Queen , H. (2020). A Linnentown house, with one of the University of Georgia’s high-rise dorm buildings behind it. The story behind Linnentown: Why Athens residents are speaking out decades after their community’s removal. Special Collections Libraries. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.redandblack.com/athensnews/the-story-behind-linnentown-why-athens-residents-are-speaking-out-decades-after-their-community-s/article_a899c21c-3aa3-11eb-9b2f-13b4471b0a88.html.
In 1962, a neighborhood next to the University of Georgia (UGA), Linnentown, was seized by UGA and the city of Athens which displaced approximately 50 Black families from their homes (Queen, 2021). They then used that neighborhood as dormitories for the school, while several families were forced out of their homes. The University was able to do this through the Federal Urban Renewal Program, a program that was used to ‘clear out slums’ (Whitehead, 2021). The program used eminent domain laws to legally get away with seizing the area. “Eminent domain laws allow a government to seize private property as long as it provides monetary compensation to the owner (Queen, 2021).” There are some direct parallels to colonialism in this situation. The same people that benefit from the removal of Linnentown are the same type of people that wrote the eminent domain laws. They seized the properties for as low of a price as $2,000 (Whitehead, 2021).
This story is being brought to light now due to Joseph Carter, an UGA library employee that found data on Linnentown (Queen, 2021). Previous residents are fighting for compensation and for the UGA to acknowledge what they did. These people have been unheard for decades after they were removed from their homes. In a way, their situation has made them subalterns, or othered others This is not an isolated incident. For an example, around the same time as Linnentown happened, the University of Chicago did something similar and displaced over 4,000 families (Queen, 2021). This all goes back to the Housing Act of 1949, a law that allowed local governments to take out federal loans to get rid of ‘slum areas’ (Queen, 2021).
Hattie Thomas Whitehead, a member of one of the families that was displaced by what happened in Linnentown, is taking action. This year, she has been trying to get the mayor of Athens to pass the Linnentown Resolution, that will help the previous residents of Linnentown get the compensation that they deserved, since UGA paid Black homeowners less than the white homeowners (Queen, 2021).
This is a systemic injustice, because the government legalized the displacement of families and the seizure of homes, and the compensation received for this is less for Black homeowners. This injustice can be remedied by sharing this information and fighting for the reparations that these people deserve. Backing organizations like the Linnentown Resolution can help give a voice to those that were unheard for so long and helps prevent this from happening again.
Hulsey, D. (2015). Linnentown Neighborhood. Community Mapping Lab. Retrieved 2021, from http://www.communitymappinglab.org/linnentown-project.html.
Works Cited:
Shannon, J. (2015, March). Linnentown Project. Community Mapping Lab. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from http://www.communitymappinglab.org/linnentown-project.html.
Queen, H. (2021, September 13). The story behind linnentown: Why athens residents are speaking out decades after their community’s removal. The Red and Black. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.redandblack.com/athensnews/the-story-behind-linnentown-why-athens-residents-are-speaking-out-decades-after-their-community-
Whitehead, H. T. (2021). Response. Redressforlinnentown. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.redressforlinnentown.com/action.
This showcase post was clearly well researched and very well done. It is jarring to think about just how quickly these displays of injustice can occur, and how quickly they can be “justified” by those in power. I think you also provided great solutions to the issue you discussed. The legalized displacement of the black residents of Linnentown was something I was previously unaware of, and I am grateful for the opportunity to read about it now.
Great job on the presentation, you put in the work and it shows. I never knew this happened and I imagine unless something major happens with the situation it will , sadly, continue to go under the radar.
I really enjoyed reading your presentation. You can tell you really researched the event concerning the Linnentown Project. I did not know that 50 black families were displaced from their homes during this event. This event is an injustice and it hurt these families that were removed from their homes. Great Post!
Great presentation! The Housing Act of 1949 definitely contributes to this systemic injustice, as it allowed for the legal dissimilation of certain communities. It is sad to see how the law has wronged black people repeatedly.
This is a great presentation. You give me an impressive introduction of a specific case in system injustices. Before your post, I have no idea about this event, even I also wrote one diary about this kind of topic. Thank you for letting me know about this event and giving me such detailed background. I believe it definitely is a kind of systemic injustice that forces people to leave their homes by the unreasonable policy.