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Home » Tom Whitsett Park Black History Memorial

Tom Whitsett Park Black History Memorial

February 1, 2022Ashburn
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Sami Mastrario; Turner County Project, “Tom Whitsett Park Black History Memorial Mural,” Turner County Project Digital Archive Repository, accessed January 31, 2022, http://turnercountyproject.com/archive/items/show/248.

Location: Tom Whitsett Park in Ashburn, GA
Date: February 20, 2021

Photographs of the Tom Whitsett Park Black History Memorial Mural that was created in 2013:

“I am where I am because of the bridges that I crossed. – Oprah Winfrey”
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for[.] We are the change that we seek[.] -Barack Obama

Features:
Rosa Parks (1913-2005) – National Leader for Civil Rights.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) – National Leader for Civil Rights.
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) – National Leader for Education.
Ronalda Pierce (1985-2004) – Honoree for Sports achievement in basketball.
Irma Mackey – First female president of the Ashburn NAACP.
Juretha McMillan – Wife of memorial honoree and leader in community service.
Naomi Hayes – Wife of memorial honoree and leader in education.
Lois Evelyn Dye (1934-2020) – Wife of memorial honoree and leader in education and community.
Hattie King (1918-2012) – Wife of memorial honoree and leader in education.
Mary Lee Green – First black superior court clerk.
Tommy Horne – First black county commissioner.
Joe Burgess – First black county commissioner.
Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) – National Leader for Abolitionists Movement.
Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) – National Leader for Civil Rights.
Malcolm X (1925-1965) – National Leader for Civil Rights
Henry Aplin (1925-2002) – First black mayor for the city of Rebecca.
Hodge King (1914-1999) – Memorial honoree in community and education.
John Dye – First black volunteer firefighter.
Hollis Hayes (1922-1989) – The first black city councilman and mayor pro tem.
Dr. Corley McMillan (1942-2002) – Memorial honoree in education.

That project was lead by James Burgess as a city councilman. Many donated or were involved.

The artists who actually painted were:
James Burgess
Shaleika Black
Sable McWilliams

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Tagged With: Dr. Corley McMillan (1942-2002), Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), Hattie King (1918-2012), Henry Aplin (1925-2002), Hodge King (1914-1999), Hollis Hayes (1922-1989), Irma Mackey, James Burgess, Joe Burgess, John Dye, Juretha McMillan, Lois Evelyn Dye (1934-2020), Malcolm X (1925-1965), Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), Mary Lee Green, Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), Naomi Hayes, Oprah Winfrey, Ronalda Pierce (1985-2004), Rosa Parks (1913-2005), Sable McWilliams, Shaleika Black

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Comments

  1. Juretha Smith McMillan

    August 31, 2022 at 7:54 pm

    Thinks for all the information.

    Reply
    • tcproject

      August 31, 2022 at 8:13 pm

      The Turner County Project would love to sit down and interview you, Mrs. Juretha! If you are interested, please let me know. Contact@turnercountyproject.com

      Reply

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