CONSOLIDATION: Augusta’s Cure or Curse

Augusta’s current politics are defined by a beautiful ideal –that unity makes us better. For the better part of 30 years, elected officials have served in a consolidated government, which has always been presented to us as a good-faith effort to save money and neutralize political dominance.

That ideal doesn’t deal with the realities of Augusta’s politics, which are similar to those throughout the South. Augusta, like other predominantly Black hubs, feel like apartheid states, even when Black people ascend to political office.

Why does white rule remain? Why can’t Black people experience true progressive power? Why does something with the presumed noble intent of consolidation always inconvenience Black folks?

I hear the word “consolidation” within the context of the Garden City and I always know that Black people will suffer in its presence. The Richmond County Board of Education recently voted on a measure to decommission two elementary schools, Terrace Manor and Willis Foreman. In other words, they voted to consolidate the schools, which effectively relocated a number of students.

Parents and students alike have expressed their concerns about the moves, but such hearings were the illusion of choice. The establishment had already made its decision about the schools. It’s frustrating when the concerns of Black folks go unheard, but this is a sad part of our city’s culture.

I can look at relatively recent civil rights moments in Augusta’s history, whether it’s the 1970 Augusta riot, or the desegregation of schools in 1972, or even consolidation itself, and know that the city largely chooses not to resolve its racial tensions.

At that point, consolidation is just forced integration, which is why “white rule” remains. The political faces might be Black, but the political interests and money remain white.

What’s more important than the illusion of unity is the organization of Black power with the intent of making life for the majority better.

As a local podcast eloquently puts it, we are more than the Masters. Augusta represents a beautiful Black legacy in arts and activism that provides solutions in the present through the challenges of the past.

As long as we detach ourselves from that history, consolidation will feel like a concession instead of coming together for a greater good.

Ken Makin is the host of Makin’ A Difference and a freelance writer for ESPN and The Christian Science Monitor, among other outlets. Look him up on Facebook at Makin’ A Difference, and you can also send him an email with your thoughts at makinadifferenceshow@gmail. com.

Historical Marker is tribute to Frank Yerby

On March 16, an historical marker in honor of Augusta-born author Frank Yerby, was dedicated. The marker is located at the corner of 8th and Hall Streets, off Laney-Walker Boulevard in Augusta. The marker reads:

Frank Garvin Yerby

King of the Costume Novel

Born in Augusta on September 5, 1916, author Frank Garvin Yerby graduated from Haines Institute and Paine College, and also attended Fisk University and the University of Chicago. He published poetry, short stories, and 33 novels, 12 of which became best sellers. His early novels depicted White characters in historical events; his later works focused on Black characters. Widely celebrated, he was criticized by some African Americans for not confronting racial injustice more openly in his writings. In rebuttal, Yerby challenged critics to read several of his works, including Speak Now and The Dahomean, which he felt addressed racism. Yerby moved to France in 1951 and then Madrid, Spain, in 1955, where he lived until his death on November 30, 1991. His works have been adapted for motion pictures and translated into 30 languages.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, Haines Alumni Association, and Paine College