Linnentown – The Musical Takes Continued Steps Toward Remembrance and Reparations

Adding to the list of hard-won tributes to the historically significant African American community of Linnentown in Athens, erased in the 1960s due to urban renewal, is the theatrical production Linnentown – The Musical opening at The Classic Center this weekend. The musical was written by Hattie Thomas Whitehead based on her memoir Giving Voice to Linnentown, a book that has gained local traction in classrooms and among the community. Its firsthand documentation of the community that existed in Linnentown and events that led to its erasure has been a valuable lesson in Athens history that was lost for decades. “They had painted this community as a slum, but this was a vibrant community with hardworking parents and children,” said Thomas Whitehead during a Historic Athens History Hour lecture on Mar. 19. The Athens Justice and Memory Project, of which Thomas Whitehead is a member, presented a resolution in support of recognition and redress for Linnentown to the ACC Mayor and Commission that was officially passed in 2021. It was a groundbreaking effort for reparations, the first of its kind in the state of Georgia. A UGA analysis claimed that $5 million was owed to the community, so the Justice...