Journal Entry 1 part 3

 

  

    Earlier today, as I was brainstorming my next blog post idea, my original object, this picture kept coming to mind. You see, in my original post I failed to discuss two very crucial aspects of this photo that make it mean so much to me. Those factors being the photos location and the people that make up the event. 

Forsyth county Georgia is a place that on the surface is a typical suburb of the north Atlanta area, but beneath the new growth and shiny surface lies a bloody past. Racial violence and segregation were common place in Forsyth county well into the 1980s. A story that is told in great detail by one of Forsyths sons in this New York Times acclaimed novel.  

 Growing up in Forsyth, this is a story I was not even aware of until my 8th grade year, when my teacher showed this video of the Oprah Winfrey show that contained interviews and stories from forsyth during that time. At first I was embarrassed that it had taken me so long to hear about such a terrible yet pressing part of my communities past, but as I grow I come to appreciate the delay. I now see it as a sign of progress and a community, whose leaders were young adults at the time, are leading the community forward into an inclusive future. Progress, growth and inclusivity are exactly what the header photo communicates to me. A stadium full of such a diverse group of people, gathered to watch a football team made of students from all places would have been an image of dystopia just 3 decades ago. Now, it is a realty in Forsyth as progress, partnered with proximity to Atlanta (30 minutes via GA400 south) has allowed the community to enjoy the highest GDPs in the state (The Albany Herald).

 The location simply appears as a football stadium but to me, and those in the stands it is much more than that. Forsyth Central High School was established in 1955 and with age, came a front row seat to the transformation of Forsyth county. Once, those who walked the halls and filled the stadium lived in a 'racially cleansed' area and actively took steps to keep the community a white mans town. Now those same halls and stadium are filled with thousands of students that are diverse in every way possible. And their collective gathering each fall friday night is, to us that are native to Forsyth a symbol of our communities commitment to each other, to mutual prosperity and goals. 

Those middle aged parents cheering their kids on have a unique perspective. Those who are native to the area have likely experienced what I am prone to call the 'Old Forsyth' in person. However for the kids on the field, who look up into the stands and see every color, race and religion imaginable all sitting together cheering them on, the stories are a lesson, not a reality. 

I hope this post helps to further contextualize my first object, as we know things are deeper than they appear. A simple photo can become a testament to bold and rapid transformation and growth if we just dig into the context, agency and time of the photo.



    

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