The Past Meets The Present

The Gwinnett History Museum at the Lawrenceville Female Seminary held a special program to celebrate black history month Saturday. The theme of the event, “The Past Meets the Present”, featured presentations by local African-American authors. There were only a handful of people in attendance, a fact noted by Jennifer Cheeks-Collins, program supervisor for the Gwinnett History Museum under the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center. She started the event with an apology that more people weren't willing to come out. “We have a rich heritage here in the county and we need people to know about the heritage and we need people to come out and support it.”

Cheeks-Collins organized the event, but she could have just as well sat on the panel.  She authored "Gwinnet County, Georgia (Black America Series)", about African Americans in the county during and after slavery. She also co-wrote a book about Walton County African Americans. “They are pictorial histories of just everyday people doing everyday things," she says. "These are the real heroes, these are the people that built the U.S. Slaves built this country."

Veronica Jackson warmed up the audience with a popular negro spiritual, “He’s got the whole world in his hands”. Then, one by one, the authors made their presentations. First up, Lynn Camp, who co-authored the  "Walton County, Georgia (Black America Series)" with Cheeks-Collins. Camp noted Walton County is most recognized as the site of America's last mass-lynching in 1946. It's that tragedy that sparked changes  that have contributed to the nation's Civil Rights movement. Camp says it's important for black Americans to embrace their history. “Our history is largely a painful history," said Camp. "It is difficult a lot of times to talk about the pain... but it’s like having surgery. You have to hurt before you heal."

Alice Garner-Cheeks recited a lively version of “The Creation," a poem by James Weldon Johnson. Afterwards, Benjamin C. Ridgeway walked the audience through the history of  "Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church"-- the oldest historically black church in Georgia. Martin Luther King Jr. served as co-pastor.  Ridgeway has been a member of Ebenezer for more than 30 years, and collected the images in the book mostly from the church archives.

The highlight of the program was an Underground Railroad Secret Quilt Code Traveling Exhibit. Slaves would write messages to each other in symbols through quilts. Teresa Kemp, guest curator of the exhibit, glossed through her rich history. Most of the exhibit's more than 50 American plantation, African artifacts and textiles were passed down through her family. The items included  a Nigerian woven rice basket and wooden masks.

Cynthia Powell Morgan, looking to learn more about the county's history,  brought her daughter Paige to the event. “I never knew anything in Gwinnett County about African American history, so I jumped at the chance.” Cheeks-Collins says  she wants to get the message out that it's not just about black history, saying "We need to celebrate all races of history. Embrace your heritage, whatever it may be."