Filmmaker to hold open discussion at Albany Civil Rights Institute
ALBANY, Ga. – As part of Black History Month, Filmmaker, Clennon King will be holding a lecture here at the Albany Civil Rights Institute to talk about slave labor in Dougherty county in the 19th century, and start a discussion.
We met with King to talk about the significance of this discussion outside of the Dougherty County Judicial Building…
A location that he tells us played a major role in the selling of slaves in the 1850s.
“That happened right here. That didn’t happen somewhere else. It didn’t happen in New York or Philadelphia. It happened in Dougherty county. And, our children need to know their history, they need to know their story. They need to know where they come from. And, that’s in large part what this lecture is all about. To sort of inform people of that,” said Clennon King, Filmmaker.
The presentation will also talk about how Albany became “The blackest major city in Georgia”
King told us that the goal of the lecture is not to segregate, but to open a dialogue throughout the county and community.
“…Nothing but the truth, so help us God. All of it, 360 degrees around. That’s what we need to do and that’s what I’m insisting upon. This ain’t about some folk, it just isn’t. It’s about what happened,” said King.
King says that he would ultimately like to see the slaves who were sold in front of the courthouse be honored with a plaque similar to the ones already in place with the proper history.
“You’ve got people who are with the American Legion, you’ve got people who are police who are honored here, you’ve got Nelson Tift whose honored here. But, the people who built this community, who built this region in large part. And, in fact, this country, free-of-charge, were enslaved Africans, and they need to be celebrated here,” said King.
King says he wants the whole truth to be told in this discussion and hopes that local leaders will be willing to continue the dialogue and honor the slaves who were the backbone of southwest Georgia.
The lecture will take place next Tuesday, February 20th at 6 pm at the Albany Civil Rights Institute and will be open to the public.
Brian Roche reporting.
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