Affrilachian poet and playwright Norman Jordan is one of the most published poets in the region. Born in 1938, his works have been anthologized in over 40 books of poetry. He was also a prominent voice in the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and 70s. He died in 2015, put part of his legacy is the Norman Jordan African American Arts and Heritage Academy in West Virginia. Folkways Reporter Traci Phillips has the story.
No Justice In Augusta: Remembering A Little Known Race Riot
Charles Oatman in his A.R. Johnson Junior High School yearbook portrait. On Saturday, May 9, 1970, the news of the 16-year-old’s torture and brutal death caused long-simmering frustrations about racial injustice to boil over. Miami Herald
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We can document almost everything around us with devices of all kinds, but in 1970, there were few cameras around when police opened fire on crowds in Augusta, Georgia.
A protest-turned-riot over the brutal murder of a Black teenager left six Black men dead from police bullets. There was never justice for any of the deaths, including 16-year-old Charles Oatman, who died in the Richmond County Jail. The story of that riot remains relatively unknown among Augusta residents both Black and white.
Us & Them host Trey Kay talks with podcast producer Sea Stachura about her award-winning work, “Shots in the Back: Exhuming the 1970 Augusta Riot.” Historians call it one of the largest uprisings of the Civil Rights Era in the Deep South.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, CRC Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Charles Oatman in his A.R. Johnson Junior High School yearbook portrait. On Saturday, May 9, the news of the 16-year-old’s torture and brutal death brought long-simmering frustrations about racial injustice to a boiling point.
Augusta College Yearbook
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Black protesters gather in front of the Municipal Building in Augusta, GA mid-afternoon on Monday, May 11 to demand answers from law enforcement officials about the circumstances of the death of Charles Oatman.
Augusta Chronicle
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On May 11, 1970, this was 9th Street (today it’s James Brown Blvd) at the intersection of D’Antignac Street in Augusta, GA, where working-class African American residents ransacked White-owned Hill’s Food Store.
Augusta Chronicle
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White-owned Snow’s Laundry and Dry Cleaning in Augusta, GA goes up in flames after a firebombing.
Paine College Yearbook
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Augusta policemen patrol while white-owned stores Williams Beauty Supply and the Harlem Pawn Shop burn.
Paine College Yearbook
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Policemen with shotguns occupy a part of Augusta where protesters overturned the car of a white motorist.
New England Free Press / Library of Congress
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“Don’t mourn … organize! Remember the Augusta six.” poster from 1970.
Sea Stachura
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Students from the Jessye Norman School of Arts – Podcasting Class on a field trip with Linton Oatman to visit the grave of his nephew Charles Oatman.
Sea Stachura
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Students from Sea Stachura’s Podcasting Class at the Jessye Norman School of the Arts in Augusta, GA helped with the reporting on a podcast series that was honored with an National Edward R. Murrow Award.
RTDNA – Edward R. Murrow Awards
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Sea Stachura bobbles her award at the 2021 National Edward R. Murrow Honors in New York City.
Affrilachian poet and playwright Norman Jordan is one of the most published poets in the region. Born in 1938, his works have been anthologized in over 40 books of poetry. He was also a prominent voice in the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and 70s. He died in 2015, put part of his legacy is the Norman Jordan African American Arts and Heritage Academy in West Virginia. Folkways Reporter Traci Phillips has the story.
The 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline from West Virginia to Virginia took 10 years to complete. Author Denali Sai Nalamalapu was part of the protests to stop the pipeline. They have a new book, called HOLLER: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance. It’s written and drawn in comics form and profiles six activists who fought the pipeline. Mason Adams spoke with Nalamalapu.
In West Virginia, homeownership is a paradox. While the state boasts the nation’s highest homeownership rate, low incomes mean many homes are aging and in disrepair. In one county, 67% of houses are over 80 years old. Across Appalachia by one measure, there are 500,000 people living in substandard conditions. This is the hidden crisis at the heart of Appalachia's housing landscape.
Activists in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle are promoting local history. They hope it will encourage residents to support the preservation of a village they consider threatened by corporate development.