August/September 2024 | maconmagazine.com 39
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With the April 22 unveiling of two historic markers downtown
came a tangible, in-person means of exploring an ugly part of
Macon's past – the enslavement of people of African descent, and
local vestiges of this period in American history.
STORY CLARENCE W. THOMAS, JR. | PHOTOS BY MATT ODOM
A
s a third marker's
placement in the center
city just went up, many are
discovering their capacity
to educate, motivate, and
elevate residents towards healing and
creating a true Beloved Community,
a Martin Luther King Jr.-envisioned
concept of reconciliation, abundance,
and love.
"It's all about doing it the right way,"
said Sherman Kind, digging into the dirt
to level an aluminum pole, which will
soon bear the weight of one of Macon's
new Black heritage markers. "That's
what I thrive on."
America has long glossed over
chattel slavery when it comes to
mentions of history in public spaces.
Macon is striving to lead by example,
and perhaps to do it the right way. To
remember the lives of the enslaved and
to acknowledge the accomplishments of
Black Maconites to our city's fabric, they
are taking action. One such action is the
effort by the Macon200 bicentennial
celebration, aided with a number of
powerful local institutions, to place Black
history markers downtown, highlighting
the true role of the enslavement of
African people to the city's development
and how their resilience has powered
Macon since.
Cast out of bronze with the capacity to
weather the next 500 years and beyond,
Assembly Brothers
install the third
historic marker.
