• 8:50am

    Attendees Assemble in Lobby of Marriott Courtyard

  • 9:00am

    Walking Tour of Downtown Thomasville

    Nancy Tinker of Thomasville Landmarks will offer a walking tour of the downtown (Broad Street) and the former African American business district on Jackson Street highlighting sites of memory that have been established (plaques marking the site of former businesses) and those that are absent (no memorial to the site of the 1930 lynching). Prior to lunch we will visit City Hall for a brief presentation by Bonnie Hayes and Sherri Cain of the Office of Downtown and Tourism Development, City of Thomasville. They will discuss the city’s efforts to commemorate the history of The Bottoms and create greater public awareness among the community and visitors.

  • 10:30am

    Tour Concludes at the Courtyard Marriott

  • 10:30am

    Break

  • 11:30am

    Attendees walk to the Plaza Restaurant

    Attendees will be encouraged to have lunch at the Plaza Restaurant and Oyster Bar, the oldest restaurant in the State of Georgia, located downtown at 217 North Broad. Although ownership has changed several times, this eatery has been in continuous operation since 1916. During lunch, Gregory Mixon and Kurt Piehler will discuss the day’s reading in regard to racial violence.

  • 1:00pm

    Bus Departs from The Plaza Restaurant

  • 1:10pm

    Arrival at Flipper Cemetery

    800 West Madison Street, Thomasville

  • 1:15pm

    Visit the grave of Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper

    Kurt Piehler offers a brief discussion of the role of cemeteries to not only mourn the dead, but also as sites of historical memory.

  • 1:30pm

    Bus departs from Flipper Cemetery

  • 1:40pm

    The bus will make stops at two prominent Black churches in Thomasville on their way to First Missionary.

    The attendees will be accompanied by Nancy Tinker of Thomasville Landmarks, who will speak briefly about each church.

  • 1:45pm

    Arrival at Good Shepard Episcopal Church

    515 Oak Street, Thomasville

  • 2:00pm

    Bus departs from Good Shepard Church

  • 2:10pm

    Arrival at Bethany Congregational Church

    1122 Lester Street, Thomasville

  • 2:30pm

    Bus departs for First Missionary Baptist Church

  • 2:45pm

    Arrival at First Missionary Baptist Church,

    110 W. Calhoun Street, Thomasville

  • 3:00pm

    Tour of First Missionary Baptist Church with Reverend Jeremy Rich

  • 3:30pm

    Visiting Scholar: Dr. Maxine Jones of Florida State University

    Dr. Jones will examine the vital role of Black churches in the life of the African American community. The church served as one of the few institutions in which African Americans could exercise a high degree of autonomy over their own affairs during the Jim Crow era. Church governance afforded an opportunity to empower men and women marginalized in mainstream politics. Dr. Jones will explore the significant role of Black churches in promoting educational opportunities by highlighting the role the black church in Thomasville played in the founding of the Allen Normal and Industrial School that operatedin Thomasville from 1885 to 1933. Her talk will also consider the early career of the civil rights leader Andrew Young, who served as pastor of the Bethany Congregation Church in Thomasville in the 1950s.

  • 5:00pm

    Bus departs for Courtyard Marriott via bus

  • 5:10pm

    Arrival at Courtyard Marriott

    Workshop Concludes For the Day