My World, My Athens

Athens, Georgia, USA, circa 1840

You might be wondering about my world. I write a lot about the far away, historical, and the exotic. But what about Sincerae’s world? Well, my world began in the city of Athens, Georgia. Athens is a city of close to 200,000 inhabitants. Good things do come in small packages. Note the following about Athens.

My home town began as a trading settlement in the late 18th century along the Oconee River. Oconee is a Creek Indian word which means people, place, or nation. On January 27, 1785, the Georgia General Assembly established a charter which was written by one of the nation’s Founding Fathers and signer of The Declaration of Independence, Abraham Baldwin, to found The University of Georgia which is the country’s first state-supported or public university. The first students were the sons of wealthy white plantation owners. Exactly two centuries later in March 1985, I, a descendant of African slaves and a female would proudly receive my bachelor degree at this institution.

During the 1800s, Athens was given the nickname "the Manchester of the South." Like its' counterpart, Manchester, England, Athens was a mill town specializing in the processing of cotton.

For such a small place, Athens, Georgia has a rich history. After the US Civil War, freed slaves came to Athens in search of new educational opportunities provided by the Freedman’s Bureau which was an agency which aided refugees of the war. By the turn of the last century, this little southern town had a significant black professional and middle class. I have been told that shortly after this period in which blacks did not have civil rights, some distant cousins in my father’s family were quite well off by the standards of their day, owning significant amounts of land right outside the city limits.

For such a small town, Athens has a highly creative music, artistic, and intellectual environment which is situated mainly downtown in proximity to The University of Georgia. An eclectic range of individuals and musical groups had their origins here. R.E.M. and the B-52's are bands that were formed in Athens. My father did some upholstery work for one of the members several years ago. White rapper Bubba Sparxxx began his journey as a southern hip hopster (sic) whose genre is called Country Rap or Dirty South. A number of other alternative music bands had their origins here. When I was a university student, the now defunct Athens Observer newspaper and the still existent Flagpole Magazine constantly contained advertisements by university students and other youngsters seeking members to help them establish or augment their bands.

Athens also has a literary scene which includes former residents and Pulitzer Prize winners Deborah Blum and Edward Larson. Acclaimed writer and poetess Judith Ortiz Cofer. Ms. Cofer was born in Puerto Rico and is a professor at the university. Poet Coleman Barks, who is one of the foremost translators into English of the poetry of Mevlana Jelaluddin Balkhi or Rumi the 13th century Afghan poet, Islamic jurist and theologian who died in Turkey, also resides here. I was a student of both Cofer and Barks at the university.

Emmy Award winning journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault was one of two African-American students who courageously helped desegregate The University of Georgia in the early 1960s. Her attendance there even sparked a race riot. Most people do not attend a university where their lives are under attack by intimidation and threats, but Hunter did. The racist jibes and threats against her did not deter her. She graduated, and her later achievements prove that the experience did not embitter her but apparently made her strong and determined and an inspiration for not only African-American females but to anyone to never, ever give up.

Academy Award winning actress Kim Basinger was born here. As a graduate student, I saw her mother come several times into the large pharmacy where I worked. Long before Paris Hilton and others made it popular, Basinger’s mom carried her toy dog around with her safely tucked in her arms. My dad even saw Basinger’s dad a few times when they were both young men. Her father was a loan office manager.

My Athens, though in the south or as some call it “The Bible Belt,” is considered a liberal town because of the intellectual currents that flow from The University of Georgia. Over the years, downtown Athens has been the home to many interesting shops selling everything from vintage and ethnic clothing to antiques and used and rare books. There is a newsstand with more than your usual magazine and comic fare. There have been shops selling used cassettes and records and gourmet candy. Stores selling fine jewelry, shoes, clothing, musical instruments, art supplies, health food, and unique gift items are there. There are and there were interesting and fine restaurants sometimes catering to the vegetarian palate and the yogurt and soul food lover. Then there are innovative bars where most of the recording artists and bands that were formed here got their start.

Wikipedia lists Athens, Greece as the sister city of my Athens. Perhaps it is, but Wikipedia though a good encyclopedic source has its’ shortcomings. Unless it has changed, Cortona, Italy in Tuscany is the sister city of Athens, Georgia. Every year art students from The University of Georgia go to Cortona as exchange students to soak up the artistic and historical atmosphere of the town to enhance their artistic perceptions and abilities.

Other areas of attraction are The Georgia Museum of Art, The Georgia Botanical Gardens, and The Athens Creative Theater. The Healing Arts Center offers regular classes in bellydance/oriental dance.

Below I have posted some photos of my town. These are not my own but were taken from various sources. A promotional video on Athens can also be seen here.

The Morton Theater of Athens (below). A historic building centering on African-American arts and entertainment.

Stegeman Coliseum on The University of Georgia campus. My high school graduation ceremony was held here.

The "home" and playing field of the Georgia Bulldogs football team, Sanford Stadium, on The University of Georgia campus. The favorite hangout of local football fans.


The conservatory at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia (above). To take the virtual tour of the gardens, you must download Quicktime. See the small red help on the right hand side of the map of the Botanical Garden map. The download may be slow, but seeing the tour of the garden is worth the wait.

The oldest house in Athens the Church-Waddel-Brumby House (above), circa 1820. It is also the Athens Welcome Center.

Athens' Stonehenge monument at the entrance to Stonehenge Subdivision, a housing area.

City Hall where decisions for Athens-Clarke County are made (above & below).

The world's only double-barreled cannon is in Athens on display just outside City Hall.

East Broad Street, downtown Athens.

The annual Twilight Criterium bike race for professional bikers.

The Georgia Theater, a downtown Athens landmark hosting good less than mainstream bands and films.

The T. R. R. Cobb House (above). A antebellum (pre-Civil War) mansion in the Greek Revival architectural style. A story about it can be read in this 2006 Christian Science Monitor.

I walked this same path for years as an undergraduate student on East Broad Street crossing from The University of Georgia north campus.

The University of Georgia arch at the entrance to the campus (below). It faces the street and the crosswalk in the above photo. There is an old wives' tale about the arch. The warning is to never walk underneath it because if you do, you will become sterile. I was told this when I took my orientation tour of the campus prior to transferring there as a sophomore. I never walked under it, neither does the majority of students who come that way.

Clock tower at the fire station in Five Points on Milledge Avenue (below). The clock tower is one of several symbols of Athens on logos.

These homages (below) to the Georgia Bulldog football team started appearing around town a few years ago. Some have criticized them as eyesores. I once agreed with them somewhat, but now I think they are cute in a campy sort of way. One sits beside the public library. Children love to play on it, and some parents take photographs of their toddlers that they perch on its' back.

In what is called the Greek Revival style, The Taylor-Grady House, circa 1844.