GREENSBORO, Georgia (AP) – After more than 20 years of planning, Mamie Hillman fulfilled a lifelong passion and opened an African American museum in Greene County.
The opening day of the Greene County African American Museum in Greensboro, October 16, was a joyous occasion for everyone in attendance. But for Hillman, it was the first step in capturing the long-overlooked history of Greene County’s black leaders.
“It all goes back to growing up in White Plains as a kid,” said Hillman, the museum’s executive director. “I always wanted to know – how did I get into history?”
Growing up in a segregated school environment, resources were very limited and only the white community had access to a public library. But teachers at their school were working to make sure students saw that black leaders were making a difference, Hillman said.
“I just wanted to feel like I was part of my community,” she said. “As I got older, grew up, and had a family, I started doing research.”
Her curiosity led her to read Jonathan Bryant’s How Curious a Land, which details the history of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Greene County. The book introduced her to Abram Colby, one of the first blacks to serve as the Georgia state senator after emancipation.
“I found myself in this book through Abram Colby’s life,” she said, adding that his story was encouraging.
Similar stories could help empower the youth, Hillman said.
Her family first came up with the idea for a museum because, in their opinion, there was a lack of culture-oriented activities in the community.
“You have to go to Atlanta for anything, be it music or shows,” said Hillman. “If we had a building, we could do it ourselves.”
Now she hopes the Greensboro museum can serve as a resource for those interested in learning more about black history and commemorating forgotten Greene County’s black leaders.
“Even if we live in 2021, some things are still happening, and how can we pass something on to our children until we understand our story?” Said Hillmann. “That’s one thing I want to do. I want to encourage, give a voice to the people who came before me. “
The newly opened museum is adorned with photos of historical figures and events as well as news snippets from the past. The grand opening included food, music, and many singing Hillman’s praises.
“Mamie Hillman is a hero,” said Macky Alston, co-director and co-producer on Acts of Reparation. “Twenty-six years ago, she knew the people who taught her were telling her that you had to help us preserve the stories of our community by opening the Greene County African American Museum.”
However, the honor of the forgotten did not just end with the opening of the museum. After the celebration, those in attendance moved to Penfield Cemetery.
The picturesque Penfield Cemetery is the resting place of the founders of Mercer University. But on the other side of a stone wall that delineates the back of the cemetery is a black cemetery covered in overgrowth and fallen trees.
Some graves were marked with headstones or markings, while only a recess in the ground indicated many other resting places.
Surrounded by friends, family, Mercer University officials, and community members, Hillman shared the importance of honoring those who have been forgotten.
Present was James McWhorter, whose great-grandmother was one of the many buried in the Black Cemetery. McWhorter said he was introduced to the cemetery by Hillman and Alston.
“We went on a trip in the fall of 2019 and I was able to find my great-grandmother’s tombstone,” he said. “It showed the day she died and the day she was born.”
“It’s one thing to see someone’s name on paper,” McWhorter went on, “but when you actually see the tomb it really says that it was a living soul; this person really lived and it is because of him that I am here today. “
Hillman has also worked with Mercer University and community members to restore the cemetery. And as part of the ceremony, a piece of the wall was removed to allow access to the site.
“Walls are built to separate; Walls are built to keep us separate, ”said McWhorter. “This is a historic site so it needs to be restored. It needs to be purified and revived. I hope this will happen so that my children’s children can return there and see their ancestors. “
Lucas Johnson, a member of the On Being Project, a nonprofit media and public life initiative, said Hillman was someone who really tries to help people understand who they are and what a community can be.
“Part of that is regaining the past and helping us face our history and understand the work we need to do to be a better fellowship with one another,” he said.
Johnson, a Mercer University alum, said his college would run trips to Penfield Cemetery, but he was unaware of the Black Cemetery on the other side of the wall. On the one hand, he wanted to remove the entire wall, said Johnson, on the other hand, it was a strong symbol.
“There is only one small way we can go to see the truth,” he said. “Just a small window between these barriers that we have set up among ourselves and between our lives.”
Alston, whose ancestor was the first president of Mercer University, said his family would come to Penfield Cemetery as a child without being aware of the forgotten history beyond the wall.
“As little kids, crawling along the wall in the cemetery was the fun game,” he said. “What I only learned with Mamie was that there is a lost African American cemetery on the other side of the wall. The children’s game was so close to this story and we forgot it. “
Alston said thanks to Hillman’s work, many have been able to connect with their family members on the other side of the wall.
“To see a day come when people have access to their ancestors, access to their history, access to their ancestors and the truth, that’s a dream come true,” he said.