Georgia Magazine - February 2020 - 28

Around GEORGIA

By Amber Lanier Nagle

Strength, struggles, stories
Commemorate Black History Month with a visit to one of Georgia's
many black heritage sites

F

n Albany Civil Rights Institute, Albany
albanycivilrightsinstitute.org, (229) 432-1698
The campus includes a 12,000-square-foot museum, which
tells the story of the civil rights movement in Southwest Georgia,
as well as the old Mount Zion Church building, where some
of the first mass meetings of the Albany movement were held.
Freedom Singers perform hymns, spirituals and other compositions integral to the civil rights movement on the second
Saturday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m.
n APEX Museum, Atlanta
apexmuseum.org, (404) 523-2739
At the APEX (African-American Panoramic Experience)
Museum, visitors learn about Africa, its people, its contributions
and its culture throughout the last 6,000-plus years. The Sweet
Auburn Street of Pride exhibit features a more localized history
of Atlanta's Auburn Avenue, including a replica of Yates and Milton Drug Store, one of the city's first African American-owned
businesses, and the stories of African American pioneers of the
Atlanta area.
n Copeland African American Museum, Valdosta
(229) 219-3281
Located in the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business
Administration on the campus of Valdosta State University, the
Copeland African American Museum showcases a vast collection of items significant to African American history and culture.
"The artifacts were donated by [Associate Professor] Roy
Copeland and his family," says Ashley Braswell, director of de-

28

Georgia Magazine

February 2020

COURTESY COPELAND AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM

rom the arrival of slave ships carrying African captives to
America to the eras of emancipation and Reconstruction
to the 15th Amendment (which granted people of all
races the right to vote) to Jim Crow laws to the civil rights movement, the black experience is a complex and important part of
American history.
Our state offers several museums, historical sites and
educational centers devoted to preserving the stories of struggle
and strength of African Americans. Here are a few of the Peach
State's hallowed places that honor African Americans' journeys,
culture and resilience.

Cheryl Copeland looks on as her husband, Roy Copeland, and their
grandson cut the ribbon to officially open the Copeland African
American Museum at Valdosta State University in November.

velopment. "There are letters, photos and memorabilia, including boxing gloves and shorts signed by Muhammad Ali; a guitar
signed by the great B.B. King; a letter signed by Martin Luther
King Jr.; and a letter dated from 1865 that discusses abolishing
slavery with over 100 signatures."
n The Emery Center, Dalton
emerycenter.org, (706) 277-7633
The center sits at the site of the Emery Street School, a tworoom school founded in 1886 that served black students ages 3
to 17.
"The original school burned in 1909," says Curtis Rivers,
executive director of the center. "In 1924, the [Works Progress Administration] built another school, and black students
attended it until 1965 or 1966, during a trial integration. The
Emery School was closed the following year."
The Emery Center features 11 rooms of artifacts, newspa-
http://www.albanycivilrightsinstitute.org http://www.apexmuseum.org http://www.emerycenter.org
Georgia Magazine - February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - February 2020
