“Typically historical past might be onerous to swallow, however what higher strategy to swallow it than with a pleasant chilly beer,” Historic Athens Welcome Heart worker Chigozie Amaeze mentioned.
On Friday and Saturday, friends got here to the Church-Waddel-Brumby Home Museum, the house of the welcome middle, for the primary installment of a collection known as “Historical past on Faucet.” The occasion included a presentation on pre-Civil Struggle tales of Black Athenians and complimentary beer offered by Terrapin Beer Co., the occasion sponsor.
Two interns had been behind a lot of the analysis offered on the occasion: Nadia Coleman, a senior majoring in political science and sociology, and Sydney Phillips, a senior majoring in political science and public relations. Each labored for months to assemble info on Black Athenian historical past.
Coleman, the occasion speaker, mentioned the fact of life for Black Athenians primarily based on knowledge from earlier than the 1860s. A lot of the historical past was offered within the context of what restricted and biased info is out there to historians.
“General, I feel the objective [of the event] is to broaden the viewers of the welcome middle,” Coleman mentioned. “I personally did not desire a Black particular person to stroll within the residence and solely see issues about how Black individuals have been enslaved. I would like a bit bit extra details about precise Black lives throughout the time interval.”
Info additionally centered across the location of the welcome middle: the historic Church-Waddel-Brumby Home on East Dougherty Road.
The home was owned at totally different instances by Alonzo Church, Moses Waddel and Captain John W. Brumby, three distinguished Athenians who owned slaves. The welcome middle collected info on these enslaved individuals and the experiences they’d.
“We needed to verify we humanized the lives of Black Athenians in [the] time interval,” Amaeze mentioned. “Every time we discuss enslaved individuals, it’s normally by way of the eyes of white historical past, of what white individuals understand of Black individuals.”
The “Historical past on Faucet” occasion, in distinction, centered on recognizing the tales of and highlighting the humanity of enslaved individuals.
Jack Johanson, a senior majoring in enterprise administration and minoring in historical past, attended the occasion Saturday.
“If studying extra about Athens historical past is one thing that you just’re interested by, I feel this can be a nice strategy to get began. And it additionally launched me to the constructing and the complete welcome middle,” Johanson mentioned.
Whereas future dates haven’t been set, the Historic Athens Welcome Heart hopes to proceed the Historical past on Faucet collection sooner or later and introduce extra elements of Athens historical past to the group.
