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Page Six
WG Represented at
Forsyth’s Camp-In
~ By ED TANT
Forsyth County, a scenic and thickly wooded area of North Geor
gia, is widely known for its tourist drawing card-Lake Lanier. A
less widely known county phenomenon is its 56 year old policy of ban
ning Negroes from the county after nightfall.
This legacy began in 1912 when
a Negro raped a white woman
under cover of darkness in For
syth. Because of this, Negroes
in the area were threatened and
harassed by night riders, who had
soon forced all black people to
leave the county. The saying got
around that “niggers better not
let the sun set on their backs in
Forsyth County/'
THREATS
For 56 years, the situation went
along as always -there were few,
if any, Negroes in the county and
no person with extra pigmentation
dared to find out what would hap
pen if he did stay in Forsyth
overnight. Then, on May 4, a
small integrated group attempted
to camp out at Lake Lanier, which
is federal property. During the
night a group of local white men
pulled into the campsite and told
the people that if they did not get
out in fifteen minutes, they would
leave feet first.
The tiny band of campers did
indeed vacate the premises, but
they also formulated a plan of
action for the next weekend -a
mass Negro and white camp-in,
with protection from state and
federal agencies.
RAIN AND REDNECKS
Under the leadership ol Negro
organizer John McCown, the
campaign began to form. Origi
nally about a hundred people
pledged to attend the camp-in,
but many called during the week
to excuse themselves from at
tending. Thus, a group of only
about 75 people, 25 whites and 50
Negroes, actually braved the rain
and rednecks of Forsyth county.
Assembling at Wheat Street
Baptist Church in Atlanta, the
group organized and began the
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journey northward in a caravan
of cars, Volkswagen buses, and
even a red pickup truck. The
campers, including three West
Georgia students, Ed Tant, Rob
ert Cheatham, and Mike Dell ar
rived at the campsite during the
early afternoon.
TV EYE
Before setting up camp, the
woodsmen congregated together
under the trees and watched by
the eye of a television news cam
era, heard McCown caution them
that the demonstration was to be
non-violent and that anyone leav
ing the campsite for any reason
should go with a group in order
to avoid abduction by local white
supremacists.
After this lecture, the business
of setting up a tent city was be
gun. To appeal to those who ques
tion the Americanism of civil
rights activists, Old Glory was
raised and McCown claimed For
syth County for the United States.
Needless to say, the television
crew had a field day filming this
ceremony.
Once the tents were finally in
place, the novice nature-lovers
were served a dinner composed
of chicken donated by an Atlanta
Chinese restaurant. Mealtime
conversation centered around the
possibilities of a nocturnal raid
by county sheet wearers, but af
ter supper card games, boat
rides, and volleyball contests
helped relieve the anxiety.
SCREEN DEBUT
As dark came, one of the camp
ers unveiled a battery-powered
television so that the narcissis
tic group could watch their screen
debut on the evening news. The
WSB-TV commentator did noth
ing to boost the group’s morale
when he said that “an integrated
group of campers are laying their
lives on the line tonight at Lake
Lanier.”
Later in the night a campfire
was built and a hirsute young
man from the University of Geor
gia entertained the salt and pep
per gathering with his versatility
on the guitar and harmonica.
Among the song titles featured
at the songfest were such all-time
civil rights favorites as “We
Shall Overcome,” “Blowing in
the Wind,’* “Amen,” and “The
Jjfe dmivtanai Company
of CUabama
-'-fM
“The Perfect Plan
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Presented by
ENOCH J. KEY .
General Agent M
m
The Life Underwriter m JM
Training Council Jl
tWest Georgia’s only local
Full Time College
Underwriter Representative
Phone 258-2637
THE WEST GEORGIAN
sk
-Is
Colins Johnson chats with Celestine Sibley at the informal
tea given in Miss Sibley’s honor Thursday at the WGC Student
Center.
Summertime Jobs Hold Variety
For Aggressive Money-Lovers
Summer 1968 holds very exciting jobs for many West Georgia stu
dents. Others will work, but will have no particular interest in the
job except for the paycheck. THE WEST GEORGIAN decided to find
out just what students had planned for the long, hot summer.
Cathy Biron plans to work for
Head Start and teach horseback
riding too in Rome, Ga. Eleanor
Montgomery will work for the
Floyd County Board of Education.
Brenda Whitley will teach at a
summer school for elementary
children in Washington, Ga.
LIFEGUARDS, TOO
Marlene Ratledge will lifeguard
at Misty Waters Country Club in
Atlanta. Mike Durden will also be
a lifeguard as well as teacher of
Times They are A Changing.”
GUARD DUTY
Paranoia about unwarranted
nighttime visitors was rampant
as the evening progressed, so a
complicated system of guard duty
was set up by a former Marine
turned Episcopal priest. Guards
reported spotting cars full of in
quisitive locals all during the
night, but publicity, police pro
tection, and an almost constant
driving rainstorm prevented any
violence.
The night went by without any
incident, except for a few cases
of indigestion and a few inches of
water in most of the tents. Guards
became so bored with their un
eventful duties that many of them
jokingly wished for a visit from
the Klan to break the monotony.
Luckily, their wishes weren’t
granted and the morning sunrise
symbolized the dawn of anew age
for the county and the end of over
a half a century of irrationality.
diving in Atlanta. Lynn Purdom
will work as a lifeguard at the
Perry Country Club in Perry,
Georgia.
Angie Spears and Marianna Pa
tillo will be employed at West
Point Manufacturing Company in
West Point, Ga.
Richard Haliburton will be an
engineer on the choo-choo train
at Six Flags Over Georgia. Also
working there will be Harold
Drennon and Lamar Parker.
ATLANTA
George Edwards will do social
work in Atlanta. Kathy Tanner
will work for detectives with
shoplifters in a leading down
town department store. Ed Col
lier will be working for the Gov
ernor’s Intern Program. Sandy
Zimmerman will be a secretary
at G.E.X.
Etta Avant will be in a lab at
Washington County Hospital.
Elaine Shaw will work at an ivy
league store in Eatonton, Ga.
Betty Jean Barrett plans to help
out at the Bank of Duluth but Sha
ron Nelms has a most exciting
job there. She is going to clean
out chicken pens for Vantress
Farms, Inc. in “Du-looth.”
Alfie McMillan will be flying
around this summer as a stew
ardess for Trans World Airlines.
Ed Tant is going to be a garbage-
832-8208
BURGER
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May 17, 1968
Sibley Talks
On Book
Celestine Sibley, columnist for
the Atlanta Constitution, visited
West Georgia College on May 9
of Fine Arts Week to give a book
report of her latest book “A
Place Called Sweet Apple.”
Dr. Robert Coe, sponsor of the
Fine Arts Department invited
Mrs. Sibley in accordance with
the Fine and arty idea to bring
Georgia authors to West Georgia
in a series. Celestine Sibley, who
is really Mrs. James W. Little,
Sr., has written several books
and lectured on her latest re
lease, “A Place Called Sweet Ap
ple.” This book was recently lo
cated, by the way, in the window
of our campus bookstore.
The story tells of a little log
cabin, its remodeling for living
conditions, its happy owner, and
her yummy recipes. It is written
well with much humor and in
spiration combined, If you enjoy
Celestine Sibley’s columns in the
Constitution as most people do,
you will be more than happy to
read ‘Sweet Apple.’
Mrs. Sibley, a native of Polly,
Fla., attended Springhill College
in Mobile, Ala. She married a fel
low reporter who is now de
ceased. She writes all sorts of
articles ranging from politics to
murders. She is famous for her
story of a child asking the bless
ing in a coffee shop, for which she
was awarded the Bronze Medal-,
lion. She also received the Chris
topher Award of two thousand dol
lars. She writes often with con
tribution to human welfare. Some
of her well known books are
“Peachtree Street,” “U.S.A.”
“A Georgia Christmas,” and
“Dear Store.” (Rich’s Atlanta).
She commented that the idea of
bringing authors to West Georgia
College might stimulate reading
and writing. She hopes so. When
asked her thoughts of the cam
pus, she said, “I remember West
Georgia as a small*country’col
lege and I am very surprised at
its growth and changes.”
man. Lee Howell plans to be a
Youth Director for a church in
Sandersville, Ga.
OUT OF STATE
Jim Kirk will be selling Bibles
in North Carolina. Davis Ross
will work at a camp in New York.
Scott Mcßae and Phil Hardy are
going to drive out to Wyoming
(Continued on page 8)