Margaret Miller

Each set includes a 6-foot sleeping mat, a sitting mat and a pillow.

Turning Trash Into Treasure

BY MARGARET MILLER

Plastic grocery bags are considered by some to be a nuisance. In many municipalities, they are not recyclable, so they are difficult to dispose.

However, there is a local group of women who use these bags to create sleeping mats for the homeless. They call themselves the Plarning Angels. Plarn means plastic yarn made from plastic bags.

The Plarning Angels were created when Cecile Peters saw a news account of high school students creating mats from plastic bags as an extracurricular activity. In 2019, she gathered some of her friends, who have loving and kind hearts, to work on this project. They taught themselves how to create yarn from the bags and how to crochet mats and pillows. The timeconsuming activity consists of collecting bags, cutting them into strips, creating plarn balls and crocheting the materials into mats and pillows.

It takes around 1,000 bags and one month to complete a set. A set consists of a 6-foot sleeping mat, a sitting mat and a pillow. The sitting mat and pillow are rolled into the larger mat, with straps attached for easy transport.

“We do the preparation process throughout the year to have the finished products ready for the fall season,” Peters said. “The sets are given to organizations during the months of November and December.”

The group has donated sets to the Cherokee County Homeless Veterans and Project U First. According to Peters, the feedback from recipients is always a pleasant shock.

“They seem surprised when they see the finished products and feel the soft texture,” she said. “They are very grateful and appreciative.”

For more information, or to be part of the project, email c2aka@yahoo.com. For simple, step by step directions on converting plastic bags into sleeping mats, visit www.youtube.com.

Margaret Miller has been a resident of Cherokee County for the past decade. Her writing hobby led her to become a columnist for community and daily newspapers.

elebratinC g

BLACK

HISTORY MONTH

Each year, History Cherokee celebrates Black History Month by bringing to light significant people and places of the African American community over the decades. Here are some snapshots from its #BlackHistoryMonth Facebook posts through the years. Special thanks to History Cherokee for providing historical information.

For more details and posts like these, follow @CherokeeCountyHistoryCenter on Facebook, or visit www.historycherokee.org.

Feb. 15 Lecture With Marshall Shepherd

Join History Cherokee with Marshall Shepherd for a compelling lecture and discussion, “The Extreme Weather-Climate Gap: A Discussion at the Intersection of Race, Income, Vulnerability and Resilience.” It’s a great opportunity to learn about contemporary topics during Black History Month. The free event begins at 7 p.m. at the Rock Barn in Canton. Register at https:// historycherokee.org/events.

@DrMarshallShepherd @marsh4fsu

Cynthia Durham

Priscilla Strickland

In 1956, Cynthia Durham and Priscilla Strickland were the first African American students to integrate Cherokee High School. These young women wanted to broaden their educational experience, and after much discussion with their family and the principal of the school, the two decided to attend Cherokee High. In the book, “Cherokee County, Georgia: A History,” the two recalled being treated poorly on their first day.

“I remember us coming in one of the back halls and coming down the hall. It was as if everyone in the school had converged there, and as we walked down the hall, they backed out of the way,” Strickland said.

Although the women recalled difficult times, they both agreed they had no regrets being the first to integrate the school. Teachers Doris Yarborough, Bill Teasley, Sarah Donley and Helen Mauldin were fondly remembered by the two students for their support during that time.

Medical Detachment Mobile 40th

As we tell the stories of Cherokee County’s AfricanAmerican community, we wanted to share this photo from our collection. This is the Medical Detachment Mobile 40th in France during World War II (Black Company, also listed as Truck Company).

Back row, in the middle is Technician Fifth Grade Walter Keith; front row on the right is Cpl. Willie Jones; back row, second from left is Pfc. William Brown; front row, second from right is possibly Raymond A. Foster. Walter Foster, father-in-law of George Emerson, is in the back row on the right.

The 1958 sixth-grade class, first row, from left: Robert Johnson, Patricia Tanner (Tanny), Emma Cantrell, Mary Davis, Johnnie Burgess, Lula Paden, Estell Lay and Delores Foster. Second row: Sammie Holmes, Joe Keith, Sammie Roper, Thomas Holmes, Gussie Pickens, Gene Pitts, James Patrick (Patrict), Wayne Keith and John McMickens.

Ralph J. Bunche School

Around Cherokee County, we know Ralph J. Bunche as the namesake of the Ralph J. Bunche school. Bunche is known for his work as a peace mediator; he became the first Black American to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 1950.

Bunche started as a segregated high school that was integrated in the late 1960s. However, the history of the school dates back nearly a century prior. Hickory Log School is believed to have been started in 1870 on land donated by Amos Keith. The original Hickory Log school later became the Cherokee County Training School, and was then replaced by Ralph J. Bunche.

Gertrude Herbert served as the first principal in 1956, and students from Canton, Waleska and Woodstock attended the school. Students living within 1.5 miles of the school would walk, and students living farther away took a bus. Students participated in fine arts programs on the district, regional and state levels, winning several first- and second-place honors in drama, music, track and basketball.

The school is still in operation today, serving Head Start, pre-K and preschool students.

History Cherokee is a nonprofit organization engaged in the collection, preservation and interpretation of Cherokee County. Through strong community partnerships, relevant educational programming, intentional collecting practices and historic preservation advocacy, we strive to: • Serve as a trusted community resource for Cherokee County history. • Inspire our audience to become empathetic and engaged citizens in their communities. • Cultivate a love of learning and understanding about our shared past. History Cherokee will be opening the much anticipated Cherokee County History Center in 2022. The History Center will engage with Cherokee County’s rich and diverse past through comprehensive and interactive exhibits, as well as serve as a cultural epicenter dedicated to preservation, research and education.