Hattie Thomas Whitehead, Linnentown first descendant and Athens Justice and Memory Project Co-Chair, speaks at the Linnentown Lane renaming event on Sept. 21. Whitehead and the Athens Justice and Memory Project encountered obstacles in the process of getting the street renamed, but ultimately achieved their initiative. “You can do things. There are obstacles gonna be always in front of you in life. You got to learn how to get around them, or under them, or over them or move them. Push whatever way you can when you get to these obstacles. Don’t let no be no: ‘Oh, you’re telling me no? Really? Well, let me find another way,’” Whitehead said. Photo by Aza Khan
On Sept. 21, an event was held to commemorate the naming of Linnentown Lane.
When University of Georgia students visit the high-rise dormitories off Baxter Street, many don’t realize that in their place 60 years ago stood a tight-knit, steady Black community: Linnentown.
However, after an Aug. 1 change approved by the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government Mayor and Commission, a portion of the former South Finley Street, a street between Cloverhurst and Baxter Streets, will be renamed Linnentown Lane.
“This street is dedicated to the people of Linnentown. This street is dedicated to all of the families who worked hard, all of the families who raised their kids in this place, all the families who gathered together from house to house, making great memories,” Cynthia Jackson, Linnentown second descendant, said in a speech at the renaming event. “This street is dedicated to perseverance, it’s dedicated to endurance, it’s dedicated to all of those who continue to work hard to continue the story, who continue to raise voices of underserved people.”
The renaming is part of a larger resolution put forward by the Athens Justice and Memory Project over two years ago, which aims to provide acknowledgement and reparations for Linnentown residents. The organization has already accomplished several of its initiatives, such as receiving a formal apology from Mayor Kelly Girtz in Feb. 2021— the renaming of Linnentown Lane marks its third and latest.
“It started with the resolution, but then we voted to work with the (Athens Justice and Memory Project) on some affordable housing components. We also were looking for other ways to recognize and honor the folks of Linnentown through some type of marker or mural or mosaic. Then, the idea came up to also rename the street,” Mike Hamby, the ACC District 10 Commissioner and Athens Justice and Memory Project member, said.
Clarke Central High School students witness the Linnentown Lane renaming event between Cloverhurst and Baxter Streets on Sept. 21. The ACCGov Inclusion Office and the Athens Justice and Memory Project hosted the event to work with Linnentown residents and community stakeholders in order to address the disruption of communities due to urban renewal in Athens-Clarke County. “I (have to) admit I haven’t really covered things like this event. When I moved to Athens, I had no idea what Linnentown was before, but when I found out about this I wanted to be more involved in what was happening,” CCHS senior Emmett Greenberg said. “(This event) creates a better awareness for these (issues) that will help to ensure that people are not ignorant like I was before I moved here.” Photo gallery by Aza Khan
The Athens Justice and Memory Project brought the initiative to the ACC District commission, where it received unanimous approval. Hamby felt that this decision gave him the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the community.
“Being a part of the (Athens Justice and Memory Project), I’ve recognized that we ought to do something,” Hamby said. “It meant a lot (to vote on the renaming). I realized how important it was, not only to Whitehead and other people who were impacted by Linnentown, but also the broader community. Doing things like this, we’re able to tell the community story, both good and bad.”
The actual renaming of the street occurred on Sept. 21 in front of a crowd of community members. ACC Inclusion Officer Remy Epps organized the event, which featured speeches from Linnentown first descendants, ACC District Commissioners and Girtz, followed by musical performances and the unveiling of the new street sign.
“My goal and my hope for this event is for those there to really understand that (the removal of Linnentown) is something that lives on. The impact is not something that is just done and people just forget, but understand that this is a long-standing impact that we’re feeling,” Epps said. “The hopes are that individuals there will really understand the importance of it and actually understand what could have been.”
Clarke Central High School students attended the event as a walking field trip chaperoned by CCHS English department teacher Jennifer Tesler and College Adviser Gabriel Smallwood. For CCHS senior Emmett Greenberg, seeing the event was memorable.
“I saw it as a chance to see history and change and I feel both are incredibly important because it’s easy to lose a lot of hope these days, it feels like nothing but regression, but I think this is a moment where we can tangibly feel something has changed for the better,” Greenberg said.
“My goal and my hope for this event is for those there to really understand that (the removal of Linnentown) is something that lives on. The impact is not something that is just done and people just forget, but understand that this is a long-standing impact that we’re feeling. The hopes are that individuals there will really understand the importance of it and actually understand what could have been.”
— Remy Epps,
ACC Inclusion Officer
For Whitehead, the fact that the street renaming honors the former residents was emotional as it gave the recognition many never received during their lifetime.
“(The renaming) brought me to tears because of the residents that have gone on and are no longer with us that lived in Linnentown when the urban renewal started,” Whitehead said. “That means a lot to the descendants, but that also means a lot to the community for the community to see this and say, ‘Okay, we care and we support this.’ It’s a great honor to be supported by the community in which you live.”
Whitehead believes that the renaming will also raise awareness about the history of Athens. Linnentown was never explicitly named in city records, instead referred to as “the slum off Baxter Street,” but now with the renaming, it will be both officially recorded and more visible to Athens community members.
“(The Linnentown) community paid a price for being erased. It paid an awful price, a hurtful price,” Whitehead said. “We want (community members) to know and acknowledge that this was a Black community, a striving, striving Black community, before it was erased.”
Hamby felt that the street renaming was a sign of progress.
“Putting it on a road signifies something, putting it on a street sign signifies something, just because there was once a road we took that we don’t want to take any more,” Hamby said. “This is a road to making sure that people are treated fairly and that what happened doesn’t happen again and making sure as we progress that we are mindful of who we may impact.”
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz unveils a Linnentown Lane street sign at the renaming event on Sept. 21. The street renaming sought to honor the former Athens community of Linnentown. “Something that ought to be offered to us as part of our human existence is a sense of dignity, in every day and every moment,” Girtz said. “The dignity that Linnentown residents brought to this land as they tilled the soil, as they raised their children, as they played ball in the unpaved streets, as they laughed and loved and cared for one another and had a home, the place where we should all be able to go at night and feel safe and secure— it was that dignity in having a home that was stripped of them here 60 years ago. And today, what I hope we can offer is to return the dignity for Linnentown residents and their descendants.” Video by Brandon Frazier
Whitehead believes the renaming and its subsequent impacts on the Athens community would not have been possible without involvement from that same community throughout the process.
“I think (the renaming) tells the story of our community,” Whitehead said. “We are working together to get things done and to move forward here in Athens, to include all the history in Athens. So I think it speaks volumes to people on the outside that are looking in, as well as the city.”
With this initiative accomplished, the Athens Justice and Memory Project are turning to several new projects, among them, a history center and a musical about Linnentown that will be released in April 2024.
“We’re moving forward with a Black History Center here in Athens, that will be on the Classic Center campus. The (Classic Center Board) allowed us to put a space for a Black History Center on their campus so that will probably be available for us to start working on in 2024,” Whitehead said.
CCHS senior Amya Hopkins, who attended the renaming event, feels that these changes are meaningful and it’s important for students to be informed about them.
“Seeing someone, especially a woman of color, making these big changes and having a seat at the table to make changes (and) not backing down when she’s told no, being persistent, inspired me to anything that I’m passionate about,” Hopkins said. “We’re the next wave of changemakers after we finish school, so it’s really important to talk to the potential change makers. (This is) a domino effect of positive changes to make society better because it’s not perfect.”
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