Join us for another FREE Historic Athens History Hour at the Lyndon House Arts Center, hosted by Denise Sunta.
This month’s History Hour will center around Athens’ Day of Jubilee, which celebrates the freedom of an estimated 5,000 enslaved people in Athens on May 4, 1865! Listen to panelists Fred Smith, Sr., Homer Wilson, and Broderick Flanigan to discuss the history behind the Day of Jubilee and how it continues to impact communities around Athens today.
About Panelists:
Fred Smith, Sr., a former Georgia Department of Labor official, is deeply engaged in the Athens community. He served as the president of the local NAACP chapter, co-founded the Athens Area Black History Bowl, and currently contributes as a member of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Additionally, he holds a board member position with the Athens Historical Society and is the executive director of the East Athens Development Corporation, which works to empower communities in East Athens by providing various services to its residents.
Homer Wilson is the owner of Wilson's Styling Shop, a family barber shop that he used to help his father with. In 2000, Wilson and his father helped found the Hot Corner Association with the goal of sharing the history and achievements of the Hot Corner business district.
Broderick Flanigan is a local painter and muralist, who focuses on Black figurative works. Broderick is also deeply involved in the local community, having founded the outreach initiative HARPS (Helping Art Reach Public Spaces) in 2015 with the intention of introducing youth to the art-making process. Flanigan is also the current executive director of the Economic Justice Coalition, a local non-profit which aims to educate, advocate, and organize for quality jobs with living wages and benefits to build worker power for BIPOC communities in Northeast Georgia.
