On Wednesday, March 16 we met up with our friends at The Americus Sumter County Movement Remembered Committee (ASCMRC) for the groundbreaking of an incredibly exciting and important project. It rained hard in the hours leading up to the event, but as people began to assemble at The Historic Americus Colored Hospital the clouds parted. By the time councilwoman Juanita Wilson stepped up to the podium the sun had broken out and was shining brightly on the over 150 people in attendance.
This project has been a labor of love for the members of the ASCMRC for years. The Committee originally came together in 2007 to ensure that the history the civil rights movement in Americus was not forgotten. For a small town, the movement here has had a large and lasting impact on the struggle. From the ruthless beating of the well-known activist Hosea Williams in the forties at the local bus station, to the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr’s jailing in 1961, to the “stolen girls” who bravely attempted to integrate the local movie theater in 1963– Americus has long been an important place in the struggle for equality and justice for black Americans. With all of that history fading into the past, many participants in the movement of the sixties decided that they would work to make sure the struggle in Americus would not be forgotten.
To that end they eventually set their sights on the Historic Americus Colored Hospital as a physical place to enshrine the important history of the movement in the city. The hospital was originally opened in 1923 and quickly became an important clinic for the training of black doctors from all over the United States. Aspiring medical professionals from the most prestigious black colleges came to Americus to gain knowledge and experience. For years they treated members of the African-American community giving them access to quality health care. Finally, in 1953 the hospital was closed when the local white hospital constructed a wing for black patients. Afterwards the building served the community in many important ways hosting a day care and a literacy center. In the early sixties the building became a place for the organizing of the civil rights movement in Americus giving activists and community members a place to gather, talk, and plan.
Over the years the building had a large role in the black community, but had been empty for years before the ASCMRC began their campaign to renovate it. Their vision takes all of the building’s important history into consideration and that past is present in its future. Moving forward, the building will be a museum that commemorates the civil rights movement in Americus to preserve that history and make sure future generations understand the passion and sacrifice that those involved dedicated to the cause. But it will not only be a museum, it will also be a cultural center with a gallery for aspiring artists, a meeting space for the community, as well as a clinic for under-served people in the community. The blueprint also features an amphitheater and community garden on the grounds. The plans are an ambitious attempt to honor the entire legacy of the Hospital building giving all of its former uses new life.
The vision will take time and effort to bring the project to fruition, but if the attendance of the event is any indicator, it has a high chance of success. The crowd featured a diversity that many of the committee members said that they had rarely seen in Americus. Attendees included representatives from Senators Warnock and Ossoff as well as from Congressman Sanford Bishop’s office among others. Just as impressive, citizens of Americus came out in large numbers to celebrate and listen to speakers in including Mayor Lee Kinnamon, councilwoman and ASCMRC member Juanita Wilson, architect Stanley Jennings, and ASCMRC member and veteran organizer Sam Mahone, just to name a few.
The groundbreaking was not a victory lap, it was actually a kick-off. The project has been supported by grants from The National Park Service as well as from other funders, but it still has a long way to go. The Committee is seeking additional support and will be looking for people to help in different ways in the near future. If you are a Sumter County resident, or simply someone who wants to be involved in this remarkable project, please see the ASCMRC website and look out for opportunities to donate and to plug in. You can also buy their Historic Grounds coffee from Café Campesino and a potion of your purchase will support the project. This initiative has the potential to bring people from different backgrounds together to build an important bridge between communities in Americus and beyond. Get involved!
