14 maconmagazine.com | April/May 2025
30 Arts Alliance at 40
A simple idea for a community
calendar turns into 40 years of
promoting artists
36 A doctor under
the dome
Freshman lawmaker and
Maconite Anissa Jones takes on
state politics
40 Embracing
"illegitimate"
mothering
Moments of joy, trauma, isolation,
comaraderie, and oversharing in
the lens of a pandemic-era single
mother
51 Heroes among us:
Sarah Schanck
A pioneer breaking new ground
on One Safe Place, a family
justice center
48 Demons on wheels
The Derby Demons jam, pivot,
block, and defy expectations
52 Looking to the
future: Valerie
Montgomery Rice
Taking lessons from her Macon
upbringing as a leader of a
historically Black medical school
60 Rebuilding hope
Macon's response to the housing
crisis and the fight for affordable
living
66 "We're still here"
RaeLynn Butler is at the forefront
of the fight to protect, preserve,
and steward Muscogee traditions
90 Legendary servant
Dr. Thelma Dillard retired this
year as a celebrated leader—
but credits her trailblazing to a
pioneer of her own: her mother,
Hester Bivins.
Contents | APRILMAY 2025
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