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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 Cole's Jewelers CorroKton, Go. DIAMONDS ★ WATCHES ★ Ladies 1 & Men's JEWELRY ★ CHINA ★ ★ CRYSTAL ★ EASY CREDIT TERMS Expert Watch & Jewelry Repair 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 College Man” J,3\ w 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 Home of Good Food & Quick Service TLdw (frsdivsMnq TRimmum 2 (DoUcui Omjlam at 7b Chahqa. Maple St. Carrollton 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)