Flu pandemic. It’s often said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes, and in this case, the resonances with our own pandemic era were very pointed for me and my students. Descriptions… Continue reading Pandemic Rhymes: Oral history and the 1918 Flu pandemic
Category: southern history
DeKalb County’s Houseworth family: Three generations of Black history
Last summer I wrote about the “Black Side of Town” in Avondale, inspired by Carl Houseworth, an African American laborer who lived in Avondale in the 1930s-1950s, and for whom the “Carl’s Corner” gateway is named. As I wrote before, Carl was part of an extended family of Houseworths who lived in and around Ingleside… Continue reading DeKalb County’s Houseworth family: Three generations of Black history
To be or not to be Mayberry
This is fourth in a series about the history of Avondale Estates, GA Ask people what the image of Avondale Estates is and you will get a lot of talk about a “tight-knit” community, rooted in old-fashioned traditions and local institutions that embody the shared values of family, community, and a sense of place. The… Continue reading To be or not to be Mayberry
“The Black Side of Town”: Challenging Avondale’s White-only Narrative
This is third in a series of posts about the history of Avondale Estates. Avondale Estates was restricted to white-only residents (or at least homeowners) for much of its 20th century history. And today the city is still almost 80% white.[1] Much of the recent diversification of Avondale’s population has come since 1998, as a… Continue reading “The Black Side of Town”: Challenging Avondale’s White-only Narrative
“The Right Kind of Neighbors”: Race and the Origins of Avondale Estates
This is second in a series of posts about the history of Avondale Estates, Georgia. In my last post I mentioned that racism and white supremacy were baked into Avondale Estates’ identity at its origin. This was both a function of the founder and his times. Avondale Estates was founded in the mid 1920s by… Continue reading “The Right Kind of Neighbors”: Race and the Origins of Avondale Estates
Seeing the signs in Avondale Estates, or, When the NAACP picketed my town
It was a warm day in early September of 1998 as marchers gathered in front of City Hall in Avondale Estates, a small residential enclave outside Atlanta where I currently live. Many were carrying signs with slogans like “Reject Racism in Avondale Estates,” “N-word is an evil word,” and “Parker Must Go!” The reason for… Continue reading Seeing the signs in Avondale Estates, or, When the NAACP picketed my town
Ask A Slave: A Comedy Web Series
Here’s an interesting public history take. Actress and comedian Azie Mira Dungey used to work as a historical reenactor at Mount Vernon. This new comedy series is based on the questions her character fielded from tourists to the site. I think it's a unique way to highlight some of the issues such "living history" raises, as… Continue reading Ask A Slave: A Comedy Web Series
Library at Georgia State University Receives $210,000 NEH Grant | University Library Blog
Next year's gig. A new project at GSU collaborating with the library to produce geoferenced maps of urban renewal in ATL. I'll be directing the oral history component. Library at Georgia State University Receives $210,000 NEH Grant | University Library Blog.
Racial ambivalence and the Old/New South of “Show Boat”
The other night I had occasion to re-view James Whale's 1936 film version of the classic American musical "Show Boat." Unlike the much more inferior 1951 MGM film, this version is considered highly faithful to the original Broadway show, first produced in 1927 at the Ziegfield Theater. Based on Edna Ferber's 1926 bestselling novel of… Continue reading Racial ambivalence and the Old/New South of “Show Boat”
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