James Oglethorpe would found Georgia in 1733 as a unique social welfare experiment which gave England's "worthy poor" an opportunity to gain financial security, but more significantly and peculiarly for the time period, Oglethorpe would firmly believe that economic vitality in Georgia could never be achieved through the exploitation of enslaved Black laborers.

Join us for September's History Hour where author, former Georgia Labor Commissioner, and Athens' third elected Black state official to the Georgia General Assembly Michael Thurmond will tell us about his most recent book, James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia. Listen as Thurmond describes his two-deacde long research journey into discovering Oglethorpe's unique "friendships" with Ayuba Suleiman Diallo and Olaudah Equiano, two of eighteenth-century England’s most influential Black men and these men's profound impact of Oglethorpe's abolitionist identity. From slave trader to abolitionist, the story of James Oglethorpe shows a look into one man's fight against slavery in the deep south.

History Hour with Historic Athens One Story is a free monthly educational program held at the Lyndon House Arts Center with complimentary lunch from Rashe's Cuisine available on a first come, first serve basis, including vegan options. We’ll see you Tuesday, September 1st at noon!