Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1512887
108 maconmagazine.com | DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024 Excellence in Education, Since 1903 St. Peter Claver Catholic School 133 Ward Street, Macon 478.743.3985 spccatholicschool.org (Creek) people during forced removal from Georgia's Ocmulgee River to Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The iconic Indigo Girls performed at The Grand Opera House to benefit the local nonprofit Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative. Reflecting on history in the spirit of reconciliation As the commission celebrated Macon's diverse, vibrant history of today, they did not fail to note the city's past through educational and reflective activities Wesleyan College was a key partner as they hosted monthly bicentennial history lectures on topics like neighborhood identities, race and culture, and the city's mayors. A subcommittee comprised of commission members and Wesleyan's Equity Center has begun fabricating cast iron historic markers that will convey the city's Black history to visitors and locals alike as they explore downtown. And plans are in the works for a bicentennial book to document Macon's second century, to be published by Beers and Associates' Ron Beers. One major aspect of Macon's centennial celebration in 1923 was the publication of a book of history documenting Macon's first hundred years. That book, along with the centennial celebration events of the day, omitted almost any mention of people of color and engaged in inaccurate and offensive portrayals. Mindful of not repeating history, the current commission has tried to center BIPOC perspectives and represent all Maconites' stories in their events and displays. Bringing the future Bicentennial Park to life A portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to the bicentennial's signature initiative. That initiative is a new park. The committee hopes to donate a million dollars to Bicentennial Park's creation, which will be located in East Macon in the Mill Hill neighborhood, across the street from the Coliseum, and next to a proposed major development off of I-16 at the location of the old Bibb Mill. This location has triple significance. It is near Fort Hawkins, the birthplace of the events that led to Macon's incorporation by white settlers in 1823 (though the territory we now call Macon had been continuously inhabited by Muscogee peoples, who were forcibly displaced). East Macon now serves as a historically Black neighborhood, and the area backs up to a gateway to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park, which Central Georgians hope will soon be Artist Bobby C. Martin (Muscogee) next to his artwork, featured in the Fire Starters Festival. Photo by Jessica Whitley.